Biden’s Failing to Put the Doubts to Rest - Rob Horowitz

Biden’s Failing to Put the Doubts to Rest - Rob Horowitz

President Biden’s efforts to quell the serious concerns about his candidacy stemming from his disastrous debate performance are not working.  In fact, key Democratic elected officials, contributors, operatives, and activists are more convinced today than they were the morning after the debate that he should withdraw from the race.

 

Most damaging to the president in the aftermath of the debate have been articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and New York Magazine, among other publications, reporting that over the past several months, there have been other instances of the president seeming distant or losing his train of thought.  In other words, his debate performance cannot be easily dismissed as one bad night as Mr. Biden and his campaign have continued to insist; the public is learning about other bad moments along the same lines that have raised concerns among some of his allies abroad as well as some of his supporters at home. 

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Compounding this problem, as I wrote last week, is “Joe Biden’s diminished capacity to publicly communicate has been evident over the past year or so.” The combination of the stuttering he overcame as a young man returning with a vengeance, the raspy quality of his voice where he often seems to be whispering, and his too frequently meandering rather than straightforwardly making his point, makes him difficult to understand at times, and rarely able to demonstrate a presidential level of command. 

 

Coupled with his increasingly frail physical appearance and stilted movements, this marked communications deficit is the primary reason for most voters’ impressions that at 81, Joe Biden may no longer be up to the job. Even before the debate, nearly 3-out-of-4 likely voters said he was too old to be an effective president in his next term.
These worries about the president’s age have served as a brake on any rise in his approval rating-the measure that most strongly correlates with reelection percentage. It remains stuck around 40%, despite marked improvements in the nation’s economy, and related increases in consumer confidence.
Simply put, voters’ doubts about Joe Biden are at their core informed by what their own eyes and ears tell them when watching the president on television.  These doubts were confirmed, solidified, and strengthened by the president’s poor debate performance.

 

Nothing President Biden has done in the nearly two weeks since the debate has softened those doubts.  While he was certainly better in his interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that aired Friday night than he was in the debate, for example, he was still below par for what we expect from a president.  Also, his refusal to say he would undergo an independent medical evaluation that includes a cognitive test was troubling. It is the bare minimum if he wants to stop or even slow the bleeding.
Most troubling was the president’s response when Mr. Stephanopoulos’ asked how he would feel if he stayed in the race and lost, and Trump did everything he has been warning about. “I'll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the good as job as I know I can do, that's what this is about,” said Mr. Biden.

 

As the president himself has accurately asserted Donald Trump’s victory would present a threat to our democracy.  Mr. Trump’s continued insistence to this day that he won the 2020 election despite being soundly defeated, as well as his reckless and lawless attempt to use any means at his disposal to overturn the results, culminating on January 6, make him manifestly unfit to hold the office. As a result, it is not simply a matter of doing one’s best, if circumstances and the limitations that aging inevitably places on us all, means that there are stronger candidates available.  This election is far more consequential than the political fortunes of one individual.
The public calls by Democratic elected officials and donors for Mr. Biden to withdraw from the race and focus on completing a successful presidential term are likely to step up over the next week or so.   During this time, the president should seek advice from objective sources outside his traditional circle of advisors.

 

Given that a substantial majority of voters dislike Donald Trump if Mr. Biden decides to stay in the race he can win.  At this point, however, it is hard to make a case that he is the strongest candidate possible.  He faces headwinds that have only grown stronger and are difficult to overcome.
I don’t read very much into the fact that the president continues to insist that he is in the race to stay. That is what any politician would say whether or not he is seriously considering a different path. 

 

I remain hopeful that Joe Biden will put country first.  The defeat of Donald Trump with his anti-democratic, authoritarian instincts, and falsehood a minute public and private communications is imperative. In a race where there are a number of options that would be favorites to defeat the former president, counting on a Biden comeback is simply too risky a bet.