Biden's Conference Hasn't Changed The Campaign

There was general agreement that Biden did decently in his first post-debate press conference. He was good on substance but still sounded weak.  He momentarily allayed concerns about his competence.  

He was good enough to stay in the race. But not to restore confidence in his ability to win or stop the hemorrhaging of support in his party. He was a lot more flexible on his prospect but not inclined to drop out.

Some suggested it was the worse of all possible outcomes.

Still, there is at least a possibility that Biden will free his delegates and that the Democrats will hold an open convention.  Whoever his potential successor might be will start with huge advantages - all the pluses of his administration and none of the negativity.

Long before the debate it was clear that Dems needed to dramatically change the course of their losing narrative - something along the lines of a peace agreement in the Middle East, a proposal for dental care, an expansion of Social Security, even the legalization of marijuana.

The drop in the polls since the debate hasn’t been terrible.  But the downward trend for Democrats has only gotten worse.  The likelihood of their holding the Presidency and the Senate and retaking the House is worse than ever.

But this crisis could be a blessing in disguise.  If Dems handle this right - a big if - they could have the most exciting convention ever.  If the outcome isn’t clear, if they don't allow the nomination process to devolve into chaos, if they demonstrate democracy in action, they will show the stark contrast with the Republicans and take the attention was from Trump in the weeks before the November election.

Former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger said something to the effect that the debate is a sign of a healthy party, not the lock step (or is that goose step?) conformity of the fascist cult he recently quit.

Of course, Dems default position is always despair. But he has a point, if Democrats are open to hearing it.