Thoughts On The First Debate (Updated)
The disastrous first 2024 debate was a gift to Republicans and a crushing blow to Democrats. It was painful to watch and to process the grim prospect that it might mean the end of our country.
Democrats immediate panicked, but that’s typical of them. Many were upset with the candidacies of the Clintons, and weren’t excited when Joe Biden ran in 2020. But panic isn’t a strategy. The time is short, but Democrats must carefully reassess the 2024 campaign and consider how to move forward.
The public may never know what the hell happened at the debate. Joe’s never been known as a great debater. But he looked cadaverous up there. In addition to being in terrible shape, was he badly served by whoever did his make up?
Initial word from his staff was that he wasn’t feeling well. That story has changed in the following days. But whatever the truth, his staff should never have let him go on stage. He’s known to be stubborn so maybe they couldn’t stop him. But that’s their job. They failed him, and he failed America.
It may seem paranoid, but one has to wonder if he was drugged. Security concerns probably wouldn’t permit such an admission. But no one should anything past Putin or the puppet he’s running for President.
If the debate was a boxing match, the referee or his handlers would have stopped the fight.
The event recalled Admiral Stockdale, Ross Perot’s running mate, blurting out that he didn’t know what he was doing on a debate stage. But that debate had little importance and no great repercussions.
The reality is that it was probably just his age catching up to him, but maybe Democrats should float the idea that this was an attack on America. That’s what the Republicans would do, and charges about conspiracies would be swamping the blogosphere within days.
In any case, Democrats should have aggressively gone after Trump on the facts. He made enough mistakes at the debate to cut a dozen ads. Democrats should have flooded the airwaves and social media with them. Instead, they allowed the media, especially The New York Times and CNN, to create the impression of widespread dissension in the Democratic Party and artificially drive a movement among Democrats to urge him to withdraw from the race.
On the plus side, Biden held three events the next day. He addressed a wildly enthusiastic crowd in NC the next day and was great. He then flew to NY to open the Stonewall Visitor Center. That night he flew to the Hamptons for a fundraiser. That’d be exhausting for someone half his age. But critics pointed out that he used teleprompters for his public events.
The full extent of the damage still isn’t clear, but it’s unlikely to be good for Biden or down-ballot Democratic candidates. Biden seems hellbent on staying in the race, but Democrats must make contingency plans for any emerging scenario.
The Democratic strategy should include a means for him to make the most graceful, statesmanlike exit possible, probably by freeing his delegates and holding an open convention.
Withdrawing from the race might free Biden to do things he’s been constrained from doing, things that could help him and/or other possible nominees - maybe take major action on the southern border or in the Middle East; suggest ideas for a massive program to construct thousands of new homes and drive housing costs down; or stop talking about protecting the social safety and move to dramatically expand Medicare to include dental and vision coverage.
A Trump triumph means the end of the America we’ve known. The Democrats have to keep their options open. And they have to take dramatic steps to turn the tide of public opinion in their direction. No matter who their candidate ends up being.