Can Biden Still Save America? STEVEN BESCHLOSS JUN 29 I thought about calling this post, “Which Candidate Should Drop Out?” Because on Thursday night we watched Donald Trump lie through his teeth and misdirect the public about every significant issue facing the country every time he opened his mouth. A presidential candidate has a responsibility to educate the public, not employ the “gish gallop,” which legal analyst Barbara McQuade succinctly describes as a “disinformation technique” employing “a rapid series of specious arguments, half-truths, misrepresentations, and outright lies in a short space of time, which makes it impossible for the opponent to refute all of them within the format of a formal debate.” (Expert fact-checker Daniel Dale debunked 28 of Trump’s lies in a three-minute span.) In a sane world, the media and the public would be demanding Trump to drop out of the race for his despicable irresponsibility in the debate, in which he yet again undermined our democracy. But that’s not what has been happening, of course. The intense focus has been on Joe Biden, who as I wrote yesterday had a bad night, indeed a heartbreakingly terrible night, as he looked and sounded weak and struggled to articulate both his own positions and push back against the sheer madness of Trump. People have bad nights, especially if they are not feeling physically well. But it has unavoidably—and yes, appropriately—raised the question of whether he can do the job for the next four years and, more immediately, do the job in the campaign to save the country from a march into fascism by a wannabe dictator bent on ending the American democratic experiment. The editorial board members of The New York Times were quick to call for the president to leave the race the day after the debate. (So were columnists Tom Friedman, Nicholas Kristof and Frank Bruni in their own op-eds.) The board wrote he is “engaged in a reckless gamble,” insisting “there are others better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency.” They praised his leadership—recognizing the nation’s prosperity, confrontation of “long-range challenges” and even some healing of “wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump.” They concluded: “But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.” Whatever you think of the Times these days—and I have nearly daily problems with their political coverage in this time of great danger—this editorial simply cannot be dismissed. And it should be noted that the board’s criticism is not just directed toward Biden. “It is a tragedy that Republicans themselves are not engaged in deeper soul-searching after Thursday’s debate,” they write. “Mr. Trump’s own performance ought to be regarded as disqualifying…The Republican Party, however, has been co-opted by Mr. Trump’s ambitions.” So “the burden” to “serve the nation’s interests,” they write, rests with the Democratic Party—”to protect the soul of the nation…from the malign warping of Mr. Trump.” At this point, shy of Biden himself deciding to drop out of the race, I agree with those who think inserting an alternative right now is fantasy. Dropping out this far into the race is fraught with challenges, including how much funding already raised would be available to another candidate not named Biden or Harris and whether there is another candidate with the name recognition to quickly and successfully attract the country’s support. For the record, none of the others named and surveyed have encouraging approval ratings, including Vice President Kamala Harris (the one candidate who could use all the campaign funds). We must ask: Is the more “reckless gamble” than his candidacy for Biden to leave the race and be replaced by a greater unknown? In turn, is it possible for him to bounce back from Thursday’s debacle and strengthen the public’s trust? Biden had an impressive answer on the day after the debate during a campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a fired-up crowd. He was like a different man: more vigorous, more youthful, dramatically more forceful. Even his skin color no longer suffered from that pale pallor. Yes, he had a teleprompter, but we shouldn’t dismiss what he energetically declared: I know I’m not a young man…I don't walk as easy as I used to. I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down you get back up! None of us know what the next few weeks will yield. Will there be senior members of his own party who convince him to rethink his plans? Will there be another public episode that intensifies the pressure to drop out? Or was that terrible, no good, awful debate what he needed to concentrate his efforts on campaigning with the necessary vigor, intensity and clarity? Count me among those not ready to give up on this good and decent man who—while not perfect—has proven his ability to confront the challenges we face and fight for a progressive future amid overwhelming hostile forces. He deserves from us a chance to get back up. But I also hope we agree about this: Ultimately, we must be dedicated to doing whatever is needed to protect our democracy and save the country from a vast and deep malignancy. We only have one chance to get this right. God bless America. Talk about living in interesting times. So what do you think? Can Joe Biden still save America? Are you still with him? Or has Thursday’s debate shaken you from that support? Perhaps you’d rather comment on how stunning it remains that there are few calls for the felonious sociopath Donald Trump to get out of the race. As always, I look forward to reading your comments and for this community to learn from each other. I know this is a controversial topic and emotions are running high, so I’m particularly adamant that we must be respectful toward each other. I will remove anyone engaged in trolling. Please do share today’s post. I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber for $50 a year or just $5 a month, if you’re not already. This helps sustain and expand the work of America, America, keep nearly all the content free for everyone and give you full access to the comments sections. *Photo: President Biden in Raleigh, North Carolina, the day after the debate. Photo by Allison Joyce via Getty Images.