As a voting citizen, I felt obligated to watch the entire presidential debate on June 27th between President Biden and former President Trump. I pulled out my yellow pad and sat in my office glued to the television, prepared to see the energetic Biden I observed at the State of the Union. Within seconds, it was evident that he was going to present a view of himself that dismantled any hopes I had that he was up for the task, not only of debating, but of successfully running for office again.
His voice was slow, raspy, and quiet. His demeanor was low key and lethargic. He moved and presented himself as a feeble old man. His answers were slow, sometimes to the point and other times, rambling and incoherent. He was unable to effectively counter all the lies and rewriting of history Trump threw at him. At one point, he simply says that everything Trump just said was a lie. He didn’t adequately defend his record, his decisions, nor present his accomplishment in a way that inspired confidence.
Although Biden was clearly a better president and is a more likable human being than Trump, he looked too old and feeble to continue on as president for four more years. It was painful to watch his obvious decline in mental acuity and mobility. But it was also a wakeup call to the Democrat leadership, which I pray they will act upon this time.
Biden needs to step aside and allow another person to assume the presidential candidacy before it is too late. Following the debate, I emailed my request directly to the White House, imploring President Biden to step aside for the good of the nation. I emailed the Democratic National Committee and requested that they convince Biden to step aside and find another candidate to run. I emailed Senator Chuck Schummer and my governor, Galvin Newsome, and requested the same.
Overall, I think Biden has done a good job as president and I commended his record in my emails. However, there is no getting beyond the perception that he presents himself as old and feeble on the world stage and that his inability to effectively communicate his ideas, stay on topic, or issue rebuttals with energy and conviction will lead to his defeat this November.
Everyone says that the choice is Biden’s to make. But that does not mean that as many of us as possible should remain silent and not try to pressure him to do what we are convinced is best for the country and the world. Our silence is our consent, so I hope many people around him and others across the country are encouraging him to step away.
I question why he would remain in the race. How much is ego? How much is hubris? How much is personal ambition? How much is delusional thinking? I don’t know. But I’m praying that enough of us speaking out can break through to him and convince him to take a bow for the wins of the past four years and pass the torch. He has left the country better than he found it. It would be a tragedy to hand over the country to Trump, White Christian Nationalists and their Project 2025 plans and the Federalist Society. We need a strong leader to counteract the damage they have already done and the theocratic plans they have for our collective future.
Of course, if after all efforts fail and Biden chooses to continue running, I will vote for him. I take comfort in the fact that he is surrounded by competent cabinet members, career administrators and staff. I’ve watched many of them testify before congress and the senate on multiple occasions and they exude integrity, confidence, and competence in their administrative areas. None of them shrink before the MAGA Republican nonsense their representatives throw at them. The opposite is true of the previous Trump administration where they were either silent, lying, or frustrated with Trump’s incompetence, law-breaking, and lying that they resigned, were fired, or helped him at the cost of their professional and personal reputations. The Republican lead Senate failed to convict him twice and that is shameful. And now the judicial system replete with just enough MAGA judges are failing us with unfounded delays.
No matter who the democratic candidate turns out to be, I will vote for him or her. I am actively joining the chorus of democrats encouraging Biden to step aside. But if he doesn’t, I will vote for him without reservation because the other choice is completely unacceptable. Trump and the current Republican Party is a threat to our country, the world economy, humanity itself, the rule of law, and the environment. I just wish more Americans were paying close enough attention to see this.