By Ray Cardello for June 28, 2024, Season 27 / Post 14

The bar was set very low for Joe Biden at the Thursday debate with Donald Trump. All Joe had to do was show up, walk confidently onto the stage, stay on his feet for ninety minutes, and not say anything absurd. Biden had such an abysmal performance that the White House began issuing statements of explanation before the debate was over. Joe did so poorly that he had the talking heads at CNN and MSNBC talking more about his replacement than the content of the debate. Some of the headlines read:

In Debate, Biden Struggles to Fend Off Attacks From Trump, New York Times

Democrats in Full-Blown Panic Mode After Presidential Debate, Townhall

‘WTF’: Panicked Dems start looking for alternatives to Biden, POLITICO

Democrats Hit Panic Button in Wake of Biden Debate Debacle, Bloomberg

On and on the headlines went. It was like the lights finally came on at every news agency in the world. The con was over, and by President Joe Biden insisting on a debate with Donald Trump, he pressed the self-destruct button himself. The Biden campaign is over except for convincing Joe and Jill to step aside. Time is running down, and someone must tell the Bidens that the music has stopped and the final dance is over.

Joe shuffled onto the stage in Atlanta, and his voice and confidence left him on his first answer. He hesitated, coughed, cleared his throat, and mumbled through his first answer. The night was done. His raspy, faltering voice defied the storyline that the Dems, including Dr. Jill, have been spoon-feeding us for months. The vibrant persona of an energetic statesman crumbled to the floor. The image of Jill Biden leading the young people at one of the After-Debate parties chanting, “Four More Years,” couldn’t erase the spectacle of a politician at the end of his ride. Joe, what were you and your Gang of Sixteen doing at Camp David? If you were practicing for the debate, Mr. President, then 16 advisors let you down. After this train wreck, there will be no second debate. The insiders are plotting feverishly to find a way to talk you and Kamala off the ballot before the convention in Chicago. Jill may prove to be their biggest challenge. She thrives the power and wants her full eight years at 1600.

Watching the msm last night and this morning is like being at a wake. They did not see what we saw in Joe. It was like he had gone to Camp David a week ago and emerged as this old man. Folks, he has been that man for three-plus years. We should stop focusing on his age and admit he was never a good politician or statesman. He had longevity, and that was all. There was a reason Obama tried talking him out of running in 2020. Biden had served his purpose for the Obama White House, but Obama knew Joe was not fit for the big job. The rest of the Democrats have been much slower in coming to that same assessment. Unfortunately for them, they have no Plan B. The Dems have a very weak bench, as evidenced by the talk of Gretchen Whitmer stepping in. If she were the choice, they would have surrendered the White House to Trump and may have saved the country.