the essential
After a disastrous first debate which highlighted his age, can outgoing President Joe Biden continue to be the candidate of the Democratic Party against Donald Trump, condemned by the courts but dubbed by the Republicans? The question is asked, analyzes political scientist and United States specialist Nicole Bacharan. Interview.
The first debate was devastating for the outgoing president, the American press points out (read opposite). “We’re screwed,” even let slip a Democrat on CNN. Has Joe Biden already lost the election?
I don’t really see what could save him. Should he step down? He doesn’t seem to be heading that way. However, I think that there will be strong pressure on the Democrat side to stop the damage because on the Republican side, we’re already saying that “it’s over”. Biden had one main challenge to take on: to prove that despite his age, he had the vitality necessary to assume the presidential office. It’s a total failure. In these long campaigns and in this one, in particular, with these two candidates that no one wanted to see again, that the public doesn’t follow day by day, the first debate is the most watched event. It leaves a terrible mark on people’s minds. However, yesterday, Biden provided a lot of disastrous images to the Republicans who will make the most of it with little videos on the networks to say that he is “senile”.
D.R.
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However, it was Joe Biden who imposed the form of this debate…
And it backfired. No one paid attention to the substance. The closed microphones between each speaker were intended to avoid the interruptions and snickers from Trump that had been extremely painful in 2020. In doing so, the audience mostly saw a Biden who often seemed disoriented while Trump spoke, while Trump, himself, appeared disciplined, not having a microphone. His main weakness, being “the man of chaos,” was thus masked while Biden’s age really came to light.
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What can happen between now and the next debate scheduled for September 10?
Well, it is not at all certain that this next debate will take place. On July 11, Donald Trump will know his sentence. Will the judge impose an electronic bracelet on him with limits on his movements? It would seem difficult to avoid the accusation of interference in the campaign. Or impose a heavy fine on him? In any case, this will not affect the support of his voters, quite the opposite. On the other hand, the 3 to 9% of undecided voters may say to themselves: “No, Biden, it is not possible.” These points are lost and many Democrats are already thinking about a plan B.
Can they still change candidates?
It all depends on Biden. He alone decides. The one who could influence him the most is his wife Jill, they are a close couple, but I doubt she would advise him to stop. Then come the heavyweights of the Democratic Party and former presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. They have seen the same disaster as everyone else, but what will they tell him? They are caught in the same dilemma: how to avoid this predicted defeat?
If Joe Biden drops out, would Vice President Kamala Harris automatically be the candidate? In “New York Magazine”, Ed Kilgore suggests recalling Hillary Clinton. Is this realistic?
No, it won’t happen. She lost twice, to Obama in the 2008 primaries and then to Trump in 2016, and she’s really not popular. The names of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg or the governors of California and Michigan, Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer, are mentioned, but they won’t want to take on the role of the “traitor” against Joe Biden. And most certainly, the latter would support Kamala Harris. He can’t deny himself at this crucial moment, dismiss this woman from a minority, and support someone else. That would be like saying “I was wrong for four years.”
