I continue to think that the record of Joe Biden’s mandate is positive and that it was even better than that of Barack Obama. However, we cannot recover from a rout like that of last Thursday’s debate.
While we’ve seen bad performances before, nothing was as disturbing as the sad spectacle of a man diminished and sometimes completely incoherent.
Even though it was said on Sunday that his wife and family were advising him to stay in the race, Biden must think about the candidates of his party in the Senate and the House whom he could bring with him in his fall.
This is even more relevant if we consider the issues at the national and international levels.
The precedent of Lyndon B. Johnson
History never repeats itself in the same way, but sometimes it offers a perspective that we can learn from.
Becoming president following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Texan Lyndon B. Johnson experienced exhilarating success, but also a dramatic end.
If in 1964 he obtained 486 electoral votes (out of 538) and he was ahead of Barry Goldwater by more than 15 million votes, in 1968 he abandoned the race which would have allowed him to obtain a second term.
When he decided to leave, JFK’s successor only received 36% of support among the population and nothing allowed him to consider overcoming inflation and, above all, popular discontent about the Vietnamese conflict.
In an article published in the Washington Post On Sunday, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin recalls that Johnson’s withdrawal had a very significant impact, reversing his popularity rating. She does not hesitate to mention a sacrifice for the higher interests of the country.
Those who remember the 1968 election will not fail to point out that the Democrats lost the presidency. However, we should not forget to mention that the successive assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy occurred after the president’s abandonment.
Joe Biden could still win
If Joe Biden is hanging on, it is because, despite his atrocious performance, Donald Trump is still polarizing and it would be surprising if we saw a massive movement of voters in his direction.
However, I believe that the president gives too little importance to the fact that 60% of voters want him to leave and that more than 70% of the population is convinced that he no longer has the capacity to do his job well.
What is the greater risk for Democrats: a Biden who is unlikely to serve for another four years, or the prospect of a new candidacy that would have to be sold quickly to voters?
Several candidates have dropped out of running this year to avoid tainting the president. I see several being able to convince Americans that they are superior to Trump. Biden has to go.
