OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A leading liberal newspaper in the South is now calling for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race after his weak, stumbling debate performance against former President Donald Trump on Thursday.
An op-ed published by the editorial board of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the latest in a chorus of Democrat-allied voices that are attempting to convince Biden to leave the race now after appearing raspy, vacant, and unable to speak coherently during the debate.
“The shade of retirement is now necessary for President Biden,” the paper’s editorial board wrote, adding that dropping out would be “for the good of the country.” They argued that Biden failed to convey a “competent and coherent vision for the future of America” at the cycle’s first debate.
“He failed to outline the most fundamental aspects of his platform,” they wrote. “He failed to take credit for the significant accomplishments of his 3½ years in office. And he failed to counter the prevarications of an opponent, who, according to CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale, lied 30 times during the course of the debate, approximately once every 90 seconds of his allotted time.”
Other media outlets found Biden to have lied several times, too.
AJC’s board said that Biden surrogates’ responses, including former President Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris, and aides’ cover-up attempt that the president had a cold were “insulting to the American people.” Biden’s lack of mental acuity only strengthened Trump’s arguments that he’s beyond his capacity to effectively serve the country, especially as threats arise around the world.
“President Biden’s ability to withstand the mental and physical rigors of another four-year term would be of concern regardless of his opponent,” they wrote. “The fact that he is all that stands in the way of Trump returning to the Oval Office significantly raises the stakes.”
“If he truly hopes to defeat Trump, he must pass the torch to the next generation of Democratic leaders and urge the party to nominate another candidate at its convention in Chicago in August,” they wrote. “Doing this will require a massive and unprecedented string of legal and regulatory actions to get a Biden successor named and placed on each state’s ballot. This is difficult and necessary work that must start immediately.”
“The Democrats have a number of talented and principled leaders who might take the president’s agenda forward and provide the nation with a viable alternative to Trump,” they wrote. “The right candidate would make it a priority to appeal to Republican and Democratic voters.”
The board also argued that Biden’s candidacy was “grounded in his incumbency and the belief of Democratic leaders and pollsters that he stood the best chance of defeating Trump in November.”
“This is no longer the case,” the editors wrote.
“Biden deserves a better exit from public life than the one he endured when he shuffled off the stage Thursday night,” they said.
“If he displays the courage and dignity that have defined his political career, he might follow in the footsteps of the nation’s first president and welcome his retirement, secure in the knowledge that he again served his country with honor,” the board concluded.
Meanwhile, Biden is retreating with close family members to discuss his reelection path forward after a horrendous debate performance.
NBC News reports that Biden will huddle with his family at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland after a debate “that left many fellow Democrats worried about his ability to beat” Trump in the fall, according to five sources.
“One Democratic House member who believes Biden should drop out of the race — but has yet to call for that publicly — told NBC News that three colleagues expressed the same sentiment to him during votes on the House floor Friday,” the outlet added, noting further that House Democratic leaders are publicly supporting Biden but privately expressing doubts about his viability against Trump.
One source said that only one person has sway with Biden on whether he should drop out or continue to run: the first lady.