There have been stumbles before: President Ford declaring Poland behind the Iron Curtain “free”; there have been lackluster performances: Nixon in 1960, Obama in 2012. There has even been one debate that raised the question of a president’s age for reelection: Reagan in 1984. However, in the history of presidential debates, there has never been as comprehensively poor a performance, and one that backfired as completely on a president, on the singular issue, mental deterioration due to age, as President Biden’s tonight. It may not lose him much support given the alternative, but he is behind and always has been, and this seriously damaged him. 

I have thought for some time, as others have, as I and they think more about it now, that the president should step aside. He is not mentally fit for another four years; he may not even have the physical and mental stamina to conclude the next four months of the campaign. I don’t know if a replacement mechanism is even in place and have no replacement in mind. I will vote for him because of the alternative. But the truth that I have suspected and now know is that he is not capable of carrying on as president.