It has been nearly two weeks since Biden’s disastrous CNN debate performance in Atlanta, however the fallout is still continuing. Biden’s performance, which was characterized by many as “old” and “frail” has caused a very noticeable decline in polls for the incumbent President, and around 10 Democratic congresspeople have called for him to drop out. Furthermore, the mainstream media has almost entirely turned on him, with the New York Times publishing more than 100 articles about the debate in around one week. However, despite all of this pressure, including 70 percent of registered voters believing Biden should drop out, Biden has continued to repeatedly and defiantly say he will not, going so far as to publish a letter to congressional democrats. At this point, I think if Democrats want a chance to win, they have to throw all their support behind Biden.
Now, you may be asking: Why do I say this? Well, it’s simple. While Biden probably isn’t the best candidate the Democrats could run, with a midwestern governor like Gretchen Whitmer or Josh Shapiro, or even Kamala Harris (who has lower approval ratings than Biden) probably able to outperform him, it is clear he is not dropping out. And with Democratic leadership and the congressional black caucus supporting him, it is almost certain that nothing will convince him otherwise. Because of this, for better or worse, the Democrats have to unite and throw all of their support behind Biden and try to get him re-elected. Protesting and looking for an alternative when Biden won’t step down in any situation just simply isn’t a good look for voters.
However, even after taking all this information in, one question remains. Even if the entire Democratic Party units around Biden, will his chances of winning actually go up? To most voters, the debate cemented Biden as a frail old man, and it is going to be extremely hard for Biden to shake that description, especially in contrast to Trump’s energy. However, at the end of the day, if Biden is not stepping down, the Democrats best chance is to completely back him.