It only took ninety minutes for Joe Biden to go from being the leader of the free world to being a political liability many Democrats are now desperate to get rid of. His debate performance against Donald Trump in June was a disaster for him and his party. Appearing pale, glassy-eyed, and confused through the entire debate, Biden reaffirmed for those of us who already knew about his cognitive issues that he is in a state of decline; for those who knew nothing about his physical or mental health, it was a rude awakening.
If Biden has his way, he isn’t going anywhere. He describes his debate performance as a “bad night” that he attributes to a cold and fatigue from recent travels abroad. The irony of this disastrous evening is that it was Biden who wanted to debate Trump and who stipulated the terms of the debate. Perhaps Biden thought he would repeat his State of the Union success and overwhelm his opponent with a show of physical and verbal aggression that would make Trump look weak. If this is what Biden believed would happen, he was wrong.
In an interview just days after the debate, the president doubled down on his vow to stay in the race. Apparently, only God can convince Biden to change his mind, and even that might not be possible. When George Stephanopoulos, the ABC News anchor interviewing Biden, asked him if he would step down, he replied “if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me to do that, I might do that.” Notice that he said he “might” do that, not that he would do that.
Biden’s refusal to step down, placing him at odds with many members of his party, has presented Americans with an election dilemma unlike any in our history. How this standoff will end is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Biden will change his mind and drop out, but he has a reputation for being extremely stubborn, so that is unlikely. Perhaps the Democrats will find a way to force him out, but then they must select another candidate. If they do not pick Kamala Harris, the current vice president and therefore the obvious choice, they will likely lose voters. Whatever decision they make, they risk losing not only the presidency but also numerous seats in Congress.
It would be very tempting for anyone looking at the problem that the Democrats face to see Biden as a sympathetic figure bravely fighting a battle against his political adversaries for his right to serve a second term. Biden’s physical and cognitive health are tragic, especially for those who have witnessed this kind of deterioration in a loved one, but Biden is no hero.
From the moment Biden was inaugurated, he has implemented policies that have been disastrous not only for America but also for the entire world. In the first few weeks of his administration, he issued executive orders that stopped construction of a border wall and opened up the border; he canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, reducing our fossil fuel production; he extended a pause on student loan payments; he issued an order that transgender female athletes must be allowed to compete against biological women; and he established climate change as an essential part of our foreign policy and national security.
Because of these and other policies issued by Biden, we now have inflation that has created financial hardships for many Americans. We have millions of unvetted illegal immigrants in our country, many of whom are violent criminals. We have wars in Europe and the Middle East. We have world leaders who no longer respect or fear us.
Amid all this, we have a “leader” who truly does not act in the best interests of his country and who feels contempt for half its citizens.
The best thing Biden could do for America would be to acknowledge his medical issues, withdraw from the presidential race, and resign as president. However, he has made it clear he is more interested in holding on to power than he is in serving his country. And that is a great tragedy for all of us.