We're witnessing monumental history unfold, often without fully recognizing it. Currently, a once proud president is sequestered within the confines of the White House, as his party agonizes over whether to urge him to abandon his re-election campaign following a disastrous 90-minute spectacle that not only highlighted his neurological incapacity to engage in a campaign or serve another term but also exposed the deliberate efforts to conceal the severity of his decline from the American populace.
The future historical accounts will be scathing, naming villains who played their parts in this deceit.
The situation feels eerily reminiscent of August 1974. The president's predicament is on a downward spiral; any delay in stepping down only guarantees a more humiliating exit. Post-debate polls indicate a significant loss of support, both broadly and in key battleground areas—a testament not merely to a poor performance but to an event that laid bare what many already suspected and provided irrefutable evidence of it.
Before this debate, over half of those polled doubted the president's physical or mental capability for the presidency. Following the debate, this number surged to 72%. Such damage is irreversible; no amount of staff maneuvering or media spinning can rectify this situation. It's clear for all to see: he is neurologically compromised through no fault of his own. Aging is beyond one's control—the inevitable progression and onset of illnesses cannot be governed—but how one responds to these challenges can.
Advisors naively propose solutions like engaging him in extensive live interviews or hosting large rallies with direct voter interaction, failing to recognize that he simply cannot fulfill these demands. This was proven during last week’s debate which essentially served as a high-stakes interview gone awry.
Aging involves gradual declines punctuated by steep drops; improvement isn't part of this trajectory. While aides fantasize about managing perceptions through scripted teleprompter events and interviews with friendly journalists, these are temporary fixes at best. The indelible image of a debilitated president has been etched into the national consciousness—no amount of media manipulation will erase it.
Central to Biden's narrative is his resilience—his storied ability to bounce back from adversity. Such self-belief can propel one far but can also devolve into delusion, obscuring reality with false narratives.
Contrary to some narratives suggesting an abrupt decline revealed during the debate, what we've observed for at least two years is a steady deterioration in his condition. From concerns about incomplete sentences and disjointed thoughts expressed here back in January 2022, through polling data questioning his fitness for crisis management, and onto observations made just months ago about poor judgment worsened by age—this decline has been apparent and ongoing.
It’s time trusted confidants advise him against seeking reelection—not as an admission of failure but as acknowledgment of having played his historical role effectively: orchestrating a debacle exit from Afghanistan, and passing transformative legislation, setting America back years are not something an aging leader with diminished facilities can do.
Those insisting on running now constitutes a historic blunder; it isn’t merely about personal aspirations or family legacy but concerns national welfare. Can America afford another term under an evidently neurologically impaired leader? It poses risks too great—weakness invites provocation on international stages where adversaries do not operate on our timeline.
Democratic Party leaders must shoulder responsibility and prompt his withdrawal from the race—not out of self-interest but for democracy’s sake. Their hesitation stems partly from fear over potential successors and the unpredictable nature of such change—but unpredictability pales beside certain doom.
This paralysis reflects deep-seated fears within the party itself—fears of confronting its own divisions head-on at their convention could reveal its true fragmented state—a reflection already apparent through its ineffective leadership at present.
