The party is scrambling to reaffirm the president’s ability to lead the nation as some raise questions about what else can be done.
After Joe Biden’s debate performance, where he mumbled through his responses, commentators on cable news networks pondered the possible next steps.
Questions arose about the potential for a contested Democratic convention and how such a scenario would play out. While replacing the president may not be an option, many acknowledged that Democrats are discussing it, spurred by Biden’s troubling debate performance.
MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace explained how a candidate could release their delegates, with Joy Reid noting that someone had sent her the rules.
“The rules are circulating,” Wallace laughed.
“No one is saying it’s going to happen; it’s very unlikely,” Reid reiterated.
The fact that a liberal network would entertain the idea of whether an incumbent president running for re-election could be replaced after securing the nomination highlights how Democrats are scrambling to affirm Biden’s ability to lead the nation. Many are questioning whether the party should have serious conversations about alternative options.
From the start, Biden faltered in the debate, the first of the 2024 presidential election. His lines were hard to hear, often mumbled and muffled, including a potentially impactful comment that Donald Trump has “the morals of an alley cat,” which was barely discernible.
Biden had challenged the former president to a debate earlier than usual to shift the race’s momentum. After delivering a strong State of the Union speech where he appeared sharp and energetic, a debate was seen as a way to boost his campaign while trailing Trump in the polls.
Instead of a victory march or even the usual back-and-forth claims of winning the debate, it was clear that Democrats viewed Biden’s performance as a liability.
Kamala Harris appeared on CNN and MSNBC afterward to push back and reiterate why voters should support Biden. She and Gavin Newsom, the California governor and Biden surrogate, repeatedly emphasized how Trump lied and deflected throughout the debate, reminding voters of the potential consequences of another Trump presidency.
“It was a slow start, there’s no question about that, but I thought it was a strong finish,” the vice-president said on MSNBC before listing Biden’s accomplishments and portraying Biden as a fighter for the people, unlike Trump, who she said fights for himself.
Newsom, on MSNBC, called the questions “unhelpful” and “unnecessary,” describing them as “rabbit holes” that detract from Biden’s record and hinder democracy and the country’s fate.
“We’ve got to have the back of this president,” Newsom said. “You don’t turn your back because of one performance. What kind of party does that?”
These assurances came as Democratic operatives and officials, both publicly and behind the scenes, fretted over their November prospects after a debate where Biden’s age and sharpness, his biggest liability, were front and center.
David Plouffe, a Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign official, called the debate “kind of a Defcon 1 moment.”
“The biggest thing in this election is voters’ concerns – and it’s both swing voters and base voters – with his age, and those were compounded tonight,” Plouffe said.
Democrats proposed ways for the Biden camp to turn the moment back in their favor and shift focus from his debate performance: deploying his surrogates to support him, featuring strong speakers like Harris or Newsom on morning shows, announcing an initiative, endorsement, or big idea. Anything to change the narrative.
The stakes of this election – the fate of democracy itself – underscore how crucial Democrats see a win in November and their worry that Biden could lose to Trump, who represents an attack on their core values.
Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California, expressed her support for Biden but called the evening “heartbreaking in many ways.”
“This is a big political moment. There’s panic in the Democratic party. It’s going to be a long night.”
Nicholas Kristof, a left-wing political columnist, tweeted that he hopes Biden reflects on the debate and decides to withdraw from the race, allowing the convention to choose the nominee. He suggested potential candidates like Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, Ohio senator Sherrod Brown, or commerce secretary Gina Raimondo.
Former Missouri senator Claire McCaskill said on MSNBC that Biden had one job and didn’t do it: he needed to “reassure America that he was up to the job at his age, and he failed.” Democrats are not just hand-wringing in private; they are questioning why the Biden surrogates, who performed well in countering his debate performance, are not at the top of the ticket.
“I know how this felt tonight: it felt like a gut punch,” McCaskill said.