Yep, Biden Needs To Step Aside

Well, I wanted to wait until after the first presidential debate to post this, and clearly, it's needed.

Bill Crystal and Andrew Egger of the Bulwark have officially called for Biden to step aside and let someone else run in November for the Democratic Party.

I'm finally forced to agree.

Don't get me wrong: There is no universe in which my vote would ever go to Trump. If Joe Biden were in a coma, he would still get my vote over Trump. But that's because I'm anti-Trump. I'm not so enthusiastic about Biden.

If Biden were to step aside, he would be remembered as one of the greatest presidents of all time - precisely because he had the wisdom to see the sacrifice that needed to be made in order to protect our democracy.

And if he doesn't step aside and loses, he's just another Ruth Bader Ginsburg who stayed too long.

The stalwart performance he gave at the State of the Union speech is long gone. In its place is this most recent debate performance, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Some, such as Keith Olbermann on his Countdown podcast have said that the media being down on Biden post-debate is bad journalism on their part. I disagree. Even Rachel Maddow sounded forlorn when doing the post-game analysis at MSNBC. And yes, so too did The Bulwark. In fact, the disappointment was universal.

He had a cold? Yeah, well, that news should have been leaked beforehand. And sick or not, he should at least have kept it together enough to not lay the absolute egg he did on national television. 

Pundits have pointed out that nobody else polls as well against Trump as Biden does right now. But that's because it's right now. Poll numbers change. Especially with a young, exciting candidate. And Biden's poll numbers show him with only a teeny-tiny lead. With the electoral college still in place, that means a victory for Trump. Replace Biden with a different, younger candidate, and that person suddenly polls better. Why? Because people realize there's something new and different.

Could it be Kamala? If Biden steps down and Kamala becomes the incumbent, she's very likely the new candidate. She's ready. She's taken her lumps, but she was very poised when defending Biden's performance last night. She can do it.

Gavin Newsome? Not bad, not bad. Gretchen Whitmer? That would be an awesome choice. Hakeem Jeffries could probably beat Trump by 10 points! Personally, I would also consider drafting Tammy Duckworth.

Again, don't get me wrong, if it's Biden pushing his walker across the goal line in November, he's getting my vote. But it doesn't have to be that way. Meanwhile, I'll be screaming at Biden to pass the torch from now until the Democratic National Convention, and probably (if need be) after that.

Joe? If you ever read this, I'm a fan, but you need to do the right thing.

There's still time.

Eric

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