In all cases? No, that is simply not true.
It wasn’t just the bad debate.
I posted, way upthread, about seeing live coverage of him speaking at a public appearance a few months ago, and how shocked I was, then, at how disjointed and difficult to follow he sounded – far more than the expected speech hesitancy from his stuttering, and occasional malapropism, that he’s exhibited for years.
And, that’s continued in some of the few appearances he’s had since then, including referring to Harris as “Vice-President Trump” last week at the NATO summit. In some interviews and speeches, he sounds good; in others, he doesn’t.
Yes, that’s true. Democrats will be blaming each other (rather than Republicans, or the electorate) for any loss. It’s the same way Nader carries the blame for the election the Democrats lost in 2000. We just can’t accept that we failed to back the right candidate in the first place. Especially since (in this case) Biden has been a really good president: I don’t think he should be running for re-election, though, and now I’m afraid we’re screwed either way at this point.
All the references to how young Kamala is when she’ll be 60 at election time. I mean relatively, yes.
I watched the interview- it is not true.
I like all three. Gov. Beshear has a 65% approval rating…and that’s in Kentucky! In fact, he has the highest approval rating of any currently serving Democratic governor.
You speak with far too much surety. None of us on this board have any real idea of what his day to day capacity is. Could be he is floundering generally, could be he just has the occasional tired moment and is mostly sharp and on top of things. None of which matters most of the time in a presidential office, which when well-administered largely runs itself like most bureaucracies.
It probably doesn’t matter if Biden is really incapable or not at this point - the narrative has become overwhelming. So, whatever. I’m agnostic on the topic myself. It might be the right move for the election, might not. I will say I don’t think he should resign unless he really is collapsing. Harris will get no big boost from a couple months of incumbency and it will free her up to campaign without being distracted by the office.
However when you admonish people that “it’s not just about appearances and perceptions” remember that is the ONLY evidence you’re using to judge him as incapable. I assume you haven’t talked to Biden, so I doubt you have much room to make a definitive ruling on his actual condition 
.
I guess I’m just not as interested in a President that speaks well as I am a President that performs their job well. If anyone can point out how his job performance has diminished, I could perhaps be persuaded to think he should step down. As it stands, he was never a good speaker, and now due to old age, he’s gotten worse. But he’s been a damn good President and until that wavers, I don’t really care how he speaks.
Not to channel Margaret Thatcher, I’m a gay man and I don’t think the US is ready for a gay VP.
He has been; what is not clear (to me, at least) is just how well he can continue to perform what is one of the most important, and intellectually demanding, jobs in the world.
I watched the interview-it is true.
Biden may have calmed some nerves among some political allies with the interview, but he didn’t show the facility and coherence that Democrats would have wanted to see. His thoughts were, at times, scattered and less than clear. - SOURCE
George Stephanopoulos, the ABC News anchor who recently interviewed President Biden about his fitness for the presidential race, was caught on camera Tuesday indicating that he doesn’t think Biden can serve another four years. - SOURCE
I am too and I agree.
Right. I reminded of Jon Stewart’s first episode back of TDS in Feb 2024 when he brought up this issue (Biden’s acuity/age, etc). On his first show back that’s what Jon decided to start with.
The debate just made it obvious to everyone (in my mind).
The 538 poll I will look at. Not a fan of Newsweek.
All available evidence says he can continue to perform it just fine. If we had this kind of media in 1936 they’d be shouting that there’s no way Roosevelt can beat Landon and he needs to step aside for someone with working legs.
This is almost certainly true. Appearances matter far, far, far more than they used to. But it’s the world we live in.
No, all available evidence does not say that. I understand that you are committed to your beliefs, but do be reasonable. Much evidence has been posted in this thread that does NOT say that. Now, this evidence is liable to re-interpretation or dismissal (some of the anonymous sources posted by reputable journalists). You are free to deny or dismiss any evidence that disagrees with your belief, but it does, in fact, exist.
I disagree, and I’ve already stated why.
But, what’s important is whether voters agree with you: both solid Democratic voters (who might be discouraged enough to stay home), and what still passes for swing voters in the few states that are in play.
Biden would need a solid, excellent plan on how to present himself as still being fit for the job, and (IMO, of course) what he’s done since the debate has been hit-and-miss on that.
Honestly? Democrats ceded control of the narrative to the QOP weeks ago, just like they always do when they receive the slightest amount of pushback, and the well is now so poisoned that I’m afraid a Trump win is inevitable regardless of whether Biden stays in or not.
Believe this - Trump has known all along that Biden is the only person who can beat him. That’s why he tried to sic Ukraine on him in 2018 before he even announced he was running. It’s why he spent 2020 calling him sleepy and saying he “doesn’t know if he’s alive”. He’s been planting this seed for years and he and the rest of the QOP are downright GIDDY that it’s taken seed. They LOVE the idea of the Democrats firing Biden and replacing him with a “DEI” candidate. It plays RIGHT INTO their thesis that Democratic elites are trying to replace the white race. They’re going to unleash a hate campaign on her like you’ve never seen and it’s not going to be one Democrats are up to countering.
Another Senator asks for Biden to step down. Per NYT (and I also saw it on CNN tv):
Senator Jon Tester of Montana, a Democrat locked in a tight re-election battle in a deep-red state, called on Thursday evening for President Biden to drop out of the presidential race. “While I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term,” he told a local Montana news outlet.
It feels like all the people who were secretly telling journalists without wanting to be public, are now feeling free to be public.