Biden’s debate debacle rattles Bay Area Democrats, but replacing him would bring ‘chaos’
Prominent Bay Area Democrat Larry Stone was so dismayed by President Joe Biden’s enfeebled demeanor during the debate Thursday night against former President Donald Trump that he just could not take it any more, he said Friday morning.
“I had to stop watching it,” said Stone, who has known Biden since the 1960s and serves as Santa Clara County Assessor. “He’s always been very vibrant. He was very active. I was hoping to see that Joe Biden I’ve known for a long time, and he just didn’t live up to what I had hoped and know he is capable of.”
Biden’s stumbling speech and weakened appearance after spending days preparing at Camp David rattled many Bay Area Democrats, but calls from the left for him to step aside are far from universal.
Experts say that while Biden is unlikely to be replaced as the Democratic candidate, it will be harder to persuade voters that he is physically and mentally capable of a second term as president.
“The Biden people should have every reason to be scratching their heads and be miserable about the performance,” said Larry Gerston, professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University. “Trump to his credit looked like he was in command. The Trump people have every right to feel good about their candidate versus Biden, but they should not get too carried away. The benefit for Biden is that this happened at this point in the campaign. They do have the opportunity to fight another day.”
The Trump campaign wasted no time celebrating the debate as a “horrible, humiliating night” for Biden and issuing a roundup of pundits’ comments describing panic in the Democratic Party.
Even former House Speaker and San Francisco Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi, while lauding the “integrity” displayed by Biden in the debate, admitted in a statement provided by her office that his performance “wasn’t great.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a post-debate interview on MSNBC, said Biden’s performance should not cause panic.
“We’ve got to have the back of this president,” Newsom said. “You don’t turn back because of one performance. What kind of party does that?”
Major Democratic donor Joe Cotchett, a high-profile Burlingame lawyer and long-time friend and supporter of Biden, said he was sickened by op-eds that appeared Friday morning calling for Biden’s replacement as presidential candidate.
“Did he flub some stuff? Yes. Did he stumble on some words? We all do,” Cotchett said. “Because of one event he should not step aside. To ask him to step aside now would be chaos, and it would be playing right into the hands of the conservative movement.”
Stone believes Biden’s debate showing puts him at a crossroads: He could regain ground by attacking Trump and highlighting benefits he has delivered to Americans as president, or he could agree to stand down.
“A new candidate could have a better chance of winning than Biden,” Stone said. “It would be difficult, but it might be an advantage.”
Gerston said the idea of replacing Biden may hold appeal as a quick fix. But he said it would be “an unmitigated disaster,” resulting in “pure chaos,” with “a dozen or more candidates running around the country trying to line up support.”
Meanwhile, Gerston said, Trump would stay on his traditional messages, telling voters, “See, I’m stable, watch those guys run around and cut off each other’s heads.”
South Bay Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna, who like Newsom has been stumping for Biden to support his reelection, said he understood concerns on the left about Biden following his “bad night” and noted chatter among some of his lawmaker colleagues and party activists suggesting Biden should be replaced.
“The stakes are so high, and people want to make sure we defeat Donald Trump,” Khanna said Friday. “Ultimately, the only person who is going to matter is Joe Biden and possibly Jill Biden in making this decision. The Democrats don’t have any choice in the matter. He’s our nominee, and I’m going to do everything I can to make him win.”
Biden, the day after the debate, showed no inclination to move aside.
“I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to,” a lively, animated and clear-speaking president told a rally in North Carolina on Friday morning. However, “When you get knocked down you get back up,” Biden said. “I can do this job.”
Khanna said Biden appeared energetic and inspiring at the rally. “We need to see more of that Joe Biden for the next four months,” Khanna said.
With another presidential debate scheduled for Sept. 10 and the election two months after that, Biden’s performance Thursday night may not define the race, Gerston said. But if the president hopes to undo Thursday night’s damage, he will have to up his game with more rallies, more community events and more press conferences — all while appearing capable, Gerston said.
“Can he take a tough schedule?” Gerston said. “He’s 81 years old. I know 81-year-olds who are dynamos, and I know 81-year-olds who are in assisted-living facilities. Which Joe Biden are we going to see? We’re all going to be waiting.”