While there may be those within the Democratic Party calling for President Joe Biden to step aside from his bid for a second term, some Cumberland County Democrats are nowhere near kicking Biden to the curb.
Not now, anyway.
“Joe, you did such a great job,” First Lady Jill Biden told her husband after the June 27 CNN Presidential Debate with Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump in Atlanta. “You answered every question. You knew all the facts.”
No, ma’am, Mrs. Biden.
Your husband often appeared lost during the debate, and quite frankly at times looked like the deer in the headlights, and the television cameras told 51 million viewers so.
“My first reaction was sadness when watching the debate,” says George Breece, a longtime Cumberland County politico and Democrat who once served in the state House. “His, at times, disconnect from reality in the debate was a real kick in the gut for many. My heart went out to him. The question is whether Biden’s debate performance was just an episode or a more serious medical condition. Increasingly, observers conclude the latter.”
Three congressmen — Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep .Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) — have called for Biden to end his campaign as a growing number of Democrats on Capitol Hill question the 81-year-old president’s cognitive capacity and physical stamina to serve another four years in the Oval Office.
Trump supporters are reveling in Biden’s debate debacle.
Apparently, Biden is staying in the race after published reports of meeting with at least 12 Democratic governors Wednesday, including Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, who says in published reports he will stand by the president.
What they’re saying
State Sen. Val Applewhite, a Democrat representing Dist. 19 of Cumberland County, says she continues to support the president.
“I believe Democrats need to breathe, not panic, close ranks and stay the course with President Biden,” says Applewhite, who hosted veterans, military and Gold Star families and Jill Biden at her home in the 2020 campaign that saw Biden defeat Trump for the White House. “Certainly, that decision will be made without my input, so I am focused on what I can influence: registering, energizing and mobilizing voters to head to the polls in November. North Carolina is true battleground, and failure is not an option. Our very democracy is on the ballot. We need to re-elect Biden and elect Josh Stein for governor while we break the super-majority in the North Carolina House and Senate.”
Former Sen. Kirk deViere also watched the CNN Presidential Debate.
“President Biden didn’t have a strong debate performance, period,” deViere says. “As the Democratic nominee, any decision to step down is his and his family’s to make. If the calls from Democrats for him to step down grow louder, my guess is that it will only make Biden more determined to stay in the race. One thing no one disputes about him is that he is a fighter.”
Democrat Charles Smith is the freshman House representative for Cumberland County in Dist. 44.
“President Biden’s debate performance was objectively poor,” Smith says.
He isn’t calling for the president to leave the race. He does offer political food for thought.
“While only he can ultimately determine his future as a candidate, the whole purpose of a political party is that it doesn’t hinge on one person,” Smith says. “The Biden administration, like all administrations, has been a collaborative venture. In the coming weeks, I trust those individuals to make candidacy decisions in the best interests of the Democratic Party and nation.”
Democrat Rep. Marvin Lucas, representing Dist. 42 for Cumberland County and Democrat Frances Jackson, representing Dist. 45 for Cumberland County did not respond to multiple email inquiries from The Kirby File about whether President Biden should step aside or stay the campaign course. Derrick Montgomery, chairman of the Cumberland County Democratic Party, also did not respond to multiple inquiries about the presidential debate or Biden’s political future.
Epilogue
Joe Biden is the 46th U.S. president and the oldest to serve.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has attributed the president’s lackluster CNN debate to his fighting a cold to jet lag from visits abroad.
Still, the debate has drawn alarming and escalating concern from Biden supporters. He appeared glassy-eyed and sometimes confused. His gait is stiff. He walks gingerly and appears fragile. Age waits for no man or woman, and you cannot turn back time.
“It is now clear to many who watched the debate that President Joe Biden is not the same quality of candidate he was just four years ago nor the same quality of candidate he was as vice president or as a U.S. Senate candidate, where he served from 1972 to 2009,” George Breece says. “Our president will be 82 years old in November, and simply put, the results of aging are a challenge for many. Again, only Joe Biden can decide his future as a candidate for president. The future of many down-ballot Democratic candidates, including U.S. Senate and U.S House and statewide races, will rest with his decision.”
Between now and the Democratic National Convention scheduled for Aug. 19-22 at the United Center in Chicago will tell the story, and Democrats and Republicans will be watching with a close eye heading toward Election Day in November.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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