Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, a slow-motion train wreck – Technologist

Even Donald Trump seemed embarrassed, in the studio. That’s saying something. There was no real debate on CNN on June 27 between the Republican candidate and Joe Biden. That evening, to everyone’s surprise, the president of the United States failed in his only challenge: to show the American public that he could claim another term in office despite being 81 years old. It was agonizing from the very first minute, with Biden betrayed by his faltering voice, his mind unable to articulate an argument, his flailing memory, his drooping jaw and his vacant stare.

On a human level, it looked like a slow-motion train wreck, broadcast to 50 million viewers. Politically, there was no doubt that we were witnessing an explosion, such was the extent of the damage that was likely to be immense, if not irreparable.

The days that followed should have provoked a total mobilization of the Biden-Harris campaign. But they simply brought more attention to disputes surrounding Biden’s candidacy. Immediate dismay gave way to panic among the Democrats. Then came renewed anger, in the face of one observation: the inadequacy of the White House and Biden campaign to answer the legitimate questions raised by the debate. But the Democratic party itself had unhesitatingly rallied behind Biden at the start of the year, in a pure formality of a primary. It was not until the debate that the taboo of his condition was broken.

Donors deceived

In the wake of this disaster, the campaign team’s priority was to replace these viral excerpts with other, positive images. The next day, Biden spoke in Raleigh, North Carolina, in front of overexcited supporters. His voice and posture were nothing like during the debate with Trump, but neither was the exercise. There was no risk of contradiction, nor improvisation, since he was aided by a teleprompter. “I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as easily as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know – I know how to tell the truth. I know how to tell right from wrong. I know how to do the job,” he said.

The speech did little to remove doubts, instead adding to the confusion. Is it possible to have a candidate living in a different reality? A torrent of editorials and analyses soon rained down on the White House, led by the New York Times. The major daily called on the Democratic Party to “put the interests of the nation above the ambitions of a single man.”

Some donors, whose money largely finances the campaign, were furious. They felt they’d been cheated. At the Festival of Ideas in Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday, June 29, Ari Emanuel, head of the Endeavor Group, reminded the audience that Biden had promised to serve only one term. He compared him to his father, from whom he had taken the keys to his car at the age of 81. “I’ve talked to a bunch of big donors,” said Emanuel, “and they’re moving all their money to Congress and the Senate.” In other words, to the electoral races that are still winnable, if the presidential race is compromised.

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