Biden’s response so far looks ‘more like frailty than fighter’
Among the screaming headlines is the line that will scream loudest to Joe Biden, Democrats and those deciding his future.
The media company “Puck” reports that Democratic polling shows he’s losing support in key battleground states in the wake of the TV debate.
Places that were in his pocket, like New Hampshire, Virginia and New Mexico are now in play.
Also, Biden is shown as trailing behind other alternative party candidates, including vice-president Kamala Harris, in hypothetical races against Donald Trump.
More than anything, it is the voter’s voice that will dictate Democratic choices about their leader.
These early rumblings won’t go unheard and, if amplified in the coming days, they will shift the gears in the drive for change.
The race against Donald Trump has always been close but Democrats have taken heart from a Biden trajectory that showed signs of arcing upwards.
Now the signs say something else.
A sense of crisis around the president has become increasingly embedded in the Democratic party in the days since the stage showdown with Donald Trump.
Many are as angry about the response to the debate as the debate itself and the sentiment is shared among party members, elected officials and some donors.
Their concern is that their man has had nearly a week to confound concerns around his well-being and has, seemingly, ignored the political necessity to do so.
There have been public appearances but the president has been stage-managed to within an inch of his life.
He hasn’t answered a single question from a journalist and has delivered only pre-prepared statements, read from autocue.
It’s the look of an insulated, tele-prompted president and it looks more like frailty than fighter.
It’s infuriating a party looking for reassurance about their president’s health and for his recognition that it needs delivered, urgently.
