The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.
While last week’s debate was the first of the general election 2024 season, it will probably be my last. After witnessing Kendrick Lamar obliterate Drake earlier this year, I know a diss when I hear one. So I was neither entertained nor enlightened by watching two old white men perform their version of yo mama jokes using lame ass disses in between trying to tout their accomplishments over the course of 90 minutes I can never get back. This is 2024. If you’re gonna diss someone, diss them. Talking about someone’s golf handicap is not a diss. Not after “bleach blonde bad built butch body.”
Granted, before the debate, the Democratic Party was already in crisis with its leaders woefully ignoring the voices of voters who are just as unhappy with Biden as they are Trump. This group includes an increasing number of voters of all ages who are not willing to compromise their morals or values in November for Biden to vote in the lesser of two evils–which to them is still evil. More and more voters are not going for the okey doke and just blindly voting the way the Party tells them to no questions asked. From the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas War, immigration, the economy, and more–these Democrats are okay with dealing with the consequences of Biden losing understanding that they will struggle under Republicans, they will struggle under Democrats. No matter who is in office, they will struggle. Why should their conscience be in conflict as well?
But now when you factor Biden’s performance during the debate into the equation, it almost seems like championing elder abuse to re-elect that man to office–and that’s what the average voter is talking about. Forget the bills and policies enacted during his term. Who cares about legislative achievements when the leader of the free world can’t string together a coherent sentence on live TV?
Watching Biden stumble through his debate performance was like watching a real-life version of Weekend at Bernie’s, except without the comedy.
I already knew what I was getting out of Trump–and he didn’t disappoint. I was fully prepared for Trump to answer questions that weren’t asked, be incapable of giving a yes or no answer, and to use a lot of “alternative facts.” He did just that.
Biden on the other hand–I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. When he walked onto the stage looking casket ready–down to the suit–I literally thought the man was going to keel over right there and die in front of a live television audience.
Now Trump always looks crazy. Between his bad combover, his Oompa Loompa skin tone, and those facial expressions–he’s a walking talking meme factory. He knows it, we know it. But that’s Trump. He isn’t president and him looking and acting crazy doesn’t bother me (or affect me) as much as Biden’s obvious deterioration. Biden is in office being told to sign or veto bills and is on the world stage as a representation of Americans.
Every older person shouldn’t drive. Some people are great at driving well into their 90s, then there are those who should have stopped in their 70s.
Biden can’t help that he’s suffering from the effects of getting old. If we’re lucky, we all will experience the difficulties that often come with the aging process–just hopefully not as President of the United States of America.
Voters want to believe that ageism isn’t an issue in politics, but when candidates perform the way Biden did Thursday, it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room.
Sure, wisdom comes with age, but so does stubbornness and an alarming disconnect from the present day. It’s not about ageism, it’s about basic competence. When your main qualification for office starts to look like “survived another press conference,” it’s time to reassess.
Voters, like me, are genuinely concerned, and it’s not about disrespecting elders. It’s about facing the reality that maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t be re-electing someone who seems more suited to a comfy recliner than the Oval Office. As voters, we are less interested in his past accomplishments and more worried about his ability to handle future crises without forgetting where he is and being able to speak coherently.
Which brings me back to the disconnect between the Democratic Party and voters. The Party uses their talking points and speaks to the choir—people involved and engaged in politics. The voters, meanwhile, are left wondering if the memo got lost in the mail or if the Party just assumes everyone else is telepathic.
Case in point, asked whether Biden would exit the race, Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster responded: “No.”
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“There’s no basis for that,” one Biden adviser also told CNN Friday morning. “There’s nothing that voters have indicated that they agree with that.”
Like I said, the Party likes to talk to itself.
So here we are, with the Democratic Party trying to reassure us that everything’s fine while Biden fumbles his way through public appearances. It’s like watching a tightrope walker with a wobbly knee—nerve-wracking and uncomfortable, with everyone holding their breath, hoping he doesn’t fall. Maybe it’s time to admit that the act is over, there is a real problem that we can all see, and it’s time for a graceful exit, before we all start to feel complicit in a spectacle that’s gone on too long.
If we lose in November it won’t be because Trump was a better candidate or ran a better campaign. It will be because the Democratic Party allowed the status quo to trump common sense.
Jasmyne A. Cannick is a Democrat, political strategist, and award-winning journalist who lives in Los Angeles. Find her at iamjasmyne.com.