The Clash

“If I go, there will be trouble. And if I stay, it will be double. So come on and let me know, should I stay, or should I go?” —The Clash

If there’s any silver lining to the SCOTUS decisions it’s that they gave us a brief respite from the heated media debate over how to best react to Joe Biden’s worst-fear-confirming debate performance last week. For pretty good examples of the arguments on both sides, we can turn to…

+ The New Yorker’s David Remnick on the he should go side: The Reckoning of Joe Biden. “For the President to insist on remaining the Democratic candidate would be an act not only of self-delusion but of national endangerment.”

+ And from the Relax, he should stay side, here’s Stuart Stevens in the NYT (Gift Article): Democrats: Stop Panicking. “One debate does not change the structure of this presidential campaign. For all the talk of Mr. Biden’s off night, what is lost is that Mr. Trump missed a great opportunity to reset his candidacy and greatly strengthen his position.”

+ I’ve read the articles. I’ve talked to friends. I’ve heard from insiders, regular voters, and big time funders, and I’ve come to the following conclusion about what Biden should do: I really don’t know. But I do know that this will ultimately be his choice, and so far, he’s staying the course. All the breathless hyperbole aside, there’s really one key question right now: Was debate Biden a major exception or was debate Biden an example of what has become his norm. Only a handful of people know the answer to that question and few of them have an incentive to share it — because if he goes, they go too.

+ Many editorial boards chimed in with their hasty, assured advice. Maybe only the Philly Inquirer nailed it: To serve his country, Donald Trump should leave the race.