News is a for-profit business, and when actual news is slow, editors and reporters gin up stories to attract readers and viewers. A classic example is that most “crime waves” are media creations. When nothing interesting is going on, they run crime stories.
After Biden’s debate fumble in June 2024, the media jumped on the “age” story. Of course they’re doing it to boost readership, which brings in advertising dollars. But is there a real story there? Right now, I honestly don’t know.
Democrats chose Biden in 2020 because he was their best chance to depose Trump. He was widely thought of as a placeholder. But Biden had bigger ambitions than being a Gerald Ford; he wanted his own place in history, and has a solid record of achievements (read about them here).
He not only thinks he’s earned another term, but is the strongest candidate to face Trump in 2024. If that’s true, it may only be because it’s difficult to replace him. Not only the media, but some Democrats and nervous supporters are calling on him to stand down. Opinions differ on whether that would prevent a November election defeat or invite it.
There’s growing evidence that Biden’s decline isn’t a media story, but media coverage of a real story. They’re saying Democratic insiders have long had concerns, and his debate performance is only the tip of an iceberg. People opposed to Trump are rattled by polls, what the media is saying, and what they see.
Pollsters say 80% of Americans want different candidates. You can ask why, that being so, the onus of quitting is on Biden and not Trump. I think the answer is that Biden is only a politician and replaceable, whereas Trump is an irreplaceable movement leader. Without Biden, there’s still a Democratic party; without Trump, there is no MAGA.
Where is this going? After the debate, some pundits predicted Biden has 10 days to rescue his campaign. I doubt that’s true. If the signs of the ordinary citizens below reflect widespread public sentiment, the sands have already run out. Whether it’s fair or not has nothing to do with it.
