US elections: should Biden bow out?
Following his weak performance in his televised debate with Donald Trump, calls for Joe Biden to withdraw from the US presidential race are growing louder. Current polls put the incumbent six to eight percentage points behind Trump. The White House announced on Wednesday that Biden was "absolutely not" considering withdrawing, but this has failed to stifle the debate in Europe's press.
Better late than never
Biden has no choice but to step down, La Stampa argues:
“America is celebrating its Independence Day today. For its president, this Fourth of July is a confrontation with reality. Not with the challenge posed by Donald Trump ... But with his supporters, who no longer believe he can win. His friends are calling on him to withdraw, his enemies hope he'll stay in the race. Even more than the unfavourable poll figures, which could change in the next five months, this shift in sentiment forces him to ask himself whether as a statesman he should take the painful step of withdrawing, as Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1968, or come to terms with the sad epilogue of one of the best US presidencies of recent decades in November.”
Trump would become the guarantor of stability
Replacing Biden now would be very risky for the Democrats, Expresso explains:
“His replacement is technically possible, but in addition to being contingent on Biden agreeing to step aside it would be so disruptive that it would hardly be possible without provoking major rifts within the Democratic Party that could jeopardise the political legitimacy of the election. And that is no small matter when you're fighting a candidate who's prepared to question the legitimacy of the election itself. Moreover, it would turn Trump into a symbol of stability. The question is why the Democrats didn't realise sooner that re-electing a very frail 81-year-old man was a colossal risk.”
Michelle Obama could save the day
It's time to think about a new US political dynasty, Lidové noviny writes:
“Roosevelt, Bush, Clinton - these are the names that have stood for dynasties so far. Now that their candidate Joe Biden has suffered a disastrous defeat in a presidential debate, the desperate Democrats are looking for an ideal replacement. Will the Obamas come to the rescue? Will Michelle Obama be persuaded to run for office despite her lifelong hatred of politics? She certainly has a chance of success.”
Over to you, Vice President!
Harris would have good chances of beating Trump, Iltalehti believes:
“In addition to the campaign funds there are several arguments in Harris's favour. She could campaign on Biden's achievements and, as a good speaker, she would be able to articulate Biden's successes and highlight how they're reflected in the everyday lives of Americans. As a former prosecutor, Harris could directly attack Trump's weak point, namely his criminal conviction. She could also attack Trump on the abortion issue and women's rights, which Biden failed to do in the debate even though everyone knows this is Trump's and the Republicans' Achilles heel. Polls show that Americans would be willing to vote for anyone other than Biden or Trump.”