patrick.net

here's a take on this debate I've heard from a lot of folks on the right, that is tempting and understandable, but completely wrong-- one that says that the Democrats knew Biden would bomb this badly and scheduled the debate early so they could move him out of the way.

Nonsense.

Most of the people closest to Biden who would have been making these decisions are Dem apparatchiks, but more specifically, they are Biden apparatchiks. They wouldn't enjoy anywhere near the same power and access with his successor. For better or worse, their fates are tied to Biden specifically.

They had the debate early because they knew that while Biden was not in great shape, they had drunk the Kool-Aid and convinced themselves, at least to some degree, of the lies they have been telling for years to the American people about his mental state.

They thought that if they worked with the most favorable rules, on the most favorable network with the most favorable moderators, and gave Biden a full week to prep, they would be able to get through it and even if they didn't "win" it would be far enough from the election that voters would ignore a mediocre performance.

They were not counting on what a disaster it would be to have Biden fully unmasked 1:1 vs. a competent and energetic opponent.

Yes, Biden's performance was such a disaster that it's tempting to think "this was all planned" but that's only if you ignore the levels of self-deception, lying and magical thinking that have dominated the Democrat party for years now.

That's what was exposed on the debate stage last night.