What Tom Harkin thinks of last night's debate
....what does a long-time U.S. Senator from Iowa say should happen next
"Last night was a disaster from which Biden cannot recover,” said Senator Tom Harkin, retired.“ He stood there with his mouth hanging open, head bowed down much of the time; it looked like someone put flour on his face for makeup.”
Harkin expressed his opinion in a private note to friends. With his permission, I share what he had to say. These are his words:
Although not as important as appearance (TV is all about visuals, not verbiage-all the way back to Kennedy-Nixon), Biden’s sentences were mainly incoherent. Whoever prompted him for this debate tried to fill his head with facts and figures Biden couldn’t remember, so he stumbled on these.
It was tit for tat:
…you’re the worst President in history! No, you were the worst President in history…back and forth.
Of course, Trump’s answers were meandering, gobbledygook, and full of lies, BUT they were said with force and directness. Again, back and forth: You are a liar, no, you are a liar, on and on.
So, the viewing public perception is this:
Both are liars
Both are terrible Presidents.
Both are old
Both can’t speak an intelligent sentence.
So which one APPEARS (again, the visual projection!) to be able to take command of a situation and control the outcome?
I think it is Trump, wrote Harkin.
I also think all incumbent Democratic Senators should write to Biden asking him to release his delegates and step aside so the convention can choose a new candidate.
A couple of Governors may need to do the same.
Biden has gone downhill since his State of the Union speech. Look how he walked and handled himself on the House floor even after the speech, and watch how he walks and uses his arms now. Startling!
The course would energize the Party at all levels and capture the general public's attention, many of whom would like an alternative to Trump.
Forget the MAGA crowd- I’m talking about Independents, young voters, and weak Democrats who could be re-energized.
This is a perilous time and is more important than Joe Biden's ego or desire to stay president.
Tom Harkin is from Cumming, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 2015. Before that, he served southwest Iowa in the U.S. House, where he served for five terms. Harkin ran for president in 1992, the cycle won by Bill Clinton.
He and his wife, Ruth Harkin, established the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University in 2013. A state-of-the-art building. Story by Julie Gammack: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/author/juliegammack/
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Tom's viewpoint is refreshing. If Dems think this is inconsequential for Biden, they're in denial. Sad that optics trump substance, but that's our modern reality. They should recruit Brown, Whitmer, Jeffries, Newsom, Booker, Buttigieg...so many young, capable, articulate options. Changing course ≠ giving up! It's making a tough but smart decision before it's too late.
Agreed. There is an a point where old age simply catches up with us. President Biden, an excellent Senator and President, has reached that point. I believe he is unelectable, and I also don't trust that he will have the faculties to govern for four more years.