It was one fucking debate. JFC. He's done extraordinarily well before and since. If you're doubting Biden right now, you're just falling for fear mongering bullshit. And yes, journalistic integrity is in the toilet because coverage of the Authoritarian party translates into huge profits and capitalism is king.
But it's more than one fucking debate. I'm a Dem, now and forever; would never vote for any candidate who belongs to the venomous, antidemocratic Republican Party with its mentally ill leader. But the fact is, appearances matter, and Biden looked and sounded played out in his inauguration week. At his earliest press conferences as Pres., he had the weary tones and breathy delivery of advanced old age. Things have progressed since then -- the stiff gait, the hesitant steps, the slack-jawed appearance, the squint, the ever more wispy voice. Younger voters -- who use today's partisan news sources -- aren't likely to find any confidence in Biden's ability to perform. When the President says he's going to cut back his evening hours and get more sleep, that's a very dodgy proposal to make... Biden has a good record to run on, and it's unfair as hell, but all that is undercut by the advancing years. He cannot see himself objectively, and that led to the miscalculation to run again. He has my vote, no question. But the assessments I just described were all there in January 2021, just not in as dramatic a form. He looks as haggard as FDR in the '44 election season. If he sees the threat to democracy as urgently as he tells us, he should consider stepping off the scene and asking for an open convention. (Not gonna happen, my realist side tells me.)