The debate proved Trump should never again be near the White House.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden had a bad night but not nearly as bad as a 2nd Trump presidency

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” said the rapist to the President. 

It’s been a day since the recent presidential debate, and what a debate that was! Donald Trump reminded the world why he is unfit to lead. He lied about everything, from sex with a porn star to his record of dissing our veterans. He took credit for lowering insulin prices even though that was done by the Biden administration. He said Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he were president even though Putin’s army was already in Ukraine’s Donbas back then. He lied about the 2020 election (again). He claimed to have saved us from COVID. He even said everybody loved the Dobbs decision.

If the debate proved anything, it demonstrated for all time that Donald Trump should never be near the White House.

Knowing that Mr. Trump would likely make his unfitness crystal clear at the debate, Joe Biden had only one job. He had to put to rest concerns about his age. He failed. From the moment he walked on, and from the moment he spoke, he seemed less energetic and less focused than we saw him to be at the State of the Union and, more recently, at Normandy. The debate stage is difficult for incumbents because their record is on the line. But Biden’s record is strong. And Mr. Trump has a record too. On abortion, on democracy, on climate, every Democrat both expected and needed Mr. Biden to wipe the floor with an orange mop. Instead, he was defensive and uncertain.

By morning, calls for Biden to walk away from the nomination were everywhere.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court issued more rulings, claiming more power for itself over the other branches of government. It showed, again, no regard for precedent or consequences. The court weakened the government’s ability to regulate industry at the very moment when artificial intelligence and climate change pose existential risks to humanity. Both require thoughtful, evidence-based regulatory frameworks. And what of all those regulations protecting our clean water that are now moot? Because of this court, Americans, and indeed the world, will have to rely on what, they judgment of the corporations who are building the AI and pumping the oil?

Like both presidential candidates, the global order established after World War II is also showing signs of age. That order was built and maintained by America’s resolve, America’s generosity, America’s vision of an inclusive and prosperous world. It has vastly increased human freedom and lifted billions out of poverty. China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran are determined to end it. They prefer a world of empires, where powerful nations control their regions of the world. It is an old idea. And idea that should have ended forever in the first half of the 20^th century when it led to two World Wars and the bloodiest period in world history.

And this brings us back to our Presidential contest. We have big challenges from within and without. How will we face them?

Compare Project 2025, the GOP agenda, to Democratic platforms across the country. One side offers book bans, abortion bans, a politicized federal workforce, industry that is completely unaccountable to Americans, the imposition of religion by government, more fossil fuels, fewer taxes on the wealthiest amongst us, the replacement of the income tax with tariffs, and end to NATO and our commitment to defend democracies around the world. (Stop me when I get to a good idea.)  The other offers protection for voting rights, the dignity choice for pregnant women, a bi-partisan border protection bill (Wait, how can one side offer a bipartisan bill and the other not be part of it? That’s the world we find ourselves in.)

I am sure there are very serious conversations happening in the Biden household and among Democratic leaders around the country. Many candidates have bad debates. The question is whether the Joe we saw on that debate stage was an anomaly or not. If it turns out that age has finally caught up to him, I expect he will let us know. If not, he now bears anew the burden demonstrating his capabilities. Meanwhile, what are the rest of us to do?

We face some of the most daunting challenges in human history. Those same challenges also offer abundant opportunities. United and focused, we yet live up to our creed and become the world’s first large multi-racial, multi-faith democracy where power is actually shared amongst us. We might yet show the whole world how a diverse people can work through their differences, share power, and overcome our most difficult challenges.

Whether the Democratic candidate is Joe Biden or someone else (and I say this with tremendous admiration for the job Joe has done), our presidential contests have never been solely about the candidate. Even more, they are about us. Who are we? Who do we want to be?

John Kennedy told us to “Ask not what your country can do for your, but you for your country.”  I’ve asked myself, and I will do all that I can to make sure the Democrats, whose vision and values are the only ones that can move us forward right now, win big in November.