The best that can be said of Joe Biden’s stumbling debate performance was that it took place in June. If he were pressed to step down as nominee there would still be two months to go before the Democratic convention. For Biden’s loyalists, who have always moved swiftly to shut down any hint of dissent about his candidacy, Thursday night was a moment of truth. For more than a year, private conversations in Washington have been dominated by the president’s ageing. But the public omerta on that topic broadly held up. That cognitive dissonance has now collapsed. The story is now about whether Biden can be persuaded to step down.
对于乔•拜登(Joe Biden)在辩论中的表现，最好的评价是：它发生在6月。如果他被迫辞去提名，那么在民主党大会之前还有两个月的时间。对于一直迅速采取行动来制止任何对他的候选人资格表示异议的拜登的忠实支持者来说，周四晚上是一个真相的时刻。一年多来，华盛顿的私人对话一直被总统的衰老所主导。但是对于这个话题在很大程度上没有在公开讨论。这种认知上的不协调现在已经崩溃了。现在的问题是能否说服拜登退出。