A vote for Biden is a vote for Harris

OPINION:

We all saw the debate. It was grim.

At one point in his somnambulant performance, President Biden said, “We finally beat Medicare.” Sometimes, it seemed as if he didn’t even know where he was. Throughout the 90-minute debate — which ran long past his bedtime — the president routinely froze, stared into space, lost his train of thought, and couldn’t put together a coherent argument.

The debacle led to endless reports that Democrats want to replace Mr. Biden on the ticket. No less than The New York Times said he needed to go (the uniform response among the mainstream media does make one wonder if it was orchestrated).

Cooler heads prevailed over the weekend when Democrats circled the wagons around Scranton Joe. By Monday, Democrats were told to give it up, accept Mr. Biden as the nominee and move on.

So if we truly believe that holding a presidential debate in June wasn’t intended to create the atmosphere to replace Mr. Biden on the ticket — and that’s a stretch since no debate has ever been held so early, and there’s still a month to go before the Democratic National Convention, when delegates can easily pick a new (not 81-year-old) nominee — then we’re left with one clear takeaway: Electing Mr. Biden means Vice President Kamala Harris will eventually be president.

Mr. Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term, but from the looks of things, he’s not likely to get there. At a remembrance event for my father, who died at 89, one of his friends said, without irony, “It’s easy to get into your 80s. It’s hell to get out of your 80s.” Words to live (and die) by.

Take a look at Mr. Biden’s performance in the 2020 debates versus his performance in 2024 (it’s all over the internet). He’s not only lost a step; he has moved to the practice squad, a once-articulate orator who can no longer play in the major leagues. I say it often: It happens— and, God willing, it will happen to all of us.

But the difference between us and Mr. Biden is we’re not running for president, trying to run the free world. The president could well live through his second term, but he also might not, which means voting for the president could just be a vote for his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Ms. Harris should never run anything. She’s been a hanger-on her whole career, a reed in the wind, a follower. She’s no leader and never will be. That’s just a fact. Sadly, nothing will ever make a follower a leader; it’s just the way things go. She long ago reached her level of incompetence, but the Peter Principle is only now kicking in.

That’s not opinion; that’s a fact. Last month, the Politico/Morning Consult poll showed just 14% of voters said it was “very likely” Ms. Harris would win a general election for president if she became the Democratic nominee. It’s nearly as bad for 2028: Ms. Harris received just 21% support. She’s not the future — and not the present.

But hang on: After Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance, everything turned around (the unbelievably liberal Newsweek website said). “Asked who should be picked if the Democratic Party holds a convention among party members to choose a replacement for Biden, 39 percent of Democrat respondents chose Harris,” the site said.

No one will hold that ridiculous news source accountable for its absurd statement. Newsweek lost all credibility long ago.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the obvious choice (me, I think they’ve been setting him up for a year or more), and remember, Mr. Biden hates Ms. Harris. He couldn’t care less about handing her the presidency, so he won’t — or will he?

Let’s say Mr. Biden defies the odds and wins on Nov. 5. He could step down immediately and hand Ms. Harris the presidency. What a guy! Dude made the first woman — the first Black woman — president. Legacy sealed.

Of course, this isn’t settled, not by a long shot. The trial balloons of different candidates running as the Democratic nominee are aloft, and so far, they have not been shot down. It doesn’t matter what elder abuser Jill Biden thinks. The quiet powers who drive the Democratic Party will decide it all.

But just know, should Mr. Biden actually run, a vote for him is a vote for Kamala Harris. And let’s be honest, that won’t be good for anyone.

• Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com and on X @josephcurl.