But there will be a party on the Fourth of July anyway, with fresh, locally grown tomatoes and plenty of good beer and vodka –

The Big Picture – 
By Glynn Wilson – 

CATOCTIN MOUNTAIN PARK, Md. — As the sun rises in the forest down the street from Camp David, where President Joe Biden spent the past few days engaged in preparations for his debate with Donald Trump in Atlanta on Thursday night, even the summer enthusiasm of the birds seems muted.

Probably because it was a cool 59 degrees first thing in the morning, not because they watched Biden’s halting performance on CNN Thursday night.

I’ve felt that there have been times in real life, as well as the movies, when the birds and other creatures in nature have a sixth sense about what’s going right or wrong in the world, however, and sometimes come to the rescue. Like when the eagles show up at the last minute and come to the rescue in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series.

But I don’t know if there is anything that can be done to save American democracy or the planet now. The forces of evil seem to have all the momentum. Of course as some commentators are pointing out, it’s only June, and the election is still a few days more than four months away. It’s still hard to live comfortably in a cliffhanger that is not fictional drama designed for the big screen. This is real life, and it hurts.

As New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker wrote about what happened in Atlanta, President Biden hoped to build fresh momentum for his re-election bid by agreeing to debate nearly two months before he is to be formally nominated.

“Instead, his halting and disjointed performance on Thursday night prompted a wave of panic among Democrats and reopened discussion of whether he should be the nominee at all. Over the course of 90 minutes, a raspy-voiced Mr. Biden struggled to deliver his lines and counter a sharp though deeply dishonest former President Donald J. Trump, raising doubts about the incumbent president’s ability to wage a vigorous and competitive campaign four months before the election. Rather than dispel concerns about his age, Mr. Biden, 81, made it the central issue.”

Read it and weep.

A Fumbling Performance, and a Panicking Party: President Biden’s shaky, halting debate performance has Democrats talking about replacing him on the ticket.

Readers may have picked up on my sense of foreboding about this Biden-Trump rematch over the past few weeks and months as I departed Washington for the mountains. Clearly something is not right with the world. Maybe it’s too early to give up. But I suspect the passport offices will be busy over the next few days as concerned citizens literally consider departing the country. It may not be an idle threat this time.

One of my friends going all the way back to the high school band days – there are not many of us left – and some of his family moved to Portugal earlier this year. I know of an entire class of the Red Mountain school, kids from my home town of Birmingham and the rich suburb of Mountain Brook, who occupy a cabin outside Toronto, Canada, as we speak.

I lobbied for an invitation, even though I’m from the wrong side of town, but my sponsor in that endeavor hopped a flight back to Chile in South America instead.

At one in the morning, a friend and partner in Tuscaloosa started texting me in a panic.

“Biden’s dead … Gretchen Whitmer & Wes Moore … Step up?”

According to the Times, Democrats who have defended the president for months against his doubters — including members of his own administration — traded frenzied phone calls and text messages within minutes of the start of the debate as it became clear that Mr. Biden was not at his sharpest.

“Practically in despair, some took to social media to express shock, while others privately discussed among themselves whether it was too late to persuade the president to step aside in favor of a younger candidate.”

“Biden is about to face a crescendo of calls to step aside,” said a veteran Democratic strategist who has staunchly backed Mr. Biden publicly. “Joe had a deep well of affection among Democrats. It has run dry.”

“Parties exist to win,” this Democrat continued. “The man on the stage with Trump cannot win. The fear of Trump stifled criticism of Biden. Now that same fear is going to fuel calls for him to step down.”

A group of House Democrats said they were watching the debate together, and one, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, acknowledged that it was a “disaster” for Mr. Biden. The person said the group was discussing the need for a new presidential nominee.

Mark Buell, a prominent donor for Mr. Biden and the Democratic Party, said after the debate that the president had to strongly consider whether he is the best person to be the nominee.

“Do we have time to put somebody else in there?” Mr. Buell said.

He added that he was not yet calling for Mr. Biden to withdraw but that “Democratic leadership has a responsibility to go to the White House and clearly show what America’s thinking, because democracy is at stake here and we’re all nervous.”

Mr. Biden’s goal in accepting a general election debate earlier than ever held in presidential history was to recalibrate the contest as a choice between himself and a felon who tried to overturn an election and would in his view destroy American democracy if given the power of the presidency again.

“Mr. Biden left the CNN studio in Atlanta instead facing a referendum on himself and his capacity that will reverberate for days if not longer.”

The coverage continues.

“Mr. Trump, 78, appeared to coast through the debate with little trouble, rattling off one falsehood after another without being effectively challenged. He appeared confident while avoiding the excessively overbearing demeanor that had damaged him during his first debate with Mr. Biden in 2020, seemingly content to let his opponent stew in his own difficulties. While Mr. Trump at times rambled and offered statements that were convoluted, hard to follow and flatly untrue, he did so with energy and volume that covered up his misstatements, managing to stay on offense even on issues of vulnerability for him like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and abortion.”

Mr. Biden appeared on defense much of the time and either did not use lines teed up for him by his campaign’s predebate advertising or mumbled them in passing in such a way that they barely registered.

Speaking with reporters afterward, Mr. Biden indicated that he had been battling a cold.

“I have a sore throat,” he said.

But he expressed satisfaction with his showing.

“I think we did well.”

Asked about Democrats’ concerns about his showing and calls for him to consider leaving the race, he said: “No. It’s hard to debate a liar.”

Yes, it’s true. incumbent presidents often stumble in their first debate of a general-election season, either because they are rusty or overconfident, but in many cases make up for it with stronger subsequent performances. Mr. Biden’s troubles particularly brought to mind Ronald Reagan’s first debate in 1984, when he appeared old and out of it; he salvaged his campaign at his next debate with a well-timed joke about not exploiting his opponent’s youth and inexperience.

The problem for Mr. Biden is no other debate is scheduled until Sept. 10, meaning he has no obvious opportunity to recover for months. And as the veteran Democratic strategist said, this was not like Mr. Obama losing to Mitt Romney in 2012, which was a tactical setback.

“This is existential,” the strategist said.

“So, rather than resetting the campaign in Mr. Biden’s favor, as it had anticipated,” the Times reports, “the president’s team ended the evening knowing that the task of the next few days if not weeks would be to stem the damage and rally the party behind their beleaguered leader.”

What a sad description: “beleaguered leader.” It means “in a very difficult situation.” Indeed. An understatement?

My situation may also be called “beleaguered.” I have camp sites paid for through the Fourth of July. After that I’m going to experiment with life on an organic vegetable farm for a few days. Should make for a good story if nothing else.

The best news I know to report is, there will be fresh, locally grown tomatoes available next week, as is usually the case around Independence Day. These won’t be the famous Sand Mountain tomatoes of my youth. But with Duke’s Real Mayonnaise, they will make for some fine sandwiches.

Perhaps we might all find some solace in that, with salt and pepper and maybe some sharp cheddar cheese.

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