To the Editor:
Regarding “To serve his country, President Biden should withdraw from the race” (editorial, June 30):
Joe Biden is an extraordinary man, and his record of service to the country he loves is proof of that. Being President has clearly been the pinnacle of that service.
But it’s time for Biden to square his ego and realize that the same altruism and passion that got him to the White House must now lead him to the sidelines. The stakes are too high, his candidacy too risky.
To stay would be to repeat the tragic miscalculation of another good soldier, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Joe, don’t lose faith now. Do the right thing for democracy.
Alison Daly Stevenson
Waldoboro, Maine
To the Editor:
To paraphrase the great Mark Twain, your reports of President Biden’s cognitive decline are overstated, not to mention premature.
The president is probably one of the worst extemporaneous speakers to ever hold the presidency, and his lack of skill in this area is exacerbated by his age, but that doesn’t diminish his intellectual capacity.
It seems even more unfair if your rationale for urging him to resign is to beat Donald Trump, when there is no Democratic alternative that the polls show would definitely beat the presumptive Republican nominee.
If President Biden continues to lose as the nominee, The New York Times will say, “We told you so.” But some will say the most likely Democratic alternative to Trump has effectively been hobbled by an ill-advised rush to judgment.
Alan R. Glickman
new york
To the Editor:
For months we’ve heard pundits scream that the Republican Party is completely, incontrovertibly broken. And rightly so. But from the moment the Biden-Trump debate began, it was clear that my Democratic Party is also pathetically broken.
To President Biden’s close friends, allies, aides, operatives, and advisors, I ask you this: If a loved one or close friend of yours was engaging in serious subversive behavior and you did nothing about it, name Its destruction and Challenge your loved ones Dealing with it — You will be called “donors.” That is what you are. And if the aid continues, the future of our country rests on your conscience. And the conscience of the current President as well. It’s time for you to show some tough love.
If Biden refuses to step down, I will vote for him. I have no other choice. But this will be my last time voting as a Democrat. Many of us who are heartbroken by these backers and apologists will begin to look to third party candidates rather than entrust our beloved country any further to the party we once loved.
Lynn Anderson
Moab, Utah
To the Editor:
So let’s be clear: A convicted presidential candidate delivers debate speeches that are often incoherent, consist mostly of obvious lies, and reject any promise to unconditionally accept the results of the presidential election, and yet your editorial is filled with theatrical calls to remove another candidate who has run the country competently and ethically for almost four years because he performed poorly onstage?
You really should have consulted theater critics, who would have let you know that the show’s final run is more important than a misstep in previews. By choosing this hyperbolic and shortsighted response to Biden rather than focusing your anger on Donald Trump’s truly bizarre and perplexing comments, you are avoiding a real danger to our democracy.
Judith Hamera
Pennington, New Jersey
To the Editor:
I am a lifelong Democrat and have no doubt that I will vote for the Democratic candidate in November for President, but I hope it is not Joe Biden. I completely agree that it is time for Biden to announce that he will not run for a second term.
We need a younger, more energetic and more resourceful president to lead the country for the next four years. Indeed, after his dominant performance in the debates, Biden delivered a powerful, well-thought-out and well-thought-out speech at a rally in North Carolina on Friday.
It was a night and day difference, but of course in North Carolina the president was reading from a teleprompter, prepared by a speechwriter, whereas in the debate he had to rely on his memory, to find the words himself, unaided. Apparently he can’t do that anymore.
President Biden has done a great job these last three and a half years, and I thank him and I applaud him for that. But it’s time for him to acknowledge to himself and to the American people that he is no longer the capable, qualified and strong leader he once was, and to hand that role over to someone else who can continue to provide the leadership we need not only to defeat Donald Trump, but to move our country forward in 2025 and beyond.
Robert Kunikov
new york
To the Editor:
Those of us who live in a nursing home with dozens of retired academics, administrators, and researchers in their late 80s and 90s, like me, were not put off by President Biden’s “performance” on Thursday night. Stuttering and slurring our thoughts are hardly signs of incompetence. They are signs of a loss of verbal finesse. Period.
I find it frightening that cocky, opinionated, bombastic young people are slow to find the words, but nothing scares me more than a politician’s impulsive judgment after one bad performance.
He is the most capable and experienced leader our country has had in decades. Let’s look at this objectively and stop the fear-mongering.
Judy Wagner
Madison, Wisconsin
To the Editor:
President Biden’s supporters claim he was having a bad day. What if on a bad day Vladimir Putin invaded Estonia? Footage of Biden reading from a teleprompter on a good day would be overshadowed by media saturation with videos from Donald Trump’s campaign of Biden not finishing his sentences.
When you have elderly parents, there comes a time when your children have to take away the car keys, and not taking that painful step can have dire consequences.
Democratic Party leaders and their major donors must have the courage to take that difficult step.
Mitchell Zuckerman
Katonah, New York
To the Editor:
The editorial board strongly argues that President Biden should withdraw from the race in the interest of the country, but the question remains open as to how he can be trusted to serve as leader of the free world today, tomorrow, and through the end of his current term, given the weaknesses we have all seen.
After all, the whole world – likely Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and other badasses – was watching the debate.
Kenneth A. Margolis
Chappaqua, New York
To the Editor:
Thursday’s debate confirmed what many already knew: Joe Biden can no longer effectively serve as president. I’ll still vote for him. The presidency is a corporation. We may vote for one candidate, but we get a corporate board of directors: the president’s cabinet.
Biden surrounds himself with experienced adults dedicated to the good of the country, while Donald Trump surrounds himself with acolytes dedicated to their own personal, sometimes criminal, interests.
Yes, Biden is a doddering old man, but he has integrity and a track record of delivering sound public policy. Trump has a track record too. This is a disaster. I vote for integrity.
David Robinson
Bethlehem, New Hampshire
The author is a retired ambassador with a 32-year career as a senior diplomat.
To the Editor:
After the presidential debate, President Biden should step down. As a good Roman Catholic, Biden knows that the greatest sin is arrogance, which distorts our perception of reality and makes us believe we are more important than we actually are.
As things stand, the result of Biden’s arrogance will be four more years of Donald Trump. Arrogance will be his legacy.
(Arch Pastor) Ian Markham
Alexandria, Virginia
The author is dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary and president of New York General Theological Seminary.
