Well, of course they had to say it, even though it’s a lie, and everyone knows it’s a lie.

The Democrats used a picture of a smiling, robust-looking Joe Biden in their tweet proclaiming President Biden the winner of the debate, but their problem is that he was exposed as not robust, but a faltering and confused elderly man who is visibly sinking into dementia. Even The New York Times couldn’t hide the truth:

A Fumbling Performance, and a Panicking Party

President Biden’s shaky, halting debate performance has Democrats talking about replacing him on the ticket.

by Peter Baker | Thursday, June 27, 2024 | Updated: Friday, June 28, 2024 | 2:35 AM EDT

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.

Also see: Robert Stacy McCain, “MELTDOWN: Democrats Panic After Biden Has the ‘Single Worst Debate Performance in American History’“

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.”

There’s more at the original.

But, as the Democrats look, quietly, of course, for a replacement, one thing is obvious: if President Biden withdraws, the only possible replacement would have to be Vice President Kamala Harris Emhoff. To choose anyone else would be to cost the Democrats the votes of black Americans, and that’s something that they just cannot have. Everyone knows that, if Mr Biden resigns or dies in office, Mrs Emhoff would become President if he is re-elected.

Mr Biden won Pennsylvania by 80,555 votes, 3,458,229 (50.01%) to 3,377674 (48.84%), but only because he carried Philadelphia 603,790 (81.44%) to 132,740 (17.90%), a margin of 471,050 votes. Without Philly, President Trump would have carried the Keystone State 3,244,935 (52.56%) to 2,854,439 (46.23%). If the Dems lose any significant part of the black vote, they lose Pennsylvania, one of the (supposed) battleground states. The same would be true of Michigan, Virginia, and Georgia.

Yet, if you look at the comments on the Times article, you’ll see people suggesting Gretchen Whitless Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg, Josh Shapiro, and all sorts of other candidates, with no one as far down as I saw — and, admittedly, I didn’t scroll down through 2,764 comments (at the time) to see them all — stating that Mrs Emhoff should be the replacement.

It wasn’t just the Times which saw it. The Washington Post’s lead article was “Democrats panic over Biden’s debate performance, doubt his future: The consternation over his halting performance encompassed both the halls of Congress and the living rooms of Democratic stalwarts.”

Perhaps more alarming for Democrats, Biden played into Trump’s caricature — of an enfeebled man past his prime — that has privately worried even some of Biden’s staunchest supporters.

That’s not a caricature, but an accurate description. Or, more truthfully, a mildly accurate description, because “past his prime” doesn’t really convey the real description of doddering old fool.

Naturally, everyone is thinking about the politics this morning, but Mr Biden’s performance raises the obvious question: with the President of the United States obviously incapacitated and getting more so seemingly every day, just who’s running the country? His policies concerning Israel have been all over the place, and while he’s strongly committed to helping Ukraine in its war against Russia, he’s been a bit over the map on that one as well. Mr Biden was a fairly moderate Democrat when he was in the Senate, but he’s been further to the left as President, even from the beginning, which makes me wonder just which staffers are taking the real decisions. He almost immediately cancelled President Trump’s executive orders trying to slow down illegal immigration, but only recently changed on that, in an action that reeked of political concerns but did almost nothing to actually stem the flow of illegals across the border. He’s been a Mass-every-Sunday Catholic for most of his adult life, yet his policies have not just been opposed to his (purported) faith, but pushed them even farther to the political left than before.

Who’s running the show?