One question — it came up on Pod Save — is why Biden's team wanted an early debate, if they didn't think he was doing well.
Unfortunately, one answer could be, "Because they know he's going downhill and worried he'd be much worse in the fall."
That would comport with reporting that says the decline has been marked in the past few months. If the frequency of "senior moments" went from occasional a few months ago to what we've been hearing about now, then you'd be right to worry that things would be worse in a few months.
This is why I think folks who think this is a single hump to get over and it will be smooth sailing from here on out are missing the point.
He needs to get out there more to reassure people. A lot more, and not all short, scripted events. But if he tries and can't, this gets worse.
And yes, I know I'll get a lot of "nuh-uh!" responses. But those folks are either gaslighting or in denial, or both. It simply isn't the case that all these different outlets reporting the cascade of leaks are lying. That's a Trumpian thing to say.
