Democrats uneasy about Biden's 'crappy' debate night

WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Friday expressed concerns about President Joe Biden’s inability to answer questions or communicate coherently in his first debate in four years against Donald Trump.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was among the first House Democrats to head for the chamber floor for the day’s only vote series, and he attempted to deflect blame away from Biden’s performance Thursday night.

“Donald Trump lied his way through the debate,” the New York Democrat said.

That was the common refrain from Biden’s fellow Democrats, with a number calling Trump unfit to be president again — although most also admitted Biden had a “bad night,” the term most often uttered in the corridors around the House chamber as members prepared to pass several spending bills and head home.

“We’ve got a candidate. It’s Joe Biden,” former House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters. “He’s got an extraordinary record of accomplishment. He’s done an extraordinary amount for the American people,” Hoyer added, ticking off what he saw as top accomplishments, including boosting the “competitiveness of the United States, dealing with climate change, which is obviously very severe. He’s got a wonderful record.”

Some House Democrats had little to say when confronted with the obvious follow-up: What good, in an election cycle against an opponent like Trump, is a strong perceived record if the incumbent cannot articulate or defend it before a large prime-time television audience?

Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., told reporters her party needs “time to make decisions in a 10- or 12-hour time frame,” adding of Biden: “He wasn’t at his best. … But his record stands.

“So, let’s see what happens,” she said. “We’ll get through this.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wasn’t ready to let things go, however, saying at a news conference that members of the Cabinet should “search their hearts” about whether to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows for the removal of a president who is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

“Our adversaries see weakness in this White House, as we all do. I take no pleasure in saying that. I think this is a very dangerous situation, but … unfortunately it’s not the House that gets to determine that, it’s the Cabinet under the Constitution,” Johnson said.

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