While there has long been concern about President Biden’s age and his ability to run an effective campaign, many Democrats have resisted any discussion of replacing him at the top of the ticket. They recognize that the president’s record on domestic issues has been a good one on which to run. They know that his persona directly challenges former President Trump’s appeal with white working-class voters in key battleground states. And they are afraid of the uncertainties that might accompany his stepping down.

After the president’s unsettling performance during the June 27th televised debate, confronting this concern was no longer speculative. It became urgent. With major news outlets and respected commentators elevating the president’s mental acuity and the drip, drip, drip of elected officials beginning to voice their concern, Democrats have come to realize that this issue will continue to dominate coverage, with media waiting for the next verbal gaffe or sign of frailty.

Instead of this facing this problem, the White House and the party have doubled down on denial. They’ve placed blame on the president’s travel schedule or the effects of a cold and sent emails to supporters comparing the president’s superior vision for the future of the country with Donald Trump’s bold-faced lies.

Recognizing that the president’s performance and capacity are a reality that can’t be ignored, I submitted a proposal to the party outlining a process that would allow the President to step down and be replaced by a candidate chosen through an open, transparent, and democratic process. It was also one, I hoped, that would be respectful of the president and his accomplishments.

It would have to begin, of course, with the president’s announcement that he would not be seeking reelection; that he understands the need to defeat Donald Trump; and that he is confident in the deep Democratic bench that can both defeat Trump and build on the successes of his presidency. While he could endorse his Vice-President, he would make it clear that this was not a coronation, but an open process that would be decided by the Democratic Convention. In order to ensure that voters have their say, he would announce that he is turning the process over to the Democratic National Committee to define the way forward.

What I proposed is that the DNC lay out a one-month campaign schedule to select the party’s nominee. It would begin with a nominating process, proceed with an abbreviated one-month campaign schedule (featuring two televised town halls), and conclude at the Democratic convention where the candidates would be formally nominated with votes taken among the seated delegates. The........

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