The shockingly poor performance of President Biden during the June 27 debate has prompted a furious debate within the Democratic party – and among many unenrolled and independent voters who are now deeply concerned about Biden’s prospect of victory in November. Some have publicly called for the president to step aside and clear the way for a younger, more alert, and dynamic Democrat to wage the sort of vigorous campaign that is needed to deny Trump and his MAGA devotees another four years of executive powers, a prospect that has now grown exponentially, and not in a positive way, thanks to the right-wing ideologues on the Supreme Court.

Biden has, so far, rejected the polite entreaties of some members of Congress to step down from the top of the ticket. And he has railed against “media elites” who have been more forthright in their grave diagnoses of his campaign’s plight and trajectory.

As the nation girds itself for four days of Trumpist idolatry that will no doubt emanate from the GOP conclave in Milwaukee starting Monday, there’s still a chance for the Dems and their 81-year-old standard bearer to take a fresh assessment of this race and the stakes, which could be cataclysmic.

Amid all the uncertainty, one element seems all-to-certain from this vantage point: If Joe Biden does decide to hang up his campaign cleats before the Dems descend on Chicago for their nominating convention, he must throw his unconditional, full-throated support to his vice-president, Kamala Harris.

Biden and his camp picked Harris for good reason in 2020, and it paid off. The Democratic coalition is a big tent, but its sturdiest pillar is made up of Black voters, particularly women.

Harris also happens to be supremely qualified: a former prosecutor and attorney general in California and a US Senator, she has been a proven vote-getter and an effective policymaker. Despite being relegated to a secondary role in this administration, as is common, given the job, Harris’s polling numbers are strong against the presumptive Republican nominee, better than other supposedly “big names” that are being bandied about by pundits.

Harris comes with another key advantage: She is already second-in-command and part of the ticket, which means she can access the tens of millions in campaign funds raised to finance the reelection effort this year. That is not an insignificant factor in an election cycle now being counted down by weeks, and, soon, days.

There’s a deep sense of injustice and indecency attendant to the whole discussion of President Biden’s decision during this week. Only the most embittered and cult-addled foes would deny this man’s well-earned place among American leaders who have represented their countrymen and women with respect and dignity. It’s painful to see him disrespected or discarded, particularly when the other choice is a person so clearly unfit for office.

But his fine legacy of service does not need to end in defeat, disgrace, or ignominy. In fact, his finest hour could still be ahead of him in the form of a well-timed, sincere, and eloquent endorsement of his political partner, the woman, the leader whom he chose as his successor.

Joe Biden’s greatest achievement to date in a stellar career of service to this nation and to all free nations has been his defeat of Trumpism and its insidious, disloyal lurch into despotism and collusion with America’s foreign enemies. Only he knows the true nature and limits of his capacity and endurance. We hope this good man will make the right decision for the sake of the country and our allies across the globe.

Bill Forry is the executive editor and publisher of the Dorchester Reporter.