Readers’ reactions to AJC editorial calling on Biden to pass the torch

Yes, Biden had a bad night. But he has had more than 1,000 good days and nights.

In the past four years, Trump tried to steal the Georgia presidential election. He’s racked up 34 felony convictions, indictments in three other cases, has been found liable for sexual assault and liable for nearly $500 million for committing financial fraud in New York. Trump is a liar, a felon and fraudster.

Tell readers you support a democratic form of government and you believe that the only person that should step down from the race is Trump.

Jack Hassard, Marietta

I am so very grateful to the editorial board of AJC for their bold and clear statement asking President Biden to step down. The reasons for this well-written request should be obvious to all.

Kathleen Finn, Nashville

The June 30 editorial asking President Joe Biden to end his reelection bid was irresponsible. Please explain how another Democratic candidate would have a viable path to win. There isn’t one.

Biden is a good man who had a bad night, but he actually cares about citizens, and has competent people working in his administration.

His opponent is a convicted felon who had sycophants in his administration and specifically had people that wanted to destroy the agencies they ran.

Why not as vocally call for Trump to step aside? He lies like he breathes. His only platform is grievance and vengeance. Has the AJC looked into Project 2025?

Democracy is truly at stake in this election. If we want future elections, Trump can’t win. Independent media doesn’t survive under autocrats.

Lesley Dedrick, Johns Creek

Yes, President Joe Biden’s debate performance was abysmal, painful and medically concerning. But it was most disappointing to see The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s front-page editorial singularly call for Biden to step aside, and not the one who tried to overturn a lawful election; who incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on our Capitol; who is a convicted felon; who endangers women’s reproductive rights; who lied 30 times during the debate; who race baits; and whose narcissistic traits have damaged, drained and pained the psyche of our nation.

If the editorial was predicated on the idea that Trump is a threat to our democracy, the AJC buried the lead.

Melody T. McCloud, Roswell

I was horrified to read the June 30 front-page editorial telling President Joe Biden to “do the right thing, step down.” A 90-minute debate, regardless of how poorly he performed, is nothing in comparison to the eight years of a lying, hateful, disrespectful, vengeful and utterly deranged ex-president who is a convicted felon.

Where was the AJC’s editorial demanding that former President Donald Trump step down or step aside after he spoke about groping females? Or when he made fun of journalists? Or called immigrants animals? Or was impeached twice? Or when he tried to overthrow the government? Or when he stole classified documents? And, oh yeah, when he was convicted on felony charges?

It is the media that continues to publish the lies and antics of a failed businessman/reality star, giving voice to the divisiveness that is tearing this country apart.

It is time for the AJC to own up to its part in promoting this convicted felon to the presumptive nominee of the GOP. And if he does end up in the presidency again, I will not be surprised if he comes after a “free and unbiased media.” Watch your back AJC. You’ve been warned.

Deedee Murphy, Atlanta

Thanks for a well-written and compelling editorial. I hope someone can talk sense into President Joe Biden so that he does the right thing. There’s no question and no shame in acknowledging that, as is normal at a certain age, he’s slipped a bit mentally. The world is a very dangerous place right now, and Biden can’t stand up to the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He certainly can’t cope with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who seems to disrespect and ignore Biden.

William White, Sandy Springs

I have been a subscriber to The Atlanta Constitution since 1975. The June 30 editorial called for President Joe Biden to end his campaign for a second term. Considering the alternative candidate, a man convicted of multiple felonies which are the least of his transgressions now and in the future, and the totally unrealistic prospect of getting a replacement presidential candidate for the Democratic ticket on the November ballot, Biden and his exceptionally capable running mate, Kamala Harris, are the country’s best option in November.

The AJC editorial board has lost my confidence in its ability to provide a balanced view of the current political climate in this country and what is needed for the near future.

Margaret Moore, Roswell

The editorial calling on President Joe Biden to step aside was a disservice to our democracy. It stated the responses of Biden’s surrogates to his terrible debate performance are insulting to the American people; but the editorial was the real insult.

As a practical matter, it would be impossible for another candidate organize and fund an effective campaign just four months ahead of the election. Biden withdrawing would almost certainly hand the election to former President Donald Trump, who has proven he is completely unfit for the job and serious threat to our democracy and national security.

As a moral matter, you do not turn your back on someone who has provided three-and-a-half years of effective domestic stewardship and leadership on the world stage simply because of one terrible 90-minute television appearance. Please remember there is nothing about a televised debate performance that has anything to do with the actual job of being president.

The AJC got it wrong. The Philadelphia Inquirer got it right when it wrote, “Biden had a horrible night Thursday. But the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.”

Darryl Konter, Dunwoody

Again, as the June 30 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution front-page editorial pointed out, George Washington is showing the way for the preservation of our republic. Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are horrible candidates, but only Biden has it within his character to do the right thing even if it isn’t necessarily in his own best interest. Trump would rather see the republic go up in flames than to concede anything.

The better angels are calling! I hope and pray that Biden hears them and takes the AJC’s advice and, if he does, that the Democrats will have the sense to choose an alternative that has some appeal to the middle and disgusted Republicans, like me.

Michael Cowan, Dunwoody

There was a time not long ago when political candidates sought the endorsement of newspapers. But what does it mean when newspapers including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times say an incumbent should not be the candidate? The opposite of an endorsement. It means newspapers can articulate what even the political parties themselves are afraid to say about their candidates: the truth!

Now that newspapers have said what others are thinking but afraid to say, hopefully real leaders will step forward. If not, both parties might get what they deserve for not speaking up. Thanks to newspapers for sounding the “Paul Revere” alarm, which may help save democracy.

Daniel F. Kirk, Kennesaw

I agree that President Joe Biden should withdraw as the Democratic nominee for president. His debate performance, among other things, shows he is no longer able to faithfully perform the duties of president. Likewise, former President Donald Trump should withdraw as Republican nominee for president. Trump’s mendacity and hyperbole at the debate was appalling. Trump stated millions of illegal immigrants, who he said are criminals, drug addicts and released from insane asylums, are taking “Black and Hispanic jobs.” Really? Trump implied that Black and Hispanic jobs in this country can only be filled by those who are criminals, drug addicts and mentally challenged. I cannot understand how anyone can defend Trump’s racist statement.

The Democratic and Republican Parties both chose candidates for president who are unfit — for different reasons — for this job. Let us hope the Democratic Party can unite to choose the right candidate to defeat Trump this November.

Torin Togut, Lawrenceville

I thank The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for publishing this editorial. The extent of denial among my fellow Democrats — especially, it seems, those in leadership positions — is extremely worrisome. I think they disrespect President Joe Biden by taking such stances, while the AJC and the New York Times show him due honor and respect by acknowledging his decades of service and appealing to his sense of duty to the country.

The AJC’s public stance also soothes those of us who are extremely anxious about the election. I feel as if I see the proverbial writing on the wall: Biden simply cannot beat former President Donald Trump. The AJC’s public voice will matter to the powers that be. I hope it matters enough for Biden to see the light and take action quickly enough so that we can have a Democratic candidate who at least has a chance to keep Trump out of the White House.

Jude Todd, Santa Cruz, Calif.

In joining the national media to demand that Joe Biden “step aside,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution blithely stated: “Doing this will require a massive and unprecedented string of legal and regulatory actions to get a Biden successor named and placed on each state’s ballot. This is difficult and necessary work and must start immediately.”

Does the AJC truly believe any attempts to change a candidate already chosen through primaries and caucuses and currently qualified by the Federal Elections Commission would even be possible? Any such changes would inevitably and forcefully be challenged, thwarted and likely prevented by an unscrupulous opposition — the same people who wanted Georgia’s secretary of state to find more votes, who put up a slate of false presidential electors, who questioned voters at their own polling places, who called for a special legislative session to overturn the 2020 election, who personally targeted county election workers and who still deny the 2020 presidential election results.

How can the AJC even imagine these people will cooperate in this “difficult and necessary” task? Has the editorial board not read its own newspaper’s extensive reporting on the 2020 election?

If the AJC fears a Trump presidency, maybe it could ask him to step aside.

Jerelyn Jordan, Atlanta

The editorial calling for President Joe Biden to drop out was an insult to voters.

The analogy of George Washington stepping aside was a quaint vignette, but a more apt analogy was when Lyndon B. Johnson announced in March 1968 that he would not seek the nomination. Like Biden, Johnson faced factions within the Democratic Party and protests against an unpopular war. Today’s political climate is much closer to that of 1968 than1796, as our country is divided, and we have an electoral system with two dominant parties.

Name the magical Democrat who would unite the party, energize Black voters and attract independents and moderate Republicans. Biden is the only person to beat former President Donald Trump. He did it in 2020, and he can do it again. Remember in 1968, the Democrat lost.

Allison J. Prendergast, Loganville

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board is asking the wrong candidate to leave the race. The June 30 editorial acknowledged that former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his continued false claims that the election was stolen from him should have disqualified him. The editorial acknowledged that Trump’s performance Thursday night should have prompted leaders to repudiate his falsehoods. By not calling on Trump to drop out of the race, the editorial gave tacit support to Trump’s lies. The board would have better served its audience by fact-checking the statements made by Trump Thursday evening.

Invoking George Washington tugged at patriotic heartstrings. A modern comparison is more appropriate. Lyndon B. Johnson’s departure from the presidential race in 1968 roiled the campaign and ushered in the presidency of the second-most criminal president in our history: Richard Nixon.

Carole H. Johnston, Avondale Estates

I find it very distressing that the candidate The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked to step aside is the one who had a bad debate but has been a good president, not the one who is a convicted felon who lied repeatedly to the American people. Both candidates are old men. Why target only Biden?

Anne F. Hughes, Decatur

The June 30 editorial calling on President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign was by far the most one-sided opinion piece I have ever read in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Why supposedly “fact check” former President Donald Trump but say nothing about Biden’s lies? “Biden has served so admirably for half a century.” Please include examples.

This editorial proves to me how the AJC cannot be fair.

Marty Mills, Snellville

I am horrified that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is asking our honest, hardworking, effective and outstanding president to step aside. Yes, he is old, but his policies are sound and he has been a civil servant for the people his entire life. I would rather have a president in a wheelchair than a lying, cheating con man any day. Where is the headline that a convicted felon should step aside? I am a lifelong AJC reader, and I was very offended by this article.

Barbara Warshaw Dale, Decatur

Regarding the responses put forth by the President’s surrogates after his admittedly not so stellar debate performance, the June 30 editorial asserted, “These responses are insulting to the American people.” Truly insulting is the unrealistic suggestion that replacing President Joe Biden at this point in the campaign would not be more damaging to the prospects of avoiding another Trump presidency than one bad night on a debate stage.

Though evoking the memory of George Washington might feel inspiring, has the board considered what happened in 1972 (the last time Democrats replaced their nominee so late in an election season)? Richard Nixon wound up winning the presidency with 520 electoral votes. Also, we can only wonder if the board has thought about the effects a divided and bitter convention would have on the Democratic Party or the clearly insurmountable obstacles a different candidate would face in raising the necessary campaign funds in such a short time.

Ultimately, it should not be lost on any of us that if the blatant disregard for reality and decency that former President Donald Trump displayed last week (and indeed over his whole life) matters less to us than an 81-year-old showing signs of his age, then we have much bigger problems than can be fixed by replacing whoever is on the top of the Democratic ticket.

Sanjay Lal, Stockbridge, Ga.

I found the June 30 editorial indicating that it is “time for Biden to pass the torch” perplexing. Though I agree with the synopsis of President Joe Biden’s and former President Donald Trump’s disturbing debate performances, I found it concerning that the editorial called only for Biden to withdraw as a presidential candidate and not ask the same of Trump.

Though Biden’s decline in mental acuity and articulation on a debate stage was horribly obvious, even more frightening were Trump’s continuing lies, threats and unbelievably outrageous fabrications. Shouldn’t we all be just as worried about Trump’s age, psyche, dishonorable conduct, legal problems and morals — now, and especially in the future? Shouldn’t the AJC Editorial Board have also asked that Trump withdraw as a presidential candidate in the national interest of our country?

Connie Boyer, Peachtree Corners

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board has called for President Joe Biden to step aside. The board seemed to miss the fallout from such a decision, which is a second term for former President Donald Trump. Though valid concerns exist about each candidate’s age and vitality, the editorial should also have called for Trump to step aside because of his failed response to the coronavirus, felony convictions for falsifying documents to aid in winning an election, organizing a riot against Congress and a vow to be a dictator during his second term.

If age and poor debate performance merits removal of a sitting president from the ballot, why not felonies, sedition and contempt for the U.S. Constitution?

Greg Martin, Smyrna