1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

Senators and Congressperson, I am writing again about whether the president should discontinue his campaign. I realize at this point there is great pressure to regroup behind the president's candidacy. But we don't yet know how this will end. For example, the president could have another poor performance in his solo press conference after NATO. So here are a few principles I would like you to stand for as this process plays out: Speak your truth. Asserting "it's a binary decision" does not slam the door on a Biden withdrawal. The question is still whether the President has the political strength to be one side of that binary and defeat Trump. It is obvious to me that voter concern about the state of the President's aging (not his age but the state of his aging) is causing a dangerously and historically low approval rating and suppressing voter excitement and the motivation of independents and undecideds. Whether Biden is the strongest candidate against Trump is still a valid question. The President's past achievement is important but the key is voter confidence in his capacity as the state of his aging advances. Defiance and denial does not do it. The President is in a much deeper hole than at the comparable stage of the 2020 election, which he barely won in the battle ground states. The narratives used against Trump in 2020 will be insuffient for 2024. This year is about so much more than abortion and the cost of prescription drugs. We need someone who can lead a battle against a well-organized authoritarian movement with fascist tendencies. To start with, if the Democrat wins, Republicans will conduct a much fiercer campaign to subvert the election results than they mounted in 2020 and on January 6, 2021. We will need leaders who can rapidly adjust to the strategic and tactical situation. This is not the time for an elder statesman, it's a time for leaders in the prime of their capacity. But first we must win the election, and my huge worry is that milliions of voters are demoralized and demotivated by the President's aging, making it very hard to see him defeating the man he already trails. Thank you.