I admire and am grateful to Joe Biden, but for me, some of his legacy is already beginning to tarnish. Though I feel it is blasphemous to compare him to Donald Trump, who I abhor, here nevertheless are some disturbing, emerging similarities:

• Gaslighting and blind loyalty. Even in response to obvious signs that Trump is not fit to be president, the Republican Party asks its loyalists to deny the lunacy and stay in line. Statements from Biden and his staff that the debate was “just one bad night” ignore polling over the past several years that many Democrats have had concerns about his health and fitness.
• I alone can fix it. One of the most exasperating cultish claims by Trump is that he and he alone is the savior for America. Biden, crazily supported by his inner circle, has clung to the conceit that he and he alone can defeat Trump and save America. It is not true, and thank God it isn’t.
• Insulated and ill-advised. Like Trump, Biden has surrounded himself with sycophants who don’t challenge him. This has become obvious in the tight grip he is holding on his candidacy but would worry me for his presidency as well.

Biden should drop out of the race. And he should do it soon. There are many younger, more able potential Democratic candidates waiting in the wings.

Fred Wolff
Cumberland