Biden’s withdrawal solves one of the Dems’ many problems. But it also creates one.

Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race solves one major problem for Democrats. But it creates another: Rather than addressing the party’s shortcomings on key issues, it risks widening them.

The decision to abandon his quest for a second term confirms what voters and Republicans — all but the most partisan Democrats — have been saying for years: Biden was too weak to run for the White House. Everyone saw it.

Now that that’s out of the way, everything should be fine for the party, right? No, it’s not. On inflation, immigration, and certain social issues (with the notable exception of abortion), Democrats are out of touch with voters. They bear the weight of Biden’s record. Two-thirds of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. That’s a long-term trend that can’t be blamed entirely on Biden, but it’s hard for a party to stay in power under such circumstances.

This is the new issue that Republicans, if they’re smart, will hammer on relentlessly: What did Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats know about Biden’s downfall, and when did they know it?

Democrats have spent at least two years selling a Soviet-style narrative that sounds like propaganda betrayed by someone’s own eyes. Biden, they said, was masterful, energetic, demanding. His press secretary, more than 30 years his junior, told him with a straight face that she had trouble keeping up. He was a savant who knew the minutiae of every facet of government. His slurred words and omitted thoughts? Just the effects of an old stutter, or a cold, or — hey, here’s a transcript that helpfully fills in what he said. referred to say.

After Biden spent just 90 minutes onstage with Trump — now surely the most consequential presidential debate in American history — Democrats suddenly dropped the mask. Biden’s staff tried to publicly back him, but lawmakers, donors and media figures suddenly ran stories

And they didn’t do it because they were worried about keeping a steady hand on the American government, now or for the next four years. They did it because they now had to admit that Biden, in that state, couldn’t win an election and was in fact so bad that he could drag the entire party down with him.

Political actors can be forgiven for considering politics. But this was too much. What risks did they create? What foreign policy blunders were there? Which unelected officials made which decisions and what were the consequences?

It’s about who you can trust. And if you can find yourself with a trust deficit when you run against Donald Trump, you’ve made a pretty big political mistake.

As Democrats try to turn the page, they are also faced with the question of why Biden, if he can’t serve another three months as candidate, should serve another five months as president? Wouldn’t it be wise for him to resign now, or for Harris and the Cabinet to oust him under the 25th Amendment?

Democrats will remain on the defensive. That’s a tough position to be in when you’re faced with the monumental task of convincing Americans to elect someone president in just over three months.

One advantage they will have is the contrast with Trump. A smoother, younger candidate could turn the page on this sad era of old men yelling at clouds. But if it is Harris, who endorsed Biden on Sunday, her political resume doesn’t offer much. Her brief tenure in the Senate was unremarkable. Her own presidential bid in 2019 was so poor that she didn’t make it to a single primary. Her time as vice president has been marked by salacious remarks and staff unrest. Her most high-profile assignment, as the so-called border czar, is on an issue that may be the administration’s biggest failure.

A lesser-known candidate, perhaps a governor or even a senator, carries a different set of risks. Republicans and the media will dig hard and fast into the candidate’s background. Scandals and unflattering stories that might fade over the many months of a normal presidential campaign will be presented to voters who are still forming their impressions of the candidate, with little time to change the subject.

The picture is better for Democrats today than it was yesterday. But they are defending themselves on a number of fronts — among usually reliable demographics. Solid blue states are reeling from a united GOP with a sense of mission and the taste of victory in sight.

Biden did Democrats a favor on Sunday. But he did it long after the damage was done.

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