Stakes Are High for Biden In This Week’s Debate

First Read: “The good news for Biden: His poll numbers have snapped back to where they were before the first debates.”

“The bad news: It’s unlikely he can afford another rough outing, which would only increase the chatter that he might not be up for the rigors of a general-election fight against President Trump. And if that happens, that could produce maybe the most destabilizing event so far in the 2020 Democratic race, creating openings for several other Dem contenders.”

“Remember, anyone can have a bad debate performance — just ask Barack Obama in 2012. But if you’re Joe Biden and a Democratic Party that’s anxious about its prospects versus Trump, you can’t have two in a row.”