The Economist Magazine Cover For 07/06/2024

Cover Story: Making the case for Biden to withdraw Inbox The Economist Unsubscribe 10:03 AM (1 hour ago) to me The Economist Read in browser JULY 6TH 2024 How we chose this week’s image SUBSCRIBER ONLY Cover Story How we chose this week’s image Insert a clear and simple description of the image Zanny Minton Beddoes Editor-in-chief We had one worldwide cover in print this week, about the growing pressure on Joe Biden to abandon the race for the White House. Unusually, we also had one extra digital cover. This was our take on the outcome of the British election, which was determined after we went to press. Mr Biden had planned for the presidential debate on June 27th to prove his critics wrong about the decline in his mental abilities, and so to revive his ailing campaign. Instead he struggled for 90 agonising minutes to recall words and facts and was unable to land arguments against a weak opponent. It was a catastrophe. Mr Biden is blameless for his failing powers, but not for the cover-up that followed the debate. Abetted by his family, senior staff and Democratic elites, the president has insisted that he is still up to the world’s toughest job. The folly behind that falsehood became the central thrust of our argument. Mr Biden deserves to be remembered for his accomplishments and his decency rather than his decline. But there is no getting away from the fact that his mental and physical competence have become central to this race. Our task was to represent that without being crass or cruel. The false teeth on the presidential lectern are not only off-putting, they also stray into Monty Python territory. A recliner in the Oval is better—because it contrasts the fitness of man with the demands of his position. Mr Biden can still appear dynamic during short, scripted appearances. But you cannot run a superpower by autocue. And you cannot put an international crisis on hold because the president is having a bad night. This melancholy drawing points to a different set of risks. As the head of state, America’s president embodies the virtues of the republic. The more he is seen as a stubborn old man who leaves the real work to his courtiers, the more he will undermine Americans’ faith in their system of government. The trouble with this autumnal scene is that we were feeling angry at the Democratic Party’s hypocrisy. Mr Biden’s campaign team insist that the president works so hard he leaves his staff drained. His supporters argue that those awful 90 minutes should not overshadow the past three and a half years. But what matters is whether they foreshadow the next four. For years they have sneered at Republican politicians’ failure to stand up to Donald Trump, and here they were failing to be straight about Mr Biden. This is angry alright. We might have gone with it except for rumours that Democrats were beginning to speak out against Mr Biden. If he did the honourable thing this weekend, and withdrew from the race, our cover would rightly seem to be a cruel misjudgment of the man and his character. That is why we settled on a cover based on this. This sketch is confusing, because Mr Biden is clearly not the man behind the Zimmer. By taking him away, however, we could both focus on the presidency and also have a cover that would make sense if the president pulled out of the race. That left the question of taste. Some may feel that this cover pokes fun at the physically infirm. Yet the Zimmer frame is a universal symbol of failing powers even if, obviously, you can struggle to walk without struggling to think. You only have to be aware of the context to know that we are not saying that physically disabled people should be barred from serving as president. Others may feel that criticising Mr Biden is simply too harsh. But harshness is justified here. The Biden team are campaigning on the claim that a Trump presidency would be a disaster for America. Yet their attempts to shore up their candidate contradict what tens of millions of Americans saw with their own eyes. That will only make a Trump presidency more probable. A few Democrats have called for Mr Biden to step aside. To bring about the political renewal that America now so clearly needs, more must come forward. It is not too late. Britain’s election took place while we were publishing this week’s edition. In 2019 Labour limped to its worst result in almost a century; Boris Johnson won a victory that was meant to keep him in power for a decade. Under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, Labour has swept to power, with a projected majority of at least 170, just shy of the one Sir Tony Blair achieved in 1997. The Conservatives have been battered: their expected tally of 121 seats is worse than any in their modern history. Here is the new prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, painting the town red—and spilling some enamel on Larry the Downing Street cat. This change of management is a good result for Britain. A country that was one of the first in the West to succumb to populist radicalism when it voted for Brexit has picked a serious-minded centrist who pledges stability. There are lots of reasons for Sir Keir to be cautious—not least that he is a cautious man. However, he will need to be bold to improve Britain’s chronically low productivity and raise the efficiency of the British state. If he succeeds, he may offer a lesson to centrists elsewhere: not just how to win power, but how to use it. It starts with him seizing the moment. Cover image • View large image (“Now seize the moment”) • View large image (“No way to run a country”) Backing stories → Labour has won the British election. Now it has to seize the moment (Leader) → Labour’s landslide victory will turn politics on its head (Britain) → Why Biden must withdraw (Leader) → Democratic bigwigs are starting to call for Joe Biden to step aside (Briefing) Also from The Economist Subscriber only Stay informed with our weekly Britain newsletter Britain has a new prime minister. Blighty will bring you exclusive insights about what happens next in British politics. Sign up today.