Presidential debate exposes the US is ‘failing state’: Bob Carr

The former foreign minister says it was an ‘absolutely woeful’ insight into the ‘degradation of the American political system’.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden face in Atlanta on Thursday night. Picture: AFP

Leading experts on American politics say the first presidential debate has fuelled doubts over Joe Biden’s ability to serve a second presidential term, with former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr arguing the quality of answers on display had revealed it was a “debate about the leadership of a failing state”.

Mr Carr, foreign minister under Labor prime ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, warned against any over-reaction to Mr Biden’s “raspy voice and feebleness at debating”, and said it was still possible for him to defeat Republican Donald Trump.

But he acknowledged the Democrats “might be persuaded to make a dash for Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, bypassing (Vice-President) Kamala Harris, who appears to have no political skills”.

“I think the momentum appears to be with Trump,” he said.

Taking aim at “Trump’s bluster and gargantuan fibs”, Mr Carr said that “to think of someone with kindergarten impulses as the next president confirms that right now this is a debate about the leadership of a failing state”.

He said the debate was an “absolutely woeful” insight into the “degradation of the American political system”.

United States Studies Centre, CEO Michael Green said Mr Biden’s performance had created a sense of panic within the Democrats and members of congress were briefing journalists that he should step down as the candidate.

But Dr Green, who served on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House from 2001 to 2005, said it would be “extremely difficult for party elders to compel him to step down”.

“There’s nothing in presidential politics like a spill in Canberra. If this were Australian politics, he’d be dead already – there’d be a spill,” he said.

Dr Green said his first thought when he heard Mr Biden’s voice failing “was of the 1960 debate between Nixon and Kennedy – the first one televised”.

“And Americans who heard it on radio thought Nixon won, but the majority of Americans saw it on TV and thought Kennedy won. If you passed about the transcript of what Biden and Trump said, Biden might have won. But the optics did not help him,” he said.

Dr Green said Mr Trump won the debate and suggested the former president had been persuaded to tone down his rhetoric on US isolationism, but he also argued that Mr Biden had done well in appealing to women and minorities whose support he would need.

“I thought Trump’s demeanour on America’s role in the world was more careful,” he said. “Trump’s advisers are telling him ‘you’ve got to tone it down on isolationism’ … Trump was more muted on the attacks on allies than he usually is.”

Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove said that “for friends and admirers of America, this debate was difficult to watch”.

“It was a tough night for Joe Biden, who has been an effective president. Luckily for Biden and the Democrats, the election is still four months away,” Dr Fullilove said.

Strategic Analysis Australia director Peter Jennings said the debate “will do the one thing that the Democrats desperately wanted to avoid, which is strengthen the argument that Biden is just not a viable candidate”.

“The Democrats have brought this on themselves,” Mr Jennings said. “And that surely is where the first questions have to be asked: How could they have allowed this to happen when they have stuck by an unviable candidate as long as they have?

“I think the scenario might work where a senior group of Democrats will have to go to the President and say ‘time’s up’. And probably the only mechanism that is possible at this stage is for Biden to accept that and announce his retirement after his first term.”

Mr Jennings said that Mr Trump “lost the least” during the debate but was disappointed at the quality of the candidates. “I’m with those third of Americans who just wish that they had two other candidates,” he said.