“There are … ways in which Biden and his allies can stop his bad night from turning into curtains for his political career”,  writes POLITICO,  and offers pointers as to what to watch to see if he can pull it off. Watch the polls but know that they might over start his nosedive. Will the media cover evidence of competence and bounce back as definitively as evidence of concern? Will down-ballot Democrats embrace or distance themselves from him? Will third-party movements attract more interest? How quickly can attention refocus on the elephant in the room, the twice-impeached felon, misogynist, sociopath and pathological narcissist running against him?

More has been written about the implications of Biden’s disastrous debate performance Thursday night than can be borne. It would be difficult to add any original punditry, especially as someone who is not a sophisticated political commentator. However, there is one observation that bears making. To turn concerns about Biden’s aging, and fumbling on stage, into the unquestioned conclusion that he is too old to govern reflects the very undemocratic assumption that he governs alone. I think it is really only as great a concern as it is being made out to be if your mindset is receptive to autocracy, whether you know it or not. Yes, trump must be stopped because he would surely be an autocratic dictator, but that is not inherent to the Presidency, which in democratic rule is really less important than the current fervor would make it out to be. Even trump knew that, dismissing alarm during his first stand for the presidency about his lack of governing experience with the assertion should not be a concern because of the people with whom he would surround himself. (We should remember the accumulated evidence that he was not bright enough or patient enough to understand the briefings he was given throughout his reign.)

In 1977, I watched a searing and soul-searching German film called Our Hitler. This was notable not so much for its 442-minute running time as for its unflinching inquiry into the role in his rise played by the German people’s receptivity to, or even yearning for, autocracy. His personality style and propaganda machinery deftly played on that foundation to solidify his power. There will always be Hitlerian figures. There will always be trumps. Quite simply, we must be careful what we are unconsciously wishing for.