YOU COME AT THE KING, YOU BEST NOT DITHER

Today will be the ninth full day since President Biden's poor performance in the June 27 debate, and it won't be the last day in the Democrats' candidacy crisis. This might not be the worst possible situation for the Democrats to be in, but it's close.

Democratic members of the House will have discussions tomorrow:

Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, has scheduled a virtual meeting on Sunday with senior House Democrats to discuss President Biden’s candidacy and the path forward, according to a senior official familiar with the plan.

The session, which is to include the ranking members of congressional committees who make up the top echelons of the party in the House, comes at a time of profound worry among Democrats on Capitol Hill about Mr. Biden’s poor performance at last week’s presidential debate. House Democrats have not met as a group since, even as concerns have mounted about Mr. Biden’s viability as a candidate....

Democratic senators will hold talks ... who the hell knows when:

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) has approached Senate Democrats to organize a discussion on Joe Biden’s path forward as the party’s presidential nominee, according to a source familiar.

The chamber has been on a two-week recess, and Monday will be senators’ first time in town since the president’s shaky debate performance against former President Donald Trump....

Another source familiar said no firm plans have been set yet for the discussion.

Biden is dug in:

President Biden, in a defiant television interview Friday, emphatically rejected calls to withdraw from the presidential race — saying only “the Lord Almighty” could make him change his mind....

Even as his tone was defiant, Biden at times mumbled his words and gave answers that could be difficult to follow.

The interview aired several hours after Biden addressed a boisterous rally in Madison, where the crowd chanted, “Go, Joe, Go!” and Biden referred to his debate performance. “Ever since then, there’s been a lot of speculation,” Biden said. “'What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?' Well, here’s my answer: I am running, and I’m going to win again!”

Before Biden's Madison speech and interview with George Stephanopoulos, I thought the momentum was shifting to a graceful exit and a Kamala Harris candidacy. But now it's clear that it would take a lot more pressure on Biden to persuade him to leave, if he can be persuaded at all -- and the Democrats who want him to leave still seem to think it's okay if the pressure builds gradually.

Biden might stay in the race and remain a competent candidate the rest of the way. He thinks that will be enough for him to win, and I'm sure most of you agree, but I don't see it. I think he could have survived a bad debate. I don't think he can survive two or more weeks of this -- bad headlines in the media, dozens of leaks from pro-withdrawal Democrats and donors, article after article about his "lapses" in meetings and private gatherings.

My advice to Democratic insiders: Work fast. Either persuade Biden to step aside in the next couple of days or shut up about this forever. Go ride-or-die with him and talk about anything but this. There were "dump Trump" discussions in the GOP after the Access Hollywood tape was leaked, but they didn't go on this long. Because you let this become a two-week story, every Biden gaffe from now until November will be seen in the context of what you said on background to reporters. If you think Biden's campaign is doomed, you should have pulled the fire alarm and readied an intervention much more quickly than this. Gradual isn't working.