Democrats obviously took an unwanted, though perhaps needed, cold shower in Virginia this week.

More about candidates than party

But I think this was more about a lackluster performance by the Democratic candidate than a scorecard on the Biden administration. The candidate simply misspoke or was ill prepared at times. And he was faced by a charming GOP opponent, who knew all the hot buttons to push.

Yes, there have been Biden missteps

Under Biden’s leadership, the U.S.  left Afghanistan in an ill-planned way that cost people lives and may continue to do so. He has shown himself to be ill-equipped so far to handle the border issue. Flying people to Haiti was inhumane and made no sense since the individuals had been living in South America for some time. And while he handed the border issue off to Vice President Kamala Harris, her performance has been just about nil, or at least invisible.

Infrastructure plan

But Biden’s infrastructure and reconciliation plans have been brilliant pieces of legislation that would benefit every American. Biden presented those and has shown his willingness to compromise. But this impactful legislation has been held hostage by the egos of two U.S. senators, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. The media has helped feed their egos, I might add. But after all, news is news, and we can’t expect their opposition not to be covered. I only hope the American people can see and understand what is happening here and why. And they need to understand why the GOP now remains hostage to Donald Trump. This all makes no sense.

Joe Biden’s age

I know that Mr. Biden is on the high side in terms of age to be serving as President. I’m 75, and the demands of a job like that would be more than I could handle. Donald Trump is also 75. So both men are elderly in terms of presidential service and the stamina needed to carry it out.

Don’t overlook Biden’s experience

But along the way, Joe Biden served 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president to Barack Obama. That’s compared with Donald Trump’s zero years in public service before he was elected President. What Biden may lack in stamina, he may make up for in wisdom.

Biden should know how to rely on qualified staff

Biden should know how to assemble and rely on qualified staff. That doesn’t mean things will always go off without a hitch, as we’ve seen.

Please don’t give up on him yet

There were some successes so far at the Glasgow climate summit; Mr. Biden is working hard to re-unite us with the allies whose relationships were so damaged by Donald Trump. It’s just nine months in to a four-year term. And that’s too soon to pull any plugs.