Biden is out. Now, NJ Democrats roll the dice like Atlantic City gamblers | Stile

The Democratic Party, which has been in a state of denial, is now in a state of desperation.The great gamble is finally here. The Democrats are rolling the dice like a hollowed-eyed craps player at 4 a.m. in a dim Atlantic City casino, plunking down his last stack of chips in hopes of a big score.

Assuming there is no divisive floor fight in Chicago next month, Democrats are hoping that Vice President Kamala Harris — with approval ratings slightly better than those of now-departed President Joe Biden — can step into a phone booth and emerge with superpowers to unify a fractured party and defeat the dreaded Donald Trump.

That’s a tall order with little time.

Charlie Stile: NJ Democrats are itchy about Joe Biden's future as their nominee. Here's why | Stile

Editorial: Thank you, President Biden, for your service to our nation

What strategy will New Jersey Democrats choose?

New Jersey Democrats spent the last nine months in an anguished process of regeneration that began with the corruption indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez and ended with a diminished county party machinery and a new era candidate — Rep. Andy Kim — as the party’s nominee for the Senate. Now, Harris and the Democrats have to make history while making over the party in a sprint.

The entire calamity began after Biden’s debate fiasco, the worst debate performance in modern political history. It crystallized all the private worries about Biden’s age and acuity in a prime-time public spectacle.

But that was followed last week by Trump's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday night, an off-script meandering into grievance-land. It served as reminder of how vulnerable Trump still is as a candidate, a reminder of the chaos of the past now looms in the future, but this time — because of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity — with no guardrails to halt his pursuit of vengeance.

It fueled the belief that all the party needed was a new message and a messenger to prosecute the case against Trump. Biden clearly was not capable.

Party leaders who held their breath — or looked the orther way hoping that it would all resolve itself — as a defiant Biden clung to his nomination, are now gushing a with relief.

“Let’s move forward together and unify. The stakes are too high," Kim said Sunday.

As if Democrats had any other choice.

Charlie Stile is a veteran New Jersey political columnist. For unlimited access to his unique insights into New Jersey’s political power structure and his powerful watchdog work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: stile@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Joe Biden out of race. NJ Democrats ready to gamble