Like a drunk Orson Welles trying to get through a Paul Masson wine commercial, Joe Biden stumbled through a debate that could have been better handled by 99.98% of the sober population of the nation.

Post-debate, Biden had a window in which to turn things around. Instead, he held a (presumably) pre-scheduled conclave with his family to discuss the future of the campaign. It’s a move that understandably rubbed plenty of Democrats the wrong way and reinforced the idea that Jill and Joe’s sister were calling the shots. The worst possible response to the notion that Biden was selfishly remaining in the race was to have Biden family members as the decisionmakers. It harkened back to the Clinton era in the worst possible way.

Democrats were furious at reducing the party to a family business. And it got worse from there.

The Biden campaign held a session with donors and scheduled Biden for a media interview, but House Democrats and Dem governors have been unable to get hold of Joe Biden. And they’ve been going public with their irritation.

House Dems are starting to lash out and call for Biden to drop out. Soon the governors will be next.

All of that could have been averted by putting out the fires quickly, but Joe Biden isn’t capable of doing it or even aware of the need for it. His staff appears to have insulated him from what’s going on outside.

Biden has faltered at dealing with international and domestic crises, now he’s failing to reckon with a party crisis.

You can blame some of this on his mental state, but he learned from the best. Barack Obama was also terrible at networking, touching base and the basic ins and outs of politics. Biden was supposed to be his mentor in that area, but he was never the people person he likes to pretend he was and certainly isn’t now.

After the debate, Biden needed to have spent the next days touching base, thanking, calling and reassuring top supporters and key figures. Instead he once again went on vacation.

At the rate he’s going, he may end up having to stay there.