Biden seems committed to staying in the race. I wish he would commit to convincing us.

When I was a child, I assumed that the majority of adults knew what to do in a moment of crisis. It seemed like the adults in my life – at home, school and church – knew what to do when faced with panic.

I certainly thought elected officials and the people who work for them would be so competent. After nearly two weeks of Democratic feet-dragging about the president, I’m starting to have doubts about that.

We’re in the second week of headlines about President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, and it seems like no one can discern what to do at this consequential moment in U.S. politics. The Democratic Party is acting as though this conversation can drag on. Party leaders must be forgetting how close the election is and that Election Day is right around the corner.

Five Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race ‒ but a lot more have rallied behind him, including the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

While Biden seems ready to move on, the conversation is far from over. And while he has insisted that he's staying in the race, his campaign officials must know they still have work to do.

AOC provides a progressive blueprint for moving forward

One of the more surprising endorsements of Biden post-debate came from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

“The matter is closed,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Monday on Capitol Hill.

This declaration from one of the most outwardly progressive lawmakers leads me to believe there is nothing left to discuss. Biden will be the Democratic nominee, and there’s nothing we can do about it – even if it feels like a potential disaster.

If that is the case, the rest of the party needs to fall in line – including the progressives who have voiced their concerns. That’s what the Republicans do, and it’s exactly why the same questions aren’t being asked about former President Donald Trump.

Noise around Biden is muting the problems with Trump

While Trump, 78, is nearly as old and has had slipups, Biden, 81, is the president. It means Republicans are able to sit back and relax and watch the mess unfold – even though their presumptive nominee is the one who should be under such a high level of scrutiny.

All of the conversation about Biden’s age has overshadowed the glaring issues with Trump – the 34 felony counts and 54 charges against him, the sexual abuse and his catastrophic track record as president – have been sidelined as Biden’s potential incompetence has become a larger issue.

Should the president drop out? Debate proved neither Biden nor Trump is a good candidate. But one of them is far worse.

Meanwhile, Trump is only three years younger than Biden. In February, 59% of respondents in an ABC News/Ipsos poll said they believed both candidates were too old for a second term. In a more recent Wall Street Journal poll, 76% of Democratic voters say Biden is too old to run; 36% of Republican voters say the same about Trump.

While Biden fell short during the debate, Trump shouldn’t be ignored. The Democratic Party needs to remember that beating him is still the main objective. If Biden’s age is such an issue, why not point out the same issues with Trump? Democrats aren't helping themselves by continuing to make noise around Biden if he has decided to keep running.

Gen Z already had issues with Biden. Now, he has to earn our trust.

For months, I've observed the growing discontent among young voters with the Biden administration, particularly over the funding of Israel amid its attacks on Gaza. Hopefully, that reality will not be lost on members of the Democratic Party.

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As frustrating as it is to see the writing on the wall, it's more frustrating to see the party collapse instead of taking a firm stand with Biden or offering to hold new primary elections ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

The Democrats need to earn our trust, especially after Biden's debate. They aren't going to do that by ignoring our criticisms of the president. They need to show us that Biden is capable of speaking in public. That's the minimum. At best, they can show us that Biden is capable and willing to listen to us.

Biden must come out of hiding and show he can still lead the country

Biden has made the case to Democratic governors and donors as to why he should stay in the race. He attempted to convince the American public in his Friday interview with ABC News and with a phone call to MSNBC's "Morning Joe," but it’s clear that it will take more than a few interviews to calm anxieties about Biden’s age and cognitive ability.

We have to see more of Biden on the campaign trail. It’s nonnegotiable at this point.

Biden needs help from Kamala: Harris should be a bigger part of the Biden campaign. It may save Democrats.

It’s clear that this is where he excels. On June 28, the Biden campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, the day after the debate proved as much. There, he appeared energetic and coherent. If he needs a receptive audience, he will find that in the battleground states and Democratic strongholds. Either way, we need to see more of him.

It’s also a moment for the party to embrace Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other younger politicians who seem to have more favor with the public. The presidency is far from a one-man job, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to tout the administration in a way that complements the Biden campaign.

I want a plan from the Democrats. I want a way forward with the presidential nominee we have, if it is a closed case. I want them to lead, not just react to the sudden influx of bad news. Party leaders need to stop scrambling and get to work.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: If Biden is going to stay in the race, Democrats need to start helping