It feels like 1968. The whole world is watching. Again.

Five minutes into the June 27 American presidential debate, it was obvious Joe Biden was showing signs of his age. For the good of the country, he needed to withdraw his candidacy. He and his family seemed to be the only ones who didn’t understand that.

He pressed on, but 50 million people couldn’t unsee his performance. Donald Trump may have spewed nothing but lies, but he did so vigorously. Biden seemed lost, his mind wandering. Definitely not presidential.

It was no surprise when Biden announced earlier today that he won’t stand for a second term of office. The surprise was that it took so long for him to realize he had to make the announcement.

Which means that when the party convenes in Chicago next month, there may not be an assurance of who the nominee will be. The last time that happened was in 1968, when, by coincidence, the Democratic Party convention was also in Chicago. That one was a disaster for the party.

President Lyndon Johnson, shaken by opposition to the Vietnam War, had, at the end of March if my memory serves me correctly, announced his intention to not stand for a second term. A number of candidates put their names forward for the remining primaries, with Robert Kennedy the frontrunner – until he was felled by an assassin.

Hubert Humphrey, Johnson’s vice-president, carried the convention, then lost to Richard Nixon in November. Will we see a repetition this year?

Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris, his vice-president, as his successor. Given the short time before the election, the party may have no choice but to confirm that. Though today, with the news fresh, no-one is sure exactly what will happen.

Can Harris beat Trump? I don’t know.

American vice-presidents tend to be non-entities during their term. I couldn’t name you anything, good or bad, that Harris has done in the past four years. All I really know about her is that she went to high school in Montreal, so at least she can find Canada on a map. Which doesn’t seem to have helped Canada-US relations during the term of the current administration.

As a political junkie, part of me is hoping for a series of mini-primaries in the little less than five weeks before the convention. Logistically I can’t see how that will be possible.

I am curious as to the convention rules. Biden has enough delegates to secure the nomination. Does Harris inherit those? Will there be an open convention with multiple candidates? That might generate interest and momentum – and inside the party the fear that whoever is chosen won’t be able to beat Donald Trump. Biden at least had name recognition.

The Republicans are probably unhappy today. They knew Trump could beat Biden handily. But now Trump will be the old man in the race, and his mental gaffes will be magnified. What looked like an easy Republican victory a week ago now looks like a much closer race.

What was shaping up to be a foregone conclusion now looks a lot more interesting. As a political junkie I am happy for that.

And I wish Joe Biden well for the remainder of his term. May he finish it with the dignity and grace he has brought to the office.