Joe Biden’s performance in Wednesday night’s Democratic debates in Detroit was far better than his lacklustre effort in Miami, back in June, when he was criticised for being unenergetic and ambiguous. But it still wasn’t good enough.

Coming into night two of the second leg of primary debates, Biden was leading the polls – the frontrunner for the democratic nominees – and CNN gave him plenty of airtime to make his case for the presidency. Wednesday night pit Biden against Kamala Harris, with the other candidates left to attack the two leading figures. And Biden got most of the heat.

Granted, his answers were more specific than in the first round of debates; he was more energetic than his previous appearance, but the former vice president was nothing but unremarkable. Nearly everything but his quip to Harris to “take it easy on me, kid” felt predictable, forgettable, or both. His opening comments, that he wanted to “restore the soul of the country”, fell flat as he sounded inauthentic and contrived.

Just like in Miami, Biden relied heavily on his work inside the Obama administration as his justification for a presidential nomination. And although his plans were now more detailed – he had thankfully done some preparation this time – the former VP wasn’t nevertheless unable to distinguish himself from the other centrists in the pack. Cory Booker pointed out Biden’s tendency to invoke his work for Obama administration whenever it is convenient for him. Booker is right: when asked by the hosts whether deportations would increase if he were elected president, Biden dodged the question. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, then asked Biden to respond directly to the deportation issue, which he again evaded with the excuse that his advice to Obama was confidential and explained that he [Biden] was not president when those policies were made.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Biden’s reliance on his position as Obama’s VP has been a double-edged sword since day one. While many Democrats still hold the Obama presidency in high regard, relying so much on another man’s work hasn’t helped define what a Biden presidency would look like. He has also been reluctant to admit to Obama administration failures, or his own failures in his long career as a public official, which has left him vulnerable to his political opponents.

Biden’s reference to his work on women’s rights legislation wasn’t enough to undo his history of making women uncomfortable with his style of physical contact, or his subsequent inability to recognise the gravity of those allegations and apologise.

On other issues, Biden’s promises to rejoin Paris climate accord and establish a $1,000 deductible for health insurance is the bare minimum needed to call oneself a Democrat. But as I wrote yesterday, the bare minimum simply won’t cut it in 2020.

Kirsten Gillibrand joked that, if she was elected president, the first thing she would do would be to Clorox the Oval Office. The US and the world needs someone who will Clorox the entire US political establishment; more of the same, albeit with minor tweaks, isn’t want America wants or needs.

Of course experienced politicians such as Biden will modify their positions and their policy proposals according to the evolution of society’s values and the tenor of their constituencies. And it is only fair that our public servants are permitted to make mistakes and grow as people.

But in remarkable times we need a remarkable candidate. Joe Biden is not that person.