Great points on Biden. I think the convention should be wide open. If someone new comes to the top good. Otherwise, Joe needs to me out talking to the media and doing interviews with no tele-prompter to show the world that was just a bad night, but so far, I haven't seen that. Trump is not a genius, he is beatable. And the fact that Democrats can't figure it out doesn't make them look too bright.
The entire Democratic Party has been infected with abject wimpiness for several decades.
Especially the Senate democrats, who even when they had a real majority, refused to rid themselves of that anti-democratic filibuster! If they had gotten rid of the filibuster years ago, there are a large number of bills that passed the House, but couldn't pass the Senate due to the Dems appalling cowardice in getting 60 votes due to that ancient atrocity.
And @Thorongil16 is 100% correct, as that Michelle Obama line is disgustingly moronic. The only time Democrats ever beat Nixon, who always campaigned filthy, was when they got filthier than he did. His loss in the 1962 California governor's race was a classic of truly vicious campaigning, with the great Dick Tuck destroying Nixon repeatedly with pranks & dirty tricks! That loss got an angry Tricky Dick to say after the loss: "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore". except he came back from the political graveyard!
And now I see fools bringing up fake polling showing that Michelle Obama would beat T**** in November. Except the fools pushing her on us, again, forget that a part of the reason Hillary lost to the fat traitor was people don't want any more political dynasties!
Since the six fascists on SCOTUS have now given Biden immunity for all official acts, he should put the fat traitor, the six fascists on SCOTUS, the few dozen fascists in Congress & all the billionaires that support the fascists, under martial law, hold a summary court-martial for them, find them guilty, sentence them to death & hang them, all in one day!
The replace the six fascists with new sane SCOTUS members who will reverse every rotten judgment that was made by that dishonorable court!
Garry, wimpiness, cowardice, appalling, atrocity, disgustingly, moronic, filthy, filthier, vicious, fake, fools, fat (2), traitor (2), facists (4), sentence them to death, hang them all, rotten and dishonorable. You never disappoint! I've pulled down that 2nd r a tad and refer to you as Garny... or the corresponding anagram. ;) Have a great 4th of July everyone!
I wouldn't have put it the way Garry did. But I agree with the essential point. The Democrats are pretending to be the party of idealism and values. They are basically saying that they don't do things like MAGAs. Many don't wish to play down and dirty. I have been making this complaint about Democrats NATIONALLY for years. Note I highlighted nationally. No one would ever accuse Chicago Democrats of not playing down and dirty. I get emails from the DNC looking for money. I ignore them. I want Democrats to at least try to win. Ideals are a great thing. I don't doubt everyone has some. But the MAGAs and their tactics are very real. Right now they are succeeding. Are they bamboozling their followers? Of course they are! In many cases, it's what their followers want anyway. What difference does it make? If they win in November- and it looks bad for both the White House and Congress- their tactics win. Then the idealistic Democrats get to sit at home and be proud of their ideals while MAGAs reshape and reduce democracy? I don't see that as very encouraging. Check my posts back several years. I have always said my goal is to defeat Trump. Do that and other things will fall in line. Otherwise, just like the end of Prohibition, we can all sit back and toast the end of democracy
Bottom line is that those saying Biden is fine and can handle the next four years are predicting an unknowable future. And that's just the same as those who claim an open convention is the ideal option, can be done without issue, and will energize the electorate are predicting an unknowable future. There are innumerable unknown variables in our country and this campaign right now and plenty to worry about. So I wish everyone would stop with their excessive confidence that *their* way is the only way.
I will continue to do what I can in my own small ways to support the Biden/Harris campaign, and if he drops out and another candidate is the nominee, I will support them vigorously the same as well. But what is a fact is that each side calling the other "bedwetters" or any other insulting slams is NOT helpful to the effort to defeat Trump.
My reading of PS was completely sidetracked by Eric's use of "crisp expletives." Which ones? Is it that the delivery of said expletives was crisp -- short, certain and rapid-fire? -- or that the words themselves were short? What expletives are NOT crisp (just thought of "lying dog-faced pony soldier," which definitely is not crisp or to the point, though interesting)? And on and on. Great writing Eric!
A question for the community -- do you think Biden is fit to serve RIGHT NOW? Should Kamala Harris now be prez? While I like the idea of an open convention, what about the very real problem of the optics of bypassing the VP, a black woman? She got the job b/c of identity politics and, in my opinion, is not up to the task and dropped out of the prez race very early on. Still, she is the VP. If we had an open convention, would the winner then choose a VP? Lots of moving parts to this question, that's for sure.
I think Biden is totally capable of serving as president, as he just had a bad night!
Everyone around him is a capable, honest person, working for the good of all Americans, especially compared to the absolute fascist scum that the fat traitor surrounds himself with!
Garry, in my view he's been declining for well more than a year. I said four years ago he was too old and I believe I was right. But if I'm understanding yours, and MANY others', line of thinking, it's OK if he rules while impaired b/c people around him are competent. Isn't that pretty much the antithesis of democracy? We elect a person, not an entourage.
The problem is that there are millions of undecided voters who also see a simple choice: between a cognitively vacant, dazed and confused nursing home prospect, and an agile, energised, invigorating firebrand. They aren’t wrong.
I wish the Lincoln Project would do a campaign commercial with 30 seconds of Mitch the bitch staring at you saying nothing, then follow with Republicans saying he's just fine. Funny New York Times and Chicago Tribune never called for him to resign his seat in the senate. I'm fine with Harris taking over later in the term. Or think about Nancy Reagan running the country the last two years of Reagan's last term. I'm good with Jill.. I cannot accept a insurrectionist.
I think Biden is fine to serve now and finish his term. He's likely no worse than FDR after his stroke and Reagan as Alzheimer's set in. They had people around them to prop them up and I suspect Joe's team can do the same for the final leg of Biden's Presidency.
My question is, when did Biden get so diminished? Was he fine 6 months ago? 3 months ago? Was his weak stamina deliberately hidden from us with the hope that we just wouldn't notice?
Beth, I think Harris will be fine as POTUS. People thought the same about Harry Truman. If they select her as the Democratic Party candidate, I believe they will allow her to pick her running mate from a short list of approved Milquetoast candidates.
There has been myriad documentation of Biden’s diminishment going on for some time, but because it was coming mostly from right wing news sources, it had been dismissed by the media and the Biden camp as propaganda and deep fakes. Last Thursday laid it all out for all to see, in gruesome, irrefutable detail.
For all the non-alarmists who keep saying we should just stay the course, Joe will be fine, he’s got his entourage to do all the lifting, here’s a scenario that I haven’t heard anyone bring up, but is hardly a far fetched possibility: what if Biden drops dead between now and election day? Would you agree then that fielding a new candidate might be necessary, or do we officially turn the campaign to salvage American style democracy into “Weekend at Bernie’s”?
If Biden dies between now and Election Day, the Order of Succession takes over. I guess it depends on how close to Election Day Biden “Entered the Regions of Immortal Felicity," but in all likelihood Harris would likely become the de facto candidate.
There will be emergency filings to change the ballot rules in states to allow Harris be on the ballot. The GOP will object but hopefully be overruled.
Who thinks Trump is cognitively less impaired than Biden right now? I would say the large majority of the country. Who thinks Trump himself was less impaired in 2018 than he is now? Probably everyone, except maybe Trump , would say that, because that’s what happens to 80 year-olds.
Now, who remembers calling for Trump to be removed under the 25th Amendment back then? These people were not serious thinkers. There were a lot of them, including prominent politicians and journalists.
In the olden days, I would consider which candidate for President was better, because both were qualified. That changed to deciding which candidate was at least a little better qualified. Then is became which candidate is tolerable. And now it is which candidate will do the least damage.
Over the same time span, we have lost trust and confidence in all of our institutions. But the results of the 'least damage' election is entirely dependent on the performance of our institutions. Especially the executive branch. Pretty depressing.
So, in addition to defeating Trump, the Dems had better be full bore focused on winning the House and Senate contest. There is hope that a Dem House and Senate could stave off the worst effects of another Trump presidency.
I also have little idea of how the current White House works. Many have been dominated by a confident and authoritative President. We know that some have been dominated by a strong Chief of Staff, some by a key advisor like National Security, at least one with a powerful VP. Some have actually listened to and engaged their cabinets, others have not. Many VPs have been completely shunted aside, some allowed to sit in meetings but ignored. At least one, maybe two, First Ladies seems to have actually made decisions for the president, and several more were key policy advisors. I am also not sure how this model has evolved over the last three years. I am also not sure that the insiders, whoever they are, would acknowledge or admit if one day the President was just smiling and nodding.
Whatever has been going on in the Biden Administration has been working pretty well. But what are we getting going forward? Who are we being asked to trust with a vote for Biden? It doesn't matter because it is better than Trump? No doubt, but also not confidence inspiring.
Eric, calm down! There are different levels of politics. There is campaign mode, where most politicians say things they don't mean and make promises they have no intention of keeping. There is the law, which supposedly tells us what we can and can't do. There is personal and professional loyalty which reminds people who elevated them to the positions they are in. Of course Biden's people are defending him. It's how they got where they are and how they stay important. I know you want them to be honest and put country first. When, since George Washington, has that happened? The only time even close was when John Dean turned on Nixon. And Dean did not do it for country. And there could have been choices. Any Democrat could have run against Biden in the primaries. But they all convinced themselves that only Biden could defeat Trump. Nothing stopped voters from writing in someone else. I know I am talking the law while you are talking reality. The party pushed Biden. I get it. But I don't blame the people around him. They support the man that put them where they are. I blame the American people more than I blame them. The American people gave us Trump and gave us this dilemma. We now have a choice between an old guy losing his marbles and another old guy that never had any. Happy Fourth!
Hey Laurence - Just a reminder that congressman Dean Phillips from my home state of Minnesota did indeed raise his hand and enter the primaries because he believed Biden was no longer up to the job. He is a very genuine individual and ideologically a pragmatic centrist who would have been a very appealing candidate. (And, our first Jewish president!) But for that he received a heaping of scorn and derision from the majority of Democrats. It seems odd that his name is not being resurrected, but I believe he has the enduring enmity of the party apparatus in challenging Biden.
Wishing you and everyone a wonderfully relaxing Independence holiday!
There was tremendous blowback against Phillips from the party, who demanded that the media not “platform” him, and for the most part, did not. In the few interviews that he did manage to get, he selflessly stated that he knew that he had little chance of winning the nomination, but was making a bid so that someone else who could win it would step up, because he knew that Biden was headed for a crushing defeat by Trump, and that almost the entire party were keeping their heads buried in the sand about it. Sadly, no one else did step up, and Phillips quietly withdrew his bid a few months later and endorsed Biden.
Thanks for that further analysis Steven. Phillips flipped a swing district to get into Congress, held it in reelection and then voluntarily gave it up for his presidential primary run. Your adverb of "selflessly" in describing his actions is a very good descriptor of his genuine conviction and principle - we truly need many more people like him in government on both sides.
For sure. Like many people, my reaction was “Dean who? Never heard of him” when he announced his primary bid, but I was thoroughly impressed when I finally saw him interviewed. He seemed to check all of the boxes required of a top notch candidate: fiercely intelligent, exquisite political wiles, brilliant policy sense, and those invaluable intangibles of charm, charisma and biting wit. The only thing he didn’t have going for him was the name brand recognition, and despicably, his own party saw to it that it stayed that way. That is why, though I certainly don’t want Trump to win, I have no sympathy for the Democrats who shut Phillips down, along with the message that he was trying to deliver, but are now terrified that Biden has been revealed to be unfit and sense that it’s too late to do anything about it.
It would be great if the Dems could make the deft transition to a winning ticket. Maybe fear should not stop such an attempt. But I think the damage has already been done. First is the Eagleton event - where the Dems go from total support to dumping the guy. Trust us, we've got it right now. Then there is the likely Frankenstein ticket - Harris/Buttigieg, Pritzker/Wittmer, or some combination of swing state pols - Shapiro/Evers, or some senators. Warnock and Mark Kelly? What good is a candidate from a solid Dem state when it is the swing states that matter. Scranton Joe led the last ticket. Some of those could be pretty good, and others pretty awful.
Hard to imagine the Sanders/Warren folks being happy with a billionaire or a non-identity nominee.
Guess we can just keep our fingers crossed, since we aren't even in the loop.
If Biden stays, then they have to cancel the second debate. Just say it is pointless to give Trump free airtime to lie, preen, and dissemble. Then do lots of scripted appearances followed by interactions with regular people that are scripted plants. Focused on swing states. Promise to keep the current cabinet and let them answer media questions about policy and the future. Let surrogates and down ballot handle the Dem states. And get someone to develop some AI, deep fake videos of Biden dynamically leading White House meetings and verbally jousting with a heckler.
Hey Marc - I suspect that if Biden stays in the race but withdraws from the second debate it will inflict even further damage to his campaign. I believe he has to roll the dice, juice up with Red Bull or whatever in an attempt to redeem himself from the damage done in the first debate.
As a conservative I am hoping that Biden remains in the race as I believe that is Trump's best path to victory. But if Biden does withdraw I predict that the Dems will be forced to go with Harris to avoid an internal civil war based upon identity politics if they would bypass her. Also, the Biden/Harris campaign has about $200 million sitting in their campaign war chest at present, and that cannot be used or transferred to any other candidate than Biden or Harris. So that's my prediction if Biden does withdraw.
The money thing would not be an issue. There would be some bookkeeping hassles, but most of it would be at the disposal of whomever the Democrats might nominate.
Hey Eric - I have seen multiple reports that the money cannot be moved to any other candidate than the two of them, but perhaps those reports are incorrect and you are right. If that is the case, then it still leaves the identity politics issue with regard to any one other than Harris replacing Biden at the top of the ticket. I don't believe we have ever had this type of crazy political dynamic with Trump and Biden as we are living through this year, and certainly hope that our political landscape can regain sanity in the coming years.
Hope you and the family are enjoying a wonderful Independence holiday!
I just watched Biden's interview with George Stephanopoulos and it was almost more depressing than the debate. Biden is either so out of touch with reality that he doesn't know the severity of his and our country's situation (his total dismissal of the polls) or he has become equally as narcissistic as Trump, in thinking only he can win and only he can get any of the Democratic policies accomplished. He said that if he loses the presidency, the senate, and the house in November he will feel ok if he gave it is all. That was the most alarming and scary thing I heard! I thought you cared more about this country and the future of the world than yourself, Joe. This interview proved I was wrong.
'amen' to the conclusion that it's ok w- biden if, due to his selfishness, the keys to the US federal govt are voted over to a MAGA prez, MAGA senate and MAGA house - as long as joe has put up a good fight.
joe, you have now given me permission - not that i needed or wanted your permission - to vote for a 3rd party candidate, in a battleground state. tho i am an anti-trumper, biden solidified my belief in his interview w- stephanopouls that he is unfit to serve 4 more yrs as POTUS.
If you have not done so already, read about the 2025 Plan proposed by the Heritage Foundation. Basically they plan to end democracy. If one doesn't profess love for Trump, you can't work for the government. Trump, who has an insatiable taste for footwear, put his foot in one again. Supposedly he knows nothing about the plan. But he disagrees with parts of it. His disagreement did not stop him from wishing them luck.
Biden's "exclusive' interview with George S. wasn't another bad day, but certainly didn't change the narrative. I think it is 'less' about beating Trump in November - but can he really lead for another 4 years? I'm not sure if he was joking when he mentioned needing to cut out activities after 8:30 PM.
Great points on Biden. I think the convention should be wide open. If someone new comes to the top good. Otherwise, Joe needs to me out talking to the media and doing interviews with no tele-prompter to show the world that was just a bad night, but so far, I haven't seen that. Trump is not a genius, he is beatable. And the fact that Democrats can't figure it out doesn't make them look too bright.
The entire Democratic Party has been infected with abject wimpiness for several decades.
Especially the Senate democrats, who even when they had a real majority, refused to rid themselves of that anti-democratic filibuster! If they had gotten rid of the filibuster years ago, there are a large number of bills that passed the House, but couldn't pass the Senate due to the Dems appalling cowardice in getting 60 votes due to that ancient atrocity.
And @Thorongil16 is 100% correct, as that Michelle Obama line is disgustingly moronic. The only time Democrats ever beat Nixon, who always campaigned filthy, was when they got filthier than he did. His loss in the 1962 California governor's race was a classic of truly vicious campaigning, with the great Dick Tuck destroying Nixon repeatedly with pranks & dirty tricks! That loss got an angry Tricky Dick to say after the loss: "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore". except he came back from the political graveyard!
And now I see fools bringing up fake polling showing that Michelle Obama would beat T**** in November. Except the fools pushing her on us, again, forget that a part of the reason Hillary lost to the fat traitor was people don't want any more political dynasties!
Since the six fascists on SCOTUS have now given Biden immunity for all official acts, he should put the fat traitor, the six fascists on SCOTUS, the few dozen fascists in Congress & all the billionaires that support the fascists, under martial law, hold a summary court-martial for them, find them guilty, sentence them to death & hang them, all in one day!
The replace the six fascists with new sane SCOTUS members who will reverse every rotten judgment that was made by that dishonorable court!
Garry, wimpiness, cowardice, appalling, atrocity, disgustingly, moronic, filthy, filthier, vicious, fake, fools, fat (2), traitor (2), facists (4), sentence them to death, hang them all, rotten and dishonorable. You never disappoint! I've pulled down that 2nd r a tad and refer to you as Garny... or the corresponding anagram. ;) Have a great 4th of July everyone!
I'm utterly baffled by those two sentences near the end. They make no sense!
Well, I don't think you're "rangy" all the time...
I haven't the faintest idea what that garbage you're spewing out means.
Learn to write in standard American English!
Will do.
what do you think the Repub majority senate during trump term 1 would have done w/o the filibuster?
be careful what you ask for. as john mcenroe would say: you can't be serious!
Good grief, there would never, ever been a Re Thug Licon majority in the Senate if the filibuster went away!
I wouldn't have put it the way Garry did. But I agree with the essential point. The Democrats are pretending to be the party of idealism and values. They are basically saying that they don't do things like MAGAs. Many don't wish to play down and dirty. I have been making this complaint about Democrats NATIONALLY for years. Note I highlighted nationally. No one would ever accuse Chicago Democrats of not playing down and dirty. I get emails from the DNC looking for money. I ignore them. I want Democrats to at least try to win. Ideals are a great thing. I don't doubt everyone has some. But the MAGAs and their tactics are very real. Right now they are succeeding. Are they bamboozling their followers? Of course they are! In many cases, it's what their followers want anyway. What difference does it make? If they win in November- and it looks bad for both the White House and Congress- their tactics win. Then the idealistic Democrats get to sit at home and be proud of their ideals while MAGAs reshape and reduce democracy? I don't see that as very encouraging. Check my posts back several years. I have always said my goal is to defeat Trump. Do that and other things will fall in line. Otherwise, just like the end of Prohibition, we can all sit back and toast the end of democracy
Bottom line is that those saying Biden is fine and can handle the next four years are predicting an unknowable future. And that's just the same as those who claim an open convention is the ideal option, can be done without issue, and will energize the electorate are predicting an unknowable future. There are innumerable unknown variables in our country and this campaign right now and plenty to worry about. So I wish everyone would stop with their excessive confidence that *their* way is the only way.
I will continue to do what I can in my own small ways to support the Biden/Harris campaign, and if he drops out and another candidate is the nominee, I will support them vigorously the same as well. But what is a fact is that each side calling the other "bedwetters" or any other insulting slams is NOT helpful to the effort to defeat Trump.
My reading of PS was completely sidetracked by Eric's use of "crisp expletives." Which ones? Is it that the delivery of said expletives was crisp -- short, certain and rapid-fire? -- or that the words themselves were short? What expletives are NOT crisp (just thought of "lying dog-faced pony soldier," which definitely is not crisp or to the point, though interesting)? And on and on. Great writing Eric!
A question for the community -- do you think Biden is fit to serve RIGHT NOW? Should Kamala Harris now be prez? While I like the idea of an open convention, what about the very real problem of the optics of bypassing the VP, a black woman? She got the job b/c of identity politics and, in my opinion, is not up to the task and dropped out of the prez race very early on. Still, she is the VP. If we had an open convention, would the winner then choose a VP? Lots of moving parts to this question, that's for sure.
I think Biden is totally capable of serving as president, as he just had a bad night!
Everyone around him is a capable, honest person, working for the good of all Americans, especially compared to the absolute fascist scum that the fat traitor surrounds himself with!
Garry, in my view he's been declining for well more than a year. I said four years ago he was too old and I believe I was right. But if I'm understanding yours, and MANY others', line of thinking, it's OK if he rules while impaired b/c people around him are competent. Isn't that pretty much the antithesis of democracy? We elect a person, not an entourage.
It's a simple choice, between Biden or an insane outright fascist who will declare himself dictator on Day One!
The problem is that there are millions of undecided voters who also see a simple choice: between a cognitively vacant, dazed and confused nursing home prospect, and an agile, energised, invigorating firebrand. They aren’t wrong.
Except he's not a "cognitively vacant, dazed and confused nursing home prospect", he had a cold & some laryngitis!
That’s the White House’s explanation. Whether or not it’s the truth is far less important than what the public’s perception is.
I wish the Lincoln Project would do a campaign commercial with 30 seconds of Mitch the bitch staring at you saying nothing, then follow with Republicans saying he's just fine. Funny New York Times and Chicago Tribune never called for him to resign his seat in the senate. I'm fine with Harris taking over later in the term. Or think about Nancy Reagan running the country the last two years of Reagan's last term. I'm good with Jill.. I cannot accept a insurrectionist.
Everyone? Hunter too??
I think Biden is fine to serve now and finish his term. He's likely no worse than FDR after his stroke and Reagan as Alzheimer's set in. They had people around them to prop them up and I suspect Joe's team can do the same for the final leg of Biden's Presidency.
My question is, when did Biden get so diminished? Was he fine 6 months ago? 3 months ago? Was his weak stamina deliberately hidden from us with the hope that we just wouldn't notice?
Beth, I think Harris will be fine as POTUS. People thought the same about Harry Truman. If they select her as the Democratic Party candidate, I believe they will allow her to pick her running mate from a short list of approved Milquetoast candidates.
There has been myriad documentation of Biden’s diminishment going on for some time, but because it was coming mostly from right wing news sources, it had been dismissed by the media and the Biden camp as propaganda and deep fakes. Last Thursday laid it all out for all to see, in gruesome, irrefutable detail.
For all the non-alarmists who keep saying we should just stay the course, Joe will be fine, he’s got his entourage to do all the lifting, here’s a scenario that I haven’t heard anyone bring up, but is hardly a far fetched possibility: what if Biden drops dead between now and election day? Would you agree then that fielding a new candidate might be necessary, or do we officially turn the campaign to salvage American style democracy into “Weekend at Bernie’s”?
If Biden dies between now and Election Day, the Order of Succession takes over. I guess it depends on how close to Election Day Biden “Entered the Regions of Immortal Felicity," but in all likelihood Harris would likely become the de facto candidate.
There will be emergency filings to change the ballot rules in states to allow Harris be on the ballot. The GOP will object but hopefully be overruled.
biden is every bit as fit as reagan was in the latter stages of his 2nd term. so, short answer: no, biden is not fit to be prez right now.
biden can drop out, endorse harris, let the chips fall wher they may. if she can defeat the rest of the aspirants, fine. if not, that's fine too.
Who thinks Trump is cognitively less impaired than Biden right now? I would say the large majority of the country. Who thinks Trump himself was less impaired in 2018 than he is now? Probably everyone, except maybe Trump , would say that, because that’s what happens to 80 year-olds.
Now, who remembers calling for Trump to be removed under the 25th Amendment back then? These people were not serious thinkers. There were a lot of them, including prominent politicians and journalists.
Txeets were all awful this week. I blame Biden.
ha ha 😂
I still think it’s time to test Justice Sotomayor’s hypothesis that a sitting President could, with impunity, have a political opponent assassinated.
Careful Rick, you could end up getting a friendly visit from a Secret Service agent or two!
I am way too not significant.
In the olden days, I would consider which candidate for President was better, because both were qualified. That changed to deciding which candidate was at least a little better qualified. Then is became which candidate is tolerable. And now it is which candidate will do the least damage.
Over the same time span, we have lost trust and confidence in all of our institutions. But the results of the 'least damage' election is entirely dependent on the performance of our institutions. Especially the executive branch. Pretty depressing.
So, in addition to defeating Trump, the Dems had better be full bore focused on winning the House and Senate contest. There is hope that a Dem House and Senate could stave off the worst effects of another Trump presidency.
too true on the lowering of the bar for your chocie for prez - i feel the same way.
I also have little idea of how the current White House works. Many have been dominated by a confident and authoritative President. We know that some have been dominated by a strong Chief of Staff, some by a key advisor like National Security, at least one with a powerful VP. Some have actually listened to and engaged their cabinets, others have not. Many VPs have been completely shunted aside, some allowed to sit in meetings but ignored. At least one, maybe two, First Ladies seems to have actually made decisions for the president, and several more were key policy advisors. I am also not sure how this model has evolved over the last three years. I am also not sure that the insiders, whoever they are, would acknowledge or admit if one day the President was just smiling and nodding.
Whatever has been going on in the Biden Administration has been working pretty well. But what are we getting going forward? Who are we being asked to trust with a vote for Biden? It doesn't matter because it is better than Trump? No doubt, but also not confidence inspiring.
Eric, calm down! There are different levels of politics. There is campaign mode, where most politicians say things they don't mean and make promises they have no intention of keeping. There is the law, which supposedly tells us what we can and can't do. There is personal and professional loyalty which reminds people who elevated them to the positions they are in. Of course Biden's people are defending him. It's how they got where they are and how they stay important. I know you want them to be honest and put country first. When, since George Washington, has that happened? The only time even close was when John Dean turned on Nixon. And Dean did not do it for country. And there could have been choices. Any Democrat could have run against Biden in the primaries. But they all convinced themselves that only Biden could defeat Trump. Nothing stopped voters from writing in someone else. I know I am talking the law while you are talking reality. The party pushed Biden. I get it. But I don't blame the people around him. They support the man that put them where they are. I blame the American people more than I blame them. The American people gave us Trump and gave us this dilemma. We now have a choice between an old guy losing his marbles and another old guy that never had any. Happy Fourth!
Hey Laurence - Just a reminder that congressman Dean Phillips from my home state of Minnesota did indeed raise his hand and enter the primaries because he believed Biden was no longer up to the job. He is a very genuine individual and ideologically a pragmatic centrist who would have been a very appealing candidate. (And, our first Jewish president!) But for that he received a heaping of scorn and derision from the majority of Democrats. It seems odd that his name is not being resurrected, but I believe he has the enduring enmity of the party apparatus in challenging Biden.
Wishing you and everyone a wonderfully relaxing Independence holiday!
There was tremendous blowback against Phillips from the party, who demanded that the media not “platform” him, and for the most part, did not. In the few interviews that he did manage to get, he selflessly stated that he knew that he had little chance of winning the nomination, but was making a bid so that someone else who could win it would step up, because he knew that Biden was headed for a crushing defeat by Trump, and that almost the entire party were keeping their heads buried in the sand about it. Sadly, no one else did step up, and Phillips quietly withdrew his bid a few months later and endorsed Biden.
Thanks for that further analysis Steven. Phillips flipped a swing district to get into Congress, held it in reelection and then voluntarily gave it up for his presidential primary run. Your adverb of "selflessly" in describing his actions is a very good descriptor of his genuine conviction and principle - we truly need many more people like him in government on both sides.
For sure. Like many people, my reaction was “Dean who? Never heard of him” when he announced his primary bid, but I was thoroughly impressed when I finally saw him interviewed. He seemed to check all of the boxes required of a top notch candidate: fiercely intelligent, exquisite political wiles, brilliant policy sense, and those invaluable intangibles of charm, charisma and biting wit. The only thing he didn’t have going for him was the name brand recognition, and despicably, his own party saw to it that it stayed that way. That is why, though I certainly don’t want Trump to win, I have no sympathy for the Democrats who shut Phillips down, along with the message that he was trying to deliver, but are now terrified that Biden has been revealed to be unfit and sense that it’s too late to do anything about it.
It would be great if the Dems could make the deft transition to a winning ticket. Maybe fear should not stop such an attempt. But I think the damage has already been done. First is the Eagleton event - where the Dems go from total support to dumping the guy. Trust us, we've got it right now. Then there is the likely Frankenstein ticket - Harris/Buttigieg, Pritzker/Wittmer, or some combination of swing state pols - Shapiro/Evers, or some senators. Warnock and Mark Kelly? What good is a candidate from a solid Dem state when it is the swing states that matter. Scranton Joe led the last ticket. Some of those could be pretty good, and others pretty awful.
Hard to imagine the Sanders/Warren folks being happy with a billionaire or a non-identity nominee.
Guess we can just keep our fingers crossed, since we aren't even in the loop.
how about whitmer-booker? or whitmer-klobuchar? or either of those 2 and mark kelly?
If Biden stays, then they have to cancel the second debate. Just say it is pointless to give Trump free airtime to lie, preen, and dissemble. Then do lots of scripted appearances followed by interactions with regular people that are scripted plants. Focused on swing states. Promise to keep the current cabinet and let them answer media questions about policy and the future. Let surrogates and down ballot handle the Dem states. And get someone to develop some AI, deep fake videos of Biden dynamically leading White House meetings and verbally jousting with a heckler.
Hey Marc - I suspect that if Biden stays in the race but withdraws from the second debate it will inflict even further damage to his campaign. I believe he has to roll the dice, juice up with Red Bull or whatever in an attempt to redeem himself from the damage done in the first debate.
As a conservative I am hoping that Biden remains in the race as I believe that is Trump's best path to victory. But if Biden does withdraw I predict that the Dems will be forced to go with Harris to avoid an internal civil war based upon identity politics if they would bypass her. Also, the Biden/Harris campaign has about $200 million sitting in their campaign war chest at present, and that cannot be used or transferred to any other candidate than Biden or Harris. So that's my prediction if Biden does withdraw.
The money thing would not be an issue. There would be some bookkeeping hassles, but most of it would be at the disposal of whomever the Democrats might nominate.
Hey Eric - I have seen multiple reports that the money cannot be moved to any other candidate than the two of them, but perhaps those reports are incorrect and you are right. If that is the case, then it still leaves the identity politics issue with regard to any one other than Harris replacing Biden at the top of the ticket. I don't believe we have ever had this type of crazy political dynamic with Trump and Biden as we are living through this year, and certainly hope that our political landscape can regain sanity in the coming years.
Hope you and the family are enjoying a wonderful Independence holiday!
Any of the ten tweets could be the winner in most weeks. Excellent.
My wife's favorite phrase for someone having died is, "He popped his clogs". This gets used with some frequency in "Midsomer Murders".
I just watched Biden's interview with George Stephanopoulos and it was almost more depressing than the debate. Biden is either so out of touch with reality that he doesn't know the severity of his and our country's situation (his total dismissal of the polls) or he has become equally as narcissistic as Trump, in thinking only he can win and only he can get any of the Democratic policies accomplished. He said that if he loses the presidency, the senate, and the house in November he will feel ok if he gave it is all. That was the most alarming and scary thing I heard! I thought you cared more about this country and the future of the world than yourself, Joe. This interview proved I was wrong.
'amen' to the conclusion that it's ok w- biden if, due to his selfishness, the keys to the US federal govt are voted over to a MAGA prez, MAGA senate and MAGA house - as long as joe has put up a good fight.
joe, you have now given me permission - not that i needed or wanted your permission - to vote for a 3rd party candidate, in a battleground state. tho i am an anti-trumper, biden solidified my belief in his interview w- stephanopouls that he is unfit to serve 4 more yrs as POTUS.
If you have not done so already, read about the 2025 Plan proposed by the Heritage Foundation. Basically they plan to end democracy. If one doesn't profess love for Trump, you can't work for the government. Trump, who has an insatiable taste for footwear, put his foot in one again. Supposedly he knows nothing about the plan. But he disagrees with parts of it. His disagreement did not stop him from wishing them luck.
Biden's "exclusive' interview with George S. wasn't another bad day, but certainly didn't change the narrative. I think it is 'less' about beating Trump in November - but can he really lead for another 4 years? I'm not sure if he was joking when he mentioned needing to cut out activities after 8:30 PM.