For all that certain members of the media continue their freakout over Biden’s electability after his appearance in last Thursday’s event on CNN, it is Trump and his Republicans who appear to be nervous about the upcoming election.
Can everyone stop this carry-on about Biden’s fitness. Democracy and progress are safe in his hands. He could be a block of wood, an otter or a tennis shoe it wouldn’t matter.
It’s keeping frump OUT that is the issue.
Biden has a crackerjack team so many of whom could walk in his shoes or carry any load he wants to shed. A livable tomorrow is at stake. Frump will decimate the US, and completely squash the American experiment.
Look, you guys. I'm as resentful of the media's double standards between the sides of the political aisles as anyone else here. They should have been talking about Project 2025 since the day it was published, non-stop. The last thing I wrote here was an impassioned exhortation of support for Joe Biden following The Debate That Will Live in Infamy. I stand by that message in a few ways, both as an honest immediate response and as an expression of disgust at this media hysteria and double standard. We here on these pages believe in Joe Biden as an upper-echelon President and recognize the underrated role he has played in steadying this country. That said...
I don't think I've ever done a bigger, faster 180-degree-turn regarding my feelings toward a person or event before, and I doubt I ever could. It has been over 100 degrees all week where I am, so I am stuck inside and have been guzzling every bit of print journalism I can find while the situation unfolds, putting emphasis on sources - large and small - that report actual Congresspeople and strategists on background and can illustrate overviews of events on "The Hill." I think I may have actually read every post-Debate news report published so far. I have to say, now knowing what I know, am a bit taken aback by some of the continuing apologia here.
I'm too tired to summarize in great detail, but suffice it to say that - by cautious and conservative estimate - the President is royally f#cked beyond belief or repair, seems to be the only person on Earth who doesn't realize it, and is leading us headlong into apocalypse unless elected Democrats en masse get loud and creative, fast. The man has begun to face serious physical and cognitive decline in recent months and been insulated by his circle. His unfitness has been incontrovertably exposed and he is no longer electable, period. The number of people he needs to show up to vote for him nationwide are no longer available to him after last week, and his already-struggling candidacy has now been framed in a way that he cannot win on. Democrats in Congress know that not only is his candidacy almost certainly doomed, but if it continues it will have devestating effects down-ballot, wiping the Good Guys out on every level. Polling is cratering, donors are fleeing, and morale is in the gutter. The only plausible path forward is for the President to commit to a final act of patriotism and stand down, full stop. Life isn't fair sometimes, but the country must come first. Most Democratic electeds have kept their sentiments under wraps in order to give him the space and respect to come to the decision in a dignified way, but he has so far taken advantage of that space to dig in. His interview tonight was a sad display of a once-perceptive person who has willfully lost touch with reality. One can admire the man's prior accomplishments greatly while seeing clearly that another candidate is not a matter of if but a matter of how and how soon. This election simply cannot afford to be lost, and pro-democracy voters and volunteers need a chance to reset and galvanize, to catch the eye and ear of the public and prosecute our case vociferously on terrain that is favorable to us.
It will be an intriguing news week. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Hakeem Jeffries's office (or Chuck Schumer's)! Oof, you guys. Oof.
Sherree, I'll assume nothing about Will beyond what you have said. And from there I'll say something beyond what you have said.
In November, Biden's competence is irrelevant. The only thing relevant at this time in history is the candidate's intent. If any individual, Will included, is looking at the candidates' competence and ignoring their intent, then that individual is as lost as someone who knows where they are in terms of latitude while having no idea where they are in terms of longitude.
The difference between what Trump will do when elected and a government policy to inject its citizens with Ebola virus is that people die faster with Ebola virus. The difference between what Biden will do when elected and a different Democratic candidate is worthy of concern, but the absolute worst that Biden will be is significantly better than the best version of Trump, which was before he started firing all the grownups in his first administration.
We are not in this situation because of Biden. We are in this situation because too many people treat politics like a spectator sport. And if we get out of it, it will not be because of Biden. It will be because of all of us.
We all need to start with step 1 of the 12-step program and say to ourselves as individuals, "I am not in charge." Then ask the question, "Who is in charge?" The answer is we are, but only if we are all willing to work together by putting all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength into defeating the real enemy. And it's important to remember that (even though they're not yet willing to acknowledge it) we're doing it for their sake as well as ours.
I was going to write a similar thing, but you did a far better job than I could.
I would add, that if Biden loses - contrary to people like Steve Schmidt's and Tim Miller etc, the fault is not with the dems standing by him as much as both the dems in high places abandoning him and leaking unsourced stories of disarray as well as the lack of support from the supposedly
"normal" republican establishment - where are the voices of the Jeb and W Bush? Where are Paul Ryan , Kasich, Collins, Romney, Jeff Flake, etc who clearly all KNOW the threat to democracy trump poses being brave enough to say that they will vote for Biden because they and America can survive 4 years of Biden but so trump as Liz Cheney has said?
The problem with 2024 election is not Biden. Its the deep hatred for democrats, progressives and 'other' that that does not just run through a portion of the population ( which it always did ) but is amplified by a media that places profits over everything thinking they will be immune from the storm that trump will bring. Social media platforms which amplify foreign governments attempts to disrupt America through fake bots disguised as Americans.
The list goes on and on - and while its clear that Biden's performance last Thursday has given fuel to the Maga movement - the problem is deeper than a stammer, a lose of temporay train of thought or a shuffle - those are minor infirmaries compared to the real threat that awaits if he loses.
The Repubs form a tight circle to defend their man while the dems form a circular firing squad.
"I’m not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat." —Will Rogers.
Time for a change. Democrats unite! To be more specific, Republicans have explicitly united around the concept of unilateral control, and so Democrats must explicitly unite around the concept of mutual respect.
Those unsourced "Biden must go" stories are making me so, so angry. What kind of journalism is this? Let me know the sources so I can evaluate their credentials and perspectives.
Has it occurred to those who are in panic mode that the Repugnants are terrified of even the "diminished" Biden? Otherwise, they would be sitting back with huge smiles in their faces, relishing that "Sleepy Joe" has given them the keys to the kingdom, where their useful idiot will return to reside and rule?
Given a year or more to prepare, if Biden was showing verifiable signs of cognitive failure, the Democrats might have a different conversation and choose a younger candidate (Kamala Harris, perhaps), but with less than four months remaining before the election, Biden, his Vice President, and very capable cabinet can ably handle the ship of state. As has been agreed by most commenters here, the risk of a second whack at rule by TFG and Project 2025 is a recipe for disaster far greater than any risk Biden's reelection could bring, and if we stop wringing our hands and vote for Biden, we can deny the right wing from making us Moscow-or-Hungary light.
I have always appreciated Will's responses but have to disagree with this one - honestly, "reading every post-debate "news" report"? Most have already jumped on the anti-biden message - be real - it makes for clicks.
The thing is - its STILL a bad idea to change horses in the middle of a stream - or in this a freaking RIVER! THAT is the issue right there.
So we seriously want to lose this election? Well, dandy, then all the Dem wusses who are leaping off the boat at this moment will be thrilled - and you know who else will be? Trump, Heritage group, and Republicans.
How many people will listen to these supposed "news" reports and not vote for Biden or not vote? Time to pull up our Big Girl Panties and tell them the debate is only a pimple on a ducks ass!
Will, I mean nothing against you and your opinion but this is mine.
Oh - by the way - I meant big girl panties because its the women who do NOT want the anti-abortion bunch telling them how to deal with reproductive health! Remember that little issue??
I completely agree with you regarding changing horses in midstream! I don’t believe Kamala could win on 2 counts: deep seated misogyny; and deep seated racism.
Changing horses is a better idea than flogging a dead one.
Changing horses is not "THE" issue. Joe Biden's physical and mental fitness is the issue. He is Trump's dream candidate. Trump's nightmare candidate? Anyone but Joe Biden.
A MAGA defending Trump will not express the idea that I am going to express below because anyone who does what I'm doing will recognize that their defense of Trump is indefensible.
I've explained my position in language I don't think is all that hard to understand. The response you'd get from a MAGA defending Trump is essentially, "I'm right, you're wrong, and this conversation is over." The response you're getting from me is, I'm almost certain I'm right, but I'm not absolutely certain. If you think I'm wrong, do what I did. State your position in language I can understand. In other words, don't just tell me my conclusion is wrong. Instead, challenge my assumptions, then I will challenge your assumptions, and we'll get to the truth if we're both willing to put in the effort.
But the intent of my reply is simply to answer your question.
Tom, of course it's relevant. If you're worried about the debate performance, please read a transcript of it. Both read as if they're competent, but Biden answers the questions more directly and with facts while Trump touches on the questions but deviates into distortions and outright lies most of the time. If you combine that with Trump's history as president versus Biden’s history of presidential actions, with Trump's criminality and legal losses versus Biden’s respect for the law and institutions, with the lack of quality of Trump's advisors versus the professionalism and dedication to public service within Biden’s inner circle, one can't but conclude that a diminished Biden with a good administration is far better than any authoritarian crap a Trump presidency will implement.
And then, might there be someone within the Democratic ranks that can take Biden’s place and do a great job? Sure. ALL of them can wipe the floor with Trump in a debate and speak in a way that neutralizes the nervousness from some of the public, but how do you do that at this stage, and succeed?
We're not just voting for one person. We are voting for a presidential team and its policies.
No - according to the media - ONLY looking at Biden's competency - nothing NOTHING being question about DJT - not even after or during that idiotic so-called debate!
Biden is old - for freaking sake - he was OLD 2 years ago, three years ago so where was all the shock and awe THEN? You know, when it was actually possible to bring someone else into the picture?
Pulling Biden or any other candidate at this stage of the game - not even four months before the election?
James R. Carey: Magnificent post! As has been said elsewhere, the contest is not between Biden and Trump; it is between Democracy and Fascism, Reason and Irrationality, Peace and Violence.
Thank you, James R. Carey. I agree we all need to get behind Joe and fully support him. He has an excellent team! They are the best of the best! Then look at Trumps! They are the worst of the worst! They have all been bought by the Christian Nationalists! Apparently there are only 1/3 of them but there are 2/3s of us! We have to get out and talk to people! Get people away from Fox Entertainment! We have a good following on HCR's daily letters and if we talk to just one person and convince them that they need to vote or inform them who Trump really is! We don't have any other candidate at the point in time that can beat Trump. Kamala has been mentioned but damn she is the vice president....and I have heard people talk that they are worried about a "woman being president and especially a black woman" I was shocked when I heard this....but it is going to be a while before anyone but a "white male" will be able to be elected president! The White Christian Nationalists will see to that. It happened once with President Obama and I was totally shocked at what my so called "Christian friends" call him! He was called the anti-Christ and because I supported him they unfriended me and most will not even look at me when I run into them....they look the other way. These people attend the local "Christian Church". It is the largest in our community. They operate their own grade school in the community. I have faith that Joe can win and he didn't say he would quit because damn it.....he and I believe he will win....why would he say he will walk away when ask by a reporter! He isn't a quitter! If he was he wouldn't be our president now! The media needs to stop the questioning of our great president!
You have something those "Christians" do not. You have truth on your side, and the truth is in Jesus' words in the Gospel. If Jesus said, in essence, "Look at your neighbor and see an enemy," I'd admit I was wrong. But Jesus said, in essence, "Look at your enemy and see a neighbor," and in saying that, he is calling them the anti-Christians.
As Mary McCartney told her son, Paul, "Let it be. There will be an answer."
Trying to replace Biden at an open convention at this late date will insure tRump's success. The media, who have brought us to this sorry state, will celebrate. Can you imagine the chaos they will create at an open convention. They will have something negative to harp on, no matter who democrats decide on. The confusion at a convention will guarantee the media moguls add to their billions, and the democrats lose. The best interests of the country is the least of their concerns. One only has to look at what the media after Biden's poor performance did. Their response to an open convention will make the debate seem like child's play. We are fortunate to have a man of character willing to put up with all this nonsense. Instead of panicking about Project 2025 and what it portends for this country, the democrats are concentrating on Biden's poor performance. I'm more convinced than ever that we need to ELIMINATE Citizen's United.
Personally I would not be attacking Will. All he is doing, I believe, is advocating for a formula that has the best chance this November against the orange menace. He has seen eidence that sticking with Joe is probably going to hurt us. The orange menace is going to get alot of votes, no matter the Democratic candidate. That alone is kind of the tragedy of all this - that such a large block of American voters will vote that way. To put a fuc_ing felon and pathological liar in office. Given that the election will be close, and that polling has gone the wrong way at a time it should be coming around, we Democrats have to do what Republican s have been doing for decades - to hold our noses and do whatever it takes to win. Win - that is it. That takes voters - with all their warts. Too many don't take the long view, too many watch reality TV, too many flew off the handle with the Israel-Hamas situation and put its importance above all other issues (like climate change). Too many are just not politically mature enough to realize that sticking with Joe is probably the right thing to do. We have to do what our experts believe will attract the max number of voters - full stop. I have my doubts that staying the course with Joe will do that.
My intent was to inform and not to attack. I'm not trying to neutralize a perceived threat. Instead. I'm trying to contribute to the resolution of an incredibly challenging dilemma. You have doubts that staying the course with Joe is the best road to victory. I have doubts that Joe dropping out will improve the odds of victory. Maybe that will change. Meanwhile, all we can do about our conflicting opinions is call it the way that we see it and keep an open mind.
Reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon. The bartender says to the patron, “I know you think you can say that here, but this is my bar, and the man who would defend your right to say it just left”.
Heather, one of the best laid out house of cards and how stacked the deck is, BRAVO 👏
I’m right back at: if it walks like a duck …
Not sure how many times the underdog has pulled off the win but …quite a few times ..is the answer. Speculate all you want but the ONLY way to win is be in the race. Armchair quarterbacks don’t score!
We have the numbers, the votes, the facts.
Question. Whose team stands out and why?
Unit cohesion is as proven as divide and conquer.
GOTV. Walk it to the ballot box. Stay the course.
If you hear Donald…DUCK!
Joe will deliver , always has .His team is ready , experienced, working FOR THE PEOPLE and polished. There’s no felons in the roster, no pardons needed, no lies, no get out of jail free cards in their deck, just delivering positive progress.
I know what’s ‘trendy’…who is setting who up to take the blame and it ain’t ‘the left letting ‘ that out of the bag of ‘tricksters’.
Patricia: “Joe will deliver , always has .His team is ready , experienced, working FOR THE PEOPLE and polished. There’s no felons in the roster, no pardons needed, no lies, no get out of jail free cards in their deck, just delivering positive progress.”
No, not a bot -- just another panicky white (I'm guessing here) guy who's doing the white guy thing of assuming that (1) "everybody" thinks like him, and (2) his opinions are 100% right. Oh, and of course (3) if we don't do what he says, we're doomed.
Ohmigod, Sussanna, how many substacks do you comment on? Here you go again with the “white guy” thing. Do you ever think beyond that? It’s very weak, and the more we come across it, the more pathetic it seems. How genuinely rude it would be if someone replied to a long, thoughtful comment of yours (okay, I’m engaging in speculation here) with a dismissal rooted in some belief about burned-out hippies?
tom, I am currently about 1/3 the way through the excellent book by Heather McGee "The Sum of Us" which is a book about racism which was recommended to this forum some time ago.
It is truly eye opening--if you believe statistical facts--and white, male (and often Republican southern) voters have greater power than their numbers should allow.
Might I point out that your final words "burned-out hippies" seems to be used as a derogatory description of Susanna--whose brief bio gives no reason for that to be used? Pointing out the outsize influence of the "white guy" is neither weak nor pathetic. If she had a photo of a black male, would you use derogatory anti-black comments?
You say you are engaging in speculation---that comes across as Trump claiming "I'm only joking."
Miselle, First off, feel free to stay out of fights you don’t understand. Susanna has derided comments I have made four times on other substacks with the tiresome white guy trope over the months. She does that to others. She also read my profile and has thrown its perfectly innocuous contents at me in a derogatory manner. There was nothing particularly “white” about the comments, and I’m left to assume that that’s the best argument she can muster.
I read The Sum of Us. A well-reasoned book. I am a Heather McGee fan. She does indeed discuss the outsized influence of white males. I also listened to her podcast that was contemporaneous with the book. Are you seriously suggesting that she would read the thoughtful comment Susanna was rudely dismissive of and sum it up by ascribing it to white guy rhetoric? If so, you need to read more than a third of her book.
And please don’t insult everyone’s intelligence by suggesting that Susanna’s name calling was some thoughtful analysis and conclusion about the over-weighted influence of white thought. It was just lazy name calling.
And please keep your SHAME and your misguided defense and your busybody nose to yourself.
"The Sum of Us" is an excellent, eye-opening book, not least because Heather McGhee knows her economics and does a great job translating it all for the non-economists among us. I was lucky enough to hear her speak at a local book festival not long after "The Sum of Us" came out. That sold me on both her and the book. I refer to it a lot!
There it is- you got to the heart of his panic in 2 sentences.
It would be political suicide to switch candidates to Harris for one simple reason: how many votes will Harris bring in that Biden/Harris can’t, and how many votes will Harris lose by being “a cop” (far leftists love to call her a cop), being a woman, and being Black?
Nobody has yet identified who those voters are, the ones who would rather let Trump win than vote for Biden but are enthusiastic supporters of Biden’s VP.
So few of the "Biden should resign" even mention this that I suspect some denial is going on. Racism and sexism are real, even (gasp!) among moderates, liberals, and progressives, and, at least during the 2020 campaign, I knew quite a few civil liberties people who had big reservations about her based on her career in CA. (I was a hardcore Warren girl myself.) I think VP Harris has done a very good job and is capable of being president, but that's not the same as getting elected in 2024.
The objective here is to keep Trump out. The question is. Would it be better to replace him, hope that he hands the candidacy to Harris at the last minute or continues as the candidate himself. Nobody seems to have a definitive answer for that although many feel opening it up to the mini qualified candidates would be too chaotic. It’s a crapshoot and a dilemma for sure. Certainly Biden cognitive capacity is diminished. I am pretty sure that he has Parkinson’s disease whether he knows it or not. I say that because I have suffered with the disease for the last 10 years and he has many of the classic symptoms, including the erratic appearance of various symptoms on and off. Whether he knows he has the illness or not he still question. Many people joke that they would rather vote for a ham sandwich then vote for Trump. I’m here to tell you that even if Joe has Parkinson’s, he is still far from ham sandwich. The problem is to get people to vote for him. The people we are looking to target Know nothing about program 2025. They know nothing about the plan to destroy the civil services system. They don’t understand the massive changes in government that will occur. They know nothing about the government of Hungary under Orban. So how do we get them educated in a hurry. That is the question. Heather says do your part but she needs to be talking on Fox News not on the NewsHour. Heather, the people need to hear you and they are not hearing you so far. I’m using my microphone to dictate this so please excuse the typos or grammatical mistakes or misspellings. My phone is shaking in my hands so I’m off to take my medication.
I still don’t get why you think some terse, rude, over-colloquial comment earns you any credibility.
I agree with Will, from Cal, mostly. But if I didn’t I would at least realize he put a lot of effort and frank thought into his comment and point out why I differed. You and the other faux feminist just mutter ‘white guys’.
I was talking about intent and perception. Sorry for the terseness.
I am sure you are a nice guy as I am a nice person. I am refraining from any more commenting today. I, we, are all tired and freaked out. I am taking a walk.
A typical vapid comment from someone in Florida which seems on the brink of seceding after Texas. The South shall rise again and lead to its own destruction yet again. The USA is fast upon a collapse of a strong Federal government guaranteeing the rights of a majority of its citizens. We have learned nothing from the collapse of the German Weimar Republic and are intent on being the new seat of fascism in the 21st Century, enabled by Biden and his toxic narcissism rivaling Trump and his even more toxic narcissism. Two flawed true losers about to bring the curtain down on the American experiment in democracy.
Armchair cynicism is really unhelpful. The power is with the people. Think of those 18yo boys who fought like hell and died on D-Day to defeat fascism, think of those marching with Martin Luther King, risking their lives for human rights and freedoms. Roll up your sleeves and start registering voters. Promote hope not despair. It ain't over til the fat lady sings.
Kazz, what you call cynicism is actually realistic optimism. My father fought at the Battle of the Bulge. My life has been dedicated to the weaving together of social justice for societies and the liberation of individuals from the intergenerational trauma that is the legacy of the two world wars, lots of proxy wars and dying gasps for five hundred years of colonialism. One can't promote hope on false premises. Hope is based on a belief in a future. That hope is being dashed daily by the ruling elites that hold the fate of the world in their greedy hands as they don't give a damn about the rest of us, the 99.99% who go to our deaths slaves to debt in the throes of predatory capitalism. The fat lady is singing as the American experiment is in its death throes and the vast majority of people have no clue as to what is fast upon us. The fascists are coming. Indeed, they have already arrived and are making hay in Western democracies as never before since the rise and fall of Nazism and Tojoism and fascism in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Hungary ad nauseum. The Ponzi scheme of predatory capitalism is reaching its end game, leading us to the edge of the abyss of environmental disaster. Kazz, you need to wake up as the system, as we know it in the USA, is about to crumble and quickly. Biden's old world order collapses as he personally does and a new world order is emerging from its ashes. Pull the camera back. There is no putting this system back together again. We need a mindset revolution to develop sustainable ways of living on a planet without infinite resources.
Dr. Brian A Schwartz: I understand your anger. I share it. But I think nihilism is dangerous at this point in history. It sounds like “the world sucks, why vote?” And that sounds more like Trump’s winning strategy.
I do believe that capitalism is killing the planet and enslaving us all to Big Oil, Big Pharma, etc etc. I don’t have the physical stamina to aggressively defend the better path. But I have spent forty years working in State and County government, making measurable improvements in housing and services for people with disabilities and/or experiencing homelessness, and abused women and children. Yes, it’s incremental in the total scheme of things. But that doesn’t make it meaningless.
Kazz, Would you like to hear my version of the fat lady singing in the rain? It’s over, rover. I’ve gone through this back and forth. Times up. The fat lady is singing. And maybe the fat lady is my distant relative Sophie Tucker.
Except that one of those two "flawed" losers has been one of the most effective US presidents in modern history, and the other one wants to end the American experiment in favor or an authoritarian autocracy. So, there's that.
In the first place, just because someone lives in a certain state tells you nothing about that person.
Second, I suspect anyone who tries to make an argument that Trump and Biden are at all alike must have a doctorate in Dunning Kruger studies. You can’t really believe that. That is some sort of adopted pose, for what purpose I don’t know.
Huh. Judging by your previous posts discrediting President Biden and now equating Joe Biden with a convicted rapist, felon out on bail, indicted under the Espionage Act candidate is really showing your colors.
Hmmm? We must defeat the opposition, and as coach we need to recognize the playbook isn't working. When the mob wants to lynch an innocent man, those who would save him need to spirit him to safety, and give him a new identity
I think we must except Biden personally may devolve into the sort of figurehead a president is in a parliamentary system but still gets to appoint the government, and his government has been largely successful with a few glaring exception: Palestine and housing costs, the latter why many people reject the notion of the success of Bidennimics. There is no reasonable alternative except his resignation, Harris at the top of them ticket and a new vice-president. Clinton lost largely because of the ingrained misogyny in America. Are we prepared to add deep-seated racism to the equation and roll the dice?
"except" or "accept"? I'm thinking you meant the latter but I am not entirely sure since you also typed "Bidennimics". I often see terms purposely misspelled to be a slur, so I don't know if that was intentional or if you meant "Bidenomics"
No, he doesn’t. I’m sad to have to say this. I’ve been a huge Biden supporter, but what I’ve been hearing lately — from trusted sources— fits pretty closely with what Will is saying. To me this whole thing is a nightmare, and heartbreaking. If Biden is able to come back from this, that’s wonderful… but I now have doubts I’ve never had in the past. If you have information/evidence otherwise, please do share it. I could use some good news.
I'm beginning to disagree with myself, Katrina! The new developments and information keep spinning around so much I've practically got vertigo. I'm not on the 'inside' so I don't have any special insight into the situation, and none of us can possibly know what needs to happen to save our country from Trump.... Given that, I'm going to stop offering any opinion about the situation with Biden. I've been hearing too many good arguments on both sides of the fence... no longer know what to think.
Who, on this (still) green earth, has the money and political acumen to build and run a national campaign for president in 4 months? The only one with access to the funds donated to the Biden/Harris campaign is Kamala Harris. Everyone else - everyone, would have to start fundraising from scratch. I would be more than willing to back a Harris run for president - with the blessing of President Biden. Perhaps with Pete Buttigieg for VP?
If this were a race against anyone but Trump and his MAGAs, I would be advocating an immediate candidate switch. We have an ageing candidate who has demonstrated an ability to be a very effective president over 3+ VERY difficult years, who is running against someone who is anchored by so much baggage (the 2025 project is "poling like Ebola") that it is a wonder he can move at all. Despite polls, the MAGAs have not added to their base over the last 4 years. Despite the debate frenzy, I do not believe anyone really changed their votes from Biden to Trump solely because of it.
Still, you are correct in that it is time to fish or cut bait. Back Biden totally, or pick another candidate NOW, and back them. Oh, and stop wedging about media coverage, and the latest right-wing-ding outrage. We have a job to do.
Steve, your words echo my thoughts. Harris was the only candidate that I went to see in the NH 2020 primary, and was struck by her energy and message. I still have confidence in the Biden/Harris ticket, but if Biden is persuaded to drop out, Harris is the best-known candidate to replace him, and can run on "continuing the work of Biden". Her choice of a running mate would be intriguing, with so many up-and-comers in the Party.
A Harris candidacy turns the age question right around -- CF45 is now the incoherent old guy. Harris, on the other hand, will connect with younger voters (although she'll have to message her way out of her previous stances on cannabis.) I suspect many/most of us on LFAA are of a certain age, and we are not numerous enough to make a difference. The youth of voting age has the numbers. Harris has both the message and the dance moves (cultural messaging) to connect with them and bring them and the rest of us to the polls.
But right now, it's Biden's decision to make, and I'm worried that it won't be the right one.
I read an article on CNN online suggesting Harris/Gov. Whitmer ticket.! Yes! especially given the Republican vow to suppress women and diversity. They both have moxie and political experience and are genuine in their belief in Democracy. They both appeal to youth (they're in their 50s, I believe) and are energetic. As a team, they would offer the wow factor that Obama did. They would also give Putin an ulcer.
You put that very well. My sentiments exactly. Nobody is coming to save us and we all need to find jobs to do. One of my favorite lines from Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny, was this: “Whatever you do, don’t isolate.It doesn’t always have to be about politics. Get together and brew beer.” Don’t isolate.
I feel precisely the same way. I’ve been one of those people defending Biden’s campaign for reelection. “The incumbent has an edge. There’s a psychological advantage to having beat him before. Name recognition!” All the reasons. Then I watched the debate and was sick to my stomach. I still resisted at first. Do we dare replace him? The chaos, the hows and whens and is there even enough time. But the longer the images of that debate ran through my head, the more worried I became. That cannot be the best we have to offer as a party and this moment absolutely requires our best.
And as much as I appreciate Biden and all he’s done, it is so disappointing to me that his response to calls for him to step down is not: I think I’m the best shot we have at beating Trump, but rather: I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work. It’s a stupid argument (no one can take away what he’s accomplished - historians will be kind to him), but he also places himself front and center. It’s not about him. It’s about the country and I thought Biden would put the country first.
I completely disagree, Kristy Koth. Biden’s career in politics, a span of five decades, speaks for itself regarding his dedication to public service and not just serving himself. A person who has experienced the personal losses he has wouldn’t easily lose sight of what’s important in life (like a certain billionaire born into wealth and privilege has).
No Democrat or Republican predicted that Biden would roll out the liberal policies he did in 2021. He signed, 1. The American Rescue Plan Act and extending existing Covid-19 programs, 2. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 3. Bills to avoid a Republican-sponsored government shutdown and two other smaller bills. I’m sure you know these bills included money for ordinary Americans to help get their finances in better shape.
He also signed executive orders, 1. Reversing Trump-era policies (stopping construction on the Border wall, reversing the anti-Muslim travel ban, embracing environmental policies, re-establishing international relationships damaged by Trump, and re-instituted a mask mandate in federal buildings which was a symbolic break with disastrous, lethal, and shameful Trump Covid policies, 2. Instituted vaccine requirements mandating Covid vaccinations (which SCOTUS blocked), 3. Gun control, 4. Climate targets, and 5. Improving government processes to better serve Americans.
These actions, contrary to everyone’s expectations except his own, were wildly successful. There was no guarantee of success. No American President (including the Democratic ones) from Reagan to Trump attempted it Biden undertook them not because he knew it would enhance his reputation, but because they were the policies that guided American government from the 1930s until the ultimately disastrous “Reagan Revolution” in the 1980s which brought an end to the prosperity of the American Middle and Working Classes which began in the 1940s and stole their modest accumulation of wealth. That wealth was siphoned off to the Wealthy class.
It was Biden’s conviction that those policies would be the answer to America’s sorry state after Trump’s administration. He was right, but so far, in 2024, Trump and his roughneck MAGA Libertarian revolutionaries have been able to convince millions of Americans that those policies are an evil socialist trap or that they never happened at all! That’s amazing, no? But you (after a brief nod to “history”) and many other Democrats don’t seem to recall this either and feel it would be appropriate now to dump him.
Lastly, according to today’s Letter From an American, “…George Stephanopoulos of ABC interviewed Biden without a teleprompter or notes, focusing only on Biden’s age without any questions about policy.” It could be that the interviewer was in control of the interview and only asked Biden to focus on himself and defend himself. In other words, he was guided to do what you criticize in his interview.
I have a great appreciation for all he’s done in an extremely polarized environment. He’s been a brilliant president. But I’m not going to pretend I didn’t see what I saw. And I watched the first part of Stephanopolis’ interview. Biden was much better there, but still didn’t make me feel ok about him continuing. This is arguably the most important job in the world. It shouldn’t be done by someone who needs to be in bed at 8pm. If he ends up being the nominee, I’ll support him, donate to his campaign, do phone banking and vote. But I’ll be damned if I’ll pretend like I didn’t see what I saw and be silent when we still have a chance to replace him.
There are several people polling better at the moment. But Harris stepping in would be easiest. This could absolutely energize the party. If it were opened up to a wider range of candidates, we’d be talking about dem policy from now until the convention and we’d get nonstop coverage. People who have soured on Biden could be brought back in and we could win some moderates who currently would rather not vote than vote for Trump or Biden.
But surely you’ve seen televised coverage of him at other events since? I believe the huge coverage of Biden’s debate performance is designed to cause doubt within the Democratic party. Divide and conquer is a winning strategy.
Yes, I’ve seen him since. He’s been better, but not great, frankly. Everyone’s grading him on a curve to try to convince themselves he’s ok. The media isn’t making this up. Lots of voters are very concerned and insiders in the party are now, too.
Kristy, it’s not a stupid argument. How often have you seen anyone debate brilliantly with jet lag, a virus, on cold meds (likely Benadryl which can have serious cognitive side effects - as I can say from personal experience) and facing a hated rival who throws out hundreds of lies as if they were confetti. I just can’t imagine that that combination of factors wouldn’t throw anyone off their game - including all of us on this page.
He didn’t have a “bad” debate. It was a disaster. I literally felt sick to my stomach. As I wrote before, I’d been defending his decision to run for re-election. But I can’t pretend anymore that this is going to work out well. Why do we all keep acting like there’s no one else who could beat Trump? German friends think the Democrats don’t have any good people, since Biden’s the one we’re going with. But we have LOTS of great people. Biden squeaked it out in 2020 against the most corrupt and immoral president we’ve ever had. It’s quite possible that Whitmer, Harris, Buttigieg, Newsom, Klobuchar, Warnock, etc. would beat Trump by much bigger margins.
I am not yet 60 and I already see decline. I forget things more easily, I can’t power through at work as well, I get tired faster and stress is harder to shake off. And I’m not even 60!! Everyone’s different, of course and I’ve been amazed at how sharp Biden has remained. But there’s been a rapid decline since he’s been in office. You must see it.
Jetlag, etc. is not a good excuse for the poor debate performance. I had to turn off the Stephanopoulos interview after 10 minutes because it looked like Bden was being harassed and too painful to watch. he was using the technique that T had used during the debate – – don’t answer the questions, put out the points you want to make. For example, he did not clear up questions about the “cognitive test”— shorthand for we know what you have done but can you handle what;s coming.
I always thought that Biden had great advisors around him that could be counted on. But if they did not prepare him for T,s debate technique, given the mic being turned off and the 2minute limit, then I am worried about them.
And what I meant when I said that the argument was stupid was that he is implying that the dropping out after the bad debate performance would somehow negate all he’s done. That’s silly. His accomplishments in his first term remain great accomplishments, whether he gets a second term or not.
Ask yourself why haven’t Trump folks run a spot with Biden babbling incoherently from the debate? They do not want a change. Trump people are trapping, the day after Biden is nominated they will run Biden babbling at the debate in all important states non-stop and Trump will win and we lose democracy. The debate was not just a bad day, it was a demonstration of cognitive decline. Given the fear of Trump after immunity almost any reasonable choice that is younger and speaks well will unite us to beat Trump. Biden will have another bad day if nominated and we will lose to Trump.
There are tons of clips of Trump babbling incoherently at his rallies. Medias Touch Network runs them often. Is the media on our side? No. Will we win without working hard? No. But as Simon Rosenberg says, we have a far better candidate, far better organization, and a recent history of doing much better in actual elections than in the polls - it is better to be us than them. All that psychological agony is energy that can be channeled into work. In my case, into more postcards. It feels much better when used that way.
And so what if he does? CFDT (convicted felon Donald Trump) has a bad day every fucking day. But the MSM won't report it. CFDT had one of the worst debate performances of ALL time telling 602 lies -- one every 3.9 seconds according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. They PI is the ONLY media I know of that called for CFDT to step down. 51 million people watched at least some of the debate according to Nielsen ratings and after a week the polling needle has barely changed.
Read the transcript or better yet have 4 people read the parts in the transcript. Joe had a bad not but not as bad as CFDT.
I agree the former president is neither worthy or mentally capable of performing the job. I agree that he is mentally and morally unfit. Nonetheless President Biden has age related mental acuity decline and is unfit to serve. He must resign his position, give Mrs. Harris a chance and assist with choosing a suitable running mate.
Funny George, Will and others, so Heather Richardson can't see what you and so many others today are seeing? This anecdotal on Biden's "recent cognitive decline" now endless repeated ends up being a lie feeding on itself. That is generally not how cognitive decline works, and it seems now that "everyone" is going to be calling for a full-out brain exam. Maybe dementia? Think Biden now can't draw a clock showing 10 after 10? Ill stick with Heather, Simon and the Philadelphia Enquirer editorial board. Poll majorities say Biden esp is too old to be president, but when asked who they'll vote for, polls generally are giving a tie-up, barely budged since the debate. ... actually i stand corrected. Biden/Trump is back to Trump being a few points ahead in April before the State of the Union and economic improvement stepped in. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/ The worry will be if that negative variance continues to grow. For now it's within statistical error.
Frank Loomer, I appreciate your comment today. Will from Cal is a commenter I alway read, and his post today really saddens me. We are late in the game here, and I hesitate to support calls for changing the nominee, myself. The media want Biden to be old and addled, so they will assure that is the frame. Biden does not strike me ever as an egotist and “must hold on to the presidency”. But I would give him credit for thinking that strategically it would be better to hang on, instead of stepping back and allowing the media to foment -with Dem support- and of course the couch-sitters- a frenetic candidate switch. I’m sure there are a billion back-room-deals being swirled around trying to figure out the calculus of this equation. I personally am voting for an administration that has delivered wonderful results for the American average citizen. Will from Cal, I hear you, but I’m with Frank Loomer.
Negativity and fear drive the Media Profit Machines. Positivity and hard work against Superlie CFDT is now the way to win. Fight back hard. Build the momentum, forget the media circus CNN put on, and either do something or quiet yourselves so others can get the job done.
This is a horse race at this point and the race has already started. The voters chose Biden and all of the lies and BS about Biden's mental acuity is just that - BS. The Republicans have absolutely NOTHING to run on except Hate Anger Resentment and Misinformation. The Trump record -- average time in the Oval Office -- about 4 hours a day and NOTHING that MADE AMERICAN GREAT. The Biden horse is still in a good position to win the race because the Trump horse has come up lame and the announcer hasn't noticed. They don't even have a VP picked out yet. And look at the possible choices. All of them are misogynistic white men who are more than happy to bow down to King Donald.
602 fucking lies CFDT told during the free-for-all CNN disaster-- one every 3.9 seconds. I can't in good conscience even call it a debate. That is an insult to anyone and everyone who has ever really debated and to all Americans.
Like many have said, I didn't vote for Joe Biden because of his superior speaking skills. But yet, Biden has given several of the best speeches since FDR. I don't care if he's reading the tele-prompter, and someone else wrote the words.
One single member of his cabinet has overseen over 60,000 infrastructure projects and waded through dozens of actual train-wrecks and a bridge collapsing into the bay of one of the busiest ports in the world. And CFDT's Secretary of Transportaion -- Elaine Chao did virtually nothing for four years. The only thing she did worth note was to quit her job on January 6th. Pretty low bar.
And this is just ONE cabinet member.
Don't fall into the trap where you believe the MSM's BS about Biden's mental acuity. Read the transcript of the debate and you'll see who won the debate.
But if he remains and wins, THEN he can turn things over to Harris and we get her either way, without having to deal with the haters who just can’t put their finger on why they don’t like her—they just don’t. (I suspect they do but don’t want to say it out loud.)
Oh, are you trained to make that diagnosis, George Klingbell? I doubt it seriously because trained professionals don NOT slander people they have not examined professionally.
Perhaps YOU have age-related mental acuity decline. Tell me, how does it feel to receive that diagnosis without being examined by a professional?
Probably not. Comparing the two, it is obvious that Trump avoided answering most questions and kept pounding "Immigration". I wish Biden would have brought up the bipartisan border bill that Trump killed.
I hate to see Biden looking old--but he is. Does that concern me? Only slightly. I am very concerned about Project 2025. I also have faith in our government should he be unable to fulfill his duties. I believe in his cabinet, Harris and his family. After all, our government was tested when JFK--our YOUNGEST POTUS--was shot.
Agreed. As much as I appreciate all of Biden's great work for us, his lapses will not improve over the next four years. If he is our nominee, I will vote for him without reservation. But millennials are the biggest voting block, and they're going to sit this one out if we don't get a younger person in there. We can't afford to lose the millennial vote. If millennials believe the polls that say 75% of voters want Biden to drop out, we're in trouble. There are candidates who could carry on Biden's good work AND not make Americans worry every day whether he is capable of handling the most demanding job in the world.
Biden has chosen Governors Whitmer and Moore to head his governors association. I've heard Moore speak, and I feel his words bring hope and unity. He's a veteran and a doctor with degrees from Oxford and Johns Hopkins.
Any one of the many Democratic Governors. All are popular, some are in their 2nd terms, & some are Governors of " must-win" states : Gov. Andy Beshear ( KY), Gov. Jared Polis (CO), Gov. Tony Evers (Wisc), Gov. Tim Walz (Minn), Gov. JB Prizker (ILL), Gov. Wes Moore (MD), Gov. Phil Murphy (NJ), Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA), Gov. Josh Shapiro ( PA), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ( Mich), Gov. Janet Mills, ( ME).
Any one of these excellent Democratic Senators: Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
Chris Murphy (CT), Cory Booker ( NJ) Sherrod Brown (OH), & either one of the 2 VA Senators, Tim Kaine & Mark Warner.
Low information and one-issue Dems who are not energized by Biden might feel like their vote is worthwhile with one of these candidates. They wouldn't have to hold their breath each time their president made a speech for the next four years, wondering if he could make it through.
I disagree that young people are going to sit this one out. Their numbers may drop, but they more than any demographic stand to lose if trump is elected, and I cannot believe that is lost on all of them.
My two millennials are definitely voting, it’s Gen Z that needs to understand what they give away if they don’t vote for the old guy. This group came of age in this toxic mess, they don’t know how it could be, and should be. Anyone who knows someone in that age group, I hope you are able to impress upon them how bad it could be if they don’t act, and vote blue.
If millenials DON'T vote for Biden, I wonder if suddenly virginity will be all the rage? No legal contraceptives, no abortions. I'm 68, I well remember the stigma--always to the pregnant woman!--of premarital sex.
Welcome back to the world of sandwich-bag condoms.
Patricia, see my polls comment on the item before. Yes a majority say Biden is too old for them, but the voting preferences remain more or less tied. Americans at large think many leading politicians are "too old".
I agree with you. I am frustrated that people don't look at Trump, who is also old, and who doesn't finish a sentence or stay on track. Apparently, yelling forcefully negates that?
Millenial voters are the biggest age-wise voting block. Their top issue is the economy (VOX) and inflation is hitting them hard. Their feelings about Biden's choices are likely to make them apathetic voters. It's not so much about what Biden is doing, as what they think he's doing. Fifty-two percent said they would trust Trump over Biden to lower prices. Ageism aside, they are looking for someone different.
I haven't heard that, Patricia S Duffy. The ones I know understand the existential threat of Trump and the MAGA-Republicans. THAT is the candidate they reject.
As Joe would say, here’s the thing. If Biden drops out the candidate would probably be Harris. If Biden has a stroke or drops dead, he would be replaced by Harris. This Biden’s age thing has gotten worse than Hillary’s emails. Keep writing to the media and the voters that it’s time for everyone to closely scrutinize Trump. It’s not up to the NYT, CNN, to choose candidates. The voters need to make a choice based on which party would make America safer, healthier, more free, and bring our prosperity to everyone. The truth matters and Trump and the entire Republican Party are liars, cheats, racist, and misogynistic. The choice is clear. The media should report the facts.
Sirfartsalot, slept, farted and complained about the room being too cold, his way through incriminating testimony against him during his fraud trial. And there's rumors that he's incontinent. But he's better suited to be president????
Sorry to disagree, but most Americans are not as dumb as you think they are. Listen to his Wisconsin speech on July 5. That is NOT an example of cognitive decline.
You were copying and pasting this comment repeatedly on a Robert Reich post, and now you’re doing it here. You’re either a bot, or the least original person on the planet. Reporting.
Dems have just as many clips of Trump babbling, and any words coming out of the Felon’s mouth are lies. Biden is not as strong as he once was, but there is plenty of time for him to decide to step-down in the year or so following his re-election, giving us a Harris presidency that could even result in her being elected for two additional terms. And, she can nominate whomever she wants to be her VP. Whitmer, Buttigieg, etc.
Will, Thank you for walking us through your mighty impressive evolution. I write mostly to note my concern that for increasingly more Democrats Biden increasingly appears resistant or unaware of the fact that he is in a dire situation here regarding the campaign. He seems either defensive or unwilling even to consider that he is losing in the view of many democrats and, frankly, also in the polls that show him losing to Donald Trump.
I fear the Joe Biden who emerged from his meandering debate performance, while talking to a lot of people, appears only to be listening to a very tight circle telling him again and again he can win.
As a final point, I would note a particularly alarming exchange from last night’s broadcast interview with George Stephanopoulis, wherein Stephanopoulis asked how he (Biden) will feel in January if he has lost to Donald Trump and all that he (Biden) has warned would happen came to pass. And this was Biden’s answer. He said, “I’ll feel, as long as I gave it my all and did the best job I know I can do, that that’s what this is about.”
Honestly, I can’t imagine how anyone possibly could square that reply with the inevitable consolidation of power that invariably would ensue under the auspices of a president eager and able to subjugate the rule of law to a single individual.
Agreed, Barbara Jo. I forgot to watch the interview last night (binge-warching the new Suits season) but saw pieces of it later, and read the transcript today. That's not going to change things around for him. I think the walls are coming down, and the floor is sinking.
I've been wondering lately if he hadn't lost his son, and he ran in 2016, would things have been different? I suspect they would have been.
Doug, Hard to know because you might recall that Obama had anointed Hillary as his successor. Still, I hope, against all odds, Biden sees past the bunker mentality that neither is serving the country nor himself.
Barbara Jo, you're correct. Beau died in May of 2015, and apparently Obama and his staff had some misgivings about Biden. This Politico article from Aug 2020 is helpful in understanding some of it (as well as mentioning Biden's tendency toward gaffes.):
Barbara Jo: what would you have him say? Stepanopolis’ question was a trap. Biden would look bad either way he answered. Would it be more politically acceptable is he said “It would all be my fault and I’ll go to me grave knowing I was wrong”? It wouldn’t be all his fault anyway - there would be plenty of blame to go around: MSM, Russian/Chinese interference, social media bots, Citizens United, voter suppression, gerrymandering…..the list goes on and on. Not one of these anti-democratic forces alone would determine the election. But put them all together? It’s amazing we could ever win.
Marge, In response to your question, and given the stakes, I will restate the reply that ran through my mind (note that it doesn’t accept the premise) before Biden spoke. It went something like: “I would be devastated, but that won’t happen. If I weren’t confident I could defeat Trump, I wouldn’t run.” This statement would be followed by relatable evidence that galvanized all of us to rally around Biden. In my view, if Biden is unable to think and speak extemporaneously in said manner, he shouldn’t run.
You are allowing the opposition - namely, media undercutting Biden - to control you. Biden not only has an excellent record including being chosen by some 90 per cent of primary voters, he is also our very best chance to beat Trump and his Project 2025 fascist crew. My father’s generation had to fight an actual war against fascists. They lost some of the battles, but they persisted and they won. All we have to do is ignore a lot of garbage so-called news reporting and do our part to turn out the vote! That includes urging all Democrats to vote for every office on the ballot, top to bottom.
Spread the word. One way is through social media. Stats show that Gen Z get most of their news that way. The DNC has a "social ambassador" program using REACH to disseminate info. https://democrats.org/share/
Joan, while I agree with you on most of your points, when the flood tide is rising it's time to get to higher ground or get into a lifeboat. Perception sometimes is reality. Biden's high point in this campaign was the SOTU; since then, he has lost his voice (figuratively and literally.) I love the guy and greatly admire and respect all he has done, but we all want to save Democracy, and must find the best person in this moment to carry that message of hope and fight. I'm afraid as the campaign wears on, Biden will sound weaker and more frail, and will lose. WE will lose. It breaks my heart to say that, but I think it's time to find someone who will inspire all of us to do as your last sentence implores.
if people are voting on personality, you are correct. However, those of us who treasure democracy AND understand that a vote for Trump is a vote for authoritarian rule AND that our Constitution has provisions if a POTUS cannot fulfill duties (think JFK, that YOUNG POTUS) we will be fine.
I agree, Miselle, and will if Biden's name is on the November ballot, but I worry about the folks who don't believe either the D or R candidate suits them, and will refrain from voting. We need a candidate who will *inspire the masses*, and I've just come to the realization that Joe Biden won't do that -- his accomplishments are historic, but he can't run on that alone, he must run on the future. Harris can do both.
I have tried my best to come to terms with Biden’s debate debacle. The double-standard in news coverage between Biden’s age and Trump’s megalomania and the lack of headlines over Project 2025 has infuriated me. But here we are. I agree with you that we need to move on from Biden in order to win this election. The survival of our country is at stake. How will we feel on January 6, 2025 if Trump wins? I will be terrified and I won’t be saying “Well, Joe tried his best.” His best is not good enough now.
Imagine how re-energized the race would be if Kamala, someone from a NEW generation, was suddenly contrasted with “old guy Trump”. She is smart and tough and COULD stand up to him in a debate.
I hope Biden does the right thing and bows out. That said, I will vote for ANYONE who is on the ticket to stop Trump and his minions.
Anne -- I completely agree, and just wrote a comment that echoes yours. Kamala Harris was the only candidate whose rally in the 2020 NH primary I attended, and was extremely impressed. She has the name recognition, the intelligence, the wit, and can connect culturally with younger voters whom she could inspire to Save Democracy while carrying forward the progress the Biden/Harris generation has made. I think a Harris/? ticket would be CF45's nightmare.
And Trump, in a golf cart with his 18-year-old son Barron at his side, called Kamala "a f...ing bitch," suggesting he is afraid of her as an opponent and a woman."
Biden's mental health may be in decline, but I do not believe people are abandoning him in droves. I, for one, am not. He's still got an excellent team behind him and, even in mental decline, he is exponentially more capable than trump - who BTW is in serious/dangerous mental decline himself. Instead of pronouncing that Biden should drop out, it would be helpful if you said IF he drops out, you will support whomever his replacement is.
I completely agree. 100%. Someone please make him see sense and step down. He has a wonderful legacy. And for those out there (outside this group, no doubt) who see a call for Biden to step down as an endorsement for Trump -- no -- quite the reverse. We are looking for the best chance to beat Trump. Please, Joe, it's time to go.
Will, from Cal: When the going gets tough- the weak drop out. The last time a Presidential nominee (Joe almost is) dropped out in the 11th hour- which this is- the party lost. We should NOT switch horses now, Joe and Kamala have done a great job.
It takes a big, confident person to do a 180 on a subject so important. Thank you, Will.
I began watching the interview last night with high hopes that my feelings could be changed, that my confidence in Biden's "winnability" would be restored.
That did not happen. Biden is in a place of denial and unreality. I am really, really disappointed and now even more terrified. He can't speak clearly. He is going to lose.
I am sure that Bidens ability to guide the country is still there. But it hiding behind a mask that is fumbling for words and can't put cohesive ideas together in sentences.
Earth to Joe. Step away now. IT IS NOT TOO LATE. For most of our history candidates were chosen at the convention. Start the vetting NOW.
Based on Joe's interview last night, if he were my Dad, I wouldn't let him drive himself home.
Bill, you might not let your Dad drive himself home based on his performance (likely on antihistamines) in a debate, and while most major racing teams rely on much younger drivers with quick reflexes and bold driving skills, every one of the successful teams is organized and directed by an older guy with wisdom and experience.
Will I'm really disappointed. Didn't think the bullshit would get to you, but it did. Yes I read your thoughts, kinda had the same argument with my 22 year old - but here we are.... July 2024 with an election in November. Love the cheerleaders of democracy.
A difficult question perhaps, but have you asked if your 22 year old is sexually active? The concepts of democracy and foreign policy might be of little concern, but the inability to avoid pregnancy and STDs might make a difference. Project 2025 will not allow for legal contraceptives, and offers no support to poor working families. (And what 22 year old can afford housing AND daycare?) It's not just females, a lot of young men might find themselves on the hook for child support for the next 18 years. And a lot of retired grandparents suddenly providing 40+ hours of childcare per week.
Progressive radio has several excellent voices for the Democrats and the Independents and even progressive Republicans (that may be an oxymoron). It is available on SIruis/XM channel 127 so if you've given up hope for the losers at CNN take a listen. And call in as well. John Fugelsang is brilliant and not in the way CFDT calls Putin brilliant. He is well spoken and a really good listener. Dean Obeidallah, Stephanie Miller and others are also very good. They all listen and last night five of the hosts were together and they all said the same thing. Their listeners support Joe Biden 100%. Here's a link to listen to Progressive radio if it isn't available where you live.
I’d vote for Biden in a coma before I’d vote for Trump, but the “middle” and independents will not. And we cannot win without those people. As others have stated — we will win or lose on a radon thin margin and Biden’s already thin poll numbers have gotten worse after the debate. You cannot have seen the debate and think Biden is ok. And if he’s like this now, how will he be in 4 years?!?! The people we need on our side are asking themselves that very question and the answer is clear. It’s time to step aside Joe.
In hindsight we can all see that RBG should have stepped down, but she did not and that hubris led directly to turning over Roe by a 5-4 margin. Hubris is going to bite us in the behind again if don’t make a move NOW.
Someone asked, why isn’t Trump running ads of Joe babbling during the debate? Simple. They don’t want Joe to drop out of the race and running those ads now would push us to make a change. They are saving those ads for after our convention - when we are really stuck with Biden.
Biden thinks he’s the only one who could beat Trump. Seriously??? They field a narcissistic, convicted felon, who tried to overthrow the last election and there’s no one in our party except Biden that can beat him?? Seriously? That’s ridiculous.
I honestly do believe that there is no replacement for Biden at this late date, and I have faith that people who understand a vote is NOT for merely a person but for an administration will vote accordingly.
Please consider a Harris/Gov Whitmer ticket. Some pundits are suggesting this. Both are well-qualified with administrative experience. Given Dobbs and 60-70% in opposition, a double woman ticket will have us roaring. Harris's mixed black and Asian American heritage will also please the voters who want diversity.
Absolutely agree! Harris/Whitmer would be a winning ticket! How many countries have had expert woman leaders, yet U.S. has not had one! These two are sharp, witty, highly intelligent women who young people would be very excited to campaign for!
No. We must unflinchingly face facts about Biden's fitness. If you want to keep Trump out (as we all do), we need someone who can beat him. Biden has shown that he can't. The people that will determine this election - a razor thin swath of swing voters in swing states need to feel confident in their choice. People do not vote rationally; they vote viscerally on 'vibes'. As Bill Clinton said 'Strong and wrong beats weak and right'. We need to face the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. Ignore the polls at your (and our peril).
Eleanor Mayrhofer, how exactly has Biden shown he can’t beat Trump? He won the election, his administration has been far more effective, etc. Are you really disregarding all of that?
I'm not arguing that his presidency hasn't been effective. It has, that is besides the point. I'm pointing to the only indicators about the FUTURE that we have. Cratering numbers in the polls and voters (many of them Dem voters!) saying over and over in focus groups that they are unenthused and now will sit out the election. I'm not saying it's fair, it's just how it is. The people with actual information on this are Nate Silver and Sarah Longwell. Shaking our fists at people who 'don't get it' will not win an election.
Sorry to make a sports analogy, but if your star player gets an injury in the 4th quarter, you don't say 'But he's made so many goals already, let's see if he can squeak it out' you replace him with someone stronger who can actually win the game.
Millions of people have voted for President Biden to be the Democratic Party nominee. Those who say he should drop out are saying they're okay with nullifying those votes.
But let's say he decides to release his delegates. Then what? Does the nomination go automatically to Vice President Harris? Hardly. A resignation would trigger an internecine war for the nomination that would leave the party in tatters and, basically, hand the presidency to Trump.
Finally, please remember that THE ONLY POLLS THAT COUNT ARE THE ONES WHERE WE CAST OUR BALLOTS.
There was really no alternative in the primary, Dean Phillips? Come on. The presidency is already Trumps for the taking. Everyone on this thread and reading this will vote for Biden. That's not who we need to worry about.
Who is Dean Phillips? I'm serious. I know he was a candidate for a hot minute but who was he, a two-term backbencher member of Congress, to challenge an incumbent president with whom he voted 100% of the time?
Biden and his minions are handing the presidency and likely the Senate and House to the fascists....not their conscious intention but Biden's ego comes before the well being of the populace on this one. LBJ had the good sense to know it was his time to go and the dumb Democratic establishment dumped Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy for the other Egg past his expiration date, Hubert Humphrey and the Republicans have made hay ever since. Corporate Democrats are Republicans in sheep clothing. They need to ousted and progressive Democrats in the spirit of Lincoln, FDR and JFK need to turned to.
Biden is far more progressive than FDR. One lousy evening - in which Biden actually won if you judge by reading the transcript - and you give up? That’s no way to win anything. So what if the media are in a frenzy? They don’t vote. Instead of giving in, fight back.
President Biden has been the most consequential president since FDR, full stop. Yes, he isn't as sharp in public as he once was but that doesn't concern me because I know that the real work of a presidency is at the departments lead by the president's choice of secretary or director.
Did you forget that Robert Kennedy was assassinated months before the Democratic convention? As for the "establishment" dumping McCarthy, it was an open primary. Did the vice president have a leg up in terms of winning delegates? Yes. But McCarthy couldn't convert the enthusiasm of his supporters into delegates and Humphrey got the nom.
JFK was remarkable in many ways but I don't think history will remember him as a "progressive" Democrat.
PS - I get really annoyed when I see the phrase" Corporate Democrat." To me that denigrates the millions of people who earn their living working for corporations large and small. It's especially annoying since Citizens United, which blew the lid off limits to political donations in order to benefit Republicans. which it has, in spades.
Centrists and Liberals like you can always be relied upon to defend the status quo. Trump is pulling even further ahead in the polls and Biden has as much chance of catching up or beating him in the electoral college as a turtle has in outrunning a fox. Not only is Biden deteriorating at an alarming pace but his enabling of the genocide in Gaza shows him to be a man of moral bankruptcy and a fossilization completely incompatible with the Age of Collapse and the restive formation of a new World Order as the West collapses into the ashes of its neoliberal fantasies. The rich are getting richer, the powerful are increasing their authoritarianism and the people are turning away from the inept and spineless policies that are leaving more than 90% of us facing death as debt slaves.
So, Dr Bryan A. Schwartz, do you not acknowledge that Kamala Harris has Biden’s back as his VP? If circumstances follow that Biden is unable to fulfill his presidential duties, Harris will competently assume the duties of President as Biden intended. Win, win!!
What you are ignoring here, is that Biden is taking effective action against the authoritarians and the concentration of wealth and power. You’d rather have a progressive as president. Fine, continue working towards it. But don’t abandon the far better choice to the alternative because it’s not what you really want.
It's all well and good to point out Biden's deficits but who do you propose as an alternative candidate? Who has the experience and name recognition to hit the ground running? Who has been deeply vetted so that there aren't any landmines? And, of course, who has the money? Before you answer, keep in mind the reality that Biden leaving would lead to an internecine war to replace him.
I love the Palestinian people and my heart breaks daily for all that's happening to them in Gaza and the West Bank. It hurts also that Biden has been so blind to that suffering. But, and this is a big but, I know that allowing Trump anywhere near the White House means even more suffering, both for Gazans but also for Muslims living in the US, whether they're citizens or not (not to mention all the persons of color that his storm troopers are going to assume are "illegal."
MisTBlu, Biden was the only choice on the ticket, as he wasn't primaried, and let's not forget at that point he was riding on the strength of his SOTU. The decline has been post-primaries, and as the months of campaigning wear on, as well as the duties of the Office, I fear will be even more apparent this fall. And I'm sad to say this.
Fun facts: The first 2024 "Super Tuesday" was March 3. The SOTU was March 7. Also, we don't primary our incumbent presidents so, of course, he won. Also, many of those votes for him were write-ins as he wasn't on the ballot.
Can everyone stop this carry-on about Biden’s fitness. Democracy and progress are safe in his hands. He could be a block of wood, an otter or a tennis shoe it wouldn’t matter.
It’s keeping frump OUT that is the issue.
Biden has a crackerjack team so many of whom could walk in his shoes or carry any load he wants to shed. A livable tomorrow is at stake. Frump will decimate the US, and completely squash the American experiment.
Look, you guys. I'm as resentful of the media's double standards between the sides of the political aisles as anyone else here. They should have been talking about Project 2025 since the day it was published, non-stop. The last thing I wrote here was an impassioned exhortation of support for Joe Biden following The Debate That Will Live in Infamy. I stand by that message in a few ways, both as an honest immediate response and as an expression of disgust at this media hysteria and double standard. We here on these pages believe in Joe Biden as an upper-echelon President and recognize the underrated role he has played in steadying this country. That said...
I don't think I've ever done a bigger, faster 180-degree-turn regarding my feelings toward a person or event before, and I doubt I ever could. It has been over 100 degrees all week where I am, so I am stuck inside and have been guzzling every bit of print journalism I can find while the situation unfolds, putting emphasis on sources - large and small - that report actual Congresspeople and strategists on background and can illustrate overviews of events on "The Hill." I think I may have actually read every post-Debate news report published so far. I have to say, now knowing what I know, am a bit taken aback by some of the continuing apologia here.
I'm too tired to summarize in great detail, but suffice it to say that - by cautious and conservative estimate - the President is royally f#cked beyond belief or repair, seems to be the only person on Earth who doesn't realize it, and is leading us headlong into apocalypse unless elected Democrats en masse get loud and creative, fast. The man has begun to face serious physical and cognitive decline in recent months and been insulated by his circle. His unfitness has been incontrovertably exposed and he is no longer electable, period. The number of people he needs to show up to vote for him nationwide are no longer available to him after last week, and his already-struggling candidacy has now been framed in a way that he cannot win on. Democrats in Congress know that not only is his candidacy almost certainly doomed, but if it continues it will have devestating effects down-ballot, wiping the Good Guys out on every level. Polling is cratering, donors are fleeing, and morale is in the gutter. The only plausible path forward is for the President to commit to a final act of patriotism and stand down, full stop. Life isn't fair sometimes, but the country must come first. Most Democratic electeds have kept their sentiments under wraps in order to give him the space and respect to come to the decision in a dignified way, but he has so far taken advantage of that space to dig in. His interview tonight was a sad display of a once-perceptive person who has willfully lost touch with reality. One can admire the man's prior accomplishments greatly while seeing clearly that another candidate is not a matter of if but a matter of how and how soon. This election simply cannot afford to be lost, and pro-democracy voters and volunteers need a chance to reset and galvanize, to catch the eye and ear of the public and prosecute our case vociferously on terrain that is favorable to us.
It will be an intriguing news week. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Hakeem Jeffries's office (or Chuck Schumer's)! Oof, you guys. Oof.
You sound like a Russian bot.
You may not agree with his sentiment, but Will is one of the most insightful and intelligent commentators here. Not a bot.
Sherree, I'll assume nothing about Will beyond what you have said. And from there I'll say something beyond what you have said.
In November, Biden's competence is irrelevant. The only thing relevant at this time in history is the candidate's intent. If any individual, Will included, is looking at the candidates' competence and ignoring their intent, then that individual is as lost as someone who knows where they are in terms of latitude while having no idea where they are in terms of longitude.
The difference between what Trump will do when elected and a government policy to inject its citizens with Ebola virus is that people die faster with Ebola virus. The difference between what Biden will do when elected and a different Democratic candidate is worthy of concern, but the absolute worst that Biden will be is significantly better than the best version of Trump, which was before he started firing all the grownups in his first administration.
We are not in this situation because of Biden. We are in this situation because too many people treat politics like a spectator sport. And if we get out of it, it will not be because of Biden. It will be because of all of us.
We all need to start with step 1 of the 12-step program and say to ourselves as individuals, "I am not in charge." Then ask the question, "Who is in charge?" The answer is we are, but only if we are all willing to work together by putting all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength into defeating the real enemy. And it's important to remember that (even though they're not yet willing to acknowledge it) we're doing it for their sake as well as ours.
I was going to write a similar thing, but you did a far better job than I could.
I would add, that if Biden loses - contrary to people like Steve Schmidt's and Tim Miller etc, the fault is not with the dems standing by him as much as both the dems in high places abandoning him and leaking unsourced stories of disarray as well as the lack of support from the supposedly
"normal" republican establishment - where are the voices of the Jeb and W Bush? Where are Paul Ryan , Kasich, Collins, Romney, Jeff Flake, etc who clearly all KNOW the threat to democracy trump poses being brave enough to say that they will vote for Biden because they and America can survive 4 years of Biden but so trump as Liz Cheney has said?
The problem with 2024 election is not Biden. Its the deep hatred for democrats, progressives and 'other' that that does not just run through a portion of the population ( which it always did ) but is amplified by a media that places profits over everything thinking they will be immune from the storm that trump will bring. Social media platforms which amplify foreign governments attempts to disrupt America through fake bots disguised as Americans.
The list goes on and on - and while its clear that Biden's performance last Thursday has given fuel to the Maga movement - the problem is deeper than a stammer, a lose of temporay train of thought or a shuffle - those are minor infirmaries compared to the real threat that awaits if he loses.
The Repubs form a tight circle to defend their man while the dems form a circular firing squad.
"I’m not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat." —Will Rogers.
Time for a change. Democrats unite! To be more specific, Republicans have explicitly united around the concept of unilateral control, and so Democrats must explicitly unite around the concept of mutual respect.
Those unsourced "Biden must go" stories are making me so, so angry. What kind of journalism is this? Let me know the sources so I can evaluate their credentials and perspectives.
Has it occurred to those who are in panic mode that the Repugnants are terrified of even the "diminished" Biden? Otherwise, they would be sitting back with huge smiles in their faces, relishing that "Sleepy Joe" has given them the keys to the kingdom, where their useful idiot will return to reside and rule?
Given a year or more to prepare, if Biden was showing verifiable signs of cognitive failure, the Democrats might have a different conversation and choose a younger candidate (Kamala Harris, perhaps), but with less than four months remaining before the election, Biden, his Vice President, and very capable cabinet can ably handle the ship of state. As has been agreed by most commenters here, the risk of a second whack at rule by TFG and Project 2025 is a recipe for disaster far greater than any risk Biden's reelection could bring, and if we stop wringing our hands and vote for Biden, we can deny the right wing from making us Moscow-or-Hungary light.
Well said!
Thanks, James.
I have always appreciated Will's responses but have to disagree with this one - honestly, "reading every post-debate "news" report"? Most have already jumped on the anti-biden message - be real - it makes for clicks.
The thing is - its STILL a bad idea to change horses in the middle of a stream - or in this a freaking RIVER! THAT is the issue right there.
So we seriously want to lose this election? Well, dandy, then all the Dem wusses who are leaping off the boat at this moment will be thrilled - and you know who else will be? Trump, Heritage group, and Republicans.
How many people will listen to these supposed "news" reports and not vote for Biden or not vote? Time to pull up our Big Girl Panties and tell them the debate is only a pimple on a ducks ass!
Will, I mean nothing against you and your opinion but this is mine.
Oh - by the way - I meant big girl panties because its the women who do NOT want the anti-abortion bunch telling them how to deal with reproductive health! Remember that little issue??
I completely agree with you regarding changing horses in midstream! I don’t believe Kamala could win on 2 counts: deep seated misogyny; and deep seated racism.
I love this Maggie! We think the same way!
Right; What did 'one debate' mean for Obama ?
Changing horses is a better idea than flogging a dead one.
Changing horses is not "THE" issue. Joe Biden's physical and mental fitness is the issue. He is Trump's dream candidate. Trump's nightmare candidate? Anyone but Joe Biden.
👍
The weight and thought of your response is what I look for here. A constructive and intelligent discussion. Thank you, James.
James Carey. Thank you.
A presidential candidate’s competence is irrelevant? How does that sentiment differ from some looney MAGA defending Trump?
A MAGA defending Trump will not express the idea that I am going to express below because anyone who does what I'm doing will recognize that their defense of Trump is indefensible.
I've explained my position in language I don't think is all that hard to understand. The response you'd get from a MAGA defending Trump is essentially, "I'm right, you're wrong, and this conversation is over." The response you're getting from me is, I'm almost certain I'm right, but I'm not absolutely certain. If you think I'm wrong, do what I did. State your position in language I can understand. In other words, don't just tell me my conclusion is wrong. Instead, challenge my assumptions, then I will challenge your assumptions, and we'll get to the truth if we're both willing to put in the effort.
But the intent of my reply is simply to answer your question.
Tom, of course it's relevant. If you're worried about the debate performance, please read a transcript of it. Both read as if they're competent, but Biden answers the questions more directly and with facts while Trump touches on the questions but deviates into distortions and outright lies most of the time. If you combine that with Trump's history as president versus Biden’s history of presidential actions, with Trump's criminality and legal losses versus Biden’s respect for the law and institutions, with the lack of quality of Trump's advisors versus the professionalism and dedication to public service within Biden’s inner circle, one can't but conclude that a diminished Biden with a good administration is far better than any authoritarian crap a Trump presidency will implement.
And then, might there be someone within the Democratic ranks that can take Biden’s place and do a great job? Sure. ALL of them can wipe the floor with Trump in a debate and speak in a way that neutralizes the nervousness from some of the public, but how do you do that at this stage, and succeed?
We're not just voting for one person. We are voting for a presidential team and its policies.
No - according to the media - ONLY looking at Biden's competency - nothing NOTHING being question about DJT - not even after or during that idiotic so-called debate!
Biden is old - for freaking sake - he was OLD 2 years ago, three years ago so where was all the shock and awe THEN? You know, when it was actually possible to bring someone else into the picture?
Pulling Biden or any other candidate at this stage of the game - not even four months before the election?
No words left!
James R. Carey: Magnificent post! As has been said elsewhere, the contest is not between Biden and Trump; it is between Democracy and Fascism, Reason and Irrationality, Peace and Violence.
Thank you, James R. Carey. I agree we all need to get behind Joe and fully support him. He has an excellent team! They are the best of the best! Then look at Trumps! They are the worst of the worst! They have all been bought by the Christian Nationalists! Apparently there are only 1/3 of them but there are 2/3s of us! We have to get out and talk to people! Get people away from Fox Entertainment! We have a good following on HCR's daily letters and if we talk to just one person and convince them that they need to vote or inform them who Trump really is! We don't have any other candidate at the point in time that can beat Trump. Kamala has been mentioned but damn she is the vice president....and I have heard people talk that they are worried about a "woman being president and especially a black woman" I was shocked when I heard this....but it is going to be a while before anyone but a "white male" will be able to be elected president! The White Christian Nationalists will see to that. It happened once with President Obama and I was totally shocked at what my so called "Christian friends" call him! He was called the anti-Christ and because I supported him they unfriended me and most will not even look at me when I run into them....they look the other way. These people attend the local "Christian Church". It is the largest in our community. They operate their own grade school in the community. I have faith that Joe can win and he didn't say he would quit because damn it.....he and I believe he will win....why would he say he will walk away when ask by a reporter! He isn't a quitter! If he was he wouldn't be our president now! The media needs to stop the questioning of our great president!
You have something those "Christians" do not. You have truth on your side, and the truth is in Jesus' words in the Gospel. If Jesus said, in essence, "Look at your neighbor and see an enemy," I'd admit I was wrong. But Jesus said, in essence, "Look at your enemy and see a neighbor," and in saying that, he is calling them the anti-Christians.
As Mary McCartney told her son, Paul, "Let it be. There will be an answer."
Trying to replace Biden at an open convention at this late date will insure tRump's success. The media, who have brought us to this sorry state, will celebrate. Can you imagine the chaos they will create at an open convention. They will have something negative to harp on, no matter who democrats decide on. The confusion at a convention will guarantee the media moguls add to their billions, and the democrats lose. The best interests of the country is the least of their concerns. One only has to look at what the media after Biden's poor performance did. Their response to an open convention will make the debate seem like child's play. We are fortunate to have a man of character willing to put up with all this nonsense. Instead of panicking about Project 2025 and what it portends for this country, the democrats are concentrating on Biden's poor performance. I'm more convinced than ever that we need to ELIMINATE Citizen's United.
James R. Carey -- Thank you for your very thoughtful and considered contribution!
Personally I would not be attacking Will. All he is doing, I believe, is advocating for a formula that has the best chance this November against the orange menace. He has seen eidence that sticking with Joe is probably going to hurt us. The orange menace is going to get alot of votes, no matter the Democratic candidate. That alone is kind of the tragedy of all this - that such a large block of American voters will vote that way. To put a fuc_ing felon and pathological liar in office. Given that the election will be close, and that polling has gone the wrong way at a time it should be coming around, we Democrats have to do what Republican s have been doing for decades - to hold our noses and do whatever it takes to win. Win - that is it. That takes voters - with all their warts. Too many don't take the long view, too many watch reality TV, too many flew off the handle with the Israel-Hamas situation and put its importance above all other issues (like climate change). Too many are just not politically mature enough to realize that sticking with Joe is probably the right thing to do. We have to do what our experts believe will attract the max number of voters - full stop. I have my doubts that staying the course with Joe will do that.
My intent was to inform and not to attack. I'm not trying to neutralize a perceived threat. Instead. I'm trying to contribute to the resolution of an incredibly challenging dilemma. You have doubts that staying the course with Joe is the best road to victory. I have doubts that Joe dropping out will improve the odds of victory. Maybe that will change. Meanwhile, all we can do about our conflicting opinions is call it the way that we see it and keep an open mind.
Thank you.
I am with you all the way! Twice what I have written has been wiped out! We have to support Joe....period!
Reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon. The bartender says to the patron, “I know you think you can say that here, but this is my bar, and the man who would defend your right to say it just left”.
Hmm. His profile doesn’t back that up. I don’t entirely disagree with his comment, but I think the same comment was on a Robert Reich post.
Heather, one of the best laid out house of cards and how stacked the deck is, BRAVO 👏
I’m right back at: if it walks like a duck …
Not sure how many times the underdog has pulled off the win but …quite a few times ..is the answer. Speculate all you want but the ONLY way to win is be in the race. Armchair quarterbacks don’t score!
We have the numbers, the votes, the facts.
Question. Whose team stands out and why?
Unit cohesion is as proven as divide and conquer.
GOTV. Walk it to the ballot box. Stay the course.
If you hear Donald…DUCK!
Joe will deliver , always has .His team is ready , experienced, working FOR THE PEOPLE and polished. There’s no felons in the roster, no pardons needed, no lies, no get out of jail free cards in their deck, just delivering positive progress.
I know what’s ‘trendy’…who is setting who up to take the blame and it ain’t ‘the left letting ‘ that out of the bag of ‘tricksters’.
I’m 💙💙VOTING ALL THE COMPLICIT OUT💙💙
Patricia: “Joe will deliver , always has .His team is ready , experienced, working FOR THE PEOPLE and polished. There’s no felons in the roster, no pardons needed, no lies, no get out of jail free cards in their deck, just delivering positive progress.”
BRAVO!
No, not a bot -- just another panicky white (I'm guessing here) guy who's doing the white guy thing of assuming that (1) "everybody" thinks like him, and (2) his opinions are 100% right. Oh, and of course (3) if we don't do what he says, we're doomed.
Ohmigod, Sussanna, how many substacks do you comment on? Here you go again with the “white guy” thing. Do you ever think beyond that? It’s very weak, and the more we come across it, the more pathetic it seems. How genuinely rude it would be if someone replied to a long, thoughtful comment of yours (okay, I’m engaging in speculation here) with a dismissal rooted in some belief about burned-out hippies?
tom, I am currently about 1/3 the way through the excellent book by Heather McGee "The Sum of Us" which is a book about racism which was recommended to this forum some time ago.
It is truly eye opening--if you believe statistical facts--and white, male (and often Republican southern) voters have greater power than their numbers should allow.
Might I point out that your final words "burned-out hippies" seems to be used as a derogatory description of Susanna--whose brief bio gives no reason for that to be used? Pointing out the outsize influence of the "white guy" is neither weak nor pathetic. If she had a photo of a black male, would you use derogatory anti-black comments?
You say you are engaging in speculation---that comes across as Trump claiming "I'm only joking."
SHAME
Miselle, First off, feel free to stay out of fights you don’t understand. Susanna has derided comments I have made four times on other substacks with the tiresome white guy trope over the months. She does that to others. She also read my profile and has thrown its perfectly innocuous contents at me in a derogatory manner. There was nothing particularly “white” about the comments, and I’m left to assume that that’s the best argument she can muster.
I read The Sum of Us. A well-reasoned book. I am a Heather McGee fan. She does indeed discuss the outsized influence of white males. I also listened to her podcast that was contemporaneous with the book. Are you seriously suggesting that she would read the thoughtful comment Susanna was rudely dismissive of and sum it up by ascribing it to white guy rhetoric? If so, you need to read more than a third of her book.
And please don’t insult everyone’s intelligence by suggesting that Susanna’s name calling was some thoughtful analysis and conclusion about the over-weighted influence of white thought. It was just lazy name calling.
And please keep your SHAME and your misguided defense and your busybody nose to yourself.
"The Sum of Us" is an excellent, eye-opening book, not least because Heather McGhee knows her economics and does a great job translating it all for the non-economists among us. I was lucky enough to hear her speak at a local book festival not long after "The Sum of Us" came out. That sold me on both her and the book. I refer to it a lot!
Yep.
There it is- you got to the heart of his panic in 2 sentences.
It would be political suicide to switch candidates to Harris for one simple reason: how many votes will Harris bring in that Biden/Harris can’t, and how many votes will Harris lose by being “a cop” (far leftists love to call her a cop), being a woman, and being Black?
Nobody has yet identified who those voters are, the ones who would rather let Trump win than vote for Biden but are enthusiastic supporters of Biden’s VP.
So few of the "Biden should resign" even mention this that I suspect some denial is going on. Racism and sexism are real, even (gasp!) among moderates, liberals, and progressives, and, at least during the 2020 campaign, I knew quite a few civil liberties people who had big reservations about her based on her career in CA. (I was a hardcore Warren girl myself.) I think VP Harris has done a very good job and is capable of being president, but that's not the same as getting elected in 2024.
The objective here is to keep Trump out. The question is. Would it be better to replace him, hope that he hands the candidacy to Harris at the last minute or continues as the candidate himself. Nobody seems to have a definitive answer for that although many feel opening it up to the mini qualified candidates would be too chaotic. It’s a crapshoot and a dilemma for sure. Certainly Biden cognitive capacity is diminished. I am pretty sure that he has Parkinson’s disease whether he knows it or not. I say that because I have suffered with the disease for the last 10 years and he has many of the classic symptoms, including the erratic appearance of various symptoms on and off. Whether he knows he has the illness or not he still question. Many people joke that they would rather vote for a ham sandwich then vote for Trump. I’m here to tell you that even if Joe has Parkinson’s, he is still far from ham sandwich. The problem is to get people to vote for him. The people we are looking to target Know nothing about program 2025. They know nothing about the plan to destroy the civil services system. They don’t understand the massive changes in government that will occur. They know nothing about the government of Hungary under Orban. So how do we get them educated in a hurry. That is the question. Heather says do your part but she needs to be talking on Fox News not on the NewsHour. Heather, the people need to hear you and they are not hearing you so far. I’m using my microphone to dictate this so please excuse the typos or grammatical mistakes or misspellings. My phone is shaking in my hands so I’m off to take my medication.
Heather is talking as fast as she can.
Nancy Chizik, this comment of yours should have a thousand ikes.
👍
Name calling usually a sign that the name caller is out of ammo in the discussion.
Nah. This a worn-out thing for sure.
What is the difference between name calling and stating what you see?
In the eyes of the person who is being called out.
I still don’t get why you think some terse, rude, over-colloquial comment earns you any credibility.
I agree with Will, from Cal, mostly. But if I didn’t I would at least realize he put a lot of effort and frank thought into his comment and point out why I differed. You and the other faux feminist just mutter ‘white guys’.
Like Barbara below, with this, I'm done engaging with you.
I wonder why you add the "faux" to the feminist. And wonder why you have a problem with a feminist viewpoint.
Tom. Let's cool things down here.
I was talking about intent and perception. Sorry for the terseness.
I am sure you are a nice guy as I am a nice person. I am refraining from any more commenting today. I, we, are all tired and freaked out. I am taking a walk.
Best Regards
Barbara
A typical vapid comment from someone in Florida which seems on the brink of seceding after Texas. The South shall rise again and lead to its own destruction yet again. The USA is fast upon a collapse of a strong Federal government guaranteeing the rights of a majority of its citizens. We have learned nothing from the collapse of the German Weimar Republic and are intent on being the new seat of fascism in the 21st Century, enabled by Biden and his toxic narcissism rivaling Trump and his even more toxic narcissism. Two flawed true losers about to bring the curtain down on the American experiment in democracy.
Armchair cynicism is really unhelpful. The power is with the people. Think of those 18yo boys who fought like hell and died on D-Day to defeat fascism, think of those marching with Martin Luther King, risking their lives for human rights and freedoms. Roll up your sleeves and start registering voters. Promote hope not despair. It ain't over til the fat lady sings.
Kazz, what you call cynicism is actually realistic optimism. My father fought at the Battle of the Bulge. My life has been dedicated to the weaving together of social justice for societies and the liberation of individuals from the intergenerational trauma that is the legacy of the two world wars, lots of proxy wars and dying gasps for five hundred years of colonialism. One can't promote hope on false premises. Hope is based on a belief in a future. That hope is being dashed daily by the ruling elites that hold the fate of the world in their greedy hands as they don't give a damn about the rest of us, the 99.99% who go to our deaths slaves to debt in the throes of predatory capitalism. The fat lady is singing as the American experiment is in its death throes and the vast majority of people have no clue as to what is fast upon us. The fascists are coming. Indeed, they have already arrived and are making hay in Western democracies as never before since the rise and fall of Nazism and Tojoism and fascism in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Hungary ad nauseum. The Ponzi scheme of predatory capitalism is reaching its end game, leading us to the edge of the abyss of environmental disaster. Kazz, you need to wake up as the system, as we know it in the USA, is about to crumble and quickly. Biden's old world order collapses as he personally does and a new world order is emerging from its ashes. Pull the camera back. There is no putting this system back together again. We need a mindset revolution to develop sustainable ways of living on a planet without infinite resources.
Dr. Brian A Schwartz: I understand your anger. I share it. But I think nihilism is dangerous at this point in history. It sounds like “the world sucks, why vote?” And that sounds more like Trump’s winning strategy.
I do believe that capitalism is killing the planet and enslaving us all to Big Oil, Big Pharma, etc etc. I don’t have the physical stamina to aggressively defend the better path. But I have spent forty years working in State and County government, making measurable improvements in housing and services for people with disabilities and/or experiencing homelessness, and abused women and children. Yes, it’s incremental in the total scheme of things. But that doesn’t make it meaningless.
Kazz, Would you like to hear my version of the fat lady singing in the rain? It’s over, rover. I’ve gone through this back and forth. Times up. The fat lady is singing. And maybe the fat lady is my distant relative Sophie Tucker.
Save your negativity for all that’s wrong with Trump. The one and only goal is to keep him out of office. As you were.
Equating Biden and Trump with a false assertion of equally toxic narcissism is itself a demonstration of the dangers of fallacious rhetoric.
Except that one of those two "flawed" losers has been one of the most effective US presidents in modern history, and the other one wants to end the American experiment in favor or an authoritarian autocracy. So, there's that.
In the first place, just because someone lives in a certain state tells you nothing about that person.
Second, I suspect anyone who tries to make an argument that Trump and Biden are at all alike must have a doctorate in Dunning Kruger studies. You can’t really believe that. That is some sort of adopted pose, for what purpose I don’t know.
Huh. Judging by your previous posts discrediting President Biden and now equating Joe Biden with a convicted rapist, felon out on bail, indicted under the Espionage Act candidate is really showing your colors.
Again. You are in the wrong pew.
Hmmm? We must defeat the opposition, and as coach we need to recognize the playbook isn't working. When the mob wants to lynch an innocent man, those who would save him need to spirit him to safety, and give him a new identity
There's absolutely no basis for that comment. A major benefit of these discussions is respect.
Susan, if Will was a Russian bot, he would be encouraging Biden to stay in the losing race. Yiu are not too bright a person to suggest this.
I think we must except Biden personally may devolve into the sort of figurehead a president is in a parliamentary system but still gets to appoint the government, and his government has been largely successful with a few glaring exception: Palestine and housing costs, the latter why many people reject the notion of the success of Bidennimics. There is no reasonable alternative except his resignation, Harris at the top of them ticket and a new vice-president. Clinton lost largely because of the ingrained misogyny in America. Are we prepared to add deep-seated racism to the equation and roll the dice?
"except" or "accept"? I'm thinking you meant the latter but I am not entirely sure since you also typed "Bidennimics". I often see terms purposely misspelled to be a slur, so I don't know if that was intentional or if you meant "Bidenomics"
👎
And you sound unnecessarily negative.
Vote for president Biden!!!!!
No, he doesn’t. I’m sad to have to say this. I’ve been a huge Biden supporter, but what I’ve been hearing lately — from trusted sources— fits pretty closely with what Will is saying. To me this whole thing is a nightmare, and heartbreaking. If Biden is able to come back from this, that’s wonderful… but I now have doubts I’ve never had in the past. If you have information/evidence otherwise, please do share it. I could use some good news.
I totally disagree don’t let them WIN THIS BECAUSE OF ON NIGHT. 🤬
I'm beginning to disagree with myself, Katrina! The new developments and information keep spinning around so much I've practically got vertigo. I'm not on the 'inside' so I don't have any special insight into the situation, and none of us can possibly know what needs to happen to save our country from Trump.... Given that, I'm going to stop offering any opinion about the situation with Biden. I've been hearing too many good arguments on both sides of the fence... no longer know what to think.
I think you are really wrong. His comments aren’t crazy. I wish it were not so but I can’t see how Joe hangs on for more than about 2 more days.
Susan, please read this article by Dana Milbank and see if it changes anything.
https://wapo.st/4cw3bbL
Who, on this (still) green earth, has the money and political acumen to build and run a national campaign for president in 4 months? The only one with access to the funds donated to the Biden/Harris campaign is Kamala Harris. Everyone else - everyone, would have to start fundraising from scratch. I would be more than willing to back a Harris run for president - with the blessing of President Biden. Perhaps with Pete Buttigieg for VP?
If this were a race against anyone but Trump and his MAGAs, I would be advocating an immediate candidate switch. We have an ageing candidate who has demonstrated an ability to be a very effective president over 3+ VERY difficult years, who is running against someone who is anchored by so much baggage (the 2025 project is "poling like Ebola") that it is a wonder he can move at all. Despite polls, the MAGAs have not added to their base over the last 4 years. Despite the debate frenzy, I do not believe anyone really changed their votes from Biden to Trump solely because of it.
Still, you are correct in that it is time to fish or cut bait. Back Biden totally, or pick another candidate NOW, and back them. Oh, and stop wedging about media coverage, and the latest right-wing-ding outrage. We have a job to do.
A black female President and a gay Vice President!
MAGA would explode!
Bring it!!!
But would America vote for them?
No
?
Back Biden, knowing that he has schooled Kamala and vice versa!!!
Steve, your words echo my thoughts. Harris was the only candidate that I went to see in the NH 2020 primary, and was struck by her energy and message. I still have confidence in the Biden/Harris ticket, but if Biden is persuaded to drop out, Harris is the best-known candidate to replace him, and can run on "continuing the work of Biden". Her choice of a running mate would be intriguing, with so many up-and-comers in the Party.
A Harris candidacy turns the age question right around -- CF45 is now the incoherent old guy. Harris, on the other hand, will connect with younger voters (although she'll have to message her way out of her previous stances on cannabis.) I suspect many/most of us on LFAA are of a certain age, and we are not numerous enough to make a difference. The youth of voting age has the numbers. Harris has both the message and the dance moves (cultural messaging) to connect with them and bring them and the rest of us to the polls.
But right now, it's Biden's decision to make, and I'm worried that it won't be the right one.
I read an article on CNN online suggesting Harris/Gov. Whitmer ticket.! Yes! especially given the Republican vow to suppress women and diversity. They both have moxie and political experience and are genuine in their belief in Democracy. They both appeal to youth (they're in their 50s, I believe) and are energetic. As a team, they would offer the wow factor that Obama did. They would also give Putin an ulcer.
I like Whitmer, and she's becoming better known.
You put that very well. My sentiments exactly. Nobody is coming to save us and we all need to find jobs to do. One of my favorite lines from Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny, was this: “Whatever you do, don’t isolate.It doesn’t always have to be about politics. Get together and brew beer.” Don’t isolate.
I feel precisely the same way. I’ve been one of those people defending Biden’s campaign for reelection. “The incumbent has an edge. There’s a psychological advantage to having beat him before. Name recognition!” All the reasons. Then I watched the debate and was sick to my stomach. I still resisted at first. Do we dare replace him? The chaos, the hows and whens and is there even enough time. But the longer the images of that debate ran through my head, the more worried I became. That cannot be the best we have to offer as a party and this moment absolutely requires our best.
And as much as I appreciate Biden and all he’s done, it is so disappointing to me that his response to calls for him to step down is not: I think I’m the best shot we have at beating Trump, but rather: I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work. It’s a stupid argument (no one can take away what he’s accomplished - historians will be kind to him), but he also places himself front and center. It’s not about him. It’s about the country and I thought Biden would put the country first.
I completely disagree, Kristy Koth. Biden’s career in politics, a span of five decades, speaks for itself regarding his dedication to public service and not just serving himself. A person who has experienced the personal losses he has wouldn’t easily lose sight of what’s important in life (like a certain billionaire born into wealth and privilege has).
No Democrat or Republican predicted that Biden would roll out the liberal policies he did in 2021. He signed, 1. The American Rescue Plan Act and extending existing Covid-19 programs, 2. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 3. Bills to avoid a Republican-sponsored government shutdown and two other smaller bills. I’m sure you know these bills included money for ordinary Americans to help get their finances in better shape.
He also signed executive orders, 1. Reversing Trump-era policies (stopping construction on the Border wall, reversing the anti-Muslim travel ban, embracing environmental policies, re-establishing international relationships damaged by Trump, and re-instituted a mask mandate in federal buildings which was a symbolic break with disastrous, lethal, and shameful Trump Covid policies, 2. Instituted vaccine requirements mandating Covid vaccinations (which SCOTUS blocked), 3. Gun control, 4. Climate targets, and 5. Improving government processes to better serve Americans.
These actions, contrary to everyone’s expectations except his own, were wildly successful. There was no guarantee of success. No American President (including the Democratic ones) from Reagan to Trump attempted it Biden undertook them not because he knew it would enhance his reputation, but because they were the policies that guided American government from the 1930s until the ultimately disastrous “Reagan Revolution” in the 1980s which brought an end to the prosperity of the American Middle and Working Classes which began in the 1940s and stole their modest accumulation of wealth. That wealth was siphoned off to the Wealthy class.
It was Biden’s conviction that those policies would be the answer to America’s sorry state after Trump’s administration. He was right, but so far, in 2024, Trump and his roughneck MAGA Libertarian revolutionaries have been able to convince millions of Americans that those policies are an evil socialist trap or that they never happened at all! That’s amazing, no? But you (after a brief nod to “history”) and many other Democrats don’t seem to recall this either and feel it would be appropriate now to dump him.
Lastly, according to today’s Letter From an American, “…George Stephanopoulos of ABC interviewed Biden without a teleprompter or notes, focusing only on Biden’s age without any questions about policy.” It could be that the interviewer was in control of the interview and only asked Biden to focus on himself and defend himself. In other words, he was guided to do what you criticize in his interview.
I have a great appreciation for all he’s done in an extremely polarized environment. He’s been a brilliant president. But I’m not going to pretend I didn’t see what I saw. And I watched the first part of Stephanopolis’ interview. Biden was much better there, but still didn’t make me feel ok about him continuing. This is arguably the most important job in the world. It shouldn’t be done by someone who needs to be in bed at 8pm. If he ends up being the nominee, I’ll support him, donate to his campaign, do phone banking and vote. But I’ll be damned if I’ll pretend like I didn’t see what I saw and be silent when we still have a chance to replace him.
Who are you going to replace Biden with and (given how election campaigns actually work) how will that person win?
There are several people polling better at the moment. But Harris stepping in would be easiest. This could absolutely energize the party. If it were opened up to a wider range of candidates, we’d be talking about dem policy from now until the convention and we’d get nonstop coverage. People who have soured on Biden could be brought back in and we could win some moderates who currently would rather not vote than vote for Trump or Biden.
But surely you’ve seen televised coverage of him at other events since? I believe the huge coverage of Biden’s debate performance is designed to cause doubt within the Democratic party. Divide and conquer is a winning strategy.
Yes, I’ve seen him since. He’s been better, but not great, frankly. Everyone’s grading him on a curve to try to convince themselves he’s ok. The media isn’t making this up. Lots of voters are very concerned and insiders in the party are now, too.
Ridin' with Biden. My husband, me, and ALL our friends.
Looks to us like some Democrats are short on courage as well as strategy.
Kristy, it’s not a stupid argument. How often have you seen anyone debate brilliantly with jet lag, a virus, on cold meds (likely Benadryl which can have serious cognitive side effects - as I can say from personal experience) and facing a hated rival who throws out hundreds of lies as if they were confetti. I just can’t imagine that that combination of factors wouldn’t throw anyone off their game - including all of us on this page.
He didn’t have a “bad” debate. It was a disaster. I literally felt sick to my stomach. As I wrote before, I’d been defending his decision to run for re-election. But I can’t pretend anymore that this is going to work out well. Why do we all keep acting like there’s no one else who could beat Trump? German friends think the Democrats don’t have any good people, since Biden’s the one we’re going with. But we have LOTS of great people. Biden squeaked it out in 2020 against the most corrupt and immoral president we’ve ever had. It’s quite possible that Whitmer, Harris, Buttigieg, Newsom, Klobuchar, Warnock, etc. would beat Trump by much bigger margins.
I am not yet 60 and I already see decline. I forget things more easily, I can’t power through at work as well, I get tired faster and stress is harder to shake off. And I’m not even 60!! Everyone’s different, of course and I’ve been amazed at how sharp Biden has remained. But there’s been a rapid decline since he’s been in office. You must see it.
Jetlag, etc. is not a good excuse for the poor debate performance. I had to turn off the Stephanopoulos interview after 10 minutes because it looked like Bden was being harassed and too painful to watch. he was using the technique that T had used during the debate – – don’t answer the questions, put out the points you want to make. For example, he did not clear up questions about the “cognitive test”— shorthand for we know what you have done but can you handle what;s coming.
I always thought that Biden had great advisors around him that could be counted on. But if they did not prepare him for T,s debate technique, given the mic being turned off and the 2minute limit, then I am worried about them.
And what I meant when I said that the argument was stupid was that he is implying that the dropping out after the bad debate performance would somehow negate all he’s done. That’s silly. His accomplishments in his first term remain great accomplishments, whether he gets a second term or not.
Ask yourself why haven’t Trump folks run a spot with Biden babbling incoherently from the debate? They do not want a change. Trump people are trapping, the day after Biden is nominated they will run Biden babbling at the debate in all important states non-stop and Trump will win and we lose democracy. The debate was not just a bad day, it was a demonstration of cognitive decline. Given the fear of Trump after immunity almost any reasonable choice that is younger and speaks well will unite us to beat Trump. Biden will have another bad day if nominated and we will lose to Trump.
There are tons of clips of Trump babbling incoherently at his rallies. Medias Touch Network runs them often. Is the media on our side? No. Will we win without working hard? No. But as Simon Rosenberg says, we have a far better candidate, far better organization, and a recent history of doing much better in actual elections than in the polls - it is better to be us than them. All that psychological agony is energy that can be channeled into work. In my case, into more postcards. It feels much better when used that way.
And so what if he does? CFDT (convicted felon Donald Trump) has a bad day every fucking day. But the MSM won't report it. CFDT had one of the worst debate performances of ALL time telling 602 lies -- one every 3.9 seconds according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. They PI is the ONLY media I know of that called for CFDT to step down. 51 million people watched at least some of the debate according to Nielsen ratings and after a week the polling needle has barely changed.
Read the transcript or better yet have 4 people read the parts in the transcript. Joe had a bad not but not as bad as CFDT.
I agree the former president is neither worthy or mentally capable of performing the job. I agree that he is mentally and morally unfit. Nonetheless President Biden has age related mental acuity decline and is unfit to serve. He must resign his position, give Mrs. Harris a chance and assist with choosing a suitable running mate.
Funny George, Will and others, so Heather Richardson can't see what you and so many others today are seeing? This anecdotal on Biden's "recent cognitive decline" now endless repeated ends up being a lie feeding on itself. That is generally not how cognitive decline works, and it seems now that "everyone" is going to be calling for a full-out brain exam. Maybe dementia? Think Biden now can't draw a clock showing 10 after 10? Ill stick with Heather, Simon and the Philadelphia Enquirer editorial board. Poll majorities say Biden esp is too old to be president, but when asked who they'll vote for, polls generally are giving a tie-up, barely budged since the debate. ... actually i stand corrected. Biden/Trump is back to Trump being a few points ahead in April before the State of the Union and economic improvement stepped in. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/ The worry will be if that negative variance continues to grow. For now it's within statistical error.
Frank Loomer, I appreciate your comment today. Will from Cal is a commenter I alway read, and his post today really saddens me. We are late in the game here, and I hesitate to support calls for changing the nominee, myself. The media want Biden to be old and addled, so they will assure that is the frame. Biden does not strike me ever as an egotist and “must hold on to the presidency”. But I would give him credit for thinking that strategically it would be better to hang on, instead of stepping back and allowing the media to foment -with Dem support- and of course the couch-sitters- a frenetic candidate switch. I’m sure there are a billion back-room-deals being swirled around trying to figure out the calculus of this equation. I personally am voting for an administration that has delivered wonderful results for the American average citizen. Will from Cal, I hear you, but I’m with Frank Loomer.
Thank you, Frank. You and I are in the same corner. Glad to have company.
Negativity and fear drive the Media Profit Machines. Positivity and hard work against Superlie CFDT is now the way to win. Fight back hard. Build the momentum, forget the media circus CNN put on, and either do something or quiet yourselves so others can get the job done.
This is a horse race at this point and the race has already started. The voters chose Biden and all of the lies and BS about Biden's mental acuity is just that - BS. The Republicans have absolutely NOTHING to run on except Hate Anger Resentment and Misinformation. The Trump record -- average time in the Oval Office -- about 4 hours a day and NOTHING that MADE AMERICAN GREAT. The Biden horse is still in a good position to win the race because the Trump horse has come up lame and the announcer hasn't noticed. They don't even have a VP picked out yet. And look at the possible choices. All of them are misogynistic white men who are more than happy to bow down to King Donald.
602 fucking lies CFDT told during the free-for-all CNN disaster-- one every 3.9 seconds. I can't in good conscience even call it a debate. That is an insult to anyone and everyone who has ever really debated and to all Americans.
Like many have said, I didn't vote for Joe Biden because of his superior speaking skills. But yet, Biden has given several of the best speeches since FDR. I don't care if he's reading the tele-prompter, and someone else wrote the words.
One single member of his cabinet has overseen over 60,000 infrastructure projects and waded through dozens of actual train-wrecks and a bridge collapsing into the bay of one of the busiest ports in the world. And CFDT's Secretary of Transportaion -- Elaine Chao did virtually nothing for four years. The only thing she did worth note was to quit her job on January 6th. Pretty low bar.
And this is just ONE cabinet member.
Don't fall into the trap where you believe the MSM's BS about Biden's mental acuity. Read the transcript of the debate and you'll see who won the debate.
Bravo, Gary Loft. ♥️
But if he remains and wins, THEN he can turn things over to Harris and we get her either way, without having to deal with the haters who just can’t put their finger on why they don’t like her—they just don’t. (I suspect they do but don’t want to say it out loud.)
Like the ones who couldn’t vote for Hillary.
Oh, are you trained to make that diagnosis, George Klingbell? I doubt it seriously because trained professionals don NOT slander people they have not examined professionally.
Perhaps YOU have age-related mental acuity decline. Tell me, how does it feel to receive that diagnosis without being examined by a professional?
Not so good, I would think.
I not only watched the debate, I read the entire transcript.
I agree with you, Gary.
Hypothetically Miselle, if you had only read the transcript would you be as concerned about Biden having read the transcript and seen the debate?
Probably not. Comparing the two, it is obvious that Trump avoided answering most questions and kept pounding "Immigration". I wish Biden would have brought up the bipartisan border bill that Trump killed.
I hate to see Biden looking old--but he is. Does that concern me? Only slightly. I am very concerned about Project 2025. I also have faith in our government should he be unable to fulfill his duties. I believe in his cabinet, Harris and his family. After all, our government was tested when JFK--our YOUNGEST POTUS--was shot.
Agreed. As much as I appreciate all of Biden's great work for us, his lapses will not improve over the next four years. If he is our nominee, I will vote for him without reservation. But millennials are the biggest voting block, and they're going to sit this one out if we don't get a younger person in there. We can't afford to lose the millennial vote. If millennials believe the polls that say 75% of voters want Biden to drop out, we're in trouble. There are candidates who could carry on Biden's good work AND not make Americans worry every day whether he is capable of handling the most demanding job in the world.
And yet, none of you can name who that magical person might be. Give us the name, just one.
Biden has chosen Governors Whitmer and Moore to head his governors association. I've heard Moore speak, and I feel his words bring hope and unity. He's a veteran and a doctor with degrees from Oxford and Johns Hopkins.
You jump over Harris as the head of the ticket and there is NO WAY we win.
Any one of the many Democratic Governors. All are popular, some are in their 2nd terms, & some are Governors of " must-win" states : Gov. Andy Beshear ( KY), Gov. Jared Polis (CO), Gov. Tony Evers (Wisc), Gov. Tim Walz (Minn), Gov. JB Prizker (ILL), Gov. Wes Moore (MD), Gov. Phil Murphy (NJ), Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA), Gov. Josh Shapiro ( PA), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ( Mich), Gov. Janet Mills, ( ME).
Any one of these excellent Democratic Senators: Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
Chris Murphy (CT), Cory Booker ( NJ) Sherrod Brown (OH), & either one of the 2 VA Senators, Tim Kaine & Mark Warner.
Low information and one-issue Dems who are not energized by Biden might feel like their vote is worthwhile with one of these candidates. They wouldn't have to hold their breath each time their president made a speech for the next four years, wondering if he could make it through.
Hakeem Jeffries
He wouldn’t do it.
I disagree that young people are going to sit this one out. Their numbers may drop, but they more than any demographic stand to lose if trump is elected, and I cannot believe that is lost on all of them.
My two millennials are definitely voting, it’s Gen Z that needs to understand what they give away if they don’t vote for the old guy. This group came of age in this toxic mess, they don’t know how it could be, and should be. Anyone who knows someone in that age group, I hope you are able to impress upon them how bad it could be if they don’t act, and vote blue.
I do hope that all people who do not want T will vote despite concerns. We have Kamala (who is accomplished) behind the president.
If millenials DON'T vote for Biden, I wonder if suddenly virginity will be all the rage? No legal contraceptives, no abortions. I'm 68, I well remember the stigma--always to the pregnant woman!--of premarital sex.
Welcome back to the world of sandwich-bag condoms.
Patricia, see my polls comment on the item before. Yes a majority say Biden is too old for them, but the voting preferences remain more or less tied. Americans at large think many leading politicians are "too old".
I agree with you. I am frustrated that people don't look at Trump, who is also old, and who doesn't finish a sentence or stay on track. Apparently, yelling forcefully negates that?
Millenial voters are the biggest age-wise voting block. Their top issue is the economy (VOX) and inflation is hitting them hard. Their feelings about Biden's choices are likely to make them apathetic voters. It's not so much about what Biden is doing, as what they think he's doing. Fifty-two percent said they would trust Trump over Biden to lower prices. Ageism aside, they are looking for someone different.
I think most are smarter than that.
The belief that a president can lower prices drives me nuts, especially as it comes from folks who are vocally opposed to communism.
I haven't heard that, Patricia S Duffy. The ones I know understand the existential threat of Trump and the MAGA-Republicans. THAT is the candidate they reject.
I am curious as to why they would trust Trump to lower prices. What evidence do they have for this?
As Joe would say, here’s the thing. If Biden drops out the candidate would probably be Harris. If Biden has a stroke or drops dead, he would be replaced by Harris. This Biden’s age thing has gotten worse than Hillary’s emails. Keep writing to the media and the voters that it’s time for everyone to closely scrutinize Trump. It’s not up to the NYT, CNN, to choose candidates. The voters need to make a choice based on which party would make America safer, healthier, more free, and bring our prosperity to everyone. The truth matters and Trump and the entire Republican Party are liars, cheats, racist, and misogynistic. The choice is clear. The media should report the facts.
Sirfartsalot, slept, farted and complained about the room being too cold, his way through incriminating testimony against him during his fraud trial. And there's rumors that he's incontinent. But he's better suited to be president????
Sorry to disagree, but most Americans are not as dumb as you think they are. Listen to his Wisconsin speech on July 5. That is NOT an example of cognitive decline.
They will play those moments on an endless loop.
Ridin' with Biden.
You were copying and pasting this comment repeatedly on a Robert Reich post, and now you’re doing it here. You’re either a bot, or the least original person on the planet. Reporting.
Dems have just as many clips of Trump babbling, and any words coming out of the Felon’s mouth are lies. Biden is not as strong as he once was, but there is plenty of time for him to decide to step-down in the year or so following his re-election, giving us a Harris presidency that could even result in her being elected for two additional terms. And, she can nominate whomever she wants to be her VP. Whitmer, Buttigieg, etc.
I follow your train of thought but totally disagree that there is a younger and reasonable alternative who has a better chance at beating TFG.
Thanks for the buck up
Will, Thank you for walking us through your mighty impressive evolution. I write mostly to note my concern that for increasingly more Democrats Biden increasingly appears resistant or unaware of the fact that he is in a dire situation here regarding the campaign. He seems either defensive or unwilling even to consider that he is losing in the view of many democrats and, frankly, also in the polls that show him losing to Donald Trump.
I fear the Joe Biden who emerged from his meandering debate performance, while talking to a lot of people, appears only to be listening to a very tight circle telling him again and again he can win.
As a final point, I would note a particularly alarming exchange from last night’s broadcast interview with George Stephanopoulis, wherein Stephanopoulis asked how he (Biden) will feel in January if he has lost to Donald Trump and all that he (Biden) has warned would happen came to pass. And this was Biden’s answer. He said, “I’ll feel, as long as I gave it my all and did the best job I know I can do, that that’s what this is about.”
Honestly, I can’t imagine how anyone possibly could square that reply with the inevitable consolidation of power that invariably would ensue under the auspices of a president eager and able to subjugate the rule of law to a single individual.
Agreed, Barbara Jo. I forgot to watch the interview last night (binge-warching the new Suits season) but saw pieces of it later, and read the transcript today. That's not going to change things around for him. I think the walls are coming down, and the floor is sinking.
I've been wondering lately if he hadn't lost his son, and he ran in 2016, would things have been different? I suspect they would have been.
Doug, Hard to know because you might recall that Obama had anointed Hillary as his successor. Still, I hope, against all odds, Biden sees past the bunker mentality that neither is serving the country nor himself.
Barbara Jo, you're correct. Beau died in May of 2015, and apparently Obama and his staff had some misgivings about Biden. This Politico article from Aug 2020 is helpful in understanding some of it (as well as mentioning Biden's tendency toward gaffes.):
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/14/obama-biden-relationship-393570
Barbara Jo: what would you have him say? Stepanopolis’ question was a trap. Biden would look bad either way he answered. Would it be more politically acceptable is he said “It would all be my fault and I’ll go to me grave knowing I was wrong”? It wouldn’t be all his fault anyway - there would be plenty of blame to go around: MSM, Russian/Chinese interference, social media bots, Citizens United, voter suppression, gerrymandering…..the list goes on and on. Not one of these anti-democratic forces alone would determine the election. But put them all together? It’s amazing we could ever win.
Marge, In response to your question, and given the stakes, I will restate the reply that ran through my mind (note that it doesn’t accept the premise) before Biden spoke. It went something like: “I would be devastated, but that won’t happen. If I weren’t confident I could defeat Trump, I wouldn’t run.” This statement would be followed by relatable evidence that galvanized all of us to rally around Biden. In my view, if Biden is unable to think and speak extemporaneously in said manner, he shouldn’t run.
You are allowing the opposition - namely, media undercutting Biden - to control you. Biden not only has an excellent record including being chosen by some 90 per cent of primary voters, he is also our very best chance to beat Trump and his Project 2025 fascist crew. My father’s generation had to fight an actual war against fascists. They lost some of the battles, but they persisted and they won. All we have to do is ignore a lot of garbage so-called news reporting and do our part to turn out the vote! That includes urging all Democrats to vote for every office on the ballot, top to bottom.
Spread the word. One way is through social media. Stats show that Gen Z get most of their news that way. The DNC has a "social ambassador" program using REACH to disseminate info. https://democrats.org/share/
FT6 uses social storming. https://social.fieldteam6.org/toolkit/815435f9-454f-446d-a1ce-5fd7a4188713
Here' are the orders for today. Enlarge the base. https://danielsolomon.substack.com/p/enlarge-the-base
What is REACH?
https://democrats.org/reach/vr/
Thanks. I was searching for the word in all caps. I had gone to the DNC website but didn't see it. Now I know why. Terrific strategy.
Joan, while I agree with you on most of your points, when the flood tide is rising it's time to get to higher ground or get into a lifeboat. Perception sometimes is reality. Biden's high point in this campaign was the SOTU; since then, he has lost his voice (figuratively and literally.) I love the guy and greatly admire and respect all he has done, but we all want to save Democracy, and must find the best person in this moment to carry that message of hope and fight. I'm afraid as the campaign wears on, Biden will sound weaker and more frail, and will lose. WE will lose. It breaks my heart to say that, but I think it's time to find someone who will inspire all of us to do as your last sentence implores.
if people are voting on personality, you are correct. However, those of us who treasure democracy AND understand that a vote for Trump is a vote for authoritarian rule AND that our Constitution has provisions if a POTUS cannot fulfill duties (think JFK, that YOUNG POTUS) we will be fine.
I'm voting Biden even if he is on life-support.
I agree, Miselle, and will if Biden's name is on the November ballot, but I worry about the folks who don't believe either the D or R candidate suits them, and will refrain from voting. We need a candidate who will *inspire the masses*, and I've just come to the realization that Joe Biden won't do that -- his accomplishments are historic, but he can't run on that alone, he must run on the future. Harris can do both.
Thank you, Joan, for being an intrepid voice of reason in these comments.
I have tried my best to come to terms with Biden’s debate debacle. The double-standard in news coverage between Biden’s age and Trump’s megalomania and the lack of headlines over Project 2025 has infuriated me. But here we are. I agree with you that we need to move on from Biden in order to win this election. The survival of our country is at stake. How will we feel on January 6, 2025 if Trump wins? I will be terrified and I won’t be saying “Well, Joe tried his best.” His best is not good enough now.
Imagine how re-energized the race would be if Kamala, someone from a NEW generation, was suddenly contrasted with “old guy Trump”. She is smart and tough and COULD stand up to him in a debate.
I hope Biden does the right thing and bows out. That said, I will vote for ANYONE who is on the ticket to stop Trump and his minions.
Anne -- I completely agree, and just wrote a comment that echoes yours. Kamala Harris was the only candidate whose rally in the 2020 NH primary I attended, and was extremely impressed. She has the name recognition, the intelligence, the wit, and can connect culturally with younger voters whom she could inspire to Save Democracy while carrying forward the progress the Biden/Harris generation has made. I think a Harris/? ticket would be CF45's nightmare.
And Trump, in a golf cart with his 18-year-old son Barron at his side, called Kamala "a f...ing bitch," suggesting he is afraid of her as an opponent and a woman."
I haven't seen that, but did see a bumper sticker last week that spoke of defeating "Joe and the Ho". DISGUSTING!!!
Racist and misogynistic, simultaneously. Classic MAGA.
That phrase is common with MAGAs.
What did you want Biden to say? To tell liberals to storm the capitol?
Biden's mental health may be in decline, but I do not believe people are abandoning him in droves. I, for one, am not. He's still got an excellent team behind him and, even in mental decline, he is exponentially more capable than trump - who BTW is in serious/dangerous mental decline himself. Instead of pronouncing that Biden should drop out, it would be helpful if you said IF he drops out, you will support whomever his replacement is.
I completely agree. 100%. Someone please make him see sense and step down. He has a wonderful legacy. And for those out there (outside this group, no doubt) who see a call for Biden to step down as an endorsement for Trump -- no -- quite the reverse. We are looking for the best chance to beat Trump. Please, Joe, it's time to go.
Will, from Cal: When the going gets tough- the weak drop out. The last time a Presidential nominee (Joe almost is) dropped out in the 11th hour- which this is- the party lost. We should NOT switch horses now, Joe and Kamala have done a great job.
It takes a big, confident person to do a 180 on a subject so important. Thank you, Will.
I began watching the interview last night with high hopes that my feelings could be changed, that my confidence in Biden's "winnability" would be restored.
That did not happen. Biden is in a place of denial and unreality. I am really, really disappointed and now even more terrified. He can't speak clearly. He is going to lose.
I am sure that Bidens ability to guide the country is still there. But it hiding behind a mask that is fumbling for words and can't put cohesive ideas together in sentences.
Earth to Joe. Step away now. IT IS NOT TOO LATE. For most of our history candidates were chosen at the convention. Start the vetting NOW.
Based on Joe's interview last night, if he were my Dad, I wouldn't let him drive himself home.
Bill, you might not let your Dad drive himself home based on his performance (likely on antihistamines) in a debate, and while most major racing teams rely on much younger drivers with quick reflexes and bold driving skills, every one of the successful teams is organized and directed by an older guy with wisdom and experience.
I sadly agree, Bill.
Will I'm really disappointed. Didn't think the bullshit would get to you, but it did. Yes I read your thoughts, kinda had the same argument with my 22 year old - but here we are.... July 2024 with an election in November. Love the cheerleaders of democracy.
A difficult question perhaps, but have you asked if your 22 year old is sexually active? The concepts of democracy and foreign policy might be of little concern, but the inability to avoid pregnancy and STDs might make a difference. Project 2025 will not allow for legal contraceptives, and offers no support to poor working families. (And what 22 year old can afford housing AND daycare?) It's not just females, a lot of young men might find themselves on the hook for child support for the next 18 years. And a lot of retired grandparents suddenly providing 40+ hours of childcare per week.
Progressive radio has several excellent voices for the Democrats and the Independents and even progressive Republicans (that may be an oxymoron). It is available on SIruis/XM channel 127 so if you've given up hope for the losers at CNN take a listen. And call in as well. John Fugelsang is brilliant and not in the way CFDT calls Putin brilliant. He is well spoken and a really good listener. Dean Obeidallah, Stephanie Miller and others are also very good. They all listen and last night five of the hosts were together and they all said the same thing. Their listeners support Joe Biden 100%. Here's a link to listen to Progressive radio if it isn't available where you live.
https://onlineradiobox.com/us/prnfm/
Amen and Hallelujah. Standing Ovation to everything you wrote here.
https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/weekend-lessons-from-astronomy?r=apy04&utm_medium=ios
I’d vote for Biden in a coma before I’d vote for Trump, but the “middle” and independents will not. And we cannot win without those people. As others have stated — we will win or lose on a radon thin margin and Biden’s already thin poll numbers have gotten worse after the debate. You cannot have seen the debate and think Biden is ok. And if he’s like this now, how will he be in 4 years?!?! The people we need on our side are asking themselves that very question and the answer is clear. It’s time to step aside Joe.
In hindsight we can all see that RBG should have stepped down, but she did not and that hubris led directly to turning over Roe by a 5-4 margin. Hubris is going to bite us in the behind again if don’t make a move NOW.
Someone asked, why isn’t Trump running ads of Joe babbling during the debate? Simple. They don’t want Joe to drop out of the race and running those ads now would push us to make a change. They are saving those ads for after our convention - when we are really stuck with Biden.
Biden thinks he’s the only one who could beat Trump. Seriously??? They field a narcissistic, convicted felon, who tried to overthrow the last election and there’s no one in our party except Biden that can beat him?? Seriously? That’s ridiculous.
I honestly do believe that there is no replacement for Biden at this late date, and I have faith that people who understand a vote is NOT for merely a person but for an administration will vote accordingly.
Please consider a Harris/Gov Whitmer ticket. Some pundits are suggesting this. Both are well-qualified with administrative experience. Given Dobbs and 60-70% in opposition, a double woman ticket will have us roaring. Harris's mixed black and Asian American heritage will also please the voters who want diversity.
Absolutely agree! Harris/Whitmer would be a winning ticket! How many countries have had expert woman leaders, yet U.S. has not had one! These two are sharp, witty, highly intelligent women who young people would be very excited to campaign for!
No. We must unflinchingly face facts about Biden's fitness. If you want to keep Trump out (as we all do), we need someone who can beat him. Biden has shown that he can't. The people that will determine this election - a razor thin swath of swing voters in swing states need to feel confident in their choice. People do not vote rationally; they vote viscerally on 'vibes'. As Bill Clinton said 'Strong and wrong beats weak and right'. We need to face the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. Ignore the polls at your (and our peril).
Eleanor Mayrhofer, how exactly has Biden shown he can’t beat Trump? He won the election, his administration has been far more effective, etc. Are you really disregarding all of that?
I'm not arguing that his presidency hasn't been effective. It has, that is besides the point. I'm pointing to the only indicators about the FUTURE that we have. Cratering numbers in the polls and voters (many of them Dem voters!) saying over and over in focus groups that they are unenthused and now will sit out the election. I'm not saying it's fair, it's just how it is. The people with actual information on this are Nate Silver and Sarah Longwell. Shaking our fists at people who 'don't get it' will not win an election.
Sorry to make a sports analogy, but if your star player gets an injury in the 4th quarter, you don't say 'But he's made so many goals already, let's see if he can squeak it out' you replace him with someone stronger who can actually win the game.
Millions of people have voted for President Biden to be the Democratic Party nominee. Those who say he should drop out are saying they're okay with nullifying those votes.
But let's say he decides to release his delegates. Then what? Does the nomination go automatically to Vice President Harris? Hardly. A resignation would trigger an internecine war for the nomination that would leave the party in tatters and, basically, hand the presidency to Trump.
Finally, please remember that THE ONLY POLLS THAT COUNT ARE THE ONES WHERE WE CAST OUR BALLOTS.
There was really no alternative in the primary, Dean Phillips? Come on. The presidency is already Trumps for the taking. Everyone on this thread and reading this will vote for Biden. That's not who we need to worry about.
Yep. Your speaking my language
Who is Dean Phillips? I'm serious. I know he was a candidate for a hot minute but who was he, a two-term backbencher member of Congress, to challenge an incumbent president with whom he voted 100% of the time?
Biden and his minions are handing the presidency and likely the Senate and House to the fascists....not their conscious intention but Biden's ego comes before the well being of the populace on this one. LBJ had the good sense to know it was his time to go and the dumb Democratic establishment dumped Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy for the other Egg past his expiration date, Hubert Humphrey and the Republicans have made hay ever since. Corporate Democrats are Republicans in sheep clothing. They need to ousted and progressive Democrats in the spirit of Lincoln, FDR and JFK need to turned to.
Biden is far more progressive than FDR. One lousy evening - in which Biden actually won if you judge by reading the transcript - and you give up? That’s no way to win anything. So what if the media are in a frenzy? They don’t vote. Instead of giving in, fight back.
President Biden has been the most consequential president since FDR, full stop. Yes, he isn't as sharp in public as he once was but that doesn't concern me because I know that the real work of a presidency is at the departments lead by the president's choice of secretary or director.
Did you forget that Robert Kennedy was assassinated months before the Democratic convention? As for the "establishment" dumping McCarthy, it was an open primary. Did the vice president have a leg up in terms of winning delegates? Yes. But McCarthy couldn't convert the enthusiasm of his supporters into delegates and Humphrey got the nom.
JFK was remarkable in many ways but I don't think history will remember him as a "progressive" Democrat.
PS - I get really annoyed when I see the phrase" Corporate Democrat." To me that denigrates the millions of people who earn their living working for corporations large and small. It's especially annoying since Citizens United, which blew the lid off limits to political donations in order to benefit Republicans. which it has, in spades.
Centrists and Liberals like you can always be relied upon to defend the status quo. Trump is pulling even further ahead in the polls and Biden has as much chance of catching up or beating him in the electoral college as a turtle has in outrunning a fox. Not only is Biden deteriorating at an alarming pace but his enabling of the genocide in Gaza shows him to be a man of moral bankruptcy and a fossilization completely incompatible with the Age of Collapse and the restive formation of a new World Order as the West collapses into the ashes of its neoliberal fantasies. The rich are getting richer, the powerful are increasing their authoritarianism and the people are turning away from the inept and spineless policies that are leaving more than 90% of us facing death as debt slaves.
So, Dr Bryan A. Schwartz, do you not acknowledge that Kamala Harris has Biden’s back as his VP? If circumstances follow that Biden is unable to fulfill his presidential duties, Harris will competently assume the duties of President as Biden intended. Win, win!!
ok then, vote in Trump, his policy on Gaza is let the Israelis "end it"... that is bs about Biden "deteriorating at an alarming rate"
What you are ignoring here, is that Biden is taking effective action against the authoritarians and the concentration of wealth and power. You’d rather have a progressive as president. Fine, continue working towards it. But don’t abandon the far better choice to the alternative because it’s not what you really want.
Whether you like it or not (for the record I don't), this is the breakdown of American political ideology by percent:
Moderate = 37
Conservative = 36
Liberal = 25
That's why I get so annoyed with the far left and the far right: they make assumptions about the strength of their arguments and support.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/388988/political-ideology-steady-conservatives-moderates-tie.aspx
It's all well and good to point out Biden's deficits but who do you propose as an alternative candidate? Who has the experience and name recognition to hit the ground running? Who has been deeply vetted so that there aren't any landmines? And, of course, who has the money? Before you answer, keep in mind the reality that Biden leaving would lead to an internecine war to replace him.
I love the Palestinian people and my heart breaks daily for all that's happening to them in Gaza and the West Bank. It hurts also that Biden has been so blind to that suffering. But, and this is a big but, I know that allowing Trump anywhere near the White House means even more suffering, both for Gazans but also for Muslims living in the US, whether they're citizens or not (not to mention all the persons of color that his storm troopers are going to assume are "illegal."
C’mon man! Nullifying votes? How “nullified” will we all feel when Trump returns to the White House.
MisTBlu, Biden was the only choice on the ticket, as he wasn't primaried, and let's not forget at that point he was riding on the strength of his SOTU. The decline has been post-primaries, and as the months of campaigning wear on, as well as the duties of the Office, I fear will be even more apparent this fall. And I'm sad to say this.
Fun facts: The first 2024 "Super Tuesday" was March 3. The SOTU was March 7. Also, we don't primary our incumbent presidents so, of course, he won. Also, many of those votes for him were write-ins as he wasn't on the ballot.
I gave you a “like” despite your reference to Nate Siver, whom I cannot stand. 😀
I'll take any likes I can get! I like Nate Silver, but that's immaterial. Like him or hate him, he's got the numbers.
I don’t trust the numbers.
I don't put much faith in polls.