If it comes down to a choice between Biden and any Republican, Biden should be supported. I didn't vote for him in the primary. But Joe Biden has wildly exceeded my expectations. And reading that speech brought a chill to my spine and a tear to my eye. It is a piece of art. It is an example of superior leadership and courage. And it was …
If it comes down to a choice between Biden and any Republican, Biden should be supported. I didn't vote for him in the primary. But Joe Biden has wildly exceeded my expectations. And reading that speech brought a chill to my spine and a tear to my eye. It is a piece of art. It is an example of superior leadership and courage. And it was spot on accurate.
But as one who is approaching Biden's age and consider myself in very good health, I think he should step away and let someone from the next generation run for president. 80 is not the new 60. It's not even the new 70. Anyone who claims otherwise is in a fantasy world.
IMO, Joe Biden has some flaws. He has a stutter and produces "gaffes". He has German Shepherds that bite people. He has a son who has messed up. He made a couple of regrettable political mistakes decades ago. But he has a myriad of positive features. In summary, he is right on almost every subject I can think of. He leads the nation as a uniting force. And his international posture and performance is second to none. If he is the nominee, I will scream my support for him.
But Joe has one more flaw. It takes an enormous ego to enter politics. It takes an even bigger one to think you should be the president. And it takes a super huge ego to think that you are the only one who can lead this nation away from disaster during a second term.
There are dozens of extremely talented younger politicians in the Democratic Party who could run for president and win. And be excellent presidents in the mold of Joe Biden. People who are or have been Governors, Senators, House members, mayors, and cabinet members. (No "business men"...please!)
And yet, we fail to consider the process of choice - of democracy. You can still say that Joe Biden is one of the finest presidents in our history - and consider someone else for the job. Why are we so afraid of the process? Are we afraid that we will look like a divided Democratic Party if we participate in the democratic process of choosing a leader? That's not a weakness. Having a competitive primary should be standard procedure and should be viewed as a strength and a commitment to our ideals.
And here is THE biggest reason an alternative to Joe Biden should be considered. The success of November 5, 2024 hangs on the degree to which Gen Y and Gen Z show up to vote. Yes, many will vote for Biden. But if you think they are excited about Biden, you are smoking something fun and have left for la la land.
And if they "Chill and Netflix" rather than voting for an old guy, the whole ticket from federal offices, to state races and even your local town officials could be lost.
If Joe is the nominee, I will walk across hot coals to vote for him. But we should face facts. America IS a culture that worships youth over sagacity. And it's totally their planet real soon. Let them take the baton before it's too late and our generation is blamed for hanging on too long.
I hope you understand the spirit with which I mentioned those items. I meant it as sarcasm. I speak as one whose dogs killed a neighbor's chickens and who understands that nobody can create and control the perfect kids. Basically, if those were his greatest flaws, he borders on being super human.
1st: President Biden's German Shepherd is a Police Dog, a GUARD dog! -- trained to protect. I'm wondering if the dog looks upon the Secret Service as being aggressive toward him (Commander) because they're also trained to protect the President. Worth thinking about.
2nd: The President's "flaws"?? Stutters and gaffes?? Good grief, man! He learned how to control/manage his stutter as a young child! And his gaffes have been gaffing for YEARS, and accepted. "That's just Joe." Perfection (even physical perfection, whatever that is) is not a requirement for the job. Is Tammy Duckworth's condition as a paraplegic a "flaw" because she can't stand up behind a podium?
3rd: "Enormous Ego" ?? Yes, he entered the race for the presidency, but it was Representative Clyburn's support for his nomination that put him over the top -- not VP Biden's ego. In my opinion, his humility is actually what stands out. He never promotes himself, nor regrettably until very recently his accomplishments. Nor has the Press, wanting him to just go quietly away. Fortunately, he is now putting VP Harris, and *their* accomplishments, into the light, as is FINALLY the Press. She will make a __great__ president when her time comes.
4th: Please name at least three (more if you wish) younger Democrat politicos whom you would encourage to run for President now. I'm interested to learn who your favorites are. I have one or two faves, but not for now. (I can think of a few whom I would NOT recommend but who obviously want the job.)
(Thanks for this opportunity to vent my own opinions!)
I meant "flaws" as a sarcasm. Because if that's as bad as it gets, aren't we lucky?
I am a dog person. I love them all. Mostly. Commander and Major just have been doing their jobs as they view it. And when Joe goofs up some words, I remind myself that he is still doing better than most and certainly expresses himself with humility and a graceful passion.
There was only one really salient point in my post. And that is my worry that young people may not show up to vote.
Who?
Whitmer
Booker
Duckworth
Brown
Abrams
Whitehouse
Buttigieg
Almost any Democratic governor
And personally I would sleep really well if Harris was president :)
Bill, thanks for your clarification. Your "sarcasm" absolutely did NOT come through. At all. You wrote, "IMO, Joe Biden has some flaws." I thought IMO means "In My Opinion"? Yeh, you've gotta work on that.
I would support a few of your choices listed. (Can't vouch for "almost any Democratic governor", as I need names.) My favorite is Pete Buttigieg, hands down! Has been since he was Mayor Pete. But I think it's still too early for him. 2028.
Bill, you know what I hear from younger people? They are with us. For them it is not so much an agism thing as it is a matter of young and old working together. Why in the world are people here talking so much about how old Biden is, or debating whether that is a good thing or a handicap? We ARE training up a whole bunch of young people who are busy working and learning. They will be ready when we need them. Right now the best are at the local level and starting to emerge at state level.
We here get too hung up on what is happening in Washington to see what is going on at other levels. That distorts our view of history in the making. I am just as unnerved by what is happening right now as any body else. But everytime I look around, I see young people, young adults, middleaged people, older folks all doing what they can, our little bits adding up. It will bear fruit. But everytime somebody decides that they want to sound like a pundit and denigrate something that is infused with hope, they demean all those people doing their bit. Yes, America is just emerging from an era in which "youthfulness" or the appearance thereof was sold to us. That's changing. Please take a look around and see it, We are not substituting for them: we are simply leading the way out of the morass that was created while we were coming of age. We are all working together on this.
Well, thank you, Bill. I appreciate that fine complement. I've always preferred working behind the scenes to elective office, though I've on occasion been on the team. Somehow I just became chair of our local town Dem committee, which is mostly administrative stuff. But this is the first time in years that we've actually had an active committee. I have decades of experience working with and guiding groups, both as a citizen volunteer and a professional, and have made delegate to two state conventions, but I'm nervous about this one. Got a great group of people, and I hope I can help them really go.
I can only hope there are many who did not vote for him last time who, like you, have changed their opinions, and will vote for him next time. I do not think he thinks he is the only person...I think he believes he is the best person to beat Donald Trump this go round.
If it comes down to a choice between Biden and any Republican, Biden should be supported. I didn't vote for him in the primary. But Joe Biden has wildly exceeded my expectations. And reading that speech brought a chill to my spine and a tear to my eye. It is a piece of art. It is an example of superior leadership and courage. And it was spot on accurate.
But as one who is approaching Biden's age and consider myself in very good health, I think he should step away and let someone from the next generation run for president. 80 is not the new 60. It's not even the new 70. Anyone who claims otherwise is in a fantasy world.
IMO, Joe Biden has some flaws. He has a stutter and produces "gaffes". He has German Shepherds that bite people. He has a son who has messed up. He made a couple of regrettable political mistakes decades ago. But he has a myriad of positive features. In summary, he is right on almost every subject I can think of. He leads the nation as a uniting force. And his international posture and performance is second to none. If he is the nominee, I will scream my support for him.
But Joe has one more flaw. It takes an enormous ego to enter politics. It takes an even bigger one to think you should be the president. And it takes a super huge ego to think that you are the only one who can lead this nation away from disaster during a second term.
There are dozens of extremely talented younger politicians in the Democratic Party who could run for president and win. And be excellent presidents in the mold of Joe Biden. People who are or have been Governors, Senators, House members, mayors, and cabinet members. (No "business men"...please!)
And yet, we fail to consider the process of choice - of democracy. You can still say that Joe Biden is one of the finest presidents in our history - and consider someone else for the job. Why are we so afraid of the process? Are we afraid that we will look like a divided Democratic Party if we participate in the democratic process of choosing a leader? That's not a weakness. Having a competitive primary should be standard procedure and should be viewed as a strength and a commitment to our ideals.
And here is THE biggest reason an alternative to Joe Biden should be considered. The success of November 5, 2024 hangs on the degree to which Gen Y and Gen Z show up to vote. Yes, many will vote for Biden. But if you think they are excited about Biden, you are smoking something fun and have left for la la land.
And if they "Chill and Netflix" rather than voting for an old guy, the whole ticket from federal offices, to state races and even your local town officials could be lost.
If Joe is the nominee, I will walk across hot coals to vote for him. But we should face facts. America IS a culture that worships youth over sagacity. And it's totally their planet real soon. Let them take the baton before it's too late and our generation is blamed for hanging on too long.
"He has German Shepherds that bite people" and has "a son who has messed up" are Biden's flaws?! Come on.
I hope you understand the spirit with which I mentioned those items. I meant it as sarcasm. I speak as one whose dogs killed a neighbor's chickens and who understands that nobody can create and control the perfect kids. Basically, if those were his greatest flaws, he borders on being super human.
OK. I guess I didn't recognize the sarcasm!
Funny, my wife often says the same thing. I have work on it.
No worries Bill. I would never, ever vote for a Republican.
Bill Alstrom:
1st: President Biden's German Shepherd is a Police Dog, a GUARD dog! -- trained to protect. I'm wondering if the dog looks upon the Secret Service as being aggressive toward him (Commander) because they're also trained to protect the President. Worth thinking about.
2nd: The President's "flaws"?? Stutters and gaffes?? Good grief, man! He learned how to control/manage his stutter as a young child! And his gaffes have been gaffing for YEARS, and accepted. "That's just Joe." Perfection (even physical perfection, whatever that is) is not a requirement for the job. Is Tammy Duckworth's condition as a paraplegic a "flaw" because she can't stand up behind a podium?
3rd: "Enormous Ego" ?? Yes, he entered the race for the presidency, but it was Representative Clyburn's support for his nomination that put him over the top -- not VP Biden's ego. In my opinion, his humility is actually what stands out. He never promotes himself, nor regrettably until very recently his accomplishments. Nor has the Press, wanting him to just go quietly away. Fortunately, he is now putting VP Harris, and *their* accomplishments, into the light, as is FINALLY the Press. She will make a __great__ president when her time comes.
4th: Please name at least three (more if you wish) younger Democrat politicos whom you would encourage to run for President now. I'm interested to learn who your favorites are. I have one or two faves, but not for now. (I can think of a few whom I would NOT recommend but who obviously want the job.)
(Thanks for this opportunity to vent my own opinions!)
I meant "flaws" as a sarcasm. Because if that's as bad as it gets, aren't we lucky?
I am a dog person. I love them all. Mostly. Commander and Major just have been doing their jobs as they view it. And when Joe goofs up some words, I remind myself that he is still doing better than most and certainly expresses himself with humility and a graceful passion.
There was only one really salient point in my post. And that is my worry that young people may not show up to vote.
Who?
Whitmer
Booker
Duckworth
Brown
Abrams
Whitehouse
Buttigieg
Almost any Democratic governor
And personally I would sleep really well if Harris was president :)
Hakeem Jeffries would be Awesome as POTUS!
Bill, thanks for your clarification. Your "sarcasm" absolutely did NOT come through. At all. You wrote, "IMO, Joe Biden has some flaws." I thought IMO means "In My Opinion"? Yeh, you've gotta work on that.
I would support a few of your choices listed. (Can't vouch for "almost any Democratic governor", as I need names.) My favorite is Pete Buttigieg, hands down! Has been since he was Mayor Pete. But I think it's still too early for him. 2028.
Pete's the smartest of the bunch
Bill, you know what I hear from younger people? They are with us. For them it is not so much an agism thing as it is a matter of young and old working together. Why in the world are people here talking so much about how old Biden is, or debating whether that is a good thing or a handicap? We ARE training up a whole bunch of young people who are busy working and learning. They will be ready when we need them. Right now the best are at the local level and starting to emerge at state level.
We here get too hung up on what is happening in Washington to see what is going on at other levels. That distorts our view of history in the making. I am just as unnerved by what is happening right now as any body else. But everytime I look around, I see young people, young adults, middleaged people, older folks all doing what they can, our little bits adding up. It will bear fruit. But everytime somebody decides that they want to sound like a pundit and denigrate something that is infused with hope, they demean all those people doing their bit. Yes, America is just emerging from an era in which "youthfulness" or the appearance thereof was sold to us. That's changing. Please take a look around and see it, We are not substituting for them: we are simply leading the way out of the morass that was created while we were coming of age. We are all working together on this.
I hope with all my heart that your observations reflect a trend. I love the optimism and spirit in your comment. I'd vote for YOU.
Well, thank you, Bill. I appreciate that fine complement. I've always preferred working behind the scenes to elective office, though I've on occasion been on the team. Somehow I just became chair of our local town Dem committee, which is mostly administrative stuff. But this is the first time in years that we've actually had an active committee. I have decades of experience working with and guiding groups, both as a citizen volunteer and a professional, and have made delegate to two state conventions, but I'm nervous about this one. Got a great group of people, and I hope I can help them really go.
I can only hope there are many who did not vote for him last time who, like you, have changed their opinions, and will vote for him next time. I do not think he thinks he is the only person...I think he believes he is the best person to beat Donald Trump this go round.