This appears to be a contentious issue, so I am going to let you readers have at it without my jumping in and liking or commenting. With the sole exception of someone who decided to use the comments in my column to reprint a post from his own Substack. Never again. If you want more readers get them yourself, don't poach readers from me. Stop it, or I will block you. In fact, I have decided to take down your comment.
It is indeed a contentious issue, but it shouldn't be - makes me borderline insane. Whether Biden is too old or not, too muddled or not, too beatable or not is entirely beside the point. Democrats are supposed to be the sane, rationals ones, yet none of these idiots trying to push out Biden is giving a second thought to what comes after throwing out the baby. How on god's green earth do you spin up a presidential campaign, raise the necessary funds, and build its infrastructure in less than 4 months? It's not an option, and yet there they are grinding their axes and dipping their spears in poison. Assholes.
As for the poacher, you're being awfully kind by simply removing their comment. I kinda wish you would out them - regardless of what interesting things they may have to say (or not) I'd be horrified to unwittingly loan my eyeballs to someone who has tried to steal from the best writer on substack bar none.
The other thing they aren't paying attention to *who* comes after Biden gets pushed out. The only real option is VP Harris, who in my opinion would make a very good president, but the U.S. electorate includes plenty of closet racists and sexists. I'm not talking about the right wing either. Biden has liabilities. Harris has liabilities. So far they've made an excellent team. I'm voting for them, not the anonymous sources or the media who amplify them.
With you, Susanna. However, the racists, sexists, xenophobes, and homophobes aren’t so much in the closet these days. They’re out and proud, and making no bones about it. *Rump has given his blessing to hate, which has grown into a pandemic. Should Harris become the nominee, I already cringe at the level of vitriol the deplorables will level at her. At the very least, we now know much more about how many deplorables are out there, and that alone is deplorable.
My hunch is that if/when we're able to trace the sources of the anti-Biden storm surge, several of them will lead to the national Democratic organizations. Too many apparatchiks freaking out and unable to come up with a coherent plan.
You just hit the nail on the head. The DNC has largely been dysfunctional since they booted Howard Dean. Looks like an old country club board of directors along with the 'secret handshake.'
And while I'm at it, I'll offer my humble opinion of their motivation. The US of Anxiety really, really needs another war. We got rid of all our old shit and gave it to the Ukrainians. Now what?
The problem (as they see it) is that Biden is one of the few people with the standing, history, and relationships that could prevent that next conflict. He's too damn close to peace, and peace does not improve the bottom line.
In fact FUCK THE PRESS. The American Media is acting like the German media that put Hitler in power in that they are not realizing what life for them will be like under Hitler or Trump, or Mussolini, or Putin, or Orban. Journalists can look forward to lives in prison at best, execution at worst if they don't please him. The people drafting Project 2025, and the ones in charge of implementing it, including Trump himself are not people who have a problem with executing others. They are treasonous to our constitution and that people can have such misconceptions of age, the only negative about Biden, is showing me how many stupid people there are. I guess because there is longevity in my family, and around me, I just do not view age as the death knell that others do. Friends who have lost someone to cancer okay, because suffering that might skew your view, but my 90 year old mother is living amongst others in her senior residence who are still independent in their mid-90s like Warren Buffett, whom no one is asking to step down. Why? Because his company is still making them wealthy. Well, Biden is running the USA an even bigger company and it is making people wealthy too. He is so successful everyone should be afraid for him to be gone, and beg him to stay until his last breath. He is not only making people wealthy, but he is making more people wealthy and in the right ways. That is something the Republican party whomever they have cannot offer.
When these over-educated, under-intelligent, otherwise-unemployable Ivy League trust fund babies are staring out from the wrong side of the barbed wire at the "re-education camp" in West Texas Trump's minions sent them to, it'll be nothing they don't deserve in spades.
Click bait is more important than balance and truth. Why did the USA let its' press get this way! Our FCC needs updating and better oversight of ownership and not by Trump. In Germany every citizen pays a small monthly bill for television and radio media. It is also better trusted than the US press. Print media is diverse. A mix of left, center and right.
IMO, overturning Citizens United is more important than updating the FCC. Bringing back civics education would probably help too, and not just in the schools.
Susanna, I totally agree. When I was teaching I always taught Civics to my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, as well as high schoolers. It was woven into my whole year. Most of my colleagues did not teach civics, nor did they practice it. They were much more interested in compliance than questioning and deep thought, which was how they lived too.
I was lucky, but OTOH I was born in 1951. My classroom education was very good throughout. My English and history teachers in particular both asked questions and encouraged us to ask them. I had civics in junior high, then was in the Debate Club in a high school. It's no surprise that the students who survived the Parkland shooting are on the national stage now: their high school had strong programs in government and theater. (I wonder how they're managing with DeSantis's crackdown on anything that encourages thinking.)
They lost 50% of their viewers and readers since 2020 and the intergalactic widgetmakers who own them have declared they must become "profiitable" so the widgetmakers can sell them to the first rube who comes along and thinks they still have value.
I have suggested to the White House that the Biden Campaign should have the slogan DEMOCRATS LIVE LONGER SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, WORRY ABOUT THE OTHER GUY! Then they should be touting all of the Democratic programs that help people live longer such as abortion access as part of women's health care, medical research funding, environmental laws, heat protection laws, early childhood education, more pay, work protections, etc... That could give the press something to chew on, although they are so lazy about getting clicks that I don't know what can get them off of trashing Biden's age and not Trump's.
Not to mention Putin's troll farms have begun cranking out the whispers and lies as well. Never forget that Donny's little friend and manipulator Vlad would LOVE to see his favorite puppet back in the White House.
You know what? Biden is NOT fine. He is frail and not on his game. Look at some clips of him
(not the ones where he's shouting at a rally, but ones where he's speaking. He cannot operate *without* a teleprompter - and the ABC interview submitted the questions before hand!
Does using a teleprompter or being able to come up with snappy answers to Trump have anything to do with being an effective president? It's about planning, listening to your staff, making decisions and negotiating. These are all things Biden has proven to me he is excellent at doing. I don't care how frail he looks. Most of the things people are so concerned about are irrelevant.
I suggest you read up on the aging brain. He is cognitively impaired and *may* have Parkinson's.
ANY man his age gets dimmer - it is medical science. Some aged people can maintain intellectual acuity; he is not one of them. He's been wonderful, but he is visibly and obviously diminished. He should not be rewarded for his past successes with another four years. He is now a sitting duck for killer ads. Jill and Hunter should not be the deciders. We must beat Trump, and we have a deep bench.
Do you think if Kamala does well in beating the pants off Vance, Rubio or whatever chump Trump chooses when they debate on the 23d that Biden and his folks might feel better about him stepping down?
Nah, it ain't about that. It's the old Washington story: they never wanna leave. I've known some of them. It's about denial of the obvious and not wanting to admit what is becoming obvious to all.
Ah, yes: the Teleprompter. You cannot read an article nowadays about Biden at any kind of speech or rally that does not include the phrase, “reading from a Teleprompter, president Biden…” as if this is an indication of feebleness or something. Seriously, what president has not used a Teleprompter with great frequency since the things were invented?? Obama used them. Trump relies on them to a ridiculous extent. I recently saw a video of one of his little fascist rallies where the Teleprompter either malfunctioned or the tech guys were simply a bit behind. Trump responded by having a tantrum. He got angry, started semi-shouting, and heaped verbal abuse on the tech crew, telling the crowd that these guys were “doing a shitty job.” Now, THAT’S a guy who is truly dependent on a Teleprompter — so much so that he pitches a fit and bullies the tech crew when the stupid thing malfunctions!
I know I’m replying to my own comment here, which is a little weird, but I also saw another clip of another Trump rally – – this one in Wisconsin. He was slagging Tammy Baldwin, but clearly could not remember her name. He spent an uncomfortable 10 seconds or so vamping vaguely about how “so bad” she supposedly is, etc., etc., until the tech guys finally put her name up on the Teleprompter, upon which he finally, triumphantly, pronounced her name. Pathetic.
Yes, I saw that too. Will someone please tell me again how Biden is in worse shape and canʼt manage legislation as well as Trump, who, as I recall, only passed tax relief for the wealthy?
That is not the point. Trump's brain is severely damaged, perhaps from syphilis. He could not pass a cognitive test. There is no need too have *two* candidates who are not playing with a full deck. That is why Joe must step down.
Biden has gotten candy-ass coaching. When Stephanopolas asked what he was thinking in debate Biden should have been ready to respond, “I was thinking I was standing next to a madman. He was ignoring the questions and lying every time he opened his mouth. George, in your opinion, what were the two most awful lies he told, and why are we not talking about that? The Gish Gallop should be renamed the Trump Trash Torrent. Every time he opens his mouth all that comes out is trash. You in the press have become so used to it you don’t even bring it up. “
If ignoring the question and attacking is the new way to win a debate, do that.
He did! He actually bragged about how he doesn’t pay people if he doesn’t like their work. Unbelievable! At least, it would be unbelievable, coming from anyone, but TFG.
It was the same rally where he went off on a bizarre riff about the electric boat and sharks. And the same one where he told the people attending--to their faces--that he didn't care about them, he just wanted their votes.
If President
Biden EVER said that it would be all over every front page in the country. The American media is a travesty.
Thank you for this link. I shared it on my FB page. Everyone who is calling for Biden's ouster should be requires to listen to every incoherent word uttered by TFG.
I look forward to reading this. I'd hate to think what it says about my own synapses that I can sorta follow the sharks/electricity kind of riff. But in print! They all read like ROTFL parodies.
Biden has a life long speech disability. It’s not accurate to judge a person’s cognitive functioning based upon verbal output alone, especially when there is a speech disability. I certainly have not been privy to Biden in conversations with his cabinet, world leaders, congressional representatives, etc., however, I have observed the output of his abilities over the last 3 1/2 years. I believe he is in the best position to beat DT if the doubters and the naysayers can be put to rest.
No, he's not fine and all the sticking your heads in the sand and saying "fight on" isn't going to change that. Yes, Trump is horrible but we can't ignore what serving four years has taken out of Biden. Biden won't step down on his own but he needs someone with the courage to go to him and convince him that it's time. I'm sure most of us have a story like this, but in the jurisdiction where I practiced we had an old, much respected judge who didn't want to retire. Fortunately he had realized that he wouldn't know when the time came that he should retire, and he had asked the senior partner I practiced with, an old friend, to come to him and tell him if he ever reached that point. Of course he did, to the point that he was falling asleep during trials and falling behind in his docket. No one wanted to complain, but my partner finally went to him and told him it was time, and he regretfully stepped down. It won't be easy to approach the president about this, but senior leaders need to find the courage to do it, otherwise I fear the polling will be correct and King Donald will simply steamroll over him and plunge the whole country into darkness.
Biden is hardly falling asleep on the job nor is he “getting behind on his docket”. I believe it was DT that was falling asleep in his criminal trial. You don’t have to look at Biden’s record for the last 3 1/2 years, just look at his docket and what has been accomplished in the last month. As I have read many say, if a person is going to beat the drum to oust Biden, then one should identify an alternative and put time and energy into that alternative candidate. The bashing, perceived as realistic or not, does not help the party, let alone Biden.
Ignoring the obvious deficits that Biden has does not help the party or Biden either. Biden himself said he had trouble staying awake during the debate, and now has said he will schedule events only 10-4. He's just too old to do this job another four years, give Kamala a chance.
And who would you put in his place? If you cannot answer that question, substantiated with sound reasons for your choice and why you believe that person would defeat Donald Trump, you are just like those Lucian is writing about.
Kamala would be the obvious choice. She's a former prosecutor and would be good at shutting down a felon. Additionally strong black women provoke Trump and he would have a difficult time staying coherent. It's time we had a woman become president.
I suggested alternatives to read in a reply to Tom Joad and another, since-removed, comment. People who operate in print, not just on FB, give a lot of thought to such issues.
What polling will be correct? The polling is already inherently difficult to assess, difficult for the pollsters to do well, and not dispositive of results months from now.
And "King Donald" is bound to LOSE the popular vote nationally, it's these swing states - just over a handful - that will decide how extensive the resistance to Trump's fascist cult will need to become as of November, 2024.
The idea that a neofascist felonious rapist and a complete notwit will be elected and as if by magic, American history stops, is a dystopian fever dream.
Trump's election would also signal ferocious, determined resistance and various forms of "legal sabotage" as well as all the predictable crackpot schemes to destroy democracy and basic human rights.
* Politics
Biden has actually narrowed the gap with Trump in key swing states despite his disastrous debate, new polling shows
I think you hit the head of the nail... I do he same as you... don't answer if I don't know... I think the people answering are waiting for the calls... also the questions asked always seem to me to be leading or just plain skewed.
You are incorrect that the Biden administration submitted the questions to ABC beforehand. No network or journalist that I know of would accept that as terms for an interview. You are just wrong.
Agreed. Biden is not fine and that is what scares the B-jesus out of many of us. He is a wonderful human being but having a person whose mind appears to be slipping run for the job of POTUS against a cruel mentally ill human who has the entire American oligarchy system behind him is frightening. In his current condition we fear that he will lose. And so will we.
This comment is unacceptable. I have only two rules: no talk about killing people, and no name-calling. You just violated the name calling rule by referring to someone, a woman, as an "idiot." In a comment below, you told someone to "go take a hike." This is the kind of nasty talk that got you banned from commenting before. If you don't knock it off, knock off the snark, and knock off the name-calling, I'll ban you again. You wrote to me privately and told me you had taken a long hard look at yourself and "reformed" as it were. You are not acting like it. Pull yourself together and stop being nasty in the comments on my Substack. If you want to be nasty, do it on your own Substack and in your own comments. I'm not going to allow you to hijack my comments thread to get out of your system whatever is causing you to be nasty to my readers. Stop it.
He very well could have Parkinson's with Lewy Body Dementia. I've witnessed similar mild confusion, gait, arm positions, and facial expressions in two friends with Parkinson's. An esteemed doctor friend told me that she and a few of her colleagues believe that is what is going on. I don't like being coddled or lied to by his campaign or by the DNC. They need to be honest so we can gather our forces, because we MUST beat Trump. This is dividing the Democrats. We need the truth, if there is such a diagnosis, and then quickly correct course. Link below.
Biden has faithfully disclosed his yearly doctor reports and medical issues. And his taxes etc. He's been known all his career as "honest Joe". Well, he could have changed his stripes, but that's not likely. Even if he has, my first question would be why was it so compelling that he (and his staff, family etc) had to lie. But -- the first thing you do after "an esteemed doctor friend" (doing a wonderful job at diagnosing without ever examining a patient) is declare Biden a liar. The maga/trump corruption of people in this country has triumphed. No, never believe any politician - they all must be lying, all the time. Ditto institutions like the DNC - they're liars too. You have been corrupted and coopted and don't even know it. It's people like you who will contribute to Dem's losing-- not Biden. A decent, honest man doing a great job under the most difficult of circumstances. But hey -- no benefit of the doubt for him. He is our candidate now. Until that changes- if it does - the least we can do if we want to win against trump is back him. If someone else steps in, we can back that person. So - gather your forces to work for our candidate - no time like the present.
You are WAY out of line. I did not declare that Biden is a liar. I have backed him and will continue to do so if he is the candidate. I am forever grateful to Joe Biden for running and beating Trump in 2020. He's been a great president. I met him at an event when he and Obama ran the first time. I canvassed for Obama and Biden. I worked the polls. I'm currently doing postcards and donating. Why can't I come here and express my perceptions and those of people I respect without being attacked and told I've been corrupted? How insulting and uncalled for! That is MAGA behavior! I provided a link to The Guardian. I didn't say it was the last word on this, but something to consider. Why was a Parkinson's doctor visiting the WH regularly? We all saw the debate and the interview. Are you telling us "Don't believe your eyes and ears?" Where have I heard THAT before? If he's the candidate, I will vote for him no matter what! I feel stung by responses like yours. I am a loyal Democrat and terrified that he will lose. You make assumptions about me when you don't even know me. I've been part of exhausting political campaigns over the years—my husband held elective office for 12 years. My brother-in-law ran for Congress. I have lobbied in DC. Successive generations of family members have served in Democratic administrations and as diplomats. I want to know what happened, because something obviously has! His campaign staff didn't even brief him on which camera to look at. When they announced which side of the stage he would be on, I wondered if they were nuts. They should have expected Donald to do nothing but hurl lies and snarl insults. Instead, they prepped an exhausted Joe with statistics and numbers. You can't debate a pathological liar with numbers and facts. Joe, Kamala, no matter who it is, will get my full support. We have to win this.
We both want the same outcome and I have been working for years, in ways such as you describe, for Dems. I was strong in my comments to you because it feels unbelievable to me to put out there, even in a substack like this one, rumors like he could have Parkinson's or Lewy Body. Late last night that was kind of the last straw for me in terms of my own dismay at what I think of as Dems shooting themselves in the heart. I read the Guardian but would never presume they know the truth about a visit to the White House by some doctor. Sure, you didn't say it was "the truth" but that's the effect your words can have. The same as saying "I don't want to be coddled or lied to". The same for a doctor friend's opinion about a patient they've never seen. Sure - have that conversation in private, but it's irresponsible - in my view - to put it out in public. Especially when you express how much you want Biden to win! You're trading in rumor/hearsay and it feels undermining even when it's clear you don't mean to be. Words spread -- sometimes like wildfire. Where does that leave us -- all of us who care -- you and me too -- if Biden remains the candidate (which may well happen) to sow doubts? Not a great way to convince those who are undecided and to keep everyone on board who needs to be. Let's be strategic, act like we're on the same page. We have to win this and we will.
So now my friend must be disparaged? Her opinion of Trump is the same as mine! She knows how dangerous he is and she's very worried. If we can't rely on our eyes and ears, then we are as bad as the Trumpers. We need some answers.
Look, we are all running at high pitch here because we are terrified. If I can't come here and express myself, then I give up. I thought it was a safe place.
The gratuitous ad hominum attacks on you in this thread read like what I hear gets posted on old timey social media. I've never had an X/twitter or FB account myself. I dunno about the rest of substack, but lktiv's site has never been like this before. New people looking for new places to insult people, I guess.
Biden cannot operate consistently. I think that's what worries me most. When he shows up as Joe, he's great. But when he shows up as Grandpa Joe, not so much. This reminds me of the old Jerry Lewis Nutty Professor movie....or one like it. Or maybe it was one of those hypnosis movies where the character goes unpredictably under and then out again. ??
Call all these worthless congressional dildos and ask them if they support president Biden. Anything not a a "yes" gets the response that you are terminating all financial support you gave them and will not be voting for them in November. Like Senator Fetterman said, it's time to take a lesson out of the aMAGA playbook and terrify these motherfuckers and bring them to heel.
I have been calling (emailing) all my representatives, state and federal, almost daily, telling them that everyone should be behind Biden because taking down trump, in a big way, is the goal. Eyes forward, eyes on the prize.
Thank you for your wording about helping to kill democracy, not simply letting it die in darkness. I will snitch that and use it when I cancel my WaPo subscription.
Thank you for this. This whole “Biden is old” thing is a guided exercise in deflection; the fact that it’s not accompanied by “Trump’s a convicted felon and that’s the best thing about him” shows the media angle here. I’d vote for Joe Biden in surgery over Trump on his best day ever.
There is obviously a “coterie” of unhappy lower level democrats that think this may be their moment. And a club of “reporters” and managing editors that are not interested in the damage their fucking around will have on the election, only in their personal incomes.
Actions have consequences. Time to take a few ears, metaphorically speaking.
Nailed it! One has only to pay attention to the names of those who started this whole mess. Presidential wannabes and media folks striving their way up the ladder.
Good for you, Lucian. Good for you. I’ve been hearing from supporters all day on blogs like Reich and Richardson.
Also, detractors insisting we who think Biden can pull us out of this trough are kidding ourselves.
I answer like this:
<< I see that Joe, in office for more than three years, is tired. And he should have marshaled his strength before the debate somewhat, but he traveled around the world and did good for the country. And he’s been doing that, sharp and in charge, as even the people who are worried about him have said, before they all decided to pile on.
My father is 97 years old. He’s tired, but he's sharp. He wouldn’t necessarily try to run the country at this stage, but seventeen years ago — Hell, yeah, why not! I have lots of 80 year old friends. They and Joe can handle it — My mother just passed away at 99-1/2 — when she was 80, she was conducting her own business and was totally independent and SHARP.
Stop it. Stop it. Joe is NOT in cognitive decline. I happen to know that high stress CAN result in some occasions of aphasia, but it’s not decline, it’s stress hormones … Biden should have rested better.
And you wanna know a little teeny secret — even if Joe WERE just starting to show symptoms, he’d STILL be miles ahead of the Orange Disaster, and able to use his skills for years more, and be better for our democracy … He’s not in decline! But he could still be better than Trump, even if he were.
Were all you people around when Saint Ronald Reagan was in office? They hid his decline from the country for years, and his TEAM kept things in gear, only they promoted the stupid policies of the Right Wing. But they did it.
Joe’s team is great. He is NOT in decline, but if we lost him, his team would keep the ship of state on course.
I’d love for there to be a beloved and road-tested Democrat ready to step in and run things if Joe really needed to step down {maybe that is Kamala … She is smart and competent!}, but I truly think Joe can handle things for a while more.
And if he can’t, I trust his team.
if you are so sure he should depart the stage, who do you think should step UP?
Hmmmmm?>>
We’ve had a president assassinated in office {more than once}, and we’ve had at least one who had dementia in office {Reagan}, and we totally weathered those, because we have a strong and resilient system that carried on.
Joe is NOT in decline. He’s tired. He’ll handle it. He has the know-how and skills to do this, and he has a good team behind him to carry through.
Vote Blue.
Take a look at Project 2025, and for the luvva pete, Vote Blue.
I have been reading the comments, and I am noticing a significant uptick in nastiness. Here is just one that I find unacceptable in tone: "You have been corrupted and coopted and don't even know it. It's people like you who will contribute to Dem's losing-- not Biden. "
The construction "people like you" has a long and ugly history of being uttered against minorities of all kinds. I don't care if in this case the distinction made is political and not racial or sexual, I don't want to see this kind of crap in my comments again.
I am "people like you" in whichever way it is meant. I will not have this language used here. Period. Straighten up, or get out.
My late husband started life as a journalist, he rose to being an editor, and then, well, then, he became an Episcopal priest. "I'm tired of chronicling the ills of man, I want to do something about it." That said, there was a hard and fast rule he lived by and had those he worked with live by: Two independent, verifiable sources for every story where there could be doubt as to its veracity. That rule seems to have gone the way of integrity. All of the sources you named are no longer that reliable: The Washington Post aka the Bezos Post, need I say anymore, is now part of the British Murdoch fold via the editors being hired; The New York Time aka the tarnished lady, uses the Wall Street Journal as a farm team....another Murdoch connection. The Wall Street Journal - Murdoch all the way......and Politico? Brace yourself, it is now owned by Axel Springer SE a German publishing empire that was most influential back in the 30s and one of Hitler's favorite rags. Do you see a pattern here? I do. Another thing all of these rags share in common? Project 2025? What? Oh, That. Funny that's just not worthy of notice.
But her emails.
Ms. Mayer's weak kneed defense of journalists? Oh. Please.
Wow - three and a half years of the best presidency I’ve experienced , in spite of the most narrow of margins in Congress, and a rough half hour at the beginning of the “debate” sinks it all. My jaw would be slack under the firehose of lies from the Cantaloupe Criminal, especially fighting a life long stutter. I thought Biden did fine under the badgering by Steph-man, again he passes a cognitive test everyday being president. I’m sick of the theater performance criticism approach to politics, don’t the pundits and naysayers realize how close to a fascist takeover we are and that unity is essential? They are doing the work of the fascists (like the center and left did in Germany 1933). The polling data, for what they are worth, show no dramatic change. And if VP Kamala Harris takes the reins, there is going to be a misogynist racist shitstorm, and the sharks will be out for their next victim. If they pass over the VP, then the base of the Democratic Party will revolt.
Yes,I agree.All of this dooms crying is for naught unless the naysayers have a particular person in mind and a viable plan for defeating Donald Trump.I am standing behind our president until the Oh Ye of Little Faith show me a person and plan of victory that will work to defeat Trump.I frankly think that the media and those in our own party should STFU and put their minds where their mouths are and realize it is Trump not Biden who is the bad one, the one who certainly needs to drop the hell of this race. So so tired of being a Dem and watch them cutoff their noses here.smfh
If the public needs help understanding what is going on, then it’s our duty to fill them it. “General” Lucien Truscott l V has spoke! It’s time to get busy!
This appears to be a contentious issue, so I am going to let you readers have at it without my jumping in and liking or commenting. With the sole exception of someone who decided to use the comments in my column to reprint a post from his own Substack. Never again. If you want more readers get them yourself, don't poach readers from me. Stop it, or I will block you. In fact, I have decided to take down your comment.
It is indeed a contentious issue, but it shouldn't be - makes me borderline insane. Whether Biden is too old or not, too muddled or not, too beatable or not is entirely beside the point. Democrats are supposed to be the sane, rationals ones, yet none of these idiots trying to push out Biden is giving a second thought to what comes after throwing out the baby. How on god's green earth do you spin up a presidential campaign, raise the necessary funds, and build its infrastructure in less than 4 months? It's not an option, and yet there they are grinding their axes and dipping their spears in poison. Assholes.
As for the poacher, you're being awfully kind by simply removing their comment. I kinda wish you would out them - regardless of what interesting things they may have to say (or not) I'd be horrified to unwittingly loan my eyeballs to someone who has tried to steal from the best writer on substack bar none.
The other thing they aren't paying attention to *who* comes after Biden gets pushed out. The only real option is VP Harris, who in my opinion would make a very good president, but the U.S. electorate includes plenty of closet racists and sexists. I'm not talking about the right wing either. Biden has liabilities. Harris has liabilities. So far they've made an excellent team. I'm voting for them, not the anonymous sources or the media who amplify them.
With you, Susanna. However, the racists, sexists, xenophobes, and homophobes aren’t so much in the closet these days. They’re out and proud, and making no bones about it. *Rump has given his blessing to hate, which has grown into a pandemic. Should Harris become the nominee, I already cringe at the level of vitriol the deplorables will level at her. At the very least, we now know much more about how many deplorables are out there, and that alone is deplorable.
My hunch is that if/when we're able to trace the sources of the anti-Biden storm surge, several of them will lead to the national Democratic organizations. Too many apparatchiks freaking out and unable to come up with a coherent plan.
You just hit the nail on the head. The DNC has largely been dysfunctional since they booted Howard Dean. Looks like an old country club board of directors along with the 'secret handshake.'
And while I'm at it, I'll offer my humble opinion of their motivation. The US of Anxiety really, really needs another war. We got rid of all our old shit and gave it to the Ukrainians. Now what?
The problem (as they see it) is that Biden is one of the few people with the standing, history, and relationships that could prevent that next conflict. He's too damn close to peace, and peace does not improve the bottom line.
Rant off.
You are making much too much sense, sir!
In "storm surge" do you include the 51 million who believed their lying eyes (and ears) after the Atlanta debate?
I think the lot of several generations have gotten on Social Media and developed a not-so-nice personality. Obnoxious. Rude. 🤬
Herd instinct is most definitely a thing, and anonymity is a contributing factor.
It would certainly be a referendum on the American people...are we majority racist assholes or not!?
and/or chickens with our heads cut off
The old saying, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, certainly applies in this situation. There is no perfection!
Thank you!
I know. I had it out with one person and I’m pretty much even tempered. I don’t reply right away as sometimes I write and delete. 🤨
I'm glad you don't take any crap. The mealy mouthed Dems crying about Biden should take a tip from you and grow some.
Lucian, if you haven't already done it, read Rebecca Solnit's opinion piece in The Guardian (July6th)
Was that TC Something? He wrote me a nasty personal message.
No, in this instance. I know because I had replied to the since-deleted comment.
I’m with you. And fuck the press amplifying this story and ignoring Trump
In fact FUCK THE PRESS. The American Media is acting like the German media that put Hitler in power in that they are not realizing what life for them will be like under Hitler or Trump, or Mussolini, or Putin, or Orban. Journalists can look forward to lives in prison at best, execution at worst if they don't please him. The people drafting Project 2025, and the ones in charge of implementing it, including Trump himself are not people who have a problem with executing others. They are treasonous to our constitution and that people can have such misconceptions of age, the only negative about Biden, is showing me how many stupid people there are. I guess because there is longevity in my family, and around me, I just do not view age as the death knell that others do. Friends who have lost someone to cancer okay, because suffering that might skew your view, but my 90 year old mother is living amongst others in her senior residence who are still independent in their mid-90s like Warren Buffett, whom no one is asking to step down. Why? Because his company is still making them wealthy. Well, Biden is running the USA an even bigger company and it is making people wealthy too. He is so successful everyone should be afraid for him to be gone, and beg him to stay until his last breath. He is not only making people wealthy, but he is making more people wealthy and in the right ways. That is something the Republican party whomever they have cannot offer.
When these over-educated, under-intelligent, otherwise-unemployable Ivy League trust fund babies are staring out from the wrong side of the barbed wire at the "re-education camp" in West Texas Trump's minions sent them to, it'll be nothing they don't deserve in spades.
The Media. Is. THE ENEMY!
Click bait is more important than balance and truth. Why did the USA let its' press get this way! Our FCC needs updating and better oversight of ownership and not by Trump. In Germany every citizen pays a small monthly bill for television and radio media. It is also better trusted than the US press. Print media is diverse. A mix of left, center and right.
IMO, overturning Citizens United is more important than updating the FCC. Bringing back civics education would probably help too, and not just in the schools.
Susanna, I totally agree. When I was teaching I always taught Civics to my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, as well as high schoolers. It was woven into my whole year. Most of my colleagues did not teach civics, nor did they practice it. They were much more interested in compliance than questioning and deep thought, which was how they lived too.
I was lucky, but OTOH I was born in 1951. My classroom education was very good throughout. My English and history teachers in particular both asked questions and encouraged us to ask them. I had civics in junior high, then was in the Debate Club in a high school. It's no surprise that the students who survived the Parkland shooting are on the national stage now: their high school had strong programs in government and theater. (I wonder how they're managing with DeSantis's crackdown on anything that encourages thinking.)
Thanks for reminding me why I can only remember one teacher from the 12 year sentence I served being publicly misedumacated.
They lost 50% of their viewers and readers since 2020 and the intergalactic widgetmakers who own them have declared they must become "profiitable" so the widgetmakers can sell them to the first rube who comes along and thinks they still have value.
I have suggested to the White House that the Biden Campaign should have the slogan DEMOCRATS LIVE LONGER SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, WORRY ABOUT THE OTHER GUY! Then they should be touting all of the Democratic programs that help people live longer such as abortion access as part of women's health care, medical research funding, environmental laws, heat protection laws, early childhood education, more pay, work protections, etc... That could give the press something to chew on, although they are so lazy about getting clicks that I don't know what can get them off of trashing Biden's age and not Trump's.
$$$$$$$ root of all evil in the good ole USA!
Well said!
Bravo!
No Democrat should be (publicly) calling for Biden to step down.
Agin, the goal is NO Trump presidency
Biden is fine. The NYT, on the other hand, not so much. It has no standard for truthfulness.
The nation's finest fishwrap needs to fail.I canceled them along with the worthless Bezos Bugle this week,.
Do we really think all those other newspapers would be piling on Biden and ignoring Trump if it weren't for the NYT and Bezos leading the way?
Not to mention Putin's troll farms have begun cranking out the whispers and lies as well. Never forget that Donny's little friend and manipulator Vlad would LOVE to see his favorite puppet back in the White House.
"No puppet - you're the puppet". Methinks thou dost protest too much.
That I never thought of ...
But Why??? I sincerely do not understand!
For starters. https://presswatchers.org/2024/03/why-is-new-york-times-campaign-coverage-so-bad-because-thats-what-the-publisher-wants/
You know what? Biden is NOT fine. He is frail and not on his game. Look at some clips of him
(not the ones where he's shouting at a rally, but ones where he's speaking. He cannot operate *without* a teleprompter - and the ABC interview submitted the questions before hand!
Does using a teleprompter or being able to come up with snappy answers to Trump have anything to do with being an effective president? It's about planning, listening to your staff, making decisions and negotiating. These are all things Biden has proven to me he is excellent at doing. I don't care how frail he looks. Most of the things people are so concerned about are irrelevant.
Amen!
Joe is thoughtful - Drumof has no thoughts!
Joe is becoming addled. Other (younger) D.s are thoughtful.
I suggest you read up on the aging brain. He is cognitively impaired and *may* have Parkinson's.
ANY man his age gets dimmer - it is medical science. Some aged people can maintain intellectual acuity; he is not one of them. He's been wonderful, but he is visibly and obviously diminished. He should not be rewarded for his past successes with another four years. He is now a sitting duck for killer ads. Jill and Hunter should not be the deciders. We must beat Trump, and we have a deep bench.
Do you think if Kamala does well in beating the pants off Vance, Rubio or whatever chump Trump chooses when they debate on the 23d that Biden and his folks might feel better about him stepping down?
Nah, it ain't about that. It's the old Washington story: they never wanna leave. I've known some of them. It's about denial of the obvious and not wanting to admit what is becoming obvious to all.
Yeah, you're right, of course. Unlike so many people on these sites. Still mostly in the first stage of grief.
Ah, yes: the Teleprompter. You cannot read an article nowadays about Biden at any kind of speech or rally that does not include the phrase, “reading from a Teleprompter, president Biden…” as if this is an indication of feebleness or something. Seriously, what president has not used a Teleprompter with great frequency since the things were invented?? Obama used them. Trump relies on them to a ridiculous extent. I recently saw a video of one of his little fascist rallies where the Teleprompter either malfunctioned or the tech guys were simply a bit behind. Trump responded by having a tantrum. He got angry, started semi-shouting, and heaped verbal abuse on the tech crew, telling the crowd that these guys were “doing a shitty job.” Now, THAT’S a guy who is truly dependent on a Teleprompter — so much so that he pitches a fit and bullies the tech crew when the stupid thing malfunctions!
I know I’m replying to my own comment here, which is a little weird, but I also saw another clip of another Trump rally – – this one in Wisconsin. He was slagging Tammy Baldwin, but clearly could not remember her name. He spent an uncomfortable 10 seconds or so vamping vaguely about how “so bad” she supposedly is, etc., etc., until the tech guys finally put her name up on the Teleprompter, upon which he finally, triumphantly, pronounced her name. Pathetic.
Yes, I saw that too. Will someone please tell me again how Biden is in worse shape and canʼt manage legislation as well as Trump, who, as I recall, only passed tax relief for the wealthy?
That is not the point. Trump's brain is severely damaged, perhaps from syphilis. He could not pass a cognitive test. There is no need too have *two* candidates who are not playing with a full deck. That is why Joe must step down.
But Trump can stay?
My favorite is still the one where he thinks Nikki Haley is Nancy Pelosi. You know—women—those people all look alike.
Remember George Washington ramming the ramparts and storming the airports?
The topper is the electric boats and the sharks!
Biden has gotten candy-ass coaching. When Stephanopolas asked what he was thinking in debate Biden should have been ready to respond, “I was thinking I was standing next to a madman. He was ignoring the questions and lying every time he opened his mouth. George, in your opinion, what were the two most awful lies he told, and why are we not talking about that? The Gish Gallop should be renamed the Trump Trash Torrent. Every time he opens his mouth all that comes out is trash. You in the press have become so used to it you don’t even bring it up. “
If ignoring the question and attacking is the new way to win a debate, do that.
Exactly, grow a set.
Right On!!!
He even threatened not to PAY them. Hmmm. Interesting that certain people see nothing amiss here.
He also threatened not to pay the tech crew, as I recall.
He did! He actually bragged about how he doesn’t pay people if he doesn’t like their work. Unbelievable! At least, it would be unbelievable, coming from anyone, but TFG.
I'm always wondering and should know this, but what is the TFG abbreviation?
Somebody correct me if it's not "The Former Guy." I like meaner myself.
I did not know that. I wonder if it’s on YouTube. I’d like to see him have a hissy fit in front of the MAGAs.
It was the same rally where he went off on a bizarre riff about the electric boat and sharks. And the same one where he told the people attending--to their faces--that he didn't care about them, he just wanted their votes.
If President
Biden EVER said that it would be all over every front page in the country. The American media is a travesty.
Oh yeah, it’s there. That’s where I saw it. It was on Meidas Touch — a video posted by Ben Meiselas.
Did you search it? Searching youtube is not arduous.
Right! We can't get enough of these big liar at his typical worst moments.
If you need more ammo, here's the link to the website that has ALL of Trump's speeches from the past year, verbatim.
Interesting reading to show how quickly he's declining.
https://www.rev.com/blog/transcript-category/donald-trump-transcripts
Thank you for this link. I shared it on my FB page. Everyone who is calling for Biden's ouster should be requires to listen to every incoherent word uttered by TFG.
Me too. Everyone should!
I look forward to reading this. I'd hate to think what it says about my own synapses that I can sorta follow the sharks/electricity kind of riff. But in print! They all read like ROTFL parodies.
"as if this is an indication of feebleness or something." It is at a fundraiser in someone's home. In fact, it is unheard-of.
Biden has a life long speech disability. It’s not accurate to judge a person’s cognitive functioning based upon verbal output alone, especially when there is a speech disability. I certainly have not been privy to Biden in conversations with his cabinet, world leaders, congressional representatives, etc., however, I have observed the output of his abilities over the last 3 1/2 years. I believe he is in the best position to beat DT if the doubters and the naysayers can be put to rest.
No, he's not fine and all the sticking your heads in the sand and saying "fight on" isn't going to change that. Yes, Trump is horrible but we can't ignore what serving four years has taken out of Biden. Biden won't step down on his own but he needs someone with the courage to go to him and convince him that it's time. I'm sure most of us have a story like this, but in the jurisdiction where I practiced we had an old, much respected judge who didn't want to retire. Fortunately he had realized that he wouldn't know when the time came that he should retire, and he had asked the senior partner I practiced with, an old friend, to come to him and tell him if he ever reached that point. Of course he did, to the point that he was falling asleep during trials and falling behind in his docket. No one wanted to complain, but my partner finally went to him and told him it was time, and he regretfully stepped down. It won't be easy to approach the president about this, but senior leaders need to find the courage to do it, otherwise I fear the polling will be correct and King Donald will simply steamroll over him and plunge the whole country into darkness.
Biden is hardly falling asleep on the job nor is he “getting behind on his docket”. I believe it was DT that was falling asleep in his criminal trial. You don’t have to look at Biden’s record for the last 3 1/2 years, just look at his docket and what has been accomplished in the last month. As I have read many say, if a person is going to beat the drum to oust Biden, then one should identify an alternative and put time and energy into that alternative candidate. The bashing, perceived as realistic or not, does not help the party, let alone Biden.
Hey FDR got us through WW II and he was not in the best shape either.
Ignoring the obvious deficits that Biden has does not help the party or Biden either. Biden himself said he had trouble staying awake during the debate, and now has said he will schedule events only 10-4. He's just too old to do this job another four years, give Kamala a chance.
And who would you put in his place? If you cannot answer that question, substantiated with sound reasons for your choice and why you believe that person would defeat Donald Trump, you are just like those Lucian is writing about.
Kamala would be the obvious choice. She's a former prosecutor and would be good at shutting down a felon. Additionally strong black women provoke Trump and he would have a difficult time staying coherent. It's time we had a woman become president.
I suggested alternatives to read in a reply to Tom Joad and another, since-removed, comment. People who operate in print, not just on FB, give a lot of thought to such issues.
I totally don't understand the respectable-GOP-style denial occurring on our side.
https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-trump-debate-swing-state-polling-2024-7
*
What polling will be correct? The polling is already inherently difficult to assess, difficult for the pollsters to do well, and not dispositive of results months from now.
And "King Donald" is bound to LOSE the popular vote nationally, it's these swing states - just over a handful - that will decide how extensive the resistance to Trump's fascist cult will need to become as of November, 2024.
The idea that a neofascist felonious rapist and a complete notwit will be elected and as if by magic, American history stops, is a dystopian fever dream.
Trump's election would also signal ferocious, determined resistance and various forms of "legal sabotage" as well as all the predictable crackpot schemes to destroy democracy and basic human rights.
* Politics
Biden has actually narrowed the gap with Trump in key swing states despite his disastrous debate, new polling shows
John L. Dorman
Jul 6, 2024, 11:23 AM CDT
Concerning polling, how do pollers get cell phone #s. I don't answer a cell phone or landline phone if I don't recognize the #. Polling Schmolling!!!
I think you hit the head of the nail... I do he same as you... don't answer if I don't know... I think the people answering are waiting for the calls... also the questions asked always seem to me to be leading or just plain skewed.
And Drumpf falls asleep at his own criminal trial!!
You are incorrect that the Biden administration submitted the questions to ABC beforehand. No network or journalist that I know of would accept that as terms for an interview. You are just wrong.
I erred, quoting a bum source. Questions were supplied, however, to a few radio interviews. Apologies to all.
Agreed. Biden is not fine and that is what scares the B-jesus out of many of us. He is a wonderful human being but having a person whose mind appears to be slipping run for the job of POTUS against a cruel mentally ill human who has the entire American oligarchy system behind him is frightening. In his current condition we fear that he will lose. And so will we.
Ever. Single. Thing. You. Said. Is. Untrue. I hate it when an idiot claims she's on my side.
This comment is unacceptable. I have only two rules: no talk about killing people, and no name-calling. You just violated the name calling rule by referring to someone, a woman, as an "idiot." In a comment below, you told someone to "go take a hike." This is the kind of nasty talk that got you banned from commenting before. If you don't knock it off, knock off the snark, and knock off the name-calling, I'll ban you again. You wrote to me privately and told me you had taken a long hard look at yourself and "reformed" as it were. You are not acting like it. Pull yourself together and stop being nasty in the comments on my Substack. If you want to be nasty, do it on your own Substack and in your own comments. I'm not going to allow you to hijack my comments thread to get out of your system whatever is causing you to be nasty to my readers. Stop it.
He very well could have Parkinson's with Lewy Body Dementia. I've witnessed similar mild confusion, gait, arm positions, and facial expressions in two friends with Parkinson's. An esteemed doctor friend told me that she and a few of her colleagues believe that is what is going on. I don't like being coddled or lied to by his campaign or by the DNC. They need to be honest so we can gather our forces, because we MUST beat Trump. This is dividing the Democrats. We need the truth, if there is such a diagnosis, and then quickly correct course. Link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/06/joe-biden-neurologist-doctor-meeting
Biden has faithfully disclosed his yearly doctor reports and medical issues. And his taxes etc. He's been known all his career as "honest Joe". Well, he could have changed his stripes, but that's not likely. Even if he has, my first question would be why was it so compelling that he (and his staff, family etc) had to lie. But -- the first thing you do after "an esteemed doctor friend" (doing a wonderful job at diagnosing without ever examining a patient) is declare Biden a liar. The maga/trump corruption of people in this country has triumphed. No, never believe any politician - they all must be lying, all the time. Ditto institutions like the DNC - they're liars too. You have been corrupted and coopted and don't even know it. It's people like you who will contribute to Dem's losing-- not Biden. A decent, honest man doing a great job under the most difficult of circumstances. But hey -- no benefit of the doubt for him. He is our candidate now. Until that changes- if it does - the least we can do if we want to win against trump is back him. If someone else steps in, we can back that person. So - gather your forces to work for our candidate - no time like the present.
You are WAY out of line. I did not declare that Biden is a liar. I have backed him and will continue to do so if he is the candidate. I am forever grateful to Joe Biden for running and beating Trump in 2020. He's been a great president. I met him at an event when he and Obama ran the first time. I canvassed for Obama and Biden. I worked the polls. I'm currently doing postcards and donating. Why can't I come here and express my perceptions and those of people I respect without being attacked and told I've been corrupted? How insulting and uncalled for! That is MAGA behavior! I provided a link to The Guardian. I didn't say it was the last word on this, but something to consider. Why was a Parkinson's doctor visiting the WH regularly? We all saw the debate and the interview. Are you telling us "Don't believe your eyes and ears?" Where have I heard THAT before? If he's the candidate, I will vote for him no matter what! I feel stung by responses like yours. I am a loyal Democrat and terrified that he will lose. You make assumptions about me when you don't even know me. I've been part of exhausting political campaigns over the years—my husband held elective office for 12 years. My brother-in-law ran for Congress. I have lobbied in DC. Successive generations of family members have served in Democratic administrations and as diplomats. I want to know what happened, because something obviously has! His campaign staff didn't even brief him on which camera to look at. When they announced which side of the stage he would be on, I wondered if they were nuts. They should have expected Donald to do nothing but hurl lies and snarl insults. Instead, they prepped an exhausted Joe with statistics and numbers. You can't debate a pathological liar with numbers and facts. Joe, Kamala, no matter who it is, will get my full support. We have to win this.
We both want the same outcome and I have been working for years, in ways such as you describe, for Dems. I was strong in my comments to you because it feels unbelievable to me to put out there, even in a substack like this one, rumors like he could have Parkinson's or Lewy Body. Late last night that was kind of the last straw for me in terms of my own dismay at what I think of as Dems shooting themselves in the heart. I read the Guardian but would never presume they know the truth about a visit to the White House by some doctor. Sure, you didn't say it was "the truth" but that's the effect your words can have. The same as saying "I don't want to be coddled or lied to". The same for a doctor friend's opinion about a patient they've never seen. Sure - have that conversation in private, but it's irresponsible - in my view - to put it out in public. Especially when you express how much you want Biden to win! You're trading in rumor/hearsay and it feels undermining even when it's clear you don't mean to be. Words spread -- sometimes like wildfire. Where does that leave us -- all of us who care -- you and me too -- if Biden remains the candidate (which may well happen) to sow doubts? Not a great way to convince those who are undecided and to keep everyone on board who needs to be. Let's be strategic, act like we're on the same page. We have to win this and we will.
Now have your “esteemed doctor friend” give you their opinion about Trump.
So now my friend must be disparaged? Her opinion of Trump is the same as mine! She knows how dangerous he is and she's very worried. If we can't rely on our eyes and ears, then we are as bad as the Trumpers. We need some answers.
Look, we are all running at high pitch here because we are terrified. If I can't come here and express myself, then I give up. I thought it was a safe place.
What you wrote is important. Altzheimer's is not the only cause of dementia.
Thank you for not biting my head off.
The gratuitous ad hominum attacks on you in this thread read like what I hear gets posted on old timey social media. I've never had an X/twitter or FB account myself. I dunno about the rest of substack, but lktiv's site has never been like this before. New people looking for new places to insult people, I guess.
Neither can Drumpf - see boats and sharks. And Drumpf is unhinged and insane.
Go take a hike. You are at the Wong Foo King Substack.
Biden cannot operate consistently. I think that's what worries me most. When he shows up as Joe, he's great. But when he shows up as Grandpa Joe, not so much. This reminds me of the old Jerry Lewis Nutty Professor movie....or one like it. Or maybe it was one of those hypnosis movies where the character goes unpredictably under and then out again. ??
I totally agree with you.
Write or call NYT, WAPO, MSNBC, and tell and whomever to shut the fuck up‼️
Or Mein Kampf will be the textbooks‼️
Yes! We should all do this as well as call our senators to urge them to support Biden.
Call all these worthless congressional dildos and ask them if they support president Biden. Anything not a a "yes" gets the response that you are terminating all financial support you gave them and will not be voting for them in November. Like Senator Fetterman said, it's time to take a lesson out of the aMAGA playbook and terrify these motherfuckers and bring them to heel.
Love that guy!
I really like this idea. I am going to do it. I am quite disappointed that my Governor has been doubting Biden.
Me too! Even Peter Welch of Vermont is wavering!!
I have been calling (emailing) all my representatives, state and federal, almost daily, telling them that everyone should be behind Biden because taking down trump, in a big way, is the goal. Eyes forward, eyes on the prize.
You must not live in a red state! My senators are Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty! Not as trumpy as Graham or Cruz! But, pretty solid ass-kissers.
Actually, it will be a condensed version of Project 2025.
Bravo Lucian! Take it to them
all the way! Not one step
back! There's too much to
lose.
I canceled my subscription to
NYT a few months ago and to
WaPo yesterday. They asked
why. I replied the weren't just
letting democracy die in
darkness, they were helping
to kill it.
Thank you for your wording about helping to kill democracy, not simply letting it die in darkness. I will snitch that and use it when I cancel my WaPo subscription.
Me too.
Thank you for this. This whole “Biden is old” thing is a guided exercise in deflection; the fact that it’s not accompanied by “Trump’s a convicted felon and that’s the best thing about him” shows the media angle here. I’d vote for Joe Biden in surgery over Trump on his best day ever.
Amen to that!
There is obviously a “coterie” of unhappy lower level democrats that think this may be their moment. And a club of “reporters” and managing editors that are not interested in the damage their fucking around will have on the election, only in their personal incomes.
Actions have consequences. Time to take a few ears, metaphorically speaking.
Nailed it! One has only to pay attention to the names of those who started this whole mess. Presidential wannabes and media folks striving their way up the ladder.
Good for you, Lucian. Good for you. I’ve been hearing from supporters all day on blogs like Reich and Richardson.
Also, detractors insisting we who think Biden can pull us out of this trough are kidding ourselves.
I answer like this:
<< I see that Joe, in office for more than three years, is tired. And he should have marshaled his strength before the debate somewhat, but he traveled around the world and did good for the country. And he’s been doing that, sharp and in charge, as even the people who are worried about him have said, before they all decided to pile on.
My father is 97 years old. He’s tired, but he's sharp. He wouldn’t necessarily try to run the country at this stage, but seventeen years ago — Hell, yeah, why not! I have lots of 80 year old friends. They and Joe can handle it — My mother just passed away at 99-1/2 — when she was 80, she was conducting her own business and was totally independent and SHARP.
Stop it. Stop it. Joe is NOT in cognitive decline. I happen to know that high stress CAN result in some occasions of aphasia, but it’s not decline, it’s stress hormones … Biden should have rested better.
And you wanna know a little teeny secret — even if Joe WERE just starting to show symptoms, he’d STILL be miles ahead of the Orange Disaster, and able to use his skills for years more, and be better for our democracy … He’s not in decline! But he could still be better than Trump, even if he were.
Were all you people around when Saint Ronald Reagan was in office? They hid his decline from the country for years, and his TEAM kept things in gear, only they promoted the stupid policies of the Right Wing. But they did it.
Joe’s team is great. He is NOT in decline, but if we lost him, his team would keep the ship of state on course.
I’d love for there to be a beloved and road-tested Democrat ready to step in and run things if Joe really needed to step down {maybe that is Kamala … She is smart and competent!}, but I truly think Joe can handle things for a while more.
And if he can’t, I trust his team.
if you are so sure he should depart the stage, who do you think should step UP?
Hmmmmm?>>
We’ve had a president assassinated in office {more than once}, and we’ve had at least one who had dementia in office {Reagan}, and we totally weathered those, because we have a strong and resilient system that carried on.
Joe is NOT in decline. He’s tired. He’ll handle it. He has the know-how and skills to do this, and he has a good team behind him to carry through.
Vote Blue.
Take a look at Project 2025, and for the luvva pete, Vote Blue.
Thank you! A voice of sanity and wisdom. An INFORMED voice of sanity and wisdom!
Yes an “aging”Joe Biden is still taking the country on a path to democracy.Trump will lead us down a hellish road to no where.
Well said, Pat. I’m ridin’ with Biden.
Excellent comment! Thanks!
Very well said Lucian!
Who’s Who in Trump’s Project 2025? Use this Visual Guide!
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/07/06/visual-guide-to-authors-of-trumps-project-2025/
Why would Trump deny knowing Project 2025? Follow the money with this interactive chart:
Inside Project 2025: Billionaires’ Scheme for a Christian Dictatorship
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/07/04/inside-project-2025-billionaires-scheme-for-a-christian-dictatorship/
Biilionairesʼ scheme for a Christian Dictatorship? Will they rewrite the Bible so they can get into heaven?
Ellen,
You might ot have heard of the Ten Commandments: Trump Edition.
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/03/31/ten-commandments-trump-edition/
Heaven - yeah - that's funny!
I have been reading the comments, and I am noticing a significant uptick in nastiness. Here is just one that I find unacceptable in tone: "You have been corrupted and coopted and don't even know it. It's people like you who will contribute to Dem's losing-- not Biden. "
The construction "people like you" has a long and ugly history of being uttered against minorities of all kinds. I don't care if in this case the distinction made is political and not racial or sexual, I don't want to see this kind of crap in my comments again.
I am "people like you" in whichever way it is meant. I will not have this language used here. Period. Straighten up, or get out.
My late husband started life as a journalist, he rose to being an editor, and then, well, then, he became an Episcopal priest. "I'm tired of chronicling the ills of man, I want to do something about it." That said, there was a hard and fast rule he lived by and had those he worked with live by: Two independent, verifiable sources for every story where there could be doubt as to its veracity. That rule seems to have gone the way of integrity. All of the sources you named are no longer that reliable: The Washington Post aka the Bezos Post, need I say anymore, is now part of the British Murdoch fold via the editors being hired; The New York Time aka the tarnished lady, uses the Wall Street Journal as a farm team....another Murdoch connection. The Wall Street Journal - Murdoch all the way......and Politico? Brace yourself, it is now owned by Axel Springer SE a German publishing empire that was most influential back in the 30s and one of Hitler's favorite rags. Do you see a pattern here? I do. Another thing all of these rags share in common? Project 2025? What? Oh, That. Funny that's just not worthy of notice.
But her emails.
Ms. Mayer's weak kneed defense of journalists? Oh. Please.
Thank you.
Wow - three and a half years of the best presidency I’ve experienced , in spite of the most narrow of margins in Congress, and a rough half hour at the beginning of the “debate” sinks it all. My jaw would be slack under the firehose of lies from the Cantaloupe Criminal, especially fighting a life long stutter. I thought Biden did fine under the badgering by Steph-man, again he passes a cognitive test everyday being president. I’m sick of the theater performance criticism approach to politics, don’t the pundits and naysayers realize how close to a fascist takeover we are and that unity is essential? They are doing the work of the fascists (like the center and left did in Germany 1933). The polling data, for what they are worth, show no dramatic change. And if VP Kamala Harris takes the reins, there is going to be a misogynist racist shitstorm, and the sharks will be out for their next victim. If they pass over the VP, then the base of the Democratic Party will revolt.
Yes!
Exactly, Stu!
Do you mind if I post your comment on my FB page?
Please do. Thanks for amplifying!
Yes,I agree.All of this dooms crying is for naught unless the naysayers have a particular person in mind and a viable plan for defeating Donald Trump.I am standing behind our president until the Oh Ye of Little Faith show me a person and plan of victory that will work to defeat Trump.I frankly think that the media and those in our own party should STFU and put their minds where their mouths are and realize it is Trump not Biden who is the bad one, the one who certainly needs to drop the hell of this race. So so tired of being a Dem and watch them cutoff their noses here.smfh
Again, I post in agreement:https://www.stonekettle.com/2024/07/raggedy-man.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR24dztszt5eKihlKmfIpZLLDuYzkw_RKQHwJoteadHS2RcccGKNERnCVFc_aem_7M3ciHPnhnWw4NhDkmzATg&m=1&sfnsn=mo
Raggedy Man @ Stonekettle.com is fabulous! Thanks!
You are absolutely right!
If the public needs help understanding what is going on, then it’s our duty to fill them it. “General” Lucien Truscott l V has spoke! It’s time to get busy!