As we keep finding ways and words to fixate upon Joe Biden's personal attributes rather than focus on his record as President, someone please remind me: a) how old Donald Trump is; b) what Donald Trump's physical health appears to be; c) what Donald Trump's state of mind is; and d) what level of respect Donald Trump shows for democracy, human rights, and fundamental decency. Not all necessarily in that order.
Count me among those who are growing more than fatigued at seeing the so-called political experts keep holding Biden to a different level of scrutiny than Trump on fundamental matters of age, health, and biology, at the expense of what Biden has been done since January 2021 to make our lives better and what the Democrats' plan is for the future (compared to the GOP roadmap of ... more Trump).
If it's a Kamala Harris issue, let's say it out loud and make it an objective point of analysis. Same if it is about left- to far left-leaning policy proposals, as opposed to the GOP's roadmap of ... more Trump. And so on. But the incessant ageism thing without equal time on Trump's own personal geriatric and health issues, and the lack of focus on what the GOP isn't offering the rest of us for the future, is becoming a "look, squirrel!" moment for those of us who want balance and a higher sense of perspective to what is shaping up to be perhaps the most important presidential election in American history next year. Let's go there instead, please and thank you.
Can someone explain to me how The Bulwark/tenured pundits like Joe Klein and Bret Stephens' aimless wishcasting for somebody other than Biden is any different than Conservative Inc.'s aimless wishcasting for somebody other than Trump?
I've never understood why people push Michelle Obama as a candidate so often.
You know who is the last person who actually wants to be President? Michelle Obama. You see her disdain for politics whenever anyone asks her if she would ever consider running for President.
I think everyone should just accept her at her word that she doesn't want the job and just move on.
I am a lifelong Democrat now living in NC. Yeah, he’s old, I’m old, okay. We’re old. BUT, I would vote for him if he was 95 because that’s how much danger we are in. I don’t think that you or anyone on the political scene can add much more to the howling of the media, tv and social on a nonstop loop. I don’t care about Biden’s age, I just don’t. You can talk about the amazing work he’s done instead of his age, which I know you have done. Keeping the age conversation open just seems harmful to me, as well as tiresome and redundant. Enough already. I’d vote for him if he was 120.
Trump is old. He could lose. Stop rehashing this crap already Charlie. He is the DEM nominee and we have to get behind him 100% not keep going on and on about Joe's age. FFS he has been a GREAT PRESIDENT overseeing an economy that a GOP candidate would die for so get over it. All you Never Trumpers are ridiculous - vote DEM from President down the line. THERE IS NO GOOD GOP CANDIDATE. Not a single one on the horizon. This party needs to go by way of the Whigs. Sorry to break it to you and your peeps but that is the reality and I am so here for it. My 20 something kids are DEMS for life. and every year a new Dem turns 18. Think on that for a bit.
Repeat after me... JVL is always right! Biden is who we have and the best shot at taking down Trump so acknowledge his age and move on to what strategies can help him.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this information? Yell at Biden? Demand a Democratic primary? Do an "I'm concerned" dance? Call my congressman? Moan and put my hands on my face like some kind of Van Gogh or confused Picasso? Give up and actually make that move to Canada? Check on the expat potential in Europe? Tell my teenaged kids they're fucked?
1) Joe Biden is boring. In the current era, a lot of people are looking for entertainment from their politicians or looking for emotional satisfaction (pwning the libs or pwning the MAGAts). Joes isn't delivering here;
2) Many of the upcoming Democrats mentioned COULD beat Trump. Biden HAS beaten Trump.
3) The actual campaign hasn't even started yet, we are a over a year out. It is basically too late to switch horses, but too early to have a clear idea of how things are going to lay out.... but I guess we gotta talk about something?
4) If you wanted fresh blood, the Democrats should have been working on that since day 1 of the Biden Administration. Creating opportunities and messaging and raising visibility/awareness. Kind of late for that now... the reality is that they SHOULD have run someone fresh rather than HC. Torch should have been passed.
If Bret Stephens wants to talk about “the collapse of public order in our streets,” he might want to start with the near-collapse of democracy that occurred outside the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Not to mention the incidence of hate crimes against Black people, Jews, Asians, and the LGBTQ community, all of which have “skyrocketed“ at a far greater rate than car thefts—and we all know why.
Ok, people are concerned about the price of bread and eggs. Fair enough. On what planet will 45 do a thing to help bring those costs down? My prediction of 45's second administration: prices get worse but somehow it stops being the lede of every economic news story.
1) I'd like to posit that Joe Klein is past his sell-by date.
2) Let's stop trying to make "Big Gretch" happen. I think it's *great* that Michigan has women in all the top government roles. I was excited and proud to vote for Hillary Clinton. But misogyny is real and it runs very deep in this country. As much as I'd like to see a female president in my lifetime, I don't think we're going to elect one.
3) Gavin Newsom? Please stop. Look: He's a pretty good governor, and California is a massive economy, and he's probably up to the challenge. But has anyone floating the idea of Newsom as a national candidate looked at the guy? How would you sell him to people who do not live on the West Coast or in the Boston/NY/DC?? Can you imagine him at the Iowa State Fair (a tradition I'd like to see disappear, but here we are)? I lived in California until recently, and I'd vote for him, but he doesn't exactly come across as relatable to the average person.
I'm also not seeing Wes Moore's charisma.
I wish Biden was ten years younger than he is. I was I was twenty years younger than I am. Let's accept that Joe is old, and this is sub-optimal. And then tackle the actual issues: Okay, what if Joe dies before the end of a second term? Do we really, *really* think that Kamala Harris is so woefully inadequate that she'll accidentally launch our entire nuclear arsenal at Canada? No, we don't think that.
What would be likely to happen in that situation? I'm not a political insider, so I'm just guessing, but I'd guess that she would be wise enough to focus on keeping the ship of state steady. I think she would be fine: maybe not our greatest president, not our worst either. The real issue, it seems, is that she is a woman of color, and that makes some people uncomfortable, and *that* makes other people feel as if they need to find a way to make those uncomfortable people comfortable, and we end up all sitting around wringing our hands.
Is there any white man whiter than Mike Pence? Do we really believe that if TFG had been taken out by a rogue piece of KFC that Pence would have risen to the occasion to be a tremendous leader? We all know he was chosen for his impressive head of hair, not for bold policy ideas or a track record of leadership in DC. But he probably would have done just fine staying the course (as bad a course as it was), and things might have been less crazy and sedition-y. I can't recall any hand-wringing about "What would we do with a President Pence?!?"
So why does Kamala Harris get held to a higher standard? She's not grossly unqualified like Sarah Palin was. Can we just acknowledge that most of the to-do around Harris is rooted in her gender and skin color, and maybe call out the racism and sexism? Can't we turn the tables on the "OMG, scary Black lady!" BS?
Really? Quoting Bret Stephens, who distorts and exaggerates everything? To be sure, inflation and age are Biden's bete noires. But Stephens' further litany of supposed American ruin is the same old fear-mongering that rightwingers have been doing forever. Societys are always imperfect and, in some sense, failing. It's part of the human condition. But to live with that as your focus is to live without hope, and what good is that. Biden is old, and he probably shouldn't be running, but at least he's looking forward, something we can't say about Trump or most of the Republican presidential field or, unfortunately, many of their voters.
So Biden isn't the perfect defense, against what? A cadre of politicians and money men who have tired of democracy. If he can really lose to the current crazy people on the right that says terrible things about the electorate and takes us back to Ben Franklin's "If you can keep it."
While there are democrats who are great people that doesn't translate into electable ones and therein is the problem. So, who, if not Biden? Hillary? Whitmer? Klobuchar? Newsom?
The Bulwark does have an existing condition and that is that it's actually quite conservative but believes in democracy still, a rare attribute I imagine. It however can't quite catch on to the notions of the left.
Biden is a steward for America. Surrounded by the quality advisors he currently has, he seems to be negotiating some really difficult conditions. He's old, so am I. Neither of us is ready for the ice flow just yet. I can't run high hurdles but I certainly can think.
Right now, I think Biden is the best deal we have. He's certainly nnot going to potentially be the first presiden who might die in office. Silly me, I think he's done a fine job.
I think the Democrats should do what they've been doing: ignore the Never Trump complaining and keep doing what they've been doing, beating Trump and Republicans like a drum.
Again with this Charlie? Here’s the thing: Biden’s supporters for the most part see Biden’s weak points very clearly. But they are sticking with him because he’s really the only option that doesn’t involve rolling the dice and maybe (probably) ending up with a much worse candidate. But because of you and your cronies have convinced yourselves that Biden’s supporters are too blinded by their infatuation/wishful thinking to see any flaws, you amplify them to a ridiculous extent to paint his candidacy as a total train wreck. Trump mustn’t be able to believe his luck
The Debate About Joe
As we keep finding ways and words to fixate upon Joe Biden's personal attributes rather than focus on his record as President, someone please remind me: a) how old Donald Trump is; b) what Donald Trump's physical health appears to be; c) what Donald Trump's state of mind is; and d) what level of respect Donald Trump shows for democracy, human rights, and fundamental decency. Not all necessarily in that order.
Count me among those who are growing more than fatigued at seeing the so-called political experts keep holding Biden to a different level of scrutiny than Trump on fundamental matters of age, health, and biology, at the expense of what Biden has been done since January 2021 to make our lives better and what the Democrats' plan is for the future (compared to the GOP roadmap of ... more Trump).
If it's a Kamala Harris issue, let's say it out loud and make it an objective point of analysis. Same if it is about left- to far left-leaning policy proposals, as opposed to the GOP's roadmap of ... more Trump. And so on. But the incessant ageism thing without equal time on Trump's own personal geriatric and health issues, and the lack of focus on what the GOP isn't offering the rest of us for the future, is becoming a "look, squirrel!" moment for those of us who want balance and a higher sense of perspective to what is shaping up to be perhaps the most important presidential election in American history next year. Let's go there instead, please and thank you.
Can someone explain to me how The Bulwark/tenured pundits like Joe Klein and Bret Stephens' aimless wishcasting for somebody other than Biden is any different than Conservative Inc.'s aimless wishcasting for somebody other than Trump?
I've never understood why people push Michelle Obama as a candidate so often.
You know who is the last person who actually wants to be President? Michelle Obama. You see her disdain for politics whenever anyone asks her if she would ever consider running for President.
I think everyone should just accept her at her word that she doesn't want the job and just move on.
Yes you can avoid it. It's articles like these that will sap enthusiasm for Biden and get Trump elected. Heckofa job, Bulwark.
robertsdavidn.substack.com/about
I am a lifelong Democrat now living in NC. Yeah, he’s old, I’m old, okay. We’re old. BUT, I would vote for him if he was 95 because that’s how much danger we are in. I don’t think that you or anyone on the political scene can add much more to the howling of the media, tv and social on a nonstop loop. I don’t care about Biden’s age, I just don’t. You can talk about the amazing work he’s done instead of his age, which I know you have done. Keeping the age conversation open just seems harmful to me, as well as tiresome and redundant. Enough already. I’d vote for him if he was 120.
Trump is old. He could lose. Stop rehashing this crap already Charlie. He is the DEM nominee and we have to get behind him 100% not keep going on and on about Joe's age. FFS he has been a GREAT PRESIDENT overseeing an economy that a GOP candidate would die for so get over it. All you Never Trumpers are ridiculous - vote DEM from President down the line. THERE IS NO GOOD GOP CANDIDATE. Not a single one on the horizon. This party needs to go by way of the Whigs. Sorry to break it to you and your peeps but that is the reality and I am so here for it. My 20 something kids are DEMS for life. and every year a new Dem turns 18. Think on that for a bit.
Repeat after me... JVL is always right! Biden is who we have and the best shot at taking down Trump so acknowledge his age and move on to what strategies can help him.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this information? Yell at Biden? Demand a Democratic primary? Do an "I'm concerned" dance? Call my congressman? Moan and put my hands on my face like some kind of Van Gogh or confused Picasso? Give up and actually make that move to Canada? Check on the expat potential in Europe? Tell my teenaged kids they're fucked?
1) Joe Biden is boring. In the current era, a lot of people are looking for entertainment from their politicians or looking for emotional satisfaction (pwning the libs or pwning the MAGAts). Joes isn't delivering here;
2) Many of the upcoming Democrats mentioned COULD beat Trump. Biden HAS beaten Trump.
3) The actual campaign hasn't even started yet, we are a over a year out. It is basically too late to switch horses, but too early to have a clear idea of how things are going to lay out.... but I guess we gotta talk about something?
4) If you wanted fresh blood, the Democrats should have been working on that since day 1 of the Biden Administration. Creating opportunities and messaging and raising visibility/awareness. Kind of late for that now... the reality is that they SHOULD have run someone fresh rather than HC. Torch should have been passed.
If Bret Stephens wants to talk about “the collapse of public order in our streets,” he might want to start with the near-collapse of democracy that occurred outside the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Not to mention the incidence of hate crimes against Black people, Jews, Asians, and the LGBTQ community, all of which have “skyrocketed“ at a far greater rate than car thefts—and we all know why.
Ok, people are concerned about the price of bread and eggs. Fair enough. On what planet will 45 do a thing to help bring those costs down? My prediction of 45's second administration: prices get worse but somehow it stops being the lede of every economic news story.
Good morning, Charlie.
1) I'd like to posit that Joe Klein is past his sell-by date.
2) Let's stop trying to make "Big Gretch" happen. I think it's *great* that Michigan has women in all the top government roles. I was excited and proud to vote for Hillary Clinton. But misogyny is real and it runs very deep in this country. As much as I'd like to see a female president in my lifetime, I don't think we're going to elect one.
3) Gavin Newsom? Please stop. Look: He's a pretty good governor, and California is a massive economy, and he's probably up to the challenge. But has anyone floating the idea of Newsom as a national candidate looked at the guy? How would you sell him to people who do not live on the West Coast or in the Boston/NY/DC?? Can you imagine him at the Iowa State Fair (a tradition I'd like to see disappear, but here we are)? I lived in California until recently, and I'd vote for him, but he doesn't exactly come across as relatable to the average person.
I'm also not seeing Wes Moore's charisma.
I wish Biden was ten years younger than he is. I was I was twenty years younger than I am. Let's accept that Joe is old, and this is sub-optimal. And then tackle the actual issues: Okay, what if Joe dies before the end of a second term? Do we really, *really* think that Kamala Harris is so woefully inadequate that she'll accidentally launch our entire nuclear arsenal at Canada? No, we don't think that.
What would be likely to happen in that situation? I'm not a political insider, so I'm just guessing, but I'd guess that she would be wise enough to focus on keeping the ship of state steady. I think she would be fine: maybe not our greatest president, not our worst either. The real issue, it seems, is that she is a woman of color, and that makes some people uncomfortable, and *that* makes other people feel as if they need to find a way to make those uncomfortable people comfortable, and we end up all sitting around wringing our hands.
Is there any white man whiter than Mike Pence? Do we really believe that if TFG had been taken out by a rogue piece of KFC that Pence would have risen to the occasion to be a tremendous leader? We all know he was chosen for his impressive head of hair, not for bold policy ideas or a track record of leadership in DC. But he probably would have done just fine staying the course (as bad a course as it was), and things might have been less crazy and sedition-y. I can't recall any hand-wringing about "What would we do with a President Pence?!?"
So why does Kamala Harris get held to a higher standard? She's not grossly unqualified like Sarah Palin was. Can we just acknowledge that most of the to-do around Harris is rooted in her gender and skin color, and maybe call out the racism and sexism? Can't we turn the tables on the "OMG, scary Black lady!" BS?
Really? Quoting Bret Stephens, who distorts and exaggerates everything? To be sure, inflation and age are Biden's bete noires. But Stephens' further litany of supposed American ruin is the same old fear-mongering that rightwingers have been doing forever. Societys are always imperfect and, in some sense, failing. It's part of the human condition. But to live with that as your focus is to live without hope, and what good is that. Biden is old, and he probably shouldn't be running, but at least he's looking forward, something we can't say about Trump or most of the Republican presidential field or, unfortunately, many of their voters.
So Biden isn't the perfect defense, against what? A cadre of politicians and money men who have tired of democracy. If he can really lose to the current crazy people on the right that says terrible things about the electorate and takes us back to Ben Franklin's "If you can keep it."
While there are democrats who are great people that doesn't translate into electable ones and therein is the problem. So, who, if not Biden? Hillary? Whitmer? Klobuchar? Newsom?
The Bulwark does have an existing condition and that is that it's actually quite conservative but believes in democracy still, a rare attribute I imagine. It however can't quite catch on to the notions of the left.
Biden is a steward for America. Surrounded by the quality advisors he currently has, he seems to be negotiating some really difficult conditions. He's old, so am I. Neither of us is ready for the ice flow just yet. I can't run high hurdles but I certainly can think.
Right now, I think Biden is the best deal we have. He's certainly nnot going to potentially be the first presiden who might die in office. Silly me, I think he's done a fine job.
I think the Democrats should do what they've been doing: ignore the Never Trump complaining and keep doing what they've been doing, beating Trump and Republicans like a drum.
Again with this Charlie? Here’s the thing: Biden’s supporters for the most part see Biden’s weak points very clearly. But they are sticking with him because he’s really the only option that doesn’t involve rolling the dice and maybe (probably) ending up with a much worse candidate. But because of you and your cronies have convinced yourselves that Biden’s supporters are too blinded by their infatuation/wishful thinking to see any flaws, you amplify them to a ridiculous extent to paint his candidacy as a total train wreck. Trump mustn’t be able to believe his luck