It’s curious that there’s an avalanche of constitutional scholars and other know-it-alls calling for Biden to drop out or even invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him, while there’s a notable lack of focus on Trump’s more dangerous shortcomings. This kind of rhetoric might be expected from figures like Dershowitz and Turley, but not from those in the center to left-leaning spectrum.
This is why I have found it necessary to tune out the media for a few days. I am disgusted at the focus on Biden instead of the convicted felon who is systematically stealing our democracy in plain view. Even from the outlets I trust - I have heard all I can stand right now.
There is nothing about the 2024 election that is "politics as usual". A Trump administration & Project 2025 would mean an end to American democracy. THIS IS NOT HYPERBOLE. A vote for Joe Biden & all Democrats on the ticket is a vote to save this country & our freedoms.
Trump belongs at Attica, not the WH. He and his band of criminals plan to gut our government and dismantle our democracy. I’m voting for Biden, who saved America after Trump’s first disastrous presidency. Period.
It's time to wear this "vote removes stubborn orange stains" tshirt 👇
As if there is democracy in this country? Holy shit. No wonder we can’t have anything nice here we can’t do the one single caveat the framers left us. “A well informed and educated electorate. Fuck we vacillating between corporate oligarchy enabled fascism and totalitarian despotism since Reagan.
Settling for slightly less shitty than really really really really shitty which, by the way is still pretty damn shitty, is exactly what brought us here. Fucking demand good, not slightly less pathetic. That’s fucking pathetic
another alternative is to thank Joe for his service (he beat Trump in 2020 and did a great job since) which clearly took a toll on him, and pass the torch to an intelligent energetic woman (VP Kamala Harris) who, if given the chance, and get up and electrify the Dems and the Independents and the Undecideds and the Never-Trumpers (who all want Trump gone) with a new leader and a new campaign and a new hope that this smart, assertive, articulate woman can take the battle to Trump, and kick his ass, and inspire that Great Blue Wave that is needed to dump Trump and return America to some kind of sanity.
I'm afraid that Joe will lead us to victory (that what all the polls say, and I feel it in my bones) while Kamala can re-invigorate the campaign - image the whole new narrative and focus-change from "can Joe do it" to "Kamala can do it"
That's what we need, the right leader at the right time. And it aint Joe; my money's on Kamala.
As long as you’re shopping, also stop by President Biden‘s campaign site and get some official campaign merch it is 25% off today! Go here to fund the campaign and turn your house, your car, yourself into billboards for our great president. Sadly, I know that not everyone can do this safely, Those who can need to do so twice on behalf of those who cannot. https://shop.joebiden.com/
I feel the same way, but in the last few days I have taken my disgust and put it in writing and sent it to a couple of reporters who are pushing Donald’s popularity and attacking Biden. It’s not a move I normally would make, but this focusing on Donald and insulting Biden has gone above and beyond, and so must we. Write to the papers and the individuals who are blindsided and brain dead and remind them what this country should stand for: it’s absolutely not Donald Trump.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record: THE PRESS IS NOT a FRIEND. What we are witnessing is a smear campaign on steroids. Good on you for forging ahead by raising your voice - as we have often heard, the pen is mightier than the sword! KEEP ON KEEPING ON! Thank you!
I love this. If you’re comfortable sharing part of your letter maybe some of us can pick it up and do similarly. If not, I still really love that you’re doing that.
Thanks, Sara, for asking for my letter. It was rather long and a bit nasty. I just say what I feel, and right now I am angry so it was easy to let it all hang out, so to speak. You just have to simply say what is on your mind. Be honest and brave. We need to stand up for decency now.
The anger combines with disbelief, doesn't it, and I keep trying to make sure my mind doesn't get overwhelmed and say things I'll regret. Then I remember the orange allies apparently have no filter and no bottom, and courage like yours keeps me going, thinking, and praying. Thank you.
Thank you, Susan. I am not courageous, just bothered. Too much ignorance floating back and forth. If you watch the news, you get a variety of responses to what is going on. You have to form your own opinions. Just believe what you believe and put it out there.
You will only get a form letter from The NY Times. I wrote to individuals when they put their name and email address at the bottom of their rant. Haven’t heard from them either. lol.
Barabara, I'm not "blindsided and brain dead"; I'm a 77 year old life-long liberal who has participated in every election since I was a teen.
Most Americans want to dump Trump, and they were hoping Joe was the guy to do it. But his performance at the debate undermined their hope. We need the Undecideds and the Independents and the Never-Trumpers, but they were disappointed and they won't be coming over for Joe; which means we won't be building the great Blue Wave that we need to dump Trumpism forever.
So I suggest Joe step aside (he's done his duty, and it's taken its toll) and pass the torch to Kamala Harris (and we all get behind her 100%) - she's a strong, intelligent, articulate woman who can sell the same policies much more effectively than Joe.
Of course we need to destroy Trumpism, but the reality is that requires a huge Blue Wave and that just ain't gonna happen under Joe - so we need to be bold and put up a candidate who CAN rebuild the 2020 coalition and most importantly, can bring in the crucial Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers that we need to build that Blue Wave.
I don't think Joe can do it (which means Trump will win); but I DO think Kamala can do, big time.
She will kick Trump's ass to dump, and inspire a whole new level of energy and enthusiasm that will kick Trumpism to hell where it belongs.
Joe's done his job well, but we'll lose to Trump.
Kamala has been kept under wraps; give her the stage and she will start a whole new narrative and scare the shit out of Trump (he hates strong women) and I believe Kamala is a much better candidate to sell the Dems message than Joe.
First of all, Abraham, it’s not that easy. Joe Biden has millions of people who voted for him in the primaries. Even if he chose that, he would alienate his core constituency which makes up a larger percentage of voters than Trump’s. You are correct about Independents and Never Trumpers. There are also new voters in every election. Never Trumpers will never vote for Trump. So we are dealing with Independents which are no one’s base. Biden needs to do something but not step out. Dems will get crushed up and down. 90 minutes does not negate this presidency. How did Trump win after his October grab em by the pussy comment? His base rallied and others fell in because they felt Hillary was worse. That was in October not June.
Kamala Harris was given the greatest gift she could have ever gotten from Biden. She has backbone and loyalty. She will not easily be persuaded. And do you really think this misogynist country will vote for a woman of color? I wish but in my dreams( she was my first choice in 2020) I left the Democratic Party after Hillary’s loss. Not because of her loss because of how she was treated after by her own Party. I rejoined late in 2018 because Maryland has closed primaries.
Dems and Joe Biden supporters need to take a chill pill and continue talking about how much Biden has done for this country and how this great American experiment will die if we don’t elect him. Let Biden figure out how he needs to address his performance and perceptions.
We got through 4 years of Trump but we will not survive another four years. The wealthy Republican donor class has a laid out plan and Trump is their patsy.
First, please don't suggest that I have been brainwashed by the media. I'm 77, beat cancer, earned 5 degrees including PhD, married 50+ years with kids and grandkids, fought for Dems my whole life, and I'm a well-read, intelligent, independent thinker, and I'm not brainwashed by the media. I've got an anti-trump substack newsletter with hundreds of follower who read and comment on my 40 articles raising a 5-alarm warning about Trump's neo-fascist danger.
But whenever I raise the question as to whether Joe can defeat Trump (which is all that matters) I'm attacked as brainwashed, stupid, a traitor to the cause, a Trump-lover, a MAGA stooge, or a troll.
You say " Let Biden figure out how he needs to address his performance and perceptions." To me, he had the chance, and he blew it. The polls are real: he was trailing before (sadly, his high point was just before the debate) and millions of Trump-haters were hoping he'd start the Blue Wave, but he didn't.
Look at the National poll in the top left corner: that's the fall-out from Joe's performance. And there are numerous documented reports of Joe falling asleep at meetings, even with foreign dignitaries.
To simply close our eyes and say Joe won in 2020 and he's done a great job isn't enough: America knew all that before the debate and Trump was still leading. So repeating his accomplishments and bashing Trump hasn't worked so far, and won't work going forward.
Everyone agrees we must beat Trump, and then they rally around the guy who WON'T beat Trump. Look at the reaction of the Americans who wanted to come over, but saw that Joe wasn't their guy. And we can't win this thing without rebuilding the 2020 coalition (which Joe hasn't done) and ADDING all those Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers who would have build the thing into a Blue Wave.
But face reality: he didn't do it, and there are no political ads that can dispel what we all saw and heard.
Sticking with Joe gives the govt to Trump. We can't let that happen.
A contested convention gives the govt to Trump. We can't let that happen.
Passing the torch now to Kamala can stop the bleeding, and re-start the campaign with a younger, sharper candidate who can make the case (sell the same platform) much more effectively.
I'm not brainwashed; I'm a long-time liberal political operative, and I love Joe for what he's done. But he's not the same guy who won in 2020, the job has taken it's toll, and it's time to pass the torch.
Today the Dems' biggest donor said No to Joe. He wants it passed to Kamala and he'll throw a ton of money behind her to defeat Trump. But he thinks Joe will lose. And here's a guy who gives tens of millions of dollars and can call Joe directly; he's an insider and he knows stuff we don't know and he's warning the Dems that we'll lose (we're already losing) with Joe. But he (and millions of others) will get behind Kamala.
The dumbest thing we could possibly do is get mine Camala after this debacle. This entire thing is so fucked Joe was the 22nd rank candidate out of 23. This whole shit show is on the Democratic Party constituents. Because they have held their party account since 1980 for good governance and with a tiny glimpse of such, they would’ve never lost an election. Shut the fuck up and read a book or two, thousand
Kudos to you, Barbara. The press is in a frenzy now to make money. We have gone to the time of muckrakers! Every news outlet wants to be the National Enquirer
Teresa and Bowery -- close your ears if you must, but ENDURE -- do something !! WE CANNOT GIVE IN TO DAY-ONE- DONALD. !! Get up a car pool to the neighborhood voting location and celebrate afterwards with sandwiches in the park. Talk to anyone you know who is "on the fence" and remind them that this dastardly situation BEGAN WITH ONE LIE. Donald LOST the last election and he knows it ! Don't let him win on a stupid lie ! Remind voters of his begging for 11,000 votes from the Georgia voting officials. My gawd, have we forgotten this madman's selfish need to undue democracy so he can have power and the money it might bring to him ? DON'T LET IT HAPPEN. I am to greet my first great grandchild in December. I do not want that precious child to grow up in what will be an authoritarian state. THINK ! ACT ! PLEASE !
Something to look forward to: a great grandchild! Guess you would feel more motivated to get the world he or she is entering , in order. Good luck with all you do. In the end, everyone must vote to get the job done. Enjoy your new baby. Hope it’s not close to Xmas so he/she will not lose out on gifts from two occasions put into one as I’ve heard sometimes happens.
yes Barbara, all these things are necessary, but what is most necessary is a leader who can sell the Dem platform, and rebuild the 2020 coalition, and bring in new voters from Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers - who ALL want to be rid of Trump, but they're not coming over to Joe. He didn't re-assure them that he could beat Trump.
So I'm hoping he'll pass the torch to Kamala to re-invigorate the campaign, start a new narrative, rebuild the coalition, bring in those other new voters, and set the campaign on fire with her intelligence and articulateness; she can sell the message far better than Joe.
We all want to destroy Trumpism, but I don't think Joe can do it.
I DO think Kamala can do it. And add fuel to all of your suggestions.
new paradigm time perhaps, kamala steps way up, "given" full reign, joe fully, the party absolutely embraces this, all absolutely transparent, all potent modeling for everyone...shared leadership.....now is her time, without a doubt....
she's been kept on the sidelines far too long; she needs to be front and center stage - she'll bring a whole new energy to the campaign.
Today Joe said his new plan is to get more sleep. And not do anything after 8 pm.
This during an existential election that could give the power to Trump's neo-fascist MAGA mob.
And Joe, who's now trailing really badly, is gonna get more sleep.
Confirming, I guess, Trump's nickname of Sleepy Joe.
C'man Dems, Joe's done a great job, but the job has taken it's toll, and that wasn't a 1-off; lots of documented reports of him falling asleep at meeting.
The stake are too high, so thank you Laura J. for agreeing that "now is her time"
How do we get that message through to our colleagues.?
I also can’t watch. I sometimes think most of today’s media, pundits, and politicians just aren’t that bright. I miss the days of newscasters like Walter Cronkite.
Donald Trump's absurd hyperbole and lies during the debate were glaring. Here are some of the key falsehoods he presented that have been fact checked:
1. 2020 Election Fraud Claims: Trump repeated the debunked claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Numerous courts have dismissed these allegations due to lack of evidence, and extensive investigations have confirmed the integrity of the election
2. Insulin Price Cap: Trump misleadingly took credit for the $35 monthly cap on insulin costs under Medicare, which was actually passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 during Biden's administration.
3. Biden Allowing Criminals: Trump falsely accused Biden of allowing millions of criminals into the country, a claim with no statistical basis.
4. Narrative on January 6th: Trump's assertion that he offered 10,000 soldiers or National Guard to prevent the January 6th Capitol attack and that Nancy Pelosi turned them down is false. Pelosi has consistently held Trump responsible for the events of that day.
5. China Payments: Trump alleged that Biden is paid by China, a claim thoroughly investigated by House Republicans without finding any evidence to substantiate it.
6. Charlottesville Comments: Trump’s denial of his infamous Charlottesville remarks has been repeatedly debunked; he did suggest there were "very fine people on both sides" which included white nationalists
Despite Biden’s difficulty in countering all these lies in real-time during the debate, Trump's deceit remains unparalleled in presidential history. It is crucial to address and correct these falsehoods to maintain the integrity of the democratic process.
Yes John, all of these are true, and the majority of Americans want to dump Trump.
Our problem today is that Joe has failed to rebuild the 2020 coalition, and he failed to bring in the new voters that are needed to form a Blue Wave (Independents, Undecideds, Never-Trumpers). They WANT to dump Trump, but they don't see Joe as the leader to do it.
I believe he should pass the torch to VP Kamala Harris - a strong, intelligent, leader who can sell the message much more effectively than Joe.
She's been kept on the sidelines too long; put her front and center on the stage and she will kick Trump's ass and re-invigorate the campaign and rebuild the coalition and bring in all those others who hate Trump but doubt Joe;
Kamala Harris is the Dems golden opportunity to turn this thing around and build that Blue Wave. And save democracy.
TRump is pathological liar. At least 21 lies a day while in office! He lying, cheating...so admirable for a "leader." (Leading us straight into hell). Here from 3 years ago: https://youtu.be/NsQ2hX_noNw?feature=shared
I am disgusted that the Democratic Party elected officials haven’t caught under the fact that if they even attempted a semblance of good governance, you would never lose to an ongoing criminal enterprise pack proving there’s no significant difference because they’re on the same team and you fools are the continual losers.
I am disappointed in the Dem Party for not seeing the decline in Joe's ability to win the next election, and for keeping Kamala Harris on the sidelines.
Right now, I fear that ridin' with Biden will give the election to Trump, and that is unacceptable.
Put Kamala Harris at center stage, let her bring her intelligence and fire to the narrative and re-invigorate the campaign and rebuild the 202 coalition and bring in all those others (Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers) who don't want Trump but they don't have confidence in Joe.
We need to build a Blue Wave to crush Trumpism forever, and I just don't see it with Joe. The demands of the job have taken their toll on him.
Kamala brings new energy, new enthusiasm, a new narrative (imagine the millions in free publicity) and finally Americans what they are crying for - a strong intelligent honest leader who can communicate and inspire.
Teresa, I have had to do the same because it is a constant blast against Biden. Even MSNBC, NPR, and my local news have been swamping everyone with just how terrible ?Biden is and that he needs to drop out, despite his having won the primaries. I even heard someone say that in 2020 the Democratic Party was as divided as it is now over Biden or something equally ridiculous and that we worked it out. We had 3 more months and it was clear Biden had won the primaries, just as he won them this year. We need the whiners to wake up and get back with the party or we are sure to be blasted by The MAGA crowd. Why is it so hard to see? Why is this nation still so racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, homo/transphobic, ageist? One would think we would be better by this time, but I am certain a woman, even Kamala Harris cannot win the election in November and no one else is well known enough to run in Biden's place no matter what the whiny white boys say. It's time we get behind Biden and move him through this process so he can continue to make the positive changes he has made and do more of what we need.
John, agreed. I don’t understand it. Mary, thanks for the hard work and wise words. I have to the Biden campaign before the debate and the next day I made the first monthly contribution to his campaign. I know that not all of us can do that, but we can give our time.
yes Ms. Miller many of us cannot afford to give money. But we can, put our "bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon all the apparatus, and ....make the" Fascist "machine stop." Act now!
Perhaps contact the Democratic Party/clubs in your area/state and see how you can get involved, maybe canvassing?
Or search online for groups that are organizing virtual and remote activities - such as phone banks and postcard writing - for example, ActivateAmerica, VoteForward, FieldTeam6, Indivisible, MobilizeUs.
gerald, I agree that the "Fascist machine" must be stopped.
I've written 40 articles on my "Neo-Fascism: A Warning" substack newsletter.
Trumpism is a fascist threat to America, no question.
The question is, how to stop it. Now.
I believe that a massive Blue Wave is needed: we need to rebuild the 2020 coalition, and bring in new voters (Independents, Undecideds, Never-Trumpers) who ALL WANT TO DUMP TRUMP.
The problem is: they don't see Joe as the leader (this time) to beat Trump. ANd his poor debate sealed the deal with those who wanted to come over but were too disappointed.
So here's my pitch: Joe should pass the torch to VP Kamala Harris - she's strong, articulate, she can sell the Dem message much more effectively that Joe, she can rebuild the 2020 coalition and inspire those Joe-doubters (who are crying for someone to beat Trump) and start that great Blue Wave that is the only way to stop Trump.
Joe can't do it (look at the post-debate polls) and all the strong-vibrant-Joe ads that they're preparing will only create cognitive dissonance and remind everyone of what we saw at the debate.
I'm not a Trump troll: far from it, I'm a 77 yr old lifelong liberal who's fought in every election since I was a teenager, and I believe we can kick Trumpism to the shithole where they belong, but not with Joe. I believe Kamala Harris can and will create the Blue Wave we need (and America wants) - let's put her up on center stage and let her win over the doubters and set the campaign on fire and start a whole new narrative in the media (Kamala, Kamala, Kamala - a billion dollars worth of free publicity) and give Americans want they want: a strong intelligent leader who they can get behind to defeat Donald Trump.
Mr. Washington, thank you for your response. I do not think you are a Trump-Troll. I think you are honestly expressing your thoughts on this important political subject. As I am.
My thinking on the topic is greatly influenced by two things. One is my discovery of Allan Lichtman several years ago. The other is my career as an academic trained in survey research methods. I am 82 yrs. old and taught research methods for almost 40 years. I am not a computer Nerd. I am Old School.
The first topic on my Sociology Research Course Syllabus was objectivity. I began with metaphors.
1) Just as an ichthyologist does not hate or fear sharks because they are fearsome predators; a social scientist does not hate or fear human beings; who are sometimes, fearsome predators.
2)And just as a soil scientist does not have contempt for harmless, helpless worms; a social scientist does not have contempt for the human beings who can be repulsive or trapped by circumstance.
The social scientist does not pass value judgements, as difficult as it is to refrain from doing so. Lichtman is a scientist.
Some years ago when Lichtman was at The California Institute of Technology, he teamed up with a man named Wladimir Keilis-Borok. They created a model for predicting presidential elections. Borok is a world renowned mathematician who specializes in mathematical prediction models. Lichtman is a political scientist who I believe is currently at American University.
Lichman's model successfully predicts every presidential winner from 1860 up to the present. No other scholar has developed such a successful model, none.
I highly recommend his book PREDICTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT. He analyses 13 topics which are germane to U.S. presidential elections. He calls them the 13 "keys" to successful election. It would be a mistake for me to attempt a precis of his model here. I'm afraid I would only botch it. Lichtman is best in his own words, far better than me.
My relevant academic training is in Mathematics, Psychology and Sociology; so I follow his explanation. Truth to tell; there is no Math in his model beyond arithmetic. But his reasoning is precise, consistent and can be devilishly slow to follow for one like me who is not close to his knowledge in American political history.
If there is going to be a discussion about the near future of the Democratic Party & its nominee, & there's good reason for such a discussion, it has to be now. A decision has to be made about Biden's capacity to remain President by convention time, & there are serious questions about his fitness. We need transparency about his health & medical records. The Democratic Party has some standout prospects in reserve in case they're needed, & they should not be underestimated. Once that decision is finalized, then the party must be completely united & put all our focus has onto defeating Trump & the rest of the GOP & figuring out effective strategies to accomplish that goal.
We need this kind of democratic party circle jerk to stop! Right now! Who do you think you are? Biden has been very transparent his health records, very. Thank God, this party was not at Manassas, the winter at Valley Forge, the Battle of the Bulge. Get my drift? The urge to turn tail and run is repulsive and that is what way too many of the "pundit class" is doing. Are you part of the Pres Biden's decision? No? Then stop being part of the problem. You want to pontificate? Try analyzing Project 2025 and elucidate to the masses on how to stop it. Be useful and stop firing on the commander-in-chief and weakening our chance of holding all of Congress and the White House. What kind of a party is this?
Thank you, Carol-Ann. Joe may not be perfect, but he is our guy until HE says he is not. The other guy is 11 billionty times (yes, I'm a Steph-head) worse than Joe could ever be. I guess we'll have to start woman-splaining things to the male a******* who are attacking us as well as attacking Joe. I appreciate your comment so much.💙
Don't let your loyalty to this man blind you to the realities of both Biden's condition, which many observers have attributed to Parkinson's, a debilitating disease that only gets worse over time, & the overwhelming popular opinion against Biden continuing his run for reelection. In fact, from the beginning public opinion has been against both men running again, but they both stubbornly ran anyway & the DNC made sure that no viable candidate would run against Biden in the primaries. It is irresponsible of the Democratic Party to have as their nominee someone who is likely to be incapacitated before the end of his next term, just as it is irresponsible for the GOP to nominate a convicted felon (& traitor) as their nominee. It is imperative that Trump be defeated, & to do that we must make sure that we run the best candidate possible & one that is likely to win. Blind loyalty to a certain unpopular candidate has been the cause of Democratic defeat in the past, & is likely to be again. So let us sort this out before the convention & not rush into oblivion.
Don't you dare mansplain. Are you a neurologist? No? End of conversation. You are gathering your information from hearsay.....hearsay. You are not a HIPPA representative for Pres. Biden. You are not in any way an expert on any of this. Want to do something? Volunteer in a purple state; get to work and stop, for God's sake, regurgitating the crap being by spewed by papers who have an ax to grind.....like the New York Times......perhaps turn you criticism on the MAGA candidate. Stop with this parroting the Wall Street Journal - a Murdoch product - the Washington Post - hiring its leadership from the Murdoch stable - and the aforementioned New York Times sucking its thumb because Biden will not give them an exclusive. And you are carrying their water for them.
One time our president, after traveling overseas several times in a week, representing our country after the extraordinary accomplishments he’s made in 3-1/2 years, and people want to push him aside? What a bunch of ungrateful, spoiled, selfish and arrogant people in this country. I refuse to believe that Biden is unpopular- naysayers do not deserve this patriot who has devoted his life to public service. Shame on you!
I would prefer this mansplaining idiot just sat the fuck down and shut up. People like him are a huge problem for the rest of us. And it is people like him who think they are such smart liberals that will end up costing the election. Because they are not as smart as they think they are. And I will blame them if the orange monster takes power again.
Wow! What a sexist comment! You have been hostile to me from the beginning & unwilling to hold a calm discussion. I want Democrats to win. Not only win, but crush Trump & the rest of the GOP. We need the right candidate to do that. You're not going to get a realistic assessment of the political situation by only listening to fellow Biden loyalists. It's Independents, Never Trumper Republicans & progressives, who hate Trump but find Biden unfit for President as well, that we should be listening to.
No. Go back and read your own postings. You do mansplain.....you condescend and act as if you know the "way." You don't and you are being less than accurate or fair to the President.
This is what Merriam-Webster has to say about mansplaining: It's what occurs when a man talks condescendingly to someone (especially a woman) about something he has incomplete knowledge of, with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about it than the person he's talking to does.
No, I don't know more about this subject than you do. But I do know far too many people are tossing around statements and alleged information that has no basis in fact. If the shoe fits.....
James it is too late to run anyone else. History has proven this (1968). I feel that this administration is better for our country and the people Biden is surrounded by will carry on the work he has started should - God forbid he not be able to serve his entire term. That is what allows me to sleep at night. We already have an excellent team in place. Let’s rally and do everything we can to keep them and increase our seats in Congress. And only then can we look to 2028.
Is there an actual someone who is being considered to jump in to this election? It’s difficult to be disloyal to Biden when he still feels he can run. Mr Rankin, are you also a politician? Your name is familiar for some reason.
Bottom line they’re both the nominees. I really like Biden and trump’s an idiot. I believe Biden will do what’s right for the country. And Kamala is no dummy either.
It is very sad and disturbing (but understandable) that those of us who are facing the unpleasant, dismal truth that Joe Biden, the candidate this time around, is not capable of winning against Trump, are being vilified--this is not a bunch of know-it-all pundits, and lily-livered disloyal Democrats who are asking Joe Biden to face the truth and give way to a candidate who can actually win now against Trump. I am deeply committed to defeating Trump once-and-for-all. I am unable to pretend that President Biden's performance at the debate was anything better than dismal. I was 100 percent behind him until I saw his actual condition which has been hidden from us--those on his side! This is too serious to try to cover up or make excuses for. A healthy vigorous Democratic nominee will win big time over Trump. Yes, it will be terrifying and nerve wracking to go through the process of choosing--but the odds of Biden winning over Trump now are absolutely terrible. If he steps aside sadly but willingly--we can all unify around our candidate and win. If for some horrible reason Joe Biden stays in the race, I will do everything I can to get him elected--but it will be with a heavy heart. It is most unlikely he will recover from that miserable debate performance. It was not a one time deal--or he would be all over the place demonstrating that--instead he is being hidden. He has been a GREAT president--but he is now a horrendous ultra-weak candidate and it is not the fault of those of us Democrats criticizing him..
How is he being hidden? I thought he was all over the place immediately following the debate, not “being hidden”. Didn’t he go to a rally the very next day, in which he crushed his speech?
I will not accept fellow Democrats insulting you because you have a differing opinion. We have to stop that right away--that is how we lose. It is terribly painful to acknowledge that poor Joe Biden is not able to be the candidate we thought he could be--it is sad and horrifying. But that doesn't mean we should turn on each other.
Barry it is too late in the game to run another candidate. You must know this! I would’ve loved to see Bernie get the nomination back in 2016 but when he didn’t it meant backing the candidate who was chosen. I didn’t like it but I did it. Unfortunately we learned that even though a lot of others did the same - HRC won the popular vote - the system we have to work with allowed the worst candidate ever to win. Nothing has changed with the system since then so why would you think that any other candidate would succeed where HRC failed? Trying to force through another candidate at this point will guarantee CFDT is sent back to the White House and I can’t even wrap my head around what becomes of us then. We all need to channel our energy into keeping the TEAM that is working for us in place. Then we can focus on 2028 and ensuring that we run younger candidates.
Oh, thank you so much for your explanation. I feel SO much better now that a man has explained the situation to poor, little, old female me. You are an ass and you are huge part of the problem. Now sit down, shut the fuck up and let the women handle the situation. Prick!
I agree with Mary on all of us Democrats needing to get to work. We should be able to accomplish a lot and win this election even if we disagree. Ranting and attacking people who worry about Biden’s viability helps nothing and creates more problems. There are those of us who LOVE Joe Biden and support him and still can be painfully worried about him. As a medical professional the visible aspects of possible decline were alarming to me. It was heartbreaking, and frightening. When I found myself wondering when these visible changes may have begun to be so evident- that’s when I realized that President Biden hasn’t been giving press briefings daily. Or press conferences, for quite some time. Of course I wondered if it was because maybe he has been in actual decline after how things looked the other night. Everybody has bad days. Whether they’re impaired at all or completely fit. But the dramatic change was profound. Seeing him in that condition broke my heart. I love this President of ours. And I love what he has done for this country. I have been perpetually outraged at the nasty right wingers who have tried to paint such a good man as a villain. And the media- omg- The press is NOT helping and they have NEVER been on our side. I believe 90% of the press is as corrupt as our Supreme Court. And that’s not news. I will faithfully fight for and vote for any and all Democrats on all the ballots I’m eligible to vote for. I am unquestionably loyal to our values and desperate to stop the fanatic christofascists who want to destroy our democracy. We need to step up our fight. It cannot remain business as usual. The vigorous reassurance and appearances we need from President Biden have not been enough. He had a good day the next day at his rally. We have needed MORE. These reactions do NOT come out of a vacuum. You’re seeing and hearing fear, concern, heartbreak and desperation. Also, The right wing nutters have explicitly TOLD us they will not accept our votes even if we win!! Our leaders have to start getting forceful in our efforts NOW to push back against the threat they promise to our very existence. That includes our current President taking drastic and legal steps to stop this coup in action. We need constant, visible, firm and sometimes loud pushback. We’re on the defensive, we’re reeling. It’s not a strong position. And lastly- equating reactions of fear and concern about Biden does NOT mean Donald tRump gets a pass. He remains the disgusting lowest specimen of humanity that he is. And his followers too for that matter. They’re disgusting horrible people and they are relentless in their lust to destroy everything good about our treasured democracy. We have to stop them furiously and forcefully. We need strength and the picture of strength. I cannot confidently say if our President has that strength and vigor. If he still does, it needs to be seen and heard. God bless that man. And protect him. And us.
Thank you! People like this Rankin piss me off almost more than the GOP. If Biden loses in November, I will 100% hold people like this asshat James Rankin responsible for the loss. We have enough shit with Herr Pumpkinfuhrer and the MAGat vermin, we don't need this bullshit backstabbing from within the party. People like him need to STFDASTFU!!!!!
Agree! We are the kind of party that is always divided - because we have opinions and thoughts, we research and learn and can usually debate with civility. BUT we cannot afford to be divided at this juncture in history! I understand the opinions on Biden but I DON’T CARE! We all wish there was a younger person running and there will be in 2028 - if we survive this. If we could all just see it in this context we could come together, encourage others and win. Biden has an excellent team around him if the worst would happen. Anyone refusing to vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is, is contributing to the end of democracy.
I don’t think it’s that simple. A ton of money has been raised for Biden Harris. It cannot simply be given to another candidate. The GOP has already planned lawsuits to block that transfer of funds. And if anyone besides Harris were chosen as the candidate, we would face the wrath of the African-American population, which is an important part of our base.
If you read all the articles available, it's clear that Biden is Not up to it and has been protected by his family and close aides for the last year and a half. The truth is our and we need someone younger, more energetic and articulate who can stick it to the orange slime in a powerful way. They should be smart, forward- thinking, charismatic, inspiring and compassionate. We need a JFK, an FDR, an Obama.
You talk about transparancy ~ Well, What about T Rump? We should be checking on his health ~ both physically and especially mentally! Notice how suddenly T Rump is VERY QUIET about medical records, etc.? Yeah ~ he is scared to death that people are going to demand that he get checked over and by a GOOD Doctor, not the one that has given him all the Aderall he wants. We need to get T Rump checked and NOW ~ NO EXCUSES ! ! !
Can you all REALLY not see the irony in ignoring clear evidence of unfitness to run for president by saying that it really wasn't that bad, or it's not that important, or its the media's fault? Can't see that?!
I understand your concern, but the debate performance alone does not indicate unfitness to run for president. As a neurologist, I can say there are many reasons for his performance other than a degenerative neurological disorder. Historically, presidents have faced health issues, and the country has continued to function effectively. We should assess the candidate’s overall capability and the strength of their supporting team rather than making judgments based on one event.
I like to think he took a bennedryl or some cold medicine before he went on stage. Of course we slow down with age. Frankly, keeping his schedule should be evidence enough of his fitness. His opponent has been saying it over and over about his mental decline and it's worked. Ever heard trump without a teleprompter? Batteries and sharks sound familiar?
I appreciate your reasoned response and perhaps you are right. But so many Americans have had to deal with a degenerative neurological disorders in aging relatives and all that entails that I'm afraid electorally there in just no coming back from that. All his actions post-debate have supported the narrative. Look at the numbers. Polls are showing crazy numbers of likely voters think he is unfit, myself included. This has to be about stopping Trump and no matter how hard Biden fights, he's going to lose.
With your attitude, yes he will lose. But if he retains support because we understand the stakes, he will win. He clearly had a very bad night, but I really wonder how many of us could’ve stood up to that barage of lies. Biden has been governing very effectively. The most important thing is that he be reelected. If he doesn’t serve out his entire term, that’s not a serious problem.
YES YES TRUMP did not answer the questions but instead spewed lie after lie with planned talking points and barraged Biden non stop that he was the worst President ever in history and he Biden was weak and laughed at by all world leaders Yatta Yatta Yatta It to me was evident from Bidens cough pale face and hoarse voice that Biden had a fever and a flu cold and canceling was not an option. Unfortunately prayers and Benadryl could not get him thru this ill fated non debate CNNs Jake and Dana allowed TRUMP to break debate rules by not at least interrupting TRUMPs obvious plans to not answer the questions They should have constantly repeated these words "Mr. President you are not answering the question the question is " to prevent TRUMPs 90 minutes of nonsense and lies. TRUMP did not win the debate - He controlled the debate
What makes you think Day-One-Donald has all his mental faculties in place ? He is a madman and will destroy our country. THINK ! For gawd sakes, think. This all started with a lie -- Trump's lie. We can't lose our democracy to a lie !
And just WHO is at the helm of the not so silent whisper at the 11.9999th hr to bag Biden and now conduct a search for his replacement? So what if Joe was flummoxed by a pathological liar who just happens to be a convicted felon? Who among us could have withstood mealy minded garbage mouth any better? Try it some time and see just how well you can hold up. Joe, I am sending you well wishes for feeling better soon and my deepest appreciation for all you’ve done for all of us, even those who dismiss your efforts out of hand. Keep up the good work and PREVAIL, Buddy!
YES how about TRUMPs incoherent rants and jumbled words that have been evident for at least the past 4 years when he does his rallies This past debate with TRUMPs non answer answers have not had all the negative press that Bidens hoarse answers have. Double standard!
So we support one benevolent person losing his mental faculties over another malevolent person who is mentally depraved. That's actually an easy choice to make for those of us who accurately see it that way, but that doesn't make it a great choice, when it could be someone (like Whitehouse, Warren, Merkley, Raskin) who has the experience, competence, integrity, fortitude & statesmanship to make an excellent President & a candidate who can crush their complete opposite in character, the Orange Antichrist.
That is so unhelpful, Carol-Ann. Just the kind of nastiness that will cause us to lose. Same to the person who accused James Raskin of "mansplaining." That is pure name-calling and demeaning and discouraging to get disrespected by one's own side. I give respect and understanding to those of you who are defending Biden, I just strongly disagree. Biden was not "just having a bad debate" he was undergoing serious issues. If he came out and demonstrated he is OK (working without a teleprompter) I would reconsider and be thrilled that I was wrong. But he has not, he is in hiding surrounded by his protectors. I don't think he can win against Trump. But if he is the candidate--I will claw and fight and work to have him win. I will not bitterly fight those Democrats who disagree with me. That's what will cause us to lose.
He is. But thanks for chiming in. What causes us to lose is stupid, meanderings about dumping the president. So take it or leave it. Before you rush to his defence? Think or read long and hard about the fact that his entire diatribe was on why we should dump the president and that people like me were delusional fools (my words, not his). You took the same bait he did. Pity. Now, if you excuse me. I have a very fine president to keep on defending from barstool pundits.
I don't agree with you at all regarding Biden. But one thing struck me -- working without a teleprompter would be an indication that he was ok. The vast majority of politicians, of any age, use teleprompters regularly. I would never interpret the use of a teleprompter by anyone as a sign that they were not okay or they were unfit.
It’s interesting because they should know better. The odds are that Joe Biden will be the nominee in spite of their columns and essays knocking him down. Then how will they authentically advise Americans to vote for Biden over Trump? I don’t know what they are thinking but it certainly doesn’t seem to be long term and strategic ordered to preserving our democracy. Can it be merely generating clicks and revenue that count to some?
I just read Dan Rather's piece advocating for Biden to step down. What the fuck is wrong with people? Jesus, yes, Biden is old. Yes, he had a bad debate. But for fuck's sake, he is running against a creature almost the same age, who is a convicted felon, proven rapist and batshit crazy. How the fuck can all the cries be for BIDEN to step back?!
john..yes,it is curious,but more so than that the questions is, why do they not recognize in the sudden calls to replace biden,that it is seemingly obvious the democrats are appearing desperate,and trump and his campaign are laughing up a storm,with the "see,we told you he was a feeble old man and our guy was strong as an ox"!!you are 100 % right on the fact trumps shortcomings,his missteps,his gaffes,his total lack of knowledge and his constant threats have NOT been pushed or discussed nor his audio and video interviews, rallys and tapes shown enough,not just recently,but over a long period to give focus to the real donald trump,and not the character or the image he has set forth for the public..
Focusing on #DementiaDon won’t get #Cult45 to abandon him. I ADORE President Biden but I am afraid even if WE stick with him, the damage is done. We need lots of Indies and Cons to support him, and with the sadly pretty credible reports of his work struggles, I think that battle is lost. I’m heartbroken.
John, you are right; we should expect better of our "elites," you know the ones Trump and Kump hate. Are they trying to support Baby Donnie so he will not pick on them so much? That is stupid because Trump cares nothing for them except to get revenge on them since they rejected him because he was a terrible student and whatever other resentments come into his head. Shame on Democratic candidates and members of Congress who are picking up on the Republican BS and shoveling it at Democrats and Independents while Republicans cheer. That is just plain wrong, but something that can happen to Dems who lose their way since their candidate is not perfect and willing to go along with everything they want. sad!
John, I am an ordinary American voter, and like the majority of Americans, I tend to vote Democratic in Presidential elections (for over 40 years and counting). Furthermore, I like Joe Biden, I identify with Joe Biden's brand of politics, and I like what he's done as President. What I don't like is what I saw on TV during last week's debate. Joe had plenty of time to prepare a strategy for this trial by Q&A, and he blew it. He had plenty of time (8 years!) to become familiar with Donald Trump's signature brand of bluster and bullshit, snd to prepare any number of ripostes and witty comebacks. He had lots of help organizing ideas to bring to the podium. And he should have brought his A-game, but he didn't; he flubbed it, in front of an international audience.
The only way to have made a worse impression would have been to do a face-plant on his first entrance and never get up. (Not that I was hoping he'd fail).
I care very much about the outcome of this election: I am determined that Democrats should get a big win in November, but I do not want Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, and a lot of other Democratic voters agree with me. Joe could take himself out of the race. He would gain immense credibility for being brutally honest by saying, "My fellow Americans, I believe I am fully capable of serving out this term as your president, but I cannot ignore the fact that as I age, I may become less capable in future. I therefore will end my campaign for my party's nomination for a second term."
Heck, he could even declare that he is stepping down now and handing the reins over to Kamala Harris to serve out the remainder of his term if that is his preference. Leave it to the Democratic Convention to do what it was intended to for- produce a nominee. These days we can poll the dickens out of all sorts of scenarios and get a feel for public opinion, so why not have a "virtual primary" where every voter gets a second chance to pick from a field of would-be nominees.
Look, I'm just an ordinary voter, so my voice will never be heard or my opinions counted for much, but someone at the top of the ertive to Dems power pyramid has got to consider the attitudes of people like me. Oh, sure, I'll cast my vote for Joe if he is the Dems alternative to Trump (please don't insult me by mentioning RFK jr or other "alternative candidates" ). But I will not sleep easy for the next 4 years, wondering if Joe will be ready for that famous "3 a.m. call".
everyone knows about "Trump’s more dangerous shortcomings"
That's why the majority of Americans want to kick Trumpism to the dump.
The question is: is Joe the leader right now who can accomplish that?
THe post-debate polls say no; all those Independents and Undecideds who wanted to come over and vote Blue - well, we lost them. And don't see how expensive ads will bring them back.
can you really look objectively at the post-debate polls and say that every thing's fine and Joe's gonna win?
And just when Joe had finally passed Trump, look at the post-debate collapse of the blue line and rise of the red. That wasn't just a bad night, that was THE night to rebuild the 2020 coalition and bring in those millions who don't want Trump but weren't sure of Biden.
Of course you can call be a MAGA-troll or a know-it-all or some other insult, but first check out the 40 anti-Trump articles in my "Neo-Fascism: A Warning" site I've been writing for the last 2 years
So my humble suggestion, in the face of a Trump re-turn to power, is that we accept that the 24/7 job has taken it's toll on Joe, and that millions of Americans who hate Trump and wanted to come over have now backed away, and maybe admit that if Joe drops out and hands it over to a strong, intelligent, energetic communicator like Kamala Harris, maybe our chances of beating Trump will go up.
Of course he needs to be defeated, and defeated soundly, to prevent another round of rigged and stolen and Jan.6. So Dems need to create a massive Blue Wave to soundly defeat Trumpism once and for all. The majority of Americans want Trump gone, so our job is to put up a leader and campaign that can re-built the 2020 coalition and bring in the new Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers who all want to defeat Trump - but after Joe's performance, they have grave doubts, and I don't see Joe inspiring the massive Blue Wave that's required. Today he says he needs more sleep (reinforcing the Sleepy Joe narrative).
The bottom line is: can Joe inspire a nation to come together in a huge wave and flush out the detestable, dangerous and evil Trump.?
Right now, the post-debate polls show that Joe now has LESS chance of accomplishing that than before.
I'm not a MAGA troll or a Trump-apologist (he's an evil, lying, cheating, narcissistic, psychopath); I'm a 77-year old life-long liberal who's fought in every election since I was a teenager.
And I honestly believe that under Joe, we'll lose to Trump.
So I'm suggesting that he hand it over to VP Kamala Harris, and give her a chance to get up there and take the battle to Trump and her energy and intelligence will reinvigorate the Dems, bring back the 2020 coalition, and bring in the Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers who WANT to kick out Trump, but don't see Joe as the guy to do it.
With Kamala as the candidate, I believe she will rebuild the energy and enthusiasm and all those Americans who want to dump Trump will say - now there's someone to can take on Trump (mano-to-womano) and kick his ass.
I think we'll lose with Joe, but we'll win big with Kamala.
NOT constitutional scholars in that bunch. Just news pundits nervous about their own poll numbers. Which is dumb because the polling industrial hasn't been able to correctly predict since before 2015.
If you want to read someone with some academic insight, look to Prof Allan Litchman. He looks well beyond stupid polls.
Alan Litchman has a very interesting take on elections and is rarely wrong. He recently said a way out of this would be for Biden to resign the presidency now thereby making Kamala president. The funds for the campaign would flow to her since she would be the incumbent and save the two keys (incumbency and another I’m not recalling at the moment) Democrats would lose by replacing Biden at the convention. He makes sense. I was all in for Biden (still ridin’ for the Democrats - Trump cannot win) and was also beyond shocked at his performance. I could not talk about it or listen to my fav pundits for days. Folks, I read energy and the debate was a gut/sucker punch. Not good. I still have not recovered and am wondering if I need to start making plans to move abroad. It is that serious. Given our current SCOTUS and their most recent rulings? We no longer, technically, have a democracy. PLEASE everyone, WAKE UP!! STOP sniping and attacking each other!! Read Project 2025. I am terribly concerned that enough far right ppl have been inserted at every level in every state that it might be a huge, heavy and very taxing slog to get our country back. It effing scares the sh** out of me. Do everything possible to educate ppl and get out the vote. WE are the people we’ve been waiting for and it’s now or never.
"... there’s an avalanche of constitutional scholars and other know-it-alls calling for Biden to drop out ..."
You can add Michael Moore to that avalanche of know-it-alls -- his latest blog entry: We Are Asking the Wrong Question About Joe… is all about getting him to step down.
I think it's time to be less concerned about our image as the people who follow the rules and take the bull by the horns. Integrity is great but we are playing against a team that has none. The only way we take back this democracy is to fight for it. If that means some executive orders that rock the boat so be it.
Yes! It is this SCOTUS that gave Joe Biden immunity. Now they can understand what they have done. Joe Biden can create by executive fiat a SCOTUS ethics enforcement taskforce, to include strategic legal experts in DOJ, House and Senate. Since SCOTUS already had a code they refused to abide by, Biden can also remove by fiat the two most deeply corrupt justices for repeated cause, and replace them with sterling, uncorrupted judges by executive fiat- the urgency due to the self evident constitutional crisis SCOTUS has created, as well as the need to be prepared for other challenges related to the upcoming election. (He could also start expanding SCOTUS too, but let's be nice and save that for next term. I imagine the majority of voters will be fully in support of this as part of SCOTUS reform.)
We're done playing. SCOTUS made this bed with their own hands, they need to live with the Unitary Executive they were so high on. Joe Biden (or Kamala Harris, for that matter) won't consider clinging to expanded dictatorial power, as Uncle Orange would, but they could use it, in only this moment, to fully protect the American people from this renegade, oligarch-owned court that appears never to have met a precedent serving the people that they weren't determined to destroy. God help us and make us both wise and fully determined to support and enable life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness For All, not just some.
Aaaaamen! It is way past time to reform, restructure, rebalance SCOTUS, add more justices and maybe include rotation time on and off the bench every few years, and let’s not forget the dire need for formal, binding SCOTUS ethics standards. Leonard Leo’s grifting and anti-democracy shenanigans go way back. He needs to be on everyone’s Enemies of the State list, thank you. He loves being a pimp and having SCOTUS as his little troupe of whores. There could be no more perfect analogy.
This is from March in Propublica.
“Now, Leo declared in a slick but private video to potential donors, he planned to “crush liberal dominance” across American life. The country was plagued by “woke-ism” in corporations and education, “one-sided journalism” and “entertainment that’s really corrupting our youth,” said Leo amid snippets of cheery music and shots of sunsets and American flags.”
“But ProPublica and Documented have obtained more than 50 hours of internal Teneo videos and hundreds of pages of documents that reveal the organization’s ambitious agenda, influential membership and burgeoning clout. We have also interviewed Teneo members and people familiar with the group’s activities. The videos, documents and interviews provide an unfiltered look at the lens through which the group views the power of the left — and how it plans to combat it.”
Giving the president immunity to commit crimes is not the same as giving him powers that he does not have. To take two of your examples, he does not have the power to remove Alito and Thomas by fiat. If he has them murdered, however, he will be immune from prosecution. He also lacks the power to expand the Court; only Congress can do that. If, however, he threatens to murder any member of Congress who does not vote to expand the Court, he will be immune from prosecution.
It makes a sad sort of sense that the corruption has to actually be at a higher (lower?) level for SCOTUS to immunize it; but I don't think they will stop Trump from any power grab if he's allowed to return to office. He'll break norms and destroy checks and balances right along with the criming. It will be a distinction without a difference- is it really a greater crime to assassinate political enemies than to throw protesters or claimed "illegal" immigrants into prisons or concentration camps without actual evidence? I don't really know, and he won't care, sadly.
If only Biden was the kind of bold leader who would take advantage of such powers to save what's left of our democracy & do the things that need to be done that the GOP & SCOTUS keep obstructing & sabotaging.
SCOTUS claims they did this to enable presidents to take "bold, decisive action", what a joke. As if having a conscience is something that weakens a leader. It's truly sickening and evil, and I don't understand how we are expected to be at the mercy of these corrupt decisions. The ethical violations are reason for expulsion, it should happen before they find fake excuses to invalidate a Biden win. Giving up is what they want us to do.
I hope he has the will to do as you suggest. He seems to still be playing by outdated rules and expected others to do the same. His Republican “friends” are friends no more.
I'm not sure he will do it, just as a matter of principle for him. However, the time is clearly here for all on the pro-democracy side to get over our lack of imagination. SCOTUS has fully fallen, short of removing/replacing the 2 worst offenders on ethical grounds. Congress is on the ropes and can't be depended on to uphold the foundations. I just saw that Congress Morelle of the House Administrative Committee plans to introduce legislation to strike down the immunity decision. I need to find the link and post it.
It's likely you're right, he'll go high when they go low, etc., - I think I'm afraid of falling into the despondency of believing they've trapped us and submitting in advance, even just mentally.
How could they give a former president immunity to commit crimes, but not a current president? And how could an immunity so selective possibly protect a future president in the same boat? That would be even more corrupt than I thought.
Did they explain how this would protect Trump's official wrongdoing while he was president in the past, but not potential crimes Biden might officially commit? They claimed it would be a "rule for the ages". I admit I have read several analyses but have not studied the specific language they came up with to try to justify this.
Glorious and prescient quote. Per the Huffington Post minutes ago: In a video a source shared with The Daily Beast, Trump slams Biden as a “broken-down pile of crap” and predicts he’s stepping aside from the race.
Thanks, Mary. It’s been a trying day watching people batter away at the President, especially the now disgraced NYT. I appreciate your optimism and will take some action instead of trying to choke down nausea. That demon relative of yours must be defeated at the ballot box.
The New York Times has been a disgrace for a long, long time. It is a white supremacist,racist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic rag masquerading as a
respected newspaper. Its pages are only suitable for wrapping fish.
Somebody help me understand- who owns and stands to benefit from Trump in power. ?? New Epstein records coming out of Florida failed first investigation. Trumps involvement, if true, is sick, sick, sick.
I think someone needs to do a deep dive into what happened to those girls, reopen the case, and throw the book at pedo45. This could be the one thing that brings him down.
Thank you! Well said. I have been donating frequently to team Biden/Harris for years, but also most pointedly literally during the debate itself and again several times in the days after. The amounts are not as important as the show of support. I worry that giving up on incumbency would be a disaster for us. It’s such a huge advantage. They are BOTH old men. One of them is a good human. The other is anything but. My choice is clear.
Maybe we should mobilize someone like Jack Smith to put a team together to anticipate just HOW Republicans are planning to steal the election. I’m sure it’ll be something like they’ll contest the results up to the SC & they’ll bestow the kingdom to Trump. We need a team looking at this NOW and ANTICIPATING the next moves. Trump has already said he “has the votes but it won’t matter”. We need our best legal minds on this NOW.
Your newsletter was very timely for me. I ended up in a really bad mental state with all the garbage that's going on, so today we took a day off from watching any news, and tried reading instead. It's amazing how much better I feel for taking that time off. We aren't up to knocking on doors and the like, but we do donate to campaigns we know are important - including some outside our own state, which we know are critical. I'm glad to know that Biden is definitely running. I can't imagine anyone else who could win this election and who has the level of knowledge, experience and skill that he has, which are very much needed right now. IMO this is definitely not the time for a novice.
I'm sorry it's that hard, Kathi. I choose my programs carefully and only watch in the afternoon (including programs we recorded the previous evening). I think I somehow managed to forget about how awful it was when Hillary lost, drop it off my radar. But this time I'm not going to be able to do that if the country becomes stupid enough to elect trump. I'm hoping and praying that he can't get SCOTUS to hand him the election even if he loses bigly.
In addition to volunteering (I’m writing postcards to Dems in Nevada), we can turn our backs on the corporate media. I’ve canceled my NYT subscription and I’m not watching cable news anymore. Substack and other independent journalism is where it’s at. Thank you, Mary, for all you do.
Brava! Well done! Where did you get addresses? I don’t know how far my handwriting has deteriorated (arthritis) but have done it before and it really is wonderful - and effective. I’m also told TikTok support is needed?
I got the postcards from Postcards to Swing States. They tell you what to write, supply addresses, and want us to print rather than use cursive. We supply the stamps ourselves (buy now bc prices are going up in a few days). I have 100 and they’ll go out on October 15th. Nothing to do with TikTok. Just go to the website.
Thanks, Mary. Everyone freaking out isn't going to change anything. We have to band together to fight against the Supreme Court, which is just appalling and goes against everything the Constitution stands for. No matter what, we all have to vote, vote, BLUE
Your has become a voice that can be depended upon for wisdom and clarity. I thank you so much for that. I am taking a break from the media for a few days - even the trusted ones. Even though they have contributed to the mess we are in, they refuse to lend their hand to help us out of it. At the end of the day it is all about viewers and numbers for them. At the end of the day it’s about freedom and democracy for me. We don’t need them to claim and protect what’s ours. I will rest briefly and get to work. Thank you.
As a retired journalist I can tell you some of these VERY HONEST newspeople go home in tears and fright. Turn your dial and listen to LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, RACHEL MADDOW, JOY REID and many others who are honest and concerned. Some have had their lives and lives of their family members threatened. Is that not enough ?
In other words, if they don’t critique the people in policy from both parties in an equal and I’m partisan fashion, they’re not legitimate. Also, if they have corporate sponsors, they are not legitimate
The display of complete Socio political ignorance on this thread and that comment is quite impressive just because a media outlet Parvez truth, it does not make that a legitimate source worth consuming I agree all of those people speak truth. That’s not the relative dynamic here. It is a Blue version of #NewsForDumbFox. An echo chamber. Bashing the opposition has not a damn thing to do with holding the party you support accountable for good governance. That’s why Mehdi Hasan left.
Rachel is harassment to the Rhodes Scholarship Foundation. But, just like the others, all she amounts to is a DNC donor class water carrying tool.
The product worth consuming is almost exclusively on the Internet. People like Judd Lagum, Sarah Kendzior, Jennifer Cohn, Doug Simmons, Greg Palast…. I’m forgetting many check out my following list.
I disagree on a lot of this. To accuse commenters here of sociopolitical ignorance is a bit rude! Are you a troll? This isn’t Twitter you know.
Many of the writers that you mention are excellent, but are not particularly helpful at this time when we are trying desperately to win an election. Kendzior is super smart but extremely negative likewise Mehdi to me they are both an energy suck at the moment. now it’s not the time to fix our entire sociopolitical system. We have a major housefire to put out at the moment. So i’m not interested in listening to complaining that nobody put in better sprinklers ahead of time or that the firefighters aren’t young or attractive enough. it’s a distraction and it’s exhausting. I may go back to reading those people once we put out the fire on November 5.
Thank you. I’m afraid I was beginning to hyperventilate over that most obvious dismantling of the Constitution! The insult to the three justices who dissented was just a pure slap in the face.
Now that Scrotus has said a president cant be charged for what he does in office, Biden should en prison Trump in Guantanamo as a traitor who tried to overthrow the country.
Thanks again, Mary.
It’s curious that there’s an avalanche of constitutional scholars and other know-it-alls calling for Biden to drop out or even invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him, while there’s a notable lack of focus on Trump’s more dangerous shortcomings. This kind of rhetoric might be expected from figures like Dershowitz and Turley, but not from those in the center to left-leaning spectrum.
This is why I have found it necessary to tune out the media for a few days. I am disgusted at the focus on Biden instead of the convicted felon who is systematically stealing our democracy in plain view. Even from the outlets I trust - I have heard all I can stand right now.
There is nothing about the 2024 election that is "politics as usual". A Trump administration & Project 2025 would mean an end to American democracy. THIS IS NOT HYPERBOLE. A vote for Joe Biden & all Democrats on the ticket is a vote to save this country & our freedoms.
Trump belongs at Attica, not the WH. He and his band of criminals plan to gut our government and dismantle our democracy. I’m voting for Biden, who saved America after Trump’s first disastrous presidency. Period.
It's time to wear this "vote removes stubborn orange stains" tshirt 👇
libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/vote24
We need to vote Blue up & down the ballot.
We can do it. Everyone must vote!
As if there is democracy in this country? Holy shit. No wonder we can’t have anything nice here we can’t do the one single caveat the framers left us. “A well informed and educated electorate. Fuck we vacillating between corporate oligarchy enabled fascism and totalitarian despotism since Reagan.
Settling for slightly less shitty than really really really really shitty which, by the way is still pretty damn shitty, is exactly what brought us here. Fucking demand good, not slightly less pathetic. That’s fucking pathetic
Hudson- -While I appreciate your passion and your candor, I feel you should clean up your verbiage to avoid sounding so MAGA-like.
As if that is relevant? wtf
I feel you should learn something about the policy and sociopolitik in general. There, no vulgarity.
He has insulted Pres. Biden who does not deserve it and I mblocking him.
another alternative is to thank Joe for his service (he beat Trump in 2020 and did a great job since) which clearly took a toll on him, and pass the torch to an intelligent energetic woman (VP Kamala Harris) who, if given the chance, and get up and electrify the Dems and the Independents and the Undecideds and the Never-Trumpers (who all want Trump gone) with a new leader and a new campaign and a new hope that this smart, assertive, articulate woman can take the battle to Trump, and kick his ass, and inspire that Great Blue Wave that is needed to dump Trump and return America to some kind of sanity.
I'm afraid that Joe will lead us to victory (that what all the polls say, and I feel it in my bones) while Kamala can re-invigorate the campaign - image the whole new narrative and focus-change from "can Joe do it" to "Kamala can do it"
That's what we need, the right leader at the right time. And it aint Joe; my money's on Kamala.
Thank your DNC water carrying fake ass silicone ship sock puppet bullshit elsewhere. A phukin terrible choice just like Joe.
Pres. Biden has had a brilliant first term with all that putin and netanyahoo have thrown in his way.
As long as you’re shopping, also stop by President Biden‘s campaign site and get some official campaign merch it is 25% off today! Go here to fund the campaign and turn your house, your car, yourself into billboards for our great president. Sadly, I know that not everyone can do this safely, Those who can need to do so twice on behalf of those who cannot. https://shop.joebiden.com/
Anyone know why we can’t edit anymore? This happened to me after I installed the app.
Send him to the big house not the whitehouse😂
I feel the same way, but in the last few days I have taken my disgust and put it in writing and sent it to a couple of reporters who are pushing Donald’s popularity and attacking Biden. It’s not a move I normally would make, but this focusing on Donald and insulting Biden has gone above and beyond, and so must we. Write to the papers and the individuals who are blindsided and brain dead and remind them what this country should stand for: it’s absolutely not Donald Trump.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record: THE PRESS IS NOT a FRIEND. What we are witnessing is a smear campaign on steroids. Good on you for forging ahead by raising your voice - as we have often heard, the pen is mightier than the sword! KEEP ON KEEPING ON! Thank you!
I love this. If you’re comfortable sharing part of your letter maybe some of us can pick it up and do similarly. If not, I still really love that you’re doing that.
Thanks, Sara, for asking for my letter. It was rather long and a bit nasty. I just say what I feel, and right now I am angry so it was easy to let it all hang out, so to speak. You just have to simply say what is on your mind. Be honest and brave. We need to stand up for decency now.
The anger combines with disbelief, doesn't it, and I keep trying to make sure my mind doesn't get overwhelmed and say things I'll regret. Then I remember the orange allies apparently have no filter and no bottom, and courage like yours keeps me going, thinking, and praying. Thank you.
Thank you, Susan. I am not courageous, just bothered. Too much ignorance floating back and forth. If you watch the news, you get a variety of responses to what is going on. You have to form your own opinions. Just believe what you believe and put it out there.
I’m with you
Have you received any responses to your letters? I wrote the NYTimes, but never got a response. I have cancelled my subscription.
You will only get a form letter from The NY Times. I wrote to individuals when they put their name and email address at the bottom of their rant. Haven’t heard from them either. lol.
Barabara, I'm not "blindsided and brain dead"; I'm a 77 year old life-long liberal who has participated in every election since I was a teen.
Most Americans want to dump Trump, and they were hoping Joe was the guy to do it. But his performance at the debate undermined their hope. We need the Undecideds and the Independents and the Never-Trumpers, but they were disappointed and they won't be coming over for Joe; which means we won't be building the great Blue Wave that we need to dump Trumpism forever.
So I suggest Joe step aside (he's done his duty, and it's taken its toll) and pass the torch to Kamala Harris (and we all get behind her 100%) - she's a strong, intelligent, articulate woman who can sell the same policies much more effectively than Joe.
Of course we need to destroy Trumpism, but the reality is that requires a huge Blue Wave and that just ain't gonna happen under Joe - so we need to be bold and put up a candidate who CAN rebuild the 2020 coalition and most importantly, can bring in the crucial Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers that we need to build that Blue Wave.
I don't think Joe can do it (which means Trump will win); but I DO think Kamala can do, big time.
She will kick Trump's ass to dump, and inspire a whole new level of energy and enthusiasm that will kick Trumpism to hell where it belongs.
Joe's done his job well, but we'll lose to Trump.
Kamala has been kept under wraps; give her the stage and she will start a whole new narrative and scare the shit out of Trump (he hates strong women) and I believe Kamala is a much better candidate to sell the Dems message than Joe.
First of all, Abraham, it’s not that easy. Joe Biden has millions of people who voted for him in the primaries. Even if he chose that, he would alienate his core constituency which makes up a larger percentage of voters than Trump’s. You are correct about Independents and Never Trumpers. There are also new voters in every election. Never Trumpers will never vote for Trump. So we are dealing with Independents which are no one’s base. Biden needs to do something but not step out. Dems will get crushed up and down. 90 minutes does not negate this presidency. How did Trump win after his October grab em by the pussy comment? His base rallied and others fell in because they felt Hillary was worse. That was in October not June.
Kamala Harris was given the greatest gift she could have ever gotten from Biden. She has backbone and loyalty. She will not easily be persuaded. And do you really think this misogynist country will vote for a woman of color? I wish but in my dreams( she was my first choice in 2020) I left the Democratic Party after Hillary’s loss. Not because of her loss because of how she was treated after by her own Party. I rejoined late in 2018 because Maryland has closed primaries.
Dems and Joe Biden supporters need to take a chill pill and continue talking about how much Biden has done for this country and how this great American experiment will die if we don’t elect him. Let Biden figure out how he needs to address his performance and perceptions.
We got through 4 years of Trump but we will not survive another four years. The wealthy Republican donor class has a laid out plan and Trump is their patsy.
Please don’t let the media brainwash you!
Hi Kathi and thanks for the reply.
First, please don't suggest that I have been brainwashed by the media. I'm 77, beat cancer, earned 5 degrees including PhD, married 50+ years with kids and grandkids, fought for Dems my whole life, and I'm a well-read, intelligent, independent thinker, and I'm not brainwashed by the media. I've got an anti-trump substack newsletter with hundreds of follower who read and comment on my 40 articles raising a 5-alarm warning about Trump's neo-fascist danger.
https://neofascism.substack.com/
But whenever I raise the question as to whether Joe can defeat Trump (which is all that matters) I'm attacked as brainwashed, stupid, a traitor to the cause, a Trump-lover, a MAGA stooge, or a troll.
You say " Let Biden figure out how he needs to address his performance and perceptions." To me, he had the chance, and he blew it. The polls are real: he was trailing before (sadly, his high point was just before the debate) and millions of Trump-haters were hoping he'd start the Blue Wave, but he didn't.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/
Look at the National poll in the top left corner: that's the fall-out from Joe's performance. And there are numerous documented reports of Joe falling asleep at meetings, even with foreign dignitaries.
To simply close our eyes and say Joe won in 2020 and he's done a great job isn't enough: America knew all that before the debate and Trump was still leading. So repeating his accomplishments and bashing Trump hasn't worked so far, and won't work going forward.
Everyone agrees we must beat Trump, and then they rally around the guy who WON'T beat Trump. Look at the reaction of the Americans who wanted to come over, but saw that Joe wasn't their guy. And we can't win this thing without rebuilding the 2020 coalition (which Joe hasn't done) and ADDING all those Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers who would have build the thing into a Blue Wave.
But face reality: he didn't do it, and there are no political ads that can dispel what we all saw and heard.
Sticking with Joe gives the govt to Trump. We can't let that happen.
A contested convention gives the govt to Trump. We can't let that happen.
Passing the torch now to Kamala can stop the bleeding, and re-start the campaign with a younger, sharper candidate who can make the case (sell the same platform) much more effectively.
I'm not brainwashed; I'm a long-time liberal political operative, and I love Joe for what he's done. But he's not the same guy who won in 2020, the job has taken it's toll, and it's time to pass the torch.
Today the Dems' biggest donor said No to Joe. He wants it passed to Kamala and he'll throw a ton of money behind her to defeat Trump. But he thinks Joe will lose. And here's a guy who gives tens of millions of dollars and can call Joe directly; he's an insider and he knows stuff we don't know and he's warning the Dems that we'll lose (we're already losing) with Joe. But he (and millions of others) will get behind Kamala.
The dumbest thing we could possibly do is get mine Camala after this debacle. This entire thing is so fucked Joe was the 22nd rank candidate out of 23. This whole shit show is on the Democratic Party constituents. Because they have held their party account since 1980 for good governance and with a tiny glimpse of such, they would’ve never lost an election. Shut the fuck up and read a book or two, thousand
Kudos to you, Barbara. The press is in a frenzy now to make money. We have gone to the time of muckrakers! Every news outlet wants to be the National Enquirer
Brava! Good for you! They need to hear this!
I totally agree with you. I can’t stand hearing it anymore.
Teresa and Bowery -- close your ears if you must, but ENDURE -- do something !! WE CANNOT GIVE IN TO DAY-ONE- DONALD. !! Get up a car pool to the neighborhood voting location and celebrate afterwards with sandwiches in the park. Talk to anyone you know who is "on the fence" and remind them that this dastardly situation BEGAN WITH ONE LIE. Donald LOST the last election and he knows it ! Don't let him win on a stupid lie ! Remind voters of his begging for 11,000 votes from the Georgia voting officials. My gawd, have we forgotten this madman's selfish need to undue democracy so he can have power and the money it might bring to him ? DON'T LET IT HAPPEN. I am to greet my first great grandchild in December. I do not want that precious child to grow up in what will be an authoritarian state. THINK ! ACT ! PLEASE !
Something to look forward to: a great grandchild! Guess you would feel more motivated to get the world he or she is entering , in order. Good luck with all you do. In the end, everyone must vote to get the job done. Enjoy your new baby. Hope it’s not close to Xmas so he/she will not lose out on gifts from two occasions put into one as I’ve heard sometimes happens.
yes Barbara, all these things are necessary, but what is most necessary is a leader who can sell the Dem platform, and rebuild the 2020 coalition, and bring in new voters from Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers - who ALL want to be rid of Trump, but they're not coming over to Joe. He didn't re-assure them that he could beat Trump.
So I'm hoping he'll pass the torch to Kamala to re-invigorate the campaign, start a new narrative, rebuild the coalition, bring in those other new voters, and set the campaign on fire with her intelligence and articulateness; she can sell the message far better than Joe.
We all want to destroy Trumpism, but I don't think Joe can do it.
I DO think Kamala can do it. And add fuel to all of your suggestions.
new paradigm time perhaps, kamala steps way up, "given" full reign, joe fully, the party absolutely embraces this, all absolutely transparent, all potent modeling for everyone...shared leadership.....now is her time, without a doubt....
she's been kept on the sidelines far too long; she needs to be front and center stage - she'll bring a whole new energy to the campaign.
Today Joe said his new plan is to get more sleep. And not do anything after 8 pm.
This during an existential election that could give the power to Trump's neo-fascist MAGA mob.
And Joe, who's now trailing really badly, is gonna get more sleep.
Confirming, I guess, Trump's nickname of Sleepy Joe.
C'man Dems, Joe's done a great job, but the job has taken it's toll, and that wasn't a 1-off; lots of documented reports of him falling asleep at meeting.
The stake are too high, so thank you Laura J. for agreeing that "now is her time"
How do we get that message through to our colleagues.?
Me neither. I have had to tune out recently. What Conald, MAGA Republicans and SCOTUS are doing to our Country is criminal.
You can tune out, but don’t forget to vote 💙
I will. Biden is more important than ever.
I also can’t watch. I sometimes think most of today’s media, pundits, and politicians just aren’t that bright. I miss the days of newscasters like Walter Cronkite.
Lawrence O’Donnell is the only one I can watch. He’s measured, rational, and smart.
Donald Trump's absurd hyperbole and lies during the debate were glaring. Here are some of the key falsehoods he presented that have been fact checked:
1. 2020 Election Fraud Claims: Trump repeated the debunked claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Numerous courts have dismissed these allegations due to lack of evidence, and extensive investigations have confirmed the integrity of the election
2. Insulin Price Cap: Trump misleadingly took credit for the $35 monthly cap on insulin costs under Medicare, which was actually passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 during Biden's administration.
3. Biden Allowing Criminals: Trump falsely accused Biden of allowing millions of criminals into the country, a claim with no statistical basis.
4. Narrative on January 6th: Trump's assertion that he offered 10,000 soldiers or National Guard to prevent the January 6th Capitol attack and that Nancy Pelosi turned them down is false. Pelosi has consistently held Trump responsible for the events of that day.
5. China Payments: Trump alleged that Biden is paid by China, a claim thoroughly investigated by House Republicans without finding any evidence to substantiate it.
6. Charlottesville Comments: Trump’s denial of his infamous Charlottesville remarks has been repeatedly debunked; he did suggest there were "very fine people on both sides" which included white nationalists
Despite Biden’s difficulty in countering all these lies in real-time during the debate, Trump's deceit remains unparalleled in presidential history. It is crucial to address and correct these falsehoods to maintain the integrity of the democratic process.
Yes John, all of these are true, and the majority of Americans want to dump Trump.
Our problem today is that Joe has failed to rebuild the 2020 coalition, and he failed to bring in the new voters that are needed to form a Blue Wave (Independents, Undecideds, Never-Trumpers). They WANT to dump Trump, but they don't see Joe as the leader to do it.
I believe he should pass the torch to VP Kamala Harris - a strong, intelligent, leader who can sell the message much more effectively than Joe.
She's been kept on the sidelines too long; put her front and center on the stage and she will kick Trump's ass and re-invigorate the campaign and rebuild the coalition and bring in all those others who hate Trump but doubt Joe;
Kamala Harris is the Dems golden opportunity to turn this thing around and build that Blue Wave. And save democracy.
TRump is pathological liar. At least 21 lies a day while in office! He lying, cheating...so admirable for a "leader." (Leading us straight into hell). Here from 3 years ago: https://youtu.be/NsQ2hX_noNw?feature=shared
Well you know what?
I am disgusted that the Democratic Party elected officials haven’t caught under the fact that if they even attempted a semblance of good governance, you would never lose to an ongoing criminal enterprise pack proving there’s no significant difference because they’re on the same team and you fools are the continual losers.
I am disappointed in the Dem Party for not seeing the decline in Joe's ability to win the next election, and for keeping Kamala Harris on the sidelines.
Right now, I fear that ridin' with Biden will give the election to Trump, and that is unacceptable.
Put Kamala Harris at center stage, let her bring her intelligence and fire to the narrative and re-invigorate the campaign and rebuild the 202 coalition and bring in all those others (Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers) who don't want Trump but they don't have confidence in Joe.
We need to build a Blue Wave to crush Trumpism forever, and I just don't see it with Joe. The demands of the job have taken their toll on him.
Kamala brings new energy, new enthusiasm, a new narrative (imagine the millions in free publicity) and finally Americans what they are crying for - a strong intelligent honest leader who can communicate and inspire.
I’m doing the same thing and I have been. I have to re-up every so often, so I stop watching for a week, even MSNBC
I agree with you and I’ve done the exact same thing!
Hear hear.
Spot on, Teresa.
Teresa, I have had to do the same because it is a constant blast against Biden. Even MSNBC, NPR, and my local news have been swamping everyone with just how terrible ?Biden is and that he needs to drop out, despite his having won the primaries. I even heard someone say that in 2020 the Democratic Party was as divided as it is now over Biden or something equally ridiculous and that we worked it out. We had 3 more months and it was clear Biden had won the primaries, just as he won them this year. We need the whiners to wake up and get back with the party or we are sure to be blasted by The MAGA crowd. Why is it so hard to see? Why is this nation still so racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, homo/transphobic, ageist? One would think we would be better by this time, but I am certain a woman, even Kamala Harris cannot win the election in November and no one else is well known enough to run in Biden's place no matter what the whiny white boys say. It's time we get behind Biden and move him through this process so he can continue to make the positive changes he has made and do more of what we need.
Same here!
Amen! The only one I tuned into today for more than a minute was Michael Steele's podcast. Well worth the time!
Maybe follow Guardian
John, agreed. I don’t understand it. Mary, thanks for the hard work and wise words. I have to the Biden campaign before the debate and the next day I made the first monthly contribution to his campaign. I know that not all of us can do that, but we can give our time.
yes Ms. Miller many of us cannot afford to give money. But we can, put our "bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon all the apparatus, and ....make the" Fascist "machine stop." Act now!
We can all contribute $1 at least
How? Show me a gear, a wheel. Where to put my body?
Perhaps contact the Democratic Party/clubs in your area/state and see how you can get involved, maybe canvassing?
Or search online for groups that are organizing virtual and remote activities - such as phone banks and postcard writing - for example, ActivateAmerica, VoteForward, FieldTeam6, Indivisible, MobilizeUs.
gerald, I agree that the "Fascist machine" must be stopped.
I've written 40 articles on my "Neo-Fascism: A Warning" substack newsletter.
Trumpism is a fascist threat to America, no question.
The question is, how to stop it. Now.
I believe that a massive Blue Wave is needed: we need to rebuild the 2020 coalition, and bring in new voters (Independents, Undecideds, Never-Trumpers) who ALL WANT TO DUMP TRUMP.
The problem is: they don't see Joe as the leader (this time) to beat Trump. ANd his poor debate sealed the deal with those who wanted to come over but were too disappointed.
So here's my pitch: Joe should pass the torch to VP Kamala Harris - she's strong, articulate, she can sell the Dem message much more effectively that Joe, she can rebuild the 2020 coalition and inspire those Joe-doubters (who are crying for someone to beat Trump) and start that great Blue Wave that is the only way to stop Trump.
Joe can't do it (look at the post-debate polls) and all the strong-vibrant-Joe ads that they're preparing will only create cognitive dissonance and remind everyone of what we saw at the debate.
I'm not a Trump troll: far from it, I'm a 77 yr old lifelong liberal who's fought in every election since I was a teenager, and I believe we can kick Trumpism to the shithole where they belong, but not with Joe. I believe Kamala Harris can and will create the Blue Wave we need (and America wants) - let's put her up on center stage and let her win over the doubters and set the campaign on fire and start a whole new narrative in the media (Kamala, Kamala, Kamala - a billion dollars worth of free publicity) and give Americans want they want: a strong intelligent leader who they can get behind to defeat Donald Trump.
Mr. Washington, thank you for your response. I do not think you are a Trump-Troll. I think you are honestly expressing your thoughts on this important political subject. As I am.
My thinking on the topic is greatly influenced by two things. One is my discovery of Allan Lichtman several years ago. The other is my career as an academic trained in survey research methods. I am 82 yrs. old and taught research methods for almost 40 years. I am not a computer Nerd. I am Old School.
The first topic on my Sociology Research Course Syllabus was objectivity. I began with metaphors.
1) Just as an ichthyologist does not hate or fear sharks because they are fearsome predators; a social scientist does not hate or fear human beings; who are sometimes, fearsome predators.
2)And just as a soil scientist does not have contempt for harmless, helpless worms; a social scientist does not have contempt for the human beings who can be repulsive or trapped by circumstance.
The social scientist does not pass value judgements, as difficult as it is to refrain from doing so. Lichtman is a scientist.
Some years ago when Lichtman was at The California Institute of Technology, he teamed up with a man named Wladimir Keilis-Borok. They created a model for predicting presidential elections. Borok is a world renowned mathematician who specializes in mathematical prediction models. Lichtman is a political scientist who I believe is currently at American University.
Lichman's model successfully predicts every presidential winner from 1860 up to the present. No other scholar has developed such a successful model, none.
I highly recommend his book PREDICTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT. He analyses 13 topics which are germane to U.S. presidential elections. He calls them the 13 "keys" to successful election. It would be a mistake for me to attempt a precis of his model here. I'm afraid I would only botch it. Lichtman is best in his own words, far better than me.
My relevant academic training is in Mathematics, Psychology and Sociology; so I follow his explanation. Truth to tell; there is no Math in his model beyond arithmetic. But his reasoning is precise, consistent and can be devilishly slow to follow for one like me who is not close to his knowledge in American political history.
If there is going to be a discussion about the near future of the Democratic Party & its nominee, & there's good reason for such a discussion, it has to be now. A decision has to be made about Biden's capacity to remain President by convention time, & there are serious questions about his fitness. We need transparency about his health & medical records. The Democratic Party has some standout prospects in reserve in case they're needed, & they should not be underestimated. Once that decision is finalized, then the party must be completely united & put all our focus has onto defeating Trump & the rest of the GOP & figuring out effective strategies to accomplish that goal.
We need this kind of democratic party circle jerk to stop! Right now! Who do you think you are? Biden has been very transparent his health records, very. Thank God, this party was not at Manassas, the winter at Valley Forge, the Battle of the Bulge. Get my drift? The urge to turn tail and run is repulsive and that is what way too many of the "pundit class" is doing. Are you part of the Pres Biden's decision? No? Then stop being part of the problem. You want to pontificate? Try analyzing Project 2025 and elucidate to the masses on how to stop it. Be useful and stop firing on the commander-in-chief and weakening our chance of holding all of Congress and the White House. What kind of a party is this?
Thank you, Carol-Ann. Joe may not be perfect, but he is our guy until HE says he is not. The other guy is 11 billionty times (yes, I'm a Steph-head) worse than Joe could ever be. I guess we'll have to start woman-splaining things to the male a******* who are attacking us as well as attacking Joe. I appreciate your comment so much.💙
EXACTLY!!! We are a weak party for immediately throwing Biden to the curb after the debate.
Don't let your loyalty to this man blind you to the realities of both Biden's condition, which many observers have attributed to Parkinson's, a debilitating disease that only gets worse over time, & the overwhelming popular opinion against Biden continuing his run for reelection. In fact, from the beginning public opinion has been against both men running again, but they both stubbornly ran anyway & the DNC made sure that no viable candidate would run against Biden in the primaries. It is irresponsible of the Democratic Party to have as their nominee someone who is likely to be incapacitated before the end of his next term, just as it is irresponsible for the GOP to nominate a convicted felon (& traitor) as their nominee. It is imperative that Trump be defeated, & to do that we must make sure that we run the best candidate possible & one that is likely to win. Blind loyalty to a certain unpopular candidate has been the cause of Democratic defeat in the past, & is likely to be again. So let us sort this out before the convention & not rush into oblivion.
Don't you dare mansplain. Are you a neurologist? No? End of conversation. You are gathering your information from hearsay.....hearsay. You are not a HIPPA representative for Pres. Biden. You are not in any way an expert on any of this. Want to do something? Volunteer in a purple state; get to work and stop, for God's sake, regurgitating the crap being by spewed by papers who have an ax to grind.....like the New York Times......perhaps turn you criticism on the MAGA candidate. Stop with this parroting the Wall Street Journal - a Murdoch product - the Washington Post - hiring its leadership from the Murdoch stable - and the aforementioned New York Times sucking its thumb because Biden will not give them an exclusive. And you are carrying their water for them.
One time our president, after traveling overseas several times in a week, representing our country after the extraordinary accomplishments he’s made in 3-1/2 years, and people want to push him aside? What a bunch of ungrateful, spoiled, selfish and arrogant people in this country. I refuse to believe that Biden is unpopular- naysayers do not deserve this patriot who has devoted his life to public service. Shame on you!
Yes, Mary Lou!!💙💙💙
I would prefer this mansplaining idiot just sat the fuck down and shut up. People like him are a huge problem for the rest of us. And it is people like him who think they are such smart liberals that will end up costing the election. Because they are not as smart as they think they are. And I will blame them if the orange monster takes power again.
Wow! What a sexist comment! You have been hostile to me from the beginning & unwilling to hold a calm discussion. I want Democrats to win. Not only win, but crush Trump & the rest of the GOP. We need the right candidate to do that. You're not going to get a realistic assessment of the political situation by only listening to fellow Biden loyalists. It's Independents, Never Trumper Republicans & progressives, who hate Trump but find Biden unfit for President as well, that we should be listening to.
No. Go back and read your own postings. You do mansplain.....you condescend and act as if you know the "way." You don't and you are being less than accurate or fair to the President.
This is what Merriam-Webster has to say about mansplaining: It's what occurs when a man talks condescendingly to someone (especially a woman) about something he has incomplete knowledge of, with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about it than the person he's talking to does.
No, I don't know more about this subject than you do. But I do know far too many people are tossing around statements and alleged information that has no basis in fact. If the shoe fits.....
James it is too late to run anyone else. History has proven this (1968). I feel that this administration is better for our country and the people Biden is surrounded by will carry on the work he has started should - God forbid he not be able to serve his entire term. That is what allows me to sleep at night. We already have an excellent team in place. Let’s rally and do everything we can to keep them and increase our seats in Congress. And only then can we look to 2028.
Is there an actual someone who is being considered to jump in to this election? It’s difficult to be disloyal to Biden when he still feels he can run. Mr Rankin, are you also a politician? Your name is familiar for some reason.
Bottom line they’re both the nominees. I really like Biden and trump’s an idiot. I believe Biden will do what’s right for the country. And Kamala is no dummy either.
It is very sad and disturbing (but understandable) that those of us who are facing the unpleasant, dismal truth that Joe Biden, the candidate this time around, is not capable of winning against Trump, are being vilified--this is not a bunch of know-it-all pundits, and lily-livered disloyal Democrats who are asking Joe Biden to face the truth and give way to a candidate who can actually win now against Trump. I am deeply committed to defeating Trump once-and-for-all. I am unable to pretend that President Biden's performance at the debate was anything better than dismal. I was 100 percent behind him until I saw his actual condition which has been hidden from us--those on his side! This is too serious to try to cover up or make excuses for. A healthy vigorous Democratic nominee will win big time over Trump. Yes, it will be terrifying and nerve wracking to go through the process of choosing--but the odds of Biden winning over Trump now are absolutely terrible. If he steps aside sadly but willingly--we can all unify around our candidate and win. If for some horrible reason Joe Biden stays in the race, I will do everything I can to get him elected--but it will be with a heavy heart. It is most unlikely he will recover from that miserable debate performance. It was not a one time deal--or he would be all over the place demonstrating that--instead he is being hidden. He has been a GREAT president--but he is now a horrendous ultra-weak candidate and it is not the fault of those of us Democrats criticizing him..
How is he being hidden? I thought he was all over the place immediately following the debate, not “being hidden”. Didn’t he go to a rally the very next day, in which he crushed his speech?
Absolutely! I 100% agree with you, Barry.
I will not accept fellow Democrats insulting you because you have a differing opinion. We have to stop that right away--that is how we lose. It is terribly painful to acknowledge that poor Joe Biden is not able to be the candidate we thought he could be--it is sad and horrifying. But that doesn't mean we should turn on each other.
Barry it is too late in the game to run another candidate. You must know this! I would’ve loved to see Bernie get the nomination back in 2016 but when he didn’t it meant backing the candidate who was chosen. I didn’t like it but I did it. Unfortunately we learned that even though a lot of others did the same - HRC won the popular vote - the system we have to work with allowed the worst candidate ever to win. Nothing has changed with the system since then so why would you think that any other candidate would succeed where HRC failed? Trying to force through another candidate at this point will guarantee CFDT is sent back to the White House and I can’t even wrap my head around what becomes of us then. We all need to channel our energy into keeping the TEAM that is working for us in place. Then we can focus on 2028 and ensuring that we run younger candidates.
Oh, thank you so much for your explanation. I feel SO much better now that a man has explained the situation to poor, little, old female me. You are an ass and you are huge part of the problem. Now sit down, shut the fuck up and let the women handle the situation. Prick!
I agree with Mary on all of us Democrats needing to get to work. We should be able to accomplish a lot and win this election even if we disagree. Ranting and attacking people who worry about Biden’s viability helps nothing and creates more problems. There are those of us who LOVE Joe Biden and support him and still can be painfully worried about him. As a medical professional the visible aspects of possible decline were alarming to me. It was heartbreaking, and frightening. When I found myself wondering when these visible changes may have begun to be so evident- that’s when I realized that President Biden hasn’t been giving press briefings daily. Or press conferences, for quite some time. Of course I wondered if it was because maybe he has been in actual decline after how things looked the other night. Everybody has bad days. Whether they’re impaired at all or completely fit. But the dramatic change was profound. Seeing him in that condition broke my heart. I love this President of ours. And I love what he has done for this country. I have been perpetually outraged at the nasty right wingers who have tried to paint such a good man as a villain. And the media- omg- The press is NOT helping and they have NEVER been on our side. I believe 90% of the press is as corrupt as our Supreme Court. And that’s not news. I will faithfully fight for and vote for any and all Democrats on all the ballots I’m eligible to vote for. I am unquestionably loyal to our values and desperate to stop the fanatic christofascists who want to destroy our democracy. We need to step up our fight. It cannot remain business as usual. The vigorous reassurance and appearances we need from President Biden have not been enough. He had a good day the next day at his rally. We have needed MORE. These reactions do NOT come out of a vacuum. You’re seeing and hearing fear, concern, heartbreak and desperation. Also, The right wing nutters have explicitly TOLD us they will not accept our votes even if we win!! Our leaders have to start getting forceful in our efforts NOW to push back against the threat they promise to our very existence. That includes our current President taking drastic and legal steps to stop this coup in action. We need constant, visible, firm and sometimes loud pushback. We’re on the defensive, we’re reeling. It’s not a strong position. And lastly- equating reactions of fear and concern about Biden does NOT mean Donald tRump gets a pass. He remains the disgusting lowest specimen of humanity that he is. And his followers too for that matter. They’re disgusting horrible people and they are relentless in their lust to destroy everything good about our treasured democracy. We have to stop them furiously and forcefully. We need strength and the picture of strength. I cannot confidently say if our President has that strength and vigor. If he still does, it needs to be seen and heard. God bless that man. And protect him. And us.
Your debate point is proof of the theory and concept of #BrokeredConvention #ElizabethWarrenKatiePorter2024
Thank you! People like this Rankin piss me off almost more than the GOP. If Biden loses in November, I will 100% hold people like this asshat James Rankin responsible for the loss. We have enough shit with Herr Pumpkinfuhrer and the MAGat vermin, we don't need this bullshit backstabbing from within the party. People like him need to STFDASTFU!!!!!
Agree! We are the kind of party that is always divided - because we have opinions and thoughts, we research and learn and can usually debate with civility. BUT we cannot afford to be divided at this juncture in history! I understand the opinions on Biden but I DON’T CARE! We all wish there was a younger person running and there will be in 2028 - if we survive this. If we could all just see it in this context we could come together, encourage others and win. Biden has an excellent team around him if the worst would happen. Anyone refusing to vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is, is contributing to the end of democracy.
I don’t think it’s that simple. A ton of money has been raised for Biden Harris. It cannot simply be given to another candidate. The GOP has already planned lawsuits to block that transfer of funds. And if anyone besides Harris were chosen as the candidate, we would face the wrath of the African-American population, which is an important part of our base.
Stop. Biden will do what he does and if something unforeseen happens during his admin, we’ve got a very capable and tough VP in Kamala Harris!
Trump has NEVER been fit for presidency but he was elected and despite everything his party continues to back him.
Because those that back him know how to manipulate him for their gain.
If you read all the articles available, it's clear that Biden is Not up to it and has been protected by his family and close aides for the last year and a half. The truth is our and we need someone younger, more energetic and articulate who can stick it to the orange slime in a powerful way. They should be smart, forward- thinking, charismatic, inspiring and compassionate. We need a JFK, an FDR, an Obama.
The only choice we have is Harris. She is the only one who has access to the funds raised for the campaign.
The only practical alternative is Harris. She is the only one who can use the campaign funds that they have raised.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/biden-campaign-money-kamala-harris-rcna159850
Bullshit.
You talk about transparancy ~ Well, What about T Rump? We should be checking on his health ~ both physically and especially mentally! Notice how suddenly T Rump is VERY QUIET about medical records, etc.? Yeah ~ he is scared to death that people are going to demand that he get checked over and by a GOOD Doctor, not the one that has given him all the Aderall he wants. We need to get T Rump checked and NOW ~ NO EXCUSES ! ! !
Can you all REALLY not see the irony in ignoring clear evidence of unfitness to run for president by saying that it really wasn't that bad, or it's not that important, or its the media's fault? Can't see that?!
I understand your concern, but the debate performance alone does not indicate unfitness to run for president. As a neurologist, I can say there are many reasons for his performance other than a degenerative neurological disorder. Historically, presidents have faced health issues, and the country has continued to function effectively. We should assess the candidate’s overall capability and the strength of their supporting team rather than making judgments based on one event.
I like to think he took a bennedryl or some cold medicine before he went on stage. Of course we slow down with age. Frankly, keeping his schedule should be evidence enough of his fitness. His opponent has been saying it over and over about his mental decline and it's worked. Ever heard trump without a teleprompter? Batteries and sharks sound familiar?
I appreciate your reasoned response and perhaps you are right. But so many Americans have had to deal with a degenerative neurological disorders in aging relatives and all that entails that I'm afraid electorally there in just no coming back from that. All his actions post-debate have supported the narrative. Look at the numbers. Polls are showing crazy numbers of likely voters think he is unfit, myself included. This has to be about stopping Trump and no matter how hard Biden fights, he's going to lose.
With your attitude, yes he will lose. But if he retains support because we understand the stakes, he will win. He clearly had a very bad night, but I really wonder how many of us could’ve stood up to that barage of lies. Biden has been governing very effectively. The most important thing is that he be reelected. If he doesn’t serve out his entire term, that’s not a serious problem.
YES YES TRUMP did not answer the questions but instead spewed lie after lie with planned talking points and barraged Biden non stop that he was the worst President ever in history and he Biden was weak and laughed at by all world leaders Yatta Yatta Yatta It to me was evident from Bidens cough pale face and hoarse voice that Biden had a fever and a flu cold and canceling was not an option. Unfortunately prayers and Benadryl could not get him thru this ill fated non debate CNNs Jake and Dana allowed TRUMP to break debate rules by not at least interrupting TRUMPs obvious plans to not answer the questions They should have constantly repeated these words "Mr. President you are not answering the question the question is " to prevent TRUMPs 90 minutes of nonsense and lies. TRUMP did not win the debate - He controlled the debate
What makes you think Day-One-Donald has all his mental faculties in place ? He is a madman and will destroy our country. THINK ! For gawd sakes, think. This all started with a lie -- Trump's lie. We can't lose our democracy to a lie !
And just WHO is at the helm of the not so silent whisper at the 11.9999th hr to bag Biden and now conduct a search for his replacement? So what if Joe was flummoxed by a pathological liar who just happens to be a convicted felon? Who among us could have withstood mealy minded garbage mouth any better? Try it some time and see just how well you can hold up. Joe, I am sending you well wishes for feeling better soon and my deepest appreciation for all you’ve done for all of us, even those who dismiss your efforts out of hand. Keep up the good work and PREVAIL, Buddy!
YES how about TRUMPs incoherent rants and jumbled words that have been evident for at least the past 4 years when he does his rallies This past debate with TRUMPs non answer answers have not had all the negative press that Bidens hoarse answers have. Double standard!
Democrats know rump is completely unfit, but we don't choose the GOP candidate.
So we support one benevolent person losing his mental faculties over another malevolent person who is mentally depraved. That's actually an easy choice to make for those of us who accurately see it that way, but that doesn't make it a great choice, when it could be someone (like Whitehouse, Warren, Merkley, Raskin) who has the experience, competence, integrity, fortitude & statesmanship to make an excellent President & a candidate who can crush their complete opposite in character, the Orange Antichrist.
Sorry, not buying it. But those tending towards MAGA will. Now that you have declared you colors......maybe you need to rethink why you are here?
That is so unhelpful, Carol-Ann. Just the kind of nastiness that will cause us to lose. Same to the person who accused James Raskin of "mansplaining." That is pure name-calling and demeaning and discouraging to get disrespected by one's own side. I give respect and understanding to those of you who are defending Biden, I just strongly disagree. Biden was not "just having a bad debate" he was undergoing serious issues. If he came out and demonstrated he is OK (working without a teleprompter) I would reconsider and be thrilled that I was wrong. But he has not, he is in hiding surrounded by his protectors. I don't think he can win against Trump. But if he is the candidate--I will claw and fight and work to have him win. I will not bitterly fight those Democrats who disagree with me. That's what will cause us to lose.
He is. But thanks for chiming in. What causes us to lose is stupid, meanderings about dumping the president. So take it or leave it. Before you rush to his defence? Think or read long and hard about the fact that his entire diatribe was on why we should dump the president and that people like me were delusional fools (my words, not his). You took the same bait he did. Pity. Now, if you excuse me. I have a very fine president to keep on defending from barstool pundits.
I don't agree with you at all regarding Biden. But one thing struck me -- working without a teleprompter would be an indication that he was ok. The vast majority of politicians, of any age, use teleprompters regularly. I would never interpret the use of a teleprompter by anyone as a sign that they were not okay or they were unfit.
YES YES YES! Thank you for weighing in.
His entire political existence as a donor class water the proof of unfitness.
Being a lifetime criminal is the same result for the orange espionage child rapist.
Everyone on this thread is suffering from the illusion of choice. it’s not about the person. They’re plug-ins. It’s about the PLATFORMS.
Neither one is legitimate.
All the unfitness for office seen at the debate was displayed by the criminally insane convicted felon stage left.
Can you not really see how much MAGA just loves you arch way of dealing with this? Are you a decision maker? No? Than stop being a problem maker.
I think you need a new pair of glasses . . .
Stacey -- I didn;t mean that remark for you. I have tried and tried to cancel it and it won't cancel. My profound apologies !!
And that’s what you were saying in ‘16 and ‘20 about Donnie Childrapist too, right?
No. So many cannot see it. Frog in the hot water. It's sad..
I totally agree with you. Why cannot I "like" your comment? That feature isn't working.
I can't like the comments either. I thought it was just me.
interesting. Is F'book editing?
It’s interesting because they should know better. The odds are that Joe Biden will be the nominee in spite of their columns and essays knocking him down. Then how will they authentically advise Americans to vote for Biden over Trump? I don’t know what they are thinking but it certainly doesn’t seem to be long term and strategic ordered to preserving our democracy. Can it be merely generating clicks and revenue that count to some?
I just read Dan Rather's piece advocating for Biden to step down. What the fuck is wrong with people? Jesus, yes, Biden is old. Yes, he had a bad debate. But for fuck's sake, he is running against a creature almost the same age, who is a convicted felon, proven rapist and batshit crazy. How the fuck can all the cries be for BIDEN to step back?!
john..yes,it is curious,but more so than that the questions is, why do they not recognize in the sudden calls to replace biden,that it is seemingly obvious the democrats are appearing desperate,and trump and his campaign are laughing up a storm,with the "see,we told you he was a feeble old man and our guy was strong as an ox"!!you are 100 % right on the fact trumps shortcomings,his missteps,his gaffes,his total lack of knowledge and his constant threats have NOT been pushed or discussed nor his audio and video interviews, rallys and tapes shown enough,not just recently,but over a long period to give focus to the real donald trump,and not the character or the image he has set forth for the public..
Focusing on #DementiaDon won’t get #Cult45 to abandon him. I ADORE President Biden but I am afraid even if WE stick with him, the damage is done. We need lots of Indies and Cons to support him, and with the sadly pretty credible reports of his work struggles, I think that battle is lost. I’m heartbroken.
John, you are right; we should expect better of our "elites," you know the ones Trump and Kump hate. Are they trying to support Baby Donnie so he will not pick on them so much? That is stupid because Trump cares nothing for them except to get revenge on them since they rejected him because he was a terrible student and whatever other resentments come into his head. Shame on Democratic candidates and members of Congress who are picking up on the Republican BS and shoveling it at Democrats and Independents while Republicans cheer. That is just plain wrong, but something that can happen to Dems who lose their way since their candidate is not perfect and willing to go along with everything they want. sad!
John, I am an ordinary American voter, and like the majority of Americans, I tend to vote Democratic in Presidential elections (for over 40 years and counting). Furthermore, I like Joe Biden, I identify with Joe Biden's brand of politics, and I like what he's done as President. What I don't like is what I saw on TV during last week's debate. Joe had plenty of time to prepare a strategy for this trial by Q&A, and he blew it. He had plenty of time (8 years!) to become familiar with Donald Trump's signature brand of bluster and bullshit, snd to prepare any number of ripostes and witty comebacks. He had lots of help organizing ideas to bring to the podium. And he should have brought his A-game, but he didn't; he flubbed it, in front of an international audience.
The only way to have made a worse impression would have been to do a face-plant on his first entrance and never get up. (Not that I was hoping he'd fail).
I care very much about the outcome of this election: I am determined that Democrats should get a big win in November, but I do not want Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, and a lot of other Democratic voters agree with me. Joe could take himself out of the race. He would gain immense credibility for being brutally honest by saying, "My fellow Americans, I believe I am fully capable of serving out this term as your president, but I cannot ignore the fact that as I age, I may become less capable in future. I therefore will end my campaign for my party's nomination for a second term."
Heck, he could even declare that he is stepping down now and handing the reins over to Kamala Harris to serve out the remainder of his term if that is his preference. Leave it to the Democratic Convention to do what it was intended to for- produce a nominee. These days we can poll the dickens out of all sorts of scenarios and get a feel for public opinion, so why not have a "virtual primary" where every voter gets a second chance to pick from a field of would-be nominees.
Look, I'm just an ordinary voter, so my voice will never be heard or my opinions counted for much, but someone at the top of the ertive to Dems power pyramid has got to consider the attitudes of people like me. Oh, sure, I'll cast my vote for Joe if he is the Dems alternative to Trump (please don't insult me by mentioning RFK jr or other "alternative candidates" ). But I will not sleep easy for the next 4 years, wondering if Joe will be ready for that famous "3 a.m. call".
everyone knows about "Trump’s more dangerous shortcomings"
That's why the majority of Americans want to kick Trumpism to the dump.
The question is: is Joe the leader right now who can accomplish that?
THe post-debate polls say no; all those Independents and Undecideds who wanted to come over and vote Blue - well, we lost them. And don't see how expensive ads will bring them back.
can you really look objectively at the post-debate polls and say that every thing's fine and Joe's gonna win?
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/
And just when Joe had finally passed Trump, look at the post-debate collapse of the blue line and rise of the red. That wasn't just a bad night, that was THE night to rebuild the 2020 coalition and bring in those millions who don't want Trump but weren't sure of Biden.
Of course you can call be a MAGA-troll or a know-it-all or some other insult, but first check out the 40 anti-Trump articles in my "Neo-Fascism: A Warning" site I've been writing for the last 2 years
https://neofascism.substack.com/
So my humble suggestion, in the face of a Trump re-turn to power, is that we accept that the 24/7 job has taken it's toll on Joe, and that millions of Americans who hate Trump and wanted to come over have now backed away, and maybe admit that if Joe drops out and hands it over to a strong, intelligent, energetic communicator like Kamala Harris, maybe our chances of beating Trump will go up.
Because right now, with Joe, we're losing.
No one is overlooking the danger of Trump.
Of course he needs to be defeated, and defeated soundly, to prevent another round of rigged and stolen and Jan.6. So Dems need to create a massive Blue Wave to soundly defeat Trumpism once and for all. The majority of Americans want Trump gone, so our job is to put up a leader and campaign that can re-built the 2020 coalition and bring in the new Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers who all want to defeat Trump - but after Joe's performance, they have grave doubts, and I don't see Joe inspiring the massive Blue Wave that's required. Today he says he needs more sleep (reinforcing the Sleepy Joe narrative).
The bottom line is: can Joe inspire a nation to come together in a huge wave and flush out the detestable, dangerous and evil Trump.?
Right now, the post-debate polls show that Joe now has LESS chance of accomplishing that than before.
I'm not a MAGA troll or a Trump-apologist (he's an evil, lying, cheating, narcissistic, psychopath); I'm a 77-year old life-long liberal who's fought in every election since I was a teenager.
And I honestly believe that under Joe, we'll lose to Trump.
So I'm suggesting that he hand it over to VP Kamala Harris, and give her a chance to get up there and take the battle to Trump and her energy and intelligence will reinvigorate the Dems, bring back the 2020 coalition, and bring in the Independents and Undecideds and Never-Trumpers who WANT to kick out Trump, but don't see Joe as the guy to do it.
With Kamala as the candidate, I believe she will rebuild the energy and enthusiasm and all those Americans who want to dump Trump will say - now there's someone to can take on Trump (mano-to-womano) and kick his ass.
I think we'll lose with Joe, but we'll win big with Kamala.
NOT constitutional scholars in that bunch. Just news pundits nervous about their own poll numbers. Which is dumb because the polling industrial hasn't been able to correctly predict since before 2015.
If you want to read someone with some academic insight, look to Prof Allan Litchman. He looks well beyond stupid polls.
Alan Litchman has a very interesting take on elections and is rarely wrong. He recently said a way out of this would be for Biden to resign the presidency now thereby making Kamala president. The funds for the campaign would flow to her since she would be the incumbent and save the two keys (incumbency and another I’m not recalling at the moment) Democrats would lose by replacing Biden at the convention. He makes sense. I was all in for Biden (still ridin’ for the Democrats - Trump cannot win) and was also beyond shocked at his performance. I could not talk about it or listen to my fav pundits for days. Folks, I read energy and the debate was a gut/sucker punch. Not good. I still have not recovered and am wondering if I need to start making plans to move abroad. It is that serious. Given our current SCOTUS and their most recent rulings? We no longer, technically, have a democracy. PLEASE everyone, WAKE UP!! STOP sniping and attacking each other!! Read Project 2025. I am terribly concerned that enough far right ppl have been inserted at every level in every state that it might be a huge, heavy and very taxing slog to get our country back. It effing scares the sh** out of me. Do everything possible to educate ppl and get out the vote. WE are the people we’ve been waiting for and it’s now or never.
"... there’s an avalanche of constitutional scholars and other know-it-alls calling for Biden to drop out ..."
You can add Michael Moore to that avalanche of know-it-alls -- his latest blog entry: We Are Asking the Wrong Question About Joe… is all about getting him to step down.
😡
The only single position in which joke and look legitimate is in relationship to Donnie. Fucking do better
I think it's time to be less concerned about our image as the people who follow the rules and take the bull by the horns. Integrity is great but we are playing against a team that has none. The only way we take back this democracy is to fight for it. If that means some executive orders that rock the boat so be it.
Yes! It is this SCOTUS that gave Joe Biden immunity. Now they can understand what they have done. Joe Biden can create by executive fiat a SCOTUS ethics enforcement taskforce, to include strategic legal experts in DOJ, House and Senate. Since SCOTUS already had a code they refused to abide by, Biden can also remove by fiat the two most deeply corrupt justices for repeated cause, and replace them with sterling, uncorrupted judges by executive fiat- the urgency due to the self evident constitutional crisis SCOTUS has created, as well as the need to be prepared for other challenges related to the upcoming election. (He could also start expanding SCOTUS too, but let's be nice and save that for next term. I imagine the majority of voters will be fully in support of this as part of SCOTUS reform.)
We're done playing. SCOTUS made this bed with their own hands, they need to live with the Unitary Executive they were so high on. Joe Biden (or Kamala Harris, for that matter) won't consider clinging to expanded dictatorial power, as Uncle Orange would, but they could use it, in only this moment, to fully protect the American people from this renegade, oligarch-owned court that appears never to have met a precedent serving the people that they weren't determined to destroy. God help us and make us both wise and fully determined to support and enable life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness For All, not just some.
Aaaaamen! It is way past time to reform, restructure, rebalance SCOTUS, add more justices and maybe include rotation time on and off the bench every few years, and let’s not forget the dire need for formal, binding SCOTUS ethics standards. Leonard Leo’s grifting and anti-democracy shenanigans go way back. He needs to be on everyone’s Enemies of the State list, thank you. He loves being a pimp and having SCOTUS as his little troupe of whores. There could be no more perfect analogy.
This is from March in Propublica.
“Now, Leo declared in a slick but private video to potential donors, he planned to “crush liberal dominance” across American life. The country was plagued by “woke-ism” in corporations and education, “one-sided journalism” and “entertainment that’s really corrupting our youth,” said Leo amid snippets of cheery music and shots of sunsets and American flags.”
“But ProPublica and Documented have obtained more than 50 hours of internal Teneo videos and hundreds of pages of documents that reveal the organization’s ambitious agenda, influential membership and burgeoning clout. We have also interviewed Teneo members and people familiar with the group’s activities. The videos, documents and interviews provide an unfiltered look at the lens through which the group views the power of the left — and how it plans to combat it.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/leonard-leo-teneo-videos-documents
Giving the president immunity to commit crimes is not the same as giving him powers that he does not have. To take two of your examples, he does not have the power to remove Alito and Thomas by fiat. If he has them murdered, however, he will be immune from prosecution. He also lacks the power to expand the Court; only Congress can do that. If, however, he threatens to murder any member of Congress who does not vote to expand the Court, he will be immune from prosecution.
It makes a sad sort of sense that the corruption has to actually be at a higher (lower?) level for SCOTUS to immunize it; but I don't think they will stop Trump from any power grab if he's allowed to return to office. He'll break norms and destroy checks and balances right along with the criming. It will be a distinction without a difference- is it really a greater crime to assassinate political enemies than to throw protesters or claimed "illegal" immigrants into prisons or concentration camps without actual evidence? I don't really know, and he won't care, sadly.
If only Biden was the kind of bold leader who would take advantage of such powers to save what's left of our democracy & do the things that need to be done that the GOP & SCOTUS keep obstructing & sabotaging.
SCOTUS claims they did this to enable presidents to take "bold, decisive action", what a joke. As if having a conscience is something that weakens a leader. It's truly sickening and evil, and I don't understand how we are expected to be at the mercy of these corrupt decisions. The ethical violations are reason for expulsion, it should happen before they find fake excuses to invalidate a Biden win. Giving up is what they want us to do.
I agree. We mustn't give up, no matter what!
I hope he has the will to do as you suggest. He seems to still be playing by outdated rules and expected others to do the same. His Republican “friends” are friends no more.
I'm not sure he will do it, just as a matter of principle for him. However, the time is clearly here for all on the pro-democracy side to get over our lack of imagination. SCOTUS has fully fallen, short of removing/replacing the 2 worst offenders on ethical grounds. Congress is on the ropes and can't be depended on to uphold the foundations. I just saw that Congress Morelle of the House Administrative Committee plans to introduce legislation to strike down the immunity decision. I need to find the link and post it.
I don't envision Joe doing any of that.
It's likely you're right, he'll go high when they go low, etc., - I think I'm afraid of falling into the despondency of believing they've trapped us and submitting in advance, even just mentally.
Unfortunately, I think the Supreme Court took that into consideration. These new powers don’t take effect until after the next president is sworn in.
How could they give a former president immunity to commit crimes, but not a current president? And how could an immunity so selective possibly protect a future president in the same boat? That would be even more corrupt than I thought.
Did they explain how this would protect Trump's official wrongdoing while he was president in the past, but not potential crimes Biden might officially commit? They claimed it would be a "rule for the ages". I admit I have read several analyses but have not studied the specific language they came up with to try to justify this.
Something like this:
line from Mississippi Burning- “... These people are crawling out of the SEWER, MR. WARD! Maybe the gutter's where we ought to be!”
I loved that movie!
Glorious and prescient quote. Per the Huffington Post minutes ago: In a video a source shared with The Daily Beast, Trump slams Biden as a “broken-down pile of crap” and predicts he’s stepping aside from the race.
Agreed. Biden is like a wizard surrounded by orcs. It's about time he blasted them with his power.
Thanks, Mary. It’s been a trying day watching people batter away at the President, especially the now disgraced NYT. I appreciate your optimism and will take some action instead of trying to choke down nausea. That demon relative of yours must be defeated at the ballot box.
The New York Times has been a disgrace for a long, long time. It is a white supremacist,racist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic rag masquerading as a
respected newspaper. Its pages are only suitable for wrapping fish.
Indeed, fish have come back to life when wrapped in it, such is their sense of shame.
Mr. Von Busack, you are a poet.
They used to pay me and all. Thanks!
Somebody help me understand- who owns and stands to benefit from Trump in power. ?? New Epstein records coming out of Florida failed first investigation. Trumps involvement, if true, is sick, sick, sick.
I think someone needs to do a deep dive into what happened to those girls, reopen the case, and throw the book at pedo45. This could be the one thing that brings him down.
YES EPSTEIN- TRUMP and all those girls why no full investigation about that?
So true!
And Wordle. But that’s it!
Thank you! Well said. I have been donating frequently to team Biden/Harris for years, but also most pointedly literally during the debate itself and again several times in the days after. The amounts are not as important as the show of support. I worry that giving up on incumbency would be a disaster for us. It’s such a huge advantage. They are BOTH old men. One of them is a good human. The other is anything but. My choice is clear.
Maybe we should mobilize someone like Jack Smith to put a team together to anticipate just HOW Republicans are planning to steal the election. I’m sure it’ll be something like they’ll contest the results up to the SC & they’ll bestow the kingdom to Trump. We need a team looking at this NOW and ANTICIPATING the next moves. Trump has already said he “has the votes but it won’t matter”. We need our best legal minds on this NOW.
Absolutely. Concentration MUST be on uniform protections, observers- all governors Must sign on.
Joe's still running. Let's be sure he wins and gets the Congress he needs to keep our Republic.
Your newsletter was very timely for me. I ended up in a really bad mental state with all the garbage that's going on, so today we took a day off from watching any news, and tried reading instead. It's amazing how much better I feel for taking that time off. We aren't up to knocking on doors and the like, but we do donate to campaigns we know are important - including some outside our own state, which we know are critical. I'm glad to know that Biden is definitely running. I can't imagine anyone else who could win this election and who has the level of knowledge, experience and skill that he has, which are very much needed right now. IMO this is definitely not the time for a novice.
I can’t watch the news now for more than five minutes. It reminds me of when Hillary lost.
I'm sorry it's that hard, Kathi. I choose my programs carefully and only watch in the afternoon (including programs we recorded the previous evening). I think I somehow managed to forget about how awful it was when Hillary lost, drop it off my radar. But this time I'm not going to be able to do that if the country becomes stupid enough to elect trump. I'm hoping and praying that he can't get SCOTUS to hand him the election even if he loses bigly.
NOTHING ON TV IS WORTH WATCHING
Not to gather truthful, useful information concerning prescient topics, at least.
Good impulse. Don’t watch. They are useless, compromised. Stick with us. We will get you through.
That’s not news. That is a carefully constructed narrative by a media production sponsored by corporate entities you have blatant self interests.
JFC no wonder we exist in a 3rd world outhouse
Thank you Mary! Great positive attitude! United we stand!!!!
💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙
In addition to volunteering (I’m writing postcards to Dems in Nevada), we can turn our backs on the corporate media. I’ve canceled my NYT subscription and I’m not watching cable news anymore. Substack and other independent journalism is where it’s at. Thank you, Mary, for all you do.
Brava! Well done! Where did you get addresses? I don’t know how far my handwriting has deteriorated (arthritis) but have done it before and it really is wonderful - and effective. I’m also told TikTok support is needed?
I got the postcards from Postcards to Swing States. They tell you what to write, supply addresses, and want us to print rather than use cursive. We supply the stamps ourselves (buy now bc prices are going up in a few days). I have 100 and they’ll go out on October 15th. Nothing to do with TikTok. Just go to the website.
Thank you!
Thanks, Mary. Everyone freaking out isn't going to change anything. We have to band together to fight against the Supreme Court, which is just appalling and goes against everything the Constitution stands for. No matter what, we all have to vote, vote, BLUE
Hugging you, Mary! Thank you!!!!!
Your has become a voice that can be depended upon for wisdom and clarity. I thank you so much for that. I am taking a break from the media for a few days - even the trusted ones. Even though they have contributed to the mess we are in, they refuse to lend their hand to help us out of it. At the end of the day it is all about viewers and numbers for them. At the end of the day it’s about freedom and democracy for me. We don’t need them to claim and protect what’s ours. I will rest briefly and get to work. Thank you.
As a retired journalist I can tell you some of these VERY HONEST newspeople go home in tears and fright. Turn your dial and listen to LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, RACHEL MADDOW, JOY REID and many others who are honest and concerned. Some have had their lives and lives of their family members threatened. Is that not enough ?
In other words, if they don’t critique the people in policy from both parties in an equal and I’m partisan fashion, they’re not legitimate. Also, if they have corporate sponsors, they are not legitimate
NO!!!
The display of complete Socio political ignorance on this thread and that comment is quite impressive just because a media outlet Parvez truth, it does not make that a legitimate source worth consuming I agree all of those people speak truth. That’s not the relative dynamic here. It is a Blue version of #NewsForDumbFox. An echo chamber. Bashing the opposition has not a damn thing to do with holding the party you support accountable for good governance. That’s why Mehdi Hasan left.
Rachel is harassment to the Rhodes Scholarship Foundation. But, just like the others, all she amounts to is a DNC donor class water carrying tool.
The product worth consuming is almost exclusively on the Internet. People like Judd Lagum, Sarah Kendzior, Jennifer Cohn, Doug Simmons, Greg Palast…. I’m forgetting many check out my following list.
I disagree on a lot of this. To accuse commenters here of sociopolitical ignorance is a bit rude! Are you a troll? This isn’t Twitter you know.
Many of the writers that you mention are excellent, but are not particularly helpful at this time when we are trying desperately to win an election. Kendzior is super smart but extremely negative likewise Mehdi to me they are both an energy suck at the moment. now it’s not the time to fix our entire sociopolitical system. We have a major housefire to put out at the moment. So i’m not interested in listening to complaining that nobody put in better sprinklers ahead of time or that the firefighters aren’t young or attractive enough. it’s a distraction and it’s exhausting. I may go back to reading those people once we put out the fire on November 5.
Thank you Mary, between you and Jeff T., even when things are completely shite you offer genuine hope.
That’s right about Jeff
Thanks for the encouragement Mary. I hope you are taking care of yourself too. We have to support Biden/Harris!💙💙
Thank you. I’m afraid I was beginning to hyperventilate over that most obvious dismantling of the Constitution! The insult to the three justices who dissented was just a pure slap in the face.
(Breathe) - Thanks again
Now that Scrotus has said a president cant be charged for what he does in office, Biden should en prison Trump in Guantanamo as a traitor who tried to overthrow the country.