Replace Biden and watch as the Democratic Party implodes. I would vote for Biden over the felon if Biden were on life support. Just get him to January 20 alive. There is no one waiting in the wings. I would vote for Kamala, but the American people will not. We lose either way. If we don’t pick her, we lose the black vote. Get over it and start talking about Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein files!
Kudos to Linda for "being embarrassed" for her support of the conservative justices, as well as for her positive statement about Sotomayor, who she opposed due disagreeing with her "judicial philosophy."
I would like to prompt Ms. Chavez further, however, on the very notion of "Judicial Philosophy", and whether that is something that has ever truly existed and if so, if it is really something to base one's support or opposition upon. You see, from my point of view, it has always struck me how frequently Originalism, or Textualism (or whatever 'ism' Republican-appointed justices have said they adhered to has brought them to decisions that happened to coincide with their world view. How wonderful it must be for them, I had always thought, that what they saw as their strict adherence to the Founders also came to confirm that the Founders believed what they believed!
I'm asking this because I have been asking myself something more acutely recently that I have been asking for 10 years, which is what it is we who lean left need to do from a political perspective in order to NOT have to find a unicorn to run for President to gain enough votes to achieve an Electoral College victory.
And I want to understand that in no small part by listening to people like Linda, and Mona, and Sarah, and Charlie. But it's a challenge for me to do so if part of the argument still includes things like "judicial philosophy", when an honest assessment should cause intelligent and reasonable people to move on.
And I think this is important for 'both sides', since today there is only one political party in place to defend the Constitution, and people like Linda and Mona--although voting for that side--clearly still find it pretty distasteful.
That would be a relatively safe way to throw down the gauntlet to SCOTUS and put this ruling to the test. Biden should follow it up by issuing a self-pardon, and put that exercise of executive power to the test, as well.
I’m a life long Dem. Joe cannot beat trump and is not capable of serving as president. I agree that the fundraising is not an issue. The minute the dnc announces a new ticket, I’m donating big time. How do I, as a voter, get that message across to Joe? I already emailed the whitehouse email to ask him to step aside. Is this my only option?
President Biden needs to recognize the real mission between now and November is to WIN, using character if possible, but WIN. He must start creating headlines about excitement and fear of the near future.
Perhaps he could create a preview of the newly expanded powers that the supreme Court has bestowed upon the presidency. Have Merick Garland arrest one, or all three, of Roberts Alito or Thomas. Allow the media to freak out for 3 days and then pardon them with a big smile saying “Just Kidding".
At a minimum, order the FCC to suspend the operating license of Fox News and Newsmax for a week or mandate fact checking during their broadcasts.
The most powerful man in the world better start acting like the most powerful man in the world! Half of Americans have made it quite clear that a man's character is irrelevant in politics!
I’m so disgusted with the Bulwark right now that I’m not sure I can. They really had the fortitude to invite Rick in with an alternative perspective? Because Rick thinks the Bulwark party line is batshit crazy.
One of the great things about The Bulwark is that they don't really have a party line. They are not trying to be "influencers", but are just saying what they believe. And in many cases they do not all believe the same thing.
In this case, I think they have been leaning way too far in the insta-pundit direction - saying junk off the tops of their heads with too little forethought. I worry that The Bulwark might be moving further in that direction as the roster becomes crowded with more and more offerings, requiring them to fill more "air time".
I think they have been intentionally anti Biden for months and they used the “debate” performance as an excuse to pounce. It’s been so obnoxious that I don’t think it’s in good faith.
I think that's nonsense. The entirety of the Bulwark is, and has been from the beginning, rabidly anti-trump. Most of them have sacrificed their careers in politics, their influence in political circles and any hope of a job in an administration of either party.
At this moment, the main tension seems to be that any criticism of Biden might weaken him. I assume it's in good faith, that those who want to see Biden defeat trump don't want to see him weakened as a candidate. So that means all good people should bite their tongues and just offer their support. It makes sense, I get it, I think that the Bulwark gets it. But....that's not how we should operate. That's not how a thriving form of self-governance should operate.
There are very real, very valid criticisms of Biden. The right-wing is spewing them nonstop. There has been very little response from the pro-Biden crowd. The defense is weak.
We are in a dangerous place right now. Biden is a weak candidate. There is no real pro-Biden sentiment in the country. No big Biden super fans. It's almost entirely an anti-trump sentiment.
I see the Bulwark as speaking the uncomfortable truths. Sometimes very uncomfortable. Did we not all watch the debate with a terrible cringe? Can we not openly discuss this? Do we not all hold our breath every time Biden walks up a set of stairs or speaks? Do we not all get a pit in our stomach when we hear the "dog-faced pony soldier" story starting to wind up again?
I think Biden has governed as best as could be hoped for. I think the Bulwark agrees with that and says it on a regular basis. But we live in reality. The voters who will decide this election don't know how he has governed, and even if they know, they don't care. It's all about perception and stage presence at this point.
I know it sucks. It sucks to realize how shallow our fellow Americans are. It sucks to realize how little understanding the average voter has of the world and our country. It's a devastating blow to my patriotism and love of country.
But it's reality.
We are losing, trumpism is winning.
This is a full-blown break glass emergency.
Shooting the truth tellers who won't get in line and shut up is not how we get out of this mess. It's what got us here in the first place.
I know the chances are small but what if….Biden is holding / will hold on because in his back pocket he/they have one or more “October surprises” that will (thankfully) DESTROY any chance trump had of winning? This could potentially shift the race back in his favor (since there are NO other viable candidates/parties)…..
Great episode. I so enjoy this show every week-- even though this episode, like all recent ones, was a bit depressing. It's always darkest just before dawn, I keep telling myself.
Why so much hesitation/shade about the hamburgler?? He's born in America, old enough, and I promise he will steal far less hamburgers from the USA than Trump did in his first term...
I really hope Joe doesn't step aside. The plans and ideas y'all are coming up with... I just don't see how this can work. It sounds like it would be a circus tbh. Look, I think that Joe should stay in with Kamala right there so we know, hey, if something happens where Joe can't perform as president we've got Kamala. Let's face it, it's going to be extremely a tough task to ask republicans to vote for ANY democrat, but I think most anti Trump Republicans will accept a Biden 2nd term. The undecided voters I think Biden will win most of those by November. Independent's literally booed Trump at their convention, so there could be some votes for Biden with independents. But I see why people are anxious about this because Hillary had over 3 million more votes and still lost, which is insane!
I’m anxious but my god these ideas only work in a perfect world. The logistical challenges are ENORMOUS.
also, there are a lot of intellectual masterbation here to get to an answer you want. For example, there is no chance that voters will be “happy” in an undemocratic process for delegates in backrooms determining who 80m people will vote for. You just can’t paper over this with some intellectual “but actually…”. The other side isn’t sitting this out. They will put a billion dollars in ads saying “look what the dems did. They bypassed the first black Vp because they don’t care about you.”
Please please think about how this looks to people who aren’t paying attention.
Trump orders Seal Team 6 to kill an opponent. The officer refuses saying that it is an illegal order. Trump then finds servicemen willing to follow such orders and Trump also adds that he will pardon them in all events.
Good conversation. I especially appreciated learning abut how the money would work in case we get a Democratic candidate other than Biden or Harris. I get the democracy angle, allowing the convention to choose the candidate, but I worry that a charismatic governor who wins a big election in their state just might not bring that same star power to the national stage, and we would never know until the election was well underway. Refer to Ron DeSantis. They just do not always translate well. Of course Obama came out of left field and did pretty darned well! But he is an extraordinary talent. Maybe Big Gretch or Josh Shapiro is extraordinary too? BTW I've known that Biden takes the shorter back stairs up into Air Force One for a long time; this is not new info. I'd take the shorter stairs also ;-).
I found a lot of this podcasts papers over the difficulties and the logistics. Running for president is especially hard. Especially if you have never done it before. You are asking some unknown candidate to come up with a message for winning (and it isn’t some dumb slogan…campaign people look at their candidates strength and weaknesses and craft messages and strategy so that those resonate with specific voters in certain states. Biden may have an advantage with older white people so they craft messages for him with those voters. That isn’t what will work for Kamala. She needs youth, progressives and minorities).
Finally, the chances that the delegates are able to decipher a good candidate from bad is zero. These people are dem activist from 50 states. They vote on interests. The delegates vote like the house republicans did in the speaker vote. What will you do for me to get my delegates
What if the SCOTUS Majority is actually just trying to do all present and future presidents a solid?
For Trump, they've laid down a process so cumbersome (and fraught) that odds are DOJ will eventually give up on prosecuting him if he doesn't win back the presidency.
For Biden, they've at least made it harder for Trump to go after him in the event that the latter regains the mantle of American Emperor.
See, they're really just trying to make eveyone happy!
Yeah, this will make it harder for Trump to go after Biden. But there are lots of other people he can prosecute - e.g., Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney - who have never been President.
Replace Biden and watch as the Democratic Party implodes. I would vote for Biden over the felon if Biden were on life support. Just get him to January 20 alive. There is no one waiting in the wings. I would vote for Kamala, but the American people will not. We lose either way. If we don’t pick her, we lose the black vote. Get over it and start talking about Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein files!
It wasn't just that "the courts won't save us from Trump," it's "the courts will save Trump."
Trump's Fabian strategy of buying time via delay paid of "bigly" for him in the end.
Kudos to Linda for "being embarrassed" for her support of the conservative justices, as well as for her positive statement about Sotomayor, who she opposed due disagreeing with her "judicial philosophy."
I would like to prompt Ms. Chavez further, however, on the very notion of "Judicial Philosophy", and whether that is something that has ever truly existed and if so, if it is really something to base one's support or opposition upon. You see, from my point of view, it has always struck me how frequently Originalism, or Textualism (or whatever 'ism' Republican-appointed justices have said they adhered to has brought them to decisions that happened to coincide with their world view. How wonderful it must be for them, I had always thought, that what they saw as their strict adherence to the Founders also came to confirm that the Founders believed what they believed!
I'm asking this because I have been asking myself something more acutely recently that I have been asking for 10 years, which is what it is we who lean left need to do from a political perspective in order to NOT have to find a unicorn to run for President to gain enough votes to achieve an Electoral College victory.
And I want to understand that in no small part by listening to people like Linda, and Mona, and Sarah, and Charlie. But it's a challenge for me to do so if part of the argument still includes things like "judicial philosophy", when an honest assessment should cause intelligent and reasonable people to move on.
And I think this is important for 'both sides', since today there is only one political party in place to defend the Constitution, and people like Linda and Mona--although voting for that side--clearly still find it pretty distasteful.
Biden should announce he will sell an ambassadorship to the highest bidder. The money goes to charity.
Seriously. What happens?
That would be a relatively safe way to throw down the gauntlet to SCOTUS and put this ruling to the test. Biden should follow it up by issuing a self-pardon, and put that exercise of executive power to the test, as well.
John Roberts has made his decision. Now let him enforce it.
I’m a life long Dem. Joe cannot beat trump and is not capable of serving as president. I agree that the fundraising is not an issue. The minute the dnc announces a new ticket, I’m donating big time. How do I, as a voter, get that message across to Joe? I already emailed the whitehouse email to ask him to step aside. Is this my only option?
President Biden needs to recognize the real mission between now and November is to WIN, using character if possible, but WIN. He must start creating headlines about excitement and fear of the near future.
Perhaps he could create a preview of the newly expanded powers that the supreme Court has bestowed upon the presidency. Have Merick Garland arrest one, or all three, of Roberts Alito or Thomas. Allow the media to freak out for 3 days and then pardon them with a big smile saying “Just Kidding".
At a minimum, order the FCC to suspend the operating license of Fox News and Newsmax for a week or mandate fact checking during their broadcasts.
The most powerful man in the world better start acting like the most powerful man in the world! Half of Americans have made it quite clear that a man's character is irrelevant in politics!
I’ll browse the comments to see what people are saying, but the Bulwark has gone off the rails and I’m not wasting my time listening to them.
Try Michael Steele's first podcast episode, with Rick Wilson. They take the opposite side in this argument.
I’m so disgusted with the Bulwark right now that I’m not sure I can. They really had the fortitude to invite Rick in with an alternative perspective? Because Rick thinks the Bulwark party line is batshit crazy.
One of the great things about The Bulwark is that they don't really have a party line. They are not trying to be "influencers", but are just saying what they believe. And in many cases they do not all believe the same thing.
In this case, I think they have been leaning way too far in the insta-pundit direction - saying junk off the tops of their heads with too little forethought. I worry that The Bulwark might be moving further in that direction as the roster becomes crowded with more and more offerings, requiring them to fill more "air time".
I think they have been intentionally anti Biden for months and they used the “debate” performance as an excuse to pounce. It’s been so obnoxious that I don’t think it’s in good faith.
So you haven't heard JVL being Biden's biggest fan? Or Tim on the flagship extolling the virtues of Biden?
Look at their Twitter feeds, nonstop agitation. Why? I’m losing confidence that it’s good faith and, instead, something else.
I think that's nonsense. The entirety of the Bulwark is, and has been from the beginning, rabidly anti-trump. Most of them have sacrificed their careers in politics, their influence in political circles and any hope of a job in an administration of either party.
At this moment, the main tension seems to be that any criticism of Biden might weaken him. I assume it's in good faith, that those who want to see Biden defeat trump don't want to see him weakened as a candidate. So that means all good people should bite their tongues and just offer their support. It makes sense, I get it, I think that the Bulwark gets it. But....that's not how we should operate. That's not how a thriving form of self-governance should operate.
There are very real, very valid criticisms of Biden. The right-wing is spewing them nonstop. There has been very little response from the pro-Biden crowd. The defense is weak.
We are in a dangerous place right now. Biden is a weak candidate. There is no real pro-Biden sentiment in the country. No big Biden super fans. It's almost entirely an anti-trump sentiment.
I see the Bulwark as speaking the uncomfortable truths. Sometimes very uncomfortable. Did we not all watch the debate with a terrible cringe? Can we not openly discuss this? Do we not all hold our breath every time Biden walks up a set of stairs or speaks? Do we not all get a pit in our stomach when we hear the "dog-faced pony soldier" story starting to wind up again?
I think Biden has governed as best as could be hoped for. I think the Bulwark agrees with that and says it on a regular basis. But we live in reality. The voters who will decide this election don't know how he has governed, and even if they know, they don't care. It's all about perception and stage presence at this point.
I know it sucks. It sucks to realize how shallow our fellow Americans are. It sucks to realize how little understanding the average voter has of the world and our country. It's a devastating blow to my patriotism and love of country.
But it's reality.
We are losing, trumpism is winning.
This is a full-blown break glass emergency.
Shooting the truth tellers who won't get in line and shut up is not how we get out of this mess. It's what got us here in the first place.
So many words! So many, in fact, that I didn’t read them all.
Clicks and paid spots on TV is their business model. DJT is their product.
Enjoyed the show—thanks
I know the chances are small but what if….Biden is holding / will hold on because in his back pocket he/they have one or more “October surprises” that will (thankfully) DESTROY any chance trump had of winning? This could potentially shift the race back in his favor (since there are NO other viable candidates/parties)…..
Great episode. I so enjoy this show every week-- even though this episode, like all recent ones, was a bit depressing. It's always darkest just before dawn, I keep telling myself.
Why so much hesitation/shade about the hamburgler?? He's born in America, old enough, and I promise he will steal far less hamburgers from the USA than Trump did in his first term...
I know how we stop this mayhem by trump... His plane falls out of the sky
I really hope Joe doesn't step aside. The plans and ideas y'all are coming up with... I just don't see how this can work. It sounds like it would be a circus tbh. Look, I think that Joe should stay in with Kamala right there so we know, hey, if something happens where Joe can't perform as president we've got Kamala. Let's face it, it's going to be extremely a tough task to ask republicans to vote for ANY democrat, but I think most anti Trump Republicans will accept a Biden 2nd term. The undecided voters I think Biden will win most of those by November. Independent's literally booed Trump at their convention, so there could be some votes for Biden with independents. But I see why people are anxious about this because Hillary had over 3 million more votes and still lost, which is insane!
I’m anxious but my god these ideas only work in a perfect world. The logistical challenges are ENORMOUS.
also, there are a lot of intellectual masterbation here to get to an answer you want. For example, there is no chance that voters will be “happy” in an undemocratic process for delegates in backrooms determining who 80m people will vote for. You just can’t paper over this with some intellectual “but actually…”. The other side isn’t sitting this out. They will put a billion dollars in ads saying “look what the dems did. They bypassed the first black Vp because they don’t care about you.”
Please please think about how this looks to people who aren’t paying attention.
Trump orders Seal Team 6 to kill an opponent. The officer refuses saying that it is an illegal order. Trump then finds servicemen willing to follow such orders and Trump also adds that he will pardon them in all events.
Good conversation. I especially appreciated learning abut how the money would work in case we get a Democratic candidate other than Biden or Harris. I get the democracy angle, allowing the convention to choose the candidate, but I worry that a charismatic governor who wins a big election in their state just might not bring that same star power to the national stage, and we would never know until the election was well underway. Refer to Ron DeSantis. They just do not always translate well. Of course Obama came out of left field and did pretty darned well! But he is an extraordinary talent. Maybe Big Gretch or Josh Shapiro is extraordinary too? BTW I've known that Biden takes the shorter back stairs up into Air Force One for a long time; this is not new info. I'd take the shorter stairs also ;-).
I found a lot of this podcasts papers over the difficulties and the logistics. Running for president is especially hard. Especially if you have never done it before. You are asking some unknown candidate to come up with a message for winning (and it isn’t some dumb slogan…campaign people look at their candidates strength and weaknesses and craft messages and strategy so that those resonate with specific voters in certain states. Biden may have an advantage with older white people so they craft messages for him with those voters. That isn’t what will work for Kamala. She needs youth, progressives and minorities).
Finally, the chances that the delegates are able to decipher a good candidate from bad is zero. These people are dem activist from 50 states. They vote on interests. The delegates vote like the house republicans did in the speaker vote. What will you do for me to get my delegates
Wait, wait!
What if the SCOTUS Majority is actually just trying to do all present and future presidents a solid?
For Trump, they've laid down a process so cumbersome (and fraught) that odds are DOJ will eventually give up on prosecuting him if he doesn't win back the presidency.
For Biden, they've at least made it harder for Trump to go after him in the event that the latter regains the mantle of American Emperor.
See, they're really just trying to make eveyone happy!
; )
Yeah, this will make it harder for Trump to go after Biden. But there are lots of other people he can prosecute - e.g., Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney - who have never been President.
I have a feeling the rules will change if it’s a dem