'No fooling. Watch Keith Olbermann's post-debate YouTube analysis. 'Nothing short of brilliant, describing journalistic malpractice. He knows legacy media like the back of his hand.
I think trump has been the favorite for months because voters slightly prefer him even with all his baggage to traditional politicians (such as Biden), and they are inclined then to give him (trump) a second term ... by erasing covid and linking the trump previous term to the next one.
The Dems see things differently, and the rank n file prefers a Dem to be more vigorously like them on the national stage... And so have been unhappy with Biden for most of his term. Given that... the only Dem I can think of who is perceived as being non traditional yet still seems like a pretty normal Dem on much policy is Fetterman. And I'm really struggling to see him somehow put forward to replace Biden. Another equally difficult to see option is for Biden to somehow remake himself just enough to appeal in this manner. I suppose anyone can remake themselves...but anyone put forward to replace Biden is still going to struggle with millions of votes who.. rightly or wrongly just fav someone different and will immediately mark them as "just another politician"..
Let's then start with Gavin newsome. Dude, you need a new hair style. Not slick Willie. Harris... really really hard. How about ditch the biz suit for full leathers and on the back of the jacke: "hell's angel"... don't forget the tude.. ok, and then to ...
First let me say I'm 100% never Trump. I feel too many of Biden's mega donors and especially his closest advisors and aides are in denial about the situation at hand. All of the accusations made by the Right about Biden's mental challenges were confirmed beyond any doubt during the debate. Everyone already knew that Trump lies every time he opens his mouth, nothing new uncovered here in the debate. Trump didn't lose any votes because he lied constantly. Biden on the other hand lost a lot.
Jill and the rest of Team Biden are making such a big deal out of Biden's performances Friday and Saturday, all short and with teleprompters. Biden even required a teleprompter to speak for 15 to 20 minutes at a fundraiser at the home of billionaire Barry Rosenstein. Longtime Dems like to point to Obama's bad debate against Romney in '12. Here's the big difference Team Biden refuses to acknowledge. I guarantee you Obama never required a teleprompter for a 15 to 20 minute meet and greet with mega donors.
Biden has done the fewest interviews since Reagan. He HAS to do those interviews now. It also adds validity to the Right's demand for release of the actual Robert Hur interview not just the transcript. In the sit downs that are sure to come Biden cannot afford any performances that are less than stellar. Can Biden be counted on to bat a 1000 in those interviews?
I would like for Biden's team to explain why they agreed to the debate and the terms. Jenn Psaki made a few points immediately following the debate about why his staff let him be at the podium on the right. She said this made it appear often as though he was staring off into space. She also said the start time should not have been agreed to as it is too late for Joe. There may have been another point or two she mentioned that were mistakes by his staff. I'm concerned about the decisions his team has made to date and going forward there is no room for error. Their performance is going to have to improve as well as the pressure builds.
I view the election at this point as something like a Little League game. For those of you that played or are parents of kids that played I'm sure most of you remember the little Joey on your team that was far from the best player on the team and in many cases only there because his parents made him. Joey played right field for two innings each game, only because rules required he play two innings. Joey has never gotten a hit all season, in fact he has struck out every at bat. Joey will swing at anything, pitches in the dirt, over his head it doesn't matter. And now our team finds itself in the final inning of the championship game with the bases loaded and two outs. We trail by one run and it is Joey's turn to bat. If Joey can just draw a walk the game will be tied and our best hitter will be up next with the bases still loaded. The coach calls Joey over before he steps up to the plate and tells him quite explicitly do not swing at any pitch, a walk is as good as a hit and will score a run and tie the game.
I think the only helpful thing to do now is find more info on Trump. Whatever the cost. These are not normal people. The president is fine. Running him down isn't helpful.
I live in a place that is so MAGA that it's frightening. And the NY convictions had a significant impact on some folks. I was surprised. We need more of that.
Here's my problem with throwing Joe Biden over the side, even after his horrendous performance in the first debate: I don't think that any Democrat measurably to the Left of Biden can hold the coalition to beat Trump together, and I can't think of another Democrat with positions similar to Biden's or to his Right who has the prestige to manage it, either. Maybe the DNC and the party elder statespeople can come up with such a person, and even then we'll have to bet that the new nominee, untested by primary fights, has no skeletons in their closets that opo research is sure to find. That means having to roll double sixes a lot of times in a row.
I'm sure glad that I don't have to advise Biden, and that I'm not one of the people who'll have to make the call. God help them all.
Sorry about the misplaced replies. I was mistakenly typing my comments into the Tyoe a comment box at the top instead of remembering to hit reply under the original poster. Substack’s system can be deceptive like that.
After all, when one responds via email to a comment, the click-through presents a very prominent “Type a comment” box at the top. That seems like very poor design to me.
I knew that, it just seemed that on a few occasions the Edit time had expired and so I was forced to use some other means of elaborating on an original comment.
Greg, if you don't reply the person you are replying to will not likely see your post, I accidnetally came upon this one and since I made a post regarding that, figured it was meant for me
Okay thanks, I didn’t realize I’d been doing that. I mistakenly “wrote the comment” into the Write a comment box instead of hitting reply under the original commenter. . Thanks for the heads-up.
And what will be my lack of voting for Biden as a Californian have to do with the outcome of the election. Will California turn out to be the main swing state in the election?
Except possibly convincing somebody NOT in CA to vote for Biden, I agree with you.
If everyone you know or are related to or talk to on social media lives in your house, you’re good.
But if you have a niece in Pittsburgh who calls you “Funcle Greg” and is eighteen and really doesn’t understand why she should bother to vote and finds you influential in her life and worldview and totally hates your MAGA sister and brother-in-law and there you are on the phone anyway when she calls to thank you for the birthday check because she has better manners than to text you might consider, at least, saying, “Favorite niece you need to vote and you need to vote Dem and I, Funcle, always vote and always vote Dem, because our Constitution is imperiled and our democracy in tatters and have you seen the other side, ffs?” and you, Funcle Greg, will have done the Lord’s work with an absentee ballot and a stamp.
Sure, unless that favorite niece asks you whether you voted for a candidate with a chance of winning rather than some third-party ne’er-do-well praying for double digits and you think it’s bad to lie to a kid.
No I don’t. I see nothing wrong with being in basic agreement on the facts of this issue with the vast majority of New York Times and Washington Post commenters. Do you?
I’d like to assume that, indeed, Biden will do what’s best for the country. We aren’t going to know what kind of analyses and negotiations go on behind the scenes. Perhaps he threw his hat in last year (or did not withdraw) because good and fair analysis showed his likely successors (Harris, etc…) would do worse than even an impaired elderly man. And isn’t it likely that similar analyses have been ongoing? If I were him, I’d love to retire and rest on my considerable laurels. Hell, Biden had to be dragged out of retirement in 2018 because, really, only he could defeat the orange monster. And, if I’m the president, the last thing I’m going to do now is admit to the world that I’d love to turn this campaign over to someone else - and that we’re looking very carefully at ways to do so - if I thought the analysis would continue to show I still had the best chance to save democracy.
I trust Joe will do what’s best for his country - even if that means finding a way to “Kingmake” a stronger ticket. With Biden at the helm, it can be done.
honestly I thought that exact same thing last week... but he's totally fucking us and I don't know why. My best theory is that it's just really hard to look in the mirror and say "I'm not good enough right now"
We know because he utterly failed at the most important priority of the month for his campaign and presidency. It’s not like he just lost this debate. He utterly failed at a level I’ve never seen before in US politics.
Honestly I think beating Trump is the most important thing in American politics right now, and I think this failure has doomed the campaign (unfortunately). I’m not saying it’s fair, but the video is there and he won’t be able to escape it.
Everything I’ve seen from the Biden camp since the debate is either an excuse or abject denial of the facts.
I’m done with this. He MUST step aside for our democracy. He will be absolutely crushed against Trump. It doesn’t matter if this is fair or not. This is NOT his decision. And if he refuses, runs, and gets destroyed, I fully intend to chalk up his loss equally to Biden, his apologists, and MAGA voters.
If the American electorate is stupid enough to re-elect Trump knowing full well what a shitty president he was the first time, well, then, we all deserve what we get.
I'm ignoring (trying) everything, knowing that I will vote for Biden or whoever the Dem nominee might be. I am not going to participate in this debate. I think it is destructive. Who wants another 1968? The R's do! imo That's when I became a Dem, bc when I was in 3rd grade in OH my parents were for Humphrey bc they hated Nixon bc they were Kennedy Dems and I could not believe that anyone would vote for Nixon and I couldn't believe that he lost, and look what happened with Nixon. It's deja vu all over again for me. Also, I was all in for Warren in 2020 and then everyone was supposed to coalesce in support of Biden. Well, here we are. He's been successful. Was there a plan for 2024, back in 2020 for what comes next??? If not, then why not? All I know is that the so-called progressives think they're the shit, but they're the one's who lost the House for the Dems in 2022 so there's that. There's a big middle in this country imo and I don't think there's anyone but Biden right now who can garner those votes for 2024. jmo IMO the hacks are covering their asses at this point, so they can say 'told you so' or whatever. Fuck that.
Too early , other polls have been different, I'd ignore them for now If I was you..538 still says he has a good chance to win, and they are betting on him
There will be more and there will be more non emotional pieces etc
'No fooling. Watch Keith Olbermann's post-debate YouTube analysis. 'Nothing short of brilliant, describing journalistic malpractice. He knows legacy media like the back of his hand.
https://www.youtube.com/live/0q0NNnn_kCE?si=7X_XDbXAzT-0llNU
I love Joe Biden and am grateful for his service, but it's time for him to pass torch
I think trump has been the favorite for months because voters slightly prefer him even with all his baggage to traditional politicians (such as Biden), and they are inclined then to give him (trump) a second term ... by erasing covid and linking the trump previous term to the next one.
The Dems see things differently, and the rank n file prefers a Dem to be more vigorously like them on the national stage... And so have been unhappy with Biden for most of his term. Given that... the only Dem I can think of who is perceived as being non traditional yet still seems like a pretty normal Dem on much policy is Fetterman. And I'm really struggling to see him somehow put forward to replace Biden. Another equally difficult to see option is for Biden to somehow remake himself just enough to appeal in this manner. I suppose anyone can remake themselves...but anyone put forward to replace Biden is still going to struggle with millions of votes who.. rightly or wrongly just fav someone different and will immediately mark them as "just another politician"..
Let's then start with Gavin newsome. Dude, you need a new hair style. Not slick Willie. Harris... really really hard. How about ditch the biz suit for full leathers and on the back of the jacke: "hell's angel"... don't forget the tude.. ok, and then to ...
First let me say I'm 100% never Trump. I feel too many of Biden's mega donors and especially his closest advisors and aides are in denial about the situation at hand. All of the accusations made by the Right about Biden's mental challenges were confirmed beyond any doubt during the debate. Everyone already knew that Trump lies every time he opens his mouth, nothing new uncovered here in the debate. Trump didn't lose any votes because he lied constantly. Biden on the other hand lost a lot.
Jill and the rest of Team Biden are making such a big deal out of Biden's performances Friday and Saturday, all short and with teleprompters. Biden even required a teleprompter to speak for 15 to 20 minutes at a fundraiser at the home of billionaire Barry Rosenstein. Longtime Dems like to point to Obama's bad debate against Romney in '12. Here's the big difference Team Biden refuses to acknowledge. I guarantee you Obama never required a teleprompter for a 15 to 20 minute meet and greet with mega donors.
Biden has done the fewest interviews since Reagan. He HAS to do those interviews now. It also adds validity to the Right's demand for release of the actual Robert Hur interview not just the transcript. In the sit downs that are sure to come Biden cannot afford any performances that are less than stellar. Can Biden be counted on to bat a 1000 in those interviews?
I would like for Biden's team to explain why they agreed to the debate and the terms. Jenn Psaki made a few points immediately following the debate about why his staff let him be at the podium on the right. She said this made it appear often as though he was staring off into space. She also said the start time should not have been agreed to as it is too late for Joe. There may have been another point or two she mentioned that were mistakes by his staff. I'm concerned about the decisions his team has made to date and going forward there is no room for error. Their performance is going to have to improve as well as the pressure builds.
I view the election at this point as something like a Little League game. For those of you that played or are parents of kids that played I'm sure most of you remember the little Joey on your team that was far from the best player on the team and in many cases only there because his parents made him. Joey played right field for two innings each game, only because rules required he play two innings. Joey has never gotten a hit all season, in fact he has struck out every at bat. Joey will swing at anything, pitches in the dirt, over his head it doesn't matter. And now our team finds itself in the final inning of the championship game with the bases loaded and two outs. We trail by one run and it is Joey's turn to bat. If Joey can just draw a walk the game will be tied and our best hitter will be up next with the bases still loaded. The coach calls Joey over before he steps up to the plate and tells him quite explicitly do not swing at any pitch, a walk is as good as a hit and will score a run and tie the game.
Do you want to bring in a pinch hitter?
You say you are 100% never trump. But your long paragraphs clearly show you favor trump.
You are incorrect. I'm sorry my writing style doesn't meet your standards.
I think the only helpful thing to do now is find more info on Trump. Whatever the cost. These are not normal people. The president is fine. Running him down isn't helpful.
Problem is his voters don't care what you find on trump nor does the media.
I live in a place that is so MAGA that it's frightening. And the NY convictions had a significant impact on some folks. I was surprised. We need more of that.
The Trump campaign is, in this solitary instance, completely correct.
POTUS is going nowhere and the Dem circle jerk should cease immediately.
Here's my problem with throwing Joe Biden over the side, even after his horrendous performance in the first debate: I don't think that any Democrat measurably to the Left of Biden can hold the coalition to beat Trump together, and I can't think of another Democrat with positions similar to Biden's or to his Right who has the prestige to manage it, either. Maybe the DNC and the party elder statespeople can come up with such a person, and even then we'll have to bet that the new nominee, untested by primary fights, has no skeletons in their closets that opo research is sure to find. That means having to roll double sixes a lot of times in a row.
I'm sure glad that I don't have to advise Biden, and that I'm not one of the people who'll have to make the call. God help them all.
I hate that the Dems are coming to the fight with a bowl of oatmeal and nappy 🤣
Right. Sometimes when I can’t edit or want to elaborate further on something I said in the original comment, I’ll do that. Sorry if it offends you.
And then random comments to unspecified people. Very not a sign of decline at all. Everybody, like in the NYT comments, should sound like you.
Sorry about the misplaced replies. I was mistakenly typing my comments into the Tyoe a comment box at the top instead of remembering to hit reply under the original poster. Substack’s system can be deceptive like that.
Oh ok lulz that explains that 👍
After all, when one responds via email to a comment, the click-through presents a very prominent “Type a comment” box at the top. That seems like very poor design to me.
You can edit any post even after you post it, using the the three dots to the right of your post, and choose from the drop down...edit
I knew that, it just seemed that on a few occasions the Edit time had expired and so I was forced to use some other means of elaborating on an original comment.
If you knew me, you’d know that I’m the “farthest” thing from a Bernie Bro as a Democrat, so that comment wasn’t really very insightful.
Lol
Greg, if you don't reply the person you are replying to will not likely see your post, I accidnetally came upon this one and since I made a post regarding that, figured it was meant for me
Okay thanks, I didn’t realize I’d been doing that. I mistakenly “wrote the comment” into the Write a comment box instead of hitting reply under the original commenter. . Thanks for the heads-up.
Derp. Maybe you should drop out. You’re clearly not up for it.
Good screenname.
And what will be my lack of voting for Biden as a Californian have to do with the outcome of the election. Will California turn out to be the main swing state in the election?
No, you’re good, unless all Hispanics turn MAGA.
Unless you mean you’re voting for Trump, but I still don’t think you make any difference.
Remember, if you can’t be a good example be a horrible warning.
I’d never vote for Trump. Not voting for Biden in California will have no impact on anything whatsoever.
Except possibly convincing somebody NOT in CA to vote for Biden, I agree with you.
If everyone you know or are related to or talk to on social media lives in your house, you’re good.
But if you have a niece in Pittsburgh who calls you “Funcle Greg” and is eighteen and really doesn’t understand why she should bother to vote and finds you influential in her life and worldview and totally hates your MAGA sister and brother-in-law and there you are on the phone anyway when she calls to thank you for the birthday check because she has better manners than to text you might consider, at least, saying, “Favorite niece you need to vote and you need to vote Dem and I, Funcle, always vote and always vote Dem, because our Constitution is imperiled and our democracy in tatters and have you seen the other side, ffs?” and you, Funcle Greg, will have done the Lord’s work with an absentee ballot and a stamp.
But your speculation has zero correspondence with what I will be doing, other than not voting for Biden.
Sure, unless that favorite niece asks you whether you voted for a candidate with a chance of winning rather than some third-party ne’er-do-well praying for double digits and you think it’s bad to lie to a kid.
See ya. I’m bored now.
Bye.
Then what have you been whining about for the past several hours.
Go figure it out.
Why? You are all over the place and don't have a singular thought other to whine.
Troll.
Who are you talking to? Don’t you have anything better to do?
Indeed; I have much better things to do than talking with you.
Well, my comments are more or less in accord with the vast majority of the comments at the New York Times website.
You realize that's not a good thing, right?
No I don’t. I see nothing wrong with being in basic agreement on the facts of this issue with the vast majority of New York Times and Washington Post commenters. Do you?
I subscribe to Washington Post and won't ever subscribe to NY Times.
And no, you are not in basic agreement with the comments at the Post
Nice try, though.
That’s nothing to proud of, especially if they sound like you.
I’d like to assume that, indeed, Biden will do what’s best for the country. We aren’t going to know what kind of analyses and negotiations go on behind the scenes. Perhaps he threw his hat in last year (or did not withdraw) because good and fair analysis showed his likely successors (Harris, etc…) would do worse than even an impaired elderly man. And isn’t it likely that similar analyses have been ongoing? If I were him, I’d love to retire and rest on my considerable laurels. Hell, Biden had to be dragged out of retirement in 2018 because, really, only he could defeat the orange monster. And, if I’m the president, the last thing I’m going to do now is admit to the world that I’d love to turn this campaign over to someone else - and that we’re looking very carefully at ways to do so - if I thought the analysis would continue to show I still had the best chance to save democracy.
I trust Joe will do what’s best for his country - even if that means finding a way to “Kingmake” a stronger ticket. With Biden at the helm, it can be done.
Love this, and I agree.
honestly I thought that exact same thing last week... but he's totally fucking us and I don't know why. My best theory is that it's just really hard to look in the mirror and say "I'm not good enough right now"
Except he is good enough.
If you think Biden is effing you wait to you see what the guy he's running against will do to you
But, how would we know? He has to show strength, regardless.
We know because he utterly failed at the most important priority of the month for his campaign and presidency. It’s not like he just lost this debate. He utterly failed at a level I’ve never seen before in US politics.
Yes, he failed miserably. He should not have debated.
That is a separate issue from where he is on deciding to withdraw.
Honestly I think beating Trump is the most important thing in American politics right now, and I think this failure has doomed the campaign (unfortunately). I’m not saying it’s fair, but the video is there and he won’t be able to escape it.
Everything I’ve seen from the Biden camp since the debate is either an excuse or abject denial of the facts.
I’m done with this. He MUST step aside for our democracy. He will be absolutely crushed against Trump. It doesn’t matter if this is fair or not. This is NOT his decision. And if he refuses, runs, and gets destroyed, I fully intend to chalk up his loss equally to Biden, his apologists, and MAGA voters.
This is not a parlor game; this is a knife fight.
No, he should not step aside.
Why not?
He was horrible and we all saw it. Do you truly believe that anyone would do worse?
I do not base my opinion on one 90 min segment; you might, but I do not.
Yes, there are many worse options; if you truly believe that democracy is on the ballot in November, then Biden is the one.
There is reality and there is pundit/media clickbait, pick a lane
If the American electorate is stupid enough to re-elect Trump knowing full well what a shitty president he was the first time, well, then, we all deserve what we get.
Did you mean to say, "they all deserve what they get"? Count me (and us) out.
I'm ignoring (trying) everything, knowing that I will vote for Biden or whoever the Dem nominee might be. I am not going to participate in this debate. I think it is destructive. Who wants another 1968? The R's do! imo That's when I became a Dem, bc when I was in 3rd grade in OH my parents were for Humphrey bc they hated Nixon bc they were Kennedy Dems and I could not believe that anyone would vote for Nixon and I couldn't believe that he lost, and look what happened with Nixon. It's deja vu all over again for me. Also, I was all in for Warren in 2020 and then everyone was supposed to coalesce in support of Biden. Well, here we are. He's been successful. Was there a plan for 2024, back in 2020 for what comes next??? If not, then why not? All I know is that the so-called progressives think they're the shit, but they're the one's who lost the House for the Dems in 2022 so there's that. There's a big middle in this country imo and I don't think there's anyone but Biden right now who can garner those votes for 2024. jmo IMO the hacks are covering their asses at this point, so they can say 'told you so' or whatever. Fuck that.
Sent 9m ago
not sure how I posted this 2x. sorry about that.
Unfortunately the polls clearly show the country utterly abandoning Biden. I'm not say the other path is easy, but we know the path he's on. If you haven't seen this yet, it's deeply terrifying: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-debate-should-biden-be-running-mental-abilities/
The country is not abandoning Biden.
Too early , other polls have been different, I'd ignore them for now If I was you..538 still says he has a good chance to win, and they are betting on him
There will be more and there will be more non emotional pieces etc
Too many people running on anger