It's not a candidate problem. You have framed the issue incorrectly. Lots of small donors, like me, and lots of volunteers, like the ones James Clyburn said are signing up in droves in Wisconsin, do not see a problem. The problem is deciding on a narrative and then riding it. Forget it folks. Joe Biden is the candidate, and he can save his presidential campaign AND defeat Trump!!
It's not a candidate problem. You have framed the issue incorrectly. Lots of small donors, like me, and lots of volunteers, like the ones James Clyburn said are signing up in droves in Wisconsin, do not see a problem. The problem is deciding on a narrative and then riding it. Forget it folks. Joe Biden is the candidate, and he can save his presidential campaign AND defeat Trump!!
1. It's a little late to decide on a narrative. The campaign started long ago. Obama's narrative was clear from the start. Same with Joe in 2020. (HRC kept changing hers.) The problem is the candidate. Most Dems didn't want Biden to run again. That had nothing to do with narrative.
2. The question is who is the best candidate to beat Trump. That would have been answered in a primary, which the party did not want to find out.
Absolutely. IтАЩm very disappointed in The Bulwark and SOME other Substacks AND the NYTimes (e.g., the execrable Thomas Friedman) for panicking and demanding that we dump Biden. Jesus Christ. HeтАЩs been the best President in decades, his Administration is unparalleled, his achievements are endless.
IтАЩm sick of reading тАЬHeтАЩs a good man, heтАЩs served his country with honor, heтАЩs restored the good name of the USA, heтАЩs done this, heтАЩs done that, we love him, we do; but he had one bad night of optics in a debate. So letтАЩs give him thanks and find someone else to head the ticket, so a racist convicted felon who embraces fascism, has no qualms about selling his country down the river, is devoid of ethics and compassion and intelligence, and is the very opposite of Joe Biden can't win in November.тАЭ
No. Put Biden out to pasture over appearance, not substance, and IтАЩll never forgive the Democratic Party. Leave him alone.
It's as much substance as it is appearance. He's not capable of carrying the message or making the argument against Trump that the nominee should be able to. The debate (and the fact that he hasn't tried to prove people's perceptions of the debate wrong in the days since) made that very clear.
It wonтАЩt be Biden's fault. If the Democrats had to run Charles Manson against T╤ПтШнmp to save Democracy, IтАЩd vote for Manson. All thatтАЩs important in November is whatтАЩs at stake, which is Democracy. If I had to vote for Manson just to keep the White House out of T╤ПтШнmp's tiny hands, I would.
Yes, you would vote for Charles Manson. Hell, IтАЩd vote for Charles Manson. But weтАЩre exceptional people. That you and I are having this conversation means weтАЩre not like most people that will need to be convinced. Those people arenтАЩt paying close attention. Are you certain they canтАЩt be persuaded that Biden is too old? Maybe not. I mean, they havenтАЩt been convinced Trump is an existential threat, soтАж
Do you want to beat Trump? I'm sure the answer is yes. Is Biden the best candidate to do so? I'm not sure. Shouldn't we be sure? We've got a risk of losing to Trump with Biden. What about the alternatives? We don't know because there was no Dem primary, even though nearly 80% of registered Dems didn't want Biden to run for a second term.
And it's not "one bad night of optics". His press conference after the Hur report came out was very bad. His avoiding the Super Bowl interview was bad. His insistence that the economy is good to people hurting from inflation was bad. His weakness with Netenyahu is bad.
And performance considered by some as the worst of any candidate ever at a televised debate with 45 million people watching is not just optics.
It's not a candidate problem. You have framed the issue incorrectly. Lots of small donors, like me, and lots of volunteers, like the ones James Clyburn said are signing up in droves in Wisconsin, do not see a problem. The problem is deciding on a narrative and then riding it. Forget it folks. Joe Biden is the candidate, and he can save his presidential campaign AND defeat Trump!!
1. It's a little late to decide on a narrative. The campaign started long ago. Obama's narrative was clear from the start. Same with Joe in 2020. (HRC kept changing hers.) The problem is the candidate. Most Dems didn't want Biden to run again. That had nothing to do with narrative.
2. The question is who is the best candidate to beat Trump. That would have been answered in a primary, which the party did not want to find out.
Absolutely. IтАЩm very disappointed in The Bulwark and SOME other Substacks AND the NYTimes (e.g., the execrable Thomas Friedman) for panicking and demanding that we dump Biden. Jesus Christ. HeтАЩs been the best President in decades, his Administration is unparalleled, his achievements are endless.
IтАЩm sick of reading тАЬHeтАЩs a good man, heтАЩs served his country with honor, heтАЩs restored the good name of the USA, heтАЩs done this, heтАЩs done that, we love him, we do; but he had one bad night of optics in a debate. So letтАЩs give him thanks and find someone else to head the ticket, so a racist convicted felon who embraces fascism, has no qualms about selling his country down the river, is devoid of ethics and compassion and intelligence, and is the very opposite of Joe Biden can't win in November.тАЭ
No. Put Biden out to pasture over appearance, not substance, and IтАЩll never forgive the Democratic Party. Leave him alone.
It's as much substance as it is appearance. He's not capable of carrying the message or making the argument against Trump that the nominee should be able to. The debate (and the fact that he hasn't tried to prove people's perceptions of the debate wrong in the days since) made that very clear.
"Put Biden out to pasture over appearance, not substance, and IтАЩll never forgive the Democratic Party."
If Biden runs and loses to Trump, history will never forgive him.
It wonтАЩt be Biden's fault. If the Democrats had to run Charles Manson against T╤ПтШнmp to save Democracy, IтАЩd vote for Manson. All thatтАЩs important in November is whatтАЩs at stake, which is Democracy. If I had to vote for Manson just to keep the White House out of T╤ПтШнmp's tiny hands, I would.
Yes, you would vote for Charles Manson. Hell, IтАЩd vote for Charles Manson. But weтАЩre exceptional people. That you and I are having this conversation means weтАЩre not like most people that will need to be convinced. Those people arenтАЩt paying close attention. Are you certain they canтАЩt be persuaded that Biden is too old? Maybe not. I mean, they havenтАЩt been convinced Trump is an existential threat, soтАж
Do you want to beat Trump? I'm sure the answer is yes. Is Biden the best candidate to do so? I'm not sure. Shouldn't we be sure? We've got a risk of losing to Trump with Biden. What about the alternatives? We don't know because there was no Dem primary, even though nearly 80% of registered Dems didn't want Biden to run for a second term.
And it's not "one bad night of optics". His press conference after the Hur report came out was very bad. His avoiding the Super Bowl interview was bad. His insistence that the economy is good to people hurting from inflation was bad. His weakness with Netenyahu is bad.
And performance considered by some as the worst of any candidate ever at a televised debate with 45 million people watching is not just optics.