With no evidence whatsoever, Dmitri says he agrees with Biden's fever dream that if Biden had run against Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016 he (Biden) would have beaten them and then gone on to best Trump in the general. Then Dmitri uses this wild claim to insist that the man who badly lost previous Presidential bids and chaired Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing has uniquely keen political instincts.
Dmitri then claims that Biden's shortened workday capabilities is not a problem that can't be managed by staff. How long before HRC's most famous commercial begins to run with a White House phone ringing at 3:00 a.m?
And can't we please acknowledge (with thanks!) Biden's success in bringing the country through -- and back from -- Covid and reversing Trump's infrastructure and technology dis-investments without ignoring the lack of leadership and worsening global isolation on the survival of the planet and of the Palestinian people?
This is the time for bold new leadership to confront a very real and present danger to our country BEFORE waiting to follow the polls is too late.
I could not agree with you more. Dmitri is living in an alternate universe where Biden is popular and is perfectly capable of another 4 years. God help us if he debates Trump again. Obviously, Dmitri doesn’t understand cognitive decline and how the person experiencing it is incapable of recognizing and acknowledging it. I’m just waiting for another shoe to fall, and it will. Just hope it’s sooner rather than later.
I mean honestly, thats the most amazing part out of what is presented here. The rest is typical BlueMAGA (denying all the polls that go against what you believe, choosing to focus on 2016 and not the other 2 campaigns that Biden lost, etc). Its the admission that we the people should be relieved that our 8pm bedtime president isn't a problem because un-elected Antony Blinken is doing a great job as commander-in-chief.
What were they saying is on the line this November? Democracy or something? I keep forgetting.
Ryan ignored the real story of why Biden can't win this election: his support of Israeli genocide. Have we all forgotten so quickly? How can a man who endorses genocide in my name get my vote? Impossible. The silent majority is saying no way Biden--not because of brain failure. Moral failure, Ryan. If you want to look at polls, look at something that matters: people not voting for Biden because he's using taxpayer money to fund the murder of innocent people and children in their homeland.
France just showed what it takes for democracy to win out over fascism. In a breathtaking gamble, Macron said let the people choose. And they did. But ominously for America, centrists like Dmitri and his man Biden have to leave the stage in order for democracy to prevail. There's no more cutting it down the middle if what happened in France is any indication. We either go all out for democratic values and the goal of surviving or we descend into fascist hell. You can't beat an avowed fascist with a fascist in fact. People aren't going for it anymore. The only galvanizing candidate for democratic values is Bernie Sanders. Yeah, he's old but he's not brain dead. Young people love him. Old people love him. He stands for democracy unpolluted by capitalist centrism and genocide. Biden's black senator buddy sold Sanders out last time, but the stakes are much higher this time and Biden is toast. Sanders is the man. Who cares about Biden's brain when he's supporting genocide? Nobody I know.
Ryan has definitely not been ignoring the genocide story. And yes the moral failure SHOULD matter most of all. But let's be real, the brain failure is a bigger political liability with the general electorate, sad as that is.
Its not that your wrong about the Gaza genocide being a very important factor, but as Nate points out, its simply not the only factor and I'm not sure I've seen data that would indicate its the biggest factor. I'm not speaking personally for myself, but I have to point out that Biden has been wildly unpopular for most of his term thus far. Ending the child tax credit, ending the COVID vaccine subsidy, killing the real infrastructure bill, stripping the railworkers' ability to strike, etc. Biden is one in a 45-year line of Democratic presidents that does not prioritize what his voting base wants. The genocide is one example of him being un-representative of the voters that put him in power, the other things I have listed also count.
Gaza might be the straw that broke the camel's back, but that camel has been ready to collapse since early 2022.
This is a guy who's on the Right when it comes to the capitalist regime. Of course he wants Biden, because ultimately, Biden will not in any way inhibit the super-wealthy from making more money. I mean, Biden'll make little moves - unions are good, monopolies- meh, we can make moves against them that ultimately will change very little, and Biden is heartily opposed to altering the Supreme Court. So the rich are comfortable with the fact that the Court will protect their interests with a wimp President like Biden. Melhorn is also a rabid supporter of Israel and has spent a lot of money trying to oust politicians like Tlaib. With Biden in power, he's assured of Israel being given every 200 pound bomb they ask for; wait, I think they're now getting the 600 pound bombs that the US used in Iraq. Ryan, I know you just wanted to pick his brain about what's going on in Biden's addled brain, but these things should have been mentioned. Strongest economy in the world! Many millions of Americans beg to differ, or we wouldn't be in this situation with Trump.
A lot can change now until November, but the main point I would push back against Mehlhorn's belief that the race is essentially "tied" is he's looking at national polls and not swing states. Biden may very well win the popular vote nationally, but looking at polls in Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, it is not looking good for him. Biden loses those states and it's essentially over. That's not even including Pennsylvania, which recent polls also lean Trump, and Biden barely won in 2020.
Biden's "comfortable" Electoral College win in 2020 is a bit misleading since the margins in those aforementioned states were so small. Do you think people like Biden more now than then? That's a hell of a thing to believe.
Anyways, it doesn't even address the fact the Democrats can't field a candidate that can comfortably defeat Trump. I think that's very damning for the party as whole in of itself.
Yes, if Dmitri Mehlhorn is right that Biden will hearken to the polls, then bad swing state polls, together with serious pressure from fellow party members in great fear of suffering disastrous losses in the election, could well be the thing that will catch the conscience of the king.
And Yes too, we do need a candidate who can beat Trump comfortably -- more like a strong candidate who can beat Trump soundly -- by reminding us of who we are at our best and like JFK motivating us to work together to do what we need to do to meet the huge challenges facing us at home and 'round the world.
I don't think Joe is capable of being such a candidate, not in the midst of recklessly ramping up the risk of nuclear war by authorizing Ukraine to strike Russia with U.S. weapons in order to stave off defeat before our election, and of getting NATO to back him in so doing, and in the midst of continuing to team up with Israel in committing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank even as he purportedly calls for a ceasefire -- and I doubt whether his loyal VP is capable of being such a candidate either.
OTOH, I do have some hope that Gretchen Whitmer can and will emerge as such a candidate, together with whomever she wants as her VP, if we give her a chance to do so.
To claim that a comatose Biden is better than Harris is just completely beyond the pale. That statement discloses why they hid her away and made her look like a token for the last 4 years. No, she’s not my favorite candidate, but I think she could beat Trump, unlike Biden.
He’s in denial with regard to Biden’s cognitive decline and it can only get worse. Diehard Dems will support Biden even if he is comatose, but it will take a lot more than diehard Dems to get him re-elected.
I appreciate this insight into what would influence Joe Biden to step aside. And now I wish I would have responded to a recent pole by saying I would vote for Trump rather than Biden. I believe that Joe Biden believes he will win, and I believe that there is zero chance that Joe Biden will win. Ryan please check out the Dunnington-Kruger Effect, and interview someone about it.
More Blue MAGA delusion. I do actually agree Biden coulda beat Trump in 2016. He wasn't melting into a puddle back then, and HRC was maybe the only person hated enough to lose to Trump in that election. Not sure he woulda won the primary though.
But it doesn't matter cuz none of that has shit to do with 2024 and the senile genocidal Biden of today.
Thank you for this interview! It motivated me to give you $9/month for the foreseeable future.
My response to comments so far: Read. The. Transcript. Look for the June 27, 2024 presidential debate on the website for “The American Presidency Project”. Turn off the TV and look away from the performative trappings – all the drama - of that phony debate. Just read the transcript. The transcript gives the lie to the hysterical barrage of claims that Biden has lost the cognitive abilities to do his job. No. He lost his voice. He stumbled a bit, occasionally lost his train of thought. And – you haven’t??? Even when you’re very sick and tired? The transcript demonstrates mostly cogent answers to the actual debate questions. Trump didn’t answer any question but vomited out one lie after another. Robustly, of course! But Trump’s ability to loudly and profusely lie is not a demonstration of cognitive ability. Biden is the one who showed that he was the one with mastery of the subject matter and the ability to respond to specific questions posed to him. Read the debate for substance – ignore the illusion of theatrics. And, give the guy a break. His claim that he was exhausted and sick is an entirely plausible explanation for his seemingly frail performance. The transcript shows that his mind is very on point. He is successfully presidenting right now and has been for the past 3 ½ years. He is credited by many with being one of the most effective presidents in modern times. What he has already accomplished is extraordinary and would be in a much younger person.
If you won’t take the time to read the transcript, at least read the opinion piece in The Hill by James Zirin: "Biden lacked oomph, but the transcript tells a different tale".
The trope that Biden is some kind of mindless invalid has been rained down upon him from the MAGAs for years – ever since Biden first challenged Trump. Because they fear Biden and his appeal. The Dems are now demonstrating a too frequent capacity for being rolled by the right and embracing the right-wing trope with utter panic – falling right into the trap set by the right.
Yes, Biden has made mistakes. Yes, he is imperfect. Yes, he has been unable to readily solve some of our most intractable and heartbreaking political crises. But he has been tested and has grown more than most. He has vast experience and he has been very effective as president.
I do remember how livid I felt during the Clarence Thomas hearing. Biden voted against nominating Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, but he was in charge of the hearing which was a disaster. Biden was blamed – by the Republicans!- for the wild national spectacle – which they created. Of course, he was blamed by the Dems, too, for not being able to stop the demonization of Anita Hill and ultimately the success of the Republicans in getting Thomas nominated. This was not only his failure – in my opinion. The Democrats weren’t there to back him up. Dems were caught flat-footed as usual and didn’t have the “nasty-skills” of the Republicans, or the stomach to withstand the political bombs thrown their way. Clarence Thomas attacked the hearing: “ …it’s a high-tech lynching for uppity Blacks”. Republicans said that Anita Hill got her accusations against Thomas from The Exorcist. They suggested she was mentally unstable, that she believed Clarence Thomas was in love with her, or else she was a scorned woman and thus made up these salacious “stories”. The Dems were all polite and soliticitous.
I think Biden has learned from his failures and through hard experience to stand his ground. That’s what he’s doing now. Biden correctly identified the existential struggle between democracy and autocracy that is overwhelming us and he motivated this country to beat back Trump by electing him president. That was a demonstration of political acumen. Furthermore, he has proven to be a very consequential president, pushing through game-changing bi-partisan legislation. It was said that was impossible, with the divisions in this country. Math: Democrats are out numbered in Congress. Biden made that legislation happen: That was a demonstration of political acumen.
So, yes: Biden is the right one for the job. And he has earned it.
"Look, there’s so many young women who have been – including a young woman who just was murdered and he went to the funeral. The idea that she was murdered by – by – by an immigrant coming in and (inaudible) talk about that.
But here’s the deal, there’s a lot of young women who are being raped by their – by their in-laws, by their – by their spouses, brothers and sisters, by – just – it’s just – it’s just ridiculous. And they can do nothing about it. And they try to arrest them when they cross state lines."
And there's a lot more like this in the transcript.
“But, reading the cold transcript, we get a very different picture of Biden. Substantively, he ably and forcefully made the case that that Trump should not be allowed back in the Oval Office.” Then Zirin proceeds to detail those comments by Biden.
Yes, there were gaffes, as I've said. Stumbles. But mostly not - there were lots of cogent remarks that were on point. Judge the whole thing in its entirety. Every one of us has brain farts at times, but those singular events don't define who we are. Every one of us gets sick. Are we going to allow this president to be human, or not? I’ve certainly gotten sick to the point I was hoarse, stuffed up and coughed so much I could hardly talk let alone think. His debate stumbles are credibly explained by exhaustion and illness. That's not even considering the fact that he was born with a severe speech impediment – a bad, bad stutter. Biden has overcome that obstacle amazingly well, although he still has to contend daily with this neurodivergence. It’s not gone or cured. He has been known as a gaffe machine (possibly a side effect of his stutter?) all his career. Yet voters have reelected him continually over 5 decades. Voters like him. Maybe they particularly like his humanity. His authenticity. His ability to get back up when he falls. His debate stumbles don't rise to the level of evidence of dementia or senility or lack of mental acuity - at all - when examined in context of all he said at the debate itself. Certainly not when considered in the fullness of his presidential record and his daily performance. In fact, that he felt so terrible and still got up on that stage and tried to perform is a mark of his determination and character. He failed to beat back the braggadocio of Trump in that moment. The moderators failed, too. They let Trump run roughshod all over them – and they weren’t even sick. By the way, Biden called in to the Morning Joe show on Monday and answered unscripted questions quite well.
I watched the whole thing live and read it after. I think I'll believe my lying eyes.
Your argument is literally blame the voters. See how that works at the ballot box. A political party blaming voters for their loses makes as much sense as a company that blames it customers for not buying their product.
If Biden stays in you gotta throw all your energy into Congress to counter the inevitable Trump landslide.
I pointed out that Biden’s actual remarks during the debate as documented in the official transcript show that he has not lost his marbles. The content of Biden’s remarks were on point, despite a few gaffes. Comments – not all, but many – here are replete with the assertion that Biden has lost it upstairs because of his debate performance: this is demonstrably false. Read. The. Transcript. Not to mention that it is disproven by the continued evident & largely successful daily execution of the most difficult job in the world. At any rate, I never blamed the general voting population for this misinformation. I don’t think most voters have fallen for this false senility trope being used to attack Biden, nor will they. There will be no Trump landslide.
I see a lot of people looking at Biden in a vacuum and saying "is that who I want to vote for" and feeling his performance in the debate leads them to say no.
They're not looking at the alternative, which is so much word and says 'vote Biden'.
If voters can't overcome that, we'll get trump and a disaster. Those voters need to realize they're the problem. Replacing Biden is no guarantee and has its own pros and cons.
Biden sheds voters instead of gaining supporters. He runs on the “not Trump” plank which is short and gets him maybe 35%. He has lost at least 15% of his former voters and gained near zero. He can’t win. He is as confused in his political decision-making as he is in his policy analysis.
Let’s hope that reality sets in before the Dem convention. To win the Dems need lots of none voters, independents, new voters, young voters; they need energy and excitement.
All the proof you need that meritocracy in capitalism is a myth is right here, people. The most politically-ignorant American can easily run a more competent presidential campaign that the some of the richest people in the country. What a bunch of BlueMAGA bullshit.
I too have been tipped to follow the Drop Site transition as a paid supporter, by this conversation. I add that each of us must have a clear view of a chosen alternative to Biden, to see success in that path. For me it is a non-politician. Maybe someone who newly would even confess political bias. Someone far more loved by all, than Biden. That person is Jane Pauley. I foresee that she would foreswear political ambition, serving our nation and the world for four years of transition against madness, in Joe Biden's stead. Let her be the first woman to be President , by overwhelming popular vote. Kamala Harris would remain VP.
With no evidence whatsoever, Dmitri says he agrees with Biden's fever dream that if Biden had run against Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016 he (Biden) would have beaten them and then gone on to best Trump in the general. Then Dmitri uses this wild claim to insist that the man who badly lost previous Presidential bids and chaired Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing has uniquely keen political instincts.
Dmitri then claims that Biden's shortened workday capabilities is not a problem that can't be managed by staff. How long before HRC's most famous commercial begins to run with a White House phone ringing at 3:00 a.m?
And can't we please acknowledge (with thanks!) Biden's success in bringing the country through -- and back from -- Covid and reversing Trump's infrastructure and technology dis-investments without ignoring the lack of leadership and worsening global isolation on the survival of the planet and of the Palestinian people?
This is the time for bold new leadership to confront a very real and present danger to our country BEFORE waiting to follow the polls is too late.
I could not agree with you more. Dmitri is living in an alternate universe where Biden is popular and is perfectly capable of another 4 years. God help us if he debates Trump again. Obviously, Dmitri doesn’t understand cognitive decline and how the person experiencing it is incapable of recognizing and acknowledging it. I’m just waiting for another shoe to fall, and it will. Just hope it’s sooner rather than later.
It is time for bold new great leadership but the party will block Bernie. So Biden may well be the best option.
Going by Dmitri logic let's elect ditch Biden and elect his staff instead.
I mean honestly, thats the most amazing part out of what is presented here. The rest is typical BlueMAGA (denying all the polls that go against what you believe, choosing to focus on 2016 and not the other 2 campaigns that Biden lost, etc). Its the admission that we the people should be relieved that our 8pm bedtime president isn't a problem because un-elected Antony Blinken is doing a great job as commander-in-chief.
What were they saying is on the line this November? Democracy or something? I keep forgetting.
Wow - this guy is in a very strange denial about Biden’s popularity
Ryan ignored the real story of why Biden can't win this election: his support of Israeli genocide. Have we all forgotten so quickly? How can a man who endorses genocide in my name get my vote? Impossible. The silent majority is saying no way Biden--not because of brain failure. Moral failure, Ryan. If you want to look at polls, look at something that matters: people not voting for Biden because he's using taxpayer money to fund the murder of innocent people and children in their homeland.
France just showed what it takes for democracy to win out over fascism. In a breathtaking gamble, Macron said let the people choose. And they did. But ominously for America, centrists like Dmitri and his man Biden have to leave the stage in order for democracy to prevail. There's no more cutting it down the middle if what happened in France is any indication. We either go all out for democratic values and the goal of surviving or we descend into fascist hell. You can't beat an avowed fascist with a fascist in fact. People aren't going for it anymore. The only galvanizing candidate for democratic values is Bernie Sanders. Yeah, he's old but he's not brain dead. Young people love him. Old people love him. He stands for democracy unpolluted by capitalist centrism and genocide. Biden's black senator buddy sold Sanders out last time, but the stakes are much higher this time and Biden is toast. Sanders is the man. Who cares about Biden's brain when he's supporting genocide? Nobody I know.
Ryan has definitely not been ignoring the genocide story. And yes the moral failure SHOULD matter most of all. But let's be real, the brain failure is a bigger political liability with the general electorate, sad as that is.
Maybe, but images like this make it hard to ignore the reality of what the U.S., under its commander-in-chief, is supporting:
https://www.commondreams.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvPumgYubhwMVnUt_AB0KJQm0EAAYASAAEgJ7IPD_BwE
Its not that your wrong about the Gaza genocide being a very important factor, but as Nate points out, its simply not the only factor and I'm not sure I've seen data that would indicate its the biggest factor. I'm not speaking personally for myself, but I have to point out that Biden has been wildly unpopular for most of his term thus far. Ending the child tax credit, ending the COVID vaccine subsidy, killing the real infrastructure bill, stripping the railworkers' ability to strike, etc. Biden is one in a 45-year line of Democratic presidents that does not prioritize what his voting base wants. The genocide is one example of him being un-representative of the voters that put him in power, the other things I have listed also count.
Gaza might be the straw that broke the camel's back, but that camel has been ready to collapse since early 2022.
This is a guy who's on the Right when it comes to the capitalist regime. Of course he wants Biden, because ultimately, Biden will not in any way inhibit the super-wealthy from making more money. I mean, Biden'll make little moves - unions are good, monopolies- meh, we can make moves against them that ultimately will change very little, and Biden is heartily opposed to altering the Supreme Court. So the rich are comfortable with the fact that the Court will protect their interests with a wimp President like Biden. Melhorn is also a rabid supporter of Israel and has spent a lot of money trying to oust politicians like Tlaib. With Biden in power, he's assured of Israel being given every 200 pound bomb they ask for; wait, I think they're now getting the 600 pound bombs that the US used in Iraq. Ryan, I know you just wanted to pick his brain about what's going on in Biden's addled brain, but these things should have been mentioned. Strongest economy in the world! Many millions of Americans beg to differ, or we wouldn't be in this situation with Trump.
A lot can change now until November, but the main point I would push back against Mehlhorn's belief that the race is essentially "tied" is he's looking at national polls and not swing states. Biden may very well win the popular vote nationally, but looking at polls in Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, it is not looking good for him. Biden loses those states and it's essentially over. That's not even including Pennsylvania, which recent polls also lean Trump, and Biden barely won in 2020.
Biden's "comfortable" Electoral College win in 2020 is a bit misleading since the margins in those aforementioned states were so small. Do you think people like Biden more now than then? That's a hell of a thing to believe.
Anyways, it doesn't even address the fact the Democrats can't field a candidate that can comfortably defeat Trump. I think that's very damning for the party as whole in of itself.
Yes, if Dmitri Mehlhorn is right that Biden will hearken to the polls, then bad swing state polls, together with serious pressure from fellow party members in great fear of suffering disastrous losses in the election, could well be the thing that will catch the conscience of the king.
And Yes too, we do need a candidate who can beat Trump comfortably -- more like a strong candidate who can beat Trump soundly -- by reminding us of who we are at our best and like JFK motivating us to work together to do what we need to do to meet the huge challenges facing us at home and 'round the world.
I don't think Joe is capable of being such a candidate, not in the midst of recklessly ramping up the risk of nuclear war by authorizing Ukraine to strike Russia with U.S. weapons in order to stave off defeat before our election, and of getting NATO to back him in so doing, and in the midst of continuing to team up with Israel in committing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank even as he purportedly calls for a ceasefire -- and I doubt whether his loyal VP is capable of being such a candidate either.
OTOH, I do have some hope that Gretchen Whitmer can and will emerge as such a candidate, together with whomever she wants as her VP, if we give her a chance to do so.
And now we are learning that a Parkinson’s expert has visited the WH 8 times in the past 8 months!
To claim that a comatose Biden is better than Harris is just completely beyond the pale. That statement discloses why they hid her away and made her look like a token for the last 4 years. No, she’s not my favorite candidate, but I think she could beat Trump, unlike Biden.
Facts, they set her up for failure cuz they were so scared she'd outshine him. Sending her to the border makes total sense now.
He’s in denial with regard to Biden’s cognitive decline and it can only get worse. Diehard Dems will support Biden even if he is comatose, but it will take a lot more than diehard Dems to get him re-elected.
I appreciate this insight into what would influence Joe Biden to step aside. And now I wish I would have responded to a recent pole by saying I would vote for Trump rather than Biden. I believe that Joe Biden believes he will win, and I believe that there is zero chance that Joe Biden will win. Ryan please check out the Dunnington-Kruger Effect, and interview someone about it.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dunning-kruger-effect-shows-that-people-dont-know-what-they-dont-know/
More Blue MAGA delusion. I do actually agree Biden coulda beat Trump in 2016. He wasn't melting into a puddle back then, and HRC was maybe the only person hated enough to lose to Trump in that election. Not sure he woulda won the primary though.
But it doesn't matter cuz none of that has shit to do with 2024 and the senile genocidal Biden of today.
Thank you for this interview! It motivated me to give you $9/month for the foreseeable future.
My response to comments so far: Read. The. Transcript. Look for the June 27, 2024 presidential debate on the website for “The American Presidency Project”. Turn off the TV and look away from the performative trappings – all the drama - of that phony debate. Just read the transcript. The transcript gives the lie to the hysterical barrage of claims that Biden has lost the cognitive abilities to do his job. No. He lost his voice. He stumbled a bit, occasionally lost his train of thought. And – you haven’t??? Even when you’re very sick and tired? The transcript demonstrates mostly cogent answers to the actual debate questions. Trump didn’t answer any question but vomited out one lie after another. Robustly, of course! But Trump’s ability to loudly and profusely lie is not a demonstration of cognitive ability. Biden is the one who showed that he was the one with mastery of the subject matter and the ability to respond to specific questions posed to him. Read the debate for substance – ignore the illusion of theatrics. And, give the guy a break. His claim that he was exhausted and sick is an entirely plausible explanation for his seemingly frail performance. The transcript shows that his mind is very on point. He is successfully presidenting right now and has been for the past 3 ½ years. He is credited by many with being one of the most effective presidents in modern times. What he has already accomplished is extraordinary and would be in a much younger person.
If you won’t take the time to read the transcript, at least read the opinion piece in The Hill by James Zirin: "Biden lacked oomph, but the transcript tells a different tale".
The trope that Biden is some kind of mindless invalid has been rained down upon him from the MAGAs for years – ever since Biden first challenged Trump. Because they fear Biden and his appeal. The Dems are now demonstrating a too frequent capacity for being rolled by the right and embracing the right-wing trope with utter panic – falling right into the trap set by the right.
Yes, Biden has made mistakes. Yes, he is imperfect. Yes, he has been unable to readily solve some of our most intractable and heartbreaking political crises. But he has been tested and has grown more than most. He has vast experience and he has been very effective as president.
I do remember how livid I felt during the Clarence Thomas hearing. Biden voted against nominating Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, but he was in charge of the hearing which was a disaster. Biden was blamed – by the Republicans!- for the wild national spectacle – which they created. Of course, he was blamed by the Dems, too, for not being able to stop the demonization of Anita Hill and ultimately the success of the Republicans in getting Thomas nominated. This was not only his failure – in my opinion. The Democrats weren’t there to back him up. Dems were caught flat-footed as usual and didn’t have the “nasty-skills” of the Republicans, or the stomach to withstand the political bombs thrown their way. Clarence Thomas attacked the hearing: “ …it’s a high-tech lynching for uppity Blacks”. Republicans said that Anita Hill got her accusations against Thomas from The Exorcist. They suggested she was mentally unstable, that she believed Clarence Thomas was in love with her, or else she was a scorned woman and thus made up these salacious “stories”. The Dems were all polite and soliticitous.
I think Biden has learned from his failures and through hard experience to stand his ground. That’s what he’s doing now. Biden correctly identified the existential struggle between democracy and autocracy that is overwhelming us and he motivated this country to beat back Trump by electing him president. That was a demonstration of political acumen. Furthermore, he has proven to be a very consequential president, pushing through game-changing bi-partisan legislation. It was said that was impossible, with the divisions in this country. Math: Democrats are out numbered in Congress. Biden made that legislation happen: That was a demonstration of political acumen.
So, yes: Biden is the right one for the job. And he has earned it.
This is Biden's transcript, on ABORTION:
"Look, there’s so many young women who have been – including a young woman who just was murdered and he went to the funeral. The idea that she was murdered by – by – by an immigrant coming in and (inaudible) talk about that.
But here’s the deal, there’s a lot of young women who are being raped by their – by their in-laws, by their – by their spouses, brothers and sisters, by – just – it’s just – it’s just ridiculous. And they can do nothing about it. And they try to arrest them when they cross state lines."
And there's a lot more like this in the transcript.
I’ll point again to the piece by James Zirin - https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4745771-biden-lacked-oomph-but-the-transcript-tells-a-different-tale/ Zirin says:
“But, reading the cold transcript, we get a very different picture of Biden. Substantively, he ably and forcefully made the case that that Trump should not be allowed back in the Oval Office.” Then Zirin proceeds to detail those comments by Biden.
Yes, there were gaffes, as I've said. Stumbles. But mostly not - there were lots of cogent remarks that were on point. Judge the whole thing in its entirety. Every one of us has brain farts at times, but those singular events don't define who we are. Every one of us gets sick. Are we going to allow this president to be human, or not? I’ve certainly gotten sick to the point I was hoarse, stuffed up and coughed so much I could hardly talk let alone think. His debate stumbles are credibly explained by exhaustion and illness. That's not even considering the fact that he was born with a severe speech impediment – a bad, bad stutter. Biden has overcome that obstacle amazingly well, although he still has to contend daily with this neurodivergence. It’s not gone or cured. He has been known as a gaffe machine (possibly a side effect of his stutter?) all his career. Yet voters have reelected him continually over 5 decades. Voters like him. Maybe they particularly like his humanity. His authenticity. His ability to get back up when he falls. His debate stumbles don't rise to the level of evidence of dementia or senility or lack of mental acuity - at all - when examined in context of all he said at the debate itself. Certainly not when considered in the fullness of his presidential record and his daily performance. In fact, that he felt so terrible and still got up on that stage and tried to perform is a mark of his determination and character. He failed to beat back the braggadocio of Trump in that moment. The moderators failed, too. They let Trump run roughshod all over them – and they weren’t even sick. By the way, Biden called in to the Morning Joe show on Monday and answered unscripted questions quite well.
I watched the whole thing live and read it after. I think I'll believe my lying eyes.
Your argument is literally blame the voters. See how that works at the ballot box. A political party blaming voters for their loses makes as much sense as a company that blames it customers for not buying their product.
If Biden stays in you gotta throw all your energy into Congress to counter the inevitable Trump landslide.
I pointed out that Biden’s actual remarks during the debate as documented in the official transcript show that he has not lost his marbles. The content of Biden’s remarks were on point, despite a few gaffes. Comments – not all, but many – here are replete with the assertion that Biden has lost it upstairs because of his debate performance: this is demonstrably false. Read. The. Transcript. Not to mention that it is disproven by the continued evident & largely successful daily execution of the most difficult job in the world. At any rate, I never blamed the general voting population for this misinformation. I don’t think most voters have fallen for this false senility trope being used to attack Biden, nor will they. There will be no Trump landslide.
You didn't "point out" anything. You made a vapid claim wholly unsupportrd by the facts.
I see a lot of people looking at Biden in a vacuum and saying "is that who I want to vote for" and feeling his performance in the debate leads them to say no.
They're not looking at the alternative, which is so much word and says 'vote Biden'.
If voters can't overcome that, we'll get trump and a disaster. Those voters need to realize they're the problem. Replacing Biden is no guarantee and has its own pros and cons.
The topic should be that *trump* is unfit.
Biden sheds voters instead of gaining supporters. He runs on the “not Trump” plank which is short and gets him maybe 35%. He has lost at least 15% of his former voters and gained near zero. He can’t win. He is as confused in his political decision-making as he is in his policy analysis.
Let’s hope that reality sets in before the Dem convention. To win the Dems need lots of none voters, independents, new voters, young voters; they need energy and excitement.
Mazel tov! Chazak! Chazak! v'nitchazek!
L&B&L
All the proof you need that meritocracy in capitalism is a myth is right here, people. The most politically-ignorant American can easily run a more competent presidential campaign that the some of the richest people in the country. What a bunch of BlueMAGA bullshit.
Also, thanks for presenting this, Ryan! :)
I too have been tipped to follow the Drop Site transition as a paid supporter, by this conversation. I add that each of us must have a clear view of a chosen alternative to Biden, to see success in that path. For me it is a non-politician. Maybe someone who newly would even confess political bias. Someone far more loved by all, than Biden. That person is Jane Pauley. I foresee that she would foreswear political ambition, serving our nation and the world for four years of transition against madness, in Joe Biden's stead. Let her be the first woman to be President , by overwhelming popular vote. Kamala Harris would remain VP.