Yes, Joe Biden is in one hell of a pickle. And so are we, friends, so are we. We are in a situation where it’s not a win/win no matter what we do. We have an 81-year-old candidate for office, which is the oldest candidate for the office of president, in our history. Ronald Reagan was inaugurated just before his 74th birthday and he was our oldest president to serve before Biden got elected. And as our own Joe Murphy points out in his most recent piece here, the age is showing. And Murf isn’t the only one. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post also published tonight on the topic of Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos and he says that the president comes across as being in denial.
So let’s grant for the sake of argument that Joe isn’t the man he was when he was younger. Who amongst us is? What is the pragmatic thing to do? Because the battle lines are very clearly drawn right now. The media is going to roast Joe alive each and every day for a situation that he has no control over, which is his age. So is it time for him to pass the torch? We’re four months to the day away from Election Day 2024. Ballots will go out and be processed shortly before then. Is it even humanly possible for Biden to withdraw, even if he makes the decision to do so?
I don’t know about the technicalities of ballot preparation or the legalities of changing names prior to an election, but I do know what panic looks like and it is not a pretty sight. I think that is the problem right now. The issue is: does the Democratic party freak out and pass the torch to Kamala, believing that that is some magical incantation, or do we just ride across the river on the horse we’re on and not attempt to change horses?
I say we don’t panic. We’re committed to this race, to this situation, and to panic and change candidates right now is likely going to hand the White House back to Donald Trump. And that is disaster. Yes, I get it that maybe Biden can’t present the image of strong leadership that is needed at this time because he’s fallen off a bit. All the more reason for Kamala Harris to step up to the plate and acknowledge that this is the Biden-Harris ticket.
But for Joe to just step out and pass the torch off is going to make the Democratic party look awful. And these Democrats that keep coming out of the shadows to diss the man and ask him to step down are not doing the party any favors.
Here is the plain reality of the situation: we’re going to have an old man in the White House one way or the other. Do we want a man who is old and competent or do we want a convicted felon, a bona fide conman? That really is the question. And that’s how it has to be played, “Yes, we have an old guy on the ticket. So do you. Did our old guy start an insurrection? Refuse to accept election results? Get indicted in four separate jurisdictions? No? Well, yours did and that’s the difference.”
We’re now facing the worse case scenario that nobody wanted to look at four years ago when Biden ran, what about the second four-year term? We all just figured we’d deal with it as it came. Well, it has come. Now is the time to pay the piper. And yes, the office of president ages a person — other than Donald Trump. He didn’t age because he wasn’t even coming to work until 11:30 a.m. and then he’d break for lunch at 1:00 p.m. and go watch TV after lunch (euphemistically called “executive time”) for several hours a day. But the other men who have actually done the job, and so far it’s only been men, have visibly aged.
Joe Biden is no different. He’s aged. And right now the reality of the situation is that he’s got two adversaries, he’s got the Republican candidate and he’s got the mainstream media. Both are out to get him. Both contend he can’t do the job, although for different reasons.
There is no easy answer to this predicament. And predicament it is. If I didn’t think that there would be total upheaval and chaos and Republicans dancing in the streets, I would say that the torch should be passed. But unfortunately, we’re going to see total chaos. And shortly after that, total ruin.
I think we have to dance with the one that brung us. I don’t think we can afford to replace Joe on the ticket. The emphasis going forward has to be, which old guy do you want? The competent public servant with the track record or the conman? That’s the way the contest has framed itself and we can only win the game that we’re in. We can’t go back five moves nor can we go forward five moves. We can only make the next move that presents itself on the board. Right now the option presented is, do we change players? To change the players at this point is suicidal, the way I see it.
The country is faced with the option of voting for Trump, who caused the death of 1.1 million Americans because he couldn’t deal with COVID, and all the rest of his shortcomings. Let us play up Trump’s shortcomings and his disastrous record. Because that’s our only way to win. We’re not going to take the years off Biden so we need to tear the hide off Trump, which is not going to be difficult. That’s the only move to make, that and freely acknowledging the age of both men. I see no other way.
Ursula I agree!! I’m upset with George cause he seemed to be hammering Biden tonight. Once again the Republicans can throw some sh.t out there and we can’t seem to just ignore it but just have to amplify it. This is while the media and the Republicans are completely ignoring Trump’s phukn crazy evil lying plans for our absolute destruction!! We’ve got to stick with Biden for our own preservation. Vote blue.
As I’ve said before, if Biden had suffered a stroke or something, that’s a different story. A bad debate is not a stroke. And not being a stellar campaigner anymore is not the big deal anyhow. American politics is too geared to entertainment. That’s why we’re in this mess with the reality tv guy.
Need some military folk to way in… but haven’t most armies been destroyed when retreating in full panic?? Why a fighting withdrawal is only done by well disciplined units and good leadership. The best option sometimes… attack.
I think panicking is the worst that we can do. Let’s just keep fighting. Joe’s old, fine. We’re all getting daily older. That’s life.
Everyone in the media calling President Biden old, is forgetting that orange con man is statistically just as old. And President Biden rides bicycle and exercises while the fat con job cannot even walk and must use a golf cart (lazy, too fat, or cannot do it?). We saw a bump in the polls after President Biden stated he wasn’t backing down, that he was staying in the race. Polls are deceptive but I do believe that these polls just show that the PEOPLE wanted only to hear that the President was in it for the long haul. WE KNOW that he is our only hope to defeat the convicted con man. So let’s just back our President Biden and show him our support. He can do this and so can we. Just VOTE BLUE!
I completely agree Ursula. Harris needs to step up and state that this is the Biden/Harris ticket. And if she can in 2028 run. I would absolutely vote for Harris. But right now to change the players, as you said, would be the death knell of this country.
Unfortunately that’s how it would be. I hope Biden just stays the course and the Democrats backstabbing him turn out to be only a few.
Why give CNN, the NYT, Bill Kristal, Charlie Sykes et al what they want? If Biden gets out now, that just gives them all more time to attack Harris. This guy has it right… https://twitter.com/drvolts/status/1809324556684787874
You’re absolutely right. As long as we’re a bunch of headless chickens, everybody is happy.
Ursula…you mean the difference between the MORAL leader who brought us back from a killer pandemic, re-established our respect in the international arena, saved NATO, assisted Ukraine in defending themselves, saved our economy, has stood up for manufacturing and created millions of jobs, pushed through money for infrastructure and climate, supported women in reestablishing ROE, provided money for children and the unemployed, and did ALL OF IT WITH AN INSURRECTION AND FOR THE FIRST TIME BEING LIED ABOUT WINNING THE ELECTION, and with 147 traitors in the house and 2 in the senate, and an illegitimate Supreme Court providing cover for the felon, rapist, crook, liar, traitor, and con man???? Yeah…I’ll stick with that guy.
I see no choice. Poor Joe. To have to put up with this shit.
You left out “Did he rape children with his pal, Jeffrey?”
Sorry auntie…add that in with a million other crimes that haven’t come to light. There’s horseshit and there’s truth. The present climate of America makes me sick…sick to my soul. This shouldn’t be a contest at all. The fact this pissant is the nominee for President, a position held by Washington, Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Carter, makes me reconsider my pacifist leanings and behavior. Maybe the time will come where it’s back to a bullet don’t lie. People do.
You know who does know th technicalities – Jasmine Crockett of Texas. Here’s what she says –
For all the geniuses out there who think someone else would be better,
1) explain to me who it is,
2) how they get on the ballot in all 50 states,
3) how they get the money and apparatus together to get this done in 4 months (the over 100 million Biden has on hand doesn’t transfer)
4) how we explain that a random person has been selected… subverting the votes that were casts, because of bad polls.
Dems spend all their time seeking perfection, while Republicans focus on their disastrous agenda & could care less so long as they rig the system in their favor!
USE YOUR ENERGY ADDRESSING PROJECT 2025 & the fact that this Supreme Court has laid the foundation to finalize the full destruction of our democracy!
Jasmine Crockett is someone to watch over the next few years. She’s great to watch in action! I wish we had more like her in elected office!
Plus, Dimwit Donny is hardly any younger – and on vastly many more occasions has made utterances that go beyond merely strange or slightly mixed up. His father and grandfather were already suffering from dementia at the age he is now. He is an actual madman.
I agree with all who say we must stay the course.
This past year would have aged anyone who had to face what Biden has as president. Still he’s doing a great job.
Let me put it like this. As an American who cares about his country, I have never felt the need for a leader so strongly in all my 70+ years. Joe Biden is that leader. He and his team have my complete confidence.
Absolutely agree with Ursula. The polls we are reading are likely being manipulated. Would you really doubt that the MAGA Trumpers wouldn’t use the help of Russia and China in this election? They did it successfully in 2016. Polls in the UK showed a strong conservative victory. Instead, it was a strong liberal victory. ALL TO DISSUADE AMERICAN DEMOCRATS FROM VOTING. The same thing just happened in France: strong polls for conservatives and strong liberal victory.
Russia and China have strong motivations to promote a Trump victory. Let’s not allow ourselves to be the victims of dictators, worse yet, facilitating the election of a scumbag dictator.
In recent days I’ve posted comments on the contact pages for Sen. Mark Warner, leading Senate “Dump Biden” advocate, and the NY Democratic Party over their pitiful and spineless reaction to President Biden’s bad night on June 27, and just finished a similar message on the DNC page (democrats.org/contact-us) before tapping the PZ icon on my tablet. I hope anyone reading this who agrees with me gets on as many Democrat politicians’ web contact pages as you can and let them know what you think of that movement.