Joe Biden, Senator from Citibank (oops, DELAWARE), to Run for President

(sorry, I was duty bound to complete the bit)

the Dem rank and file has never put pressure on a D president in my entire life.

^not since LBJ anyhoo

The argument that Biden needs to shore up African American turnout is a good one, but if Harris had the kind of draw with them them that her boosters on the internet say she'd be picking the VP, not in the running for it.

— Nied (@BNiederer) June 12, 2020

That is a pretty weak argument, unless "her boosters" is meant to be refer only to the hardest of hardcore KHive dead-enders.

Our country is crying out for leadership that Donald Trump can’t deliver. pic.twitter.com/QHvUdgg6Io

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 12, 2020

His campaign advisors and media managers have what the military calls "a target-rich environment". But even though the message that Trump is a horrible man, horrible leader, and disaster for the nation needs to be a bass note running through the campaign from now to November, it is not one his base needs to absorb before choosing between them.

At some point he'll need to figure out some key issues where he rewards voters for bestowing their vote upon him, something to be eager for, not just bashing Trump on the daily. His signature program can probably can wait for the 'convention', whatever that looks like, but it needs to arrive by September to help drive turnout, both up and down the ballot.

I have to admit I'm still chuckling at the "de fund for the police" tweet. I'm half convinced it'll turn out prophetic.

he should run on legalizing marijuana

being the Democratic nominee for president in a period of rapidly rising demands for social change, and needing the national base to show up for you to win, encourages a somewhat different perspective than being senator from Delaware in a time of rampant Reaganism. if he knows how to shift left, he will.

kinda unlikely considering his quotes on the subject from a only a month ago xp

we'll find out more as we go along. masses in the streets in most states alters matters. but change is hard for anyone, let alone an old man who has been amply rewarded for his past views.

I think I just caught a YouTube ad from him that starts off "Hello everyone. I'm coming to you today for ask a quick favor."

please give me $5

I'll Come Right to the Point: A thread for political e-mail speak

The Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday that a poll that was conducted in the same period as the earlier Michigan poll, but a day later — and by the same pollster, EPIC-MRA — showed that Biden’s margin was actually 16 points. That’s within the margin of error of the other poll, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that Trump’s numbers deteriorated that week. But when you compare it with EPIC-MRA’s earlier polling, which in January showed Biden up just six points, that does indicate a decline for Trump: From Biden at plus-6 in January to Biden between plus-12 and plus-16 in early June.

And there are plenty of other examples where that came from this month. For this post, we will focus not on all polls of a given state or the national race, which can be scattershot, but on polls that were run by the same pollster, as the Michigan ones were.

A clear majority of them suggest that Biden’s lead is expanding.

To wit:

• An Iowa poll for the Des Moines Register by respected pollster Ann Selzer last week showed Trump up by just one point (44-43), after it showed him up 10 in March (51-41). The new poll tied for Trump’s smallest margin to date — in any poll — in a state he won by nine points in 2016.
• A Wisconsin poll for Fox News early this month showed Biden up nine points (49-40) after leading by five (46-41) in January. The new poll tied for Trump’s biggest deficit to date in a state he won by one point in 2016.
• A CNN poll last week showed Biden up 14 points (55-41) nationally after it showed him up five points (51-46) last month.
• A Washington Post-ABC News poll from late May showed Biden up 10 points nationally (53-43) after it showed him up just two (49-47) in March.
• A Fox News poll in late May showed Biden up eight points nationally (48-40) after it showed him tied with Trump (42-42) in April.
• A CNBC poll in late May showed Biden up seven nationally (48-41) — his biggest margin to date in a poll that earlier in the month showed him up three.

i for one am shocked that a massive mishandled pandemic, 13% unemployment and nightly protests about racial injustice across the world might perhaps sway voters

EPIC-MRA is a very funny name for a polling institution

In 2016, my neighborhood had some bumper stickers and small yard signs, but I didn't see any large yard signs or flags. A few weeks back, someone on one of the main roads put a Trump 2020 flag on their house. Last night on a bike ride, I noticed that they were now surrounded on three sides by neighbors with Biden flags. Their house is for sale as well; I'm not sure how recent that development is.

I clicked on a YT interview with elderly Mae West. A Biden ad started, and somehow I wasn't surprised.

Because his target market is people too confused by modern life to install adblockers?

ooh

sic burn

my ad blocker is breaking lately, the starts of the ads are getting through—and it's wall-to-wall trump or biden ads

the Underworld poll would have definitely killed me if I was getting ads on youtube

Joe Biden: "You ought to marry into a family of 5 or more sisters... You know why that's the reason? One of them always loves you." pic.twitter.com/6ZIoG4t2Oj

— The Hill (@thehill) June 18, 2020

More evidence of VP Mitt

For the record I agree 100 percent with Senator Klobuchar. Angela Davis is the only logical choice.

— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) June 19, 2020

or Clair Huxtable.

i think biden's suits are kind of cool. he often reaches for a much brighter blue than the dark navy that politicians usually wear.

he's really taking the empty-suit thing to its logical extreme, i agree

has joe biden considered maybe offering a plan to provide healthcare to all people

— Peter Labuza (@labuzamovies) June 19, 2020

no, it's better to have healthcare tied to employment. that way, when 25% of the country gets laid off during a pandemic, we can set up some modest unemployment benefits to tide everyone over. so must simpler and better that way for everyone!!

it's also important to withhold medical coverage from unemployed people, to make them try harder

Another view of Biden's career.

Joe Biden’s record can be summed up as 4 decades of betrayal, calamity and failure — he NEVER did ANYTHING! pic.twitter.com/y7f9FoDtl4

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2020

Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro.

As President, I will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy. https://t.co/eUt28UxyXS

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 22, 2020

great

Maduro is awful and anti-democratic, also authentically popular, like Erdogan in Turkey, and I am on board with the United States holding both at extreme arms-length.

I mean if you believe that any statement of arms-lengthness towards Maduro is tantamount to support for a coup by anti-democratic but NOT authentically popular actors, as in Bolivia, then I see why this would piss you off, but I don't believe that (about Venezuela or Turkey)

What do you think "stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy" would mean?

There's no recent history of Democrats getting coup-y in the region, I guess, if you completely ignore Honduras and Obama's 2015 sanctions on Venezuela.

both Biden and Trump want regime change in Venezuela, stupid thing for them to be taking shots at each other about. Trump has turned on Guaido because it's became apparent he can't achieve his goals, and Trump doesn't want to be associated with a "loser"

Maduro's authentically popular?

yup. there is still a lot of support for his government despite how much of a fucking disaster it is

there is still a lot of support for his government despite how much of a fucking disaster it is

As an American, I cannot imagine such a thing being possible

I seem to remember even sanders called Chavez a communist dictator. so weird for anyone to pretend Venezuela is a partisan political issue in the states

Well, since the US created Chavez and got Venezuela into the mess it is in, one could see how it could be a partisan issue.

Sanders was the only candidate who refused to recognize Guaidó IIRC.

former ted cruz VP candidate carly fiorina says she's voting for biden. or rather, that she will not vote for trump, and since biden is the other name she is voting for him.

They really need a 3rd party candidate to line up behind.

Jim Webb!!

sorry, i'm like the only person on earth that remembers jim webb

Thought experiment, if Romney/Webb ran, would it draw votes away from people who might otherwise vote for Trump, or only from the tiny rump of lifelong Republicans who were going to hold their nose and vote Biden or stay home?

it's a thought experiment i don't want to entertain