US Politics, July 2024 - "Will you just drop out, man?"

I only turned on the last 2 minutes and it didn’t seem great, and then they cut straight to the pundit panel and the first guy was like “This interview is not going to reassure Democrats…”

Like, this ought to be it, right? What cards do they think they have left?

Also lol at Trump, sure bud.

And big credit to the Biden campaign or whoever it is that’s been pumping out the Project 2025 agitprop. Definitely successful viral campaign, and the right way to give “death of democracy” talk some traction. My social media feeds have been swamped by Project 2025, in a good way.

One of Biden's odder answers tonight--haven't heard it brought up yet--had to do with his being distracted because Trump kept yelling after his mic was turned off. (He quickly added that the debate was his fault, though, and he wasn't blaming others--which he was.) Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought the debate was mostly a split-screen all the way. Trump went into his Mussolini pose a lot as Biden spoke, but I don't remember him looking like he was talking. The mic-off thing seemed to backfire, if anything, because it saved Trump from himself.

One 👀 House Democrat on President Biden’s interview tonight:

“It made me sad. Completely out of touch with reality and insulated from truth.”

“I’ll be breaking my silence soon.”

— Julie Tsirkin (@JulieNBCNews) July 6, 2024

Google doc being circulated by some Dem insiders making the "Case for Kamala." Persuasive enough imo.

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1xVQ5GXHhl58g2cE35g11llVAUuCQ8Tqa4suUlUEq0DA/mobilebasic?pli=1

The people currently advising the New York Times (because they're not advising Biden) have been wrong about everything for decades.

Heed their wise counsel if you want.

Apologies for being incredibly pissed off at this horrible situation. By all means, don’t look at what I post and don’t respond to me, Calstars

Those stupid Dark Brandon memes cannot save him?

Well time is on the Biden camp’s side. If he just stays in the race for another few weeks, they get the nomination done and then it will for sure be too late for anything but hopes n prayers and probably picking out a nice golf retirement community for Biden to move to in January.

Jimmy Carter hasn't died yet, has he? maybe he can run

Going by reaction on CNN, the one answer that has been brought up a few times is Biden's response to how he'll feel if he stays in and loses: (paraphrase) he'd feel okay as long as he gives it his best effort. Which, as someone pointed out, does not really comport with all that he's said about how huge the consequences are with this election.

Jimmy Carter and Clint Eastwood both look like mummified corpses now

Project 2025 has been the most viewed article in English language Wikipedia for at least two days, beating out the usual Bollywood actors.

Dukakis just retired from teaching at age 90, maybe he wants a side gig.

I know this could go in any number of threads but since we’re bitching about the Times:

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/07/why-i-dont-vote-and-by-i-mean-you-and-by-dont-i-mean-shouldnt

That mustache is the tel..

tell.

I mean if you guys are looking for a younger Democrat who's proven he can win a Presidential election, Al Gore is right there

It's a shame Jerry Brown is 86.

I learned that Biden invented NATO and is at least checkmating China.

Biden is not very quick. He's slow. You should be pretty quick when you are President. Unless you are Dubya.

Going by reaction on CNN, the one answer that has been brought up a few times is Biden's response to how he'll feel if he stays in and loses: (paraphrase) he'd feel okay as long as he gives it his best effort. Which, as someone pointed out, does not really comport with all that he's said about how huge the consequences are with this election.

The correct answer to this question is "What the fuck do you care how I'll feel? According to you assholes, I'll be dead by midnight."

That’s what a sharp person would say

When you're constantly reminding people (correctly) that Trump is 100% driven by what's good for himself--which Biden again said tonight--that would seem like a terrible answer.

The people currently advising the New York Times (because they're not advising Biden) have been wrong about everything for decades.

Heed their wise counsel if you want.

― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Friday, July 5, 2024 9:32 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

just sad at this point man

There was always a bit of comfort in thinking that the people around Biden knew what they were doing to some degree but they are fucking floundering atm

my favorite Wall Street Journal headline:

Jill Biden’s Dilemma: Is Pressing Ahead Still the Loving Thing to Do?

Kind of fucked up that the future of the US - and by extension Ukraine, NATO etc - may depend on what Jill Biden thinks

Jill Biden extends two fingers an inch apart: "I'm pressing your head"!

...lovingly

There’s some point where the interests of the party start to outweigh the interests of the candidate. Republicans never reached that point with Trump, and now he entirely owns them. Biden has never had that kind of power in the party, and if you’re a Democrat running ahead in a state where Biden’s running behind, that’s not doing you any favors.

Also btw I am prepared for a Harris campaign to be a logistical disaster out of the gate. I agree that there’s a lot that can go haywire in a rapid campaign transition.

Wouldn’t she use the same people Biden is?

I'm reading the passage of power right now, which covers the weeks after the Kennedy assassination in detail, and tbh Harris does not strike me as the kind of person who could pull that kind of transition off.

(still want Biden to quit though)

No idea. You’d hope a lot of the infrastructure could stay in place, but leadership would probably change or at least be supplemented. Harris has her own people I’m sure.

She probably also hates the Biden advisers and staff who were putting the onus on her of getting things passed in the Senate that would never pass and sending her to yell at migrants on TV for a while there. Or she should hate them at least.

one of the immediate challenges Johnson faced (and Harris would face) is that Kennedy/Biden's people have huge personal allegiance. they're not fungible democrats who will work for whoever the current party leader is.

Weren't a lot of Johnson's immediate difficulties animated by how much Robert hated him--before the assassination and then that much more intensely after? Would there be anything like that here?

you’d think Robert would have given up on those worldly grievances after his assassination.

some grudges you take to the grave

On his latest podcast episode, Ezra Klein interviewed Elaina Plott Calabro, who profiled Kamala Harris for The Atlantic last year. The interview doesn't dwell extensively on the current moment, but it's a clear-eyed and insightful examination of her strengths and weaknesses as both a politician and a political candidate. Honestly, after feeling enthusiastic about her potential candidacy this week, I found it somewhat sobering. It convinced me that she'd be a very effective person to, well, prosecute the case against Trump ... but is that enough? Can she deliver a broader message that resonates with voters and not get tripped up along the way?

I don't expect miracles, based on her 2020 campaign. But it doesn't take miracles, just doing a bit better a few places.

Honestly, after feeling enthusiastic about her potential candidacy this week, I found it somewhat sobering. It convinced me that she'd be a very effective person to, well, prosecute the case against Trump ... but is that enough? Can she deliver a broader message that resonates with voters and not get tripped up along the way?

― jaymc, Saturday, July 6, 2024 12:29 AM (twenty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

this was essentially her pitch 5 years ago, and it…didn’t quite work

we’re in a tough spot with no good answers!

I do see it as sort of a monty hall problem though where neither option guarantees success but staying pat seems like the worst choice

as they say, when you’ve lost axelrod…

The president is rightfully proud of his record.
But he is dangerously out-of-touch with the concerns people have about his capacitiies moving forward and his standing in this race.
Four years ago at this time, he was 10 points ahead of Trump.
Today, he is six points behind.

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 6, 2024

Tbf, Axelrod was sounding the alarm months ago.

Only @JoeBiden can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it's in HIS best interest or the country's?

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 5, 2023

He was pretty adamant immediately after the debate.

Aaron’s quote leaves out the part where he says “I’ll beat him again in 2020.”

Biden: "They are trying to push me out of the race. Well let me say this as clearly as I can. I'm staying in the race. I'll beat Donald Trump again... I learned long ago. When you get knocked down, you get back up. I'm not letting one 90 minute debate wipe out 3.5 years of work" pic.twitter.com/LJex9wZ2rx

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 5, 2024

how would dropping out “wipe out” 3.5 years of work? unless the real issue in biden’s mind is some kind of ironman legacy?