Last night’s debate between President Biden and Felonious Trump was, let’s face it, an unmitigated disaster for President Biden. At best, it was a huge missed opportunity; at worst, it was a big gift to a person who is arguably the most dishonest, despicable, and deplorable person to ever run for the office. It was also a gift to RFK Jr., who actually won the debate by not participating. But as Yogi Berra famously (allegedly) said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” So where do we go from here?
Thanks Bob, I appreciate what you have expressed here.
I not only trust Biden to continue as Commander in Chief, I trust that he will know when he needs to back out. I am sick and tired of so many that have such an ageist view and do not understand that Joe will know when he cannot perform as POTUS. No matter how involved one is in our politics, no one can understand the the demands of that job like Joe does.
Lemonade is tart and refreshing, a lot like the President at the NC rally. That guy can and will beat the failed insurrectionist in November and he needs to move forward with that expectation. Part of doing that is to showcase his team the majority of the time as a preview of what his second term will be and a setup for 2028 when we will need to beat the MAGAts again. It would have been nice if Biden had stuck to the "transitional" idea, but the obvious choice for a successor was the VP, and she clearly wasn't as ready two years ago as she appears to be now. Bill Alstrom posted an interesting scenario a couple of days ago that sounded fanciful but could actually work.
I agree, Dave. It's just a shame he was so off the other night, right from the start. He's a good man with an amazing track record and an incredible team. That's what we need to keep repeating.
I agree with all you’ve said except, “Looked at differently, what he deserves is to retire on his own terms.” I disagree. However, I do wish the Dems had done a better job setting up a robust group of 2024 candidates, giving them national exposure, etc. And though I think Biden might have been the only one who could have won in 2020, had he said he would just serve one term, might his margin of victory been larger?
And of course having said all that, I think going with someone other than VP Harris would be risky and understandably offensive to many.
So here we are. Right now, I guess I am just so frustrated with Biden, frankly, for blowing this.
I don't see much disagreement. I made a similar point somewhere yesterday about the Dem's failure to prepare for the future, and had they done so, I think President Biden might have been content to hand off the reins.
I disagree somewhat that he should have committed to one term only. It would have made him a lame duck from the get go, and I doubt that he would have accomplished as much.
Thinking back a year or so, I half expected him to say he wasn't going to run for re-election, but with nobody ready to step up to take on Felonious Trump, I don't know that he had a choice. That's kinda what I mean about retiring on his own terms.
Thank you for reminding me of these things about Joe Biden! I am upset that all the talk is about Biden & hardly anything about the all the lying that trump did. To me, he is a horrible man that shouldn't be allowed near the presidency.
I am still fuming about trump talking about women killing their babies at 9 months & afterwards. Shows you what he thinks of women!!
I am still fuming about that as well Cyndy. I press on and will keep asking people "so, just which jobs are the 'black jobs'"? It's infuriating that Biden can have a "bad night" (I don't agree that the whole night was "bad" for him) but the Convicted Felon gets away with the insanity he displayed.
“Some have said for months that President Biden deserves another term. Looked at differently, what he deserves is to retire on his own terms. What he has done to turn around the mess he was left has been nothing short of miraculous, despite some shortcomings, and the fact of the matter is that we need him to continue to be president much more than he needs the job.”
Well said.
Four years ago around this time, Joe Biden was wanting to be a transitional president; an experienced elder statesman president that could get things done and fixed and then ready to pass the torch to a new younger generation of leadership in four years. What Biden and/or his team and the DNC leadership either failed to see or wanted to acknowledge was the fact, win or lose, Trump and MAGA wasn’t going away. And here we are.
How I would love to agree with you, Bob, as I so often do. But I don’t. I think Ezra Klein had it right in February (and my me-too blog sometime later)—any Biden campaign is perforce on the defense full-time. And last night knocked the heart out of those who wanted to support Biden. A fresh Dem team can offer a full-on vision of America that restores enthusiasm for even casting a ballot. Not likely to happen, alas, but I dread the outcome if it doesn’t. 😱
Sorry we can't agree on this one, Eliot. I think it's too late for a fresh Dem, and I think President Biden had a bad night in the worst way at a bad time. I was just listening to him at a rally in NC. He sounded great. Where in hell was that guy last night?
Thanks Bob, I appreciate what you have expressed here.
I not only trust Biden to continue as Commander in Chief, I trust that he will know when he needs to back out. I am sick and tired of so many that have such an ageist view and do not understand that Joe will know when he cannot perform as POTUS. No matter how involved one is in our politics, no one can understand the the demands of that job like Joe does.
Lemonade is tart and refreshing, a lot like the President at the NC rally. That guy can and will beat the failed insurrectionist in November and he needs to move forward with that expectation. Part of doing that is to showcase his team the majority of the time as a preview of what his second term will be and a setup for 2028 when we will need to beat the MAGAts again. It would have been nice if Biden had stuck to the "transitional" idea, but the obvious choice for a successor was the VP, and she clearly wasn't as ready two years ago as she appears to be now. Bill Alstrom posted an interesting scenario a couple of days ago that sounded fanciful but could actually work.
I agree, Dave. It's just a shame he was so off the other night, right from the start. He's a good man with an amazing track record and an incredible team. That's what we need to keep repeating.
In the end, working together, we can, and will, overwhelm the Trumpistas because they have nothing positive to offer.
I agree with all you’ve said except, “Looked at differently, what he deserves is to retire on his own terms.” I disagree. However, I do wish the Dems had done a better job setting up a robust group of 2024 candidates, giving them national exposure, etc. And though I think Biden might have been the only one who could have won in 2020, had he said he would just serve one term, might his margin of victory been larger?
And of course having said all that, I think going with someone other than VP Harris would be risky and understandably offensive to many.
So here we are. Right now, I guess I am just so frustrated with Biden, frankly, for blowing this.
I don't see much disagreement. I made a similar point somewhere yesterday about the Dem's failure to prepare for the future, and had they done so, I think President Biden might have been content to hand off the reins.
I disagree somewhat that he should have committed to one term only. It would have made him a lame duck from the get go, and I doubt that he would have accomplished as much.
Thinking back a year or so, I half expected him to say he wasn't going to run for re-election, but with nobody ready to step up to take on Felonious Trump, I don't know that he had a choice. That's kinda what I mean about retiring on his own terms.
All that said, I share your frustration.
Thank you for reminding me of these things about Joe Biden! I am upset that all the talk is about Biden & hardly anything about the all the lying that trump did. To me, he is a horrible man that shouldn't be allowed near the presidency.
I am still fuming about trump talking about women killing their babies at 9 months & afterwards. Shows you what he thinks of women!!
I am still fuming about that as well Cyndy. I press on and will keep asking people "so, just which jobs are the 'black jobs'"? It's infuriating that Biden can have a "bad night" (I don't agree that the whole night was "bad" for him) but the Convicted Felon gets away with the insanity he displayed.
Bob stated:
“Some have said for months that President Biden deserves another term. Looked at differently, what he deserves is to retire on his own terms. What he has done to turn around the mess he was left has been nothing short of miraculous, despite some shortcomings, and the fact of the matter is that we need him to continue to be president much more than he needs the job.”
Well said.
Four years ago around this time, Joe Biden was wanting to be a transitional president; an experienced elder statesman president that could get things done and fixed and then ready to pass the torch to a new younger generation of leadership in four years. What Biden and/or his team and the DNC leadership either failed to see or wanted to acknowledge was the fact, win or lose, Trump and MAGA wasn’t going away. And here we are.
How I would love to agree with you, Bob, as I so often do. But I don’t. I think Ezra Klein had it right in February (and my me-too blog sometime later)—any Biden campaign is perforce on the defense full-time. And last night knocked the heart out of those who wanted to support Biden. A fresh Dem team can offer a full-on vision of America that restores enthusiasm for even casting a ballot. Not likely to happen, alas, but I dread the outcome if it doesn’t. 😱
Sorry we can't agree on this one, Eliot. I think it's too late for a fresh Dem, and I think President Biden had a bad night in the worst way at a bad time. I was just listening to him at a rally in NC. He sounded great. Where in hell was that guy last night?
Bob, I think you had it correct when you stated over-prepared and unrelaxed. That was the guy last night, not today.