We can beat him, and we will. But the democratic "leadership" needs to get that message - and soon. They are doing more damage to the democratic ticket than anything the GQP has done.
I was tempted to hit the Like button another 10 times to emphasize how much I agree with this post. The Democratic Party leadership has utterly failed in their lack of support.
Has anyone seen the interview this morn with Jen O’Malley, Biden’s campaign chair.
Biden is IN…despite all the media bull@#$& and quoted anonymous sources.She said they door knocked on ~ 100,000 doors in the PAST WEEK and 76% were for Biden!
Still a lot of work to do but Biden can win and Cheatolini just keeps making it easier!
The only problem is that they always say they are in until they aren't.
I really hope Biden stays in the race. After inauguration, he can decide to retire, but I think we win with him. I love Harris but I think too many people don't. And if they sub in Newsom, there is going to be a backlash for dissing Harris. But supposedly people don't want Harris to be anointed the nominee, but she is the logical nominee at this point if Biden does indeed step down.
My opinion is that Biden should stay in because finding a successor at this late date isn't a good look. Also the RNC/GOP is getting lawsuits ready for any switch. And some red states may not put the new nominee on the ballot - so more lawsuits.
Democrats in office are worried about getting reelected but they are doing themselves dirty by calling for Biden to step down. That may end up why they lose their elections.
I don't know what the answer is, but what they are doing now is not the answer.
I think I saw that. Is it the one where the fireworks go off a few times?
She was making a lot of sense. To me, it just seems too late to make a change and I don't think Biden is in that bad of shape. trump is in worse shape - what is up with the Hannibal Lector references? Why? And no one says a thing in the media or in his party. They should be telling him to step down.
Margaret, what she is also saying is that Joe Biden's age is just a lie for why they are not backing him. She is saying that their real problem is with Kamala Harris' color and gender. They do not believe in a Black woman in the White House. That has always been clear to me. With a vibrant young, woman as back up, this ticket should be as strong as ever if not stronger, because she brings more experiences to the job if she is needed as back up. They want her to step down, is the real story. That is why no one is saying Trump, who is only 3 years younger should step down because he is too old. He may be a fascist, but he is the right color and gender for the racist-sexists in our country. This smacks of Russian bot manipulation or either these politicians or their donors. Who tend to be rich, racist, sexist, White men. I love this video talking about Harris.
Thanks Robyn for your support. I live in Germany, but vote from Illinois. Can you please ask all Americans you know in Australia to join Democrats Abroad, or Vote from Abroad to get help voting in this election so that their ballots get to be counted. https://www.democratsabroad.org/
And still NO ONE, not even Biden himself, is mentioning his stuttering! It's a REAL HANDICAP, BUT DOES NOT AFFECT HIS INTELLIGENCE! And does any one remember that this was a point of contention back in 2020 as well! This needs to be brought out! So spread this around! https://niemanreports.org/articles/biden-stutter/
This is painful to write, but it needs to be said. I share the general sentiment here that the campaign to sideline President Biden has been appalling and dishonorable. But we must also acknowledge the effect that it's had.
John Heilmann on "Morning Joe" today made a sobering point. Though the potential voters' polls remain close, a growing number (more than 75%) no longer believe that Mr. Biden has the physical and/or mental capacity to serve. While we may argue that this is the result of incessant pounding of the anti-Biden drum by media, or the arrogance of big donors, or the cowardice of Democratic leadership -- whatever . . . It doesn't matter. We need to recognize that it's probably true.
And once that impression has taken root, it's indelible. It won't change regardless of what President Biden does.
As we know, the polls continue to show a close race. But it shouldn't be this close. Before the debate, momentum was shifting in our favor. Now it's headed the other way, and there's little reason to expect that to change so long as our candidate is seen as growing weaker.
Difficult as it may be, those of us who've stood loyally by President Biden's side need to recognize that we're losing this battle, before we lose the war. Time is not on our side.
Kamala Harris can change the momentum, and make this an election about the future. A burst of Black Woman Energy can blast that foolish old fat man off the debate stage in September, and lead a Blue Wave in November!
Because Dems continue to tear Biden down, rather than repeating all the positive points about Biden’s last 4 years. What’s wrong with Democrats, are they trying to lose in November? Get a backbone for God’s sake and support your President !!
Yes. They should be suspicious when they find themselves doing Trump and Putin's work for them. As far as I am concerned all of these Dems can go straight to the Trump campaign and join it. Better yet, join Tucker Carlson on going on tv in Russia and repeating what they are saying.
I would guess that neither Heilman nor you read this Daily Kos item dissects the so-called poll claiming that 2/3 of Americans want Biden to drop out. I call BS on that claim and on Heilman's "more than 75%".
Not sure where they get.these.figures or if they just don't pull them out of somewhere. Here in America, we want the very same figures back to finish the job they started for us to turn the mess around that donny dumpster fire and his band of merry criminals left for them and us. We are.intelligent enough to recognize the presidency is an entire package of competencies, not one person. The cult cannot see that.
YES! I’ve been posting this everywhere! We voted for the administration led by Joe Biden and we need to stick with him. He has a team around him who share our values and who want to see democracy prevail.
I don't know where John Heilmann's claim comes from. (The claim is that more than 75% of voters don't believe President Biden has the physical and/or mental capacity to serve.) But it sounds likely to me.
This isn't about polling the number who will vote one way or another, nor is it about polling the number who prefer one candidate or another. (We've all heard comments from various sources who assert that they'll vote for "Biden on a ventilator" or "Biden's head in a jar" or some version of that.) It's about what Mr. Heilmann calls "attribute numbers"-- that is, the number of voters who believe something about the candidate.
Assuming that most if not all Republicans believe President Biden is physically and/or mentally unfit, only 30% of Democrats and 30% of independents believing the same would establish that the 75% figure is pretty close to accurate. Why it's true is worth noting, but irrelevant at this point. It pains me to say it:
The unrelenting attacks on President Biden's fitness have been effective. And there is nothing he can do to counter the narrative.
We can blame whomever we wish to blame. It's unfair, and loyalty is a virtue to be valued. But denying reality (that the impression of unfitness has taken root) is never a good strategy. Continuing this battle after it's been lost is suicidal.
I have and have been posting it. Sent it to the White House too. I have been saying I don't trust the polls all along, and when I questioned a NYT poll instead of publishing what I said, the editor wrote to me and defended it. I asked him for this exact data and then some like how did they get their participants. He did not respond. A few more encounters with these sh-- for brains NYT reporters who are half my age was enough. I have wisdom from life and I am not second guessing myself. Biden can win and I cannot say that about anyone else. I believe in him, and all those who are worried are because they have suddenly realized how high the stakes are. They should make themselves more familiar with Trump's message and attack that, not Biden.
I also don't believe those polls anyway, so ignore them. I believe they get bot respondents, and people who do not care for cyber safety. Who else responds to the polls they get online, or answers their phones when they don't recognize the calls? No one I know.
I totally agree. There are some polls that are completely biased and misleading. And there are ways to frame the questions that will give the pollster the answers he was paid to get....so no, polls right now are just not reliable.
But is she electable? I see comments (which are, of course, mainly opinions) that she’s not. Much better to elect the ticket we have, knowing she is there when needed. There are too many roadblocks to introducing someone new.
Scariest would be I think changing now and then regretting if we lost the country. I believe in the whole package, just as it is. Joe brings the elder statesman wisdom we so missed with the creature. Kamala the drive, and the rest of the team the force and collective experience.
I think it is too late to put someone else on the ballot as our candidate! We have Kamala as VP now and she will be after the election. If Joe becomes incapable of running the government, he can step down and she can take over. Right now, Democrats need to focus on the good things Biden has accomplished over the last 4 years. Trump cannot fight those things. He left the country in a mess but Joe straightened it out. Don't let trump get the power to really take over. Google Project 2025 and see what trump's goals are! He denies that he knows anything about it, but that is a lie. No surprise that trump is again caught in a lie!
She would be a really good president, but IMHO the only way to get her there is after Biden wins reelection and a year or two in decides to step down.
I just think there is too much misogyny and racism for her to get elected. Turns out her laugh makes people upset. Then they try to talk about her sexual past, then being a prosecutor... it never ends, it's always something.
Some good news I heard today but I don't have any backup on it - supposedly Florida women are tired of trump. Someone was polling them just don't know who. Fingers crossed.
Biden has done so many good things during his presidency, but the emphasis is always on his age. Trump is only 3 years younger. No one mentions that! Trump is the worst at public speaking. They never mention that. He spews lies constantly, but they never mention that. Trump will use Project 2025 as his platform IF we are stupid enough to elect him. I am voting blue. Kamala would take over if Biden becomes unable to fulfill his duties! We need to vote as many democrats into office as we can. If Biden/Harris lose and trump takes over, at least we could have a democratic majority in the Senate and Congress. The republican majorities have stopped Biden from doing things as president. We owe trump the same fate. At least then some of his "plans" can be derailed!
Problem is that they can't just appoint Harris the winner. There will be a very messy open convention and some white guy may win the nomination which is going to stick in the craw of any black voter. And keeping Harris as the VP is an even greater insult. No, this is not going to go well.
I just read a blurb about FL women turning against trump. So there could be more hope out there than people acknowledge.
The conventions, especially the RNC, are Potemkin Villages. (Although the DNC will likely be a schist show.) There isn't any pushback, it's all smiles and handshakes. It's not real. So don't be fooled.
Who responds to online polls anyway? No one I know. So, please see what AOC is saying and take it in. She is explaining the reality right now. As a woman that shares Kamala's skin color I am telling you the amount of sexist racists in the Democratic party is just as large as it was when Harris ran against Biden. So, you do the math. I live the experience each day, and I do not believe the US is even where most countries are that voted for a woman. We are behind and we are also embracing fascism and most of that is because Americans delude themselves into thinking not us, and it could not happen here, and we are more evolved. Maybe as a country, but not as individuals. Many are not evolved, and therefore believe AOC and what she is saying, and please adjust your energies accordingly. My family has people voting for Biden-Harris from age 19-93. We all support him in our various faiths and colors. I hope you do too. Biden-Harris is the blue wave we all need to ride, when we focus on the issues and not the topics the Russian bots want you to.
Thanks for the video link, Linda. Actually, I've already watched it. I really like AOC, and she was particularly charming in that post. (But she did get pretty repetitive after the first half-hour or so.) Her perspective provides a lot of insights worth considering, particularly on the legal issues Republicans are likely to raise even before the election.
I completely agree with you about polls. But my original comment on this thread is not poll-based. It's the informed opinion of an attentive observer, namely this:
There is undeniably a substantial portion of the electorate who consider President Biden to be physically and/or mentally incapable of serving four more years. Many of these are Democrats (though they will still vote for him). Even among Democrats who believe he is capable of serving, many believe he is incapable of winning, for the same reason. Among the latter are some of the most experienced and knowledgeable politicians in our party, including much of the leadership (Pelosi, Schumer, Jeffries, Raskin, Schiff, Murray, Lofgren).
Given the nature of Mr. Biden's perceived incapacity, that impression (fair or not) is likely to be indelible, and likely to become more wide-spread. Any sober analysis of electoral strategy must reflect this reality.
I am here as a messenger, not an advocate. Like you, I fully support President Biden and Kamala Harris. I would far prefer that this dispute had not arisen, or would have by now been resolved. But it has arisen, and after three weeks it demands a resolution. The longer it festers, the more harm will be done.
I don't really understand what you mean by "adjust your energies accordingly." Unless you're reading my Substack "Feathers of Hope" (JerryWeiss.substack.com), I doubt that you know how my energies are being directed.
While I can't conceptualize your daily experience as an American woman of color living in Germany, I think it's fair to conclude that Kamala Harris has a better sense of whether a mixed race female can be elected President of the United States. It certainly seems that she believes it's possible. So I'll defer to her judgement on that matter.
AND how I feel for Biden. He's got COVID. He's been beaten down and as an also-old person whose body doesn't work well, and who sometimes feels that my profession, served as long albeit very differently than his, would prefer I go away (I am a noodge on critical issues) it has to just feel awful. Still .. I am now one of those who knows that he can't get enthusiastic support to campaign. Oh what a year.
He is always an underdog. He does well from there. I'm not counting him out. But I'm really pissed at Democratic elected leaders. And the pundits. They never complained when Reagan was absolutely lost. And trump's nuttiness they just brush off.
I am so tired of the media frenzy playing the “is he or isn’t he?” game. I am so tired of listening to Pelosi, and others, including Obama now question Biden’s decision to remain the Democratic nominee. Like you said, we are doing much more damage to ourselves than anyone else at this point. The minute the media started questioning Biden’s ability to remain the party nominee, the Democrats in Congress should have rallied their support for Biden and shut this BS down. Yet, once again, not only do these Dems sit on their hands and whine, there are those who call for an immediate withdrawal of Biden’s nomination.
I hear people purporting that showing loyalty to Biden after his debate debacle is mirroring the cultish, blind loyalty found in the followers of MAGA. This is just not true. Perspectively, remaining loyal to someone who has a bad, but understandable moment (due to illness and fatigue), is not blind loyalty. Biden’s debate failure was not due to his lack of ability to preside over our country, his lack of morals, his lack of knowledge, his lack of integrity, or any other lacking for that matter. I mean, he’s never been a great speech maker anyway with a few exceptions, like his most reason SOTUS.
Yet, few in the media have discussed these above reasons for Trump’s failures in his own speeches. I have just about given up watching any news these days, because the media’s callous and irresponsible handling of the facts concerning Trump and the MAGA party is sickening and dangerous.
The Republicans are calling for unity after Trump’s assassination attempt. The Democrats should have been calling for unity after Biden’s poor debate performance. Instead, we have created more division and chaos in our party by questioning Biden’s nomination. We’re helping to destroy our democracy right along with the MAGA party by weakening support for Biden across the country.
We all need to shut down the questioning rhetoric and get back to the only real goal: defeating Trump and saving America. Democrats need a little of that “Trumpian amnesia” it seems half the country is suffering from right now. Forget that debate for the love of all that is democracy!
I know. The fact that they have put this out in the public view is a shame, and exhausting, and looks bad. Decide amongst yourselves behind closed doors, and then let's focus on beating the evil demon.
Exactly. The debate was devastating, especially after the State of the Union but he was obviously ill. Most of us only see him when he's televised. If those who are with him in person on a regular basis think he's losing his effectiveness they should have gone to him (and Jill) privately to express their concerns. Undercutting him publicly all but guarantees he would lose. I doubt any Democrats would vote for Trump. The bigger danger is that some would vote 3rd party or more likely just stay home. I'm very worried.
JoyLynn, I agree. What I saw was President Biden trying to remain presidential and answer knowledgeably the questions asked in the face of Trump, who did not answer the questions, but turned the evening into a Trump rally full of lies and his usual nonsensical word salad. I understand that even when his mic was turned off and Biden was speaking, Trump continued to yell at the president. It was not a debate.
The debate was no measure or insight as to what being a good leader means . Do we want total chaos, malevolent policies (aka Project 2025) and a president who lies every time he opens his mouth or one who takes his time to thoughtfully answer questions thoroughly and truthfully? The Congressional Democrats and donors have done no one a favor by stoking fear and division in those people who were/are invested in Biden and saving Democracy.
I feel they exhausted all options to address the issues behind closed doors and have been forced to do it openly.
For me, the debate was bad enough, but Biden's response had only solidified my fears. A blitz of live interviews and town halls could have demonstrated the debate was "just a bad night." Instead, retreating to his inner circle, safe venues, and only a few recorded friendly interviews says to me he's either unwilling or unable to demonstrate he is still on top of things physically and mentally.
It boggles my mind that the MAGAs think that Dems would be capable of both pulling off massive voter fraud and not blabbing their heads off about it during and after the event.
you'd learn that Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita drew up the campaign strategy of depicting Biden as frail and weak and Dumpy as strong. (LaCivita invented the Swift Boating of John Kerry). After Republicans set the stage, and then Biden had the bad debate performance, Dems went all in solidfying the Republican game plan. Dems are doing the work for the Rs. It's insane.
I am very annoyed at Ezra Klein. Talk about butter wouldn't melt in his mouth as he bashes Biden pretending to be concerned. Klein wants to be a kingmaker. Prove he has clout. He's a jerk.
Agreed! I was somehow signed up for emails for Adam Schiff, and it was very satisfying to unsubscribe and tell them his messaging this week was the reason.
I've always had high regard for her but I've never just sat and listened to her talk for a long time like this. She's very eloquent while still having a remarkably relatable personality. She didn't sound like a politician. She sounded like a friend on Zoom or something.
Exactly! I am so disappointed in Schiff, Jeffries, and the like. We are three damn months from the biggest election since the damn civil war. UNIFY BEHIND OUR PRESIDENT!!!!
I just this minute received a fund-raising text from the JoeBiden campaign...and I donated for the third time this month...and have called (checks notes) the offices of the DNC, Schiff, Schumer & Jeffries with messages of how disappointed I am with their shameful whisper campaign to stab Joe in the back.
I also called the Capitol Hill switchboard, recited my most recent donations for President Biden and spoke of the enthusiasm of the support for President Biden that I see in the rank and file small-d dems. How DARE the upper echelons of the elected democrats push to negate my vote for Joe Biden and disenfranchise me.
I can't help wondering how many of the others we're hearing anonymous claims that they believe Biden should step down are as false as the lie about Hakeem Jeffries.
It doesn't really matter what he said if we throw out the primary votes and 'choose' someone else because there will be a chunk of the electorate who will now have proof that votes don't count. What is going to stop that from being the go-to solution when another candidate isn't the perfect fit? Why aren't they talking about amendments capping age in the future and backing someone who is doing a great job?
You’re so right. Biden won the nomination. He was chosen by the voting public. Changing horses mid election only makes us look weak and indecisive; and sends the message that our votes don’t really matter in the end. Living in a deeply red state, this is the last thing I want to hear.
We will figure out how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, as is the custom in Democratic politics.
What really infuriates me is the Never Trumpers who are whipping the dead horse, and that causes the pundit class to say we need to eject Biden (and what they don't really say is that it can't be harris, because uh, she's a "she" and she's black". No we need some white lightning candidate to rouse the loins of the center left wads of **** that all helped us get Trump in the first place.
Call your own MOCs if they are democrats, and call Schumer regardless and tell his office people that you are calling him as the Majority leader to call him out.
No they're not. Biden is refusing to gracefully remove himself from the race. Biden's a doer who works hard at his job. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet grappled with the fact that his age is preventing him from working long and hard, which his kind of presidency requires. It took me a few years to grapple with my old age (84). But I've reconciled that now. Biden will figure it out.
Yes, they are. They are doing more damage to the ticket than the debate ever did.
You did what was right for you, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. He's doing the job of President right now, and doing a damn fine job of it. Do you think he's doing a bad job?
Doing the job of president is vastly different than campaigning for an election and he's doing both of those right now while TFG is failing &/or failed at both.
At least he TRIES. Unlike trump with his "executive time." Did you LOOK at his schedule just before that fundraiser Clooney is so depressed about? I'd like to see Clooney do better.
Joseph Fleischman What do you define as "long and hard"? How do you know he isn't working "long and hard"?
You think back-to-back trips to Europe for commemoration of D-Day then the G-7 meeting is easy. Followed close on by the NATO summit in Washington DC? Just because you, at 84, may not have the energy and will to work as hard as Biden does, doesn't automatically translate as he's as limited as you may be at your own age.
He's busy running the country plus campaigning. That takes a lot of energy and he's doing it. His failure at ONE so-called debate does not represent who he is and what he is still capable of doing. If you had watched or listened to his campaign speech in NC the day after the debate, or his speech recently at the NAACP convention, you would have experienced an energetic and fired-up candidate.
Judith, you're also right to say that my experiences at old age may not be relevant to Biden's. People are different. But we have ample evidence that he is being impacted by his advanced age. He says that he had a bad night at the debate, suggesting that it was an anomaly, and that may be the case. But this really shouldn't be about whether he's fit enough, which is what we're discussing. It should be about whether we can beat Trump and the MAGA GOP in November, and if so, how. And we don't have much time to get it on with a new campaign.
I misspoke. Thanks for the correction. I meant to say that now, after he works hard and long, he can't think on his feet like he used to. He loses his train of thought more easily than he used to.
Yes, he does OK when he has a teleprompter, but not when he's on the fly.
That all said, I think that the image that the debate left on the public will not disappear. And the most important thing isn't that Biden gets elected in November, it's that Trump loses in November. We can't let Trump win..
You may think that keeping Biden on the ticket will accomplish that. I think otherwise.
The problem with the teleprompter use was during the debate - he should have insisted on speaking extemporaneously just as he did at the two campaign rallies I cite above - North Carolina the day after the debate and last Monday at the NAACP convention. One can easily tell the difference between reading from a teleprompter and speaking extemporaneously.
As for "thinking on one's feet", yes, I've noticed that from time to time. It's no different than when I had multiple thoughts crowding my mind. But, in reality, the president's job doesn't (or rarely) requires thinking on the fly. It requires the ability to reason through a multiplicity of aspects of an issue before coming to a conclusion.
Agreed, we cannot let Trump win. And the debate experience will not soon leave people's minds. But there's so much more to Biden, both before and since, that convince me that he has what it takes to continue in the presidency. This drumbeat from his own side of the aisle is tremendously harmful and is setting us up for a loss. My consolation is that so many people - men and women - care about personal reproductive freedom plus more and more are learning about Project 2025. Pretty amazing when internet search stats place that subject higher than searches about Taylor Swift.
I agree with everything you just said, except I thought that there were no teleprompters during the debate and that there were teleprompters at Biden's rallies. I may be wrong about that. But I certainly noted that Biden was not reading from a teleprompter during the debate -- he was mostly looking at Trump and had a sour look on his face -- not good.
Of course, the other disagreement that we have, which is the bottom line, is that I think we have a better chance of beating Trump if Biden drops out right away, and, although I'm first mentioning it now, if the delegates don't dissolve into chaos if and when Biden leaves the race. It needs to be a smooth transition to Harris, and on the first ballot.
You have it in reverse. There was a teleprompter during the debate and it was obvious to me that Biden was reading from it, speaking too rapidly and trying to fit too much in during the allotted time. In my opinion, it was the fault of the "handlers" who insisted on keeping Biden to a script; admittedly, I didn't watch the whole thing because I was out when it was live and tuned in for the rerun once I returned home, in time to hear MSNBC pundits panning his 'performance'.
There were no teleprompters for either the "day after" rally in NC or the NAACP speech this past Monday, and Biden's style of speaking made that obvious to me.
I have been wondering whether these Democratic party members have gone a bit crazy realizing they are on Trump's hit list, knowing what Hitler did to the people on his. Instead of tanking the one chance they have to not empower Trump, they have been doing the opposite. They are so scared they are getting frantic and thinking crazy thoughts. I wish they would shut up and sit down. I never saw Trump winning given his policies, and my belief that we can get them out there. I did not see Biden's speech so was shocked at the response from the press, to call for him to step down. Why some dems give the NYT that much power when it is known that the Oligarch owner has it in for Biden, because Biden did not do his bidding. He wanted to show Biden and everyone else his Putinlike power. Idiot that he is with his ego. These super wealthy owners, and the journalists apparently live insular lives. Did they not realize that by empowering Trump they hasten the likelihood that they will be on the hit list. I have not had any faith in the press. Apparently they all have hidden homes in other countries, or they don't realize what happens to the press in a fascist regime!
He was the worst president. He is a convicted criminal. He incited an insurrection because he was too ashamed to admit he lost the election by EIGHT MILLION votes, and he stole national security secrets and refused to give them back. At any other time he would already be in jail, but the fascist party controls the courts. So he MUST be beaten at all costs.
Yes! Yes! And Hell yes! I have started asking magas this question, “So if he had raped your wife/mother/daughter/niece/etc in a dressing room, would you still be voting for him? He was convicted of rape.” That seems to shut them up. I know it won’t change their rabid simple minds, but it’s a nice way to shut them up temporarily.
So Lisa, before reading this post I just happened to have watched a short video of a Shakespeare’s Henry V St. Crispin speech and it references “band of brothers.” Watching what is happening I know this election is a battle where it will be won by a band of sisters. I have fallen into the rear of the ranks of this band of sisters knowing for the sake of women and all humanity brothers must support their sisters who are at the point of the spear.
"Project 2025", will hurt most dumb-as-dirt MAGAts quite badly, along with all the usual suspects, ... our civil rights, women, LGBTQ, education, the environment, the economy, NATO, our allies ... and pretty much anyone who isn't white and christian. The only happy ones will be Putin, the oligarchs, and the most rabid fascist christians
Well if you do get answers it's actually policy that he didn't pass. Or it's "his economy" which I always shoot down as "he never built an economy, he inherited a damn strong economy which Obama built". Which they say isn't true ("the economy sucked under Obama" SMH) but I know it's true :)
Even before he was elected I asked a similar question because of the Hollywood Access tape. As far as I was concerend, a vote for Trump was an insult to and disrespectful towards your grandmother, mother, sister, wife, daughter, granddaughter, essentially saying thwy don't matter as much as XYZ.
yep. I will fully admit to not being keen on Hillary and went into the polls very conflicted. But it was that tape plus my gut feeling that the hate would't be contained if he were elected that threw my vote to Hillary. I have never regretted it nor has my mind ever been changed about him.
Allow me to share one of the more disturbing things I encountered before the orange turd was elected in 2016. After the Access Hollywood tape release, I talked to my sister about him and brought that up as just one of the reasons he is not a suitable candidate for the office. Her response was to tell me it was "locker room talk" that parrots what she has most likely heard from Fox. She is 17 years older than me and is part of a church that is highly conservative. She has expressed her views on a woman's place more times than I want to say. I always leave feeling sick and feel like my nerve endings are on fire or certainly in motion, as if an electric current is running through my body. I decided to express my thoughts more forcefully about the subject the next time she said something. She's all about how the man is always the head of everything, and a wife must submit and do as he says. It is sickening. Her husband died in 2005. When they married, I was a small child, so he was always in my memories, like another big brother. He didn't give off that type of energy and never said anything or acted like a misogynist or a chauvinist. Never. She "had" to join his church after they married, and she went full bore into it, and he didn't even go most of the time.
Hi, that is so interesting that it was your sister who jumped on board with the women's place stuff. Do you think she was insecure or unconfident of being able to support herself or be on her own? When the whole MeToo thing started, it got me thinking about my life, my childhood, and my reactions to things. I started realizing how much mysogyny there was all around me, in my family. And there was this culture of being less than men. It was subtle, very subtle. But it was there and it affected me in relationships with men. I've been on my own for a long time and can't sy I've evr met a man I would want to be married to, not that there aren't plenty of good ones out there, but I'm pretty sensitive to the masculinity stuff, which I think has never benefitted anyone. It must be so hard to see your sister and hear her opinions. The "locker room" mentality, or "boys will be boys" or "acting like a teenage boy" is so toxic IMO. And not good for boys to hear, it either outs them down or encourages them to behave badly. Ay-yi-yi.
I don't think she was worried about supporting herself or managing after he died. She worked for many years in education. She has a retirement account, social security, and the policy he left her. Plus, her two daughters both live in a suburb of Dallas, and she moved down there after the youngest one was due to have twins. She was going to be greatly needed. She was in Oklahoma before that. She became involved with her things and friends and has helped both daughters with their children. They all live close to one another, and she seems to be doing well. I think what makes her feel this way is what I call good ol' evangelical brainwashing. They did a number on her. She is a contradiction, though. Her views are different on various subjects.
So interesting, especially considering she wasn't at home, barefoot, etc. It's just so hard for me to understand how people can let Trump off the hook with all of the very many bad things he has done and said. I guess there is a lot that many people don't even know about because they don't read and/or only watch limited news sources. That "locker room" talk is so damaging and it shows a lack of awareness of what other people's lives are like, IMO. That there ARE women/girls/boys who are in trouble because of this mentality. It's not about punishing Trump, it's about the effects of what he says on others lives. Of course Trump only sees everything according to how it affects him.
My BIL for an extended period of time became ultra religious. This was after they were already married. He went to that same kind of church, women had their place. I come from a long line of very strong women, my great grandmother came here on a boat alone with 2 babies in tow as her husband decided not to go with her. Women never had
"place" in our family. So my sister was never on board with the misogynistic ideals of his church. She was actually the bread winner for a long time yet church women would say "you are quitting your job when the baby is born right?" When she was pregnant. She never caved to the ways of the church, she refused to attend. He eventually moved on to a different church, thank goodness. Still boggles my mind how there are still these ideals being instilled by these religious zealots, and so many young women being taught this from birth.
I agree that Trump must be beaten. Keep in mind that Biden only won by 43,000 votes in three states. If Trump had won those states, Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin, the Electoral College would have been tied at 269. Can Biden increase that vote margin? Can Trump pick up those 43k votes in those states or more?
But has Trump picked up any voters since then? My sense is that there are more who wouldn’t vote for him again after having lived through the daily sh*t show that made up his time in office.
Especially women. This is the first time women have lost personal bodily autonomy. It’s still shocking that the fascist SCOTUS majority killed 50 years of precedent with such a blatantly ridiculous judgement. Now we have women (and girls!!) dying preventable deaths in red states because the fascist christians want it that way. No self respecting woman can vote for these clowns. and neither should men. I kinda suspect (hope and pray really) that there’s more than a few nominally republican women who haven’t forgotten or forgiven what the fascist republicans have already done, or what they say they will do if re-elected. Vote them ALL out!
I don't know if he has, and of course, we'll find out in November. And it is still a long time until then, too. My point is that 43,000 votes is not that much, and the Electoral College is what wins that office. We'll see how it all shakes out.
unfortunately the fascists have a built-in advantage in both the electoral college and in the senate, e.g. winner take all electoral votes in heavily gerrymandered red states. California (with 40 million people) has only the same number of senators as Wyoming (with less than 600 thousand people).
Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary by 3 million, but still won the electoral college because of these red state advantages. Democrats need to win by more than 3 million and maybe as much as 6-8 million to overcome that. They CAN still win, but only if they get their thumbs out of their asses and vote in enough numbers. Democrats are their own worst enemies.
Right, it'll be too close. But I guess we're willing to take that chance If he stays in and has another bad "episode" then we're doomed and he will solely be to blame.
Yeppers! Between Hulk Hogan, ear bandages, and Trump, it looked like Idiocracy had come to life in real time. Kind of frightening in its own way, but when the DNC rolls around, the difference to people who don't pay close attention to politics will be clear.
Project 2025 is 900 pages long, but we all know people who will be affected by some piece of it.
Let that person know the ONE piece of it that will hurt them. If you're in a Facebook (or other) group, focus on the one part of Project 2025 that will affect that group.
This SHOULD be an easy win. We need to think not about how we are on our heels and falling backward, but how we can win states like Texas, which has a high urban voter count. We win Texas, and the election is over before midnight. Let's get off the back of our heels and charge ahead.
One prime nugget from Project 2025 is this one, copied here from last night’s Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
“On page 592, there is a proposal that permits employers to avoid paying overtime to employees who work more than a 40 hour work week. They can do that by cutting your hours in subsequent weeks and not paying overtime if they can keep you under 40 hours a week spread across a two or four week period.”
I’ve been reading parts of Project 2025 for months but I missed this one and it will hit home for anyone who works an hourly job and at least occasionally relies on overtime pay to get ahead or even just get by. This Ken is well worth sharing to those it could affect.
Thanks. It's important to include page numbers! I wish I had mentioned that, but there it is, saying it now.
I have a small but dedicated following on Medium. I'm considering starting a Project 2025 publication there. Time is always a challenge, but we have to win, or I'll be running out of time in ways I don't want to consider.
I have been and continue to do just that - take pieces of P2025 and highlight for those in my industry. Others to are doing short snappy pieces w/ the page numbers. Robert Reich has excelled at that and they are shareable.
I refuse to got to the Project 2025 website itself. I've no doubt that they count each connection as positive, and could even be capturing IP addresses. I'm not usually given to conspiracy beliefs but these guys are terrifying.
I tried to explain project 2025 to my MAGA son. He just laughed. Even when I showed him 2 ways it would hurt him. Again he laughed. I hate my ex husband for flipping my son from a reasonable Democrat to a MAGA Republican.
Wow. How does that even happen? How old is your son, if you don't mind me asking?
In general, though, I don't expect to convert MAGA Republicans. It's everyone else, especially people who aren't aligned to anything more than their wallets when they vote.
My son isn’t a wealthy man. He’s 44 and does good. He’s conservative with his money. But his dad had so much influence over him 8 years ago when Trump game along. Makes me sick.
He has. I have so many friends and my family members that I don’t speak to anymore. My husband’s whole family is MAGA. But my son hurts the most. He works so hard and accepts any overtime he can get. I tried to explain how project 2025 would allow his employer an out to paying overtime. He just said you can’t believe what’s on the internet. I explained that it’s in the Republican platform. I even sent him a PDF and gave him page numbers. Still laughed.
His wife is a minority and therefore my granddaughter. What’s in their future? She is a democrat and honestly I’m not sure how she lives with him.
That's another odd characteristic of the MAGA phenomenon. Vance is an adherent of the white replacement theory, but so many families are now mixed in some way. Whatever they're afraid of has already happened.
I remember being in a medium sized Texas city couple years ago and walking around its downtown streets during a big outdoor festival. The crowd looked like it had poured out of the United Nations building. That was when I first thought, "Whatever people in *my* general demographic are afraid of, it's happened, and we are better for it." Who wants to live in Stepford?
Who knew back in the MTV days that Mike Judge of all people would nail our future so poignantly and exactly that we must force ourselves to reconcile that this same man created Beavis and Butthead...
Oh, actually now that I'm writing it out, it makes perfect sense.
So is the media falling all over themselves with shock and horror over what a horrible performance Trump's was, showing clips over and over and talking about how he should drop out (be defeated) because he's obviously brain damaged to the point where he can't run a country, like they did over Biden's debate performance?
Honestly it's been 8 years of horrible performances, hate talk, rambling, made up words. I think the media seriously blows it off because "It's trump". It's not right, it's just so indicitive of what is expected from him. I think it would be more news worthy if he stood up and gave a good, coherent speech because he's pretty much incapable. And Biden gives very few poor performances, but we all know he's not the first nor will he be the last to do so. He was sick, trump was making it hard to concentrate, let's just call it what it is.
The Ds need to hang Project 2025 all over him. It's the details, stupid. Make sure every American understands what P 2025 will do TO them. It will change the way we live our lives for the worse.
This is who Trump is. If he has to stick to a script, if he can’t just talk nonstop about whatever pops into his head, what’s the point of living? It’s also why he confesses to his crimes, and why he’ll be proudly endorsing Project 2025 by November.
In Trump’s cosmology, “Unity” means “Shut up and do what I say.” Yet another page taken from the domestic abuser’s playbook: “YOU’RE the one causing the problems.”
I haven't read "Agenda 47" or whatever it's called, but I've seen enough people comment about it that it sounds like the same thing as Project 2025, just not 900 pages.
Also, perfect comp to domestic abuser. He's sort of the national abuser in chief. Part of the relief of him losing will be that he will no longer be around to trigger people, because he'll be in prison.
In Agenda 47, there is no reference to Trump's SCROTUS appointees overturning Roe vs Wade and no reference to the fact that he has called (and Vance has as well) for a nationwide ban on abortion. I don't know whether they have outlined the destruction of the Dept of Education and their plans for that in Agenda 47.
There is a host of other (unpopular) things that appear in Project 2025 that have been deliberately left out or left as vague "goals", but yes, it is true, Trump's tiny, dirty fingerprints are all over both Project 2025 AND Agenda 47.
They won't be able to get around Project 2025. Too late. It's out in the wild. I bet there'd be a lot of internal dissension at Heritage if they tried to take it down, too. There were a lot of people involved in "writing" that.
I don't think that the Republicans would admit at this point to "wanting" a national abortion ban, but they have decided to put themselves behind a "fetal personhood" law. By passing legislation giving a fetus the same protections we enjoy as living beings would make abortion "murder" and thereby eliminating abortion and some birth control because people could be charged accordingly. Should a woman have a miscarriage, she could be charged with murder. They're just changing the "packaging" of a national abortion ban 😒
Not that the semantic differences will matter much to a woman who dies in the Emergency Room of an ectopic pregnancy. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and lays duck eggs then it's a darned duck.
"Biden stepping aside would be so unprecedented, so historic, that it would render beyond the pale even the thought of Trump trying to stay on after his term. Biden’s departure would stand as a towering monument to the principle that no one is greater than the office. Trump would have to govern in that shadow. No, not for most MAGA, but for most of us."
If this is saying that trump would reconsider staying after his term because Biden stepped down, or that his party would recommend it, that's never going to happen. trump will just see Biden as "weak and old" and Project 2025 will remain in full force. And even "trump would have to govern in that shadow" yes but he doesn't care. It will still be about besting Biden, about "putting Biden away for his crimes". in trump world nothing will change. If Biden does step down, all of his supporters need to double down on support for whomever takes his spot. And we will absolutely need to get any of those on the fence about Biden to also strongly support the next candidate. Him stepping down for the betterment of this country needs to mean trump still needs to lose at any cost!
Please Democrats unite behind Biden NOW! You yourselves have made this an UPHILL battle! Thank you Jay for your piece, I’m getting really anxious with Obama, Pelosi, Schiff and Schumer echoing the legacy news’ drumbeat! It’s so painful to watch!
Once again Dems are loosing the election with negativity and self inflicted wounds. Many of these are the same big named Dems who pushed for Hillary aver Joe as the candidate in 2016.
And that went so well, didn't it.
It's a good thing tfg gave our side a boost last night with his insane speech (please take a moment to compare Biden's "campaign ending" performance in the debate) as our Democrat leaders sure aren't helping.
As always Jay thank you for your breakdown of an insane speech pouring out of the mouth of a convicted felon. Time to Unite and get that blue wave going!
So apparently, based on his own false description of the immigrant wave, his wall didn't work...he has said multiple times that he finished it (which also isn't true but isn't why it didn't work) but that is the response that those false claims should be met with " So your wall is a failure ". Vote 💙 all the way!
Exactly, they are afraid of being put in a “list” so they fail to call out his BS, his horrid administration only put three policies into play; tax breaks for the richest, separation of families via caging of kids and building a wall that doesn't work. It makes me furious when people say they like his policies and that was before the Project 2025. Every teachers Union and federal employees Union should be conveying a ‘your jobs are in jeopardy’ message ahead of this election, every Union, for that matter.
The Democrats need to learn these two cliches: "You don't change horses in mid-stream," and "you don't turn on your own."
Heather Cox Richardson recently pointed out that the last time a Democratic presidential candidate bowed out **after the primaries** was LBJ. Nixon won in a landslide when the Democrats failed to rally behind DNC appointed Hubert Humphrey. That was 1968.
Anybody else see the symmetries to that year and this?
If Biden has issues, well so did Ronald Reagan. Biden has a great cabinet which can easily continue to run the country. If he happens to become incapacitated in a 2nd term, Harris *will* become President, the cabinet will pretty much remain the same, and she can name a Veep. If nothing happens to Biden and he continues to implement policy as he has since his term began, we are better off.
Democrats need to loose their pearl-clutching panic over one bad debate. I do realize it is somewhat of a tradition (said tongue in cheek) for Dems to do this, but they have to stop and put their nose to the grandstone for a far greater prize, viz., victory in November.
Then TFG gets sentenced by Merchan, E. Jean Carroll can pursue collection, Chutkan can move on with her case, and Cannon can be removed and that case could go forward.
I'm not feeling that people are getting this at all.
Media AND elected Democrats keep pushing the Biden-should-step-down narrative. We need to unite behind him or risk another 45 presidency. Our division only helps the opposition.
Didn’t watch a minute of Trump’s speech and it looks like my decision was wise. 93 minutes is too long for even the best speaker, much less a lying, self-absorbed windbag like Trump.
I made the mistake of turning on the tv about 9 pm Pacific Time, hoping it was all over already, and caught maybe 10-15 seconds of tfg's idiotic claims before I turned the tv off for the night.
Will he EVER lose that fecking bandage on his ear? Or will he continue to sport it through Election Day like it's part of his signature dress? Love how many of his cult turned up at the RNC also wearing the damned thing on their ears...oy vey.
BTW, Josh Marshall at TPM has been on the actual cause of tRump's ear injury, and the case for flying debris - caused by the gunfire - grazing the ear looks more and more plausible. But of course that conflicts with the Orange Son of God's claim of "whizzing bullets", and nobody wants to get into a dustup with him or his campaign by proving otherwise. Just more myth-making for his cult followers.
I’ve heard it referred to as the second Shroud of Turin. I’m surprised they weren’t able to engineer a magical leakage of blood from it during the speech.
My theory was there was a monitor in there to keep him connected, à la St Ronnie. Last night shot that theory all to hell. Since his keepers will not even release the medical report, could be there's no there, there.
We can beat him, and we will. But the democratic "leadership" needs to get that message - and soon. They are doing more damage to the democratic ticket than anything the GQP has done.
I was tempted to hit the Like button another 10 times to emphasize how much I agree with this post. The Democratic Party leadership has utterly failed in their lack of support.
Has anyone seen the interview this morn with Jen O’Malley, Biden’s campaign chair.
Biden is IN…despite all the media bull@#$& and quoted anonymous sources.She said they door knocked on ~ 100,000 doors in the PAST WEEK and 76% were for Biden!
Still a lot of work to do but Biden can win and Cheatolini just keeps making it easier!
As Bob Morgan said, Get With The Progarm.
✍️📲💲📣🚶♀️👕🛒
https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/biden-harris-campaign-chief-says-biden-is-absolutely-in-this-race-215247429608
The only problem is that they always say they are in until they aren't.
I really hope Biden stays in the race. After inauguration, he can decide to retire, but I think we win with him. I love Harris but I think too many people don't. And if they sub in Newsom, there is going to be a backlash for dissing Harris. But supposedly people don't want Harris to be anointed the nominee, but she is the logical nominee at this point if Biden does indeed step down.
My opinion is that Biden should stay in because finding a successor at this late date isn't a good look. Also the RNC/GOP is getting lawsuits ready for any switch. And some red states may not put the new nominee on the ballot - so more lawsuits.
Democrats in office are worried about getting reelected but they are doing themselves dirty by calling for Biden to step down. That may end up why they lose their elections.
I don't know what the answer is, but what they are doing now is not the answer.
This is what AOC is saying. https://youtu.be/hKOYyEjLCHI?si=BEp6KI837zCGIhir
I love her. She is speaking truth to power. I hope that more people listen to this. If you know any nay sayers, please share this.
I think I saw that. Is it the one where the fireworks go off a few times?
She was making a lot of sense. To me, it just seems too late to make a change and I don't think Biden is in that bad of shape. trump is in worse shape - what is up with the Hannibal Lector references? Why? And no one says a thing in the media or in his party. They should be telling him to step down.
Margaret, what she is also saying is that Joe Biden's age is just a lie for why they are not backing him. She is saying that their real problem is with Kamala Harris' color and gender. They do not believe in a Black woman in the White House. That has always been clear to me. With a vibrant young, woman as back up, this ticket should be as strong as ever if not stronger, because she brings more experiences to the job if she is needed as back up. They want her to step down, is the real story. That is why no one is saying Trump, who is only 3 years younger should step down because he is too old. He may be a fascist, but he is the right color and gender for the racist-sexists in our country. This smacks of Russian bot manipulation or either these politicians or their donors. Who tend to be rich, racist, sexist, White men. I love this video talking about Harris.
https://youtu.be/DJeltMiTZXo?si=hOckpiRbQJACwsLJ
I am ridin' with Biden!, and I live in Australia and can’t vote. please unite behind this good man.
Thanks Robyn for your support. I live in Germany, but vote from Illinois. Can you please ask all Americans you know in Australia to join Democrats Abroad, or Vote from Abroad to get help voting in this election so that their ballots get to be counted. https://www.democratsabroad.org/
Also, please share this video from AOC. https://youtu.be/hKOYyEjLCHI?si=BEp6KI837zCGIhir
And still NO ONE, not even Biden himself, is mentioning his stuttering! It's a REAL HANDICAP, BUT DOES NOT AFFECT HIS INTELLIGENCE! And does any one remember that this was a point of contention back in 2020 as well! This needs to be brought out! So spread this around! https://niemanreports.org/articles/biden-stutter/
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
They are panicking and it shows.
This is painful to write, but it needs to be said. I share the general sentiment here that the campaign to sideline President Biden has been appalling and dishonorable. But we must also acknowledge the effect that it's had.
John Heilmann on "Morning Joe" today made a sobering point. Though the potential voters' polls remain close, a growing number (more than 75%) no longer believe that Mr. Biden has the physical and/or mental capacity to serve. While we may argue that this is the result of incessant pounding of the anti-Biden drum by media, or the arrogance of big donors, or the cowardice of Democratic leadership -- whatever . . . It doesn't matter. We need to recognize that it's probably true.
And once that impression has taken root, it's indelible. It won't change regardless of what President Biden does.
As we know, the polls continue to show a close race. But it shouldn't be this close. Before the debate, momentum was shifting in our favor. Now it's headed the other way, and there's little reason to expect that to change so long as our candidate is seen as growing weaker.
Difficult as it may be, those of us who've stood loyally by President Biden's side need to recognize that we're losing this battle, before we lose the war. Time is not on our side.
Kamala Harris can change the momentum, and make this an election about the future. A burst of Black Woman Energy can blast that foolish old fat man off the debate stage in September, and lead a Blue Wave in November!
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Because Dems continue to tear Biden down, rather than repeating all the positive points about Biden’s last 4 years. What’s wrong with Democrats, are they trying to lose in November? Get a backbone for God’s sake and support your President !!
I've been sending daily emails to my senator, Patty Murray, saying just that (though in different ways each day).
Ruth please share this with Patty Murray. AOC telling it like it is. https://youtu.be/hKOYyEjLCHI?si=BEp6KI837zCGIhir
Yes. They should be suspicious when they find themselves doing Trump and Putin's work for them. As far as I am concerned all of these Dems can go straight to the Trump campaign and join it. Better yet, join Tucker Carlson on going on tv in Russia and repeating what they are saying.
Tucker Carlson is a joke! He deserves to be in Russia and I hope he stays there!
Please share this with them. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/17/2255066/-AP-2-3-of-Dems-want-Biden-to-drop-out
And AOC speaking truth to power.
https://youtu.be/hKOYyEjLCHI?si=BEp6KI837zCGIhir
I would guess that neither Heilman nor you read this Daily Kos item dissects the so-called poll claiming that 2/3 of Americans want Biden to drop out. I call BS on that claim and on Heilman's "more than 75%".
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/17/2255111/-So-Two-Thirds-of-us-want-Biden-to-drop-out-Huh?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
Not sure where they get.these.figures or if they just don't pull them out of somewhere. Here in America, we want the very same figures back to finish the job they started for us to turn the mess around that donny dumpster fire and his band of merry criminals left for them and us. We are.intelligent enough to recognize the presidency is an entire package of competencies, not one person. The cult cannot see that.
YES! I’ve been posting this everywhere! We voted for the administration led by Joe Biden and we need to stick with him. He has a team around him who share our values and who want to see democracy prevail.
I don't know where John Heilmann's claim comes from. (The claim is that more than 75% of voters don't believe President Biden has the physical and/or mental capacity to serve.) But it sounds likely to me.
This isn't about polling the number who will vote one way or another, nor is it about polling the number who prefer one candidate or another. (We've all heard comments from various sources who assert that they'll vote for "Biden on a ventilator" or "Biden's head in a jar" or some version of that.) It's about what Mr. Heilmann calls "attribute numbers"-- that is, the number of voters who believe something about the candidate.
Assuming that most if not all Republicans believe President Biden is physically and/or mentally unfit, only 30% of Democrats and 30% of independents believing the same would establish that the 75% figure is pretty close to accurate. Why it's true is worth noting, but irrelevant at this point. It pains me to say it:
The unrelenting attacks on President Biden's fitness have been effective. And there is nothing he can do to counter the narrative.
We can blame whomever we wish to blame. It's unfair, and loyalty is a virtue to be valued. But denying reality (that the impression of unfitness has taken root) is never a good strategy. Continuing this battle after it's been lost is suicidal.
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That’s BS strictly to promote their own good media coverage. Those biased polls are not for the good of the Country !! I stand with Biden/Harris !!
I have and have been posting it. Sent it to the White House too. I have been saying I don't trust the polls all along, and when I questioned a NYT poll instead of publishing what I said, the editor wrote to me and defended it. I asked him for this exact data and then some like how did they get their participants. He did not respond. A few more encounters with these sh-- for brains NYT reporters who are half my age was enough. I have wisdom from life and I am not second guessing myself. Biden can win and I cannot say that about anyone else. I believe in him, and all those who are worried are because they have suddenly realized how high the stakes are. They should make themselves more familiar with Trump's message and attack that, not Biden.
I also don't believe those polls anyway, so ignore them. I believe they get bot respondents, and people who do not care for cyber safety. Who else responds to the polls they get online, or answers their phones when they don't recognize the calls? No one I know.
Agreed !!
I totally agree. There are some polls that are completely biased and misleading. And there are ways to frame the questions that will give the pollster the answers he was paid to get....so no, polls right now are just not reliable.
Yes. Here is AOC explaining why the polls are a waste of time and energy. https://youtu.be/hKOYyEjLCHI?si=BEp6KI837zCGIhir
But is she electable? I see comments (which are, of course, mainly opinions) that she’s not. Much better to elect the ticket we have, knowing she is there when needed. There are too many roadblocks to introducing someone new.
Scariest would be I think changing now and then regretting if we lost the country. I believe in the whole package, just as it is. Joe brings the elder statesman wisdom we so missed with the creature. Kamala the drive, and the rest of the team the force and collective experience.
I think it is too late to put someone else on the ballot as our candidate! We have Kamala as VP now and she will be after the election. If Joe becomes incapable of running the government, he can step down and she can take over. Right now, Democrats need to focus on the good things Biden has accomplished over the last 4 years. Trump cannot fight those things. He left the country in a mess but Joe straightened it out. Don't let trump get the power to really take over. Google Project 2025 and see what trump's goals are! He denies that he knows anything about it, but that is a lie. No surprise that trump is again caught in a lie!
She would be a really good president, but IMHO the only way to get her there is after Biden wins reelection and a year or two in decides to step down.
I just think there is too much misogyny and racism for her to get elected. Turns out her laugh makes people upset. Then they try to talk about her sexual past, then being a prosecutor... it never ends, it's always something.
Some good news I heard today but I don't have any backup on it - supposedly Florida women are tired of trump. Someone was polling them just don't know who. Fingers crossed.
Neita, here is AOC explaining why Biden-Harris is the ticket that we need to be backing. https://youtu.be/hKOYyEjLCHI?si=BEp6KI837zCGIhir
Don't watch those programs. I am surrounded by people working really hard to get Biden and Harris reelected as a team.
Biden has done so many good things during his presidency, but the emphasis is always on his age. Trump is only 3 years younger. No one mentions that! Trump is the worst at public speaking. They never mention that. He spews lies constantly, but they never mention that. Trump will use Project 2025 as his platform IF we are stupid enough to elect him. I am voting blue. Kamala would take over if Biden becomes unable to fulfill his duties! We need to vote as many democrats into office as we can. If Biden/Harris lose and trump takes over, at least we could have a democratic majority in the Senate and Congress. The republican majorities have stopped Biden from doing things as president. We owe trump the same fate. At least then some of his "plans" can be derailed!
Problem is that they can't just appoint Harris the winner. There will be a very messy open convention and some white guy may win the nomination which is going to stick in the craw of any black voter. And keeping Harris as the VP is an even greater insult. No, this is not going to go well.
I just read a blurb about FL women turning against trump. So there could be more hope out there than people acknowledge.
The conventions, especially the RNC, are Potemkin Villages. (Although the DNC will likely be a schist show.) There isn't any pushback, it's all smiles and handshakes. It's not real. So don't be fooled.
Vote for a woman for President ? Not very likely. Vote for a black women for President ? Not very likely at all.
Jerry, here is a video from AOC discussing this. Please watch it and understand what she is telling us. https://youtu.be/hKOYyEjLCHI?si=BEp6KI837zCGIhir
Also, disregard the polls. Biden just did a poll that actually used people door to door. From 100,000 people, 76 percent said they vote for Biden. Here is a Daily Koz discussion of the methods on a NORC poll. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/17/2255066/-AP-2-3-of-Dems-want-Biden-to-drop-out
Who responds to online polls anyway? No one I know. So, please see what AOC is saying and take it in. She is explaining the reality right now. As a woman that shares Kamala's skin color I am telling you the amount of sexist racists in the Democratic party is just as large as it was when Harris ran against Biden. So, you do the math. I live the experience each day, and I do not believe the US is even where most countries are that voted for a woman. We are behind and we are also embracing fascism and most of that is because Americans delude themselves into thinking not us, and it could not happen here, and we are more evolved. Maybe as a country, but not as individuals. Many are not evolved, and therefore believe AOC and what she is saying, and please adjust your energies accordingly. My family has people voting for Biden-Harris from age 19-93. We all support him in our various faiths and colors. I hope you do too. Biden-Harris is the blue wave we all need to ride, when we focus on the issues and not the topics the Russian bots want you to.
Thanks for the video link, Linda. Actually, I've already watched it. I really like AOC, and she was particularly charming in that post. (But she did get pretty repetitive after the first half-hour or so.) Her perspective provides a lot of insights worth considering, particularly on the legal issues Republicans are likely to raise even before the election.
I completely agree with you about polls. But my original comment on this thread is not poll-based. It's the informed opinion of an attentive observer, namely this:
There is undeniably a substantial portion of the electorate who consider President Biden to be physically and/or mentally incapable of serving four more years. Many of these are Democrats (though they will still vote for him). Even among Democrats who believe he is capable of serving, many believe he is incapable of winning, for the same reason. Among the latter are some of the most experienced and knowledgeable politicians in our party, including much of the leadership (Pelosi, Schumer, Jeffries, Raskin, Schiff, Murray, Lofgren).
Given the nature of Mr. Biden's perceived incapacity, that impression (fair or not) is likely to be indelible, and likely to become more wide-spread. Any sober analysis of electoral strategy must reflect this reality.
I am here as a messenger, not an advocate. Like you, I fully support President Biden and Kamala Harris. I would far prefer that this dispute had not arisen, or would have by now been resolved. But it has arisen, and after three weeks it demands a resolution. The longer it festers, the more harm will be done.
I don't really understand what you mean by "adjust your energies accordingly." Unless you're reading my Substack "Feathers of Hope" (JerryWeiss.substack.com), I doubt that you know how my energies are being directed.
While I can't conceptualize your daily experience as an American woman of color living in Germany, I think it's fair to conclude that Kamala Harris has a better sense of whether a mixed race female can be elected President of the United States. It certainly seems that she believes it's possible. So I'll defer to her judgement on that matter.
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🤬
Get with the Program, Folks! Flailing is Failing!!!
AND how I feel for Biden. He's got COVID. He's been beaten down and as an also-old person whose body doesn't work well, and who sometimes feels that my profession, served as long albeit very differently than his, would prefer I go away (I am a noodge on critical issues) it has to just feel awful. Still .. I am now one of those who knows that he can't get enthusiastic support to campaign. Oh what a year.
How do know he can't get enthusiastic support to campaign. Did you watch his energetic campaign speech at the NAACP national convention this past Monday? Despite probably already feeling effects of Covid infection. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-biden-speaks-at-naacp-event-commemorating-brown-v-board-anniversary
And he isn't sick enough to require hospitalization as was the case with Trump when he developed Covid.
How about his speech the day after the "debate", at a campaign rally in North Carolina? https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/28/politics/video/joe-biden-age-concerns-debate-donald-trump-digvid
He is always an underdog. He does well from there. I'm not counting him out. But I'm really pissed at Democratic elected leaders. And the pundits. They never complained when Reagan was absolutely lost. And trump's nuttiness they just brush off.
I wish that I could give you about 100 likes.
I am so tired of the media frenzy playing the “is he or isn’t he?” game. I am so tired of listening to Pelosi, and others, including Obama now question Biden’s decision to remain the Democratic nominee. Like you said, we are doing much more damage to ourselves than anyone else at this point. The minute the media started questioning Biden’s ability to remain the party nominee, the Democrats in Congress should have rallied their support for Biden and shut this BS down. Yet, once again, not only do these Dems sit on their hands and whine, there are those who call for an immediate withdrawal of Biden’s nomination.
I hear people purporting that showing loyalty to Biden after his debate debacle is mirroring the cultish, blind loyalty found in the followers of MAGA. This is just not true. Perspectively, remaining loyal to someone who has a bad, but understandable moment (due to illness and fatigue), is not blind loyalty. Biden’s debate failure was not due to his lack of ability to preside over our country, his lack of morals, his lack of knowledge, his lack of integrity, or any other lacking for that matter. I mean, he’s never been a great speech maker anyway with a few exceptions, like his most reason SOTUS.
Yet, few in the media have discussed these above reasons for Trump’s failures in his own speeches. I have just about given up watching any news these days, because the media’s callous and irresponsible handling of the facts concerning Trump and the MAGA party is sickening and dangerous.
The Republicans are calling for unity after Trump’s assassination attempt. The Democrats should have been calling for unity after Biden’s poor debate performance. Instead, we have created more division and chaos in our party by questioning Biden’s nomination. We’re helping to destroy our democracy right along with the MAGA party by weakening support for Biden across the country.
We all need to shut down the questioning rhetoric and get back to the only real goal: defeating Trump and saving America. Democrats need a little of that “Trumpian amnesia” it seems half the country is suffering from right now. Forget that debate for the love of all that is democracy!
And the reason it has been drawn out is because it gets readers and clicks. Never forget, the media is complicit in this mess.
Anyone who thinks the entire media isn’t anti-trump is the same as a QAnon person
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The media are not complicit in this mess. The media caused this mess.
I know. The fact that they have put this out in the public view is a shame, and exhausting, and looks bad. Decide amongst yourselves behind closed doors, and then let's focus on beating the evil demon.
100%
Exactly. The debate was devastating, especially after the State of the Union but he was obviously ill. Most of us only see him when he's televised. If those who are with him in person on a regular basis think he's losing his effectiveness they should have gone to him (and Jill) privately to express their concerns. Undercutting him publicly all but guarantees he would lose. I doubt any Democrats would vote for Trump. The bigger danger is that some would vote 3rd party or more likely just stay home. I'm very worried.
JoyLynn, I agree. What I saw was President Biden trying to remain presidential and answer knowledgeably the questions asked in the face of Trump, who did not answer the questions, but turned the evening into a Trump rally full of lies and his usual nonsensical word salad. I understand that even when his mic was turned off and Biden was speaking, Trump continued to yell at the president. It was not a debate.
The debate was no measure or insight as to what being a good leader means . Do we want total chaos, malevolent policies (aka Project 2025) and a president who lies every time he opens his mouth or one who takes his time to thoughtfully answer questions thoroughly and truthfully? The Congressional Democrats and donors have done no one a favor by stoking fear and division in those people who were/are invested in Biden and saving Democracy.
I feel they exhausted all options to address the issues behind closed doors and have been forced to do it openly.
For me, the debate was bad enough, but Biden's response had only solidified my fears. A blitz of live interviews and town halls could have demonstrated the debate was "just a bad night." Instead, retreating to his inner circle, safe venues, and only a few recorded friendly interviews says to me he's either unwilling or unable to demonstrate he is still on top of things physically and mentally.
It boggles my mind that the MAGAs think that Dems would be capable of both pulling off massive voter fraud and not blabbing their heads off about it during and after the event.
If you read Tim Alberta's piece in the Atlantic.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/trump-campain-election-2024-susie-wiles-chris-lacivita/678806/
or listen to Ezra Klein's latest podcast with Tim as the guest,
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/18/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-tim-alberta.html
you'd learn that Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita drew up the campaign strategy of depicting Biden as frail and weak and Dumpy as strong. (LaCivita invented the Swift Boating of John Kerry). After Republicans set the stage, and then Biden had the bad debate performance, Dems went all in solidfying the Republican game plan. Dems are doing the work for the Rs. It's insane.
I am very annoyed at Ezra Klein. Talk about butter wouldn't melt in his mouth as he bashes Biden pretending to be concerned. Klein wants to be a kingmaker. Prove he has clout. He's a jerk.
Exactly, and well said!
Agreed! I was somehow signed up for emails for Adam Schiff, and it was very satisfying to unsubscribe and tell them his messaging this week was the reason.
Me too! I really wish that Katie Porter had gotten that nomination.
I wish she had just run for reelection.
AOC's take on this last night was fantastic. Full (long) video here, no instagram account needed, just dismiss the nag windows:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9l41vgOAGj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
That is the most cogent explanation I've heard about the risks and what is really going on that I have heard. Thanks for the post
I've always had high regard for her but I've never just sat and listened to her talk for a long time like this. She's very eloquent while still having a remarkably relatable personality. She didn't sound like a politician. She sounded like a friend on Zoom or something.
Fight on, fight on behind our band of sisters.
Exactly! I am so disappointed in Schiff, Jeffries, and the like. We are three damn months from the biggest election since the damn civil war. UNIFY BEHIND OUR PRESIDENT!!!!
I just this minute received a fund-raising text from the JoeBiden campaign...and I donated for the third time this month...and have called (checks notes) the offices of the DNC, Schiff, Schumer & Jeffries with messages of how disappointed I am with their shameful whisper campaign to stab Joe in the back.
I also called the Capitol Hill switchboard, recited my most recent donations for President Biden and spoke of the enthusiasm of the support for President Biden that I see in the rank and file small-d dems. How DARE the upper echelons of the elected democrats push to negate my vote for Joe Biden and disenfranchise me.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/19/2255681/-Anonymous-Lies-Again-House-Minority-Leader-Jeffries-Says-He-s-Team-Biden-Harris?pm_campaign=trending&pm_source=sidebar&pm_medium=web
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/19/2255681/-Anonymous-Lies-Again-House-Minority-Leader-Jeffries-Says-He-s-Team-Biden-Harris?pm_campaign=trending&pm_source=sidebar&pm_medium=web
I can't help wondering how many of the others we're hearing anonymous claims that they believe Biden should step down are as false as the lie about Hakeem Jeffries.
I think Jeffries is still behind Biden. But who knows what goes on there.
It doesn't really matter what he said if we throw out the primary votes and 'choose' someone else because there will be a chunk of the electorate who will now have proof that votes don't count. What is going to stop that from being the go-to solution when another candidate isn't the perfect fit? Why aren't they talking about amendments capping age in the future and backing someone who is doing a great job?
You’re so right. Biden won the nomination. He was chosen by the voting public. Changing horses mid election only makes us look weak and indecisive; and sends the message that our votes don’t really matter in the end. Living in a deeply red state, this is the last thing I want to hear.
We will figure out how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, as is the custom in Democratic politics.
What really infuriates me is the Never Trumpers who are whipping the dead horse, and that causes the pundit class to say we need to eject Biden (and what they don't really say is that it can't be harris, because uh, she's a "she" and she's black". No we need some white lightning candidate to rouse the loins of the center left wads of **** that all helped us get Trump in the first place.
Call your own MOCs if they are democrats, and call Schumer regardless and tell his office people that you are calling him as the Majority leader to call him out.
I have, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as well.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/19/2255681/-Anonymous-Lies-Again-House-Minority-Leader-Jeffries-Says-He-s-Team-Biden-Harris?pm_campaign=trending&pm_source=sidebar&pm_medium=web
Great! But he's the Minority Leader; he need to get the house in order.
Get with the Program, Folks! Flailing is Failing!!!
No they're not. Biden is refusing to gracefully remove himself from the race. Biden's a doer who works hard at his job. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet grappled with the fact that his age is preventing him from working long and hard, which his kind of presidency requires. It took me a few years to grapple with my old age (84). But I've reconciled that now. Biden will figure it out.
Joseph in Fairport, NY
Yes, they are. They are doing more damage to the ticket than the debate ever did.
You did what was right for you, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. He's doing the job of President right now, and doing a damn fine job of it. Do you think he's doing a bad job?
Doing the job of president is vastly different than campaigning for an election and he's doing both of those right now while TFG is failing &/or failed at both.
At least he TRIES. Unlike trump with his "executive time." Did you LOOK at his schedule just before that fundraiser Clooney is so depressed about? I'd like to see Clooney do better.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-146526431
Biden not only tries, he does!!
Joseph Fleischman What do you define as "long and hard"? How do you know he isn't working "long and hard"?
You think back-to-back trips to Europe for commemoration of D-Day then the G-7 meeting is easy. Followed close on by the NATO summit in Washington DC? Just because you, at 84, may not have the energy and will to work as hard as Biden does, doesn't automatically translate as he's as limited as you may be at your own age.
He's busy running the country plus campaigning. That takes a lot of energy and he's doing it. His failure at ONE so-called debate does not represent who he is and what he is still capable of doing. If you had watched or listened to his campaign speech in NC the day after the debate, or his speech recently at the NAACP convention, you would have experienced an energetic and fired-up candidate.
Judith, you're also right to say that my experiences at old age may not be relevant to Biden's. People are different. But we have ample evidence that he is being impacted by his advanced age. He says that he had a bad night at the debate, suggesting that it was an anomaly, and that may be the case. But this really shouldn't be about whether he's fit enough, which is what we're discussing. It should be about whether we can beat Trump and the MAGA GOP in November, and if so, how. And we don't have much time to get it on with a new campaign.
Joseph in Fairport, NY
Hi Judith,
I misspoke. Thanks for the correction. I meant to say that now, after he works hard and long, he can't think on his feet like he used to. He loses his train of thought more easily than he used to.
Yes, he does OK when he has a teleprompter, but not when he's on the fly.
That all said, I think that the image that the debate left on the public will not disappear. And the most important thing isn't that Biden gets elected in November, it's that Trump loses in November. We can't let Trump win..
You may think that keeping Biden on the ticket will accomplish that. I think otherwise.
Joseph in Fairport, NY
The problem with the teleprompter use was during the debate - he should have insisted on speaking extemporaneously just as he did at the two campaign rallies I cite above - North Carolina the day after the debate and last Monday at the NAACP convention. One can easily tell the difference between reading from a teleprompter and speaking extemporaneously.
As for "thinking on one's feet", yes, I've noticed that from time to time. It's no different than when I had multiple thoughts crowding my mind. But, in reality, the president's job doesn't (or rarely) requires thinking on the fly. It requires the ability to reason through a multiplicity of aspects of an issue before coming to a conclusion.
Agreed, we cannot let Trump win. And the debate experience will not soon leave people's minds. But there's so much more to Biden, both before and since, that convince me that he has what it takes to continue in the presidency. This drumbeat from his own side of the aisle is tremendously harmful and is setting us up for a loss. My consolation is that so many people - men and women - care about personal reproductive freedom plus more and more are learning about Project 2025. Pretty amazing when internet search stats place that subject higher than searches about Taylor Swift.
I agree with everything you just said, except I thought that there were no teleprompters during the debate and that there were teleprompters at Biden's rallies. I may be wrong about that. But I certainly noted that Biden was not reading from a teleprompter during the debate -- he was mostly looking at Trump and had a sour look on his face -- not good.
Of course, the other disagreement that we have, which is the bottom line, is that I think we have a better chance of beating Trump if Biden drops out right away, and, although I'm first mentioning it now, if the delegates don't dissolve into chaos if and when Biden leaves the race. It needs to be a smooth transition to Harris, and on the first ballot.
Joseph in Fairport, NY
You have it in reverse. There was a teleprompter during the debate and it was obvious to me that Biden was reading from it, speaking too rapidly and trying to fit too much in during the allotted time. In my opinion, it was the fault of the "handlers" who insisted on keeping Biden to a script; admittedly, I didn't watch the whole thing because I was out when it was live and tuned in for the rerun once I returned home, in time to hear MSNBC pundits panning his 'performance'.
There were no teleprompters for either the "day after" rally in NC or the NAACP speech this past Monday, and Biden's style of speaking made that obvious to me.
https://abc7.com/post/joe-biden-speech-live-president-holds-campaign-rally/15008700/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-biden-speaks-at-naacp-event-commemorating-brown-v-board-anniversary
Unless you want the next administration to be the Nazi regime, you better support Joe Biden, too late to switch horses midstream !!!
You replied to my “reply”. This is just to apologize to you, sir. No- I (obvi) did not note when you 1st posted this. My bad, absolutely.
It's okay, I'm excited now too! 😊
I have been wondering whether these Democratic party members have gone a bit crazy realizing they are on Trump's hit list, knowing what Hitler did to the people on his. Instead of tanking the one chance they have to not empower Trump, they have been doing the opposite. They are so scared they are getting frantic and thinking crazy thoughts. I wish they would shut up and sit down. I never saw Trump winning given his policies, and my belief that we can get them out there. I did not see Biden's speech so was shocked at the response from the press, to call for him to step down. Why some dems give the NYT that much power when it is known that the Oligarch owner has it in for Biden, because Biden did not do his bidding. He wanted to show Biden and everyone else his Putinlike power. Idiot that he is with his ego. These super wealthy owners, and the journalists apparently live insular lives. Did they not realize that by empowering Trump they hasten the likelihood that they will be on the hit list. I have not had any faith in the press. Apparently they all have hidden homes in other countries, or they don't realize what happens to the press in a fascist regime!
Where have you been the last 36 or so hours? Ive never seen the Dems more organized or single-minded.
Where have I been? Did you see when I posted that? Two days before Biden left the race.
Anything else?
This palace coup must end
He was the worst president. He is a convicted criminal. He incited an insurrection because he was too ashamed to admit he lost the election by EIGHT MILLION votes, and he stole national security secrets and refused to give them back. At any other time he would already be in jail, but the fascist party controls the courts. So he MUST be beaten at all costs.
Yes! Yes! And Hell yes! I have started asking magas this question, “So if he had raped your wife/mother/daughter/niece/etc in a dressing room, would you still be voting for him? He was convicted of rape.” That seems to shut them up. I know it won’t change their rabid simple minds, but it’s a nice way to shut them up temporarily.
So Lisa, before reading this post I just happened to have watched a short video of a Shakespeare’s Henry V St. Crispin speech and it references “band of brothers.” Watching what is happening I know this election is a battle where it will be won by a band of sisters. I have fallen into the rear of the ranks of this band of sisters knowing for the sake of women and all humanity brothers must support their sisters who are at the point of the spear.
I always ask “ what did he do for you? What policy did he pass that benefited you?” I have yet to receive an answer.
"Project 2025", will hurt most dumb-as-dirt MAGAts quite badly, along with all the usual suspects, ... our civil rights, women, LGBTQ, education, the environment, the economy, NATO, our allies ... and pretty much anyone who isn't white and christian. The only happy ones will be Putin, the oligarchs, and the most rabid fascist christians
Well if you do get answers it's actually policy that he didn't pass. Or it's "his economy" which I always shoot down as "he never built an economy, he inherited a damn strong economy which Obama built". Which they say isn't true ("the economy sucked under Obama" SMH) but I know it's true :)
I just get blank stares.
There is that too. I mean most don't think for themselves LOL
Even before he was elected I asked a similar question because of the Hollywood Access tape. As far as I was concerend, a vote for Trump was an insult to and disrespectful towards your grandmother, mother, sister, wife, daughter, granddaughter, essentially saying thwy don't matter as much as XYZ.
yep. I will fully admit to not being keen on Hillary and went into the polls very conflicted. But it was that tape plus my gut feeling that the hate would't be contained if he were elected that threw my vote to Hillary. I have never regretted it nor has my mind ever been changed about him.
Allow me to share one of the more disturbing things I encountered before the orange turd was elected in 2016. After the Access Hollywood tape release, I talked to my sister about him and brought that up as just one of the reasons he is not a suitable candidate for the office. Her response was to tell me it was "locker room talk" that parrots what she has most likely heard from Fox. She is 17 years older than me and is part of a church that is highly conservative. She has expressed her views on a woman's place more times than I want to say. I always leave feeling sick and feel like my nerve endings are on fire or certainly in motion, as if an electric current is running through my body. I decided to express my thoughts more forcefully about the subject the next time she said something. She's all about how the man is always the head of everything, and a wife must submit and do as he says. It is sickening. Her husband died in 2005. When they married, I was a small child, so he was always in my memories, like another big brother. He didn't give off that type of energy and never said anything or acted like a misogynist or a chauvinist. Never. She "had" to join his church after they married, and she went full bore into it, and he didn't even go most of the time.
Hi, that is so interesting that it was your sister who jumped on board with the women's place stuff. Do you think she was insecure or unconfident of being able to support herself or be on her own? When the whole MeToo thing started, it got me thinking about my life, my childhood, and my reactions to things. I started realizing how much mysogyny there was all around me, in my family. And there was this culture of being less than men. It was subtle, very subtle. But it was there and it affected me in relationships with men. I've been on my own for a long time and can't sy I've evr met a man I would want to be married to, not that there aren't plenty of good ones out there, but I'm pretty sensitive to the masculinity stuff, which I think has never benefitted anyone. It must be so hard to see your sister and hear her opinions. The "locker room" mentality, or "boys will be boys" or "acting like a teenage boy" is so toxic IMO. And not good for boys to hear, it either outs them down or encourages them to behave badly. Ay-yi-yi.
I don't think she was worried about supporting herself or managing after he died. She worked for many years in education. She has a retirement account, social security, and the policy he left her. Plus, her two daughters both live in a suburb of Dallas, and she moved down there after the youngest one was due to have twins. She was going to be greatly needed. She was in Oklahoma before that. She became involved with her things and friends and has helped both daughters with their children. They all live close to one another, and she seems to be doing well. I think what makes her feel this way is what I call good ol' evangelical brainwashing. They did a number on her. She is a contradiction, though. Her views are different on various subjects.
So interesting, especially considering she wasn't at home, barefoot, etc. It's just so hard for me to understand how people can let Trump off the hook with all of the very many bad things he has done and said. I guess there is a lot that many people don't even know about because they don't read and/or only watch limited news sources. That "locker room" talk is so damaging and it shows a lack of awareness of what other people's lives are like, IMO. That there ARE women/girls/boys who are in trouble because of this mentality. It's not about punishing Trump, it's about the effects of what he says on others lives. Of course Trump only sees everything according to how it affects him.
My BIL for an extended period of time became ultra religious. This was after they were already married. He went to that same kind of church, women had their place. I come from a long line of very strong women, my great grandmother came here on a boat alone with 2 babies in tow as her husband decided not to go with her. Women never had
"place" in our family. So my sister was never on board with the misogynistic ideals of his church. She was actually the bread winner for a long time yet church women would say "you are quitting your job when the baby is born right?" When she was pregnant. She never caved to the ways of the church, she refused to attend. He eventually moved on to a different church, thank goodness. Still boggles my mind how there are still these ideals being instilled by these religious zealots, and so many young women being taught this from birth.
And this is the short list.
Yeah, I was too lazy to type out all of his long history of shameless grift, lies and criminal behavior. It's just too depressing and appalling
I agree that Trump must be beaten. Keep in mind that Biden only won by 43,000 votes in three states. If Trump had won those states, Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin, the Electoral College would have been tied at 269. Can Biden increase that vote margin? Can Trump pick up those 43k votes in those states or more?
But has Trump picked up any voters since then? My sense is that there are more who wouldn’t vote for him again after having lived through the daily sh*t show that made up his time in office.
Especially women. This is the first time women have lost personal bodily autonomy. It’s still shocking that the fascist SCOTUS majority killed 50 years of precedent with such a blatantly ridiculous judgement. Now we have women (and girls!!) dying preventable deaths in red states because the fascist christians want it that way. No self respecting woman can vote for these clowns. and neither should men. I kinda suspect (hope and pray really) that there’s more than a few nominally republican women who haven’t forgotten or forgiven what the fascist republicans have already done, or what they say they will do if re-elected. Vote them ALL out!
I don't know if he has, and of course, we'll find out in November. And it is still a long time until then, too. My point is that 43,000 votes is not that much, and the Electoral College is what wins that office. We'll see how it all shakes out.
unfortunately the fascists have a built-in advantage in both the electoral college and in the senate, e.g. winner take all electoral votes in heavily gerrymandered red states. California (with 40 million people) has only the same number of senators as Wyoming (with less than 600 thousand people).
Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary by 3 million, but still won the electoral college because of these red state advantages. Democrats need to win by more than 3 million and maybe as much as 6-8 million to overcome that. They CAN still win, but only if they get their thumbs out of their asses and vote in enough numbers. Democrats are their own worst enemies.
Totally agree. My anxiety level is through the roof these days. Can I make it until November??😬
Yes you can. Breathe.
Right, it'll be too close. But I guess we're willing to take that chance If he stays in and has another bad "episode" then we're doomed and he will solely be to blame.
Yeppers! Between Hulk Hogan, ear bandages, and Trump, it looked like Idiocracy had come to life in real time. Kind of frightening in its own way, but when the DNC rolls around, the difference to people who don't pay close attention to politics will be clear.
Project 2025 is 900 pages long, but we all know people who will be affected by some piece of it.
Let that person know the ONE piece of it that will hurt them. If you're in a Facebook (or other) group, focus on the one part of Project 2025 that will affect that group.
This SHOULD be an easy win. We need to think not about how we are on our heels and falling backward, but how we can win states like Texas, which has a high urban voter count. We win Texas, and the election is over before midnight. Let's get off the back of our heels and charge ahead.
One prime nugget from Project 2025 is this one, copied here from last night’s Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
“On page 592, there is a proposal that permits employers to avoid paying overtime to employees who work more than a 40 hour work week. They can do that by cutting your hours in subsequent weeks and not paying overtime if they can keep you under 40 hours a week spread across a two or four week period.”
I’ve been reading parts of Project 2025 for months but I missed this one and it will hit home for anyone who works an hourly job and at least occasionally relies on overtime pay to get ahead or even just get by. This Ken is well worth sharing to those it could affect.
Thanks. It's important to include page numbers! I wish I had mentioned that, but there it is, saying it now.
I have a small but dedicated following on Medium. I'm considering starting a Project 2025 publication there. Time is always a challenge, but we have to win, or I'll be running out of time in ways I don't want to consider.
I have been and continue to do just that - take pieces of P2025 and highlight for those in my industry. Others to are doing short snappy pieces w/ the page numbers. Robert Reich has excelled at that and they are shareable.
Here is the link to the horrific Project 2025, read it, share it. It is scary AF and trump's tiny grubby fingers are all over it.
https://www.project2025.org/policy/
Here are slightly more digestible (than 900+ pages) summaries to share:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/07/03/project-2025-trump-us-government/
I refuse to got to the Project 2025 website itself. I've no doubt that they count each connection as positive, and could even be capturing IP addresses. I'm not usually given to conspiracy beliefs but these guys are terrifying.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I tried to explain project 2025 to my MAGA son. He just laughed. Even when I showed him 2 ways it would hurt him. Again he laughed. I hate my ex husband for flipping my son from a reasonable Democrat to a MAGA Republican.
Wow. How does that even happen? How old is your son, if you don't mind me asking?
In general, though, I don't expect to convert MAGA Republicans. It's everyone else, especially people who aren't aligned to anything more than their wallets when they vote.
My son isn’t a wealthy man. He’s 44 and does good. He’s conservative with his money. But his dad had so much influence over him 8 years ago when Trump game along. Makes me sick.
Very sad, sorry for that. This one man has ruined so many families this way.
He has. I have so many friends and my family members that I don’t speak to anymore. My husband’s whole family is MAGA. But my son hurts the most. He works so hard and accepts any overtime he can get. I tried to explain how project 2025 would allow his employer an out to paying overtime. He just said you can’t believe what’s on the internet. I explained that it’s in the Republican platform. I even sent him a PDF and gave him page numbers. Still laughed.
His wife is a minority and therefore my granddaughter. What’s in their future? She is a democrat and honestly I’m not sure how she lives with him.
That's another odd characteristic of the MAGA phenomenon. Vance is an adherent of the white replacement theory, but so many families are now mixed in some way. Whatever they're afraid of has already happened.
I remember being in a medium sized Texas city couple years ago and walking around its downtown streets during a big outdoor festival. The crowd looked like it had poured out of the United Nations building. That was when I first thought, "Whatever people in *my* general demographic are afraid of, it's happened, and we are better for it." Who wants to live in Stepford?
* "Stepford Wives" reference
Also, I'm sorry about your son. That must be difficult.
You hit the head on the Idiocracy reference. That movie should be re-released so we can all appreciate it again after real time events!
Who knew back in the MTV days that Mike Judge of all people would nail our future so poignantly and exactly that we must force ourselves to reconcile that this same man created Beavis and Butthead...
Oh, actually now that I'm writing it out, it makes perfect sense.
So is the media falling all over themselves with shock and horror over what a horrible performance Trump's was, showing clips over and over and talking about how he should drop out (be defeated) because he's obviously brain damaged to the point where he can't run a country, like they did over Biden's debate performance?
THANK YOU. And of course not - or not in the same way. Not that he's clearly too old and can't talk with any sense.
Honestly it's been 8 years of horrible performances, hate talk, rambling, made up words. I think the media seriously blows it off because "It's trump". It's not right, it's just so indicitive of what is expected from him. I think it would be more news worthy if he stood up and gave a good, coherent speech because he's pretty much incapable. And Biden gives very few poor performances, but we all know he's not the first nor will he be the last to do so. He was sick, trump was making it hard to concentrate, let's just call it what it is.
The Ds need to hang Project 2025 all over him. It's the details, stupid. Make sure every American understands what P 2025 will do TO them. It will change the way we live our lives for the worse.
100%! Every voter needs to understand that Trump = P2025 by November
This is who Trump is. If he has to stick to a script, if he can’t just talk nonstop about whatever pops into his head, what’s the point of living? It’s also why he confesses to his crimes, and why he’ll be proudly endorsing Project 2025 by November.
In Trump’s cosmology, “Unity” means “Shut up and do what I say.” Yet another page taken from the domestic abuser’s playbook: “YOU’RE the one causing the problems.”
I haven't read "Agenda 47" or whatever it's called, but I've seen enough people comment about it that it sounds like the same thing as Project 2025, just not 900 pages.
Also, perfect comp to domestic abuser. He's sort of the national abuser in chief. Part of the relief of him losing will be that he will no longer be around to trigger people, because he'll be in prison.
In Agenda 47, there is no reference to Trump's SCROTUS appointees overturning Roe vs Wade and no reference to the fact that he has called (and Vance has as well) for a nationwide ban on abortion. I don't know whether they have outlined the destruction of the Dept of Education and their plans for that in Agenda 47.
There is a host of other (unpopular) things that appear in Project 2025 that have been deliberately left out or left as vague "goals", but yes, it is true, Trump's tiny, dirty fingerprints are all over both Project 2025 AND Agenda 47.
They won't be able to get around Project 2025. Too late. It's out in the wild. I bet there'd be a lot of internal dissension at Heritage if they tried to take it down, too. There were a lot of people involved in "writing" that.
I don't think that the Republicans would admit at this point to "wanting" a national abortion ban, but they have decided to put themselves behind a "fetal personhood" law. By passing legislation giving a fetus the same protections we enjoy as living beings would make abortion "murder" and thereby eliminating abortion and some birth control because people could be charged accordingly. Should a woman have a miscarriage, she could be charged with murder. They're just changing the "packaging" of a national abortion ban 😒
Not that the semantic differences will matter much to a woman who dies in the Emergency Room of an ectopic pregnancy. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and lays duck eggs then it's a darned duck.
So we all hope and pray!
Quite the paradox - even when he's gracious, he's gratuitous.
I don't want to hear any more talk about replacing Biden. Let's hunker down and vote our guy back into office!
Please--do yourself a favor and read today's "The Fucking News" letter: TODAY, WE ARE ALL JOE BIDEN. It is superb.
I have tried searching this from every angle and can't find it. Would love to read it!
https://thefuckingnews.substack.com/
It's a good read but I disagree with this:
"Biden stepping aside would be so unprecedented, so historic, that it would render beyond the pale even the thought of Trump trying to stay on after his term. Biden’s departure would stand as a towering monument to the principle that no one is greater than the office. Trump would have to govern in that shadow. No, not for most MAGA, but for most of us."
If this is saying that trump would reconsider staying after his term because Biden stepped down, or that his party would recommend it, that's never going to happen. trump will just see Biden as "weak and old" and Project 2025 will remain in full force. And even "trump would have to govern in that shadow" yes but he doesn't care. It will still be about besting Biden, about "putting Biden away for his crimes". in trump world nothing will change. If Biden does step down, all of his supporters need to double down on support for whomever takes his spot. And we will absolutely need to get any of those on the fence about Biden to also strongly support the next candidate. Him stepping down for the betterment of this country needs to mean trump still needs to lose at any cost!
absolutely right! And that juxtaposition the piece quote shows is not part of reality.
thank you for the link!
Please Democrats unite behind Biden NOW! You yourselves have made this an UPHILL battle! Thank you Jay for your piece, I’m getting really anxious with Obama, Pelosi, Schiff and Schumer echoing the legacy news’ drumbeat! It’s so painful to watch!
100%!
Once again Dems are loosing the election with negativity and self inflicted wounds. Many of these are the same big named Dems who pushed for Hillary aver Joe as the candidate in 2016.
And that went so well, didn't it.
It's a good thing tfg gave our side a boost last night with his insane speech (please take a moment to compare Biden's "campaign ending" performance in the debate) as our Democrat leaders sure aren't helping.
Just vote blue up and down,whoever is running.
💙🌊💙🌊💙
As always Jay thank you for your breakdown of an insane speech pouring out of the mouth of a convicted felon. Time to Unite and get that blue wave going!
Gotta make Trump Fatigue a thing! #TrumpFatigue
So apparently, based on his own false description of the immigrant wave, his wall didn't work...he has said multiple times that he finished it (which also isn't true but isn't why it didn't work) but that is the response that those false claims should be met with " So your wall is a failure ". Vote 💙 all the way!
I’d love to see his response to that. But no one ever pushes back with him.
Exactly, they are afraid of being put in a “list” so they fail to call out his BS, his horrid administration only put three policies into play; tax breaks for the richest, separation of families via caging of kids and building a wall that doesn't work. It makes me furious when people say they like his policies and that was before the Project 2025. Every teachers Union and federal employees Union should be conveying a ‘your jobs are in jeopardy’ message ahead of this election, every Union, for that matter.
The Democrats need to learn these two cliches: "You don't change horses in mid-stream," and "you don't turn on your own."
Heather Cox Richardson recently pointed out that the last time a Democratic presidential candidate bowed out **after the primaries** was LBJ. Nixon won in a landslide when the Democrats failed to rally behind DNC appointed Hubert Humphrey. That was 1968.
Anybody else see the symmetries to that year and this?
If Biden has issues, well so did Ronald Reagan. Biden has a great cabinet which can easily continue to run the country. If he happens to become incapacitated in a 2nd term, Harris *will* become President, the cabinet will pretty much remain the same, and she can name a Veep. If nothing happens to Biden and he continues to implement policy as he has since his term began, we are better off.
Democrats need to loose their pearl-clutching panic over one bad debate. I do realize it is somewhat of a tradition (said tongue in cheek) for Dems to do this, but they have to stop and put their nose to the grandstone for a far greater prize, viz., victory in November.
Then TFG gets sentenced by Merchan, E. Jean Carroll can pursue collection, Chutkan can move on with her case, and Cannon can be removed and that case could go forward.
I'm not feeling that people are getting this at all.
☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼ALL OF THIS☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼
I agree - the current Administration is filled with top notch people and they have been working together for o 3
The NYT thinks Trump has a “challenge with discipline”. He will, if elected, control our nuclear arsenal as well.
Trump's "challenges" are with a good many issues more serious than "discipline".
Media AND elected Democrats keep pushing the Biden-should-step-down narrative. We need to unite behind him or risk another 45 presidency. Our division only helps the opposition.
Didn’t watch a minute of Trump’s speech and it looks like my decision was wise. 93 minutes is too long for even the best speaker, much less a lying, self-absorbed windbag like Trump.
I made the mistake of turning on the tv about 9 pm Pacific Time, hoping it was all over already, and caught maybe 10-15 seconds of tfg's idiotic claims before I turned the tv off for the night.
Will he EVER lose that fecking bandage on his ear? Or will he continue to sport it through Election Day like it's part of his signature dress? Love how many of his cult turned up at the RNC also wearing the damned thing on their ears...oy vey.
BTW, Josh Marshall at TPM has been on the actual cause of tRump's ear injury, and the case for flying debris - caused by the gunfire - grazing the ear looks more and more plausible. But of course that conflicts with the Orange Son of God's claim of "whizzing bullets", and nobody wants to get into a dustup with him or his campaign by proving otherwise. Just more myth-making for his cult followers.
I’ve heard it referred to as the second Shroud of Turin. I’m surprised they weren’t able to engineer a magical leakage of blood from it during the speech.
Oh, man, that's absolutely brilliant!
"....second Shroud of Turin..." 😂😂😂😂😂!
😂
My theory was there was a monitor in there to keep him connected, à la St Ronnie. Last night shot that theory all to hell. Since his keepers will not even release the medical report, could be there's no there, there.