Chuck, the conundrum is that I believe VP Harris as the replacement engenders an amplified anti-female (patriarchy), anti-black (well, you know) backlash from the conservative body politic that galvanizes them and ensures Trump's return to the White House. In light of the egregious SCOTUS decision, the political hellscape that awaits with the monarch weaponizing his position for personal and political vendettas is more than a little troubling.
I was there. Neither JFK nor RFK could have done for Civil rights what LBJ did. One the other fronts, Vietnam War, other issues, I am not certain. But, like Biden, LBJ KNEW the structure and workings of Congress BOTH sides of the aisles. JKF had very good ideas/ideals about a powerful, united USA, but like Obama, his overall knowledge of the people he was working with could NOT garner the Congressional backing her needed to get those laws passed. (That is the main reason JFK held this nose and selected LBJ as his VP ... he did NOT like him nor respect him.)
Biden is aware of ALL of this. He sees the hand off of the far-right in all of this. Trump is really just the evil, non-principled, ignorant "individual" that they need to mobilize a vicious cult to drink his kool-aid and move their agenda forward. But, he is savvy enough to steadily line his own pockets as he does their work.
In my opinion, Biden really had no plans to run for a second term. What for? He had satisfied his lifelong, political career goal at the top of the rung, while saving the Country from Trump. (The Dem problem was basically forcing him to select a Black Female (female period ... the country had shown they were not ready for this.)
At this point, no Dem up there has the political knowledge, integrity and character if Joe Biden. I REALLY hate he was put in the position of having to try to save the nation a second time, but NOBODY else can be prepped at this late date. The Dems have got to stop fumbling around on the checker board while the Repubs are playing chess. With a divided Dem Party, what do the Repubs have to worry about ???
This is the time for EVERY Dem in a leadership position to stand with Biden and have his back, front, sides, whatever. The NATION needs him to win. And he should NOT have to fight the doggone Party, Plus the Repubs/MAGA's.
Get OFF the checkerboard and get into the chess game. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
So Biden is still losing support from Democratic and Independent voters who won’t vote at all or will vote for RFK Jr rather than Trump gaining support. These single issue simple minded voters are willing to punish Biden, America be damned…
Yeah...I just saw a new headline on the NY Times site where apparently the President is considering stepping aside. The decision to stay or go is fraught either way, I just know which party I DON'T want to see in the Oval Office in January.
"Who beside the sitting president would give us a better chance at winning in November?"
At this point, the current VP would lessen the chance of a Democratic win for all of the reasons mentioned by Theo Stallworth. The governors mentioned may present better options, but only slightly better due to the time factor for campaigning.
IMO, this is a situation where the Democratic powers-that-be placed all of their eggs in one basket knowing this basket had a weak handle. Now it's even weaker and the eggs are in danger of falling due to the basket breaking.
Is there another basket left to save the day?
Maybe Project 2025 becomes the talking point and helps the the other guys' eggs to fall first.
While watching Biden’s Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, field questions during her daily press briefing yesterday and today, it occurred to me that Biden could simply hold a press conference, answer questions and put this story to bed. The fact that he hasn’t implies that there is a legitimate fear in his camp that he could struggle again, further damaging his candidacy.
As I write this, the President is speaking at a Medal of Honor ceremony. Let’s pray he performs well and that his interview on Friday with ABC will quell concerns of his capacities.
Agreed. Sit him at his desk at the Oval Office, turn the cameras on, and let him address these concerns. That it hasn't happened is telling, as you say!
The election of 1968 was of course helped by the repub dirty tricksters but also by the left wing rioters at the convention. McCarthy, Kennedy had much more time than a new candidate now. Then we have , as always, those purity people who can not see the big picture. As far as Joe being a narcisist, I am of the opinion that you don't get to be president without that charactetistic, maybe Jimmy Carter had the least amount. As I saw quoted yesterday , Republicans get in line, Dems have to fall in love. The repubs are salivating over this. But her emails!
I’ve listened to the audio recordings of President Johnson’s phone calls during this time. He was genuinely tortured by the deaths of American soldiers. President Kennedy may have agonized over the “conflict” as well. President Johnson was blustery and stubborn and not perfect, but from his childhood, he was used to sacrifice. This was cemented when he taught in a rural school of mostly dirt poor Mexican American students.
Believe me he had hubris with a capital H, but that softened with age.
President Biden’s has not.
I’ve always disliked conceit. It is selfish. Biden is a good guy, but he is narcissistic. For Pete’s, he got hair implants around the time Sinatra did! No one else was doing that!
You are not the messiah, Joe.
I think it’s probably too late, but I’m angry that this and the lust for power of those surrounding him is screwing those of us desperate to stop Trump.
Thanks for weighing in and yes, you're right, the Oval Office can be a lonely and inordinately stressful work space for those blessed to be called POTUS. Like you, I derive great joy listening to those old phone calls and interviews! They remind me that the past isn't really the past, like William Faulkner wrote so long ago...
As good as this article is, the one graphic showing wounded Americans saying that Tet 68 was in February, it actually started at 0200 hours on the morning of 30 January! I know because I was there almost at the end of my first tour in Vietnam. I was in Kontum and by the time I left to start the trip home on 1 February, it was over in the Kontum area, though there was still fighting in other areas for a longer time, most notably in Hue and Khe Sanh.
Chuck, the conundrum is that I believe VP Harris as the replacement engenders an amplified anti-female (patriarchy), anti-black (well, you know) backlash from the conservative body politic that galvanizes them and ensures Trump's return to the White House. In light of the egregious SCOTUS decision, the political hellscape that awaits with the monarch weaponizing his position for personal and political vendettas is more than a little troubling.
I totally agree! I wish that such wasn't so, but there's still a lot of anti-woman backlash swirling around in these United States.
I was there. Neither JFK nor RFK could have done for Civil rights what LBJ did. One the other fronts, Vietnam War, other issues, I am not certain. But, like Biden, LBJ KNEW the structure and workings of Congress BOTH sides of the aisles. JKF had very good ideas/ideals about a powerful, united USA, but like Obama, his overall knowledge of the people he was working with could NOT garner the Congressional backing her needed to get those laws passed. (That is the main reason JFK held this nose and selected LBJ as his VP ... he did NOT like him nor respect him.)
Biden is aware of ALL of this. He sees the hand off of the far-right in all of this. Trump is really just the evil, non-principled, ignorant "individual" that they need to mobilize a vicious cult to drink his kool-aid and move their agenda forward. But, he is savvy enough to steadily line his own pockets as he does their work.
In my opinion, Biden really had no plans to run for a second term. What for? He had satisfied his lifelong, political career goal at the top of the rung, while saving the Country from Trump. (The Dem problem was basically forcing him to select a Black Female (female period ... the country had shown they were not ready for this.)
At this point, no Dem up there has the political knowledge, integrity and character if Joe Biden. I REALLY hate he was put in the position of having to try to save the nation a second time, but NOBODY else can be prepped at this late date. The Dems have got to stop fumbling around on the checker board while the Repubs are playing chess. With a divided Dem Party, what do the Repubs have to worry about ???
This is the time for EVERY Dem in a leadership position to stand with Biden and have his back, front, sides, whatever. The NATION needs him to win. And he should NOT have to fight the doggone Party, Plus the Repubs/MAGA's.
Get OFF the checkerboard and get into the chess game. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
So Biden is still losing support from Democratic and Independent voters who won’t vote at all or will vote for RFK Jr rather than Trump gaining support. These single issue simple minded voters are willing to punish Biden, America be damned…
Yeah...I just saw a new headline on the NY Times site where apparently the President is considering stepping aside. The decision to stay or go is fraught either way, I just know which party I DON'T want to see in the Oval Office in January.
I would ask the simple question for the DNC:
"Who beside the sitting president would give us a better chance at winning in November?"
At this point, the current VP would lessen the chance of a Democratic win for all of the reasons mentioned by Theo Stallworth. The governors mentioned may present better options, but only slightly better due to the time factor for campaigning.
IMO, this is a situation where the Democratic powers-that-be placed all of their eggs in one basket knowing this basket had a weak handle. Now it's even weaker and the eggs are in danger of falling due to the basket breaking.
Is there another basket left to save the day?
Maybe Project 2025 becomes the talking point and helps the the other guys' eggs to fall first.
Maybe...
Great points!
While watching Biden’s Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, field questions during her daily press briefing yesterday and today, it occurred to me that Biden could simply hold a press conference, answer questions and put this story to bed. The fact that he hasn’t implies that there is a legitimate fear in his camp that he could struggle again, further damaging his candidacy.
As I write this, the President is speaking at a Medal of Honor ceremony. Let’s pray he performs well and that his interview on Friday with ABC will quell concerns of his capacities.
Agreed. Sit him at his desk at the Oval Office, turn the cameras on, and let him address these concerns. That it hasn't happened is telling, as you say!
The election of 1968 was of course helped by the repub dirty tricksters but also by the left wing rioters at the convention. McCarthy, Kennedy had much more time than a new candidate now. Then we have , as always, those purity people who can not see the big picture. As far as Joe being a narcisist, I am of the opinion that you don't get to be president without that charactetistic, maybe Jimmy Carter had the least amount. As I saw quoted yesterday , Republicans get in line, Dems have to fall in love. The repubs are salivating over this. But her emails!
Very true!
I’ve listened to the audio recordings of President Johnson’s phone calls during this time. He was genuinely tortured by the deaths of American soldiers. President Kennedy may have agonized over the “conflict” as well. President Johnson was blustery and stubborn and not perfect, but from his childhood, he was used to sacrifice. This was cemented when he taught in a rural school of mostly dirt poor Mexican American students.
Believe me he had hubris with a capital H, but that softened with age.
President Biden’s has not.
I’ve always disliked conceit. It is selfish. Biden is a good guy, but he is narcissistic. For Pete’s, he got hair implants around the time Sinatra did! No one else was doing that!
You are not the messiah, Joe.
I think it’s probably too late, but I’m angry that this and the lust for power of those surrounding him is screwing those of us desperate to stop Trump.
Thanks for weighing in and yes, you're right, the Oval Office can be a lonely and inordinately stressful work space for those blessed to be called POTUS. Like you, I derive great joy listening to those old phone calls and interviews! They remind me that the past isn't really the past, like William Faulkner wrote so long ago...
As good as this article is, the one graphic showing wounded Americans saying that Tet 68 was in February, it actually started at 0200 hours on the morning of 30 January! I know because I was there almost at the end of my first tour in Vietnam. I was in Kontum and by the time I left to start the trip home on 1 February, it was over in the Kontum area, though there was still fighting in other areas for a longer time, most notably in Hue and Khe Sanh.
Thank you.