Today the New York Times published my comment on an article about President Biden:
I wish I could make myself believe otherwise. I wish I could believe he is fine, a bit older but otherwise unchanged. Yes, people age differently, but he seems a lot more than four months my senior.
I thought at least he could read a teleprompter, but I’m sure the teleprompter did not say “battle box.” And even if it did, wouldn’t most people have caught that on the fly? He said it twice and never blinked.
Let’s assume for the moment that he just doesn’t do well with prepared speeches, etc., but that behind the scenes his mind is still as sharp as ever. He just muddles his speaking sometimes. No big deal, he’s always been gaffe-prone. But what if he misspeaks while talking to a foreign leader, with klaxons sounding and missiles flying, when there won’t be time for corrections or careful analysis and follow-up. What about the infamous 3 am phone call?
Most of my concern existed before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, when a shooter missed by a hair and instantly created a GOP hero — a man who got to his feet, blood on his face, and pumped his fist while shouting “Fight! Fight!” (I confess I thought at the time that he was shouting F-bombs. Such is my opinion of the former president.) The MAGA Republicans and their Agenda 2025 were bad enough before. Now they have a hero, a martyr, bandage and all.
Worse, Trump has chosen J.D. Vance to be his vice president. I don’t know anything about Vance but he sounds like a staunch far-right MAGA type. Young, ambitious, and opportunistic …
The problem now, of course, is that everyone seems to think that if/when Biden steps aside, the new nominee will be Kamala Harris, someone I decided I didn’t like even before she became vice president. She with shifting positions and a notable lack of foreign policy experience.
Of course I’ll vote against Trump. Even if it means voting for Harris. (After all, I voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.) But I would so much prefer voting for Gretchen Whitmer, Corey Booker, Gavin Newsom, Adam Kinzinger, Marc Kelly, Michael Bennet, etc., etc., etc.
Biden has said only a “medical condition” would convince him to leave the race. Hmm. Much about aging is or could be considered a medical condition.
And then, just announced this afternoon … Biden has covid.
Stay tuned.
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Image: Getty Images
I was wondering if this may offer a doorway out for him. love him but we need to win, and for the good of the country and democracy, it’s the best thing he could do right now
I wonder the same thing. I don’t know who would be more likely to win, but the Dems need to nominate the strongest possible candidate and he just doesn’t look like that person anymore.
Yes
The Dems lost the race as soon as Biden announced running again. Now “he who must not be named” is a martyr and going to be very hard to beat. Sadly, he just needs to admit defeat and step aside for a long shot candidate that might be able to take on MAGA.
Sad, just sad. I fear for this nation.
And the clock is ticking. There’s precious little (and perhaps not enough) time to launch a new candidate/campaign. I think the bullet that grazed Trump’s ear was likely fatal to the Democrats’ chances in November.
Sadly, there’s a high likelihood there.
I’m angry that Biden doesn’t have enough sense to step aside, or that the people closest to him keep telling him he’s OK. I feel like I’m watching an oncoming train wreck. It’s not a good feeling.
It feels like a giant wall of darkness rushing toward me, like an Arizona haboob. Dark, suffocating, and unstoppable.
You said it very well. I’m not at all sure it’s too late for a charismatic Democrat to win it, emphasis on the charisma part. Politics has turned into a reality tv game and celebrity-worship.
Make that CHARISMATIC. That’s what it will take. And I’m not at all sure there is such a person. Whatever politics has become, it’s not for the good of the country. It’s become just one long nightmare.
johnthecook…I agree that whatever politics has become in AMERICA, it has become a “nightmare”. We are in a clear and present danger (America). For what it’s worth, we as a Nation can choose to sin, but we cannot choose the consequence of our actions because that is out of our hands. From what I can observe, there is no “CHARISMATIC” person on the horizon ready to be elected as President of the USA.
Sadly, I have to agree with you. I see no charismatic person sitting around waiting to be nominated. A well-planned campaign could make a difference but I’m not expecting anything like that. Not enough time.
Agree, Biden has to go. I fault Democratic Party leaders for cynically supporting Biden’s preposterous claim that he is up to the job. They grasp at that straw while ignoring the greater truth: whether or not he can, or even does, win reelection, responsible political leaders should never even CONSIDER nominating a person in Biden’s sad condition because it entails so clear a risk of disaster. The argument that there is no mechanism for dumping Biden just doesn’t wash.
I suspect his devoted family is still telling him what he wants to hear. And of course he figures they know him better than anyone.
I think I heard someplace that he has to personally release his delegates before they can vote for anybody else. All I know for sure is that if something is going to be done, it needs to have been done yesterday.
Of course he could resign right now and that would automatically make Harris the president. But I don’t know how or if that changes the fact that the delegates, chosen by the voters in their states, are currently pledged to Biden.
So you believe the “assassination attempt” ? It’s total bullshit.
I’m not going to go into any details other than to say – how could an elderly man POSSIBLY get to his feet and shout, pumping his fist, after a bullet had “grazed” his ear ? He would be in total shock – emotional and physical, still be lying there until an ambulance came to take him away. There’s a shitload of evidence around the Web to discredit this “attempt”, Colorado.
I’ve got to disagree with you this time. I’m not into “evidence around the web.” I believe what I saw. And to me it looked like the bullet just grazed the upper part of his earlobe. Physically he’s never acted particularly elderly (certainly not like Biden) and there were at least three or four Secret Service personnel there helping him to his feet.
It occurred to me that it would have been an interesting plot for a marksman to graze him that way, thus making him some sort of hero or martyr. But I don’t think any marksman is that good when the target is moving. He’s sure taking advantage of it, however. That bandage may be on his ear for months!
Certainly that kid, Crooks, was not the experienced marksman you’d have chosen for a planned “near miss.” Two of his friends actually said he was a terrible shot.
This is not too far fetched.
Remember, we’re dealing with a con man here. We don’t know that’s the object that struck his ear was even a bullet. It could have been instead of a traditional lead bullet.
Merely a small piece of paraffin design to break the skin, wherever it hit without any internal damage. And it required no stitches. How likely is that?
It could have been, yes. But it would still have taken a superior marksman which, by all accounts, Crooks was not. However it happened, Trump certainly played it to the hilt. I’m surprised he isn’t still wearing a conspicuous white bandage.
It even occurred to me that Trump might not have been grazed at all, but that he somehow managed to dribble some blood on his ear after he ducked down. But the doctors, of course, could have determined immediately whether his ear had taken any damage.
Obviously we all think highly of the man’s honesty … /s
The plot thickens. The FBI has concluded that the wound is not typical of that caused by a 5.56 mm round with a muzzle velocity of over 3200 foot per second. A terrible marksman firing a non-lethal round could succeed in the assassination ruse regardless of the impact location. M*akebelieve A*ssassination G*one A*wry
Beyond the FBI confirming that the bullet came from the shooter’s weapon, I haven’t heard anything. Was the guy using weird ammunition or something?
I was thinking that the situation was like needing to take away an elderly person’s car keys. There is a point where the decision needs to be made for that person, and they can’t be trusted to make it for themselves. Now he has pulled out (thank heavens) and people are still mentioning that some people were backers to the end. I am glad that he has secured his legacy and can now finish his presidency focusing on important issues, and even more importantly, he can use all of his influence to help democrats win elections, but I’m a little sad that there is a complete denial that he has aged and at some point, biology wins.
I’ve started reading Project 2025 online (https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24088042-project-2025s-mandate-for-leadership-the-conservative-promise) and my hair is already on fire even though I’ve only gotten through a few pages of the first chapter. This is horrific!! Imprison teachers for teaching banned books. Divorce needs to be curtailed and traditional family units must be emphasized and encouraged by governmental policy. The attacks on transgender people are right at the top. I’m pretty sure that the abortion ban is in there, but I suspect that limits on contraception are going to pop up soon. Is this stuff for real? J.D. Vance getting selected for VP makes me think that it is.
I was okay with Biden until the debate. And watching him then was horrifying. No amount of “jet lag” or “not feeling well” could explain what I saw. Plus it kicked off a lot of introspection, self-examination, and great dis-ease, wondering if I’ll be like that soon. I’ve reduced my driving on my own, but I’m still hanging on to my keys.
As for reading Project 2025, for me it was enough to read some opinions, quotes, and summaries from respected sources. Trump’s ravings are bad enough but when they get codified in a party document of intent … It’s enough to keep you up at night.
Then Trump names a Mini-Me as his vice president to ensure the horror will continue after he’s served his second term.
I was concerned and somewhat angry with Biden before the debate; afterwards I felt like you did. There was no way I could unsee what I saw; he clearly was not fit to serve another four years in office.