I like Biden and think he's done a solid job as President.
The issue for his campaign is there is no excuse that will overcome what everyone clearly watched: he is older and was unable to keep up in the debate. Whether it was an isolated incident or not (and I doubt it was an isolated incident), this was Biden's biggest hurdle to overcome with voters, and instead he put an exclamation point on the issue. He *needed* to change the momentum of the election, as he had been slightly trailing Trump in the pools, he clearly did not do that.
I would just add that I thought Biden would knock it out of the park in the debate: I assumed the attacks on his age and cognitive abilities were overblown, and that he would perform like he did in the State of the Union. Good Lord, we even had appetizers and drinks to watch what I thought would be a total smack down of Trump. It was a tough night.
I just want the Democratic Party to make a decision. This flip-flopping on the “why” of Biden’s optics failure in the debate is not helpful to the ultimate goal, keeping Donald J Trump out of the White House. Stop the Monday-morning quarterbacking, select the candidates, Joe Biden or whomever,and let’s move forward with a campaign. Every day spent on this useless backstabbing and prognosticating just brings Trump another day closer to the White House.
I’m not buying it and I doubt that many others are, either. We are THISMUCH closer to a second Trump presidency, and that would be a disaster for the country.
A lot has been written/spoken/broadcast on why Biden did so poorly. I get it. And it's important. But it's now been almost a week. And since then, the world has changed. After the disastrous SCOTUS ruling has brought Trump even closer to getting his way and closer to his second term. And , IMHO, that's a more frightening prospect than an older president stumbling over a few words and looking "frozen" (frankly, to me, at least, Biden's gaping mouth wasn't so much his inability to think, but just the absolute shock from the flood of lies coming from Trump's mouth). Here's what we should focus on: A major part of Trump's next administration will be putting into place people who will do his bidding, a band of sycophants who will try to enact Trump's wishes. THEY will be the ones who will run the government, because Trump knows squat how to run anything. He'll just be the figurehead. In Biden's case he has accomplished so much during his term because he has some incredible people enacting his policies. THEY are the people working to get things done. Biden has surrounded himself with good people. And will continue to do so. Yes, he may stutter and make his classic gaffs, but he still knows how to run a government and get things done. And get the right people to get thing done. Experience counts. He will be a more powerful and POSITIVE figurehead. And he's a stubborn guy. He ain't dropping out. Period. So, let's move on from debating why Biden did so poorly in his one-on-one and focus on who can actually get the job done. And how to combat a liar and a cheat, who, if he got into the Oval Office again, could possibly eliminate people and the press on a whim (or from an upset stomach from a bad chicken nugget ;-)...)
It's only an overwhelming topic if you perpetuate it. WHY is the "why" important? The explanation is very uninteresting. He's been this doddering old man for four years. It was good enough to kick Trump out justifably then, why not now? I realize rehashing eight years of crazy is boring... but quit normalizing Trump.
It's really that simple. There are 2 parts of the presidency. BOTH are equally important.
First winning.
Second, governing.
We have reached a point with Biden where a substantial number of uncommitted voters are not going to take a chance on Joe after that debate performance. Many of US, die-hards we are, do not feel he has the ability to take control at EVERY second of the day.
So all his great deeds aside, if he can't win, he can't be the president.
"declined signifcantly" - please illustrate? He was doddering then slightly more doddering now. I've yet to hear of a plan that has a democratic winner if you transition this late in the election process. Apparently everyone's amensia is worse than Joe's when they forget why they put him there in the first place and THAT situation has only gotten worse vis-a-vis abortion, the courts, and the threats made.
There is logic to your comments.Yes, Joe remains vastly superior to Trump. Yes, he was arguably too old to ever try to run again. But it's important to be realistic about the dynamics of the campaign. The early debate was set by the Biden campaign b/c he was down in the polls and the early date was intended to give him the chance to dispel concerns about his ability to govern. Instead , he arguably cemented them. There is no easy answer. My opinion is that a new ticket - along with the latest SCOTUS outrage, the Heritage President's declaration of war, and Trump's daily insanity- can re-energize Ds and woo swing voters. But reasonable minds can disagree about the best path forward.
Yeah, that's not the case. Both campaigns did it because they got nothing from the presidential commission and the CPD want to hold them later AFTER mail in ballots started. This wasn't about polls. Neither side benefits from debates generally. Personally, I think Biden should be holding a weekly press conference on the subjects that are relevant. He has the bully pulpit and can more easily control the outcomes to appear presidential. We have a SHORT SHORT SHORT memory any more. If he looks even a modicum good and can keep reminding people what the implications of MAGA is.... it would be just as solid as as a midstream change... WITHOUT that bully pulpit. I have seen the Harris scenarios... I am afraid we would see a repeat of 2016 if they force her in BEFORE the election no matter how it is done.
Well, my understanding it different from yours based on reporting at the time re Biden's decision to challenge Trump when he did and to set an early date. But regardless of the intent, the opportunity to dispel concerns was there, and he failed. Biden has an excellent record. But he has been unable to use the bully pulpit for his entire term. It wasn't just the debate. I watched in sadness as he read - weakly- from a teleprompter trying to sell his Gaza war peace plan. I think a new ticket - particularly Whitmer and Shapiro ( who won big in swing states)- could energize Ds and woo swing voters. Harris might do fine too. But I don't know anyone in my immediate circle who thinks Biden can turn the tide, and the polls cut the same way. If he stays in, as it appears he will, I'll vote for him and hope I'm wrong about the outcome.
For someone who is already going to vote for President Biden, yes. For undecideds/independents, no. That is the problem. Odds are good that if you follow Chris' Substack, you are aware politically. However, there are millions of people across the country whose only contact with the election will be that debate, or maybe the next one. We all saw what we saw and no amount of spin or denial is going to change that. And, I write this as someone who would sooner vote for a potted plant than ever cast a ballot for The Donald.
Biden looked bad, but did you hear the other guy!!!!
Hammer on what he said. Not just the lies, but the bad mouthing of America, the leaning towards Putin, the tax breaks for the richest, the ending of regulation, ending of abortion rights.
^^^ This. Also, hey not only did he lie, but he rarely answered a question even when it WASN't a lie. We have allowed the normalization of Trump behavior.
Well said. I’m frustrated with folks saying there’s just no one else. This is unprecedented. If the POTUS is just an avatar of the policies then why did Trump get anywhere near the oval? Optics UNFORTUNATELY matter to the lower informed voter.
First, it was cold, then it was that he over prepared, then it was jet lag. Which is it?. Could it be all of the sbove?. President Biden had a very very bad debate, no doubt about that. It's important to know if this is just a one of thing or a bigger problem. The other IMPORTANT question to ask is why does Trump lie so much? Chris can you please dig into too?
Trump is like a professional wrestling match. Everyone knows it’s a lie but they don’t care. I think it should be a disqualification but others don’t. It’s baked into the cake
But the Biden White House is continuing to lie about his cognitive decline. He shouldn’t run again at minimum and a case could be made for him resigning now
Trump’s a malignant narcissist and a criminal. It’s been extensively reported on. I had thought Biden might drop out in March, there were people predicting he would in January. This is Bernie all over again. Men refuse to give up anything for women and women will defeat Trump, focus on SCOTUS etc etc
I really believe Friday is the day where we will get some further clarity on this when he does his interview with George Stephanopolous. Similar to the debate, he will know the questions that are coming, he just won't have an active adversary and we will see how much he struggles then.
I will say that a lot of us commenting here are political junkies, but when I have talked to people here in my home state of Indiana (which admittedly was never in the mix for Biden this year) who are not political junkies, I hear people talking about the debate (and I am not bringing it up). And the thing they are saying is not, WOW! Trump lied a lot! Even my 88 year old Grandmother in law, unsolicited said to me, Did you see Biden in the debate. He's just too old.
I think they need to find a way to gracefully have him bow out as the candidate, pass the torch (using his metaphor) to Kamala (totally agree with you Chris that this is probably the most likely choice) and then save his fiery speech to unite Dems behind her at the convention.
I thought the same thing when I heard the jet lag “explanation.” Yesterday on podcast, I heard that his staff said he’s “good” from 10-4. The indirect reference to “sundowning ,” isn’t helpful, either.
As a person very familiar with Parkinson’s Disease, I found it interesting that the fact that Biden’s doctor specifically said that he doesn’t have PD was curious. It certainly is this first that comes to mind when I see his slow, shuffling gait.
His gait is explained by rapid progression of arthritis in his ankles and feet. That was reported (I think) 2 years ago? When he got spotted limping off of AF1.
That the gait makes people like you suspect Parkinson's is precisely why his doctor would make an explicit point to rule it out.
In Biden speak 1) explaining is losing 2) only one chance to get the message across 3) assuming Biden had shown this condition last summer , this “weekend with Bernie campaign strategy” is crazy. 4) see # 3. These same advisors are reported to NOW weighing in on the next steps 5) Strategy going forward excludes democratic leaders?. There are some very bright minds being side-stepped. Yet, one of the current advisors is Hunter. Nothing against Hunter, but if he is now recovered and capable of making good decisions, he failed by understanding the tainted optics of his counsel.
I WAS voting for Biden. Now, I am voting against Trump.
Biden has done really well in a most turbulent time. It is ironic that he failed to do what I thought his presidency was mostly about.
This country and its ideas were not launched with the victory in the Revolutionary as much as when George Washington bowed out of the presidency.
Indeed, he suggested it was a one and done and they blew it. But the alternative options coming out don't seem to be playing well. A better the "Biden you know" than the Dem you don't approach.
As a retired Flight Attendant… studies show it can take 1-2 days for each time zone crossed. So 12 days may be excessive… he was for the most part crossing 6-8 time zones
These are just more of the same lies! Cheap fakes & deep fakes, none of it is reality just more lies. Excuses are a sign of weakness and boy o boy are the Ds throwing them out now!
He’s toast. It’s coming up on the 50th anniversary (August 7 1974) when 3 Republican leaders (Goldwater, Rhodes, Scott) went to the White House to tell Nixon the votes were there to impeach and convict. He quit the next day. The Dems have less than 6 weeks to find a gentle way to deliver a similar message to JB using the “Julius Caesar” (everyone together) method
I like Biden and think he's done a solid job as President.
The issue for his campaign is there is no excuse that will overcome what everyone clearly watched: he is older and was unable to keep up in the debate. Whether it was an isolated incident or not (and I doubt it was an isolated incident), this was Biden's biggest hurdle to overcome with voters, and instead he put an exclamation point on the issue. He *needed* to change the momentum of the election, as he had been slightly trailing Trump in the pools, he clearly did not do that.
I would just add that I thought Biden would knock it out of the park in the debate: I assumed the attacks on his age and cognitive abilities were overblown, and that he would perform like he did in the State of the Union. Good Lord, we even had appetizers and drinks to watch what I thought would be a total smack down of Trump. It was a tough night.
Exactly.
I just want the Democratic Party to make a decision. This flip-flopping on the “why” of Biden’s optics failure in the debate is not helpful to the ultimate goal, keeping Donald J Trump out of the White House. Stop the Monday-morning quarterbacking, select the candidates, Joe Biden or whomever,and let’s move forward with a campaign. Every day spent on this useless backstabbing and prognosticating just brings Trump another day closer to the White House.
Agree 💯!
I’m not buying it and I doubt that many others are, either. We are THISMUCH closer to a second Trump presidency, and that would be a disaster for the country.
Agree.
A lot has been written/spoken/broadcast on why Biden did so poorly. I get it. And it's important. But it's now been almost a week. And since then, the world has changed. After the disastrous SCOTUS ruling has brought Trump even closer to getting his way and closer to his second term. And , IMHO, that's a more frightening prospect than an older president stumbling over a few words and looking "frozen" (frankly, to me, at least, Biden's gaping mouth wasn't so much his inability to think, but just the absolute shock from the flood of lies coming from Trump's mouth). Here's what we should focus on: A major part of Trump's next administration will be putting into place people who will do his bidding, a band of sycophants who will try to enact Trump's wishes. THEY will be the ones who will run the government, because Trump knows squat how to run anything. He'll just be the figurehead. In Biden's case he has accomplished so much during his term because he has some incredible people enacting his policies. THEY are the people working to get things done. Biden has surrounded himself with good people. And will continue to do so. Yes, he may stutter and make his classic gaffs, but he still knows how to run a government and get things done. And get the right people to get thing done. Experience counts. He will be a more powerful and POSITIVE figurehead. And he's a stubborn guy. He ain't dropping out. Period. So, let's move on from debating why Biden did so poorly in his one-on-one and focus on who can actually get the job done. And how to combat a liar and a cheat, who, if he got into the Oval Office again, could possibly eliminate people and the press on a whim (or from an upset stomach from a bad chicken nugget ;-)...)
It's only an overwhelming topic if you perpetuate it. WHY is the "why" important? The explanation is very uninteresting. He's been this doddering old man for four years. It was good enough to kick Trump out justifably then, why not now? I realize rehashing eight years of crazy is boring... but quit normalizing Trump.
Q. why not now?
A. because now, he has declined significantly.
It's really that simple. There are 2 parts of the presidency. BOTH are equally important.
First winning.
Second, governing.
We have reached a point with Biden where a substantial number of uncommitted voters are not going to take a chance on Joe after that debate performance. Many of US, die-hards we are, do not feel he has the ability to take control at EVERY second of the day.
So all his great deeds aside, if he can't win, he can't be the president.
"declined signifcantly" - please illustrate? He was doddering then slightly more doddering now. I've yet to hear of a plan that has a democratic winner if you transition this late in the election process. Apparently everyone's amensia is worse than Joe's when they forget why they put him there in the first place and THAT situation has only gotten worse vis-a-vis abortion, the courts, and the threats made.
There is logic to your comments.Yes, Joe remains vastly superior to Trump. Yes, he was arguably too old to ever try to run again. But it's important to be realistic about the dynamics of the campaign. The early debate was set by the Biden campaign b/c he was down in the polls and the early date was intended to give him the chance to dispel concerns about his ability to govern. Instead , he arguably cemented them. There is no easy answer. My opinion is that a new ticket - along with the latest SCOTUS outrage, the Heritage President's declaration of war, and Trump's daily insanity- can re-energize Ds and woo swing voters. But reasonable minds can disagree about the best path forward.
Yeah, that's not the case. Both campaigns did it because they got nothing from the presidential commission and the CPD want to hold them later AFTER mail in ballots started. This wasn't about polls. Neither side benefits from debates generally. Personally, I think Biden should be holding a weekly press conference on the subjects that are relevant. He has the bully pulpit and can more easily control the outcomes to appear presidential. We have a SHORT SHORT SHORT memory any more. If he looks even a modicum good and can keep reminding people what the implications of MAGA is.... it would be just as solid as as a midstream change... WITHOUT that bully pulpit. I have seen the Harris scenarios... I am afraid we would see a repeat of 2016 if they force her in BEFORE the election no matter how it is done.
Well, my understanding it different from yours based on reporting at the time re Biden's decision to challenge Trump when he did and to set an early date. But regardless of the intent, the opportunity to dispel concerns was there, and he failed. Biden has an excellent record. But he has been unable to use the bully pulpit for his entire term. It wasn't just the debate. I watched in sadness as he read - weakly- from a teleprompter trying to sell his Gaza war peace plan. I think a new ticket - particularly Whitmer and Shapiro ( who won big in swing states)- could energize Ds and woo swing voters. Harris might do fine too. But I don't know anyone in my immediate circle who thinks Biden can turn the tide, and the polls cut the same way. If he stays in, as it appears he will, I'll vote for him and hope I'm wrong about the outcome.
Do you realize a week ago we were criticizing Trump for setting the bar too low for Biden?
But unfortunately less than a week ago Biden didn't even clear the lowest of the low bar.
Th other guy lied and bad mouthed the country and plans to choose Putin over our NATO.
The Supreme Court is breaking the country.
I get it, Biden’s debate performance is a very low hanging fruit for a pundit to pick, but you gotta do better.
The reality is that there is no better democratic candidate. The election is for a team and a party.
Show some outrage for what is happening.
The fight is real. The fight is ahead of us.
The debate is already old news.
For someone who is already going to vote for President Biden, yes. For undecideds/independents, no. That is the problem. Odds are good that if you follow Chris' Substack, you are aware politically. However, there are millions of people across the country whose only contact with the election will be that debate, or maybe the next one. We all saw what we saw and no amount of spin or denial is going to change that. And, I write this as someone who would sooner vote for a potted plant than ever cast a ballot for The Donald.
Here is what the take away from the debate is.
Biden looked bad, but did you hear the other guy!!!!
Hammer on what he said. Not just the lies, but the bad mouthing of America, the leaning towards Putin, the tax breaks for the richest, the ending of regulation, ending of abortion rights.
^^^ This. Also, hey not only did he lie, but he rarely answered a question even when it WASN't a lie. We have allowed the normalization of Trump behavior.
Well said. I’m frustrated with folks saying there’s just no one else. This is unprecedented. If the POTUS is just an avatar of the policies then why did Trump get anywhere near the oval? Optics UNFORTUNATELY matter to the lower informed voter.
First, it was cold, then it was that he over prepared, then it was jet lag. Which is it?. Could it be all of the sbove?. President Biden had a very very bad debate, no doubt about that. It's important to know if this is just a one of thing or a bigger problem. The other IMPORTANT question to ask is why does Trump lie so much? Chris can you please dig into too?
Trump is like a professional wrestling match. Everyone knows it’s a lie but they don’t care. I think it should be a disqualification but others don’t. It’s baked into the cake
But the Biden White House is continuing to lie about his cognitive decline. He shouldn’t run again at minimum and a case could be made for him resigning now
Read the transcript.
Trump’s a malignant narcissist and a criminal. It’s been extensively reported on. I had thought Biden might drop out in March, there were people predicting he would in January. This is Bernie all over again. Men refuse to give up anything for women and women will defeat Trump, focus on SCOTUS etc etc
I really believe Friday is the day where we will get some further clarity on this when he does his interview with George Stephanopolous. Similar to the debate, he will know the questions that are coming, he just won't have an active adversary and we will see how much he struggles then.
I will say that a lot of us commenting here are political junkies, but when I have talked to people here in my home state of Indiana (which admittedly was never in the mix for Biden this year) who are not political junkies, I hear people talking about the debate (and I am not bringing it up). And the thing they are saying is not, WOW! Trump lied a lot! Even my 88 year old Grandmother in law, unsolicited said to me, Did you see Biden in the debate. He's just too old.
I think they need to find a way to gracefully have him bow out as the candidate, pass the torch (using his metaphor) to Kamala (totally agree with you Chris that this is probably the most likely choice) and then save his fiery speech to unite Dems behind her at the convention.
None of the explanations are working for the Biden campaign.
I thought the same thing when I heard the jet lag “explanation.” Yesterday on podcast, I heard that his staff said he’s “good” from 10-4. The indirect reference to “sundowning ,” isn’t helpful, either.
As a person very familiar with Parkinson’s Disease, I found it interesting that the fact that Biden’s doctor specifically said that he doesn’t have PD was curious. It certainly is this first that comes to mind when I see his slow, shuffling gait.
His gait is explained by rapid progression of arthritis in his ankles and feet. That was reported (I think) 2 years ago? When he got spotted limping off of AF1.
That the gait makes people like you suspect Parkinson's is precisely why his doctor would make an explicit point to rule it out.
According to his Doctor, he( Biden) also has alkalosis of his Spine which will very much explain his Gait.
In Biden speak 1) explaining is losing 2) only one chance to get the message across 3) assuming Biden had shown this condition last summer , this “weekend with Bernie campaign strategy” is crazy. 4) see # 3. These same advisors are reported to NOW weighing in on the next steps 5) Strategy going forward excludes democratic leaders?. There are some very bright minds being side-stepped. Yet, one of the current advisors is Hunter. Nothing against Hunter, but if he is now recovered and capable of making good decisions, he failed by understanding the tainted optics of his counsel.
I WAS voting for Biden. Now, I am voting against Trump.
Biden has done really well in a most turbulent time. It is ironic that he failed to do what I thought his presidency was mostly about.
This country and its ideas were not launched with the victory in the Revolutionary as much as when George Washington bowed out of the presidency.
"I WAS voting for Biden. Now, I am voting against Trump"
This EXACTLY. And a crying emoji.
Indeed, he suggested it was a one and done and they blew it. But the alternative options coming out don't seem to be playing well. A better the "Biden you know" than the Dem you don't approach.
As a retired Flight Attendant… studies show it can take 1-2 days for each time zone crossed. So 12 days may be excessive… he was for the most part crossing 6-8 time zones
I really enjoy the morning videos
These are just more of the same lies! Cheap fakes & deep fakes, none of it is reality just more lies. Excuses are a sign of weakness and boy o boy are the Ds throwing them out now!
He’s toast. It’s coming up on the 50th anniversary (August 7 1974) when 3 Republican leaders (Goldwater, Rhodes, Scott) went to the White House to tell Nixon the votes were there to impeach and convict. He quit the next day. The Dems have less than 6 weeks to find a gentle way to deliver a similar message to JB using the “Julius Caesar” (everyone together) method
Please. He was tired, Bozo.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLXtHU_HGXs
When I hear Bozo.
Ah yes, a classic Seinfeld! Also his bit elsewhere in that episode about “Bozo the district attorney “ 😆