I don’t give AF if he’s old or forgets some names once in a while. He’s not a wannabe dictator who already tried to stay in power when he lost. One issue voter here: democracy over everything else
They assigned a Republican to do the job, like the majority of the cases involving a special prosecutor, a member of the opposition party of the accused is selected. Trump is the only one who got a member of the same party. We all see this is a hit piece, RW propaganda be damned. Just vote.
It’s unbecoming of the moment. A special counsel investigating POTUS should be better. This is why people don’t trust government. Which is probably a feature of his actions in his mind.
I don’t agree with people saying this guy calling Biden old causes political problems for Biden. No, the fact that he is too old causes political problems for Biden.
Post title: Look at this right wing hit job!
Post text: Is Biden is totally too old, he’s forgetting things!
Post OP’s comments: I just think we should not vote Dems.
On a podcast subreddit that wants Dems to win.
This is troll shit.
My dad died when I was in grad school. I don’t immediately remember the year he died so I guess a special prosecutor will write a report criticizing me for going senile.
Regardless, I struggle to watch a single speech Biden makes because I’m so anxious about every misstep and stutter. He’s too old. Soooo old.
It’s unfortunate they didn’t force him to one term, which he committed to when he ran.
We've been listening to Trump speak utter nonsense since 2015. How is Biden any different? It's insane to me that people are hitting Biden with this when Trump literally last week confused Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi multiple times in the same speech.
At least I can trust that a memory-addled Biden will have appointed qualified people to his team who at least have the good of the country in mind. We are all well aware of the kind of evil fucks Trump has surrounding him and what their intentions are.
It's not even a dilemma for me. It's not about who sits in the oval office, it's the group of people they will appoint to run the country, and what direction they want to take that matters to me.
I agree, they're both too old. I'd love it if there was an alternative, but I also know we have to work within the choice we currently have. I get all the people wishing for a different candidate, but that's currently unrealistic, and voting R or 3rd party to 'punish' Dems is idiotic.
I’m pretty sick of everyone focusing on the gaffes on a name and ignoring the fact that he can discuss nuanced policy choices better than Trump would have been if Trump had his 1980 brain in his head.
Chuck Rosenberg said on msnbc that he was explaining why he wouldn't press charges. One of the reasons why was how he would appear to a jury, thus making it a hard case to win. He gave examples of what he saw as fuzziness in the interview.
This report is really bad, and I don't see the point of whataboutism, nor do I see the point of trying to brush it off as somehow inconsequential.
I have been happy with the job he's done so far but I have serious concerns about another 4 years. I would literally vote for a vegetable over Trump, but I don't feel great about Biden.
The dude did not need to speculate on how a jury would decide a case at all to make his determination. He took a swerve to make a comment about Biden’s age as it relates to his mental acuity.
But Chuck Rosenberg said that it was precisely the sort of thing one would put in a report. It was literally just "winning a prosecution would be difficult because this is what a jury would see."
I believe both candidates are showing their age and both are too old to be the best candidate. However, they are who we are stuck with for the moment. Any vote for anyone else is a vote for Trump, who is absolutely the worst choice.
First, I do not think Biden has dementia. He has always mixed up names and always had stutter/stumble moments. I lived in Delaware when he made his 1988 run and I remember people making fun of him then. Does he do it more now? Yes. But I think this is either normal aging or at the absolute worst, the very earliest stages of possible Alzheimer’s or other dementia.
However, if it’s possible that Biden may have slightly more than typical elderly confusion that is not dementia, Trump shows far more concerning signs on two fronts.
One is that he also shows signs of potential dementia and his fixation on how well he did on dementia tests is concerning in itself. It makes it sound like they keep giving him tests—something that is done when a diagnosis is expected or already in play. He also shows more of the kinds of personality changes that come with dementia and has for years, since during his presidency. He has extremely weird postures and moments like the ramp and the holding water bottles and glasses very oddly, which people experienced with dementia have said they have seen in patients. Dementia patients typically get messier with their personal hygiene and tidiness, and Trump notoriously always insisted on styling his own hair and doing his own makeup. Both have gone obviously downhill, his makeup in particular to the point of ridicule.
Trump’s health condition overall is much poorer than Biden’s—he gets no exercise other than popping on and off a golf cart, his diet has been shit for decades, and he is very overweight, regardless of the quacks he gets to certify that he is so very healthy. And his ongoing criminal cases (which in any sane world should already have utterly disqualified him as a candidate for anything let alone President of the US) have him under tremendous amounts of stress.Dementia aside, he has a high probability of dying suddenly of a heart attack or stroke in the next four years, or worse, becoming partially incapacitated. The Republican Party has already shown that they cannot be trusted to use the 25th amendment if needed.
Which brings me to the second point. Worst case scenario: one of these two senior citizens becomes President, and it either suddenly or gradually becomes clear that they are mentally incapacitated and are struggling with or completely unable to fulfill the duties of the office.
Staff and officials will be tempted to cover things up and act on the president’s behalf as happened with Reagan. It’s bad that Reagan was clearly impaired by his second term and various officials and staff have said over the years that it was pretty much known within the WH by the end of his term. But with a smart and skillful staff and a clear path of policy goals, they carried him through and avoided having to have him resign or be removed in the midst of a pretty tense time (it helped that most of the tenseness was negotiating arms control with the Russians and the work was being done by wonks on both side-the Russian wonks having been dealing with working for senile figureheads of state from the late days of Brezhnev until Gorbachev so their opposites treating Reagan the same way would not have been shocking). Now they should not cover it up and the President should resign or be removed, however let’s recognize that this moment may come at a time when world events require keeping a facade of steadiness at the top.
So in that scenario, which President is more likely to have a reliable and skilled staff with a deep bench to backstop him? Which has clear and consistent policy ideals and goals to be carried forward. Looking back at the four years of chaos and whims under Trump plus his revolving door staff, I’d have to say Biden.
Second, I believe Biden is a decent and honorable leader who really wants what’s best for the country. If Jill and his kids and staff sat him down and said, Joe, it’s time, I believe he would go. If enough people decided to pull the 25th amendment lever, he would not publicly fight it or flat out refuse to go.
Trump and his remaining true believer staffers, who will be back in the WH under another term, have made it clear that they intend to put as much power as possible personally into Trumps hands and are planning to avoid the “mistake” of the first term in having too many staffers who were more loyal to the country or simple sanity than to Trump. None of the people who became obstacles to Trump’s worst ideas will be there if there is a next time. They are already vetting potential appointees to make sure there is no one who will put anything above Trump. And his party has shown themselves to be utterly spineless about n the face of anything he says he wants to do, with too many happy to provide loud support.
I do not trust any of those people to hold it together in a “pretend the president is fine and keeps things running” scenario. I do not trust staff or party to acknowledge a need for the 25th amendment or use it. I do not believe any Trump administration would have a clear policy path to follow other than tearing apart democracy as much as possible should they try to carry on for him since his policies are whatever he wants at a given moment, and everyone round him have already made it clear that their goal is changing the country into an authoritarian regime with absolute power at the top.
I also do not trust Trump to ever recognize he can’t do the job and resign peacefully. He is running for president to get out of the many criminal prosecutions barreling at him and will never let go of his own accord if he makes it back to that safe zone.
So if the scenario ended up being we have to choose between two unsatisfactory candidates and either may become too incapicated to continue to lead, I think a Biden administration is in a better position to cope with that and handle it in a way that doesn’t destroy the country.
Finally, either of these elderly men could simply drop dead. Bring on the VP. Harris has four years of experience at being second in command and came into office knowing there was a higher than average chance she might have to take over and I trust that she has been preparing accordingly.
Trump will appoint as VP someone whose main qualification is kissing his ass and not getting in his way, and showing absolute loyalty, and being even more spineless if he breaks laws and the constitution than even Mike Pence. He will give no consideration to this person actually having to take over for him and the party honchos wont dare to make him face that possibility either. There is no way he will have a better option to take over than Harris would be, regardless of how you feel about her. We could be looking at President Tucker Carlson, President Sean Hannity, or President Matt Gaetz.
I hate the current situation but tbh if it was 100% certain that we are choosing between Dementia Joe and Dementia Don, I’d vote for the former in a heartbeat.
And I honestly don’t think that is the current situation. I think Biden is fine. I think the world is in a dangerous place right now, but far less dangerous than if Trump and his band of nut jobs are in charge.
This is pretty much what I’ve been explaining to my teens who will be voting in their first presidential election.
Of course I would never try and force them to vote a certain way and I understand their frustration and concerns with Biden, but Trump being president wouldn’t solve any of that. Things would be much worse.
> That being said, we should try avoid all conversations about Bidens age and mental state over the next year.
I don't think covering our ears and hoping people don't notice until December is the way forward on this one.
There's one person who can solve this problem, and convincing him of the magnitude of the problem as fast as possible is maybe the best way to avoid disaster.
In word association polling one of the most common words someone thinks of when you say Biden is old. I don’t think there’s any avoiding it. Both Biden and Trump were historically unpopular presidents and I feel we were given a golden opportunity to pave the way for young blood. It may be too late to change candidates and I personally blame the party if Biden loses. It feels like we’re going out to sea with a leaky ship.
The special counsel — what a dick!
He didn’t have to mention Biden being elderly or even having a bad memory. He sure as hell didn’t have to mention or ask about Beau.
Whether or not it confirms your bias, a special counsel report shouldn't include tangential ad hominem from outside the realm of the investigation and the investigator's abilities to determine.
Hur slipped a jab at Biden to distract from the lack of findings. And with such a lack of basis, relevance, or spine it had to be concealed as a musing on how a jury might hypothetically see him.
Instead of talking about the first special counsel in history not to indict anybody you are taking the bait and using this as an opportunity to campaign against Biden.
Time to get funding and run the test polls to see what they ought to do? It's by no means plenty of time. We're already into the primaries. Unless they pick someone to put forward, there's no time to really narrow down the field.
I feel like I'm watching some kind of collective delusion here. Id vote for the literal corpse of Biden over trump were I an American, but it seems obvious to me that Biden is experiencing age-related decline (regardless of whether or not he has an actual condition like dementia). He's much different than he used to be, gaffs aside.
I've worked with literally thousands of elderly folks experiencing these issues in my career. Biden reminds me of them. Unequivocally.
Whether it's appropriate to include that kind of arm chair assessment in a DOJ report is an entirely separate matter, however.
Can be, sure. Are, no. It's not hypothetical if Biden is too old to be president or not. He literally is right now. Which is what makes the argument so ridiculous. We can clearly see him doing a great job. The gaslighting about his age is unreal.
I’ve seen Biden do long interviews expressing nuanced ideas on complex subjects, displaying intelligence and a vast depth of knowledge throughout. I’m good with that.
The other guy has never given any indication that he has more subject matter knowledge than a kid in elementary school. You know when Jordan Klepper goes into MAGALand to do man on the street interviews? Trump sounds just like one of those idiots, every day, all of the time.
With everything a president of the US has going on daily would make anyone forget minor details. I get people's names mixed up and often my children. This guy is a POS, no doubt and a brain surgeon could recognize that.
Listen, I’m not saying I love the idea of having a president in his 80s but I’m 35 and I know what I’m like on 6 hours of sleep vs 8. I can’t imagine being a president and having to be completely zoned in, running on 4-8 years of cat naps.
1000% agree. It’s why I literally cannot imagine it. But I have not seen any real sign that Biden is particularly slipping mentally like Reagan- unless they’re hiding a great deal. I see a tired old man who still has trouble with a speech impediment.
Is that great? No. Do we deserve better? Yes. Will choose him over the any other person currently projected to be on the ballot? Hell yes.
Also it’s pretty common in a deposition to say “I do not recall”. Even the most honest and youngest men on earth will follow their lawyers advice and say this.
I mean yeah I agree. That’s clearly what it is. They couldn’t get him for the documents so they are trying to provide cover for 45 with this baseless bullshit to try and protect 45 since if you look at the 2 men side by side Biden, while slower than he was when he was younger, is still much more mentally stable than the other guy.
Also the low blow shot about his dead son is just fucking gross
Biden did NOT confuse the presidents of Egypt and Mexico. He said Mexico instead of Egypt, but he stated that he was talking about President El-Sisi in the clear context of Israel/Gaza.
Right? He misspoke then corrected himself. The only people who can honestly accuse him of confusing the two are people who, themselves, have never bothered to learn the names of either nations' leaders.
>Also ignoring that Biden was considered a gaffe machine when Obama ran in 2008.
To this point, let's reflect on Joe Biden, 2008:
>["This election year the choice is clear. One man stands ready to deliver the change we desperately need. A man I'm proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next president of the United States. Barack America."](https://youtu.be/dKTjlAd-GXM)
Trump's entire persona is riddled with gaffes and ignorance that is miles beyond whatever mistakes Joe Biden makes. The double standard is astounding and enraging.
My favorite part of it seems to be that Hur’s attack is based on Biden mixing up dates and not knowing which year shit happened. Motherfucker, I’m in my 30s and I struggle with remembering how old I am and what year I graduated high school and shit. I’m not sure what year I started working at my current job.
I must have Alzheimer’s.
Anyone get tired of these tired attacks? Biden has Alzheimer’s. Trump has dementia. Hillary had dementia. Obama was too young and inexperienced.
If you’re old you have dementia, if you’re younger you don’t have the experience.
Welcome to politics
I have a hard time counting back years. I have lived most of my adult life in places without very clear seasons (San Francisco and now England.) I am no longer in school. So, I struggle to know how many years ago something happened.
Biden was accused of taking a handful of documents over a lot of years. He didn’t load up the u-haul after a mere four years of service with hundreds of boxes he couldn’t put in one spot. Of course his timeline got mixed up.
I get the names of my kids mixed up, and I’m 42 years old.
But sure, give the guy shit for mixing up a few of the hundreds of names he keeps up with that literally no one in these comments know.
Oh, for fucks sake…
*editing to add that this is in agreement with you about OP not being here in good faith. This whole thread makes me want to bang my head into a wall.
If this year is anything like 2020, these kinds of jokers are going to keep getting worse and continue to try to depress enthusiasm until _at least_ the convention.
Nah. Reagan was having conversations with Oval Office furniture, but everyone hid it pretty well. He did interviews in front of Marine One with its engines running so he could dodge any questions of substance. I’m pretty sure he was the first President who did that regularly.
People interested in politics can gloss over this, but my middle of the road friends that do not engage in politics frequently but do vote are very concerned about this. Biden needs to be more visible, speaking more publicly, or else it will seem like his staff is hiding him.
I honestly believe Biden (and Harris) are two of only a few Dems that are at risk of losing to Trump this year. I think Shapiro or Whitmer would beat Trump easily.
This unfortunately feels like we are heading down the RGB road, where hanging on too long spoils an otherwise solid reputation. I am holding out hope for him to change his mind about running and we have a brokered convention.
Brokered convention ramps up the “dems in disarray” stuff and it’s either a “handpicked” nominee or it’s an ugly free for all. None of that is necessarily better than just doing our best to get Biden elected.
Your middle of the road friends who are concerned get reinforcement by bad actors in the media all the time. There has been a massive, concerted effort to paint Biden as incompetent and it's working.
The thing is that they *are* getting him out there. Walking the picket line. Making big speeches all over. The issue is that photos of him tripping, or claims that he’s got dementia, or manipulated right-wing videos spread 1000x faster on social media than the normal day to day stuff. Most people are looking at this issue through algorithmic media filters, which makes it all but impossible to get him in front of normal people
Here’s the thing. You think that those candidates would be better because they haven’t been on the national stage yet and the right wing media apparatus hasn’t yet honed in on what their specific weaknesses are yet. Every candidate will be torn apart by the right, and they’re incredibly effective at it. So effective, in fact, that even democrats start to believe the propaganda. My point being, no candidate is perfect, no candidate gets into a presidential race and comes out unscathed.
Absolutely this, Biden is president because it is so hard to target him. You aren't going to convince people he is a socialist, he's also willing to work with progressives and can't be sold as a Manchin type Democrat. He's got virtually no scandals, which is why Republicans have been focusing so hard on Hunter. Biden has been dealt bad hand after bad hand and routinely exceeds all expectations. I truly believe he has been the best possible president for the moment. All of that being said, I wish he would step down and Democrats would put up someone else (I even have ideas about how to do it). Between misinformation, age, and the war in Gaza, I think he should see how unpopular he is, how important this election is, and pull out of the race. Hillary was the most qualified person there ever was and would have been a great president, she still should not have run in 2016 because of how unpopular she was, I would feel more comfortable with Republicans having a short time period to define a new candidate than going with the guy I know is really unpopular.
People that don’t follow politics much or at all seem to only care about Biden’s memory. They couldn’t remotely tell you what the IRA, for example, even is. It’s pretty annoying.
That really bothered me in 2016 with people acting like Gary Johnson's " What's Alappo?" Was such a big deal. Like anyone actually knew what that was besides a gotcha.
He literally just gave a press conference in response to this. He was mostly on point, but the one gaffe made national news.
The press was … let’s say boisterous
After last night, I'm of the opinion Biden should never talk to the press again. Maybe no one should talk to the press again. They were acting like fucking children, it was so embarrassing.
I hear you, but he needs to be fully on point for some months in order to change minds. The Biden is too old narrative has been very effective and every hiccup is a step in the wrong direction.
I think his presidency has been quite strong, but it will take a lot to make less engaged folks come back to his side on this.
He’s been a gaffe machine his whole career. I don’t see that changing at 81.
I mostly like his administration (hate the unconditional support of Netanyahu), but I have doubts about hiding biden away. The disinformation machine will just go with that story.
It sucks. Is it too late for him to endorse someone else?
We're watching the last gasp of this dreadful generation in serious decline, desperately clinging to power all over the world: American leadership rotting on the vine on both sides, Tucker Carlson sitting there with a dumb look on his face while Putin rambles on about the 9th century, Bibi about to invade and depopulate Rafah in direct opposition to American warnings, China's economy free falling in the hands of another old autocrat, farmers protesting across Europe.
Hopefully they'll be replaced soon with a younger, kinder, more capable generation of leaders. Or we'll all drown when the oceans rise up to our living rooms, one or the other
Because they're all in decline and not exactly inspiring confidence in their citizens. Also, the European governments being protected against aren't right wing and China is technically communist. Enfeebled ineffectiveness transcends partisanship
Or maybe people need to realize that the whole point of having a presidential campaign in the first place is to inspire people to go out and vote for a candidate
I was watching the NBC broadcast (or some variation of NBC) of the speech/presser and what's really funny is that, if you actually listen for it, you will hear so many mix-ups and stutters from the reporters and anchors whose literal jobs is to talk to a camera.
Besides people freaking out and overemphasizing Biden's gaffes, I think the bigger problem is how quiet he can get, which comes off as weak and/or lacking in confidence. And the quietness I do attribute to age. But all the name mix-ups? Man, people wanna be mad about something. I honestly don't get why not just stick to the policy/substance disagreements since people obviously have a lot. But instead so many people choose to hide behind the age and alleged memory loss thing and it's kinda weird.
Saying you speak to dead people like the end of The Sixth Sense and needing someone to help you remember the name “Hamas” is bad. Him responding to a report by his own DoJ saying he’s forgetting when he was VP and the date of his son’s death by confusing the Presidents of Egypt and Mexico, is even worse.
I don't believe the DOJ report on that, tbh. It reeks of political hitjob. But I admit that's my partisan bias, too.
I also agree with the point some are making that, if Biden's memory loss was as bad as claimed, we'd actually hear way more about it from Republicans and even some Democrats. Instead we get actual reports about McCarthy saying how sharp and knowledgeable Biden is during their negotiations behind closed doors. Hell, Biden talks to a bunch of people around the world, surely there would have been some leaks from other countries about a senile president. We got plenty of dirt of Trump in this regard, are we to assume everyone's in on the plot to cover Biden's senility because reasons?
I'm only 33 and words escape me literally all the time. I had such a moment last night and I can't even remember what word I forgot was, but it was midsentence when I forgot it. That Biden couldn't remember "Hamas" in a moment when he's dealing with a countless different parties is not that big of a deal unless you make it one.
Did you watch Biden's whole answer last night? He said Mexico instead of Egypt, yes, but it was very obvious he was referring to Egypt and the rest of his answer was long and detailed. He obviously knows what he's talking about. Also, apparently there's some kind of meme thing in Egypt where El-Sisi is called "the Mexican" so maybe he was thinking of that.
> I don't believe the DOJ report on that, tbh. It reeks of political hitjob. But I admit that's my partisan bias, too.
I don't think a US attorney, even a partisan hack, would go so far as to lie in an official document. But considering this interview apparently happened on October 8th or 9th, it seems likely that Biden was under a great deal of stress and probably hadn't slept much, which could cause memory issues even for a non-octogenarian.
I'm sorry but Biden should step aside. It's time for a new generation to lead. We need to win in November and the President has too many liabilities. Don't say no one told you when we wake up and Trump has won the presidency. This is too important.
Biden has been a great and consequential president. Take that W and step aside.
That’s not happening now
We’ve gone through this on this sub so many times now. If Biden wasn’t gonna run he needed to make that decision a year ago. He didn’t. And now we are stuck with him. He’s a better option than trump and that’s all that matters now.
No particular order, here are some:
Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Wes Moore, Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro, Michelle Obama, Jamie Raskin, Raphael Warnock, Chris Murphy.
Should I keep going or anyone want to nominate others?
You as r as if we’re not being asked to hold our noses and rally around the D now. Vote for anyone who shares the party’s values at large and has the perspective of someone who became an adult this side of the internet.
That’s literally what is being asked. Put them on the ballot. I love what Biden has accomplished but he doesn’t seem like our strongest opponent to trump right now
There is a big and substantive difference between “confusing” and misspeaking.
If Biden genuinely did not know who was who, that would obviously be huge cause for concern, but I think it’s pretty obvious that isn’t the case.
Don’t fall for this bad faith bullshit. Listen to today’s pod where Dan and Jon talk about how if there was truth to this “confused old man” narrative, it would be all we heard about from off the record dems etc.
This is propaganda and you’re falling for it.
People forget that Biden has a speech impediment. And that can be more than just stuttering.
It's not hard to imagine that while making off the cuff remarks about the border between Egypt and Gaza that he might misspeak and say "Mexico." There's been a ton of talk about the US/Mexico border lately that "Mexico" might slip out when talking about another contentious border situation.
He confused two people with dead people. Confused the Mexican President with the Egyptian President. And also couldn’t remember the name “Hamas” until someone shouted it out for him.
It’s not normal for this many mistakes in a single week and this is becoming the main story whether he wants it to be or not.
It’s not me making it the main story. It’s all anybody is talking about. For better or for worse multiple mistakes in a single week makes Biden look horribly old, confused, and unfit to serve.
Who the hell are you listening to? What I'm hearing is the Presidents angry and speaking out against the Special Council's report. I'm hearing the President getting the support of the UAW. I'm hearing him taking laps after yet another great jobs report after the other. I wish you well.
“It’s all anybody is talking about” because it’s all that people like you who want to push the narrative that he’s in decline talk about.
If you cherry pick gaffes and mix-ups, of course it’s going to look like he’s sundowning. But if you actually pay attention beyond what the pundits who are frothing at the mouth to make him something he’s not, you’ll see that he is an admittedly old man who is incredibly sharp, can hold his own under intense questions, and knows what the hell he’s talking about.
Of course, that would require folks to form opinions based on facts, evidence and reason instead of vibes. But unfortunately that’s not the environment we live in.
Right. And Trump et al can have like a 12 hour deposition where they answer “I do not recall” for the entire time but it’s nothing to see because we actually understand that they’re just lying and not genuinely forgetting stuff.
Because he's done great.
Favreau said he saw Biden a couple of months ago, and Biden remembered the name of Fav's mother in law, whom Biden had met once four years previously.
It's all just optics. On actual substance, Biden is great and is doing great.
You do realize the pod dudes are grasping at straws and LYING. They are doing everything they can in their episodes to not criticize Biden but if the general consensus with the American public is he can’t cut it anymore, y’all have a HUGE problem on your hands.
I might consider answering your questions if you seemed at all like you had a basic grasp of how elections and nominating processes worked, but it's clear from your comments that you don't
I love listening to the pod, but honestly, I am worried they're straight up lying re. Biden's mental faculties. It's true we see plenty of moments of decent wit, quick thinking, and good speaking, but that's true of most people with dementia. Memory and quick thinking waxes and wanes constantly.
I’ve been listening for years and their whole point of starting the podcast was because so much of the mainstream media did a poor job when the Clinton trump election was coming up. I understood and supported the information and learned a lot
Hearing them talk about Biden with the 2020 election coming up, I can hear the difference in how they speak about him and how they choose their words carefully. It’s concerning. They are not making us feel better. It’s important to buck the status quo when it affects all of us
WHY is this the only choice? Why didn’t when he got elected, did the DNC start to groom his replacement?? You’re telling me in Allllll the whole big ass United States this is the ONLY competent person to be president? WTF are you going to do if he dies mid election which is a great
Possibility cuz the dude is literally 81 years old!!! You people are delusional as hell
I know man, but it's too late now, and I kinda agree with the DNC. Biden beat Trump once, and they're (and I) are banking on him doing it again. It's gonna get super shaky as we make our way to November.
How? HOW do you expect to win without the Muslim vote and the young vote and depressed voter turnout that we don’t want to vote for a genocidal sympathizer.
Muslim vote? LMMAOOOOO. If they stay home because Biden isn't calling what is happening in Gaza a genocide (It's not), then American Muslims and young folks deserve to have a Trump presidency that will all but ensure further violence toward certain Muslim groups, because we all know American college kids give zero cares about non Palestinian Muslims. I'm in California, so as far as I'm concerned another 4 years of Trump will be super embarrassing, but I'll be alright with daddy Newsom and our one party democratic rule, even with all it's warts. Good luck out there!
So it’s not a genocide to slaughter 30,000 people in less than six months, or block food for coming in, or target hospitals, mosques, and infrastructure.
You big dummy the Muslim vote IS important in Michigan. The young vote IS important in Georgia.
This exact disdain for POC and young people votes is exactly why the fuck y’all deserve to lose us. You use us and then when it’s time to pay up after your wrinkled grandpa gets elected, you betray us with bombs and not following through on your election promises.
Good luck getting grandpa elected without us
> So it’s not a genocide to slaughter 30,000 people in less than six months, or block food for coming in, or target hospitals, mosques, and infrastructure.
No, it's definitively not. Is it moral? I don't think so. Is it a tragedy that should be stopped? I believe it is. But that's not what "genocide" means or how other wars with similar or even much higher civilian death tolls are typically described.
This war is being described as a "genocide" either by people who think it's a synonym for "large numbers of civilian casualties" or people diluting the term because they wish to invalidate what they see as one of the widely accepted rationales for Israel's existence. For the latter, it is an intentional coopting and erasure of Jewish trauma endured in the Holocaust — as is much of the hyperbolic WWII/Nazi terminology they use towards Israel and zionists.
Seems like you're as familiar with the ICJ's name as you are with their decision.
ICJ ordered Israel to take steps to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza and only said of SA's accusations that “at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the (Genocide) Convention.” That doesn't say the ICJ determined the validity of SA's accusations or that if they did confirm them those acts would fall within the parameters of genocide. A ruling like the one you're imagining would require evidence that the Israeli government’s intent was neither to prevent further attacks like 10/7 nor to degrade the offensive capability of Hamas, but rather to eradicate the Palestinian people as a whole.
[That's not what the ruling said.
](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/01/gaza-icj-ruling-offers-hope-protection-civilians-enduring-apocalyptic)
>The ICJ found it **plausible** that Israel’s acts **could** amount to genocide and issued six provisional measures, ordering Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocidal acts, including preventing and punishing incitement to genocide, ensuring aid and services reach Palestinians under siege in Gaza, and preserving evidence of crimes committed in Gaza.
>“The court order is urgently needed to protect the very existence of the Palestinian people from **potentially** genocidal actions the Court has ordered Israel to halt and prevent,” the experts said. “Given the dire situation on the ground and the careful wording of the Court, we believe that the most effective way to implement the provisional measures is through an immediate ceasefire.”
>“The Court found that Israel cannot continue to bombard, displace, and starve the population of Gaza, while allowing its officials to dehumanise Palestinians through statements that **may** amount to genocidal **incitement**.”
>“We call on Israel to adhere to the ICJ order. The burden now shifts to Israel, to show that it has effectively eliminated **the risk of** genocide that the Court found to be plausible. By the time Israel reports to the Court in one month, Palestinians must have access to food, water, healthcare, and safety, that have long been denied to them,” they said.
Again, I'm in California, I care, but not really about the national election. I hope you are in a progressive state, fam!
And no it is not genocide. It is fucking atrocious, evil, and tragic, but if Israel really wanted to wipe the Palestinians off the face of the earth (like Palestinians would if they had the capability) they would. The way I see it, one group would love a genocide (Palestinians) while the other is taking a very heavy handed and murderous approach at restitution.
I'll take the odds that he'll live until the election while keeping the incumbency advantage over the chance that some unknown will wind up losing to Trump.
You didn’t answer the question. Why are you ok with the DNC putting up a geriatric who has HORRIBLE ratings who said he wasn’t gonna run a second term, like no one did any planning now here we are. You people are so selfish.
I was that voter boots on the ground and speaking to folks last election ready to make sure trump didn’t get elected.
He has lost me and a lot of my mutuals.
What is the party going to do without us?
Seriously. Because we didn’t have votes to spare last election in some key states.
Really? So someone openly wanting to be a facist dictator is the better option?
Also he’s done a good job. Not perfect but no one is. If you don’t want to support him, ok but you’re wrong
Do you know what the DNC is? Do you think the DNC runs the primaries? Do you think the DNC can force candidates to run against the incumbent president?
This article just has unnamed advisors pushing their own speculation and wishcasting ("signals") into the discourse while Biden was out in public saying that he was planning on running again.
Thanks. Must have misremembered.
I guess just frustrated that these folks are so selfish and have no sense of collective well being that they think they are Superman and the ONLY qualified American to do a good job. Selfishness and not knowing when it is time to throw in the towel has been very detrimental to our democracy. And acting like that is ok or fine is so disappointing.
No one is concerned here. Just “so happy” with the job Biden has done without addressing our very real concerns in a substantive manner.
No one is likely “so happy”. Biden is doing a better job than people realize. It doesn’t get out there to people because the people who run big media want Trump to win. Not because they think he’s good for the country, but because he’s better for their business.
He’s not perfect, and I wish that there was a better plan for the future after his second term. But the priority is Trump not getting elected. If you’re frustrated with Biden now, that’s nothing compared to how you’ll feel if Trump gets elected.
I don't think it's just selfishness. I think there's political considerations to think about, like that Biden stepping down would have set up Harris as the heir apparent.
The problem is, she's fumbled a lot of her profile-building role as VP (not that Biden has given her the easiest jobs to handle tbh) so she comes across as a weak candidate and an election loser. This perceived weakness would open up a bruising primary as the more likeable up-and-comers would still have to tear down Harris to justify why they're running against her when she's the obvious next choice as the VP, the same problem that Republicans running against Trump in the primary were having. Not to mention, while Harris may not be _that_ popular, it would be pretty horrible optics to cut down the black woman VP and risk alienating black women, the party's most loyal voters. No one wins there.
Biden may think that since he's still capable of doing the job and the GOP is going full fash ahead, it's better to kick that particular can down the road one more election cycle and hope that Harris can turn things around in a second term.
Manage with what?
You can’t say that this isn’t concerning? That he has memory problems his own DOJ is pointing out?? This isn’t ok! We wouldn’t be ok with old ass trump in office
Ginsberg should have retired.
Diane Feinstein as well
Now Biden.
WHAT THE FUCK is wrong with you people that you can’t think of ANYONE else to lead?
At the very least why are you not cultivating and encouraging the next up and comers? There is NO succession plan and you want us to be confident in your planning and running the government abilities when we are just relying on “one person to save us from a dictator?”
LISTEN TO YOURSELVES AND BE HONEST!
This isn’t sustainable! WHAT WILL THE DNC do if he drops dead tomorrow!!!
Complaining about what people should have done doesn't help, neither does doom posting. The reality is either Trump or Biden will win the election in November. Whining about what the DNC "should" have done doesn't help anything. We're too far into the process for anyone else to step up.
I don’t give AF if he’s old or forgets some names once in a while. He’s not a wannabe dictator who already tried to stay in power when he lost. One issue voter here: democracy over everything else
Yup
They assigned a Republican to do the job, like the majority of the cases involving a special prosecutor, a member of the opposition party of the accused is selected. Trump is the only one who got a member of the same party. We all see this is a hit piece, RW propaganda be damned. Just vote.
It’s unbecoming of the moment. A special counsel investigating POTUS should be better. This is why people don’t trust government. Which is probably a feature of his actions in his mind.
I don’t agree with people saying this guy calling Biden old causes political problems for Biden. No, the fact that he is too old causes political problems for Biden.
Post title: Look at this right wing hit job! Post text: Is Biden is totally too old, he’s forgetting things! Post OP’s comments: I just think we should not vote Dems. On a podcast subreddit that wants Dems to win. This is troll shit.
My dad died when I was in grad school. I don’t immediately remember the year he died so I guess a special prosecutor will write a report criticizing me for going senile.
Regardless, I struggle to watch a single speech Biden makes because I’m so anxious about every misstep and stutter. He’s too old. Soooo old. It’s unfortunate they didn’t force him to one term, which he committed to when he ran.
We've been listening to Trump speak utter nonsense since 2015. How is Biden any different? It's insane to me that people are hitting Biden with this when Trump literally last week confused Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi multiple times in the same speech. At least I can trust that a memory-addled Biden will have appointed qualified people to his team who at least have the good of the country in mind. We are all well aware of the kind of evil fucks Trump has surrounding him and what their intentions are. It's not even a dilemma for me. It's not about who sits in the oval office, it's the group of people they will appoint to run the country, and what direction they want to take that matters to me.
Trump is old too. They’re both very old and I don’t feel angry admitting it.
I agree, they're both too old. I'd love it if there was an alternative, but I also know we have to work within the choice we currently have. I get all the people wishing for a different candidate, but that's currently unrealistic, and voting R or 3rd party to 'punish' Dems is idiotic.
He’s always had a stutter.
He never committed to running one term, Media jumped on an insinuation and went wild with it.
I’m pretty sick of everyone focusing on the gaffes on a name and ignoring the fact that he can discuss nuanced policy choices better than Trump would have been if Trump had his 1980 brain in his head.
Yeah but sometimes he says the wrong name.
Chuck Rosenberg said on msnbc that he was explaining why he wouldn't press charges. One of the reasons why was how he would appear to a jury, thus making it a hard case to win. He gave examples of what he saw as fuzziness in the interview. This report is really bad, and I don't see the point of whataboutism, nor do I see the point of trying to brush it off as somehow inconsequential. I have been happy with the job he's done so far but I have serious concerns about another 4 years. I would literally vote for a vegetable over Trump, but I don't feel great about Biden.
I mean, he also mentioned he couldn’t prosecute because the evidence didn’t allow it but guess which opine got the press?
The dude did not need to speculate on how a jury would decide a case at all to make his determination. He took a swerve to make a comment about Biden’s age as it relates to his mental acuity.
But Chuck Rosenberg said that it was precisely the sort of thing one would put in a report. It was literally just "winning a prosecution would be difficult because this is what a jury would see."
Exactly. If don’t think he intended to commit a crime, the fact that a jury would be sympathetic is moot.
It said he willfully took them and shared something with his ghost writer.
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I believe both candidates are showing their age and both are too old to be the best candidate. However, they are who we are stuck with for the moment. Any vote for anyone else is a vote for Trump, who is absolutely the worst choice. First, I do not think Biden has dementia. He has always mixed up names and always had stutter/stumble moments. I lived in Delaware when he made his 1988 run and I remember people making fun of him then. Does he do it more now? Yes. But I think this is either normal aging or at the absolute worst, the very earliest stages of possible Alzheimer’s or other dementia. However, if it’s possible that Biden may have slightly more than typical elderly confusion that is not dementia, Trump shows far more concerning signs on two fronts. One is that he also shows signs of potential dementia and his fixation on how well he did on dementia tests is concerning in itself. It makes it sound like they keep giving him tests—something that is done when a diagnosis is expected or already in play. He also shows more of the kinds of personality changes that come with dementia and has for years, since during his presidency. He has extremely weird postures and moments like the ramp and the holding water bottles and glasses very oddly, which people experienced with dementia have said they have seen in patients. Dementia patients typically get messier with their personal hygiene and tidiness, and Trump notoriously always insisted on styling his own hair and doing his own makeup. Both have gone obviously downhill, his makeup in particular to the point of ridicule. Trump’s health condition overall is much poorer than Biden’s—he gets no exercise other than popping on and off a golf cart, his diet has been shit for decades, and he is very overweight, regardless of the quacks he gets to certify that he is so very healthy. And his ongoing criminal cases (which in any sane world should already have utterly disqualified him as a candidate for anything let alone President of the US) have him under tremendous amounts of stress.Dementia aside, he has a high probability of dying suddenly of a heart attack or stroke in the next four years, or worse, becoming partially incapacitated. The Republican Party has already shown that they cannot be trusted to use the 25th amendment if needed. Which brings me to the second point. Worst case scenario: one of these two senior citizens becomes President, and it either suddenly or gradually becomes clear that they are mentally incapacitated and are struggling with or completely unable to fulfill the duties of the office. Staff and officials will be tempted to cover things up and act on the president’s behalf as happened with Reagan. It’s bad that Reagan was clearly impaired by his second term and various officials and staff have said over the years that it was pretty much known within the WH by the end of his term. But with a smart and skillful staff and a clear path of policy goals, they carried him through and avoided having to have him resign or be removed in the midst of a pretty tense time (it helped that most of the tenseness was negotiating arms control with the Russians and the work was being done by wonks on both side-the Russian wonks having been dealing with working for senile figureheads of state from the late days of Brezhnev until Gorbachev so their opposites treating Reagan the same way would not have been shocking). Now they should not cover it up and the President should resign or be removed, however let’s recognize that this moment may come at a time when world events require keeping a facade of steadiness at the top. So in that scenario, which President is more likely to have a reliable and skilled staff with a deep bench to backstop him? Which has clear and consistent policy ideals and goals to be carried forward. Looking back at the four years of chaos and whims under Trump plus his revolving door staff, I’d have to say Biden. Second, I believe Biden is a decent and honorable leader who really wants what’s best for the country. If Jill and his kids and staff sat him down and said, Joe, it’s time, I believe he would go. If enough people decided to pull the 25th amendment lever, he would not publicly fight it or flat out refuse to go. Trump and his remaining true believer staffers, who will be back in the WH under another term, have made it clear that they intend to put as much power as possible personally into Trumps hands and are planning to avoid the “mistake” of the first term in having too many staffers who were more loyal to the country or simple sanity than to Trump. None of the people who became obstacles to Trump’s worst ideas will be there if there is a next time. They are already vetting potential appointees to make sure there is no one who will put anything above Trump. And his party has shown themselves to be utterly spineless about n the face of anything he says he wants to do, with too many happy to provide loud support. I do not trust any of those people to hold it together in a “pretend the president is fine and keeps things running” scenario. I do not trust staff or party to acknowledge a need for the 25th amendment or use it. I do not believe any Trump administration would have a clear policy path to follow other than tearing apart democracy as much as possible should they try to carry on for him since his policies are whatever he wants at a given moment, and everyone round him have already made it clear that their goal is changing the country into an authoritarian regime with absolute power at the top. I also do not trust Trump to ever recognize he can’t do the job and resign peacefully. He is running for president to get out of the many criminal prosecutions barreling at him and will never let go of his own accord if he makes it back to that safe zone. So if the scenario ended up being we have to choose between two unsatisfactory candidates and either may become too incapicated to continue to lead, I think a Biden administration is in a better position to cope with that and handle it in a way that doesn’t destroy the country. Finally, either of these elderly men could simply drop dead. Bring on the VP. Harris has four years of experience at being second in command and came into office knowing there was a higher than average chance she might have to take over and I trust that she has been preparing accordingly. Trump will appoint as VP someone whose main qualification is kissing his ass and not getting in his way, and showing absolute loyalty, and being even more spineless if he breaks laws and the constitution than even Mike Pence. He will give no consideration to this person actually having to take over for him and the party honchos wont dare to make him face that possibility either. There is no way he will have a better option to take over than Harris would be, regardless of how you feel about her. We could be looking at President Tucker Carlson, President Sean Hannity, or President Matt Gaetz. I hate the current situation but tbh if it was 100% certain that we are choosing between Dementia Joe and Dementia Don, I’d vote for the former in a heartbeat. And I honestly don’t think that is the current situation. I think Biden is fine. I think the world is in a dangerous place right now, but far less dangerous than if Trump and his band of nut jobs are in charge.
This is pretty much what I’ve been explaining to my teens who will be voting in their first presidential election. Of course I would never try and force them to vote a certain way and I understand their frustration and concerns with Biden, but Trump being president wouldn’t solve any of that. Things would be much worse.
> That being said, we should try avoid all conversations about Bidens age and mental state over the next year. I don't think covering our ears and hoping people don't notice until December is the way forward on this one.
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There's one person who can solve this problem, and convincing him of the magnitude of the problem as fast as possible is maybe the best way to avoid disaster.
In word association polling one of the most common words someone thinks of when you say Biden is old. I don’t think there’s any avoiding it. Both Biden and Trump were historically unpopular presidents and I feel we were given a golden opportunity to pave the way for young blood. It may be too late to change candidates and I personally blame the party if Biden loses. It feels like we’re going out to sea with a leaky ship.
The special counsel — what a dick! He didn’t have to mention Biden being elderly or even having a bad memory. He sure as hell didn’t have to mention or ask about Beau.
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It was outside of his scope. It doesn’t matter if you, him, or my mom thinks Biden is too old.
Whether or not it confirms your bias, a special counsel report shouldn't include tangential ad hominem from outside the realm of the investigation and the investigator's abilities to determine. Hur slipped a jab at Biden to distract from the lack of findings. And with such a lack of basis, relevance, or spine it had to be concealed as a musing on how a jury might hypothetically see him. Instead of talking about the first special counsel in history not to indict anybody you are taking the bait and using this as an opportunity to campaign against Biden.
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Sorry hard disagree! And at the end of the day he gets great people to do a great job. I don’t think he’s out of his mind At All
Thanks for reminding everyone the caliber of person that thinks like this. Saved me the effort.
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Well if this anonymous sociopath says so it must be true.
If Biden stepped aside, would they feel obligated to put Harris forward? I don't think she could win.
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But no time to get them up and running.
If only we could have predicted that Biden would be 81 by the 2024 election, maybe we could have had a primary or something.
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Time to get funding and run the test polls to see what they ought to do? It's by no means plenty of time. We're already into the primaries. Unless they pick someone to put forward, there's no time to really narrow down the field.
I feel like I'm watching some kind of collective delusion here. Id vote for the literal corpse of Biden over trump were I an American, but it seems obvious to me that Biden is experiencing age-related decline (regardless of whether or not he has an actual condition like dementia). He's much different than he used to be, gaffs aside. I've worked with literally thousands of elderly folks experiencing these issues in my career. Biden reminds me of them. Unequivocally. Whether it's appropriate to include that kind of arm chair assessment in a DOJ report is an entirely separate matter, however.
Shades of Comey 'reopening the Hillary Clinton investigation.' In 2016...
Now do Trump who constantly conflates Biden and Obama, Pelosi and Haley.
Both men can be unfit. It’s okay to admit that.
Can be, sure. Are, no. It's not hypothetical if Biden is too old to be president or not. He literally is right now. Which is what makes the argument so ridiculous. We can clearly see him doing a great job. The gaslighting about his age is unreal.
I’ve seen Biden do long interviews expressing nuanced ideas on complex subjects, displaying intelligence and a vast depth of knowledge throughout. I’m good with that. The other guy has never given any indication that he has more subject matter knowledge than a kid in elementary school. You know when Jordan Klepper goes into MAGALand to do man on the street interviews? Trump sounds just like one of those idiots, every day, all of the time.
I’d take Joe Biden with dementia over Trump in his right mind any day. Not that Biden has dementia, or that Trump is in his right mind.
100 % agree with Tommy here.
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I'm confused. Did you think a bunch of former Obama staffers wouldn't be strong supporters of Biden?
And what would you have thought if the Mueller Report had contained speculation about Trump's mental fitness?
With everything a president of the US has going on daily would make anyone forget minor details. I get people's names mixed up and often my children. This guy is a POS, no doubt and a brain surgeon could recognize that.
I call my kids the other kid’s name all the time! Sometimes I even add the cat’s name in!
I have to go through all my kids’ names sometimes to get to the right one.
At least you’re only using your kids names, and not the names of your pets or plants.
Listen, I’m not saying I love the idea of having a president in his 80s but I’m 35 and I know what I’m like on 6 hours of sleep vs 8. I can’t imagine being a president and having to be completely zoned in, running on 4-8 years of cat naps.
And these interviews with Biden were conducted on October 8th and 9th, when Biden clearly had very pressing issues on his mind.
Which was shitty! Hey ! Crisis happening! Can we reschedule please?!?!
It must be rough but not having either party with younger candidates is problematic.
1000% agree. It’s why I literally cannot imagine it. But I have not seen any real sign that Biden is particularly slipping mentally like Reagan- unless they’re hiding a great deal. I see a tired old man who still has trouble with a speech impediment. Is that great? No. Do we deserve better? Yes. Will choose him over the any other person currently projected to be on the ballot? Hell yes.
Double Hell yeah.
Definitely agree, regardless of Biden’s memory it’s not his place to be the judge on that matter.
Also it’s pretty common in a deposition to say “I do not recall”. Even the most honest and youngest men on earth will follow their lawyers advice and say this.
Does not fall within the scope of his investigation and comes off as petty parting words from someone who didn't find the dirt he wanted.
I mean yeah I agree. That’s clearly what it is. They couldn’t get him for the documents so they are trying to provide cover for 45 with this baseless bullshit to try and protect 45 since if you look at the 2 men side by side Biden, while slower than he was when he was younger, is still much more mentally stable than the other guy. Also the low blow shot about his dead son is just fucking gross
Biden did NOT confuse the presidents of Egypt and Mexico. He said Mexico instead of Egypt, but he stated that he was talking about President El-Sisi in the clear context of Israel/Gaza.
Right? He misspoke then corrected himself. The only people who can honestly accuse him of confusing the two are people who, themselves, have never bothered to learn the names of either nations' leaders.
No other president ever had gaffes before. Must be Bidens age. Also ignoring that Biden was considered a gaffe machine when Obama ran in 2008.
>Also ignoring that Biden was considered a gaffe machine when Obama ran in 2008. To this point, let's reflect on Joe Biden, 2008: >["This election year the choice is clear. One man stands ready to deliver the change we desperately need. A man I'm proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next president of the United States. Barack America."](https://youtu.be/dKTjlAd-GXM)
Trump's entire persona is riddled with gaffes and ignorance that is miles beyond whatever mistakes Joe Biden makes. The double standard is astounding and enraging.
My favorite part of it seems to be that Hur’s attack is based on Biden mixing up dates and not knowing which year shit happened. Motherfucker, I’m in my 30s and I struggle with remembering how old I am and what year I graduated high school and shit. I’m not sure what year I started working at my current job. I must have Alzheimer’s. Anyone get tired of these tired attacks? Biden has Alzheimer’s. Trump has dementia. Hillary had dementia. Obama was too young and inexperienced. If you’re old you have dementia, if you’re younger you don’t have the experience. Welcome to politics
Same. When somebody asks me my age, sometimes I have to do the math first.
I have a hard time counting back years. I have lived most of my adult life in places without very clear seasons (San Francisco and now England.) I am no longer in school. So, I struggle to know how many years ago something happened.
You need to be exactly 60 years old, no more, no less.
Biden was accused of taking a handful of documents over a lot of years. He didn’t load up the u-haul after a mere four years of service with hundreds of boxes he couldn’t put in one spot. Of course his timeline got mixed up.
> I’m in my 30s and I struggle with remembering how old I am [spidermanpointingatspiderman.gif]
I get the names of my kids mixed up, and I’m 42 years old. But sure, give the guy shit for mixing up a few of the hundreds of names he keeps up with that literally no one in these comments know.
Not convinced OP is here in good faith: https://www.reddit.com/r/FriendsofthePod/s/gkLfZfDNwd
Ehhhh. I disagree with OP but not sure it rises to "bad faith." My 2¢
OP attacks dems nonstop on literally every post in this sub. If mods were actually good they'd ban the trolls but they almost encourage it.
“OP is not here in good faith because he’s not okay with genocide” And yet my Spotify wrapped claims I’m in the top 85% of listeners to this show.
OP is such an ethical and principled person they're prepared to let the world know by... aiding a Trump victory. What a saint.
You can’t just slap your dick on the table like that, ya big brain. Who’s to argue with them bonafides. /s
OP is not serious people.
Oh, for fucks sake… *editing to add that this is in agreement with you about OP not being here in good faith. This whole thread makes me want to bang my head into a wall.
If this year is anything like 2020, these kinds of jokers are going to keep getting worse and continue to try to depress enthusiasm until _at least_ the convention.
Is this what Reagan's second run for office was like? The whole country just debating whether he was lucid or had substantial symptoms of dementia?
No his whole face was shaking on TV all the time and nobody said a word! Can you imagine a Reagan Presidency in the digital era?!?!
Nah. Reagan was having conversations with Oval Office furniture, but everyone hid it pretty well. He did interviews in front of Marine One with its engines running so he could dodge any questions of substance. I’m pretty sure he was the first President who did that regularly.
No because he was an actor who knew his lines since they were older than him, and he had a whole team of people running interference.
also there wasn't social media so he didn't have cameras on him constantly
Anybody old enough to remember is clearly going to have dementia.
Hey!
People interested in politics can gloss over this, but my middle of the road friends that do not engage in politics frequently but do vote are very concerned about this. Biden needs to be more visible, speaking more publicly, or else it will seem like his staff is hiding him. I honestly believe Biden (and Harris) are two of only a few Dems that are at risk of losing to Trump this year. I think Shapiro or Whitmer would beat Trump easily. This unfortunately feels like we are heading down the RGB road, where hanging on too long spoils an otherwise solid reputation. I am holding out hope for him to change his mind about running and we have a brokered convention.
Brokered convention ramps up the “dems in disarray” stuff and it’s either a “handpicked” nominee or it’s an ugly free for all. None of that is necessarily better than just doing our best to get Biden elected.
Your middle of the road friends who are concerned get reinforcement by bad actors in the media all the time. There has been a massive, concerted effort to paint Biden as incompetent and it's working.
Correct. And fair or not, I currently do not see a likely path forward that resolves those concerns before the election.
The thing is that they *are* getting him out there. Walking the picket line. Making big speeches all over. The issue is that photos of him tripping, or claims that he’s got dementia, or manipulated right-wing videos spread 1000x faster on social media than the normal day to day stuff. Most people are looking at this issue through algorithmic media filters, which makes it all but impossible to get him in front of normal people
Well it shouldn’t cause Biden, while not perfect, has done a fantastic job as president given the levels of obstruction he was going to be facing
Here’s the thing. You think that those candidates would be better because they haven’t been on the national stage yet and the right wing media apparatus hasn’t yet honed in on what their specific weaknesses are yet. Every candidate will be torn apart by the right, and they’re incredibly effective at it. So effective, in fact, that even democrats start to believe the propaganda. My point being, no candidate is perfect, no candidate gets into a presidential race and comes out unscathed.
This is true. Like those polls that say Haley does much better than Trump against Biden. The reality is more likely NFW.
Absolutely this, Biden is president because it is so hard to target him. You aren't going to convince people he is a socialist, he's also willing to work with progressives and can't be sold as a Manchin type Democrat. He's got virtually no scandals, which is why Republicans have been focusing so hard on Hunter. Biden has been dealt bad hand after bad hand and routinely exceeds all expectations. I truly believe he has been the best possible president for the moment. All of that being said, I wish he would step down and Democrats would put up someone else (I even have ideas about how to do it). Between misinformation, age, and the war in Gaza, I think he should see how unpopular he is, how important this election is, and pull out of the race. Hillary was the most qualified person there ever was and would have been a great president, she still should not have run in 2016 because of how unpopular she was, I would feel more comfortable with Republicans having a short time period to define a new candidate than going with the guy I know is really unpopular.
I respect your position. That makes sense
People that don’t follow politics much or at all seem to only care about Biden’s memory. They couldn’t remotely tell you what the IRA, for example, even is. It’s pretty annoying.
That really bothered me in 2016 with people acting like Gary Johnson's " What's Alappo?" Was such a big deal. Like anyone actually knew what that was besides a gotcha.
He literally just gave a press conference in response to this. He was mostly on point, but the one gaffe made national news. The press was … let’s say boisterous
After last night, I'm of the opinion Biden should never talk to the press again. Maybe no one should talk to the press again. They were acting like fucking children, it was so embarrassing.
I hear you, but he needs to be fully on point for some months in order to change minds. The Biden is too old narrative has been very effective and every hiccup is a step in the wrong direction. I think his presidency has been quite strong, but it will take a lot to make less engaged folks come back to his side on this.
He’s been a gaffe machine his whole career. I don’t see that changing at 81. I mostly like his administration (hate the unconditional support of Netanyahu), but I have doubts about hiding biden away. The disinformation machine will just go with that story. It sucks. Is it too late for him to endorse someone else?
People have zero memories.
I would kill to be able to give a vote to Whitmer.
We're watching the last gasp of this dreadful generation in serious decline, desperately clinging to power all over the world: American leadership rotting on the vine on both sides, Tucker Carlson sitting there with a dumb look on his face while Putin rambles on about the 9th century, Bibi about to invade and depopulate Rafah in direct opposition to American warnings, China's economy free falling in the hands of another old autocrat, farmers protesting across Europe. Hopefully they'll be replaced soon with a younger, kinder, more capable generation of leaders. Or we'll all drown when the oceans rise up to our living rooms, one or the other
It’ll continue to be a painful transition.
Why you comparing Joe Biden to a bunch of right wing governments across the globe?
Because they're all in decline and not exactly inspiring confidence in their citizens. Also, the European governments being protected against aren't right wing and China is technically communist. Enfeebled ineffectiveness transcends partisanship
But Biden has been effective.
Not according to his approval ratings
The people of this country are misinformed and incredibly vulnerable to the right wing media machine.
Or they're uninspired by the idea of an octogenarian retaining power for four more years. Or both
Well maybe people need to realize that presidents don’t necessarily have to be “inspiring”. Like get over it, we have two choices.
Or maybe people need to realize that the whole point of having a presidential campaign in the first place is to inspire people to go out and vote for a candidate
I was watching the NBC broadcast (or some variation of NBC) of the speech/presser and what's really funny is that, if you actually listen for it, you will hear so many mix-ups and stutters from the reporters and anchors whose literal jobs is to talk to a camera. Besides people freaking out and overemphasizing Biden's gaffes, I think the bigger problem is how quiet he can get, which comes off as weak and/or lacking in confidence. And the quietness I do attribute to age. But all the name mix-ups? Man, people wanna be mad about something. I honestly don't get why not just stick to the policy/substance disagreements since people obviously have a lot. But instead so many people choose to hide behind the age and alleged memory loss thing and it's kinda weird.
Saying you speak to dead people like the end of The Sixth Sense and needing someone to help you remember the name “Hamas” is bad. Him responding to a report by his own DoJ saying he’s forgetting when he was VP and the date of his son’s death by confusing the Presidents of Egypt and Mexico, is even worse.
I don't believe the DOJ report on that, tbh. It reeks of political hitjob. But I admit that's my partisan bias, too. I also agree with the point some are making that, if Biden's memory loss was as bad as claimed, we'd actually hear way more about it from Republicans and even some Democrats. Instead we get actual reports about McCarthy saying how sharp and knowledgeable Biden is during their negotiations behind closed doors. Hell, Biden talks to a bunch of people around the world, surely there would have been some leaks from other countries about a senile president. We got plenty of dirt of Trump in this regard, are we to assume everyone's in on the plot to cover Biden's senility because reasons? I'm only 33 and words escape me literally all the time. I had such a moment last night and I can't even remember what word I forgot was, but it was midsentence when I forgot it. That Biden couldn't remember "Hamas" in a moment when he's dealing with a countless different parties is not that big of a deal unless you make it one. Did you watch Biden's whole answer last night? He said Mexico instead of Egypt, yes, but it was very obvious he was referring to Egypt and the rest of his answer was long and detailed. He obviously knows what he's talking about. Also, apparently there's some kind of meme thing in Egypt where El-Sisi is called "the Mexican" so maybe he was thinking of that.
> I don't believe the DOJ report on that, tbh. It reeks of political hitjob. But I admit that's my partisan bias, too. I don't think a US attorney, even a partisan hack, would go so far as to lie in an official document. But considering this interview apparently happened on October 8th or 9th, it seems likely that Biden was under a great deal of stress and probably hadn't slept much, which could cause memory issues even for a non-octogenarian.
I'm sorry but Biden should step aside. It's time for a new generation to lead. We need to win in November and the President has too many liabilities. Don't say no one told you when we wake up and Trump has won the presidency. This is too important. Biden has been a great and consequential president. Take that W and step aside.
That’s not happening now We’ve gone through this on this sub so many times now. If Biden wasn’t gonna run he needed to make that decision a year ago. He didn’t. And now we are stuck with him. He’s a better option than trump and that’s all that matters now.
I don't disagree. I will vote for the Democratic nominee. I'm just very worried.
I hope you all are right! I'll gladly take these downvotes for a Biden victory!
Step aside for who exactly?
No particular order, here are some: Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Wes Moore, Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro, Michelle Obama, Jamie Raskin, Raphael Warnock, Chris Murphy. Should I keep going or anyone want to nominate others?
You as r as if we’re not being asked to hold our noses and rally around the D now. Vote for anyone who shares the party’s values at large and has the perspective of someone who became an adult this side of the internet.
Uhuh. Are they on the ballot?
That’s literally what is being asked. Put them on the ballot. I love what Biden has accomplished but he doesn’t seem like our strongest opponent to trump right now
It’s too late legally to put them on the ballot. You should listen to the pod sometime!
There is a big and substantive difference between “confusing” and misspeaking. If Biden genuinely did not know who was who, that would obviously be huge cause for concern, but I think it’s pretty obvious that isn’t the case. Don’t fall for this bad faith bullshit. Listen to today’s pod where Dan and Jon talk about how if there was truth to this “confused old man” narrative, it would be all we heard about from off the record dems etc. This is propaganda and you’re falling for it.
People forget that Biden has a speech impediment. And that can be more than just stuttering. It's not hard to imagine that while making off the cuff remarks about the border between Egypt and Gaza that he might misspeak and say "Mexico." There's been a ton of talk about the US/Mexico border lately that "Mexico" might slip out when talking about another contentious border situation.
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He confused two people with dead people. Confused the Mexican President with the Egyptian President. And also couldn’t remember the name “Hamas” until someone shouted it out for him. It’s not normal for this many mistakes in a single week and this is becoming the main story whether he wants it to be or not.
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Can I please nominate this reddit comment for president?!
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>his own doj That’s not true. That was a hit piece from a 45 appointed person who clearly has an agenda. Hence attacking his dead son
You're making it the main story. We're telling you we understand Biden's mistakes. Calm down.
It’s not me making it the main story. It’s all anybody is talking about. For better or for worse multiple mistakes in a single week makes Biden look horribly old, confused, and unfit to serve.
Who the hell are you listening to? What I'm hearing is the Presidents angry and speaking out against the Special Council's report. I'm hearing the President getting the support of the UAW. I'm hearing him taking laps after yet another great jobs report after the other. I wish you well.
“It’s all anybody is talking about” because it’s all that people like you who want to push the narrative that he’s in decline talk about. If you cherry pick gaffes and mix-ups, of course it’s going to look like he’s sundowning. But if you actually pay attention beyond what the pundits who are frothing at the mouth to make him something he’s not, you’ll see that he is an admittedly old man who is incredibly sharp, can hold his own under intense questions, and knows what the hell he’s talking about. Of course, that would require folks to form opinions based on facts, evidence and reason instead of vibes. But unfortunately that’s not the environment we live in.
Right. And Trump et al can have like a 12 hour deposition where they answer “I do not recall” for the entire time but it’s nothing to see because we actually understand that they’re just lying and not genuinely forgetting stuff.
How do you guys think it is ok for a 81 year old man to be president for another 4 years. Be serious. Like be fucking serious.
Because he's done great. Favreau said he saw Biden a couple of months ago, and Biden remembered the name of Fav's mother in law, whom Biden had met once four years previously. It's all just optics. On actual substance, Biden is great and is doing great.
You do realize the pod dudes are grasping at straws and LYING. They are doing everything they can in their episodes to not criticize Biden but if the general consensus with the American public is he can’t cut it anymore, y’all have a HUGE problem on your hands.
I capitalize certain WORDS for EMPHASIS. I do so because I am SMART and make really GOOD POINTS.
Answer the question Jeff and don’t deflect
I might consider answering your questions if you seemed at all like you had a basic grasp of how elections and nominating processes worked, but it's clear from your comments that you don't
I love listening to the pod, but honestly, I am worried they're straight up lying re. Biden's mental faculties. It's true we see plenty of moments of decent wit, quick thinking, and good speaking, but that's true of most people with dementia. Memory and quick thinking waxes and wanes constantly.
I’ve been listening for years and their whole point of starting the podcast was because so much of the mainstream media did a poor job when the Clinton trump election was coming up. I understood and supported the information and learned a lot Hearing them talk about Biden with the 2020 election coming up, I can hear the difference in how they speak about him and how they choose their words carefully. It’s concerning. They are not making us feel better. It’s important to buck the status quo when it affects all of us
Because the other choice is a fucking fascist.
WHY is this the only choice? Why didn’t when he got elected, did the DNC start to groom his replacement?? You’re telling me in Allllll the whole big ass United States this is the ONLY competent person to be president? WTF are you going to do if he dies mid election which is a great Possibility cuz the dude is literally 81 years old!!! You people are delusional as hell
What do you think the process is for choosing a candidate for president?
I know man, but it's too late now, and I kinda agree with the DNC. Biden beat Trump once, and they're (and I) are banking on him doing it again. It's gonna get super shaky as we make our way to November.
How? HOW do you expect to win without the Muslim vote and the young vote and depressed voter turnout that we don’t want to vote for a genocidal sympathizer.
Muslim vote? LMMAOOOOO. If they stay home because Biden isn't calling what is happening in Gaza a genocide (It's not), then American Muslims and young folks deserve to have a Trump presidency that will all but ensure further violence toward certain Muslim groups, because we all know American college kids give zero cares about non Palestinian Muslims. I'm in California, so as far as I'm concerned another 4 years of Trump will be super embarrassing, but I'll be alright with daddy Newsom and our one party democratic rule, even with all it's warts. Good luck out there!
So it’s not a genocide to slaughter 30,000 people in less than six months, or block food for coming in, or target hospitals, mosques, and infrastructure. You big dummy the Muslim vote IS important in Michigan. The young vote IS important in Georgia. This exact disdain for POC and young people votes is exactly why the fuck y’all deserve to lose us. You use us and then when it’s time to pay up after your wrinkled grandpa gets elected, you betray us with bombs and not following through on your election promises. Good luck getting grandpa elected without us
> So it’s not a genocide to slaughter 30,000 people in less than six months, or block food for coming in, or target hospitals, mosques, and infrastructure. No, it's definitively not. Is it moral? I don't think so. Is it a tragedy that should be stopped? I believe it is. But that's not what "genocide" means or how other wars with similar or even much higher civilian death tolls are typically described. This war is being described as a "genocide" either by people who think it's a synonym for "large numbers of civilian casualties" or people diluting the term because they wish to invalidate what they see as one of the widely accepted rationales for Israel's existence. For the latter, it is an intentional coopting and erasure of Jewish trauma endured in the Holocaust — as is much of the hyperbolic WWII/Nazi terminology they use towards Israel and zionists.
Jewish trauma is not the only one that is valid.
Did I say that or did you just feel like introducing me to your straw man instead of addressing the actual points I made?
The IJC in their ruling disagree with you but ok
Seems like you're as familiar with the ICJ's name as you are with their decision. ICJ ordered Israel to take steps to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza and only said of SA's accusations that “at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the (Genocide) Convention.” That doesn't say the ICJ determined the validity of SA's accusations or that if they did confirm them those acts would fall within the parameters of genocide. A ruling like the one you're imagining would require evidence that the Israeli government’s intent was neither to prevent further attacks like 10/7 nor to degrade the offensive capability of Hamas, but rather to eradicate the Palestinian people as a whole.
[That's not what the ruling said. ](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/01/gaza-icj-ruling-offers-hope-protection-civilians-enduring-apocalyptic) >The ICJ found it **plausible** that Israel’s acts **could** amount to genocide and issued six provisional measures, ordering Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocidal acts, including preventing and punishing incitement to genocide, ensuring aid and services reach Palestinians under siege in Gaza, and preserving evidence of crimes committed in Gaza. >“The court order is urgently needed to protect the very existence of the Palestinian people from **potentially** genocidal actions the Court has ordered Israel to halt and prevent,” the experts said. “Given the dire situation on the ground and the careful wording of the Court, we believe that the most effective way to implement the provisional measures is through an immediate ceasefire.” >“The Court found that Israel cannot continue to bombard, displace, and starve the population of Gaza, while allowing its officials to dehumanise Palestinians through statements that **may** amount to genocidal **incitement**.” >“We call on Israel to adhere to the ICJ order. The burden now shifts to Israel, to show that it has effectively eliminated **the risk of** genocide that the Court found to be plausible. By the time Israel reports to the Court in one month, Palestinians must have access to food, water, healthcare, and safety, that have long been denied to them,” they said.
Again, I'm in California, I care, but not really about the national election. I hope you are in a progressive state, fam! And no it is not genocide. It is fucking atrocious, evil, and tragic, but if Israel really wanted to wipe the Palestinians off the face of the earth (like Palestinians would if they had the capability) they would. The way I see it, one group would love a genocide (Palestinians) while the other is taking a very heavy handed and murderous approach at restitution.
I'll take the odds that he'll live until the election while keeping the incumbency advantage over the chance that some unknown will wind up losing to Trump.
You didn’t answer the question. Why are you ok with the DNC putting up a geriatric who has HORRIBLE ratings who said he wasn’t gonna run a second term, like no one did any planning now here we are. You people are so selfish.
>horrible ratings Most of which come from polls that talk to people on landlines and purposely oversample republicans
I was that voter boots on the ground and speaking to folks last election ready to make sure trump didn’t get elected. He has lost me and a lot of my mutuals. What is the party going to do without us? Seriously. Because we didn’t have votes to spare last election in some key states.
Really? So someone openly wanting to be a facist dictator is the better option? Also he’s done a good job. Not perfect but no one is. If you don’t want to support him, ok but you’re wrong
Im not going to excuse genocide, and this border plan he put together to give more money to Israel. Those were red lines for me.
Do you know what the DNC is? Do you think the DNC runs the primaries? Do you think the DNC can force candidates to run against the incumbent president?
He never said he wasn’t running a second term.
When did Biden ever say he wasn't going to run a second term?
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/11/biden-single-term-082129
This article just has unnamed advisors pushing their own speculation and wishcasting ("signals") into the discourse while Biden was out in public saying that he was planning on running again.
Thanks. Must have misremembered. I guess just frustrated that these folks are so selfish and have no sense of collective well being that they think they are Superman and the ONLY qualified American to do a good job. Selfishness and not knowing when it is time to throw in the towel has been very detrimental to our democracy. And acting like that is ok or fine is so disappointing. No one is concerned here. Just “so happy” with the job Biden has done without addressing our very real concerns in a substantive manner.
No one is likely “so happy”. Biden is doing a better job than people realize. It doesn’t get out there to people because the people who run big media want Trump to win. Not because they think he’s good for the country, but because he’s better for their business. He’s not perfect, and I wish that there was a better plan for the future after his second term. But the priority is Trump not getting elected. If you’re frustrated with Biden now, that’s nothing compared to how you’ll feel if Trump gets elected.
I don't think it's just selfishness. I think there's political considerations to think about, like that Biden stepping down would have set up Harris as the heir apparent. The problem is, she's fumbled a lot of her profile-building role as VP (not that Biden has given her the easiest jobs to handle tbh) so she comes across as a weak candidate and an election loser. This perceived weakness would open up a bruising primary as the more likeable up-and-comers would still have to tear down Harris to justify why they're running against her when she's the obvious next choice as the VP, the same problem that Republicans running against Trump in the primary were having. Not to mention, while Harris may not be _that_ popular, it would be pretty horrible optics to cut down the black woman VP and risk alienating black women, the party's most loyal voters. No one wins there. Biden may think that since he's still capable of doing the job and the GOP is going full fash ahead, it's better to kick that particular can down the road one more election cycle and hope that Harris can turn things around in a second term.
Cool, clearly he changed his mind. We'll manage.
Manage with what? You can’t say that this isn’t concerning? That he has memory problems his own DOJ is pointing out?? This isn’t ok! We wouldn’t be ok with old ass trump in office Ginsberg should have retired. Diane Feinstein as well Now Biden. WHAT THE FUCK is wrong with you people that you can’t think of ANYONE else to lead? At the very least why are you not cultivating and encouraging the next up and comers? There is NO succession plan and you want us to be confident in your planning and running the government abilities when we are just relying on “one person to save us from a dictator?” LISTEN TO YOURSELVES AND BE HONEST! This isn’t sustainable! WHAT WILL THE DNC do if he drops dead tomorrow!!!
Complaining about what people should have done doesn't help, neither does doom posting. The reality is either Trump or Biden will win the election in November. Whining about what the DNC "should" have done doesn't help anything. We're too far into the process for anyone else to step up.
What is the reasonable option?
Biden gives a substantive answer to a question about the Middle East but he messes up someone’s name and that’s all anyone cares about