this blog post? My post posted between 1155am and 1215pm. The NY Times piece dropped today, as did the ABC News piece. So please take this post down as it is full of misinformation. Thank you.
I removed the post as requested, immediately. It wasn't bullshit (which I take to mean that I was intentionally trying to mislead), and I don't agree with you about your interpretation of the information. There's a lot more I'm not saying about what you've done to me and a lot of other people today by promoting an (at best) questionable theory as though it is fact.
I have found so much comfort in this site for the past 10 months, and particularly for the last 10 days. I mean that sincerely. I realize this is a tense afternoon, but taking a gratuitous shot at someone who looks up to you just makes me sad.
Joe I have taken down the post you didn't care for even though it was written before your post came down. I appreciate your involvement in this community, but just be careful with your posts going forward. Simon
Simon, as I'm sure you can guess I'm unsubscribing and not posting here for the time being. I understand I offended you, but I had an audience of one. You have an audience the size of a football stadium. You were the one who wasn't careful today. I think your voice is important, so I hope you didn't do as much damage as I fear you have.
Yes, 1000 times yes to you. Joe Biden was, is, and will be a good president. MAGA is already exploiting this dysfunction in our party (moreover in the media and commentariat.) I’ve never ever seen Trump shut up like he has since the debate! Some advisor clearly told Trump, when your enemy is shooting himself in the foot, get out of the way and let them destroy themselves.
Yes, I agree that Trump is absolutely as bad as you say he is. So, if Joe is actually a strong candidate, he should not be losing to Trump - but he is. (Even the recent Morning Consult poll, which is the best post-debate poll for Biden, has him behind in 5 of the 7 battleground states.)
Head in the sand talking points that seek to blame media pundits and "elites" aren't going to persuade the independent swing voters that we need to defeat Trump.
The GOP will make it as difficult as possible for Harris to take the spot in as many states as possible. I think the issue in Ohio is instructive here. For what it’s worth, I think either can win and Biden is right to be skeptical of the pundits.
I do think we should expect Biden to be open to taking a physical.
I’ve seen this written elsewhere, but it doesn’t appear to be of substance. There is no official nominee yet. Biden is not even on the ballot anywhere. He could be officially nominated at the DNC virtual meeting on or around 7/22, from what I can determine.
She would have access to the ballot line and campaign funds.
Sean any demand that the Pres. take a test or an exam helps Trump. There’s nothing wrong with him. Anyone advocating for the President to do this is helping Trump win. Watch the President’s speeches over the weekend, his interview with Joe Scarborough. He’s fine. Why don’t you call on Trump to take a test? Why isn’t the media going after Trump for lying 30 times or so during the debate and asking him to take a test for all of his crazy insane remarks on the campaign trail. All of this is a corrupt Washington insider/elitist coup.
Tom, I understand this position but I think it's ridiculous. You are saying that I am helping Trump today. There are very serious and deep concerns in the family and here in the Hopium community about the President's health. Dismissing them and claiming we are disloyal if want more and better information about his health is the opposite of what I asked today from all of you - to respect the President, our leaders, each other. I am trying to find a path forward on this site that brings people together and this kind of rhetoric does not help.
Simon, I have the utmost respect for you and didn’t mean in any way that you were disloyal. You’ve done a lot to help President Biden, a lot. amazing work. Personally when I felt down and depressed about all the media negativity you were the one who lifted my spirits and inspired me to stop worrying and get to work on doing the nuts and bolts of campaigning- donating, calling friends and family, talking to voters about the achievements of the past 4 years. And I’m sure many Democrats around the county feel the same way. I apologize to you. I didn’t mean to say that or imply it.
I listened to the Interview on Morning Joe. I like it when President Biden is pissed off, I think he does better when he is a little mad. However I think the biggest problem facing Joe Biden currently is that he is not being empathetic to the concern of voters about his age.
Joe Biden's greatest strength is the empathy he has for Americans and their concerns and struggles. The fact that he cannot summon the empathy for this concern has shaken my confidence in his ability to win. I do not need him to step aside necessarily. I need him to say to the American people that he hears them and understands why this concerns them, and show that it is not an issue.
Frankly the closest he has gotten to empathizing with concerns was his letter to congressional Dems today, and it did not inspire confidence that he had the other half which was a plan to dispel the concern.
Tom, I totally agree with you. Look to our lovely friends across the pond. Keir Starmer is now PM and is universally believed to be the most boring politician in the history of the UK. He quietly outmaneuvered the Tories to the point that with about 35% of the vote, Labour got more than 60% of the seats. I watched live coverage from the UK and it was amazing how quickly they pivoted to the far right Reform party. Biggest landslide win in 100 years, but let us focus on Nigel Farage and his five measly seats, shall we. Corp media is addicted to catnip.
Okay first of all, FDR was a freaking master at the media. His fireside chats were the equivalent to must see TV. Comparing FDR and his infirmaries, which he literally ran on as proof point to his connection to the common person, and Joe Biden's age in terms of media treatment is simply not a good comparison because Joe Biden uses a completely different media strategy and did not run on being old.
Joe Biden ran on his empathy to the American people and right now he is just angerly saying he is not too old, not empathizing with the concern. Not saying something like, "look I know people are concerned about my age. I went through this with my mother who was sharp into her 90's but not as rigorous as she once was. When concerns about my age come up in polls or with voters, I have asked my self is this like when we tried to get mom to move in with us? I always come to No, because I find my strength and passion in doing the a job I am still good at. She refused to acknowledge she couldn't open cans any more, I (Insert a subset of accomplishments) and I do more every day." He could follow it up with a legitimate talk about the 25th amendment and what expectations he has for VP Harris and the Cabinet. That would be a really be addressing the concern without getting mad.
Second, I buy the media does a bunch of bad faith nonsense. But he is running for re-election if he doesn't have time for BS interviews what are we doing? That is what running for office is about the same interview 50 times because you need people to hear it. He sleeps 100 feet from 2 dozen reporters, skip Morning Joe and pull one of them into the residence and go live.
Lastly, President Biden so far has taken a low engagement media strategy. It is largely a choice. He lets a lot of balls go by in an attempt to have people not expect the president in their lives every day. Being able to push the media narrative in a certain direction is something presidents have the power to do. If he had framed the Supreme Courts decision as a dangerous over reach but then closed with this opens some doors for for my admin, everyone will have to wait and see. We would be in a different spot narratively. President Biden is simply not comfortable doing those types of media spins. It is one of the things I like about him but it is constraining when you have an out of control narrative against your biggest weakness.
Excuse me, the public did not know that FDR was in a wheelchair. The media did not let on, photos were taken at odd angles, FDR could walk with braces if someone held onto him. His lectern had hand grips and he drove a car with hand controls. The public did not know.
Biden is out campaigning just about daily and he does his job as President, actually a great President, daily. With a schedule like that he owes me nothing but to keep on doing what he is doing.
Virginia, he ran on his battle with polio. He used it to connect with people. It was common knowledge. You are correct that they did not highlight his wheel chair, but people knew his fight with polio was a major part of his life. He had famously turned the warm springs resort into a polio health center.
What, I was getting at was they didn't know he was disabled. The media did not focus on his illness either.
Biden had a bad cold, as soon as I heard his voice, which was raspy and sore sounding, I knew this was not going to go well.
The Heritage Foundation has threatened to sue if Biden doesn't run or is pushed off the ticket. Since delay is a tactic, finely honed, I see more problems with Biden not running than keeping him on.
He also spent a lot of time thinking up media narratives and leaking news to reporters. The Court Packing Scheme was famously told by him to reporters in an informal press gathering in the residence. I largely believe it didn't work because he blindsided congress.
Josh, back in those days, the President was treated like a god. There was no twitter or face book. And we were at war America was unified. Pres. Biden didn’t even get a proper inauguration. He was vilified every day by Fox and the right wing media. Today’s media is TOXIC. They are not the guardians of Democracy, looking out for us. They are there to make money and unfortunately what makes money for them are negative news stories. He did sit down for an interview and George Stephanopoulos was a joke. Yes a joke.
Tom the media's incentives are clear as day. But so are the things they gravitate towards. The media craves novelty and conflict, but President Biden does not. But not giving them novelty and conflict is a choice. I am not calling on Biden to be Trump, but you can chose to give them mystery and novelty whenever you want.
I agree the Stephanopoulos interview was a joke, it was 20 minutes. It should have been an hour long and a week earlier.
You noticed that as well! And that last question was idiotic. How does anyone answer that? I really debated watching the interview. I think Biden was holding back from letting Stephanopoulis get a touch of Dark Brandon!
I would suggest, as I have noted in the past, have Biden do town halls with voters. He loves talking to people/voters. But we don't see his cameraderie with voters often which is cheating him and us.
I respectfully disagree. I don't think going anti-elitist is a good thing, and is instead kind of dodging the issue. The issue being the state of the President's cognitive functioning. Anti-elitism just attempts to drive wedges into our D party, the last thing we need. If Joe wants to highlight his pissed off chops, direct it towards MAGA, not D's. Further, I wish Joe would own up, man up, grown up-up to just how badly he performed during the televised thing loosely called a debate.
Biden has said many times that he did badly in the debate. Also a lot of people are pissed at the pundits, elites and donors who are ignoring the 14M people who voted for him in the primary.
Televised Presidential debates are worthless. And when you think about it they are ridiculous. And we shouldn’t judge the President’s 4 years in office based upon one bad night because he was ill. Do you remember a time when you had the flu or a really bad cold? It doesn’t feel great and you’re not at your best, you’re just trying to get through the day. I hope the oligarchs now direct their pissed off chops towards MAGA and Trump and that the corp media find out where Trump has been for the past 10 days while our President has been engaged and out their meeting real voters in PA, WI and other battle ground states!
Yes. Our "friends," at CNN, NYTimes, ABC, and so forth, should be much cautious about where they think their corporate interests are best served. If Trump wins in 2024, partly because of their belittling coverage of Joe Biden, all journalists will be expected to write only flattering articles about Trump. Those who go rougue and criticize Trump will be subject to all kinds of attacks and discipline. They should remember the lessons from Nathan Nielmoller long poem about the Nazis; "When they came for me"
because, if Trump comes after the liberal MSM after his election, No one will speak for them..
His debate performance has created a crisis and his response should, imo, be a crisis-level response. I performed poorly is not that. The why's and how's are needed. We need to know if he is suffering from cognitive impairment, and nothing he has said or done since 6/27 has provided any answers. He was that evening, and is today, an ineffective fighter of MAGA. As much as I love and admire Old Joe, we need someone who can fight the fight.
He explained that he was sick. What he didn't say, but I will say on his behalf, is that he also had been on two international trips in the week before; has sleep apnea; has a lifelong stutter; and was trying to process a fire hose of lies spewed at him that continued even after Trump's microphone was turned off.
I love Biden and am eternally grateful that he saved democracy in 2020 and has been a fantastic President.
But I love winning in 2024 and defeating Trump more. That's why I listen to Simon and am willing to shape my opinion based (in part) of what he thinks.
FIRST: Yes, the abysmal debate performance did real damage, although we can have endless discussions about how much. However, far more damaging to our winning chances this November has been the Democratic panic that is on full public display!
And this display has been fodder for the news media’s feeding frenzy, whose owners and editors care far more about clicks and viewership and profits than they do for Truth or the preservation of American democracy.
Hate to say it, but in that regards I really do wish Democrats would learn some lessons from Republicans. The Democratic disarray and needless self-sabotage has been off the charts!
.
A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION – and a possible solution:
IF Biden were to step aside – and it’s a big IF – how about Joe and Kamala simply switch places on the ticket? Wouldn’t this preserve the considerable advantage of incumbency?
Additionally, this ought to dampen the worries about Biden’s health and age, as he would then be in a support role. Joe’s experience and wisdom would continue to be invaluable. And the tens of millions of Democrats who voted for Biden in the primaries would not feel cheated because party insiders threw our hugely successful president off the stage. Older voters would not feel that this was an ageist attack.
Furthermore, if Joe and Kamala choose this path and presented it to party insiders and heavyweights, I think they would quickly get on board, including Presidents Obama and Clinton, Speaker Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, Senators Warner and Sanders, and other key players.
Thus we would avoid the delay and destructive divisiveness of “an open Convention”. (Cautionary note: remember 1968!)
This switch would signal continuity as well as renewal and rejuvenation. After all, we would still be electing Team Biden-Harris, which during the last three and a half years has achieved so much for America and the world!
I really think this point is correct. But don’t just fault the Democrats. The media will
own a huge piece of a Trump win. They should gather facts and give us information. They should not decide, egged on by their own indignation and embarrassment that they were somehow duped, that they need to be avengers who must force the legit people’s choice off the ballot. That’s malpractice.
Do they really think that the Biden campaign was hiding the fact that Biden was in the shape he was on Thursday night? The campaign (and Jill!) would never have sent him out there if they knew. None of their reporting has shaken loose any indication that this was anything but a one off, the impact on an 81 yr old of a bad cold, deep exhaustion, multiple trips abroad, the conviction of a beloved and fragile son to destroy his father, his inability to resolve the horrendous mess of the Middle East, etc., etc.
I too hope he gets another physical. The exam in Feb was categorical about seeing no signs of Parkinson’s — the doctor addressed it specifically. And I feel pretty sure that they guy with George Stephanopolus could pass Trump’s “man woman tv,” this is an elephant test handily. But if something is wrong, he needs to know.
I'll go further and say Biden would likely pass a real cognitive evaluation, not the quickie joke that trump took, which by the way anyone could screw up if nervous enough ( ahem not mentioning names, but speaking for a friend ). But we need to know. Generally when something is being looked at, and there is some suspicion, conditions like Parkinson's or ALS which may not be obvious for awhile ( there are no positive or negative diagnostic tests; even an emg might not be good enough early on ) it is prudent to check every 6 months. I've been through it. Often it takes time. However, Parkinson's can come on suddenly, just ask Michael J Fox; he woke up in a hotel and his pinky was trembling. I have had many similar mornings where I was twitching, and crapped my pants as to what it might mean, but in the end it was just another manifestation of a benign neurological issue ( sometimes even my tongue will twitch; another time it might be my eyelids, or lips, i have dealt with this for 29 years ). I don't know too many people Biden's age ( well, I should stop there! ) who don't have something going on. Had a recent friend who passed away at 89 after breaking her hip; she had some early signs of Alzheimer's but was still independent and living alone. After the fall, it advanced rapidly and she died in months. Charles Bronson developed it right after dental surgery. Kris Kristofferson, OTOH, was fully diagnosed with dementia before Lyme disease was revealed. So there are no easy tests for a lot of these things; we are used to doctors seeing a scan or blood test and proceeding from there, but much of medicine is watching and waiting.
He seems to be listening to input about what needs to be done to right the ship, perhaps he'll do this, too. Also, agreed re the media. I have been an avid NY Times reader for decades, and I have been absolutely stunned by their coverage of Biden since the debate. For this first time ever, I'm seriously considering canceling my subscription.
After they printed that *insane* editorial about why it's okay not to vote I urged everyone I know to unsubscribe. (Thank God for Lawrence O'Donnell, sometimes it feels like he's the only person keeping his head.)
To add to your list of factors, (I learned this from Heather Cox Richardson) he was fire-housed by a liar who used a proven technique, Gish Gallop, whose whole purpose is to throw off an opponent with so many lies and contradictory statements that he is torn between correcting the lies, and answering the question. She said this is particularly effective with someone who stutters.
In theory an idea that has lots of merit that would satisfy various sides. In reality, especially from the Biden I have been seeing the last 2 weeks and even more defiantly so today, I don't think he would accept second place. He would probably also say "been there, done that." The article by organizational psychologist Adam Grant Saturday in the NY Times, "The Reason It's So Hard for Powerful People to Walk Away," seems to really nail the trap Biden is in -- being deeply invested in the role, the responsibility and the identity, and not wanting to be a quitter. This is really tough. I wish he could embrace the dual reality that we are all so supportive, impressed and grateful for all he has done...but that the timing is such that the torch should be handed over to someone who can further his vision and agenda.
I guess my sense is I’m awaiting the election. I don’t care much for what the media and pundits are saying now. I don’t much care for all the politicians coming out and telling Joe what to do. That’s fine with me. - if everyone is on board
I don’t care what the NYT or WaPo want. I don’t think they really know what they’re saying and have added nothing of substance to our conversation.
I only care about one thing, and on thing only. I care about electing a Democrat to the White House. I love the job Joe has done and will gladly support him again- warts and all. I’ll gladly vote for any Democrat who promises to deliver a platform that Biden/Harris have. I won’t argue about how anyone looks or dresses or speaks as long as they promise to deliver and save our democracy.
So, let’s cut the chatter, finger-pointing and divisive nonsense and get to work either re-electing Joe or his successor. I will not stand by while a despicable, disgusting, lying, convicted criminal stands ready to destroy our way of life.
YES, well said! My friends and I are postcarding, it feels great. Check out Postcards to Swing States and get a group going with your friends. #domore #worryless We'll start phonebanking for Joe soon.
I’ve been writing postcards for the last month. I subscribed to Simon’s substack because he inspired me to Do More, Worry Less. I’ve ordered hundreds of postcards for FL Vote By Mail campaign (democrats only) to get out the vote for the abortion amendment (only state that needs 60% approval). I’ve given multiple times to his make June Count push (one of which was to support Biden). And now your post has demoralized me today. I’m working to elect the amazing Biden team. It’s a TEAM. Not 1 man. There’s millions in grassroots efforts that were inspired by you Simon. Please don’t jump ship now. We all down here have worked for the Biden/Harris team. Your job is to help inspire us, not deflate us. PLEASE STAY THE COURSE for all of us! PLEASE
I would agree with Timothy Snyder...being in "disarray" with legitimate questions about the president's health is not a bad thing; Democrats are not a fascist type party that marches to the beat of one drum; we can do this because we feel safe. trump's Republican followers are afraid of him; they do not speak up out of fear. Snyder also notes that there should be far more calls for trump to step aside, as he is the threat to democracy, not Biden. in fact, he indicates that anyone not calling for trump to step aside as well is suspect. He cites 3 criteria for those who ask Biden to step down; 1. that they acknowledge Biden's extraordinary achievements 2. that they have called for trump to step down 2. that their reason for calling for Biden to step down is the fear of regime change.
Except for the Philadelphia Inquirer, I am not aware of any other newspaper or major news media/outlet that has called for Donald J. Trump to withdraw from the presidential race.
The party is showing itself to be extraordinarily healthy and I’m proud to be a member. We really ARE the only functional party in the country. They are working on this behind the scenes, reasonably discretely, and I’ll be 100% behind whatever they want to do.
My beef is not with the party. It’s with the vengeful and smug press corp who aren’t satisfied with providing what they have learned from their reporting and are determined to replace the voters by pushing Biden out of the race, largely out of a sense of grievance, as far as I can tell . It’s not their job to decide our nominees. And if it’s genuinely their goal, it’s going to backfire. All they are doing is making him dig in deeper and deeper which will make the party’s job much harder, if that’s what they decide to do.
There has been some truly excellent reporting (yes, even in the Times) but overall, I am terribly disappointed.
I am also beyond disgusted with the pundits and “analysts” who took 30 seconds to jump to the conclusion that Biden had to go. Tom Friedman didn’t even sleep on it. And the Never-Trump Republicans — people I once genuinely admired and respected, especially the Bulwark folks (notable exception, smart guy Michael Steele!) who rushed to judgment and proceeded to act like it was their mission to push Biden out. Bless people like Steele and Adam Kinzinger who said “it’s not my party and I’m not going to tell them what to do.”
And OMG, James Carville this morning in the NYT — what a grossly condescending piece of writing. It’s anti-Democratic for Biden to endorse Harris and to ask the party to coalesce around her because he refused to participate in a primary. Therefore, in the interests of democracy — wait for it… Obama and Clinton should just pick 8 candidates who would meet in 4 town halls and then have a convention. (He generously says Harris would be assured of an invitation because she’s done a good job. Asshole. )
And voila. A candidate who has two months to run, to get on the ballots, and get vetted by the press. Which having taken down one Dem will be frothing to get the next big story.
Proud to o be a Democrat. Not so happy with the rest of those folks.
And God Bless Joe Biden. He doesn’t deserve to be president if he can’t manage it (though he has!!) but he deserves better from his country than this shoddy treatment.
Also George Conway, as far as I’ve seen, has avoided the rush to judgment. Mike Galen too (I might have spelled that wrong.)
I don’t mind what people’s personal opinions are. This is complicated and scary. My own thoughts are mixed up. But each two bit pundit with a substack newsletter who comes out and announces that he (usually, not exclusively) has determined that Joe *must* go. Who do they think they are? And why should we care?
Freaking Damon Linker announced today that — while he had once declared that he would vote for a potted plant if were running against Donald Trump — he’s changed his mind and has decided that if the Dems keep Biden on the ticket, he’s not voting at all and he’s certain that others feel same way. He’s so damn self-righteous and wrong. I called him out on it and he said it’s one small way he can try to influence events. He’s literally threatening the entire country with the fact that he’s willing to see democracy end if he doesn’t get his way.
I suspect Mr. Linker will ultimately vote for Biden. I feel much the same vibe coming from Michael Moore. Making a lot of noise ostensibly to try to influence events, but I suspect also for attention and click$. I don't listen to a lot them for the time being. I can't let attention seeking behavior fuck with my head, and I advise none of my fellow pro-Democracy people to either.
Just a heads up. We need to ready for new skewed pols. The MSM pushes an anti-Biden narrative and then amplifies poor polling that they help drive. Steel yourselves. I don't know about you but they're not jerking me around anymore.
Also, we need to keep in mind that part of that "poor polling" is that Republicans tend to be over-represented, because they're more likely to have/use landlines, and to take calls from unknown callers.
Polls don't matter. Votes do. I'm ignoring the former and focusing on the latter. I'll be writing postcards today.
The skewed-polls accusation is a dangerous one. We have to be realistic, and it’s almost certain that Trump would win in a landslide if the election were held today. The polls clearly indicate such. It’s the current sad reality, made much worse by the debate
The question is whether Biden is physically and cognitively capable of clawing back. This means dismantling Trump and the GOP positions the way Harris has been doing for the past few weeks (she has been amazing in this regard). I don’t know if he does. I just don’t know.
The profit-seeking pundits and biased officials don’t attack Trump. That takes too much courage. Trump would target them. Instead they say a President currently doing an outstanding job must be summarily fired. Those not doing their job should be fired. Hypotheticals on medical condition? Really? He had a full, published physical in February. Once a year is good enough. Unless you have news backed with clear proof, get on the campaign trail with your candidate. Time is awasting..
Yes, and it needs to continue to be said that those same media who might be shying away from criticizing Trump out of fear he would target them need to understand that he WILL TARGET THEM FOR CERTAIN should he win.
YSF, he sees a doctor every day. A full physical is once a year, for you and me, and Medicare doesn’t cover it twice a year or every 3 months as you incorrectly and misleadingly suggest.
I didn't get that but ok, I'm older. But in our society when you say someone is a doctor it is assumed you mean a physician. Not a dentist. Not a chiropractor. Not a podiatrist. And not a professor. In fact, academics almost never use the term doctor outside the academy. Psychologists do, because they insist on it. Hence the comment " I'm not THAT kind of doctor" to remind people of this....
My son is 26. He just went to the doctor. He saw him two weeks ago for an earache. He made him come back today for bloodwork and ekg. He has to go back for the results of the blood work. After that, if everything is fine, he said come back in....3 months. I guess we do things better here in NJ.
I am 79 and see my doctor annually unless I have an issue. Follow-ups more often are covered by Medicare. Being old is not necessarily a medical condition.
Thank you, Simon. I am 57 years old and a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, a party filled with decent people who want government to run efficiently and do good things. I trust President Joe Biden, the most effective, impressive Democratic president of my lifetime, to do the right thing by his country & his party. He is an honorable man who has devoted his entire adult life to America. How fortunate we are to have him as POTUS in this moment. Godspeed, y'all!
Joe Biden doesn’t seem impaired to me in the least—did you catch his call in to Morning Joe?—but the bottom line is, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need him to prove anything. He’s been a great president, and he surrounds himself with great people who can take over if need be. I’m with the person who said they’d vote for Joe’s corpse over the orange POS. Call me a starry-eyed dreamer, but I believe Joe will win, and it won’t be close.
Let's start counting with the 81 million Americans who voted for Biden in 2020.
Does anybody on this stream know anyone who's switching their vote to Trump? Know anyone who's not voting because Joe might be slipping? Until you show me few million of those voters, Biden's winning in 2024.
Speaking of NATO - Now is a really great time to reach US voters in Europe. There are over 175,000 eligible US voters just in France! Thousands more in every NATO country.
They can vote AND do it earlier than everyone else.
The NATO meet couldn’t come at a better time. NATO defends democracy, unlike the maga/2025 opinion. Let the world leaders in that meet take the measure of an older with his wits about him. Let him be judged by his peers, many of whom have called him “Joe” for decades. Lots of people will die today unexpectedly. We have Harris in place with Bidenomics already under her belt. Her sole job is to step up in case the worst happens. Joe has every right to campaign as long as he can. We already voted Kamala into office. Just saying.
That’s exactly how I feel. If Joe can’t be president, if he falls off his bike and hits his head, if he’s run over by a bus, that’s why we have a VP. Kamala was who I prayed he’d pick in 2020 and she has never disappointed me. But I think Joe is fine. He’s older, it’s a stressful job, and he’s stammering more, but he’s always been prone to verbal gaffes. I trust his abilities to serve as president. Plus, not only does he have a great VP, he has a truly excellent cabinet. He’s my guy. I’m just mad that I missed him on Morning Joe today! Does anyone have a link to a recording?
Susan, you can download the MSNBC app and listen to the full interview there. Worth your time. Great call by President Biden. His gloves are off and he’s come out swinging! (
I might add that I also watched his 3 events yesterday in Pennsylvania on the CSPAN app and Joe was great! Very enthusiastic crowds and support.
Oh, good—I already have the app on phone, tablet, and Apple TV so I’m good to go. I appreciate your answer—I’m going to watch it tonight after work. I almost always have MSNBC on in the background while I work from home, but since the debate the constant babbling, even on MSNBC, that Biden Olllldddd has been making my anxiety rise. I’m so sick of this stupidity. He and Kamala won the primaries resoundingly, probably with more votes than Trump (I haven’t done that math—I could be wrong about that because my state, Florida, held no Democratic primary and I’m sure others did the same.) It is too late to change Joe and Kamala for some fictional dream candidates that make the pundits happy. F the f-ing pundits. And also, for God’s sake, didn’t any of the press hear the crap Trump was spouting? Like how Democrats want abortion after birth??? JFC. STFU and let’s beat the shit out of Trump!! This isn’t a reality show, it’s our lives. Pisses me off!!! Sorry, didn’t mean to go off. I’m over it!
Lincoln Project isn't giving up almost 250 years of democracy because of 90 minu 1 bad night won't derail us from our mission, it has only energized us:
The Lincoln Project is a leading pro-democracy organization in the United States protection, and defense of democracy. Our fight against Trumpism is only beginnip everywhere and at all times - our democracy depends on it.
Don't forget to like, share, and follow The Lincoln Project on social media below!
Ironically, the Lincoln Project, consisting of either current or former Republicans, understand how we must keep the focus on this fascist GQP candidate who wants to be a dictator and kick him in the nuts; far more than the gutless, spineless Democrats who always wring their hands and wet their beds at the slightest sign of difficulty.
this blog post? My post posted between 1155am and 1215pm. The NY Times piece dropped today, as did the ABC News piece. So please take this post down as it is full of misinformation. Thank you.
I removed the post as requested, immediately. It wasn't bullshit (which I take to mean that I was intentionally trying to mislead), and I don't agree with you about your interpretation of the information. There's a lot more I'm not saying about what you've done to me and a lot of other people today by promoting an (at best) questionable theory as though it is fact.
I have found so much comfort in this site for the past 10 months, and particularly for the last 10 days. I mean that sincerely. I realize this is a tense afternoon, but taking a gratuitous shot at someone who looks up to you just makes me sad.
Joe I have taken down the post you didn't care for even though it was written before your post came down. I appreciate your involvement in this community, but just be careful with your posts going forward. Simon
Simon, as I'm sure you can guess I'm unsubscribing and not posting here for the time being. I understand I offended you, but I had an audience of one. You have an audience the size of a football stadium. You were the one who wasn't careful today. I think your voice is important, so I hope you didn't do as much damage as I fear you have.
Very well stated. Thank you.
ok comradeski
Agree 100%
This. He’s our candidate. He’s said he’s staying in. We have ONE job to do. I sincerely don’t understand any other viewpoints.
Yes, 1000 times yes to you. Joe Biden was, is, and will be a good president. MAGA is already exploiting this dysfunction in our party (moreover in the media and commentariat.) I’ve never ever seen Trump shut up like he has since the debate! Some advisor clearly told Trump, when your enemy is shooting himself in the foot, get out of the way and let them destroy themselves.
Yes, I agree that Trump is absolutely as bad as you say he is. So, if Joe is actually a strong candidate, he should not be losing to Trump - but he is. (Even the recent Morning Consult poll, which is the best post-debate poll for Biden, has him behind in 5 of the 7 battleground states.)
Head in the sand talking points that seek to blame media pundits and "elites" aren't going to persuade the independent swing voters that we need to defeat Trump.
That is not what’s happening, though there is the possibility for shenanigans to sideline Harris if Biden steps aside.
Also, not what “oligarch” means, unless we’re invoking the new Axios usage, which I would not recommend.
Okay.
The GOP will make it as difficult as possible for Harris to take the spot in as many states as possible. I think the issue in Ohio is instructive here. For what it’s worth, I think either can win and Biden is right to be skeptical of the pundits.
I do think we should expect Biden to be open to taking a physical.
I’ve seen this written elsewhere, but it doesn’t appear to be of substance. There is no official nominee yet. Biden is not even on the ballot anywhere. He could be officially nominated at the DNC virtual meeting on or around 7/22, from what I can determine.
She would have access to the ballot line and campaign funds.
Sean any demand that the Pres. take a test or an exam helps Trump. There’s nothing wrong with him. Anyone advocating for the President to do this is helping Trump win. Watch the President’s speeches over the weekend, his interview with Joe Scarborough. He’s fine. Why don’t you call on Trump to take a test? Why isn’t the media going after Trump for lying 30 times or so during the debate and asking him to take a test for all of his crazy insane remarks on the campaign trail. All of this is a corrupt Washington insider/elitist coup.
Tom, I understand this position but I think it's ridiculous. You are saying that I am helping Trump today. There are very serious and deep concerns in the family and here in the Hopium community about the President's health. Dismissing them and claiming we are disloyal if want more and better information about his health is the opposite of what I asked today from all of you - to respect the President, our leaders, each other. I am trying to find a path forward on this site that brings people together and this kind of rhetoric does not help.
Simon, I have the utmost respect for you and didn’t mean in any way that you were disloyal. You’ve done a lot to help President Biden, a lot. amazing work. Personally when I felt down and depressed about all the media negativity you were the one who lifted my spirits and inspired me to stop worrying and get to work on doing the nuts and bolts of campaigning- donating, calling friends and family, talking to voters about the achievements of the past 4 years. And I’m sure many Democrats around the county feel the same way. I apologize to you. I didn’t mean to say that or imply it.
I listened to the Interview on Morning Joe. I like it when President Biden is pissed off, I think he does better when he is a little mad. However I think the biggest problem facing Joe Biden currently is that he is not being empathetic to the concern of voters about his age.
Joe Biden's greatest strength is the empathy he has for Americans and their concerns and struggles. The fact that he cannot summon the empathy for this concern has shaken my confidence in his ability to win. I do not need him to step aside necessarily. I need him to say to the American people that he hears them and understands why this concerns them, and show that it is not an issue.
Frankly the closest he has gotten to empathizing with concerns was his letter to congressional Dems today, and it did not inspire confidence that he had the other half which was a plan to dispel the concern.
Tom, I totally agree with you. Look to our lovely friends across the pond. Keir Starmer is now PM and is universally believed to be the most boring politician in the history of the UK. He quietly outmaneuvered the Tories to the point that with about 35% of the vote, Labour got more than 60% of the seats. I watched live coverage from the UK and it was amazing how quickly they pivoted to the far right Reform party. Biggest landslide win in 100 years, but let us focus on Nigel Farage and his five measly seats, shall we. Corp media is addicted to catnip.
Okay first of all, FDR was a freaking master at the media. His fireside chats were the equivalent to must see TV. Comparing FDR and his infirmaries, which he literally ran on as proof point to his connection to the common person, and Joe Biden's age in terms of media treatment is simply not a good comparison because Joe Biden uses a completely different media strategy and did not run on being old.
Joe Biden ran on his empathy to the American people and right now he is just angerly saying he is not too old, not empathizing with the concern. Not saying something like, "look I know people are concerned about my age. I went through this with my mother who was sharp into her 90's but not as rigorous as she once was. When concerns about my age come up in polls or with voters, I have asked my self is this like when we tried to get mom to move in with us? I always come to No, because I find my strength and passion in doing the a job I am still good at. She refused to acknowledge she couldn't open cans any more, I (Insert a subset of accomplishments) and I do more every day." He could follow it up with a legitimate talk about the 25th amendment and what expectations he has for VP Harris and the Cabinet. That would be a really be addressing the concern without getting mad.
Second, I buy the media does a bunch of bad faith nonsense. But he is running for re-election if he doesn't have time for BS interviews what are we doing? That is what running for office is about the same interview 50 times because you need people to hear it. He sleeps 100 feet from 2 dozen reporters, skip Morning Joe and pull one of them into the residence and go live.
Lastly, President Biden so far has taken a low engagement media strategy. It is largely a choice. He lets a lot of balls go by in an attempt to have people not expect the president in their lives every day. Being able to push the media narrative in a certain direction is something presidents have the power to do. If he had framed the Supreme Courts decision as a dangerous over reach but then closed with this opens some doors for for my admin, everyone will have to wait and see. We would be in a different spot narratively. President Biden is simply not comfortable doing those types of media spins. It is one of the things I like about him but it is constraining when you have an out of control narrative against your biggest weakness.
Excuse me, the public did not know that FDR was in a wheelchair. The media did not let on, photos were taken at odd angles, FDR could walk with braces if someone held onto him. His lectern had hand grips and he drove a car with hand controls. The public did not know.
Biden is out campaigning just about daily and he does his job as President, actually a great President, daily. With a schedule like that he owes me nothing but to keep on doing what he is doing.
Virginia, he ran on his battle with polio. He used it to connect with people. It was common knowledge. You are correct that they did not highlight his wheel chair, but people knew his fight with polio was a major part of his life. He had famously turned the warm springs resort into a polio health center.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/franklin-d-roosevelt-little-white-house-warm-springs
What, I was getting at was they didn't know he was disabled. The media did not focus on his illness either.
Biden had a bad cold, as soon as I heard his voice, which was raspy and sore sounding, I knew this was not going to go well.
The Heritage Foundation has threatened to sue if Biden doesn't run or is pushed off the ticket. Since delay is a tactic, finely honed, I see more problems with Biden not running than keeping him on.
Ironically, it's likely he didn't even have polio. Probably Guillen Barre's, which was not well known in the US at that time.
And he only gave two "fireside chats". Both about the war.
This is not true. He did his first one in his first month in office. By the time of the war he was doing one every three months.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-fireside-chats-roosevelts-radio-talks
He also spent a lot of time thinking up media narratives and leaking news to reporters. The Court Packing Scheme was famously told by him to reporters in an informal press gathering in the residence. I largely believe it didn't work because he blindsided congress.
Josh, back in those days, the President was treated like a god. There was no twitter or face book. And we were at war America was unified. Pres. Biden didn’t even get a proper inauguration. He was vilified every day by Fox and the right wing media. Today’s media is TOXIC. They are not the guardians of Democracy, looking out for us. They are there to make money and unfortunately what makes money for them are negative news stories. He did sit down for an interview and George Stephanopoulos was a joke. Yes a joke.
Tom the media's incentives are clear as day. But so are the things they gravitate towards. The media craves novelty and conflict, but President Biden does not. But not giving them novelty and conflict is a choice. I am not calling on Biden to be Trump, but you can chose to give them mystery and novelty whenever you want.
I agree the Stephanopoulos interview was a joke, it was 20 minutes. It should have been an hour long and a week earlier.
It should also have included more than one question restated numerous ways.
You noticed that as well! And that last question was idiotic. How does anyone answer that? I really debated watching the interview. I think Biden was holding back from letting Stephanopoulis get a touch of Dark Brandon!
I would suggest, as I have noted in the past, have Biden do town halls with voters. He loves talking to people/voters. But we don't see his cameraderie with voters often which is cheating him and us.
"He won re-election today!"
Tom, what do you mean by this? I’m not aware of any US election today.
Ok, thanks for clarifying what you meant.
I respectfully disagree. I don't think going anti-elitist is a good thing, and is instead kind of dodging the issue. The issue being the state of the President's cognitive functioning. Anti-elitism just attempts to drive wedges into our D party, the last thing we need. If Joe wants to highlight his pissed off chops, direct it towards MAGA, not D's. Further, I wish Joe would own up, man up, grown up-up to just how badly he performed during the televised thing loosely called a debate.
Biden has said many times that he did badly in the debate. Also a lot of people are pissed at the pundits, elites and donors who are ignoring the 14M people who voted for him in the primary.
Corporate media is the one driving wedges, not the president.
Televised Presidential debates are worthless. And when you think about it they are ridiculous. And we shouldn’t judge the President’s 4 years in office based upon one bad night because he was ill. Do you remember a time when you had the flu or a really bad cold? It doesn’t feel great and you’re not at your best, you’re just trying to get through the day. I hope the oligarchs now direct their pissed off chops towards MAGA and Trump and that the corp media find out where Trump has been for the past 10 days while our President has been engaged and out their meeting real voters in PA, WI and other battle ground states!
Yes. Our "friends," at CNN, NYTimes, ABC, and so forth, should be much cautious about where they think their corporate interests are best served. If Trump wins in 2024, partly because of their belittling coverage of Joe Biden, all journalists will be expected to write only flattering articles about Trump. Those who go rougue and criticize Trump will be subject to all kinds of attacks and discipline. They should remember the lessons from Nathan Nielmoller long poem about the Nazis; "When they came for me"
because, if Trump comes after the liberal MSM after his election, No one will speak for them..
Not true. He has acknowledged many times that he performed poorly in the debate -- in speeches, interviews and emails to supporters.
His debate performance has created a crisis and his response should, imo, be a crisis-level response. I performed poorly is not that. The why's and how's are needed. We need to know if he is suffering from cognitive impairment, and nothing he has said or done since 6/27 has provided any answers. He was that evening, and is today, an ineffective fighter of MAGA. As much as I love and admire Old Joe, we need someone who can fight the fight.
He explained that he was sick. What he didn't say, but I will say on his behalf, is that he also had been on two international trips in the week before; has sleep apnea; has a lifelong stutter; and was trying to process a fire hose of lies spewed at him that continued even after Trump's microphone was turned off.
But alas 50 million people didn't watch his interview on Morning Joe -- maybe 500,000 did.
June 27 was a sadly missed opportunity to tell a large audience that Biden was in fine shape and ready for a robust second term.
They will through their social media feeds!
Stay strong Marc. Your President is fine and doing a great job. Don’t let the oligarchs and corp. media rattle you.
I love Biden and am eternally grateful that he saved democracy in 2020 and has been a fantastic President.
But I love winning in 2024 and defeating Trump more. That's why I listen to Simon and am willing to shape my opinion based (in part) of what he thinks.
Chances are that more people watched Morning Joe than the incredibly poorly watched debate. Worst numbers ever as percentage of likely voters...
A lot of areas don't even carry the station though.
TWO THOUGHTS…
FIRST: Yes, the abysmal debate performance did real damage, although we can have endless discussions about how much. However, far more damaging to our winning chances this November has been the Democratic panic that is on full public display!
And this display has been fodder for the news media’s feeding frenzy, whose owners and editors care far more about clicks and viewership and profits than they do for Truth or the preservation of American democracy.
Hate to say it, but in that regards I really do wish Democrats would learn some lessons from Republicans. The Democratic disarray and needless self-sabotage has been off the charts!
.
A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION – and a possible solution:
IF Biden were to step aside – and it’s a big IF – how about Joe and Kamala simply switch places on the ticket? Wouldn’t this preserve the considerable advantage of incumbency?
Additionally, this ought to dampen the worries about Biden’s health and age, as he would then be in a support role. Joe’s experience and wisdom would continue to be invaluable. And the tens of millions of Democrats who voted for Biden in the primaries would not feel cheated because party insiders threw our hugely successful president off the stage. Older voters would not feel that this was an ageist attack.
Furthermore, if Joe and Kamala choose this path and presented it to party insiders and heavyweights, I think they would quickly get on board, including Presidents Obama and Clinton, Speaker Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, Senators Warner and Sanders, and other key players.
Thus we would avoid the delay and destructive divisiveness of “an open Convention”. (Cautionary note: remember 1968!)
This switch would signal continuity as well as renewal and rejuvenation. After all, we would still be electing Team Biden-Harris, which during the last three and a half years has achieved so much for America and the world!
Not bowing out. Go forward from there.
I really think this point is correct. But don’t just fault the Democrats. The media will
own a huge piece of a Trump win. They should gather facts and give us information. They should not decide, egged on by their own indignation and embarrassment that they were somehow duped, that they need to be avengers who must force the legit people’s choice off the ballot. That’s malpractice.
Do they really think that the Biden campaign was hiding the fact that Biden was in the shape he was on Thursday night? The campaign (and Jill!) would never have sent him out there if they knew. None of their reporting has shaken loose any indication that this was anything but a one off, the impact on an 81 yr old of a bad cold, deep exhaustion, multiple trips abroad, the conviction of a beloved and fragile son to destroy his father, his inability to resolve the horrendous mess of the Middle East, etc., etc.
I too hope he gets another physical. The exam in Feb was categorical about seeing no signs of Parkinson’s — the doctor addressed it specifically. And I feel pretty sure that they guy with George Stephanopolus could pass Trump’s “man woman tv,” this is an elephant test handily. But if something is wrong, he needs to know.
I'll go further and say Biden would likely pass a real cognitive evaluation, not the quickie joke that trump took, which by the way anyone could screw up if nervous enough ( ahem not mentioning names, but speaking for a friend ). But we need to know. Generally when something is being looked at, and there is some suspicion, conditions like Parkinson's or ALS which may not be obvious for awhile ( there are no positive or negative diagnostic tests; even an emg might not be good enough early on ) it is prudent to check every 6 months. I've been through it. Often it takes time. However, Parkinson's can come on suddenly, just ask Michael J Fox; he woke up in a hotel and his pinky was trembling. I have had many similar mornings where I was twitching, and crapped my pants as to what it might mean, but in the end it was just another manifestation of a benign neurological issue ( sometimes even my tongue will twitch; another time it might be my eyelids, or lips, i have dealt with this for 29 years ). I don't know too many people Biden's age ( well, I should stop there! ) who don't have something going on. Had a recent friend who passed away at 89 after breaking her hip; she had some early signs of Alzheimer's but was still independent and living alone. After the fall, it advanced rapidly and she died in months. Charles Bronson developed it right after dental surgery. Kris Kristofferson, OTOH, was fully diagnosed with dementia before Lyme disease was revealed. So there are no easy tests for a lot of these things; we are used to doctors seeing a scan or blood test and proceeding from there, but much of medicine is watching and waiting.
As you say, "just ask Michael J Fox" and his foundation that is funding research, may have a test, and is determined to find a cure.
He seems to be listening to input about what needs to be done to right the ship, perhaps he'll do this, too. Also, agreed re the media. I have been an avid NY Times reader for decades, and I have been absolutely stunned by their coverage of Biden since the debate. For this first time ever, I'm seriously considering canceling my subscription.
I’m in that boat to some degree with Wapo.
After they printed that *insane* editorial about why it's okay not to vote I urged everyone I know to unsubscribe. (Thank God for Lawrence O'Donnell, sometimes it feels like he's the only person keeping his head.)
To add to your list of factors, (I learned this from Heather Cox Richardson) he was fire-housed by a liar who used a proven technique, Gish Gallop, whose whole purpose is to throw off an opponent with so many lies and contradictory statements that he is torn between correcting the lies, and answering the question. She said this is particularly effective with someone who stutters.
In theory an idea that has lots of merit that would satisfy various sides. In reality, especially from the Biden I have been seeing the last 2 weeks and even more defiantly so today, I don't think he would accept second place. He would probably also say "been there, done that." The article by organizational psychologist Adam Grant Saturday in the NY Times, "The Reason It's So Hard for Powerful People to Walk Away," seems to really nail the trap Biden is in -- being deeply invested in the role, the responsibility and the identity, and not wanting to be a quitter. This is really tough. I wish he could embrace the dual reality that we are all so supportive, impressed and grateful for all he has done...but that the timing is such that the torch should be handed over to someone who can further his vision and agenda.
Hi all,
I guess my sense is I’m awaiting the election. I don’t care much for what the media and pundits are saying now. I don’t much care for all the politicians coming out and telling Joe what to do. That’s fine with me. - if everyone is on board
I don’t care what the NYT or WaPo want. I don’t think they really know what they’re saying and have added nothing of substance to our conversation.
I only care about one thing, and on thing only. I care about electing a Democrat to the White House. I love the job Joe has done and will gladly support him again- warts and all. I’ll gladly vote for any Democrat who promises to deliver a platform that Biden/Harris have. I won’t argue about how anyone looks or dresses or speaks as long as they promise to deliver and save our democracy.
So, let’s cut the chatter, finger-pointing and divisive nonsense and get to work either re-electing Joe or his successor. I will not stand by while a despicable, disgusting, lying, convicted criminal stands ready to destroy our way of life.
Well said.
YES!!!
YES, well said! My friends and I are postcarding, it feels great. Check out Postcards to Swing States and get a group going with your friends. #domore #worryless We'll start phonebanking for Joe soon.
I’ve been writing postcards for the last month. I subscribed to Simon’s substack because he inspired me to Do More, Worry Less. I’ve ordered hundreds of postcards for FL Vote By Mail campaign (democrats only) to get out the vote for the abortion amendment (only state that needs 60% approval). I’ve given multiple times to his make June Count push (one of which was to support Biden). And now your post has demoralized me today. I’m working to elect the amazing Biden team. It’s a TEAM. Not 1 man. There’s millions in grassroots efforts that were inspired by you Simon. Please don’t jump ship now. We all down here have worked for the Biden/Harris team. Your job is to help inspire us, not deflate us. PLEASE STAY THE COURSE for all of us! PLEASE
Excellent advice.
I would agree with Timothy Snyder...being in "disarray" with legitimate questions about the president's health is not a bad thing; Democrats are not a fascist type party that marches to the beat of one drum; we can do this because we feel safe. trump's Republican followers are afraid of him; they do not speak up out of fear. Snyder also notes that there should be far more calls for trump to step aside, as he is the threat to democracy, not Biden. in fact, he indicates that anyone not calling for trump to step aside as well is suspect. He cites 3 criteria for those who ask Biden to step down; 1. that they acknowledge Biden's extraordinary achievements 2. that they have called for trump to step down 2. that their reason for calling for Biden to step down is the fear of regime change.
Excellent points!
Except for the Philadelphia Inquirer, I am not aware of any other newspaper or major news media/outlet that has called for Donald J. Trump to withdraw from the presidential race.
The party is showing itself to be extraordinarily healthy and I’m proud to be a member. We really ARE the only functional party in the country. They are working on this behind the scenes, reasonably discretely, and I’ll be 100% behind whatever they want to do.
My beef is not with the party. It’s with the vengeful and smug press corp who aren’t satisfied with providing what they have learned from their reporting and are determined to replace the voters by pushing Biden out of the race, largely out of a sense of grievance, as far as I can tell . It’s not their job to decide our nominees. And if it’s genuinely their goal, it’s going to backfire. All they are doing is making him dig in deeper and deeper which will make the party’s job much harder, if that’s what they decide to do.
There has been some truly excellent reporting (yes, even in the Times) but overall, I am terribly disappointed.
I am also beyond disgusted with the pundits and “analysts” who took 30 seconds to jump to the conclusion that Biden had to go. Tom Friedman didn’t even sleep on it. And the Never-Trump Republicans — people I once genuinely admired and respected, especially the Bulwark folks (notable exception, smart guy Michael Steele!) who rushed to judgment and proceeded to act like it was their mission to push Biden out. Bless people like Steele and Adam Kinzinger who said “it’s not my party and I’m not going to tell them what to do.”
And OMG, James Carville this morning in the NYT — what a grossly condescending piece of writing. It’s anti-Democratic for Biden to endorse Harris and to ask the party to coalesce around her because he refused to participate in a primary. Therefore, in the interests of democracy — wait for it… Obama and Clinton should just pick 8 candidates who would meet in 4 town halls and then have a convention. (He generously says Harris would be assured of an invitation because she’s done a good job. Asshole. )
And voila. A candidate who has two months to run, to get on the ballots, and get vetted by the press. Which having taken down one Dem will be frothing to get the next big story.
Proud to o be a Democrat. Not so happy with the rest of those folks.
And God Bless Joe Biden. He doesn’t deserve to be president if he can’t manage it (though he has!!) but he deserves better from his country than this shoddy treatment.
I'll add Rick Wilson and Stuart Stevens to the Never Trump Republicans I admire!
Also George Conway, as far as I’ve seen, has avoided the rush to judgment. Mike Galen too (I might have spelled that wrong.)
I don’t mind what people’s personal opinions are. This is complicated and scary. My own thoughts are mixed up. But each two bit pundit with a substack newsletter who comes out and announces that he (usually, not exclusively) has determined that Joe *must* go. Who do they think they are? And why should we care?
Freaking Damon Linker announced today that — while he had once declared that he would vote for a potted plant if were running against Donald Trump — he’s changed his mind and has decided that if the Dems keep Biden on the ticket, he’s not voting at all and he’s certain that others feel same way. He’s so damn self-righteous and wrong. I called him out on it and he said it’s one small way he can try to influence events. He’s literally threatening the entire country with the fact that he’s willing to see democracy end if he doesn’t get his way.
I’m generously flabbergasted. And sad.
I suspect Mr. Linker will ultimately vote for Biden. I feel much the same vibe coming from Michael Moore. Making a lot of noise ostensibly to try to influence events, but I suspect also for attention and click$. I don't listen to a lot them for the time being. I can't let attention seeking behavior fuck with my head, and I advise none of my fellow pro-Democracy people to either.
I like that idea. I don't know if it's doable, but it makes sense. Thanks.
Just a heads up. We need to ready for new skewed pols. The MSM pushes an anti-Biden narrative and then amplifies poor polling that they help drive. Steel yourselves. I don't know about you but they're not jerking me around anymore.
Also, we need to keep in mind that part of that "poor polling" is that Republicans tend to be over-represented, because they're more likely to have/use landlines, and to take calls from unknown callers.
Polls don't matter. Votes do. I'm ignoring the former and focusing on the latter. I'll be writing postcards today.
Agreed!
The skewed-polls accusation is a dangerous one. We have to be realistic, and it’s almost certain that Trump would win in a landslide if the election were held today. The polls clearly indicate such. It’s the current sad reality, made much worse by the debate
The question is whether Biden is physically and cognitively capable of clawing back. This means dismantling Trump and the GOP positions the way Harris has been doing for the past few weeks (she has been amazing in this regard). I don’t know if he does. I just don’t know.
I don’t think Trump would win in a landslide. The red court has made certain of that.
Not sure I buy that at all.
That’s not what the current polling indicates at all - Simon alluded to this in his post.
The polls had Hillary in a landslide. I have become anti-poll. Polls have biases.
Trump was an upstart candidate just beginning his MAGA movement. Biden is an established candidate with decades of political history.
That has nothing to do with the polls.
The profit-seeking pundits and biased officials don’t attack Trump. That takes too much courage. Trump would target them. Instead they say a President currently doing an outstanding job must be summarily fired. Those not doing their job should be fired. Hypotheticals on medical condition? Really? He had a full, published physical in February. Once a year is good enough. Unless you have news backed with clear proof, get on the campaign trail with your candidate. Time is awasting..
Yes, and it needs to continue to be said that those same media who might be shying away from criticizing Trump out of fear he would target them need to understand that he WILL TARGET THEM FOR CERTAIN should he win.
I think if he were (God forbid) to win, he’ll go after them anyway.
Exactly. He is into revenge big time.
When I go to the doctor they say, see you in 3 months...once a year is just not enough for an older person.
YSF, he sees a doctor every day. A full physical is once a year, for you and me, and Medicare doesn’t cover it twice a year or every 3 months as you incorrectly and misleadingly suggest.
I doubt Biden needs to worry about what Medicare covers. Tone it down, you're coming off as hostile.
You’re So Funny… the millennials came up with. Jill is a doctor. lol.
I didn't get that but ok, I'm older. But in our society when you say someone is a doctor it is assumed you mean a physician. Not a dentist. Not a chiropractor. Not a podiatrist. And not a professor. In fact, academics almost never use the term doctor outside the academy. Psychologists do, because they insist on it. Hence the comment " I'm not THAT kind of doctor" to remind people of this....
I'm 81, and my doctor says for me to see him once a year.
Find a new one.
My son is 26. He just went to the doctor. He saw him two weeks ago for an earache. He made him come back today for bloodwork and ekg. He has to go back for the results of the blood work. After that, if everything is fine, he said come back in....3 months. I guess we do things better here in NJ.
I am 79 and see my doctor annually unless I have an issue. Follow-ups more often are covered by Medicare. Being old is not necessarily a medical condition.
Thank you, Simon. I am 57 years old and a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, a party filled with decent people who want government to run efficiently and do good things. I trust President Joe Biden, the most effective, impressive Democratic president of my lifetime, to do the right thing by his country & his party. He is an honorable man who has devoted his entire adult life to America. How fortunate we are to have him as POTUS in this moment. Godspeed, y'all!
Joe Biden doesn’t seem impaired to me in the least—did you catch his call in to Morning Joe?—but the bottom line is, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need him to prove anything. He’s been a great president, and he surrounds himself with great people who can take over if need be. I’m with the person who said they’d vote for Joe’s corpse over the orange POS. Call me a starry-eyed dreamer, but I believe Joe will win, and it won’t be close.
Let's start counting with the 81 million Americans who voted for Biden in 2020.
Does anybody on this stream know anyone who's switching their vote to Trump? Know anyone who's not voting because Joe might be slipping? Until you show me few million of those voters, Biden's winning in 2024.
Speaking of NATO - Now is a really great time to reach US voters in Europe. There are over 175,000 eligible US voters just in France! Thousands more in every NATO country.
They can vote AND do it earlier than everyone else.
But they will only do it if we ask them!
Here's a tool to help ⬇️
https://www.mobilize.us/buildbridges4am/event/643789/
The NATO meet couldn’t come at a better time. NATO defends democracy, unlike the maga/2025 opinion. Let the world leaders in that meet take the measure of an older with his wits about him. Let him be judged by his peers, many of whom have called him “Joe” for decades. Lots of people will die today unexpectedly. We have Harris in place with Bidenomics already under her belt. Her sole job is to step up in case the worst happens. Joe has every right to campaign as long as he can. We already voted Kamala into office. Just saying.
That’s exactly how I feel. If Joe can’t be president, if he falls off his bike and hits his head, if he’s run over by a bus, that’s why we have a VP. Kamala was who I prayed he’d pick in 2020 and she has never disappointed me. But I think Joe is fine. He’s older, it’s a stressful job, and he’s stammering more, but he’s always been prone to verbal gaffes. I trust his abilities to serve as president. Plus, not only does he have a great VP, he has a truly excellent cabinet. He’s my guy. I’m just mad that I missed him on Morning Joe today! Does anyone have a link to a recording?
Susan, you can download the MSNBC app and listen to the full interview there. Worth your time. Great call by President Biden. His gloves are off and he’s come out swinging! (
I might add that I also watched his 3 events yesterday in Pennsylvania on the CSPAN app and Joe was great! Very enthusiastic crowds and support.
Oh, good—I already have the app on phone, tablet, and Apple TV so I’m good to go. I appreciate your answer—I’m going to watch it tonight after work. I almost always have MSNBC on in the background while I work from home, but since the debate the constant babbling, even on MSNBC, that Biden Olllldddd has been making my anxiety rise. I’m so sick of this stupidity. He and Kamala won the primaries resoundingly, probably with more votes than Trump (I haven’t done that math—I could be wrong about that because my state, Florida, held no Democratic primary and I’m sure others did the same.) It is too late to change Joe and Kamala for some fictional dream candidates that make the pundits happy. F the f-ing pundits. And also, for God’s sake, didn’t any of the press hear the crap Trump was spouting? Like how Democrats want abortion after birth??? JFC. STFU and let’s beat the shit out of Trump!! This isn’t a reality show, it’s our lives. Pisses me off!!! Sorry, didn’t mean to go off. I’m over it!
Thanks for the level-headed analysis as usual! While I differ from you on some points, I think you fairly appraised the situation we are in.
Ranked choice voting: 1) Joe Biden; 2) Kamala Harris; 3) Jill Biden.
No gQp/MAGA is fit for any office of any kind. No gQp/MAGA is fit to serve in the Judiciary.
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Lincoln Project isn't giving up almost 250 years of democracy because of 90 minu 1 bad night won't derail us from our mission, it has only energized us:
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Ironically, the Lincoln Project, consisting of either current or former Republicans, understand how we must keep the focus on this fascist GQP candidate who wants to be a dictator and kick him in the nuts; far more than the gutless, spineless Democrats who always wring their hands and wet their beds at the slightest sign of difficulty.