I think pretty much any president would be being roused from bed for a 3 a.m. crisis, as they would all be asleep at that point.
But, that said, my understanding is that presidents usually need to put in long work days. This BBC article, about Trump’s presidential schedule, compared to his predecessors, indicates that, while George W. Bush turned in relatively early, he also was at work by 6:45am. By contrast, Obama started his work day later (around 9 am or later, after having gotten up earlier to exercise), he worked well into the night, often until 1am or 2am (as did some earlier presidents, such as Clinton and LBJ).
He won’t lose my sympathy. People closest to him are probably giving him bad advice, assuring him that Harris has less chance of winning than he does, and assuring him he’s healthy. I know it would be hard for a good, whether or not somewhat confused, man to ignore that. I’m thinking about median voters who saw the debate, or will see big chunks of it.
It is possible to have a transient neurological problem that happens once and never again. But it is unusual and, for that reason, median voters are not going to believe it regarding Biden. I doubt it myself.
As far as conservative media saying he is senile, that’s an insult, not a diagnosis. But their trafficking in insults doesn’t disprove everything related.
Sure do. And sat there like a pole-axed calf for what seemed to be an eternity before being swept away into Air Force One to fly around above the country while he dithered over what to do.
If you leave the decision to Biden or his family, I think he is unlikely to choose to drop out. If he is otherwise sound (and as sound now as he was six months ago) despite his appearance in the debate, this is understandable. But if he cannot win, the stakes are high enough that someone who will is needed. The effect of the debate seems to be about -3%. He did not leave an impression of vim and vigour, but I’d say the problem was his appearance and not his replies which were more honest and better answered asked questions than his opponent. I think both of these specific candidates are too old for the job.
As a Canadian, I don’t have a strong sense of who Harris is. Yes, I know her résumé. I don’t get any sense Biden relied upon Harris for advice, promoted Harris in any way, or did anything to prepare for this not-incredibly-hard-to-foresee possibility or for the presidency. I know how Harris polls, but not how she would perform. However, I get the sense from her public speeches she would be very competent. I don’t know if she would have a better chance than Biden.
My impressions seem justified by this giftlink article. A reporter repeatedly asked the White House to name any example where Biden relied on Harris. But given the stakes, one might vote against a candidate rather than for them.
You can substitute any hour you like. The point is that “there’s a decision that has to be made right this instant and the president is the only one that can make it” isn’t really something that happens in real life.
I feel as though it is near certain the right will be having these exact same conversations in a few months as Trump’s issues become more apparent. The conversation was already starting to happen before the debate courtesy of Trump talking about Hannibal Lecter like he was a real person or spending time during his rallies trying to decide if he’d rather be electrocuted or eaten by a shark. When Trump went into a meeting with tech billionaires they did not emerge from that meeting impressed and hopeful for the future.
But to keep it on topic, I think that yes, the Democrats should have been anticipating this problem back in 2020 (when there was a pandemic going around that had a knack for thinning the elderly population) and they could have been much better prepared for it by now. Ultimately circumstance may not give them a choice. But this is just as true for Trump as well. I think it will be a much more interesting contest if they both end up dropping out.
Yeah. Let us take a college student- 3.5 years in, he is a solid B± then he gets a D on a big oral exam. Of course- that student must be dropped immediately, right?
Exactly/ Oh and the supposed Liberal media is harping on “Will Biden drop out?” as this is the slow news season.
The Cuban Missile Crisis. And the young JFK was hopped up on quite a few pills. And not as well as he let on. But JFK handled it well anyway.
She does. Mind you, she has the second best chance of beating trump.
This actually happened to my mother. I had completely forgotten about it. It was ages ago so I can’t remember all the details, but she was staying with me and one night, she couldn’t remember our names or where she was. I believe she wet the bed that night too. The next day, it was like nothing had happened.
Wow, it’s so odd to have that memory come roaring back just based on what you wrote here. It only ever happened to her the one time.
Winning a presidential election isn’t about who has the highest gpa. This is about getting people out to vote and if voters don’t have confidence in Biden, he’s going to lose and needs to be replaced. Even if it’s unfair or the media is creating a bullshit narrative to attract clicks.
It doesn’t matter how great he was over the past 3.5 years. All that matters is how people see him now.
And changing out a candidate 16 weeks before an election isn’t like changing a spark plug. I think with some research, you’ll find it’s a completely hare brained idea.
Who’s the new VP?
Is there time to print up new ballots? New signs?
Will the donors support the new team?
Is there time to overcome lack of name recognition? Because I can tell you, based on the lists you’ve previously posted, a significant number of people have never heard of the candidates you named.
Can the existing money be transferred quickly from one campaign to another?
How many true blue Dems will you disappoint by abandoning Biden?
It’s one thing if you have real proof that Biden is mentally unfit. You don’t. You have proof that he had a bad debate.
In my opinion, that’s not a reason to abandon a well-oiled campaign for the uncertainty of a new one, especially if it requires Kamala Harris to abandon her post as current VP and requires Republican assistance to replace her for the duration of Biden’s term. Because I’m sure Republicans would never fuck with Dems like that.
It amazes me that people are blithely chatting away like Biden has been a doddering old fart for years. His aids are giving him “bad” advice, because apparently, he can’t understand polls or politics. He’s probably got dimentia, etc. etc. Assume much? Really, you are all talking like you can diagnose him. It’s almost like y’all were waiting for a reason to bury the man.
Look back to '68. There was more time, election seasons were much shorter then. Who won that election?
Has Harris stepped up in any way to look presidential / be likeable? If Joe resigns she’s got to quickly (if not immediately) appear as presidential and more likeable and appealing than just the logical next President.
The next week or so is hugely important for either Joe to make a media-press comeback (or if he makes it to the convention to put on a great show and speech) or Harris to begin to appeal to all voters else its trumps election to lose. I agree with those (or one poster at least) who said trump would say something racist & sexist every day yet for him that’s not necessarily a bad thing and every day it’ll be a fight over harris or trump for the headline.
No kidding. The latest notion that not only should he drop out of the campaign, but resign from the Presidency just blows my mind. It’s like putin’s/trump’s wet dream. It’s seriously ridiculous.
