I don’t want to leave anyone with the impression that I’m not concerned about Biden’s health. I am. Anything can happen at any moment. But that’s true no matter who we nominate. That’s why we have Veeps.
But at the same time, I follow Biden’s goings-on closely. He’s attending fundraisers, campaigning all over the country, carrying out his duties as President, meeting with heads of state in Europe, meeting with his cabinet, preparing for a debate that wasn’t a debate at all with advisors who should have seen what a shit show it was going to be with no real-time fact-checking and so much more. He’s burning the candle at both ends. It’s hard on anyone, even those half his age. He’s exhausted, he’s been sick with a virus. I make a lot of allowances for these things.
It’s far from ideal with all the knives out that he’s having to fend off. If we were 6 months out from the election, making a shift would make more sense. But we’re 4 months out. It’s on top of us. Change is sometimes exciting. And sometimes, it’s just a death knell.
Biden has a reputation for being willing and able to hear hard truths. He also values the future of this country above all else. I don’t believe it’s ego, doctors or advisors that are keeping him in the race. Frankly, I think if he felt the country was better served with a different candidate whose metrics showed they were sure to win, Biden would gladly, gracefully and gratefully step aside.
I’m not seeing much of the media calling out trump, either. I think it’s a case of exhaustion, “Of course water is wet and night is dark and trump is a psychopathic liar and a threat to democracy. But did you see that there are rumblings of division among the Democrats? That real news.”
That trump is unfit, a felon, a liar, a sexual predator, dangerous, unhinged, etc. and so on and so forth is just a given and doesn’t earn clicks or sell papers. Sad, but true.
More than a week after the debate, I count eleven negative Biden stories at the top of the NY Times website as we speak. About half are opinion pieces.
Same author, different article that dovetails nicely into what Aspenglow wrote. In today’s The Guardian (emphasis mine):
[The pundit class of the American media] have become a stampeding herd producing an avalanche of stories suggesting Biden is unfit, will lose, and should go away, at a point in the campaign in which replacing him would likely be somewhere between extremely difficult and utterly catastrophic. They do this while ignoring something every scholar and critic of journalism knows well and every journalist should. As Nikole Hannah-Jones put it: “As media we consistently proclaim that we are just reporting the news when in fact we are driving it. What we cover, how we cover it, determines often what Americans think is important and how they perceive these issues yet we keep pretending it’s not so.” They are not reporting that he is a loser; they are making him one.
Stuff like this is useful from an analytical perspective to understand what’s happening, but it also needs to be incorporated into how to move forward. Unless the author of the article has a way to get people to stop talking like this, people will be talking like this. Media will be blanketed by stories about people talking about it. The way forward needs to include tactics on how to deal with the wave of stories about Biden’s abilities. It would be nice if everyone could just think positively, but that’s not reality. The reality is that these stories are going to continue going forward no matter how inconvenient they may be. Biden needs to actively try to change the narrative in the reality where these are the stories that are making the news.
If they believe Harris has a better chance than Biden, and if they want Trump to lose, then they’d be justified using their influence to get Biden to drop out.
ETA: Another dozen negative articles about Trump in July isn’t going to move the needle
Same kind of conjecture we’re seeing here I suppose.
With the exception of the State of the Union, Biden has looked “too old” to me for about a year. I’ll support him as long as he wants to stay in the race, but I’d prefer he step down (from running, not resigning).
But all we can do on a message board is speculate. The true decision makers and influencers should base their decisions on much more than gut, right? Metrics for Biden and any alternative, logistical obstacles for a shift, available strategies, etc.
No one will know with certainty what the best choice is, but the choice should be made swiftly and thoughtfully.
This is a ridiculous and careless use of the word “fact.” You’re taking your opinion and calling it a “fact.” Calling it a “fact” doesn’t make it so. Anything that involves knowing the outcome of future events cannot be a “fact.”
Sure it is possible. Despite some people claiming certainly, everyone is really just guessing here. This is a very inexact science. My thought is that given Biden’s unpopularity and clear cognitive decline that it is unlikely he is the bet option both for winning and governing.
Given what we know today- it is a fact. Mind you, things could change. trump could go totally batshit crazy & senile, Biden would withdrawn and give the nod to Harris- things could change. But as of NOW, with the info we currently have- it is a fact. Tomorrow it may not be.
While his unpopularity is a problem and could cause poor turnout among Democrats there is no cognitive decline.
Physical decline and possible underlying ailment are possible issues that could prevent him from winning but there is zero evidence he is not able to govern.
Edit: and from that page, “In some cases, MCI may improve over time.” So even if it’s true, it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker for job performance—if it doesn’t cost him the election.
Yes, but it doesnt apply to Biden- at least not based upon a single bad debate- especially since he had had rallies and speeches and an interview with no real issues- besides the usual Biden gaffes.
