That was just about his age- which is true, and the fact his popularity is low- which is also true. I saw nothing about mental decline or dropping out.
I doubt this, since the majority of voters put Biden in the White House just three+ years ago.
We have only one way of basing opinions- current polls. Which show Biden doing better than any other candidate. Not to mention the backlash if people try to kick him out before he is ready.
Like the one trump gave us?
This is like asking for the TRUE copy of Obamas Birth certificate.
I’m guessing you don’t read the NYT then? Lots of highlighting the special counsel report’s snark on his memory and their repetitive bit was stuff like this (February)
This. Is. Not. New.
Many of us who have been his fans, who admire how he has been doing and continues to do the job, were looking forward to the debate as his chance to reassure large numbers of voters … sure that the worries were unfounded. Uh. Yeah.
YES a diminished Biden has many more facts at his disposal, much more smarts, and love for the country, than a slightly less old Trump does. Trump is confused, a liar, and horrible. But the people who will be deciding the election don’t know the facts, and hear him lying lucidly. He hasn’t diminished over the last years much … because made up crap always has been his thing. No news there.
This is exactly how I feel. I would add that I was wrong to think him too old four years ago, as he has clearly done well. But late 70s is really a different beast than early 80s for men.
I will just say that not everyone goes through the same processes at the same time and rate.
My own Dad is 84. I have watched as he struggles with some things like short term memory. But his long term memory is still superb. He’s still the family repository of people and events and dates. And he still possesses his reasoning and his other faculties. His hearing had suffered a hit, but his new hearing aids have really helped there.
A few years ago, when I worked as a people greeter at Walmart, I met an old man who was 98, a WWII vet. Now I’ve seen a few old guys wearing their vet hat, old and decrepit, and a challenge to talk to. But this guy was sharp as a tack, and moved like a man in his 70s. I have no idea how he is now because that was 5 years ago, but I could believe him still being okay.
I know we are trying to judge Biden by comparing to his younger self. Let’s keep in mind that physical aging and mental slowing aren’t tied together. They’re both elements of aging, but aren’t necessarily happening at the same rate.
Three and a half years ago is not today, and Biden has shown a surprisingly precipitous decline in awareness, cognition, and energy. The word I’d use to describe his debate performance – and all the post-debate appearances I’ve seen – is “shocking”.
I’ve always admire Biden’s honesty and integrity. I regretted though completely understood his decision not to run in 2016 where he would have been the clear front-runner. But today I have to say in all honesty that when I see Biden I no longer see a leader of integrity; what I see is a feeble old man too stubborn or perhaps too unaware of his physical and cognitive decline to realize that he almost certainly cannot win a second term and shouldn’t be running.
You must be looking at some pretty selective polls. The only ones where I see Biden beating Trump – and not by much – are a few state polls. 538 currently shows Trump leading in the average of all the latest national polls. Politico says Biden is doing worse than all but two incumbents in the past 40 years, and both of those lost. USA Today says Trump is widely viewed more favourably post-debate. The same sentiments are pretty much the same across all media. And this is not something you can exclusively blame the media for.
It pretty much has to be Biden’s decision. No one knows with certainty how a different ticket would change the standings, but it’s hard to imagine that it could be worse.
Again, as I said earlier, age is just a number. What everyone is judging is the clear evidence of Biden’s rapid physical and mental decline in just the past year or so.
It’s a legit question, especially in light of our collective scorn for the Trump cult in which their dear leader can do no wrong andcan move mountains with a twitch of his eyebrow.
So if we’re free to question our leader, there must circumstances in which the answer is: “Can’t cut it any more.” If he strokes out in public, or is diagnosed with brain cancer, or goes into a coma, or breaks 14 bones in a hiking accident, or declares Poland independent of the Soviet Union, we can legitimately question his fitness to lead (as Trumpers will not). But at this stage, with this evidence, if he doesn’t want to drop out, we’re stuck with him. Everything up to this has been the party trying to ask him nicely to step down, but if he refuses, then we got to go with the one what brung us.
That’s where I am. I will do what I can for his reelection if it comes to that, but I believe another candidate would have a better chance, and support his withdrawal.
No, I just read the linked article that purposes to prove the point- which it does not. You can make any claims you want about snippets of out of context quotes- are they from Op-ed written by the “other side” or what?
I suspect an autocorrect gaffe - Poland is independent from Russia.
But to the point… My candid discussion with Biden would be to suggest that whatever his current mental capability, he have a plan with some objective criteria of what would mean it is time to step down. And have some objective or at least trusted person to help make that decision. Probably his wife, but someone who can make the tough call when he would want to continue but shouldn’t.
As for the campaign, I keep thinking of how people are having trouble getting excited about Biden running. I mean, he’s old. He’s been around a long time in politics, so he’s not new and exciting. He’s not an inspiring speaker the way Obama or Bill Clinton are. That makes him boring.
But maybe that’s the hook we need. I’m thinking about the Bank OKZ ad that talks about how “Boring is a good thing. Boring is what keeps the stock market growing, keeps your job stable, keeps your 401k growing. Boring means stable, which is what you want in a bank.”
Maybe the new ad campaign for Biden is TY to run with it.
“Boring is a good thing in government. Boring means the economy is great, that there aren’t any wars, that the government is running smoothly. We live in too interesting of times. We don’t need a President who is all about chaos, whose personal life is in turmoil. We need a leader who is boring.”
I think it’s a reference to an old gaffe made years ago during a Presidential campaign.
– if Biden’s genuinely becoming incompetent, I think this should be decided by his doctors. If not, I think this is a really stupid time to try to switch to somebody else. It would be switching horses not only in midstream but in the middle of a flood – while trying to decide which horse to switch to.
No you just made a confident statement that they had previously not. Based on zero knowledge. As a regular reader of the rag, that is just one “snippet” of a very repetitive theme that there is reason to worry about his being okay cognitively. Your statement otherwise is blatantly incorrect. Made up. False. Wrong. With no factual basis.
Your post here is blatantly incorrect. Made up. False. Wrong. With no factual basis. See, I can make statements without any cites also. You are just made that your cite didnt prove what you thought it did. Bringing in other out of context unlinked quotes is bogus.
Now I agree, the the NYT seems to have decided to make trump win, and that makes no sense to me.
Not really pertinent to the thread, but I can’t believe you truly think there’s no low Republicans won’t stoop to if it helps them seize power. (Witness McConnell’s SCOTUS ratfuckery. How did they explain that to the voters? Basically with a “fuck you.”) Refusing to confirm a VP would make House Speaker Mike Johnson next in the line of succession. It’s exactly what they would do.
If Biden truly has declined noticeably in just the last year or so (aside from his strong SOTU address), then I can’t help wondering how much he may yet decline in the next 1-4 years. How bad will he look and sound in 2026? 2028?
I will still vote for him (and work to encourage others to), but I have to imagine there are plenty of low-motivation voters who look at the guy and think, No way can he handle four more years of this. And they won’t be able to vote for someone they think isn’t up to the job.
I will support the Democratic presidential candidate, period.
But I can not ignore that the Biden from the debate and from the Stephanopolous interview appears to be a man who might not be drawing breath in November.
I want a candidate who will go after Trump fiercely. The stakes are too high not to vociferously and aggressively hammer Trump.
You made a claim that the the NYT has not beat this drum before. You made that claim despite the fact that you have zero knowledge of what they have done. Those of us who read the NYT can tell you it has been a regular theme, and I gave you one example of it.
As others have reacted to you before, come on man.