Joe Biden will lose the election to Donald Trump in November. The debate was a catastrophe. It completely obliterated the Biden campaign, leaving it with a choice between patriotism and self-interest. The path of self-interest will destroy the Democratic Party and immolate Joe Biden’s legacy, leaving behind a pile of ashes that are the fruits of an incandescent narcissism.
Sorry Steve but it sounds like you’re reverting to your republican roots. It is not Gavin Newsom who is doing the Democrat party a disservice it is you. The ship has sailed any change in candidates now would be giving the election away. Instead of doom you should be spreading the truth about the great record of Joe Biden. I’m 86 I know old, it’s not fun, but because I can’t play baseball anymore doesn’t mean I don’t understand the game.
My position has nothing to do with the fact that I am a former Republican. My allegiance is to the United States of America. President Biden will lose to Trump if he does not step aside. This has nothing to do with what Biden has accomplished as president. This is about our future, and that of our children. Far too much is at stake.
One of the hallmarks separating humans from all other mammalians is -language-. It provides a window through which others get a glimpse of what’s going on in that bowl of custard we carry around in our noggin. Our facility with language is a biomarker that tips the hand of the speaker revealing their intellect, cognition, working memory, reason, problem solving, executive function. Etc.
While one bad night at the forum doesn’t make a smart man demented, that man’s supporters ignoring or excusing their candidate’s repeatedly exhibiting unequivocal signs of the changes in cognitive-language function that’re typical of the vast majority of people at twilight, is -more- egregious than the candidate’s own blindness. Recognizing the obvious is in no way a slight to Biden’s exemplar public life. But at this moment, we simply shouldn’t delude ourselves about what’s obvious. Listen folks” we’re all headed to the same destination, so let’s not pretend Joe Biden isn’t in range of the station. He will certainly arrive there (cognitively or otherwise) before completing another term, seated behind the Resolute Desk. There’s not a swing voter with a pulse that doesn’t intuit that. Those voters WILL act on that truth, effectively putting a criminal back in the Oval Office.
Like Steve commented in a recent interview (something to the effect), I would vote for Joe Biden if he was preserved in a cryogenic tank, over this opponent.
I feel the same but am nearly certain, swing voters don’t.
Biden was exhibiting aphasia. He couldn't get to the end of several sentences. The first thing I thought Thursday was he may have had a mini-stroke. He did have an aneurysm in 1988. You and I may vote for a cryogenically frozen corpse over Trump, but enough voters won't.
I hope you are wrong. The several discussions I have heard of with “double haters” voters post-debate has indicated you might just be wrong... Voters, I want to believe, and as indicated by those discussions, are smart enough to recognize the lies and denials put forth by Trump, and are repelled by it. Another indicator that gives me hope is the abortion issue and how it has compelled voters. I feel that the polls over the next week, though taken with a grain of salt, will be telling. I too would literally vote for ANY Dem candidate, cryogenically frozen included, over Trump. I just hope that enough people feel the same. 🤞🙏🏼
I did not see any aphasia in Biden's speech. We see it way too often in tRUmp's speeches. Biden stumbled, yes, but he had SO much thrown at him by that opposing liar, he was in confusion about WHICH lie to reply to, knowing he would never be allowed the time to sort it out or reply properly. In such a traumatic moment, his former problem with stuttering, which he has brilliantly overcome, would naturally overcome him a bit. For which he should be given some space. It CANNOT be compared with the filth & ignorance of non-stop lies & vile putdowns.
Rewatch footage of the 2020 debates. Biden is not up to the task in 2024. I am not giving the President of the United States a pass when we are facing down a domestic threat to the Constitution, he has been noticeably absent, and now we know why. As Steve has said, the country must come first.
Steve I'm sorry (a small number of) people) keep saying that. Your views are very much in line with how Democrats process their feelings. Or at least Democrats over 50 (ha just saying). So you are talking like a Democrat actually. BUT BUT BUT. I really don't think professional pols like Newsome, Whitmer, Moore, et al....have the TIME to be vetted. It takes a person who is so well-known that warts are already baked in. That's going to generally be celebrities unless you want to run Hillary again. So Oprah, Michelle, Jon Stewart. People like that. Pick one. Good luck us.
Is it better to take a chance with someone with limited name recognition or someone we all know - except he, himself on a "bad day." I had recognized his rather rapid physical decline, but was shocked by the mental state Biden demonstrated Thursday. In retrospect it makes me rethink my opinion of the assessment by the documents special prosecutor as well as criticism from the NY Times editorial board that he was unwilling to sit for the traditional interview with them because he couldn't withstand questioning. The signs have been there, but now there's no escaping that he's unfit. We're looking at 4.5 more years. There's just no way. To be clear, Trump is unfit as well, and I would never vote for him, but Democrats now can show more integrity and love of country than their shameful GOP counterparts.
Maybe there’s already a plan in place if he wins. Whatever is going on with him right now is being kept quite and then will reveal to put Mrs Harris in charged
Steve even if he steps aside we will lose this election. There is no mechanism in place to put another candidate forward and no chance of winning with someone else.
It is not true that there is no mechanism to put another candidate forward and , of course, there is a possibility of winning with another candidate. Biden's delegates to the DNC are not bound by law to vote for him and he could release them from any ethical obligation. I have suggested crossing party lines and asking someone like John Kasich, Adam Kinzinger, or Liz Cheney if they would accept the Democratic nomination. Again, the main objective should be to put an end to the Trump/MAGA movement and never allow them to establish an American fascist theocratic dictatorship.
The Democrats don't need to look to Republicans for an alternative candidate. While I admire the stance on Trump of those you mentioned, their agenda is not mine.
I understand; my political views mirror those of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. However, my fear of a Trump dictatorship has moved preservation of our traditional norms, values, and democratic government ahead of all other issues.I support any moderate Republican or Democratic nominee vowing to put a stop to Trumpism. Then we can move forward with a progressive agenda, a truly progressive income tax, single payer health care system, regulation of obscenely bloated CEO salaries etc.
These people are not moderate, just anti-Trump. Kinzinger and Cheney both voted for Trump in 2020, so I assume would have policy objectives & court picks along the same lines as as his. We've already moved so far to the right that we're literally moving backward on civil rights, yet the accusations are always that Democrats are too extreme. Democrats have some moderates, but not Republicans. No Republican would get my vote. We have to stem the tide, not contribute to it.
I think the Dems have a ton of likely candidates. Gretchen Whitmer,Wes Moore, Andy Bashear….and especially Josh Shapiro! Probable not Gavin. I don’t think he is well liked in Ca.
As much as I admire Liz Cheney on her work on the House Committee, she has some whackamole ideas about abortion, so I cannot support her. I do question if Joe can last through 2028/9 or do we have a VP taking over before the end of his term. My greatest fear is having Kamala Harris, because the extreme right wing hate her so much and will attempt or succeed in assassinating her. Who are we left with, the loyalist and kisser of the ring, Mike Johnson.
You are so right Steve, this is about our future! About having one! But I think you may be giving up on Biden too soon. If there was someone out there worthy of taking his place & doing the job as well as he's doing it, don't you think we would have heard from them by now? Please consider my post above.
So he has slowed down! My dad was dancing the jitterbug with me when he was 92! I was much younger than he was but couldn't keep up with him! YES, I know everyone is different. But slowing down doesn't necessarily mean you are losing what is IMPORTANT!
You cannot assert that a change in candidates now would be giving the election away. On what basis? On what fact? The argument that Biden shall lose is much stronger.
There was no landslide in 1968. Humphrey closed the gap and came excruciatingly close to winning. If you’re going to make an argument then get your facts straight.
You're basing that on the statistics of N=1. I reject that as mere superstition. Given Biden's already consistently poor polling, he'll likely lose. We need to pull out the stops.
RIGHT... (but it did get me a great job covering the WATERGATE hearings as a court artist all thru 1973 for the major News bureaus!) ( sorry, I couldn't resist).
Nixon won is a squeaker. Although Nion won over 300 Electoral votes he was less than 1% ahead of Humphrey in popular vote. Democrats allowed Nixon to float his "peace with honor" crap because it was the same as Humphrey.
There are several competent Democratic governors. There are several competent Democratic legislators. But you are absolutely correct that the Democrats dropped the ball.
What a ticket with Gov from Illinois and Gov from PA!
We need new and excitement! With the feelings of so many Americans against the aging Biden, we could do it! People are anxious for a change! Be brave and decisive! Be positive!
Making the decision not to play baseball is a sign of strength! That is the point. Choosing new candidates will stir up hope, especially for younger folks. There is time and we can respect Biden for all he has accomplished, AND support his replacement. Yes we can!
I live in CA, support Gavin Newsom, and don't think he can win right now, since he was married to Kimberly Guilfoyle (DT jr.) while Mayor of SF. The stench of all things Trump needs to be removed first. I think Gov. Newsom knows it. Timing is everything.
Many (most) other countries conduct campaigns in a matter of weeks. Why here do Presidential contests last 2-4 years? Hint: $$$$. Time to shake things up. It could be transformational.
Newsome may win, but he is entitled insider who cannot be trusted; Note that as Governor, he made private arrangements for restaurant dining that was prohibited to the rest of us. That kind of entitles hypocrisy is what lost Hillary the election. People give Trump credit for the transparency of his falsehoods.
Biden won in 2020 because more people showed up to vote against Trump than showed up to vote for Trump. Biden's inability to speak coherently in the debate will lead many to stay away from him, vote for Kennedy or vote for Trump.
I was in Hyannis MA today waiting for a ride, just outside of a "Kennedy for President" billboard. Robert Kennedy would have completed the three ring circus if he had been on the debate stage,
I'll be happy if Trump does not win, but I see no indication that the MAGA mania has stopped or is even lessening in power in the past 4 years. We need a nominee who can make a public case for themselves without using cue cards.
He would bring swing states North Carolina and Georgia with him. He would win in Virginia and have a great shot at Florida, too. When you start looking at the close calls, and people got to know him and his wife, who is a superb social worker advocating for important causes, then you have a great shot at winning the states that are critical.
I AGREE! WE MUST STICK WITH BIDEN. YES, THE DEBATE WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT, BUT ON HIS WORST DAY HIS WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED TODAY, NOW MORE THAN EVER. WE MUST COVINCE THE UNDECIDED OF THIS. BIDEN HAS THE U.S. ECONOMY ON FIRE. AS A RESULT THE U.S. ECONOMY HAS THE ENTIRE WORLD ECONOMY LEANING ON IT. BIDEN HAS MASTERFULLY RALLIED NATO, WHEN TRUMP ALMOST DESTROYED IT. THAT, IN AND OF ITSELF, IS PREVENTING WWIII. RUSSIA, CHINA, AND NORTH KOREA ARE FORMING AN ALLIANCE BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE BIDEN IS BRINGING ON THEM NOT BECAUSE OF WEAKNESS, BUT BECAUSE OF STRENGTH! THEY ARE PANICKING. THEY KNOW TRUMP IS WEAK AND HE WILL UNDO ALL OF THIS. BIDEN IS DELICATELY DEALING WITH ISREAL AND GAZA. HE IS PRESSURING ISREAL AS MUCH AS CAN BE DONE WITHOUT RISKING THE PROTECTION OF ISREAL, OUR ONLY ALLY IN THE REGION, FROM AN INVASION BY HOSTILE ARAB STATES. THIS ISSUE IS VERY DELICATE AND BEING HANDLED AS BEST AS CAN BE. I USED TO THINK THAT THE GREATEST QUALITY A LEADER COULD POSSESS WAS THE ABILITY TO TURN ADVERSITY INTO AN ENJOYABLE CHALLENGE, BUT THAT'S THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY A LEADER CAN POSSESS. THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY A LEADER CAN POSSESS IS TO HAVE A GOOD AND DECENT HEART. BIDEN'S HEART IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE. HE HAS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE WHO RELY ON HIS WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH OUR TRYING TIMES. HE IS A SAVANT AND WE NEED HIM NOW MORE THAN EVER! BIDEN HAS PROVEN HIMSELF TO BE A GOOD PRESIDENT AND IS A DECENT MAN, TRUMP IS NOT, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO PUSH. IF BIDEN NEVER LEAVES THE WHITEHOUSE HE WILL BE A BETTER PRESIDENT THAN TRUMP AND THAT IS THE MESSAGE WE NEED TO SEND!!
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was literally dying when he was president during the last few years of WWII but won the 1944 election, finishing all but the cleanup of the remaining ragtag German and Imperial Japanese fascists before Nature took him. He also had the prescience to switch his VP to Harry Truman - another underestimated pol in the grand order of things - for the 1944 election. Ratchet the time clock backward from there and cross the ocean and you'll see that in the 1932 Weimar Germany election for president, the old, decrepit WWI general and sitting president, von Hindenberg, beat Adolph Hitler by a landslide despite intense Nazi propaganda. Later, Hindenburg had to be talked into appointing Hitler (who he despised) as Chancellor on the basis that his advisors thought Hitler was the only one who could unite all of the right wing anti-communist parties and form a functioning government (and that he would "grow in the job" and abandon his hateful rhetoric). What a disaster.
So now, the argument that Biden cannot win - based on news media coverage and punditry - places us in a position facially, but not essentially similar to 1932 - do we believe the lies and jettison the efficient, capable, mature, emotionally stable, patriotic, working class advocate, women's rights advocate, racial fairness devotee, honest, respectful, team builder president that we have or roll the dice to try to find someone whose name so many disconnected voters will even recognize in November? FDR succeeded despite his physical frailties because he had built a solid team, all pulling in the same direction.
Biden has done the same thing building his administration. The case for Biden strongly includes the case for the deep bench of intelligent, democracy-loving (or at least respecting), highly competent, fair administration he assembled and empowered to effectuate his program for all Americans, not just for the red hat fascists and pseudo-Christian nationalists (X-tians actually since they have abandoned any behavioral connection to JC) to whom DJT and his ilk cater.
The alternative R team, of which that neo-Nazi Stephen Miller is only one dangerous example, will be directed, if at all, by the Heritage groups and their recipe for converting the USA (through blood, if necessary) into the Dark Ages "throne and altar society" (heavy on the throne part).
Take a deep breath, Steve. You are too good for this kind of stochastic, drive-by despair - calling to upset the applecart at this late date is not a good look for althe professional political consultant that you are. You were solidly on the other side of the fence when Obama blew his first debate against Romney in 2012, so maybe you did not fully and viscerally appreciate the qiick-to-judge doomscrollers then, who were saying essentially the same thing (mutatis mutandis). Dems stayed the course then, ratcheted up the pocketbook emotional appeals (the true battlefield of politics) and the ship righted - not by itself but through hard work. It will not be easy, but the fight will go on, led by the team who have proven that they know how to govern - and do govern - well.
"Screw your courage to the sticking place" - but don't try to kill the regnant king!
FDR was a physical wreck by 1943, not just locomotion challenged. Biden is not mentally impaired. Antihistamines for his obvious cold clearly put him into a fog - the same as it jas done to me when I have taken them over the past few decades. He blew the event (hardly a debate) by succimbing to DJT's Gish Gallop technique - a torrent of lies and insults that can overwhelm almost anyone's ability to react wth celerity and clarity. I understand from the rest of uour comments here that you want to show Biden the exit, but I hsven't seen a suggested replacrment with an analysis of how to parachute a new candidate into the race at this point in the process - no one else has offered anything substantive in that regard either. Ultimately, you can enjoy the comfort of your opinion and I shall remain steadfast in mine. Hopefully we can remain allies and vote Blue regardless of the ultimate party decision.
FDR was not mentally incompetent. Antihistamines don't cause incoherence, e.g. some word salad ending in COVID, "corrected" by "we finally beat Medicare." That Trump would unleash the Gish Gallop was known going in. The Democrats have numerous choices from both state and national office holders alone. That's what competition is about. Bear in mind that we're electing someone for a term ending in 4.5 years and tell me you seriously believe Biden is up to that, in the most challenging job there is. All that said, firm allies we certainly remain.
This isn’t about Steve or you or I or a political party affiliation. It’s especially NOT about Joe Biden. Joe Biden has worked in politics and government for his entire life. He has had a very successful and simultaneously painful life. This was the debate he wanted and it was his ONE chance to show that he wasn’t 600 years old and was up to the task of the campaign and the presidency for the next FOUR YEARS. I don’t know who prepared him for this, but his handlers really fucked up and so did Joe Biden. He gave VERACITY to every meme and TikTok video that have being flying around the internet for the last year. He PROVED the case for Donald Trump.
Women already have lost agency over their own bodies. Target has backed off of doing anything for Pride Month now. The Republicans are falling over themselves to be the first one to genuflect before Donald Trump. And why? Because of FEAR. Steve is 100% correct when he says our friends and loved ones who are members of vulnerable communities will be HUNTED by Donald Trump. Joe Biden looked and sounded terrible and we ALL know that for the last year we have been collectively holding our breath whenever Biden appeared in public or opened his mouth.
And with each passing day he is getting even older. Of course he is embarrassed. Of course he wants to prove himself. But BFD. The country MUST COME FIRST.
The DEMOCRATIC party needs to coalesce and figure out HOW to fix this and WHO to fix this with. And I hate to say it, but the whole Biden/Harris ticket must be replaced. Harris can’t beat Trump, either.
Yes. It’s a real fucking mess. And it’s scary. Hard decisions and conversations have to be had now, to arrive at a winning ticket that can beat back Trump and MAGA and send them back to the ooze from whence they came.
My daughters don’t have control over their own bodies. The SCOTUS is already corrupted and if Trump wins, the toadies Thomas and Alito will resign and Trump will appoint teenagers to replace them. How about JUSTICE CANNON??
A Trump victory is too ugly to even contemplate. The country will be over.
Biden can save himself, the country, and his legacy if he puts the country before his ego and his feelings. It’s the only way forward, and I love Joe Biden.
Steve is observing that the Dems need a Margin of Safety to achieve Job One: Keep Donald out of the WH forever.
Joe is fighting a number of headwinds. The biggest headwind is the strategy of the decision makers in the Democratic Party.
Headwind #1. The Democratic Party messaging is weak tea. They are not calling bullshit on Donald and Trump World. Joe just started doing this but he's a single voice in the Trump sea of excrement. Where are the hundreds of influential Dems demanding the media reveal the truth about Trump World? There must be a coordinated, consistent message by the DNC and every team member: Donald Trump is a Rapist. A Piece of Immoral Shit. A criminal. A fraud artist. A sex offender who attacks and hates women. Donald only wants the money from campaigning. He is not a Public Servant and has no interest in being President or doing the job. Trump World is a Money Scam. Instead, they are silent.
Headwind #2. The mass news media makes more money if they pretend that Trump World is legit. So they fail to call out his lies, in detail. The Time magazine interview, for example, was a disaster. "The Jan 6 riot was Nancy's fault." "I'm going to arrest and deport 11 million people." Con tricks on his own followers. The Time editors bought this crap. And Donald repeated it at the face-off (not a debate). As he told Alyssa Farah in the White House, "Say whatever you want. Repeat it and they will believe you."
Headwind #3. The apathy of the average American. The 2020 election was decided by a handful of voters in 6 states. While 40% of the eligible voters didn't vote. The true winner of the 2020 election was "Didn't vote." Joe came in second and Donald came in third. What are the Dems doing to get this apathy cohort--in the swing states--to vote?
We all want a Margin of Safety. This should not even be a contest. Steve's point is that Joe and the DNC are not doing what it takes to defeat the Orange Conman. And he's absolutely right.
Agreed. I dtopped sharing Steve's substack on Facebook groups when he started pushing Dean Phillips (dean who?) as a viable alternative in the primaries. The group members had aslo lost respect for his opinion and intent.
Steve has been urging the Democrats to find a replacement for at least 2 years. It was pretty clear to me that Dean Phillips was running to induce others to join. I'm sure Steve's motivation was the same. Republicans who bow to Trump because they want a career are not that different than Democrats that insisted we must unite behind Biden before he even publicly revealed he would run for office. That's not the situation now. But Biden's ability to win is so much worse than we thought it was. With a competent person as our Candidate, the Issue is just are you for or are you against Trump. With Biden's inability to speak, the issue has become more than just Trump. I hope I'm wrong but I think it was easier to get out the anti-Trump vote before Biden exposed that, as a minimum, he has real time speaking disabilities far beyond his previously known stutter and occasional miscues.
Steve, you have always been against the President running. It is no surprise to me that the first time he had a bad day, and it was very bad, that you would jump on it. You seem to be looking past his previous speeches and public statements. What about how in his State of the Union speeches the way he made fools of the maga republicans?
The one thing I admire about the republicans is that they rally around their candidate and double down things get rough. Democrats seem to be quick to fold. Shame on you and them.
I co-founded The Lincoln Project to defeat Trump, and to help elect Biden in 2020. Since mid-2022, I have expressed my concerns about a second Biden presidency. I stated at that time that should he decide not to run again, he would be recognized as one of the best one-term presidents.
Thursday night wasn't his first bad day. We can't un-see what we saw at the debate. He has declined significantly over the past few years. Yes, there have been significant achievements under his presidency, but he is frail and often incoherent when he isn't using a teleprompter. He will not be able to defeat Trump, and unfortunately, he has not been able to extinguish the extremism in this country, and it is more divisive since his presidency began.
Steve I appreciate you responding to me. I realize you have great personal experience in campaigns. As you acknowledged, since mid 2022 you have advocated for the President not to run again. I realize we can’t un-see Thursday, but I do not believe that one incident, that I have seen, erases the last 3+ years. When I remember his State of the Union addresses alone shows to me his competency.
If we’re going to base whether he is fit to be President for another 4 years based on one televised debate, then I look at the North Carolina rally on Friday. I’d say that is the Biden that regularly shows up.
If however he chooses to withdraw I will support who runs.
The President has great skill with a teleprompter. He looks left, right and center. If you’re making a speech and don’t want to be looking down the whole time to read it, what other options do you have?
The traitor on the other hand has to stare directly into the teleprompter.
You were 1,000% right. And he would have been the greatest one-term president who survived to the end of it. And now....I think everyone is frustrated and doesn't know which crappy and highly uncertain path to choose.
I don't think the democrats can put a dent in extremism--which also is not the job Biden holds or is seeking to retain. Until a lot of former and current republicans grow a significant spine and start standing up against it, it will thrive to one degree or another (and really it has been here since at least the first world war if not longer).
Are we a great country? What if a majority hires an immoral leader? Wouldn't that make us a great immoral country? If Project 2025 is the elected leader, wouldn't we then be a great immoral Christian Communist country? Well, there would be kind of morals. It's too bad that we can't have a best leader. I'll vote for Joe.
I have to say I am starting to agree with you, Steve. I watched my brother-in-law suffer from dementia to the point that he didn’t recognize his wife and son. It was horrible. And it happened quick.. months. There was too much incoherence to not be concerned. He has nothing to be ashamed of. We don’t choose to become frail and weak. It’s inevitable for us all if we live that long. I think it’s time to talk to my Trump supporting brother about who he’s planning to vote for. I need to see if he understands how dangerous Trump is. I have avoided this until now, but I guess Thursday the 4th is as good a day as any.
It’s really not that difficult. The Biden forever crowd want to steer this nation over a cliff and those, like Steve, could clearly see months ago the shit show we are now in because an 80+ year old man is placing his ego ahead of the nation. Welcome to Trumplandia🤮
Thank you. We should rally behind President Biden. If he decides to step down it's his choice and we should support his decision. Until then I'll continue to donate to President Biden because he is a decent and moral man who had one bad debate. He is only a human being not a damn robot!
You think he just had a bad day? Do you think he's not going to have more bad days in the coming weeks, months, and years? What kind of condition will he be in four years from now?
You admire the Republicans for being cultlike and putting their party before their country. Shame on yourself. There are some things bigger than Joe Biden's feelings.
He may have other bad days, he’s human. I admire how they don’t cut and run at the first sign of trouble.
I look at how the President has performed over the 3 1/2 years compared to one night. It is not about his feelings but how he has performed and delivered. I also wonder how things might have been if people didn’t split their tickets so severely. If there was a Democratic House would we still be in this mess?
It must be comforting to live with such a level of certainty about how President Biden and the Democrats should proceed. I simply can't put blind faith in the ability of Democrats to choose, nominate, and run a candidate for President in the 4 months until Election Day.
We'd be lucky to get all the paperwork filed.
Especially with Republican electio officials putting every conceivable roadblock in the path of an instant campaign for the unsung candidates (most of whom appear to be completely innocent of any national campaign experience) the pundits are imagining.
I can't help noticing that those most loudly advocating Joe's withdrawal never supported him in the first place, whether we are talking the New York Times (already a byword for biased coverage against the President) or, sorry to say, Steve Schmidt, recycling a 2-year-old dismissal of Biden's fitness for office. If Joe's record since 2022 l represents incompetence, bring it on! So, too, watch the dismissals of Vice-President Kamala Harris, who has spent the last four years preparing to step into the job. Bring on a governor with no exposure to a national campaign, instead, the 'experts' say.
It is possible to be simultaneously devastated by the sight and sound of Joe struggling on Thursday night and heartened by the fighter who returned to the campaign stage on Friday.
But until there is incontrovertible evidence Biden can no longer make wise decisions, and a path to replacing him that does not represent disaster on an enormous scale, I'm sticking with the one that brought us one of the most successful presidencies in American history.
We have set the bar so low for Joe Biden that when he can read a teleprompter or even have a good day at the SOTU, we get giddy. He may very well be wise and capable behind the scenes but he has not shown inspiring leadership in a long time. He should not have run, he was losing before the debate, and is not nearly as sharp a candidate as he was in 2008. He would not have won the nomination in 2020 but for the Party discipline to get behind him to upend Bernie Sanders who was leading the field. I sent Joe Biden $ when he ran in 2008. I love him; I think he was capable through his vice-presidency. he may even be capable now but he will not beat Trump in an Election.
I never understood Steve's issues with the President to be whether he was good at making Presidential deciions, or assembling a leadership team. It was about if he could win a Presidential election against the most formidable cult leader in American history.. At this point, given the threats before us, that is all I care about.
This is not the first sign of trouble. Biden's age and mental wherewithal have been openly questioned for over a year. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Compare Biden's performance to his 2020 debates. Night and day. We need a candidate who can make the case against Trump. Biden is not capable of delivering. Everyone has been wondering, Where the hell is the President? He's not capable of doing the job anymore.
I appreciate your point of view. I don’t agree with it. No one is the same as they were four years ago. The traitor is more delusional, more violent in his rhetoric. I don’t think everyone has been wondering.
Please. Think of the effect his performance had on the million of voters who don’t tune in until televised debates. Or the thousands of swing voters in swing states. That wasn’t a “bad day” that was “everyday” for an 81 year old. He will lose all of these.
How many snippets from that debate will be played between now and November. He is the incumbent President and is losing in every swing state poll except New Hampshire and their last poll was in May.
Obviously, Joe has to volunteer to release his delegates. But he will continue his self delusion until anti-Trump forces disabuse him of the absurd notion that he alone can beat Trump.
I didn’t realize that New Hampshire was a swing state. I know he is ahead in Wisconsin.
I believe that if we had a legitimate MSM, they would be writing and broadcasting trump’s lies and failures when he was president. Because the President believes he can beat the traitor doesn’t mean he is delusional. The one that is delusional is the traitor.
"I admire how they don’t cut and run at the first sign of trouble. " Not sure that with today's Republicans, it is something to admire. They especially dig their heels into their own lies.
They are rallying around for Power Over fellow Americans, not truth. Did they rally around Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger? We all know Biden loves this country. Knowing when to step aside shows strength, and can empower oneself and others.
They may be rallying around the traitor for power. But let’s not kid ourselves, the Democrats are also. It’s just the Democrats do it with the intent to make things better for the country as a whole. They have just as much desire to be in power, their egos are just as huge. I am an Independent, but support the Democrats position on most issues. There is no Republican Party anymore, the former party was taken over by anarchists and lunatics. It truly is good versus evil this November.
Thank you for this reply. I have admired and agreed with SS, his words have always been thought provoking and wise. But this? This seems as a knee jerk reaction. Biden step down? This close to Election Day? What about Trump stepping down? No one is calling for that and he lied for 90 minutes. LIES. He will do the same if he gets in the White House. We’ve lived through it and he will be more dangerous than ever. Give up on Biden? Calling this after 90 minutes? 90 minutes. Give up because of a 90 minute cluster? The only person who should step down is the Russian asset Trump.
Do we want to be blindly loyal to a candidate regardless of his fitness for office? Like the Trumpistas? Of course, we want to put an end to Trumpism. Is Biden the best man to accomplish that? I think not. He should step down, free his delegates, and allow the DNC to decide on a better candidate. Let's not be silly about this. There are candidates the Democrats could nominate who would be more capable of fulfilling the obligations of the presidency and more likely to win.
Steve's view is not alone, not alone among Democrats, and not even alone among Democrats who love Joe Biden (which, at the beginning of 2020, there weren't THAT many). Steve's view from two years ago is that of someone who knows we need to WIN, PERIOD. So I truly cannot fault nor blame him for his opinion today. He may be wrong about Biden winning anyway. Maybe he's not giving the electorate enough credit to be able to vote for a log vs a crane ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgnmaTKoMJY ) . I really don't know.
How does rallying around an inconceivably bad candidate by maga make it right for others to do the same? Does that mean that no matter what happens regarding a candidate, you must rally around said candidate. Makes no sense.
Respectfully I would agree under some circumstances.
But this is not the first sign is it, this has been known for months and is now a much more public, off-teleprompter, clear picture of his lack of ability to talk to someone effectively like this psychopathic opponent. If one goes back and listens to so many who talked about the upcoming debate at the time, it shows what people thought/hoped then that Biden was going to be a on-teleprompter candidate. Many people who are speaking now about it don't want to lose their place at the table that feeds them and are being very careful.
There is still a chance it will be understood by those that have allowed this to happen the best way to go forward is to come up with a valid reason for him to step down that will save face. To allow an energized ticket that people are waiting desperately for. I can only hope, and then I see all those being so careful breath a sigh of relief. I will vote for whichever candidate it is and blue across the board.
Biden is fit for office. He is not fit for a debate with a loud mouthed liar.
Does that translate to: he will lose the election? Hardly.
The sky is not falling.
If voters want a record of achievement that improved their lives; If they want a President who will defend the Constitution until the last breath in his body; There’s only one candidate of choice - Biden.
If they want the complete opposite of that. A Nazi, a pathological liar, a narcissist, an incompetent boob who has,and would, sell his soul to Putin, Xi, to anyone who offers him money to betray his country, and None of this is a secret, he’s told you what he will do. He will appoint himself Emperor for life and run amok. This one can’t spell the Constitution. That one is Trump.
I seriously doubt that American voters - writ large - don’t know all of that. And for that reason, Biden will win.
MAGA is a minority. The bigger focus must be getting out the Dem vote. So, instead of damning the guy who’s carrying the Dem flag into November, how about rallying folks to check their voter registration NOW and commit to casting their ballot on November 5. Vote Biden & vote Blue - down the ticket. Your future depends on it!
The issue is not about yours or the choir’s support; It’s swing voters. They -will- choose the next president and they WILL NOT choose a weak, declining candidate …social or character issues be damned.
I'm not good with words so it's a pleasure to see your reply... a reply that echoes the thoughts in my head. Thank you Sheila Bryan!
I unsubscribed from Mr. Schmidt's 'Warning' when he tried to push Dean Phillips on us. I recently resubscribed because Steve has a way with words. I'm unsubscribing again and I'm vowing never to to read another word from him. Apparently he has always disliked President Biden. He's biased.
Did it even occur that President Biden was intimidated by the ugly, brash, lying bully?
Did it occur to him that President Biden was not well, that he had a cough and tried to avoid coughing out loud?
Did it occur to him that CNN could have lowered the volume on the President's mic.
I read Steve because he makes sense. Almost all of the time. We too were stunned by President Biden’s performance. First, he sounded like he had lost his voice, maybe had laryngitis. Then, as the night went on, his losing his place and mixing his messages gave us pause. It was a shock.
I understand how that could stoke fear. Fear of how voters might perceive Biden’s ability to do the job. But we have no doubts.
Why?
Because he has proven his competence.
And, because the other guy has proven his incompetence.
Then there’s the likability piece. No contest there. Biden’s opponent is loathed by his own former staffers (and, his wife too, it looks like). He has embarrassed his country on the international stage. He’s rude, uncouth and dumb as a bag of hammers. He’s a liar of epic proportion, a racist, sexual predator, thief, cheat, etc., etc.
Biden is none of that and he has the warmth, empathy and caring so very needed in these turbulent times.
The other guy scores a zero on those attributes.
Steve is scared. Scared of what could happen. My argument back to him is no one knows what could happen on Nov. 5. No matter debate performance. Where he and I part company is on the short term action now required - debate outcome notwithstanding.
Support for Biden is top of my list. Rallying strong Dem surrogates is second, coupled with stellar, unrelenting, targeted Communications on Joe’s success and plan to improve on it.
Pls don’t give up on Steve. He makes sense most of the time. This time, not. But we all make mistakes.😉
I disagree. Bidens performance was horrible. And trump is a Fraud, An adjudicated Rapist and a 34 count convicted Felon . FELON ...FELON . he is also a pathological shameless liar. If the republican party can stand by their Felon . We can stand by our old guy . Who fucks up when he stutters and was never a good speaker.
I equate this to a starred Michelin restaurant. The Michelin starred restaurant is not always owned by the Chef (the one who earned the stars) The White house can be the same . Joe is the owner for 4 more years. As long as his Chefs are performing at STAR quality ..I am cool with that. For now.
why is everyone dismissing Kamala? ..HER taking up where Biden leaves off ..not a "black job"?
I am voting for Biden . I don't care .
DO I care about my country? yes..that is why I am voting for JOE ..the supreme court rulings are showing us what an America will look like with a Trump presidency ..with a MAGGOT republican congress . NOT GOOD
Please stop with the "aren't black jobs" stuff. It wasn't helpful once, let alone twice, and it's not necessary. Most people here will vote for whomever is the D nominee, regardless of race or gender, because we all realize the grave threat that TFG is. Using all caps doesn't make your point more valid.
No one here needs an English lesson. It's ignorant to think baiting people with ridiculous racist comments is helpful. What response or effect were you hoping for with that nonsense? Right? It's bullshit, a false flag, and a rabbit hole we don't need to deal with. No need to try to justify it now.
Michelle has seen what it means to be President and has made it clear it’s not for her. Not sure why folks keep suggesting she should run. Can you imagine the response from DJT and the rest of the Republicans? Smh
No it’s not, it is pragmatic thinking. Trump was the ultimate backlash to having a black president. Dems lije you are why we’re where we are, something is wrong with everything, everybody is a racist.
I don’t believe that, Lisa. I live in small town Maga Red Ohio. For the last eight years I have had to be reminded daily that this country foolishly elected a corrupt clown of a man into the highest office who refuses to give it up even after we said, in his own words, “You’re Fired!” With yard sign after yard sign in support of the biggest sorest LOSER on the planet. Today, they are few and far between. It makes me hopeful that my neighbors are coming to their senses.
I just pray that the Dem ticket does not end up being split. Joe is getting my vote whether it is or not. If he steps aside, the replacement still gets my vote.
Steve, I respect your opinion and understand where you are coming from. Thursday night I was there myself. But after a day to process the disaster, I have moved from DEFCON 1 to a calmer take on this. Questions: It was a bad debate, but do we know the effect on the undecideds yet? Was it a true disaster in the polls or de minimus effect in the end? Who is the mythical hero to step in who has the ability to beat Trump? How will a substitute raise enough cash and organize a campaign staff and strategy in time for the general election? It also appears that the only way for this to happen would be for Biden to release his delegates, which is not likely. I am also concerned that this drumbeat to push Biden to step aside is only helping Trump.
I have gone back and forth, similar to you.... I'm seeing:
1) that it would not be easy or quick logistically to replace JB with an appropriate, strong candidate;
2) this course would not be without damage to the Dem or broader anti-Trump brand, by appearing to repudiate what is a very strong record for and under Biden;
I still have many mixed feelings. But it would be a serious step to push Biden to drop out, as well as to claim he can't do the job when he has in fact been doing it, well. I do believe he was sick and made the wrong call not to cancel and reschedule. Perhaps a med that he was sensitive to 🤷♀️ ?
There's not much time, but there MUST be time to know all the facts and what is in fact the right call. Respect to all.
No need for a “cat fight.” We all saw the issue this past Thursday night. We want to win on the side of the Democrats. The best person will be nominated in an adult manner.
Politics is a serious matter! We must get behind the party and our country. That is what matters!
I really don't think so, Dana. Not in this day and age. How many will throw their hat in the ring? What do the rules say? Democrats must have rules to address the situation where the leading candidate withdraws, dies, is convicted of 34 felonies, etc.
Bob Woodward said the main goal, the primary line of inquiry into why Biden performed so poorly in the debate, ought to be WHY this happened. I have heard no reasonable explanation yet. He performed like a man on downers or one who just suffered a minor stroke or t.i.a.
IMHO: Biden tried to respond to each and every lie coming his way, an impossible task which hampered his effectiveness. As time went on, he adapted somewhat, but people aren't willing to reassess what they've already decided. See, e.g., HRC's vast improvement in speaking to crowds for which she never received credit. In this situation, we are very much seeing what we believe to be true about Biden--for better and for worse. As for the disjointed segment Steve cited, go back to 2004, and read things John Kerry said. Omg! I always wondered why W didn't make hay of this Kerry shortcoming, but I was grateful he didn't.
I appreciate what you’re saying Steve and agree with it. Your quote of Biden had me completely befuddled. If that is the response to Roe, then it is over for Joe. Why do people like him believe only they can win? He is more like Trump than he realizes.
Yesterday I took a long drive through rural North Carolina. If you want to see abject poverty and hopelessness — there was plenty of it.
Joe Biden has been in government life for half a century. Donald Trump has been destroying lives and declaring bankruptcies for half a century. Does anyone believe that the people living in the homes I saw — rusted shacks and trailers with leaky roofs and water pipes supplying toxic water — care a whit about either of these two?
So will all of us and not really the point. It's raising the concern and discussing potential options based on the debate - and what many of us hoped was not the reality, but became all too true Thursday evening. Most, if not everyone here will vote for whoever is running against TFG, including Biden, because he's (TFG) that much of a threat.
I don’t view Biden as senile or as someone with early stage dementia. I dealt with dementia in my family. I view Biden’s issue as the aging process doing its thing. And it cannot be defeated. There is a saying — that which can’t, won’t.
I’ve just seen people, too many of them, hang on for too long and do a disservice to themselves and the country.
I get it. I am turning 59 this year and recognize my own limitations as I age. I see it in my partner who will be 72 this year. It’s part of life and the aging process. If the Dems are so hell bent on Joe running this election, they could have at least chosen a stronger running mate than Kamala Harris. Jamie Raskin if he was willing?
Sure, I'm 61 so understand. I just meant that people here aren't discussing the choice of voting for Biden or TFG, but rather if Biden should be replaced.
His running mate isn't the question and another rabbit hole entirely. I will say that Harris certainly helped him win in 2020. The numbers and polling all support that. And to be clear, if he refuses to step aside and runs, Harris will NOT be the reason he loses.
I’m in my 60s. I was in government for a long time and worked for politicians. I cannot do what used to be routine for me. Father Time plays no favorites.
I am in a deeply red district that was full of Trump signs. For full on 8 years. They disappeared recently, right around the NY hush money trial. Pecker’s testimony was credible proving election interference and it’s cover up was corroborated with Daniels and Cohen. Trump’s lawyers had not one bit of evidence suggesting innocence. Maybe the wool was lifted for some of them. We will see as we get closer to the election.
Very well said Steve!! I agree with you 100%. I am surrounded by people in Indiana who have been concerned about Joe Biden's age for a very long time.
It is past time for President Biden, who I love and respect deeply, to put his ego aside and do what's best for the Country. There is JUST. TOO. MUCH. AT. STAKE. 💔🇺🇸💙🙏🏻
Lisa I totally understand. We are losing voters…after the debate, 5 family members who were voting for Biden, said they would not. This was their initial reaction. Trump is the most evil candidate in history - he will destroy our Country and our freedoms. We must “fight him with our best”.
My hope is that Joe’s family and closest staff are having a tough conversation with him this weekend.
Steve, we’ve gone over this numerous times here in the past so I’m not surprised by your reaction nor do I expect you’re surprised by my response. So I will just repeat that I find your judgement questionable. You keep on reiterating that if the election were held today, Trump would win. You’ve said this before the debate too. This is an unfalsifiable statement which is a logic fallacy to those well grounded in its tenets. Why? Because we can’t have an election today to show its veracity, nor do we have a method of reliably predicting all close elections. So these are just empty words that sound good. And we have past historical facts that show no election is entirely predictable. Ask Mr Dewey how the presidency went for him even though the hubris placed the “winning” headlines ready for print.
As you yourself have pointed out in an objective moment: the choice is between Biden and Trump. As someone who has worked many campaigns and been on the losing side numerous times, you should know better IMHO. I think you should think long and hard on what you say your goals are and how to achieve them perhaps listening more to folks like Leigh McGowan who seem grounded in reality. Thanks for listening.
Excellent points, John, which we need to pay attention to. Steve, and else anyone here who thinks Biden needs to be replaced, please watch this Leigh McGowan video, above. Thank you.
This is much, much, more than being disappointed by a poor debate performance. Those of us that have repeatedly warned about this do not take any pleasure in this “I told you so” moment. But now here we are. This was not just a fluke, a bad day, a one-off, this was a four alarm fire call damn it, and now it’s time to pull the plug and send Joe home before it’s too late. This is not about him and deep down inside he knows it. He is being selfish and in denial, aided and abetted by a loyal wife and sister. He needs to graciously step down and release his delegates at the convention from their commitment to him. LBJ set the example by doing the right thing when he realized that it was time for him to step aside. This is not about one man’s ego, this is about a bare knuckled fight to preserve our democracy for Christ’s sake. Nothing less…a fight for something bigger and more important than any one person.
Biden didn't just lose the debate. He proved he is not fit for office.
He also demonstrated why he has not effectively used the bully pulpit the last four years. He is unable to. He is not capable of using it.
The president and vice president are the only two nationally elected offices in the country. Job #1 of these offices is to defend the Constitution and preserve the union. We now know why Biden hasn't been able to do that job (though we don't know why Harris hasn't either). America, the greatest experiment of self-government in human history, is under threat and needs the sharpest, most intelligent, and most skilled and able leader. That's not Biden. That's not Harris.
The Republicans betrayed their country. The Democrats are failing it. Joe Biden needs to step aside not just because he will lose to Trump. He must step aside because he cannot do the job.
Excellent summary. After letting things sink in and taking a long drive yesterday, I cannot defend or rationalize Biden’s decision to hang on to the Office of the Presidency. Does not Scripture tell us that wisdom is derived from discerning things and acting accordingly?
I’m in a dither and not sure which way to go. Donald Trump is pure evil;Biden blew the debate. If he has a cold he should called it off. Perhaps called the VP to service.?
Joe Biden is 81. I will be seventy-three in Sept. In my head. I just don’t think I’m old however my body is telling me a different story. Fact is “Aging Well” is not all it’s cracked up to be or the golden age is not that “Gold”
I’m leaning that both parties go to open conventions. For that to happen both , I think , presumptive nominees would have walk away.
Biden will continue to age, continue to be an elderly man with all the signs and symptoms of old age. He will be more frail in November. More people will vote for third-party candidates with the attitude "if I am going to vote for someone who will lose, it should be the person I'm most aligned with". Jill Stein and RFK will benefit. People will limit or stop their DNC donations because who wants to throw money at a losing proposition. People will stay home instead of voting because they are depressed and have become disengaged. As Steve has pointed out, politics is a contact sport. Let's not bury our head in the sand and live in an alternate reality. Let's deal with this head-on.
I have to disagree, Steve. We are 5 months out from the election. There is no switching candidates at this point. Ballots are printed. The debate was disastrous and a self own, but we have to dust ourselves off and move forward. Biden did that in NC yesterday. Both candidates are old. If Biden dies in office I’m good with President Harris. If voters understand the stakes, they too will crawl over broken glass to vote for Biden.
I am so sorry I actually paid to read this muck. Don't tell me that he is going to push the clown Dean Phillips again. Catch what Lawrence said on MSNBC.
Biden will not win. This wasn’t just a “bad night”. We have been holding our breath and cringing for a year every time Biden appeared in public or made a speech. Biden WANTED this debate. His job was to show that he is up to the task and can encounter Trump with energy and vigor and coherence. Instead, he became the caricature on stage that is embodied in every horrible meme and TikTok video. His failure jeopardizes down-ballot races. And Trump isn’t evaluated by the same standards, and never has been. He really is TEFLON DON. He can ramble and lose his shit and mumble “REBOOOOT GAHHHH” with bulging eyes and accordion hands and the media and the public just shrug and say “whatevs”. Biden will have MORE of these moments and bad nights. The presidency ages them all, and Biden started out at age 78. Look at his debate performance in 2020, and then revisit what happened Thursday. It’s shocking. Biden has done an exemplary job as POTUS, and he needs now to do the most courageous and patriotic thing and stand aside. And we will be all, for generations, if not forever, FUBAR.
Simply wrong. Luckily we have something called data. All data right now points to Trump lost undecided voters and Biden did not from the debate. Biden actually is in a better position to win after the debate than before. If you are a democrat, you have a responsibility to get your facts correct before suggesting a silly change that would reward Trump. It is too late to switch and actually NO REASON! :-)
Steve, if I’m wrong, I’ll be relieved and gladly wrong. I’m mos def not uninformed. I’m a political junkie and I love Joe Biden. There is nothing wrong with my facts. And people who have fervently supported Joe Biden are upset and heartsick. I suggest that you listen to the latest episode of The Bulwark podcast and today’s podcast No Lie by Brian Tyler Cohen. And then take an antiemetic and watch Fox News for one hour and partake in some TikTok vids and some commentary on X, hosted by the Space Nazi.
“There is something self-evidently more important to the small clique of Biden insiders who have allowed this situation to spiral into chaos and disaster. Some delusional Democrats have suggested that Biden’s incoherence, befuddlement and confusion were offset by Trump’s delusions, lies and menacing threats.”
Steve, disgusted doesn’t begin to explain my emotions right now. For the last year and a half, five words have defined this election year for all of us:
“TOO MUCH IS AT STAKE!”
Yet, apparently, not enough is at stake to make sure the Democratic Party put forth a candidate with all his/her faculties in place. We’d be better off running a “head of lettuce.”
I’m just ecstatic we finally defeated MEDICARE! And as for abortion, whatever Biden managed to conjure up during his hallucinating, two minute rant. HUH?????????
All I know is the Democratic Party lied to us. Biden’s inner circle lied to us. And all the elder statesmen of the party can muster is the “we all have bad days” excuse.
Except in this case democracy is on the menu. In this case, Biden has never been leading in most of the deciding swing state polls. In this case, Biden is being compared to a genocidal maniac for supporting Israel against terrorism. In this case, the incumbent is a drain on the party.
Bottom line: in this case, Biden will be 81 when he is inaugurated, and is expected to be cognizant until January 2029. We’re not electing a president for one year.
However, apparently an 81 year old, who shifts in and out of consciousness, is the guy supposed to lead us to the promise land, and save us from tyranny? SERIOUSLY??????
I have nothing but contempt for all of Biden’s surrogates coming to his aid; especially both Newsom and Obama. They are defending the indefensible, and about to hand the presidency to a guy, and party more than willing to upend our freedoms and democracy.
Yup, when democracy was at stake, and our republic is on the line, democrats decided our best option is a man who can’t complete a coherent thought; who can’t even takedown a serial liar who is easily debunked; and can’t show strength and competence against a man so evil and flawed, that America is about to hand him the reigns of power for a second time.
And while the SC is taking a sledgehammer to our constitution daily, the MSM (rightfully so), is focused on deciding whether a psychopath or senile gentlemen would be better equipped to lead this nation.
I have a better idea. Let’s vote for the head of lettuce!…:)
Robert you well know that I agree with you most often, but here I don’t. I was as horrified as anyone else here by what I witnessed on Thursday night. I loathe the orange turd with close to every cell of my being, and if Biden had needed a knife to shove down the turd’s throat I would have been happy to supply one. I have been all over the place about what I witnessed and what it means for our democracy. I’m 77 soon to be 78 and I’m watching the aging process in real time. Biden had a terrible night, he was sick and had been for days, no doubt he was being medicated for his symptoms, meds can fuck with your brain, we all know that. Then there was the experience of being 10’ away from one of the most hateful beings to have lived in the last 80 years. “Debates” are supposed to be about an exchange of ideas, instead of that exchange Biden faced a firehose of lies, whenever the insipid bastard opened his mouth. You could tell by the looks on Biden’s face just how distasteful the entire 90 minutes were. Biden is a man of honor, he’s not perfect but he is a man of honor, that’s why he was standing there feeling the way he did, and not turning on his heels and walking off. Try to picture yourself in a similar situation, would you be able to tolerate 90 minutes of that kind of an assault, I don’t think I could. Lawrence O’Donnell has pointed out that the “debate” has absolutely nothing to do with the job of being president, a job that Biden has been doing better than any president in my lifetime, the “debate” was about one liners used to get attention, nothing could be farther from the job of being president, which is a job that Biden has spent a lifetime preparing for. He has an ego, we all do, but he also has a deep abiding love for our country, something that the POS standing on the stage with him knows nothing about. Only Joe and maybe his wife Jill knows if he’s up to the task that he will be facing, I give him the benefit of the doubt and will continue to support him, to that end I sent him a donation last night. If he chooses to step aside it won’t be because I’m calling for him to do it. I’ve got his back as do a lot of my fellow Americans. 🙏
Dick, I always respect your comments and I agree to n many ways. I just feel like we are being lied to. Obviously, I will vote for Biden, and would always choose our republic over a party, or a dictator.
That said, we should have had an honest primary. Look at us now. We’re having a conversation about whether Biden is fit for office. When we start having this type of debate, the answer is obvious. Biden needs to step down for the sake of our future.
This isn’t just about democracy. Yesterday, the SC handed down some severe opinions that is taking a sledgehammer to our democracy. They are no longer content interpreting the constitution. They now decided they should be making laws, and know more than the scientific experts and just about every subject.
While our democracy is being singlehandedly dismantled by a corrupt SCOTUS, we’re talking about Biden’s cognitive abilities. It’s a distraction we don’t need and shouldn’t be forced to have or even have to consider.
Trump should be any easy win for anyone. Yet, here we are…:)
Might we have a case of arm chair quarterbacking? If we the voters knew what the insiders know, would our rants be supportive of whatever decision is made by those insiders?
Steve, you took aim at the wrong guy. Sorry, you should reevaluate the situation again. You want to kick Joe out at this point in the presidential race. Think 1968, that did not end well for the Democrats or the country. The guy whose pants should have burst into flames should be the target of your editorial. Bad assessment! Try again!
If you think 1968 was bad and it was, think about 60 gop in senate and 50+ in the house and trump as 47. If you can accept this risk, I can’t and will be out of here.
Sorry Steve but it sounds like you’re reverting to your republican roots. It is not Gavin Newsom who is doing the Democrat party a disservice it is you. The ship has sailed any change in candidates now would be giving the election away. Instead of doom you should be spreading the truth about the great record of Joe Biden. I’m 86 I know old, it’s not fun, but because I can’t play baseball anymore doesn’t mean I don’t understand the game.
We need everyone with a positive attitude.
Carl,
My position has nothing to do with the fact that I am a former Republican. My allegiance is to the United States of America. President Biden will lose to Trump if he does not step aside. This has nothing to do with what Biden has accomplished as president. This is about our future, and that of our children. Far too much is at stake.
Steve
One of the hallmarks separating humans from all other mammalians is -language-. It provides a window through which others get a glimpse of what’s going on in that bowl of custard we carry around in our noggin. Our facility with language is a biomarker that tips the hand of the speaker revealing their intellect, cognition, working memory, reason, problem solving, executive function. Etc.
While one bad night at the forum doesn’t make a smart man demented, that man’s supporters ignoring or excusing their candidate’s repeatedly exhibiting unequivocal signs of the changes in cognitive-language function that’re typical of the vast majority of people at twilight, is -more- egregious than the candidate’s own blindness. Recognizing the obvious is in no way a slight to Biden’s exemplar public life. But at this moment, we simply shouldn’t delude ourselves about what’s obvious. Listen folks” we’re all headed to the same destination, so let’s not pretend Joe Biden isn’t in range of the station. He will certainly arrive there (cognitively or otherwise) before completing another term, seated behind the Resolute Desk. There’s not a swing voter with a pulse that doesn’t intuit that. Those voters WILL act on that truth, effectively putting a criminal back in the Oval Office.
Like Steve commented in a recent interview (something to the effect), I would vote for Joe Biden if he was preserved in a cryogenic tank, over this opponent.
I feel the same but am nearly certain, swing voters don’t.
Biden was exhibiting aphasia. He couldn't get to the end of several sentences. The first thing I thought Thursday was he may have had a mini-stroke. He did have an aneurysm in 1988. You and I may vote for a cryogenically frozen corpse over Trump, but enough voters won't.
I hope you are wrong. The several discussions I have heard of with “double haters” voters post-debate has indicated you might just be wrong... Voters, I want to believe, and as indicated by those discussions, are smart enough to recognize the lies and denials put forth by Trump, and are repelled by it. Another indicator that gives me hope is the abortion issue and how it has compelled voters. I feel that the polls over the next week, though taken with a grain of salt, will be telling. I too would literally vote for ANY Dem candidate, cryogenically frozen included, over Trump. I just hope that enough people feel the same. 🤞🙏🏼
I feel the same.
I did not see any aphasia in Biden's speech. We see it way too often in tRUmp's speeches. Biden stumbled, yes, but he had SO much thrown at him by that opposing liar, he was in confusion about WHICH lie to reply to, knowing he would never be allowed the time to sort it out or reply properly. In such a traumatic moment, his former problem with stuttering, which he has brilliantly overcome, would naturally overcome him a bit. For which he should be given some space. It CANNOT be compared with the filth & ignorance of non-stop lies & vile putdowns.
Gish gallop
Rewatch footage of the 2020 debates. Biden is not up to the task in 2024. I am not giving the President of the United States a pass when we are facing down a domestic threat to the Constitution, he has been noticeably absent, and now we know why. As Steve has said, the country must come first.
Justin. Buy “Smart Brevity” and apply it.
Steve I'm sorry (a small number of) people) keep saying that. Your views are very much in line with how Democrats process their feelings. Or at least Democrats over 50 (ha just saying). So you are talking like a Democrat actually. BUT BUT BUT. I really don't think professional pols like Newsome, Whitmer, Moore, et al....have the TIME to be vetted. It takes a person who is so well-known that warts are already baked in. That's going to generally be celebrities unless you want to run Hillary again. So Oprah, Michelle, Jon Stewart. People like that. Pick one. Good luck us.
OH I forgot. Taylor Swift, who turns 35 in December. But she's got a better gig now, I think.
HAHAHAHAHA! God we need some levity now. Or maybe save it until tomorrow when SCOTUS tells us what immunity trump has.
Who would you suggest to step up that would have countrywide recognition.
Fact is we weren’t prepared for this possibility.
Is it better to take a chance with someone with limited name recognition or someone we all know - except he, himself on a "bad day." I had recognized his rather rapid physical decline, but was shocked by the mental state Biden demonstrated Thursday. In retrospect it makes me rethink my opinion of the assessment by the documents special prosecutor as well as criticism from the NY Times editorial board that he was unwilling to sit for the traditional interview with them because he couldn't withstand questioning. The signs have been there, but now there's no escaping that he's unfit. We're looking at 4.5 more years. There's just no way. To be clear, Trump is unfit as well, and I would never vote for him, but Democrats now can show more integrity and love of country than their shameful GOP counterparts.
Andy Beshear.
No matter what. KY isn’t a swing state.
Tim Shriver -- the Kennedy name gets him recognition and his enlightened nature will do the rest: https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/p/now-more-than-ever
Please understand I appreciate your work.
Maybe there’s already a plan in place if he wins. Whatever is going on with him right now is being kept quite and then will reveal to put Mrs Harris in charged
https://youtu.be/6pxmHX_gQuc?t=402
Steve even if he steps aside we will lose this election. There is no mechanism in place to put another candidate forward and no chance of winning with someone else.
It is not true that there is no mechanism to put another candidate forward and , of course, there is a possibility of winning with another candidate. Biden's delegates to the DNC are not bound by law to vote for him and he could release them from any ethical obligation. I have suggested crossing party lines and asking someone like John Kasich, Adam Kinzinger, or Liz Cheney if they would accept the Democratic nomination. Again, the main objective should be to put an end to the Trump/MAGA movement and never allow them to establish an American fascist theocratic dictatorship.
The Democrats don't need to look to Republicans for an alternative candidate. While I admire the stance on Trump of those you mentioned, their agenda is not mine.
I understand; my political views mirror those of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. However, my fear of a Trump dictatorship has moved preservation of our traditional norms, values, and democratic government ahead of all other issues.I support any moderate Republican or Democratic nominee vowing to put a stop to Trumpism. Then we can move forward with a progressive agenda, a truly progressive income tax, single payer health care system, regulation of obscenely bloated CEO salaries etc.
These people are not moderate, just anti-Trump. Kinzinger and Cheney both voted for Trump in 2020, so I assume would have policy objectives & court picks along the same lines as as his. We've already moved so far to the right that we're literally moving backward on civil rights, yet the accusations are always that Democrats are too extreme. Democrats have some moderates, but not Republicans. No Republican would get my vote. We have to stem the tide, not contribute to it.
I think the Dems have a ton of likely candidates. Gretchen Whitmer,Wes Moore, Andy Bashear….and especially Josh Shapiro! Probable not Gavin. I don’t think he is well liked in Ca.
It needs to be someone who can generate excitement, energy and enthusiasm. I think there are good options if only Democrats will look.
As much as I admire Liz Cheney on her work on the House Committee, she has some whackamole ideas about abortion, so I cannot support her. I do question if Joe can last through 2028/9 or do we have a VP taking over before the end of his term. My greatest fear is having Kamala Harris, because the extreme right wing hate her so much and will attempt or succeed in assassinating her. Who are we left with, the loyalist and kisser of the ring, Mike Johnson.
ugh, no, not Johnson! ugh.
You are so right Steve, this is about our future! About having one! But I think you may be giving up on Biden too soon. If there was someone out there worthy of taking his place & doing the job as well as he's doing it, don't you think we would have heard from them by now? Please consider my post above.
It takes more than a positive attitude to fight Fascism and the cunning of DJT. I'm 64 and I feel old. Biden has shown decline for some time now.
Fighting Fascism is voting blue up and down the ballot .
HARD
BECAUSE THESE SLIM MAJORITIES ARE STILL GETTING THE MAGGOT AGENDA PASSED .
So he has slowed down! My dad was dancing the jitterbug with me when he was 92! I was much younger than he was but couldn't keep up with him! YES, I know everyone is different. But slowing down doesn't necessarily mean you are losing what is IMPORTANT!
You cannot assert that a change in candidates now would be giving the election away. On what basis? On what fact? The argument that Biden shall lose is much stronger.
Read some history. When the Democrats switched candidates in 1968 because LBJ dropped out, Nixon won in a landslide and look what that got us.
Completely wrong on the facts.
There was no landslide in 1968. Humphrey closed the gap and came excruciatingly close to winning. If you’re going to make an argument then get your facts straight.
You're basing that on the statistics of N=1. I reject that as mere superstition. Given Biden's already consistently poor polling, he'll likely lose. We need to pull out the stops.
We can't look at today thru the lens of the 60s. All of these historical comparisons are interesting, but not predictive of what would happen now.
RIGHT... (but it did get me a great job covering the WATERGATE hearings as a court artist all thru 1973 for the major News bureaus!) ( sorry, I couldn't resist).
Nixon won is a squeaker. Although Nion won over 300 Electoral votes he was less than 1% ahead of Humphrey in popular vote. Democrats allowed Nixon to float his "peace with honor" crap because it was the same as Humphrey.
It’s very simple, there’s no one on the bench to step in. We didn’t prepare for this possibility.
There are several competent Democratic governors. There are several competent Democratic legislators. But you are absolutely correct that the Democrats dropped the ball.
What a ticket with Gov from Illinois and Gov from PA!
We need new and excitement! With the feelings of so many Americans against the aging Biden, we could do it! People are anxious for a change! Be brave and decisive! Be positive!
Hells yeah!!
Just competent is not enough. BIden is so way more than just competent.
That's so true, as I have been saying, if there was ANYone up to the job we would have known about him or her by now.
Making the decision not to play baseball is a sign of strength! That is the point. Choosing new candidates will stir up hope, especially for younger folks. There is time and we can respect Biden for all he has accomplished, AND support his replacement. Yes we can!
Name a replacement that has national recognition needed to win.
Gavin Newsom. He'd kick trump's ass from here to Moscow
Too many think of GN as too progressive, too ‘Hollywood’ and he’s from CA. Not appealing to swing states.
I live in CA, support Gavin Newsom, and don't think he can win right now, since he was married to Kimberly Guilfoyle (DT jr.) while Mayor of SF. The stench of all things Trump needs to be removed first. I think Gov. Newsom knows it. Timing is everything.
Newsom can handle that! Lovely wife and family so let it roll! He is capable and exciting! Younger voters would roar with excitement!
Dissagree completely. You may know about but 90% of dems do not know about that. I do and could give a shit
I really like Gavin, however, there’s just not enough time to promote him countrywide.
Sure there is
Many (most) other countries conduct campaigns in a matter of weeks. Why here do Presidential contests last 2-4 years? Hint: $$$$. Time to shake things up. It could be transformational.
Newsome may win but he is entitles insider who cannot be trusted which isx why so many former Democrats hate the Democratic Party.
huh?
Newsome may win, but he is entitled insider who cannot be trusted; Note that as Governor, he made private arrangements for restaurant dining that was prohibited to the rest of us. That kind of entitles hypocrisy is what lost Hillary the election. People give Trump credit for the transparency of his falsehoods.
Biden won in 2020 because more people showed up to vote against Trump than showed up to vote for Trump. Biden's inability to speak coherently in the debate will lead many to stay away from him, vote for Kennedy or vote for Trump.
I was in Hyannis MA today waiting for a ride, just outside of a "Kennedy for President" billboard. Robert Kennedy would have completed the three ring circus if he had been on the debate stage,
I'll be happy if Trump does not win, but I see no indication that the MAGA mania has stopped or is even lessening in power in the past 4 years. We need a nominee who can make a public case for themselves without using cue cards.
GN, Whitmer, Moore, Pritzger…they would eat the POS’s lunch and spit it back into his face.
Andy Beashear, a twice elected Democratic Governor of Kentucky.
no! He's a dem governor in a RED state! You can't do that, it weakens the party. a blue man or woman in a blue state is what works.
He would bring swing states North Carolina and Georgia with him. He would win in Virginia and have a great shot at Florida, too. When you start looking at the close calls, and people got to know him and his wife, who is a superb social worker advocating for important causes, then you have a great shot at winning the states that are critical.
Moore might be fine with 10 years experience. Would be fine with Whitmer and Pritzger. They have a record they can run on.
I AGREE! WE MUST STICK WITH BIDEN. YES, THE DEBATE WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT, BUT ON HIS WORST DAY HIS WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED TODAY, NOW MORE THAN EVER. WE MUST COVINCE THE UNDECIDED OF THIS. BIDEN HAS THE U.S. ECONOMY ON FIRE. AS A RESULT THE U.S. ECONOMY HAS THE ENTIRE WORLD ECONOMY LEANING ON IT. BIDEN HAS MASTERFULLY RALLIED NATO, WHEN TRUMP ALMOST DESTROYED IT. THAT, IN AND OF ITSELF, IS PREVENTING WWIII. RUSSIA, CHINA, AND NORTH KOREA ARE FORMING AN ALLIANCE BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE BIDEN IS BRINGING ON THEM NOT BECAUSE OF WEAKNESS, BUT BECAUSE OF STRENGTH! THEY ARE PANICKING. THEY KNOW TRUMP IS WEAK AND HE WILL UNDO ALL OF THIS. BIDEN IS DELICATELY DEALING WITH ISREAL AND GAZA. HE IS PRESSURING ISREAL AS MUCH AS CAN BE DONE WITHOUT RISKING THE PROTECTION OF ISREAL, OUR ONLY ALLY IN THE REGION, FROM AN INVASION BY HOSTILE ARAB STATES. THIS ISSUE IS VERY DELICATE AND BEING HANDLED AS BEST AS CAN BE. I USED TO THINK THAT THE GREATEST QUALITY A LEADER COULD POSSESS WAS THE ABILITY TO TURN ADVERSITY INTO AN ENJOYABLE CHALLENGE, BUT THAT'S THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY A LEADER CAN POSSESS. THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY A LEADER CAN POSSESS IS TO HAVE A GOOD AND DECENT HEART. BIDEN'S HEART IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE. HE HAS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE WHO RELY ON HIS WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH OUR TRYING TIMES. HE IS A SAVANT AND WE NEED HIM NOW MORE THAN EVER! BIDEN HAS PROVEN HIMSELF TO BE A GOOD PRESIDENT AND IS A DECENT MAN, TRUMP IS NOT, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO PUSH. IF BIDEN NEVER LEAVES THE WHITEHOUSE HE WILL BE A BETTER PRESIDENT THAN TRUMP AND THAT IS THE MESSAGE WE NEED TO SEND!!
All caps alert
Thank you, but it was intended. Sorry for the egomania, but I've been yelling since the debate.
I feel ya bro. But, all caps usually turns people away. E.g., the POS’s that we are force fed and can’t avoid.
He didn't know where he was half the time Thursday. Experience doesn't help if you can't remember it.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was literally dying when he was president during the last few years of WWII but won the 1944 election, finishing all but the cleanup of the remaining ragtag German and Imperial Japanese fascists before Nature took him. He also had the prescience to switch his VP to Harry Truman - another underestimated pol in the grand order of things - for the 1944 election. Ratchet the time clock backward from there and cross the ocean and you'll see that in the 1932 Weimar Germany election for president, the old, decrepit WWI general and sitting president, von Hindenberg, beat Adolph Hitler by a landslide despite intense Nazi propaganda. Later, Hindenburg had to be talked into appointing Hitler (who he despised) as Chancellor on the basis that his advisors thought Hitler was the only one who could unite all of the right wing anti-communist parties and form a functioning government (and that he would "grow in the job" and abandon his hateful rhetoric). What a disaster.
So now, the argument that Biden cannot win - based on news media coverage and punditry - places us in a position facially, but not essentially similar to 1932 - do we believe the lies and jettison the efficient, capable, mature, emotionally stable, patriotic, working class advocate, women's rights advocate, racial fairness devotee, honest, respectful, team builder president that we have or roll the dice to try to find someone whose name so many disconnected voters will even recognize in November? FDR succeeded despite his physical frailties because he had built a solid team, all pulling in the same direction.
Biden has done the same thing building his administration. The case for Biden strongly includes the case for the deep bench of intelligent, democracy-loving (or at least respecting), highly competent, fair administration he assembled and empowered to effectuate his program for all Americans, not just for the red hat fascists and pseudo-Christian nationalists (X-tians actually since they have abandoned any behavioral connection to JC) to whom DJT and his ilk cater.
The alternative R team, of which that neo-Nazi Stephen Miller is only one dangerous example, will be directed, if at all, by the Heritage groups and their recipe for converting the USA (through blood, if necessary) into the Dark Ages "throne and altar society" (heavy on the throne part).
Take a deep breath, Steve. You are too good for this kind of stochastic, drive-by despair - calling to upset the applecart at this late date is not a good look for althe professional political consultant that you are. You were solidly on the other side of the fence when Obama blew his first debate against Romney in 2012, so maybe you did not fully and viscerally appreciate the qiick-to-judge doomscrollers then, who were saying essentially the same thing (mutatis mutandis). Dems stayed the course then, ratcheted up the pocketbook emotional appeals (the true battlefield of politics) and the ship righted - not by itself but through hard work. It will not be easy, but the fight will go on, led by the team who have proven that they know how to govern - and do govern - well.
"Screw your courage to the sticking place" - but don't try to kill the regnant king!
Biden 2024.
FDR couldn't walk. He wasn't mentally impaired. Biden didn't just "blow his first debate." Obama had in incumbent cockiness, he wasn't incoherent.
FDR was a physical wreck by 1943, not just locomotion challenged. Biden is not mentally impaired. Antihistamines for his obvious cold clearly put him into a fog - the same as it jas done to me when I have taken them over the past few decades. He blew the event (hardly a debate) by succimbing to DJT's Gish Gallop technique - a torrent of lies and insults that can overwhelm almost anyone's ability to react wth celerity and clarity. I understand from the rest of uour comments here that you want to show Biden the exit, but I hsven't seen a suggested replacrment with an analysis of how to parachute a new candidate into the race at this point in the process - no one else has offered anything substantive in that regard either. Ultimately, you can enjoy the comfort of your opinion and I shall remain steadfast in mine. Hopefully we can remain allies and vote Blue regardless of the ultimate party decision.
FDR was not mentally incompetent. Antihistamines don't cause incoherence, e.g. some word salad ending in COVID, "corrected" by "we finally beat Medicare." That Trump would unleash the Gish Gallop was known going in. The Democrats have numerous choices from both state and national office holders alone. That's what competition is about. Bear in mind that we're electing someone for a term ending in 4.5 years and tell me you seriously believe Biden is up to that, in the most challenging job there is. All that said, firm allies we certainly remain.
This isn’t about Steve or you or I or a political party affiliation. It’s especially NOT about Joe Biden. Joe Biden has worked in politics and government for his entire life. He has had a very successful and simultaneously painful life. This was the debate he wanted and it was his ONE chance to show that he wasn’t 600 years old and was up to the task of the campaign and the presidency for the next FOUR YEARS. I don’t know who prepared him for this, but his handlers really fucked up and so did Joe Biden. He gave VERACITY to every meme and TikTok video that have being flying around the internet for the last year. He PROVED the case for Donald Trump.
Women already have lost agency over their own bodies. Target has backed off of doing anything for Pride Month now. The Republicans are falling over themselves to be the first one to genuflect before Donald Trump. And why? Because of FEAR. Steve is 100% correct when he says our friends and loved ones who are members of vulnerable communities will be HUNTED by Donald Trump. Joe Biden looked and sounded terrible and we ALL know that for the last year we have been collectively holding our breath whenever Biden appeared in public or opened his mouth.
And with each passing day he is getting even older. Of course he is embarrassed. Of course he wants to prove himself. But BFD. The country MUST COME FIRST.
The DEMOCRATIC party needs to coalesce and figure out HOW to fix this and WHO to fix this with. And I hate to say it, but the whole Biden/Harris ticket must be replaced. Harris can’t beat Trump, either.
Yes. It’s a real fucking mess. And it’s scary. Hard decisions and conversations have to be had now, to arrive at a winning ticket that can beat back Trump and MAGA and send them back to the ooze from whence they came.
My daughters don’t have control over their own bodies. The SCOTUS is already corrupted and if Trump wins, the toadies Thomas and Alito will resign and Trump will appoint teenagers to replace them. How about JUSTICE CANNON??
A Trump victory is too ugly to even contemplate. The country will be over.
Biden can save himself, the country, and his legacy if he puts the country before his ego and his feelings. It’s the only way forward, and I love Joe Biden.
Well said. 👍
Steve is observing that the Dems need a Margin of Safety to achieve Job One: Keep Donald out of the WH forever.
Joe is fighting a number of headwinds. The biggest headwind is the strategy of the decision makers in the Democratic Party.
Headwind #1. The Democratic Party messaging is weak tea. They are not calling bullshit on Donald and Trump World. Joe just started doing this but he's a single voice in the Trump sea of excrement. Where are the hundreds of influential Dems demanding the media reveal the truth about Trump World? There must be a coordinated, consistent message by the DNC and every team member: Donald Trump is a Rapist. A Piece of Immoral Shit. A criminal. A fraud artist. A sex offender who attacks and hates women. Donald only wants the money from campaigning. He is not a Public Servant and has no interest in being President or doing the job. Trump World is a Money Scam. Instead, they are silent.
Headwind #2. The mass news media makes more money if they pretend that Trump World is legit. So they fail to call out his lies, in detail. The Time magazine interview, for example, was a disaster. "The Jan 6 riot was Nancy's fault." "I'm going to arrest and deport 11 million people." Con tricks on his own followers. The Time editors bought this crap. And Donald repeated it at the face-off (not a debate). As he told Alyssa Farah in the White House, "Say whatever you want. Repeat it and they will believe you."
Headwind #3. The apathy of the average American. The 2020 election was decided by a handful of voters in 6 states. While 40% of the eligible voters didn't vote. The true winner of the 2020 election was "Didn't vote." Joe came in second and Donald came in third. What are the Dems doing to get this apathy cohort--in the swing states--to vote?
We all want a Margin of Safety. This should not even be a contest. Steve's point is that Joe and the DNC are not doing what it takes to defeat the Orange Conman. And he's absolutely right.
Agreed. I dtopped sharing Steve's substack on Facebook groups when he started pushing Dean Phillips (dean who?) as a viable alternative in the primaries. The group members had aslo lost respect for his opinion and intent.
Kathy,
Steve has been urging the Democrats to find a replacement for at least 2 years. It was pretty clear to me that Dean Phillips was running to induce others to join. I'm sure Steve's motivation was the same. Republicans who bow to Trump because they want a career are not that different than Democrats that insisted we must unite behind Biden before he even publicly revealed he would run for office. That's not the situation now. But Biden's ability to win is so much worse than we thought it was. With a competent person as our Candidate, the Issue is just are you for or are you against Trump. With Biden's inability to speak, the issue has become more than just Trump. I hope I'm wrong but I think it was easier to get out the anti-Trump vote before Biden exposed that, as a minimum, he has real time speaking disabilities far beyond his previously known stutter and occasional miscues.
How does this have anything to do with reverting to Republican roots ? Many Democrats agree with Steve.
Steve, you have always been against the President running. It is no surprise to me that the first time he had a bad day, and it was very bad, that you would jump on it. You seem to be looking past his previous speeches and public statements. What about how in his State of the Union speeches the way he made fools of the maga republicans?
The one thing I admire about the republicans is that they rally around their candidate and double down things get rough. Democrats seem to be quick to fold. Shame on you and them.
Mike,
I co-founded The Lincoln Project to defeat Trump, and to help elect Biden in 2020. Since mid-2022, I have expressed my concerns about a second Biden presidency. I stated at that time that should he decide not to run again, he would be recognized as one of the best one-term presidents.
Thursday night wasn't his first bad day. We can't un-see what we saw at the debate. He has declined significantly over the past few years. Yes, there have been significant achievements under his presidency, but he is frail and often incoherent when he isn't using a teleprompter. He will not be able to defeat Trump, and unfortunately, he has not been able to extinguish the extremism in this country, and it is more divisive since his presidency began.
Steve
Steve I appreciate you responding to me. I realize you have great personal experience in campaigns. As you acknowledged, since mid 2022 you have advocated for the President not to run again. I realize we can’t un-see Thursday, but I do not believe that one incident, that I have seen, erases the last 3+ years. When I remember his State of the Union addresses alone shows to me his competency.
If we’re going to base whether he is fit to be President for another 4 years based on one televised debate, then I look at the North Carolina rally on Friday. I’d say that is the Biden that regularly shows up.
If however he chooses to withdraw I will support who runs.
Mike
... on a teleprompter
I’m sorry?
Sorry, to expand on that... he does well on a teleprompter
The President has great skill with a teleprompter. He looks left, right and center. If you’re making a speech and don’t want to be looking down the whole time to read it, what other options do you have?
The traitor on the other hand has to stare directly into the teleprompter.
You were 1,000% right. And he would have been the greatest one-term president who survived to the end of it. And now....I think everyone is frustrated and doesn't know which crappy and highly uncertain path to choose.
100% correct. He hasn’t put a dent in the extremism. He can’t do this. He’s not up to it.
I don't think the democrats can put a dent in extremism--which also is not the job Biden holds or is seeking to retain. Until a lot of former and current republicans grow a significant spine and start standing up against it, it will thrive to one degree or another (and really it has been here since at least the first world war if not longer).
Are we a great country? What if a majority hires an immoral leader? Wouldn't that make us a great immoral country? If Project 2025 is the elected leader, wouldn't we then be a great immoral Christian Communist country? Well, there would be kind of morals. It's too bad that we can't have a best leader. I'll vote for Joe.
I will vote a straight blue ticket up and down the ballot. No mater if it’s Joe or another candidate. I’m with you.
Same here!
Can anyone?
NO ONE has had a chance!
Tell me who is.
Beshear. Shapiro. Moore. Newsome. Whitmer.
Other than Newsome and Whitmer, I don’t believe the other three have national recognition. What about Kamala?
I love her. I don’t think she will get the votes from undecideds and former Trumpers who are sick of Trumpers.
I have to say I am starting to agree with you, Steve. I watched my brother-in-law suffer from dementia to the point that he didn’t recognize his wife and son. It was horrible. And it happened quick.. months. There was too much incoherence to not be concerned. He has nothing to be ashamed of. We don’t choose to become frail and weak. It’s inevitable for us all if we live that long. I think it’s time to talk to my Trump supporting brother about who he’s planning to vote for. I need to see if he understands how dangerous Trump is. I have avoided this until now, but I guess Thursday the 4th is as good a day as any.
It’s really not that difficult. The Biden forever crowd want to steer this nation over a cliff and those, like Steve, could clearly see months ago the shit show we are now in because an 80+ year old man is placing his ego ahead of the nation. Welcome to Trumplandia🤮
Precisely
Thank you. We should rally behind President Biden. If he decides to step down it's his choice and we should support his decision. Until then I'll continue to donate to President Biden because he is a decent and moral man who had one bad debate. He is only a human being not a damn robot!
You think he just had a bad day? Do you think he's not going to have more bad days in the coming weeks, months, and years? What kind of condition will he be in four years from now?
You admire the Republicans for being cultlike and putting their party before their country. Shame on yourself. There are some things bigger than Joe Biden's feelings.
He may have other bad days, he’s human. I admire how they don’t cut and run at the first sign of trouble.
I look at how the President has performed over the 3 1/2 years compared to one night. It is not about his feelings but how he has performed and delivered. I also wonder how things might have been if people didn’t split their tickets so severely. If there was a Democratic House would we still be in this mess?
It must be comforting to live with such a level of certainty about how President Biden and the Democrats should proceed. I simply can't put blind faith in the ability of Democrats to choose, nominate, and run a candidate for President in the 4 months until Election Day.
We'd be lucky to get all the paperwork filed.
Especially with Republican electio officials putting every conceivable roadblock in the path of an instant campaign for the unsung candidates (most of whom appear to be completely innocent of any national campaign experience) the pundits are imagining.
I can't help noticing that those most loudly advocating Joe's withdrawal never supported him in the first place, whether we are talking the New York Times (already a byword for biased coverage against the President) or, sorry to say, Steve Schmidt, recycling a 2-year-old dismissal of Biden's fitness for office. If Joe's record since 2022 l represents incompetence, bring it on! So, too, watch the dismissals of Vice-President Kamala Harris, who has spent the last four years preparing to step into the job. Bring on a governor with no exposure to a national campaign, instead, the 'experts' say.
It is possible to be simultaneously devastated by the sight and sound of Joe struggling on Thursday night and heartened by the fighter who returned to the campaign stage on Friday.
But until there is incontrovertible evidence Biden can no longer make wise decisions, and a path to replacing him that does not represent disaster on an enormous scale, I'm sticking with the one that brought us one of the most successful presidencies in American history.
So nicely said!
Well said, Rebecca! Thanks.
Rebecca,
We have set the bar so low for Joe Biden that when he can read a teleprompter or even have a good day at the SOTU, we get giddy. He may very well be wise and capable behind the scenes but he has not shown inspiring leadership in a long time. He should not have run, he was losing before the debate, and is not nearly as sharp a candidate as he was in 2008. He would not have won the nomination in 2020 but for the Party discipline to get behind him to upend Bernie Sanders who was leading the field. I sent Joe Biden $ when he ran in 2008. I love him; I think he was capable through his vice-presidency. he may even be capable now but he will not beat Trump in an Election.
Correct.
I never understood Steve's issues with the President to be whether he was good at making Presidential deciions, or assembling a leadership team. It was about if he could win a Presidential election against the most formidable cult leader in American history.. At this point, given the threats before us, that is all I care about.
This is not the first sign of trouble. Biden's age and mental wherewithal have been openly questioned for over a year. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Compare Biden's performance to his 2020 debates. Night and day. We need a candidate who can make the case against Trump. Biden is not capable of delivering. Everyone has been wondering, Where the hell is the President? He's not capable of doing the job anymore.
I appreciate your point of view. I don’t agree with it. No one is the same as they were four years ago. The traitor is more delusional, more violent in his rhetoric. I don’t think everyone has been wondering.
RIGHT
Please. Think of the effect his performance had on the million of voters who don’t tune in until televised debates. Or the thousands of swing voters in swing states. That wasn’t a “bad day” that was “everyday” for an 81 year old. He will lose all of these.
The fact is viewership of the debate is as low as it was in 2004. It’s down 30% from 2016.
Mike,
How many snippets from that debate will be played between now and November. He is the incumbent President and is losing in every swing state poll except New Hampshire and their last poll was in May.
Obviously, Joe has to volunteer to release his delegates. But he will continue his self delusion until anti-Trump forces disabuse him of the absurd notion that he alone can beat Trump.
I didn’t realize that New Hampshire was a swing state. I know he is ahead in Wisconsin.
I believe that if we had a legitimate MSM, they would be writing and broadcasting trump’s lies and failures when he was president. Because the President believes he can beat the traitor doesn’t mean he is delusional. The one that is delusional is the traitor.
"I admire how they don’t cut and run at the first sign of trouble. " Not sure that with today's Republicans, it is something to admire. They especially dig their heels into their own lies.
Fair point
Agreed. He won’t recover from this nightmare and if he has ANOTHER one….
They are rallying around for Power Over fellow Americans, not truth. Did they rally around Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger? We all know Biden loves this country. Knowing when to step aside shows strength, and can empower oneself and others.
They may be rallying around the traitor for power. But let’s not kid ourselves, the Democrats are also. It’s just the Democrats do it with the intent to make things better for the country as a whole. They have just as much desire to be in power, their egos are just as huge. I am an Independent, but support the Democrats position on most issues. There is no Republican Party anymore, the former party was taken over by anarchists and lunatics. It truly is good versus evil this November.
Thank you for this reply. I have admired and agreed with SS, his words have always been thought provoking and wise. But this? This seems as a knee jerk reaction. Biden step down? This close to Election Day? What about Trump stepping down? No one is calling for that and he lied for 90 minutes. LIES. He will do the same if he gets in the White House. We’ve lived through it and he will be more dangerous than ever. Give up on Biden? Calling this after 90 minutes? 90 minutes. Give up because of a 90 minute cluster? The only person who should step down is the Russian asset Trump.
Too damn right!
Do we want to be blindly loyal to a candidate regardless of his fitness for office? Like the Trumpistas? Of course, we want to put an end to Trumpism. Is Biden the best man to accomplish that? I think not. He should step down, free his delegates, and allow the DNC to decide on a better candidate. Let's not be silly about this. There are candidates the Democrats could nominate who would be more capable of fulfilling the obligations of the presidency and more likely to win.
We can’t. It was too terrible. Biden will lose.
Mike, nearly everybody did not want a Trump Biden Rematch.
Steve's view is not alone, not alone among Democrats, and not even alone among Democrats who love Joe Biden (which, at the beginning of 2020, there weren't THAT many). Steve's view from two years ago is that of someone who knows we need to WIN, PERIOD. So I truly cannot fault nor blame him for his opinion today. He may be wrong about Biden winning anyway. Maybe he's not giving the electorate enough credit to be able to vote for a log vs a crane ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgnmaTKoMJY ) . I really don't know.
How does rallying around an inconceivably bad candidate by maga make it right for others to do the same? Does that mean that no matter what happens regarding a candidate, you must rally around said candidate. Makes no sense.
It’s that at the first sign of trouble they don’t cut and run.
Respectfully I would agree under some circumstances.
But this is not the first sign is it, this has been known for months and is now a much more public, off-teleprompter, clear picture of his lack of ability to talk to someone effectively like this psychopathic opponent. If one goes back and listens to so many who talked about the upcoming debate at the time, it shows what people thought/hoped then that Biden was going to be a on-teleprompter candidate. Many people who are speaking now about it don't want to lose their place at the table that feeds them and are being very careful.
There is still a chance it will be understood by those that have allowed this to happen the best way to go forward is to come up with a valid reason for him to step down that will save face. To allow an energized ticket that people are waiting desperately for. I can only hope, and then I see all those being so careful breath a sigh of relief. I will vote for whichever candidate it is and blue across the board.
Biden is fit for office. He is not fit for a debate with a loud mouthed liar.
Does that translate to: he will lose the election? Hardly.
The sky is not falling.
If voters want a record of achievement that improved their lives; If they want a President who will defend the Constitution until the last breath in his body; There’s only one candidate of choice - Biden.
If they want the complete opposite of that. A Nazi, a pathological liar, a narcissist, an incompetent boob who has,and would, sell his soul to Putin, Xi, to anyone who offers him money to betray his country, and None of this is a secret, he’s told you what he will do. He will appoint himself Emperor for life and run amok. This one can’t spell the Constitution. That one is Trump.
I seriously doubt that American voters - writ large - don’t know all of that. And for that reason, Biden will win.
MAGA is a minority. The bigger focus must be getting out the Dem vote. So, instead of damning the guy who’s carrying the Dem flag into November, how about rallying folks to check their voter registration NOW and commit to casting their ballot on November 5. Vote Biden & vote Blue - down the ticket. Your future depends on it!
Thank you. Everything you said was exactly how I feel. President Biden has my support 100%
Second that!
The issue is not about yours or the choir’s support; It’s swing voters. They -will- choose the next president and they WILL NOT choose a weak, declining candidate …social or character issues be damned.
Sheila, Perfect! “Biden is fit for office. He is not fit for a debate with a loud mouthed liar.”
sharing this on my FB page!
Just saw a Post Debate poll (Political Polls) showing Biden “bump”.
45% Biden (+1)
44% Trump
Last poll was a tie.
JUNE 28/24
I'm not good with words so it's a pleasure to see your reply... a reply that echoes the thoughts in my head. Thank you Sheila Bryan!
I unsubscribed from Mr. Schmidt's 'Warning' when he tried to push Dean Phillips on us. I recently resubscribed because Steve has a way with words. I'm unsubscribing again and I'm vowing never to to read another word from him. Apparently he has always disliked President Biden. He's biased.
Did it even occur that President Biden was intimidated by the ugly, brash, lying bully?
Did it occur to him that President Biden was not well, that he had a cough and tried to avoid coughing out loud?
Did it occur to him that CNN could have lowered the volume on the President's mic.
My pleasure.
I read Steve because he makes sense. Almost all of the time. We too were stunned by President Biden’s performance. First, he sounded like he had lost his voice, maybe had laryngitis. Then, as the night went on, his losing his place and mixing his messages gave us pause. It was a shock.
I understand how that could stoke fear. Fear of how voters might perceive Biden’s ability to do the job. But we have no doubts.
Why?
Because he has proven his competence.
And, because the other guy has proven his incompetence.
Then there’s the likability piece. No contest there. Biden’s opponent is loathed by his own former staffers (and, his wife too, it looks like). He has embarrassed his country on the international stage. He’s rude, uncouth and dumb as a bag of hammers. He’s a liar of epic proportion, a racist, sexual predator, thief, cheat, etc., etc.
Biden is none of that and he has the warmth, empathy and caring so very needed in these turbulent times.
The other guy scores a zero on those attributes.
Steve is scared. Scared of what could happen. My argument back to him is no one knows what could happen on Nov. 5. No matter debate performance. Where he and I part company is on the short term action now required - debate outcome notwithstanding.
Support for Biden is top of my list. Rallying strong Dem surrogates is second, coupled with stellar, unrelenting, targeted Communications on Joe’s success and plan to improve on it.
Pls don’t give up on Steve. He makes sense most of the time. This time, not. But we all make mistakes.😉
Did it occur to you that CNN did not do a very good job with the debate? Lies floating everywhere by Trump and NEVER handled or countered!
I disagree. Bidens performance was horrible. And trump is a Fraud, An adjudicated Rapist and a 34 count convicted Felon . FELON ...FELON . he is also a pathological shameless liar. If the republican party can stand by their Felon . We can stand by our old guy . Who fucks up when he stutters and was never a good speaker.
I equate this to a starred Michelin restaurant. The Michelin starred restaurant is not always owned by the Chef (the one who earned the stars) The White house can be the same . Joe is the owner for 4 more years. As long as his Chefs are performing at STAR quality ..I am cool with that. For now.
why is everyone dismissing Kamala? ..HER taking up where Biden leaves off ..not a "black job"?
I am voting for Biden . I don't care .
DO I care about my country? yes..that is why I am voting for JOE ..the supreme court rulings are showing us what an America will look like with a Trump presidency ..with a MAGGOT republican congress . NOT GOOD
I know exactly what Trump is. Which is why we need to fight him with the BEST we have.
Wake up people!! We are losing!!!
Momentarily, keep the Faith.
Debate was "one moment in time".
IF MICHELE OBAMA CAME OUT RIGHT NOW
WOULD YOU VOTE FOR HER?
SHE WOULD WIN ..BY A LANDSLIDE
KAMALA AS VP? ...
KAMALA AS PRESIDENT
HAKEEM JEFFERIES AS VP ...
HEADS WOULD EXPLODE ..THOSE AREN'T "BLACK JOBS"
Please stop with the "aren't black jobs" stuff. It wasn't helpful once, let alone twice, and it's not necessary. Most people here will vote for whomever is the D nominee, regardless of race or gender, because we all realize the grave threat that TFG is. Using all caps doesn't make your point more valid.
Stop all caps shouting!
what is the meaning of Rhetorical ? written in order to produce and effect? or to make a statement rather than elicit one?
No one here needs an English lesson. It's ignorant to think baiting people with ridiculous racist comments is helpful. What response or effect were you hoping for with that nonsense? Right? It's bullshit, a false flag, and a rabbit hole we don't need to deal with. No need to try to justify it now.
Michelle has seen what it means to be President and has made it clear it’s not for her. Not sure why folks keep suggesting she should run. Can you imagine the response from DJT and the rest of the Republicans? Smh
Donald Trump Attacks Michelle Obama After Joe Biden's Disastrous Debate
Yeah because Trump and Trump supporters ARE RACISTS
two blacks on the ticket is ridiculous, same as two women.
OH...republicans are definitely thinking down those lines
yet they cannot say that ...it would be so /// so racist
No it’s not, it is pragmatic thinking. Trump was the ultimate backlash to having a black president. Dems lije you are why we’re where we are, something is wrong with everything, everybody is a racist.
We could do worse...
I don’t believe that, Lisa. I live in small town Maga Red Ohio. For the last eight years I have had to be reminded daily that this country foolishly elected a corrupt clown of a man into the highest office who refuses to give it up even after we said, in his own words, “You’re Fired!” With yard sign after yard sign in support of the biggest sorest LOSER on the planet. Today, they are few and far between. It makes me hopeful that my neighbors are coming to their senses.
I just pray that the Dem ticket does not end up being split. Joe is getting my vote whether it is or not. If he steps aside, the replacement still gets my vote.
Lisa,
I hope you are correct. I live in the Massachusetts bubble but there is more open support for Donald Trump than there was in 2016 or 2020.
🤞🏼
Steve, I respect your opinion and understand where you are coming from. Thursday night I was there myself. But after a day to process the disaster, I have moved from DEFCON 1 to a calmer take on this. Questions: It was a bad debate, but do we know the effect on the undecideds yet? Was it a true disaster in the polls or de minimus effect in the end? Who is the mythical hero to step in who has the ability to beat Trump? How will a substitute raise enough cash and organize a campaign staff and strategy in time for the general election? It also appears that the only way for this to happen would be for Biden to release his delegates, which is not likely. I am also concerned that this drumbeat to push Biden to step aside is only helping Trump.
I have gone back and forth, similar to you.... I'm seeing:
1) that it would not be easy or quick logistically to replace JB with an appropriate, strong candidate;
2) this course would not be without damage to the Dem or broader anti-Trump brand, by appearing to repudiate what is a very strong record for and under Biden;
3) that Trump's general election appeal is perhaps not as potent period as we fear. Check this out re: Univision focus group from Matt Barreto on twitter: https://x.com/realMABarreto/status/1806527153388834916?t=M0SPkacC-mCKbuvsyOz2GA&s=19
Matt Barreto's wiki bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_A._Barreto
I still have many mixed feelings. But it would be a serious step to push Biden to drop out, as well as to claim he can't do the job when he has in fact been doing it, well. I do believe he was sick and made the wrong call not to cancel and reschedule. Perhaps a med that he was sensitive to 🤷♀️ ?
There's not much time, but there MUST be time to know all the facts and what is in fact the right call. Respect to all.
Right! Can you imagine the cat fight that will ensue over trying to be The One to replace Biden...
oh stop it
No need for a “cat fight.” We all saw the issue this past Thursday night. We want to win on the side of the Democrats. The best person will be nominated in an adult manner.
Politics is a serious matter! We must get behind the party and our country. That is what matters!
Most of the “fight” will take place behind the curtain as it should.
I really don't think so, Dana. Not in this day and age. How many will throw their hat in the ring? What do the rules say? Democrats must have rules to address the situation where the leading candidate withdraws, dies, is convicted of 34 felonies, etc.
Bob Woodward said the main goal, the primary line of inquiry into why Biden performed so poorly in the debate, ought to be WHY this happened. I have heard no reasonable explanation yet. He performed like a man on downers or one who just suffered a minor stroke or t.i.a.
IMHO: Biden tried to respond to each and every lie coming his way, an impossible task which hampered his effectiveness. As time went on, he adapted somewhat, but people aren't willing to reassess what they've already decided. See, e.g., HRC's vast improvement in speaking to crowds for which she never received credit. In this situation, we are very much seeing what we believe to be true about Biden--for better and for worse. As for the disjointed segment Steve cited, go back to 2004, and read things John Kerry said. Omg! I always wondered why W didn't make hay of this Kerry shortcoming, but I was grateful he didn't.
don't know how i really feel about replacing Joe at the moment, but the new candiate inherits all Joe's money and campaign infrastucture.
Apparently that is not true about $ and campaign structure. The Dems lost to Nixon in 1968 in part because LBJ dropped out and left Humphrey with too
little time to fundraise and campaign, among other things. Biden’s campaign is his (with Kamala) & $$ is pledged to him.
The new candidate will need the money, but not the campaign infrastructure currently in place.
Ever heard of the DNC? Democrat National Party!
They are the governing national body.
Of course they will duh
I appreciate what you’re saying Steve and agree with it. Your quote of Biden had me completely befuddled. If that is the response to Roe, then it is over for Joe. Why do people like him believe only they can win? He is more like Trump than he realizes.
Yesterday I took a long drive through rural North Carolina. If you want to see abject poverty and hopelessness — there was plenty of it.
Joe Biden has been in government life for half a century. Donald Trump has been destroying lives and declaring bankruptcies for half a century. Does anyone believe that the people living in the homes I saw — rusted shacks and trailers with leaky roofs and water pipes supplying toxic water — care a whit about either of these two?
Logic and reason aren’t on the menu this November. Apparently it’s a choice between an evil, corrupt sociopath, and a senile, old gentleman.
God help us all!
I will take the senile old man over the lying fascist nut job any day of the week.
So will all of us and not really the point. It's raising the concern and discussing potential options based on the debate - and what many of us hoped was not the reality, but became all too true Thursday evening. Most, if not everyone here will vote for whoever is running against TFG, including Biden, because he's (TFG) that much of a threat.
I don’t view Biden as senile or as someone with early stage dementia. I dealt with dementia in my family. I view Biden’s issue as the aging process doing its thing. And it cannot be defeated. There is a saying — that which can’t, won’t.
I’ve just seen people, too many of them, hang on for too long and do a disservice to themselves and the country.
Ruth Ginsburg
I get it. I am turning 59 this year and recognize my own limitations as I age. I see it in my partner who will be 72 this year. It’s part of life and the aging process. If the Dems are so hell bent on Joe running this election, they could have at least chosen a stronger running mate than Kamala Harris. Jamie Raskin if he was willing?
Sure, I'm 61 so understand. I just meant that people here aren't discussing the choice of voting for Biden or TFG, but rather if Biden should be replaced.
His running mate isn't the question and another rabbit hole entirely. I will say that Harris certainly helped him win in 2020. The numbers and polling all support that. And to be clear, if he refuses to step aside and runs, Harris will NOT be the reason he loses.
I’m in my 60s. I was in government for a long time and worked for politicians. I cannot do what used to be routine for me. Father Time plays no favorites.
And I will add that some do better than others, for sure, but as my neighbor said to me the other day, it can catch up fast and we all go out equals.
Jamie Raskin! Great idea! I would put him at the top of the ticket.
So would I, but we’re not the undecided swing state voters.
I am worried about my state of North Carolina. I would like to believe otherwise, but I fear NC will go — tragically — in the MAGA column.
I am in a deeply red district that was full of Trump signs. For full on 8 years. They disappeared recently, right around the NY hush money trial. Pecker’s testimony was credible proving election interference and it’s cover up was corroborated with Daniels and Cohen. Trump’s lawyers had not one bit of evidence suggesting innocence. Maybe the wool was lifted for some of them. We will see as we get closer to the election.
Amen
Sorry, he’s having severe “senior” moments. Feel better?….:)
any trump flags? hope not
I did not see a single Trump sign or a single Biden sign. What I saw was poverty.
I was so disappointed by the debate, but will always vote blue!!!!
Very well said Steve!! I agree with you 100%. I am surrounded by people in Indiana who have been concerned about Joe Biden's age for a very long time.
It is past time for President Biden, who I love and respect deeply, to put his ego aside and do what's best for the Country. There is JUST. TOO. MUCH. AT. STAKE. 💔🇺🇸💙🙏🏻
Lisa I totally understand. We are losing voters…after the debate, 5 family members who were voting for Biden, said they would not. This was their initial reaction. Trump is the most evil candidate in history - he will destroy our Country and our freedoms. We must “fight him with our best”.
My hope is that Joe’s family and closest staff are having a tough conversation with him this weekend.
I hope so too Ellen. I am praying for all of them. My heart hurts for everyone involved but he's got to do the right thing, like it or not.
Steve, we’ve gone over this numerous times here in the past so I’m not surprised by your reaction nor do I expect you’re surprised by my response. So I will just repeat that I find your judgement questionable. You keep on reiterating that if the election were held today, Trump would win. You’ve said this before the debate too. This is an unfalsifiable statement which is a logic fallacy to those well grounded in its tenets. Why? Because we can’t have an election today to show its veracity, nor do we have a method of reliably predicting all close elections. So these are just empty words that sound good. And we have past historical facts that show no election is entirely predictable. Ask Mr Dewey how the presidency went for him even though the hubris placed the “winning” headlines ready for print.
As you yourself have pointed out in an objective moment: the choice is between Biden and Trump. As someone who has worked many campaigns and been on the losing side numerous times, you should know better IMHO. I think you should think long and hard on what you say your goals are and how to achieve them perhaps listening more to folks like Leigh McGowan who seem grounded in reality. Thanks for listening.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H1vMJJyZBow&feature=youtu.be
Excellent points, John, which we need to pay attention to. Steve, and else anyone here who thinks Biden needs to be replaced, please watch this Leigh McGowan video, above. Thank you.
This is much, much, more than being disappointed by a poor debate performance. Those of us that have repeatedly warned about this do not take any pleasure in this “I told you so” moment. But now here we are. This was not just a fluke, a bad day, a one-off, this was a four alarm fire call damn it, and now it’s time to pull the plug and send Joe home before it’s too late. This is not about him and deep down inside he knows it. He is being selfish and in denial, aided and abetted by a loyal wife and sister. He needs to graciously step down and release his delegates at the convention from their commitment to him. LBJ set the example by doing the right thing when he realized that it was time for him to step aside. This is not about one man’s ego, this is about a bare knuckled fight to preserve our democracy for Christ’s sake. Nothing less…a fight for something bigger and more important than any one person.
And the Democrats lost to Nixon when LBJ stepped down & his VP ran.
Just the facts, when LBJ stepped down we lost the Presidency.
Agreed. Absolutely.
Biden didn't just lose the debate. He proved he is not fit for office.
He also demonstrated why he has not effectively used the bully pulpit the last four years. He is unable to. He is not capable of using it.
The president and vice president are the only two nationally elected offices in the country. Job #1 of these offices is to defend the Constitution and preserve the union. We now know why Biden hasn't been able to do that job (though we don't know why Harris hasn't either). America, the greatest experiment of self-government in human history, is under threat and needs the sharpest, most intelligent, and most skilled and able leader. That's not Biden. That's not Harris.
The Republicans betrayed their country. The Democrats are failing it. Joe Biden needs to step aside not just because he will lose to Trump. He must step aside because he cannot do the job.
Excellent summary. After letting things sink in and taking a long drive yesterday, I cannot defend or rationalize Biden’s decision to hang on to the Office of the Presidency. Does not Scripture tell us that wisdom is derived from discerning things and acting accordingly?
I’m in a dither and not sure which way to go. Donald Trump is pure evil;Biden blew the debate. If he has a cold he should called it off. Perhaps called the VP to service.?
Joe Biden is 81. I will be seventy-three in Sept. In my head. I just don’t think I’m old however my body is telling me a different story. Fact is “Aging Well” is not all it’s cracked up to be or the golden age is not that “Gold”
I’m leaning that both parties go to open conventions. For that to happen both , I think , presumptive nominees would have walk away.
Joe Biden might. DJT never will. His ego is too big.
Exactly!!!
Kevin, I share your feelings 100%. It’s almost like I wrote it.
Well said…:)
Biden will continue to age, continue to be an elderly man with all the signs and symptoms of old age. He will be more frail in November. More people will vote for third-party candidates with the attitude "if I am going to vote for someone who will lose, it should be the person I'm most aligned with". Jill Stein and RFK will benefit. People will limit or stop their DNC donations because who wants to throw money at a losing proposition. People will stay home instead of voting because they are depressed and have become disengaged. As Steve has pointed out, politics is a contact sport. Let's not bury our head in the sand and live in an alternate reality. Let's deal with this head-on.
WELL SAID.
I have to disagree, Steve. We are 5 months out from the election. There is no switching candidates at this point. Ballots are printed. The debate was disastrous and a self own, but we have to dust ourselves off and move forward. Biden did that in NC yesterday. Both candidates are old. If Biden dies in office I’m good with President Harris. If voters understand the stakes, they too will crawl over broken glass to vote for Biden.
I am so sorry I actually paid to read this muck. Don't tell me that he is going to push the clown Dean Phillips again. Catch what Lawrence said on MSNBC.
Exactly! Watch Lawrence.
Lawrence is wrong in this instance and I love Lawrence. Biden needs to step aside.
So uninformed. Every day we see more data supporting Biden beating Trump. One bad performance is not a killer or Trump would be gone over 100 times.
Biden will not win. This wasn’t just a “bad night”. We have been holding our breath and cringing for a year every time Biden appeared in public or made a speech. Biden WANTED this debate. His job was to show that he is up to the task and can encounter Trump with energy and vigor and coherence. Instead, he became the caricature on stage that is embodied in every horrible meme and TikTok video. His failure jeopardizes down-ballot races. And Trump isn’t evaluated by the same standards, and never has been. He really is TEFLON DON. He can ramble and lose his shit and mumble “REBOOOOT GAHHHH” with bulging eyes and accordion hands and the media and the public just shrug and say “whatevs”. Biden will have MORE of these moments and bad nights. The presidency ages them all, and Biden started out at age 78. Look at his debate performance in 2020, and then revisit what happened Thursday. It’s shocking. Biden has done an exemplary job as POTUS, and he needs now to do the most courageous and patriotic thing and stand aside. And we will be all, for generations, if not forever, FUBAR.
Simply wrong. Luckily we have something called data. All data right now points to Trump lost undecided voters and Biden did not from the debate. Biden actually is in a better position to win after the debate than before. If you are a democrat, you have a responsibility to get your facts correct before suggesting a silly change that would reward Trump. It is too late to switch and actually NO REASON! :-)
Steve, if I’m wrong, I’ll be relieved and gladly wrong. I’m mos def not uninformed. I’m a political junkie and I love Joe Biden. There is nothing wrong with my facts. And people who have fervently supported Joe Biden are upset and heartsick. I suggest that you listen to the latest episode of The Bulwark podcast and today’s podcast No Lie by Brian Tyler Cohen. And then take an antiemetic and watch Fox News for one hour and partake in some TikTok vids and some commentary on X, hosted by the Space Nazi.
Here. https://youtu.be/bmfxCkhpqvA?si=4_GaoZ4A9ES2fWKg Midas Touch TODAY with over 2.5 million subscribers. This gives you DATA...a wonderful thing.
“There is something self-evidently more important to the small clique of Biden insiders who have allowed this situation to spiral into chaos and disaster. Some delusional Democrats have suggested that Biden’s incoherence, befuddlement and confusion were offset by Trump’s delusions, lies and menacing threats.”
Steve, disgusted doesn’t begin to explain my emotions right now. For the last year and a half, five words have defined this election year for all of us:
“TOO MUCH IS AT STAKE!”
Yet, apparently, not enough is at stake to make sure the Democratic Party put forth a candidate with all his/her faculties in place. We’d be better off running a “head of lettuce.”
I’m just ecstatic we finally defeated MEDICARE! And as for abortion, whatever Biden managed to conjure up during his hallucinating, two minute rant. HUH?????????
All I know is the Democratic Party lied to us. Biden’s inner circle lied to us. And all the elder statesmen of the party can muster is the “we all have bad days” excuse.
Except in this case democracy is on the menu. In this case, Biden has never been leading in most of the deciding swing state polls. In this case, Biden is being compared to a genocidal maniac for supporting Israel against terrorism. In this case, the incumbent is a drain on the party.
Bottom line: in this case, Biden will be 81 when he is inaugurated, and is expected to be cognizant until January 2029. We’re not electing a president for one year.
However, apparently an 81 year old, who shifts in and out of consciousness, is the guy supposed to lead us to the promise land, and save us from tyranny? SERIOUSLY??????
I have nothing but contempt for all of Biden’s surrogates coming to his aid; especially both Newsom and Obama. They are defending the indefensible, and about to hand the presidency to a guy, and party more than willing to upend our freedoms and democracy.
Yup, when democracy was at stake, and our republic is on the line, democrats decided our best option is a man who can’t complete a coherent thought; who can’t even takedown a serial liar who is easily debunked; and can’t show strength and competence against a man so evil and flawed, that America is about to hand him the reigns of power for a second time.
And while the SC is taking a sledgehammer to our constitution daily, the MSM (rightfully so), is focused on deciding whether a psychopath or senile gentlemen would be better equipped to lead this nation.
I have a better idea. Let’s vote for the head of lettuce!…:)
Robert you well know that I agree with you most often, but here I don’t. I was as horrified as anyone else here by what I witnessed on Thursday night. I loathe the orange turd with close to every cell of my being, and if Biden had needed a knife to shove down the turd’s throat I would have been happy to supply one. I have been all over the place about what I witnessed and what it means for our democracy. I’m 77 soon to be 78 and I’m watching the aging process in real time. Biden had a terrible night, he was sick and had been for days, no doubt he was being medicated for his symptoms, meds can fuck with your brain, we all know that. Then there was the experience of being 10’ away from one of the most hateful beings to have lived in the last 80 years. “Debates” are supposed to be about an exchange of ideas, instead of that exchange Biden faced a firehose of lies, whenever the insipid bastard opened his mouth. You could tell by the looks on Biden’s face just how distasteful the entire 90 minutes were. Biden is a man of honor, he’s not perfect but he is a man of honor, that’s why he was standing there feeling the way he did, and not turning on his heels and walking off. Try to picture yourself in a similar situation, would you be able to tolerate 90 minutes of that kind of an assault, I don’t think I could. Lawrence O’Donnell has pointed out that the “debate” has absolutely nothing to do with the job of being president, a job that Biden has been doing better than any president in my lifetime, the “debate” was about one liners used to get attention, nothing could be farther from the job of being president, which is a job that Biden has spent a lifetime preparing for. He has an ego, we all do, but he also has a deep abiding love for our country, something that the POS standing on the stage with him knows nothing about. Only Joe and maybe his wife Jill knows if he’s up to the task that he will be facing, I give him the benefit of the doubt and will continue to support him, to that end I sent him a donation last night. If he chooses to step aside it won’t be because I’m calling for him to do it. I’ve got his back as do a lot of my fellow Americans. 🙏
Dick, I always respect your comments and I agree to n many ways. I just feel like we are being lied to. Obviously, I will vote for Biden, and would always choose our republic over a party, or a dictator.
That said, we should have had an honest primary. Look at us now. We’re having a conversation about whether Biden is fit for office. When we start having this type of debate, the answer is obvious. Biden needs to step down for the sake of our future.
This isn’t just about democracy. Yesterday, the SC handed down some severe opinions that is taking a sledgehammer to our democracy. They are no longer content interpreting the constitution. They now decided they should be making laws, and know more than the scientific experts and just about every subject.
While our democracy is being singlehandedly dismantled by a corrupt SCOTUS, we’re talking about Biden’s cognitive abilities. It’s a distraction we don’t need and shouldn’t be forced to have or even have to consider.
Trump should be any easy win for anyone. Yet, here we are…:)
Agree wholeheartedly
Might we have a case of arm chair quarterbacking? If we the voters knew what the insiders know, would our rants be supportive of whatever decision is made by those insiders?
Steve, you took aim at the wrong guy. Sorry, you should reevaluate the situation again. You want to kick Joe out at this point in the presidential race. Think 1968, that did not end well for the Democrats or the country. The guy whose pants should have burst into flames should be the target of your editorial. Bad assessment! Try again!
Jan that’s why this is a great board.
If you think 1968 was bad and it was, think about 60 gop in senate and 50+ in the house and trump as 47. If you can accept this risk, I can’t and will be out of here.