"Poor Joe Biden can’t seem to break out [of] the background of our obsessive news cycles. So we got the usual reminders that he (1) is old, (2) polls poorly, (3) is old, (4) is hated on the far right, (5) is old, (6) is old, and (7) is old."
There. Fixed it for ya. (The Kamala problem is largely unstated but an elephant in the room, outsi…
"Poor Joe Biden can’t seem to break out [of] the background of our obsessive news cycles. So we got the usual reminders that he (1) is old, (2) polls poorly, (3) is old, (4) is hated on the far right, (5) is old, (6) is old, and (7) is old."
There. Fixed it for ya. (The Kamala problem is largely unstated but an elephant in the room, outsized by its omission in current mainstream media coverage.) It's April 2023 of a campaign that will not conclude until November 2024 and I'm already exhausted with references to Biden's age now, age later, and perceived fragility -- and when his likely opposition is nearly as old (and also flagrantly violates the Reagan Rule of what constitutes too old in the eyes of the electorate, not that GOP voters have an issue with that) and much less physically capable by all appearances, including even walking upright and going down stairs. (I'll leave out the vast mental and psychological difference between the two -- it is chicken salad versus chicken shit and a topic that requires much more time and space than any of us here have to spare.)
I get it that age is an issue. But it isn't the only issue, in a world where the GOP is crazy and proud of it, a longtime nemesis is at war with another nation and would expand it if feasible, China remains a wild card, and stability and predictability, not to mention civility, remain virtues. I'm asking out loud of the age-obsessed: tell us, objectively and in detail, what Biden has accomplished since January 2021, as an old man or otherwise. There are important things there, not least navigating us out of the pandemic and back into normal daily life. His has been a steady hand on the wheel, as opposed to Trump's daily drama and unpredictability.
If the GOP is primarily obsessed with trans issues, Don't Say Gay, and banning books, as opposed to jobs and the economy, Biden must be doing something right. So let's hear about that. Maybe his age and experience have been positive and productive for us. I'm glad to have that discussion too, if others will join me there.
David Rothkopf wrote a fantastic piece in yesterday's The Daily Beast - "Biden's Old. Get over it!" He lays out many of the prior Presidents' age and health issues and supports the fact Biden is a healthy man. I firmly believe Biden was made for this time. You have to laugh about it. Have they looked at Trump?
Ha! Good one. Yes, he's old. And a lot of people are healthy today but that doesn't mean they won't have something happen to them tomorrow. We all face uncertainty but we push it to the backs of our minds and continue on with what we're doing. Biden is continuing on with what he's doing. It's all we can expect. If something happens and Harris becomes president, is that worse that Trump being president? That's the question people concerned about Biden's age should be asking themselves. There is no better risk than Biden for Democrats. Anyone untried could flame out as fast as DeSantis did. Biden has shown his strengths and they are sufficient for the moment we are in.
I am so sorry to hear that. What a terrible loss for you. If I could I'd send my cute puppy through the internet to give you a puppy kiss. Thank you for sharing your loss to show how uncertain life can be.
"If something happens and Harris becomes president, is that worse that Trump being president?"
Yeah, I have trouble conceiving of the would be Biden voter who answers this question with a 'yes'. I mean, my mind at first springs to unrepentant misogynists, but how many of them are voting for Biden in the first place?
So Biden is 80. And getting older. Whoop-tee-fuck.
My maternal grandfather was growing, and harvesting, watermelons on his Oklahoma farm well into his 80's. At 88, hospitalized after a quadruple heart vessel bypass, on the morning after surgery one of the ICU nurses looked up from her charting at the nursing station to see Grampa in the hallway dragging two or three IV poles in his wake. He was deaf as a post but still sharp with a good memory. The only reason a conversation with him was next to impossible was he couldn't hear a damn thing you said.
My mother died last month at 91 of a massive stroke. She was healthy as a horse until the stroke--athletic, no glasses, her own teeth, politically engaged, socially active. My father (even healthier) will be 92 in August. He’s so mean he may never die😉
Didn’t everybody know how old Joe was in 2020? This is news now?
It doesn't help that the Bulwark through Mona Charen is ALWAYS harping about Joe's age. David Rothkopf wrote a fantastic piece in The Daily Beast - "Joe's Old. Get Over It".
Granddad did finally cash in his chips at 96, and between his bypass surgery and last breath he had surgery for normal pressure hydrocephalus, which had manifested itself by causing him to be something he normally was not: confused.
Dad’s mom died at 95 because she chose to rather than have surgery for a bowel blockage, which had no guarantee of success. She said she wanted to see my grandfather and meet her Lord. Until then she could have run the entire government.
I liked Kamala the hard-edged former prosecutor. Kamala the personable Woman at the intersection of Black and Asian with the little girl voice not so much.
She needs to just be herself—the hard-edged former prosecutor—like she was in the Senate. Maybe the poor favorability ratings are messing with her head. She’s trying too hard to be likable and failing miserably at it.
My own impression of Harris’s voice, is that she reeks of condescension in her delivery. I suspect she’s not aware of it. Maybe some coaching would help?
All the talk about Biden's age makes me feel like I'm being gaslighted. I don't get it.
It's like Clint Eastwood is running against Jabba the Hutt, and people are like "I dunno, Clint Eastwood is pretty old, and that creates a real dilemma for people. Jabba the Hutt, is four years younger and has years of experience running a crime syndicate".
Um...I'll take Clint F***ing Eastwood please and thank you. I think most swing voters feel the same way?
And so is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (first 10) and the Declaration of Independence, so should we ignore them and the wisdom they bring to the table? Come on, Mona, get a grip.
See Paul McCartney also, for geriatric rockers who keep giving us high quality and energy levels that most of us cannot match even younger. Bruce Springsteen is climbing up that list as well.
Harrison Ford singlehandedly defended Air Force One from the bad guys after standing up to a terrorist against his political advisors' advice. I could only wish he was our CIC!
That's what the character did. The real life guy has a habit of crashing planes.
If we're going by what the characters do, I have some serious concerns about murdering a registered member of the bounty hunter's guild legally plying his trade; a blatant disregard of import/export tariff regulations; wanton destruction of historical cultural landmarks; seducing a minor; stealing an airplane; leaving a man sitting on a horse with a noose around his neck; being a Russian; and murdering his wife.
Yeah, now that I list it all out, still better than Trump.
Han shot first; that showed how far from being a good guy he was. He was unredeemed, had not become a believer in the Force, was going to take his reward and split, but his conscience and heart finally kicked in. Also, in “E.T.”, the cops were aiming guns, which they were too stunned to use, at the airborne bike. This re-editing has got to stop.
No, he didn't. 30% of my moral framework is based upon Han shooting first as it was originally intended. What the lizard people who surely took over George Lucas's mind changed decades after the fact is of no interest to me. Just as I am uninterested in seeing the Titanic dock in New York so that Rose and Jack can live happily ever after, or Rosebud being the name of Kane's first girlfriend, nor even seeing Bluto ask if it was over when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
I think there’s not enough attention paid to the most important aspect of our presidential choices; who they select to be in their administration. Biden has solid people who put their heads down and get to work. Trump chooses loyal charlatans who preen and spew bile on Fox News, while they seek to destroy their departments because they don’t believe in the administrative state. Those administrative selections are extremely important, maybe more so than the chief. And Biden is more trustworthy than Trump, X1,000.
Yes, I remember people saying (wishcasting, as Charlie likes to say) that Trump would surround himself with the best people. Best people for getting themselves convicted in a court of law, I’ll grant you that.
Thank you. Biden has put together a spectacular administration. Anthony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Secretary Pete. People who seem genuinely interested in using their talents to serve their country.
This is an important and not very often mentioned point: who the leader chooses as his/her worker bees is really important. I will never forget when I was complaining about the problems I was having with an elected official from my state because of some of his real shortcomings. My brother, who had done work with elected officials from his state, asked me about my interactions with the people who ran his department and I had to say that they were all efficient and helpful. He said that who a person hired to carry out his work was an important thing to consider when evaluating a leader.
He won't. Both Kari Lake and MTG are too loud and attention-seeking. Trump hates being upstaged. He'll find another beta cuck--think Mike Pence 2.0--that he can boss around. There's also his racism/sexism. I find it hard to believe he'd pick a woman or a person of any color. Tucker won't be the pick either--again--too much risk of him stealing the spotlight since he's smarter and more charismatic than Trump.
Potential VP picks in my mind are people who aren't particularly sparkly and who are indebted to Trump. J.D. Vance is a possibility, although he's a little chubby for Trump's taste. Maybe one of the lunatics from Montana--Daines, Zinke or Gianforte?
"Poor Joe Biden can’t seem to break out [of] the background of our obsessive news cycles. So we got the usual reminders that he (1) is old, (2) polls poorly, (3) is old, (4) is hated on the far right, (5) is old, (6) is old, and (7) is old."
There. Fixed it for ya. (The Kamala problem is largely unstated but an elephant in the room, outsized by its omission in current mainstream media coverage.) It's April 2023 of a campaign that will not conclude until November 2024 and I'm already exhausted with references to Biden's age now, age later, and perceived fragility -- and when his likely opposition is nearly as old (and also flagrantly violates the Reagan Rule of what constitutes too old in the eyes of the electorate, not that GOP voters have an issue with that) and much less physically capable by all appearances, including even walking upright and going down stairs. (I'll leave out the vast mental and psychological difference between the two -- it is chicken salad versus chicken shit and a topic that requires much more time and space than any of us here have to spare.)
I get it that age is an issue. But it isn't the only issue, in a world where the GOP is crazy and proud of it, a longtime nemesis is at war with another nation and would expand it if feasible, China remains a wild card, and stability and predictability, not to mention civility, remain virtues. I'm asking out loud of the age-obsessed: tell us, objectively and in detail, what Biden has accomplished since January 2021, as an old man or otherwise. There are important things there, not least navigating us out of the pandemic and back into normal daily life. His has been a steady hand on the wheel, as opposed to Trump's daily drama and unpredictability.
If the GOP is primarily obsessed with trans issues, Don't Say Gay, and banning books, as opposed to jobs and the economy, Biden must be doing something right. So let's hear about that. Maybe his age and experience have been positive and productive for us. I'm glad to have that discussion too, if others will join me there.
David Rothkopf wrote a fantastic piece in yesterday's The Daily Beast - "Biden's Old. Get over it!" He lays out many of the prior Presidents' age and health issues and supports the fact Biden is a healthy man. I firmly believe Biden was made for this time. You have to laugh about it. Have they looked at Trump?
Ha! Good one. Yes, he's old. And a lot of people are healthy today but that doesn't mean they won't have something happen to them tomorrow. We all face uncertainty but we push it to the backs of our minds and continue on with what we're doing. Biden is continuing on with what he's doing. It's all we can expect. If something happens and Harris becomes president, is that worse that Trump being president? That's the question people concerned about Biden's age should be asking themselves. There is no better risk than Biden for Democrats. Anyone untried could flame out as fast as DeSantis did. Biden has shown his strengths and they are sufficient for the moment we are in.
A dear friend died a year ogo. She was only 50. She was a healthy non smoker. Thought she had a sinus infection. It was a rare cancer.
I am so sorry to hear that. What a terrible loss for you. If I could I'd send my cute puppy through the internet to give you a puppy kiss. Thank you for sharing your loss to show how uncertain life can be.
She was a fighter for rescue dogs. She had never married. No children. She was a bundle of energy and happiness devoted to fostering dogs.
What a wonderful person.
"If something happens and Harris becomes president, is that worse that Trump being president?"
Yeah, I have trouble conceiving of the would be Biden voter who answers this question with a 'yes'. I mean, my mind at first springs to unrepentant misogynists, but how many of them are voting for Biden in the first place?
So Biden is 80. And getting older. Whoop-tee-fuck.
My maternal grandfather was growing, and harvesting, watermelons on his Oklahoma farm well into his 80's. At 88, hospitalized after a quadruple heart vessel bypass, on the morning after surgery one of the ICU nurses looked up from her charting at the nursing station to see Grampa in the hallway dragging two or three IV poles in his wake. He was deaf as a post but still sharp with a good memory. The only reason a conversation with him was next to impossible was he couldn't hear a damn thing you said.
My mother died last month at 91 of a massive stroke. She was healthy as a horse until the stroke--athletic, no glasses, her own teeth, politically engaged, socially active. My father (even healthier) will be 92 in August. He’s so mean he may never die😉
Didn’t everybody know how old Joe was in 2020? This is news now?
It doesn't help that the Bulwark through Mona Charen is ALWAYS harping about Joe's age. David Rothkopf wrote a fantastic piece in The Daily Beast - "Joe's Old. Get Over It".
Granddad did finally cash in his chips at 96, and between his bypass surgery and last breath he had surgery for normal pressure hydrocephalus, which had manifested itself by causing him to be something he normally was not: confused.
Dad’s mom died at 95 because she chose to rather than have surgery for a bowel blockage, which had no guarantee of success. She said she wanted to see my grandfather and meet her Lord. Until then she could have run the entire government.
Also, Jimmy Carter is still alive at age 98.
We all assumed he was dead like, 6 months ago, but he's still kicking.
We all also assumed he was dead in 2015 when he was diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer. He and Rosalynn are still just trucking along.
I liked Kamala the hard-edged former prosecutor. Kamala the personable Woman at the intersection of Black and Asian with the little girl voice not so much.
She needs to just be herself—the hard-edged former prosecutor—like she was in the Senate. Maybe the poor favorability ratings are messing with her head. She’s trying too hard to be likable and failing miserably at it.
Seriously, what the hell happened to her voice?
Somebody observed she sounds like she's complaining to the Applebee's manager. Now I can't unhear that.
Listen to old recordings of Nixon. Kamala’s voice will be delightful in comparison.
My own impression of Harris’s voice, is that she reeks of condescension in her delivery. I suspect she’s not aware of it. Maybe some coaching would help?
I hope so. She sounds like a cheerleader. I want the Kamala who told the fly-specked Mike Pence that she “wasn’t done speaking” back.
I'm going to date myself here, but she sounds like the cheerleader at the pep rally in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
All the talk about Biden's age makes me feel like I'm being gaslighted. I don't get it.
It's like Clint Eastwood is running against Jabba the Hutt, and people are like "I dunno, Clint Eastwood is pretty old, and that creates a real dilemma for people. Jabba the Hutt, is four years younger and has years of experience running a crime syndicate".
Um...I'll take Clint F***ing Eastwood please and thank you. I think most swing voters feel the same way?
Oh Maggie, thank you, thank you for an incredible metaphor!! And Kim Murphy's comment about Jagger and grief is the cherry on top.
This should be all over the media.
I quit listening to Charlie's Beg to Differ podcast because all Charen can do is whine about Biden's age. "He's olllddd!!!"
And so is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (first 10) and the Declaration of Independence, so should we ignore them and the wisdom they bring to the table? Come on, Mona, get a grip.
Mick Jagger does four-hour shows. He’ll be 80 in July.
Biden has borne magnitudes of grief and each time kept on going. I’d never have left my house again. I want my president to be tough.
See Paul McCartney also, for geriatric rockers who keep giving us high quality and energy levels that most of us cannot match even younger. Bruce Springsteen is climbing up that list as well.
And Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. And Sir Patrick Stewart. And Sir Ian McKellen. We could go on all night.
Never saw Jabba talking to an empty chair though.
Touché.
You can sub in Harrison Ford and the argument still stands.
No way can we have Harrison Ford as Commander in Chief of our Air Force!!!
Harrison Ford singlehandedly defended Air Force One from the bad guys after standing up to a terrorist against his political advisors' advice. I could only wish he was our CIC!
That's what the character did. The real life guy has a habit of crashing planes.
If we're going by what the characters do, I have some serious concerns about murdering a registered member of the bounty hunter's guild legally plying his trade; a blatant disregard of import/export tariff regulations; wanton destruction of historical cultural landmarks; seducing a minor; stealing an airplane; leaving a man sitting on a horse with a noose around his neck; being a Russian; and murdering his wife.
Yeah, now that I list it all out, still better than Trump.
I thought his wife was murdered by a one-armed man?
Well sure, but in that particular case he wasn't 'Presumed Innocent'
You had me at "blatant disregard of import/export tariff regulations"
I was almost roflmao.
But what if Greedo shot first? 😂
I think it has been pretty clearly established that Han shot first... but at least he is proactive?
Although that HAS apparently been retconned... ugh Damn you Star Wars, stop changing stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIn-ha98iCk
Han shot first; that showed how far from being a good guy he was. He was unredeemed, had not become a believer in the Force, was going to take his reward and split, but his conscience and heart finally kicked in. Also, in “E.T.”, the cops were aiming guns, which they were too stunned to use, at the airborne bike. This re-editing has got to stop.
Yeah, in Biden's America, Greedo probably did shoot first.
Yeah, Lucas did edit that scene so Greedo shot first. I want to make it clear, I was talking with my tongue firmly in my cheek.
Greedo did, see my post above
No, he didn't. 30% of my moral framework is based upon Han shooting first as it was originally intended. What the lizard people who surely took over George Lucas's mind changed decades after the fact is of no interest to me. Just as I am uninterested in seeing the Titanic dock in New York so that Rose and Jack can live happily ever after, or Rosebud being the name of Kane's first girlfriend, nor even seeing Bluto ask if it was over when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
Hah! Good one.
Part of the commentary on Biden being "old" is a back door way of saying "I don't see kamala as presidential timber."
I think there’s not enough attention paid to the most important aspect of our presidential choices; who they select to be in their administration. Biden has solid people who put their heads down and get to work. Trump chooses loyal charlatans who preen and spew bile on Fox News, while they seek to destroy their departments because they don’t believe in the administrative state. Those administrative selections are extremely important, maybe more so than the chief. And Biden is more trustworthy than Trump, X1,000.
Yes, I remember people saying (wishcasting, as Charlie likes to say) that Trump would surround himself with the best people. Best people for getting themselves convicted in a court of law, I’ll grant you that.
Thank you. Biden has put together a spectacular administration. Anthony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Secretary Pete. People who seem genuinely interested in using their talents to serve their country.
This is an important and not very often mentioned point: who the leader chooses as his/her worker bees is really important. I will never forget when I was complaining about the problems I was having with an elected official from my state because of some of his real shortcomings. My brother, who had done work with elected officials from his state, asked me about my interactions with the people who ran his department and I had to say that they were all efficient and helpful. He said that who a person hired to carry out his work was an important thing to consider when evaluating a leader.
^This. ^This. ^This.
I can’t wait for Trump to announce his VP will be Kari Lake.
Tucker Carlson...and his time just freed up.
He won't. Both Kari Lake and MTG are too loud and attention-seeking. Trump hates being upstaged. He'll find another beta cuck--think Mike Pence 2.0--that he can boss around. There's also his racism/sexism. I find it hard to believe he'd pick a woman or a person of any color. Tucker won't be the pick either--again--too much risk of him stealing the spotlight since he's smarter and more charismatic than Trump.
Potential VP picks in my mind are people who aren't particularly sparkly and who are indebted to Trump. J.D. Vance is a possibility, although he's a little chubby for Trump's taste. Maybe one of the lunatics from Montana--Daines, Zinke or Gianforte?
He’s got to pick someone who will endorse the Big Lie. That narrows the field a bit.
Yes, exactly. That's a large part of the point, and one that nobody will say out loud -- which is a significant issue of its own.
It will stop being an issue when Trump puts MTG or Kristi Noem on his ticket. Whoever he picks will be awful.
Which one of the GOP candidates isn't looking to be VP, except perhaps Pence? I'm guessing Ivanka turned him down. My money might be on Tucker.
Tucker will never, ever consent to a #2 slot.
From what I've read, MTG enjoys being grabbed, genitaliarly. That may give her a leg up, so to speak, in the race for #2.
She's not hot enough for him.
Oh, dear, I am having trouble with the picture you just put in my mind. EWWW!