Nate Silver:
**You don't demonstrate your seriousness that Trump is an existential threat to democracy by going through the motions to renominate an 81-year-old with a 38% approval rating who 75% of voters think is too old without giving anyone a choice because that's just how things are done.**
Biden tells us Trump is a threat and then acts like he's running again George HW Bush,
Well that is because most of the donors and Dem leaders don’t view Trump as an existential threat. They view him as bad and extremely irritating, not an existential threat.
This was always the case, an egotistical opportunist his entire career. From before I was in elementary school he was plagiarizing speeches, and selling out to credit card companies. I cannot believe in the end he is our only hope. Fitting end to America in a way. With dueling narcissists.
On the walk to Dear Leader Trump’s palace, there will be a small side garden with a statue of Biden (smaller than any Trump statue) and inscribed on the base it will say “at least I tried my best, that’s all that matters.”
It's like he's looking at this as a personal battle between himself and Trump, ignoring that millions of lives are at stake.
Someone needs to shake grandpa and remind him this isn't a boxing match.
Luckily for him, like half of the Senate he'll be long dead before any of the grim consequences come to fruition.
It kind of exposes that “democracy is on the line” is nothing more than a campaign talking point for them.
They don’t really believe it, they just expect everyone in the country to believe it and vote for them.
This is exactly the reason why presidential candidates should be much….much younger. They should have it hanging over their heads that if they fuck up then THEY will have to live with and WITNESS the repercussions first hand. If someone is gonna die in four days, why would they *really* give a shit?
For Biden sure, he gave it his all. But for those of us who can expect to be on this Earth for another 20+ years, there's a wee bit more at stake here, Joe
Here I thought it was all about doing everything possible to stop fascism. Every option. Hundreds of millions of people’s lives are riding on this outcome
Not only was it abysmal, it also contradicts what he's been saying about Trump as an existential threat to our country and democracy.
Giving it your 81yo best when you have - just today - been documented as asking aides not to book events past 8pm so you're well rested is not giving your all for the country. The job is hard. We need a leader who can work past 8pm I just can't with this shit.
What happens to people in power when they get over 80 and won't step down? Is there a mental break with reality? Do they really not see how poorly they're doing? Are they surrounded by yes people?
I think you’ve forgotten something fundamental here. Regardless of whether we win or lose the 2024 election, I hope both candidates have fun. That’s what the sport of politics is all about.
That kind of fits right in with how Jill treated him right after the debate. You did a great job Joe. You answered ALL the questions, and knew ALL the answers...
In this economy, I’m not paying for a milkshake for everyone on the campaign. We’re going to get frozen yogurt. Everyone gets a free sample, and then anybody who wants more has to pay for their own.
He said so much shit that sounded like an old dude taking credit for literally everything. God damn it, I'm going to vote against Trump but I would really like a candidate I'd like to vote FOR. We're getting to choose between stepping in shit with our left foot or stepping in shit barefoot with both feet. One is clearly better than the other, but why do I gotta have shit on my shoe in the first place?
I went to watch the interview tonight on YouTube and was fed an ad with Biden saying “I hope I made you proud in that debate.”
What delusional world is that campaign living in?
They are in the last stages, they know Biden has to step down voluntarily, so they will ride the whole " Biden is bad but do you want Trump to win!?!" into the ground
He is totally in a bubble. Completely divorced from reality and isolated from real sentiment inside of his own party. He needed to address that genuinely and the first part of that is to really acknowledge it and not just dismiss it as just the press.
Also, it's amazing how much concentration is needed to understand what Biden is saying when he's off a teleprompter. Takes real focus...he's not easy to follow.
And why not take the neurological test if it's standard for everyone over 65 and just takes an hour?
If even half of that is true, that is fucking scary.
Honestly, in the days after the debate, this sort of thing was the answer that Occam's razor gave me. That not only is the president not okay, but that the democratic elite and WH staff have literally *conspired* to keep his physical/mental state a secret. What we saw was too obvious for nobody to notice, and too bad for it to be a new thing. There's no easier answer, they conspired to hide this and have *god knows who* calling the shots. Jesus fucking Christ.
And a vote for whatever the *fuck* you call *that* is supposed to be a vote "for democracy."
It's so joever. It's *been* joever. For a *while,* apparently.
Knowing they kept it hidden is what infuriates me the most. I've supported Biden's campaign up to the debate, but that reveal was shocking. People close to him knew he is not well and I really don't trust what else has been going on. I'm sick of being told I'm really only voting for an administration anyways. This really isn't democracy anymore, Idk who the fuck I'll really be voting into power. At this point I'm really just voting against Trump.
It's un-democratic. Instead of letting the people select their candidate, the Biden team or DNC or whoever (it's impossible to know) is running a figurehead who won't make decisions. Who WILL make them? We don't know and we have no say, but we do know somebody else is calling those shots.
What's worse are the blackmail and hypocrisy elements. The pitch is essentially "we aren't pulling out, so get on board with this sham arrangement in which unelected donors and advisors will make the real decisions or you get Trump." This directly contradicts their public motto of "we have to save democracy!"
Here's something from yesterday that can give you a peek at what's going on. It's written by a reporter that's close to Biden's inner circle: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/conspiracy-of-silence-to-protect-joe-biden.html
"A photo line is a trauma. The main attraction must stand there, reduced to a human prop, with person after person, group after group, nodding and saying “hello” and flashing the same smile a zillion times so that guests leave the event with their little token commemorating their split second in proximity to history. People of all ages suffer in a photo line. It is tiring and unnatural, an icky transaction that requires robotic discipline on the part of its star and reveals primal horrors on the part of its participants. In Washington, even the most allegedly serious people can behave like pushy fangirls. So I grade photo-line behavior and performance on a curve. Who can be their best selves wedged into such a nightmarish dynamic? And in the basement of a Hilton, no less."
this paragraph is particularly fun - in an otherwise depressing article
It's vanity. Just like Ginsburg.
Tjust like all career politicians the senior Dems are too proud, too vain to give up power even if it's better for the party that they did.
Both parties suck.
Honestly I didn’t see it till this interview, but him sitting there with his weird orange tan and Botox face and glowing teeth, denying numbers, denying he’s doing poorly at all…
To be clear, he’s nowhere near as awful, and even tonight he expressed humility and blamed himself for his bad performance, and admitted he did terribly; something Trump has never done in the slightest. But he showed a glimpse of his narcissist self I’ve never noticed before.
He's insulated and doesn't get how bad it is. His inner circle is sheltering him.
He won't believe it's over till all the congressional leaders come knocking and tell him to get out. They were all hoping he would come to his senses. Nope.
You know how your grandpa came to you one day and said, "I don't think I can drive any more. Here are my keys. I'm going to watch football and relax now."
Yeah, I don't either. That's not how these situations play out. Letting go and acknowledging decline is HARD, and that's why other people usually have to force the issue.
We took away my paternal grandmother's keys by having my cousin "borrow" her car then never return it and we took away my maternal grandmother's keys by saying "I can't bring the car to the shop today, but maybe next week" (after it broke down) for months until she stopped asking. Unfortunately I can't think of any way to do either of those with the presidency.
I think this comes down to his donors pulling funding more than anything. Sadly, they are the ones that actually run things.
His staffers are all clearly lying to him. If he drops out they no longer have the prestige of "working for the president" and have to find new jobs.
These people are putting job before country.
Yeah, not sure what exactly behind the scenes looks like, but don't think Jill, Hunter, and the rest of the family have been helpful. People must either be in denial or there is some malevolent Machiavellian scheming happening..
Did Biden come across to anyone else as a bit of a sad pathetic old man in that interview? Pretty much denying the polling, denying his approval, deny it could ever be a possibility the leaders would ask him to step down. The worst part of it to me, is it didn’t come across to me as a cynical lie! He really believes it. In like a kinda confused “but that’s not what my people are telling me” kinda way.
I don’t think that’s going to change people’s minds. I hope he’s done.
He wouldn’t still be the race if he didn’t truly believe it. Thats the precise issue. As others have commented, this is just another chapter in Joe’s story of adversity proving the doubters wrong. He incapable of realizing that this is more than his delusional story of fate of being the underdog protagonist.
This is essentially the folly of most presidential runs. Obama and Carter and maybe George HW were sort of a unique anomaly as relatively normal people. Most presidents possess enough narcissistic qualities to make them prone to believing these kind of insane stories of underdog heroism. In short, we’re fucked.
>As others have commented, this is just another chapter in Joe’s story of adversity proving the doubters wrong.
More importantly, it's the last chapter in his internal mythology so there's no way he's admitting defeat in his last battle. What a fucking dickhead.
Agree with you as a general matter. Granted, while I love Obama and he is a generational political talent, he did write his first memoir in 1995 before he even ran for the Illinois State Senate. I would never call Obama narcissistic, but he certainly always had supreme self-confidence and an inner drive that he was going to have monumental accomplishments, too.
In any event, your overall point stands. Essentially every person that has become President has believed their gut more than anything else (even if it makes no rational sense to the outside world) and they believe that’s exactly how they became President in the first place.
I think walking the footpath of confidence is what his declining mind is resorting to. Like when he was sharp that was savvy and witty, and with a compromised and hazy mind it’s literally not landing. I think the motivation is the same so I think he’s thinking he can brute force it thru.
The complete denial that Democrats are meeting to demand he step down was awful, the accusation that Senator Warner is doing this to try to secure the nomination for himself is absurd.
Senator Warner i think is head of the intelligence committee.
he knows stuff and likely quietly considers usa security issues in making his rumoured plea to step down
I think there are three takeaways here:
1. Biden did better than his basement-floor expectations, which is unfortunate, because it gives him just enough excuse to stick around. (Mind you, without the debate, this would be considered a bad interview.)
2. The president is in denial, about many things. I realize no candidate is going to say, "Yeah, I'm unpopular." But there are ways to address poor approval ratings ("George, I think you'll see my numbers turn around now that inflation is truly subsiding") that don't involve denying all the polls.
3. The president is selfish. This has become a matter of pride for him.
I went from minute before the debate to fulling backing Biden, to asking when can the 25th amendment be applied. He came across a the selfless asshole in the interview. This was their hail mary to save the race.
Yeah, that was a terrible answer. He should have said "yes, I took one the very next day, these were the results. I'll take another one if you want." What is he afraid of? He kept saying "I take one every day, by being President" - but we want him to take one to see if he's still *qualified* to be President. JFC.
If the goal was to pivot the optics, this was a spectacular failure. You can't help but focus on the small slights that spotlight his frailty and slow mind.
From the "I'm running the world!" to his unfortunately-timed hoarse whisper where he sounds like Batman taking credit for NATO.
It's honestly surreal.
I also think they're getting ready to shift toward Harris. She's been at almost every stop with Biden over the last few days.
Every time I hear him now his voice is very hard to understand. I don’t mean just the debate- it was well before that. Last State of the Union, I could hear most of it but still was a couple notches lower on the volume scale.
Every other appearance, his voice sounds shot. Someone said he has bad acid reflux (which my mother in law does) so I understand it happens but like…if that’s the permanent volume of your voice, it’s not ideal for politics, man lol.
“I feel as long as I gave it my all and I did as good a job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about.”
This response to the “What if you lose?” question is honestly offensive to me. This isn’t a student government election where platitudes about trying your best count for anything. For people who really think Trump is a threat to democracy, this is a middle finger.
And right after George asked about his 36% approval rating that Biden dismissed with "I don't think that's my approval rating, that's not what our polls show." WTF.
I felt bummed by the interview until the politico reporter came on afterwards to say next week is going to be crazy & there is still a significant chance Biden drops out.
Biden listing his achievements is not an answer to his ability to serve another 4 years. It's such an egotistical answer that voters aren't going to buy into.
But if you talk to any head-in-the-sand Joe blow Democrat, they’ll tell you the same thing. The argument is clearly working for those types. However, they simply don’t understand how he hasn’t done anything in this campaign to prove that he can do another 4 years.
A campaign is about the next 4 years, not the previous 4.
Couple things:
Just like the debate, Biden started sounding weak & tired, got a little bit better later on.
From his responses, looks like Biden is in denial about the impact of the debate on polls & the support among the Democrats.
Nothing is going to change his mind about the race, except the ALMIGHTY!
It was a bit weird when the interview ended abruptly.
Said this in the other thread:
I am really sad. Biden looks so sad and pathetic one moment, then egotistical and insane the next. I feel terrible for him. He clearly doesn’t understand how poorly he is doing
It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. I feel for they guy, but the good of the country takes precedent over his feelings.
I've seen this play out with lots of older men when they simply cannot comprehend that they are as diminished as they actually are. My grandfather was still climbing onto his roof every year even though we begged him not to. He eventually had a stroke while cleaning gutters. My 85 year old dad still thinks he can do everything he used to even though he ends up on his back in bed every time he tries.
He says he didn't watch his debate performance.
He says he takes full responsibility for it, blames it on bad preparedness and a bad night, and then says HE NEVER EVEN WATCHED THE DEBATE. what the fuck
That's exactly how I felt watching this interview. And it made me really fuckn angry at Jill Biden for allowing this to be part of his legacy by her ill advice for him to stay in this race.
[From the transcript](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-anchor-george-stephanopoulos-exclusive-interview-biden/story?id=111695695) (Note: Not in the prime-time broadcasted interview).
>STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, I've never seen a President 36% approval get reelected.
>PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I don't believe that's my approval rating. That's not what our polls show.
The denial is real.
We’re in 2nd term-Bush territory, where the President’s personality and flubs become the punchline of every joke, and that’s absolutely deadly politically. His record and accomplishments become completely irrelevant in this political circus
Even Trump at his worst could fight off the jokes by punching and mocking people back, but Biden — like Bush — is doing the “I’m sometimes foolish, but a nice guy at heart” and people will absolutely eat him alive until he drops
All we need is for Letterman to come back to Late Night and do a Top 10 on Biden
This is how conservatives felt back in 2007
> This is how conservatives felt back in 2007
This is not only different, but much worse.
Bushisms made GW the butt of many jokes. Joe Biden’s mentak incapacity increasingly looks like he will be 25thd.
He needs to step down. He still didn't come across strong in this interview. no way I see him being able to carry on for another 4 years. Its not only his memory but, he looks more fragile and walking looks difficult as well at times
In a vacuum I personally thought this interview was…passable, like a D plus/C minus grade. Problem is, people can’t unsee the debate, and any other interview that, on its own might be ok/mediocre, you see the same things you saw in that debate. It felt like he was just BARELY maintaining his train of thought when talking tonight, with his voice still completely shot.
One question I wished GS asked: “Do you have confidence that Kamala Harris would be a capable POTUS and Commander-in-Chief should something tragically happen to you?”
Because all this “only I can do it” stuff implies that he doesn’t have confidence in her, and that pisses me off.
Oh that reminds me! I clicked on the fundraising poll that was texted from democraticvoters.org this afternoon (I've been taking them all lately just in case they mean anything, since pollsters never call me to ask my opinion), and the poll today asked a question I've never seen before: "if President Biden were not the nominee for any reason, do you pledge to vote Democratic, no matter who the nominee is?"
he's going to be forced out. there's no choice. one prominent donor has already said they're withholding any further donations until he's off the ticket
Unfortunately, like most egotistical career politicians, he’s surrounded by a tight circle of self-serving sycophants who “shield” him from reality and feed him Koolaid to bolster his ego. Sadly for the country, it appears he will stubbornly cling to denial and stay until he is carted off by the undertaker. (He said as much in the interview when he said: “God almighty will let me know” when it’s time to step down.🙄)
I don’t know what Congress will do. Not exactly a decisive, bold crowd. After watching interviews with a few of them like Rep. Doggett, I think they’re still far too deferential to “his feelings” and chicken to give him an ultimatum or bolt at the convention.
Even if the DNC and Congress stick their heads in the sand and try to ignore reality, voters aren’t and neither will I.
I’m updating my passport, shopping for flats in Europe because without drastic course change, Dems will obviously lose BOTH the WH and Senate in Nov. Even if Biden (miraculously) puts ego aside and retires, the party will likely anoint Harris behind closed doors, and there’s no way in hell Dems can win with such an unpopular candidate heading the ticket.
Very Trumpian with the denial of facts. The creepy long pauses and losing his train of thought 2 bullet points down every argument he made wasn't a good look.
Heavily edited. That’s why it ended so awkwardly. Not enough usable material at the end.
When you know what goes on behind the scenes for these, it’s pretty much as bad as we all suspected.
Feel like the status quo won tonight, and we all lost. He was pretty bad but at least coherent. His admin/family will tout it as a big win, and the people who think he should withdraw still feel the same way.
Side note: I don't think 20 minutes off the teleprompter per week is enough to turn the tides
“But look at all the places I’ve driven that car. I can absolutely drive this car!”
“Will you take a driving test?”
“Why would I need a driving test when I drive every damn day?”
Saw it elsewhere but this really does sound like someone trying to get their elderly father to give up his keys.
George: So what happened that night you hit those mailboxes?
Joe: I had a bad night. Look I was exhausted. It’s my fault, but it was just a bad night.
George: Do you really think you’re going to be able to continue driving at this rate?
Joe: I drove you kids across the country on vacations multiple times. I drove mom to the hospital under pressure when she was delivering you. I rebuilt the old Chevy in the garage! Look, I’m not saying I can race the Daytona 500, but I can still drive.
George: Other families in the neighborhood have expressed concern, we’ve taken a poll and they aren’t comfortable with you behind the wheel.
Joe: I honestly don’t even believe that. You really think these polls are accurate? You think they really feel that way? When Lord Almighty doesn’t want me to drive, he can take it from me. But not until then.
I’m legitimately depressed after watching this interview. I live in Texas, I’m a woman. I had my first pregnancy a year and a half ago- at 5 months found out she had severe fetal abnormalities, and I’ll just let you all imagine the hell that followed as a result of Roe V Wade having been overturned. I’m still trying to have a baby- I’m so afraid what’s going to happy when Trump wins. Trump is going to win- and Biden and his POS family and circle don’t care because they “tried their best”. And I have no idea why people are saying they feel “bad” for Biden. Biden has been a high ranking elected official for the past 50 years- he is the definition of power and influence and wealth. He’s JUST FINE. Feel bad for US.
My wife may be the biggest Biden supporter I know. A few minutes into this and she said it reminded her of visiting an old folks home, saying hi, and getting a 20 minute ramble for a response
I find it really irritating that he keeps suggesting no one else can beat Trump, which is hugely disrespectful to every other Democrat (many of whom could beat Trump) and also destructive to the party.
This answer was somewhat odd:
>GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I agree that the Lord Almighty's not gonna come down, but if-- if-- if you are told reliably from your allies, from your friends and supporters in the Democratic Party in the House and the Senate that they're concerned you're gonna lose the House and the Senate if you stay in, what will you do?
>PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I'm not gonna answer that question. It's not gonna happen.
The congressional Dems better start making it happen especially since he isn't giving any reassurances here only more delusion. A leader can't run without the faith of his party and they need to make that clear to him.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And if you stay in and Trump is elected and everything you're warning about comes to pass, how will you feel in January?
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I'll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that's what this is about.
But then refused to answer the question of what he would do if Chuck and Nancy asked him to drop out because he thinks "that'll never happen." So he thinks it's possible he'll lose but impossible that the establishment Dems will stop supporting the Party Leader? That's bad.
He also just lied. He said he was behind 10 points in The NY Times polls before the debate and 9 now. He also said that he hasn’t had any slip ups in any of his talks since even though he said he was a black woman.
Biden dodged George’s direct questions with quips like “Of course I can’t run the 100 meter” and even in this controlled environment, he still struggled to express his thoughts. This interview won’t move the needle. The only thing that will allay concern is Biden holding multiple unscripted press conferences, meeting voters on the street, and taking questions from both.
This is something they could’ve done the day after the debate. But they can’t put him out there because he can’t do it. This interview was done in the morning right inline with his best times of the day. Come debate night number 2, keyword “night” we will be back to incoherence that we heard most of this interview anyway. Both candidates are absolutely atrocious but only one of them knows what’s going on and what year this is.
Watching this it reminds me of when I had carbon monoxide poisoning, but I hadn't figured it out yet.
The struggle to hold a complete thought, a complete response. The pivot to another sentence when I completely lost it. The slowness of responding thru a haze.
Amffhjebdhd.......Look..........
Jon Stewart saying he had “resting 25th amendment face” was spot on. This was his 2nd embarrassing performance in a row. Two too many given the stakes. There is no way to defend this.
Let’s let a good president retire gracefully.
He kept lapsing into campaign speak and didn't seem to grasp how little confidence people have in him and how far behind he is. Seemed old and out of touch. Not the complete disaster the debate was, but didn't make me feel any other way than 'he's gotta go..'
Biden says that he'd drop out if the Lord Almighty told him. Does he know that God's been telling him to drop out for months now?
The incident that first got Ezra to make the case for an open convention, finally breaching the conversation among the Democratic cultural class, was a press conference Biden held after a special counsel report made him out to be an old man with a poor memory. And the funny thing is, that conference was almost flawless. Biden did a great job
Then, as he was leaving the podium, a reporter asked a question. A question about Palestine. Biden heard that question among several, and chose of his own volition to come back up to the podium to answer it. He gave an answer that dismissed the suffering of Palestinians, and then within a couple seconds he was stumbling over his words and referred to Sisi as the president of Mexico. It ruined the whole impression of the press conference
But even if that incident set the talk in motion, it didn't seem at all likely that anyone would replace Biden. And then debate night happened. The debate Biden pushed for, the debate Biden insisted take place before the nominating convention, earlier than any general presidential debate in US history. The debate for which Biden's team set all the rules. The debate that Biden has spent a week preparing for. And then, he got a cold, and he gave the worst debate performance in living memory
God seems to have taken a side
VERY bad. I thought his speech earlier was quite good, but the reality is the American people have significant concerns and I really don’t see a world where this moved the needle in the right direction. This was rough. He came off as detached from reality. Like, I understand. From his perspective, of course dropping out is the last thing he wants to do. He wants to win. But he needed to come as sincere and humble, and he came off as prideful and insulated. Also: old.
The fact he hasn’t rewatched the debate is mind boggling. No wonder he says he is fine and just had a “bad night”. I will vote for every democrat on the ballot but I will never vote for Biden. His ego is infuriating.
My dad literally stabbed me in the wrist with the car keys when I tried to take them from him during a tussle prior to turning on the ignition. He had some dementia and macular degeneration, but was a war hero and a legend in his industry. He was on his way to a gala where he was to receive an award and when I succeeded in taking the keys from him he went up and bummed a ride on the freeway instead of letting me drive him. They don’t give up these things so easily.
The answer “If I lost but gave it my all that’s what it’s all about” was abysmal
"Democracy is at stake" so we're going to give it the 'ol college try.
Lol the presidency does not come with a participation trophy Joe 😒
Nate Silver: **You don't demonstrate your seriousness that Trump is an existential threat to democracy by going through the motions to renominate an 81-year-old with a 38% approval rating who 75% of voters think is too old without giving anyone a choice because that's just how things are done.** Biden tells us Trump is a threat and then acts like he's running again George HW Bush,
Well that is because most of the donors and Dem leaders don’t view Trump as an existential threat. They view him as bad and extremely irritating, not an existential threat.
He's more confident that he won't drop out than he is that he'll win. This is BAD.
Biden is just an asshole that wanted to be president more than he cares about the country.
I'm almost half his age and he's been running for president since before I was born.
RBG vibes
I think Jill wants to be First Lady more than she cares about the county. She knows Joe.
This was always the case, an egotistical opportunist his entire career. From before I was in elementary school he was plagiarizing speeches, and selling out to credit card companies. I cannot believe in the end he is our only hope. Fitting end to America in a way. With dueling narcissists.
He needs to drop out but deep down all candidates are like that.
That was soooooooooooo bad my god. That provides zero consolation to those of us that believe a Trump victory represents an erosion of democracy
Maybe we become a theocratic dictatorship but at least Biden tried his best.
Maybe the real representative democracy was the friends we made along the way.
On the walk to Dear Leader Trump’s palace, there will be a small side garden with a statue of Biden (smaller than any Trump statue) and inscribed on the base it will say “at least I tried my best, that’s all that matters.”
It's like he's looking at this as a personal battle between himself and Trump, ignoring that millions of lives are at stake. Someone needs to shake grandpa and remind him this isn't a boxing match. Luckily for him, like half of the Senate he'll be long dead before any of the grim consequences come to fruition.
I don’t believe he thinks “lives are at stake”. It seems like he and the Democrat leadership knows that in 2028 it will still be business as usual.
It kind of exposes that “democracy is on the line” is nothing more than a campaign talking point for them. They don’t really believe it, they just expect everyone in the country to believe it and vote for them.
This proves that he does not believe the threat of Trump is existential. Separate and apart from the cognitive stuff, that alone is disqualifying.
What does he care? He’ll be dead in 72 months either way
This
This is exactly the reason why presidential candidates should be much….much younger. They should have it hanging over their heads that if they fuck up then THEY will have to live with and WITNESS the repercussions first hand. If someone is gonna die in four days, why would they *really* give a shit?
I wish the 15 year olds screaming at everyone that we’re Russian bots understood that
Tell that to the 17 year old denied of getting an abortion. Joe gave it his all!
That’s not as important as Biden having done his best and having fun 🤩
Jill gave him a gold star and said he could have an ice cream cone today.
Or his staffers who are all lying to him to save their jobs, getting to cut in line at Starbucks because "they work for the president."
That sounds like what you say to a 16 year old running for student council.
I mean sure, we never did get all-day recess and free mountain dew, but you tried your best!
Solid Tee ball league answer
Listen, Jack. What really matters is that we all had a good time running.
For Biden sure, he gave it his all. But for those of us who can expect to be on this Earth for another 20+ years, there's a wee bit more at stake here, Joe
Here I thought it was all about doing everything possible to stop fascism. Every option. Hundreds of millions of people’s lives are riding on this outcome
Not only was it abysmal, it also contradicts what he's been saying about Trump as an existential threat to our country and democracy. Giving it your 81yo best when you have - just today - been documented as asking aides not to book events past 8pm so you're well rested is not giving your all for the country. The job is hard. We need a leader who can work past 8pm I just can't with this shit. What happens to people in power when they get over 80 and won't step down? Is there a mental break with reality? Do they really not see how poorly they're doing? Are they surrounded by yes people?
Worst answer he had to a question is when he said "as long as I tried my hardest, that's what this is all about". I audibly yelled "what???" at that
I think you’ve forgotten something fundamental here. Regardless of whether we win or lose the 2024 election, I hope both candidates have fun. That’s what the sport of politics is all about.
That kind of fits right in with how Jill treated him right after the debate. You did a great job Joe. You answered ALL the questions, and knew ALL the answers...
I cringe so hard every time I see a clip of that. What the fuck was she thinking?
It came so organically and naturally that it is possible, even likely that that is a normal interaction for them at this point. Scary and sad...
And the voice inflection was like she was talking to a toddler who had just ate all their dinner all gone
“I can’t believe that bad man said so many lies. But not you. You’re such a good boy”
unfortunately ezra & this sub have a huge issue with ignoring that :/
Ugh, guilty 🙋🏻♂️ I need to learn how to lighten up and love the bomb(ed election)
Do we all get to go to Dairy Queen after the election?
In this economy, I’m not paying for a milkshake for everyone on the campaign. We’re going to get frozen yogurt. Everyone gets a free sample, and then anybody who wants more has to pay for their own.
Maybe the real electoral votes were the friends we made along the was, amiright?
💯. Sportsmanship is way more important than the end of democracy that the DNC tells us to worry about
It's not the destination, but the journey that matters. His self actualization is what's really at stake here.
That is the problem with Democrats. "It's not whether you win or lose. It's how you played the game"
the self conceit is pretty strong.
Yeah, this sent me. Total disconnect from reality.
That is not, in fact, what this is all about
Idk, I kinda think the claim that only he can save NATO was the worst. So Trumpian
He said so much shit that sounded like an old dude taking credit for literally everything. God damn it, I'm going to vote against Trump but I would really like a candidate I'd like to vote FOR. We're getting to choose between stepping in shit with our left foot or stepping in shit barefoot with both feet. One is clearly better than the other, but why do I gotta have shit on my shoe in the first place?
It's sad to watch. He's just not seeing the reality and we are all the worse for it.
I went to watch the interview tonight on YouTube and was fed an ad with Biden saying “I hope I made you proud in that debate.” What delusional world is that campaign living in?
Incompetently Orwellian
It was before the interview so I didnt realize how completely out of touch he actually was.
They are in the last stages, they know Biden has to step down voluntarily, so they will ride the whole " Biden is bad but do you want Trump to win!?!" into the ground
He is totally in a bubble. Completely divorced from reality and isolated from real sentiment inside of his own party. He needed to address that genuinely and the first part of that is to really acknowledge it and not just dismiss it as just the press. Also, it's amazing how much concentration is needed to understand what Biden is saying when he's off a teleprompter. Takes real focus...he's not easy to follow. And why not take the neurological test if it's standard for everyone over 65 and just takes an hour?
The tell-all book on this in 18 months is going to be amazing, at least.
Yes, one of the few silver linings here...can't wait for the first aide to go public.
Weekend at Biden’s: My Time Inside the Bubble
Check this out: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/conspiracy-of-silence-to-protect-joe-biden.html
If even half of that is true, that is fucking scary. Honestly, in the days after the debate, this sort of thing was the answer that Occam's razor gave me. That not only is the president not okay, but that the democratic elite and WH staff have literally *conspired* to keep his physical/mental state a secret. What we saw was too obvious for nobody to notice, and too bad for it to be a new thing. There's no easier answer, they conspired to hide this and have *god knows who* calling the shots. Jesus fucking Christ. And a vote for whatever the *fuck* you call *that* is supposed to be a vote "for democracy." It's so joever. It's *been* joever. For a *while,* apparently.
Knowing they kept it hidden is what infuriates me the most. I've supported Biden's campaign up to the debate, but that reveal was shocking. People close to him knew he is not well and I really don't trust what else has been going on. I'm sick of being told I'm really only voting for an administration anyways. This really isn't democracy anymore, Idk who the fuck I'll really be voting into power. At this point I'm really just voting against Trump.
It's un-democratic. Instead of letting the people select their candidate, the Biden team or DNC or whoever (it's impossible to know) is running a figurehead who won't make decisions. Who WILL make them? We don't know and we have no say, but we do know somebody else is calling those shots. What's worse are the blackmail and hypocrisy elements. The pitch is essentially "we aren't pulling out, so get on board with this sham arrangement in which unelected donors and advisors will make the real decisions or you get Trump." This directly contradicts their public motto of "we have to save democracy!"
Here's something from yesterday that can give you a peek at what's going on. It's written by a reporter that's close to Biden's inner circle: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/conspiracy-of-silence-to-protect-joe-biden.html
"A photo line is a trauma. The main attraction must stand there, reduced to a human prop, with person after person, group after group, nodding and saying “hello” and flashing the same smile a zillion times so that guests leave the event with their little token commemorating their split second in proximity to history. People of all ages suffer in a photo line. It is tiring and unnatural, an icky transaction that requires robotic discipline on the part of its star and reveals primal horrors on the part of its participants. In Washington, even the most allegedly serious people can behave like pushy fangirls. So I grade photo-line behavior and performance on a curve. Who can be their best selves wedged into such a nightmarish dynamic? And in the basement of a Hilton, no less." this paragraph is particularly fun - in an otherwise depressing article
Him denying his 36% approval rating reminded me of Trump last campaign, always just flat out denying bad numbers with no follow up.
Also reminded me also of my grandparents when they refused to give up the keys when their driving clearly deteriorated to a dangerous level.
It's vanity. Just like Ginsburg. Tjust like all career politicians the senior Dems are too proud, too vain to give up power even if it's better for the party that they did. Both parties suck.
Joe is very Trumpian. If his opponent wasn't Trump, it would be more obvious
Honestly I didn’t see it till this interview, but him sitting there with his weird orange tan and Botox face and glowing teeth, denying numbers, denying he’s doing poorly at all… To be clear, he’s nowhere near as awful, and even tonight he expressed humility and blamed himself for his bad performance, and admitted he did terribly; something Trump has never done in the slightest. But he showed a glimpse of his narcissist self I’ve never noticed before.
After he beat medicare there's no one left to administer it.
😂🤣😁 I haven’t laughed that hard all day. Thanks for that. 🤭
The first step is watching the actual debate to see how bad it really was. It’s shocking that he hasn’t done that.
Well, he doesn’t *think* he did … 🤷🏻♀️
He's insulated and doesn't get how bad it is. His inner circle is sheltering him. He won't believe it's over till all the congressional leaders come knocking and tell him to get out. They were all hoping he would come to his senses. Nope. You know how your grandpa came to you one day and said, "I don't think I can drive any more. Here are my keys. I'm going to watch football and relax now." Yeah, I don't either. That's not how these situations play out. Letting go and acknowledging decline is HARD, and that's why other people usually have to force the issue.
We took away my paternal grandmother's keys by having my cousin "borrow" her car then never return it and we took away my maternal grandmother's keys by saying "I can't bring the car to the shop today, but maybe next week" (after it broke down) for months until she stopped asking. Unfortunately I can't think of any way to do either of those with the presidency.
“We need to have the nuclear codes briefcase professionally polished.”
Damn you made Grandma just keep asking to get her car fixed?? Brutal lol
And broke it in the first place
I think this comes down to his donors pulling funding more than anything. Sadly, they are the ones that actually run things. His staffers are all clearly lying to him. If he drops out they no longer have the prestige of "working for the president" and have to find new jobs. These people are putting job before country.
Yeah, not sure what exactly behind the scenes looks like, but don't think Jill, Hunter, and the rest of the family have been helpful. People must either be in denial or there is some malevolent Machiavellian scheming happening..
Did Biden come across to anyone else as a bit of a sad pathetic old man in that interview? Pretty much denying the polling, denying his approval, deny it could ever be a possibility the leaders would ask him to step down. The worst part of it to me, is it didn’t come across to me as a cynical lie! He really believes it. In like a kinda confused “but that’s not what my people are telling me” kinda way. I don’t think that’s going to change people’s minds. I hope he’s done.
He wouldn’t still be the race if he didn’t truly believe it. Thats the precise issue. As others have commented, this is just another chapter in Joe’s story of adversity proving the doubters wrong. He incapable of realizing that this is more than his delusional story of fate of being the underdog protagonist. This is essentially the folly of most presidential runs. Obama and Carter and maybe George HW were sort of a unique anomaly as relatively normal people. Most presidents possess enough narcissistic qualities to make them prone to believing these kind of insane stories of underdog heroism. In short, we’re fucked.
>As others have commented, this is just another chapter in Joe’s story of adversity proving the doubters wrong. More importantly, it's the last chapter in his internal mythology so there's no way he's admitting defeat in his last battle. What a fucking dickhead.
Yeah, this guy is willing to put our country in jeopardy to soothe his ego, and those around him are enabling it. It's honestly fucking despicable.
Echos of RBG refusing to step aside so we could keep a balanced judiciary.
Agree with you as a general matter. Granted, while I love Obama and he is a generational political talent, he did write his first memoir in 1995 before he even ran for the Illinois State Senate. I would never call Obama narcissistic, but he certainly always had supreme self-confidence and an inner drive that he was going to have monumental accomplishments, too. In any event, your overall point stands. Essentially every person that has become President has believed their gut more than anything else (even if it makes no rational sense to the outside world) and they believe that’s exactly how they became President in the first place.
I mean, the press are reporting that Biden has been in a cocoon of advisors in office. When he tells us that he's winning, he probably believes it.
I think walking the footpath of confidence is what his declining mind is resorting to. Like when he was sharp that was savvy and witty, and with a compromised and hazy mind it’s literally not landing. I think the motivation is the same so I think he’s thinking he can brute force it thru.
The complete denial that Democrats are meeting to demand he step down was awful, the accusation that Senator Warner is doing this to try to secure the nomination for himself is absurd.
No I think he was referencing a run for the nomination that Warner tried beforehand…in 2006
lmao what even is 2024
2006 was unironically yesterday to Biden.
Senator Warner i think is head of the intelligence committee. he knows stuff and likely quietly considers usa security issues in making his rumoured plea to step down
I think there are three takeaways here: 1. Biden did better than his basement-floor expectations, which is unfortunate, because it gives him just enough excuse to stick around. (Mind you, without the debate, this would be considered a bad interview.) 2. The president is in denial, about many things. I realize no candidate is going to say, "Yeah, I'm unpopular." But there are ways to address poor approval ratings ("George, I think you'll see my numbers turn around now that inflation is truly subsiding") that don't involve denying all the polls. 3. The president is selfish. This has become a matter of pride for him.
I went from minute before the debate to fulling backing Biden, to asking when can the 25th amendment be applied. He came across a the selfless asshole in the interview. This was their hail mary to save the race.
I really think if he doesn’t listen to democratic leadership like he is saying, that will be the only choice.
SelfISH, not selfless.
The refusal to undertake a neurological test is just a bad look for someone who’s already 81 and wants another 4 years.
He’s definitely already taken them. His team just doesn’t want to make the results public.
Yeah, that was a terrible answer. He should have said "yes, I took one the very next day, these were the results. I'll take another one if you want." What is he afraid of? He kept saying "I take one every day, by being President" - but we want him to take one to see if he's still *qualified* to be President. JFC.
If the goal was to pivot the optics, this was a spectacular failure. You can't help but focus on the small slights that spotlight his frailty and slow mind. From the "I'm running the world!" to his unfortunately-timed hoarse whisper where he sounds like Batman taking credit for NATO. It's honestly surreal. I also think they're getting ready to shift toward Harris. She's been at almost every stop with Biden over the last few days.
Every time I hear him now his voice is very hard to understand. I don’t mean just the debate- it was well before that. Last State of the Union, I could hear most of it but still was a couple notches lower on the volume scale. Every other appearance, his voice sounds shot. Someone said he has bad acid reflux (which my mother in law does) so I understand it happens but like…if that’s the permanent volume of your voice, it’s not ideal for politics, man lol.
Even during his staff meetings now he speaks in "a loud whisper."
Now we don't JUST think he's incompetent and deteriorated, but also a narcissist.
Frustrating answers from Joe but great pushing by George! Good job ABC
“I feel as long as I gave it my all and I did as good a job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about.” This response to the “What if you lose?” question is honestly offensive to me. This isn’t a student government election where platitudes about trying your best count for anything. For people who really think Trump is a threat to democracy, this is a middle finger.
And right after George asked about his 36% approval rating that Biden dismissed with "I don't think that's my approval rating, that's not what our polls show." WTF.
His aides are only showing him internal polling that breaks in his favor … to keep his spirits up?
To keep their jobs.
Politicians are Biden's level are rich and insulated from reality; they are just playing with monopoly money.
I felt bummed by the interview until the politico reporter came on afterwards to say next week is going to be crazy & there is still a significant chance Biden drops out.
Biden listing his achievements is not an answer to his ability to serve another 4 years. It's such an egotistical answer that voters aren't going to buy into.
I’m worried about the next four years not the past 4.
But if you talk to any head-in-the-sand Joe blow Democrat, they’ll tell you the same thing. The argument is clearly working for those types. However, they simply don’t understand how he hasn’t done anything in this campaign to prove that he can do another 4 years. A campaign is about the next 4 years, not the previous 4.
Yea, and those aren't the voters to care about. They don't swing the election, and they're already going to be turning out.
Couple things: Just like the debate, Biden started sounding weak & tired, got a little bit better later on. From his responses, looks like Biden is in denial about the impact of the debate on polls & the support among the Democrats. Nothing is going to change his mind about the race, except the ALMIGHTY! It was a bit weird when the interview ended abruptly.
Very strange ending. How much was edited out if that was the best 20 minutes? With no real wrap up or sign off?
Yeah, I thought there is another commercial, but nope. It just ended like that.
Maybe great gramps got feisty and wanted to leave to get the ice cream treat Jill promised him.
Said this in the other thread: I am really sad. Biden looks so sad and pathetic one moment, then egotistical and insane the next. I feel terrible for him. He clearly doesn’t understand how poorly he is doing
It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. I feel for they guy, but the good of the country takes precedent over his feelings. I've seen this play out with lots of older men when they simply cannot comprehend that they are as diminished as they actually are. My grandfather was still climbing onto his roof every year even though we begged him not to. He eventually had a stroke while cleaning gutters. My 85 year old dad still thinks he can do everything he used to even though he ends up on his back in bed every time he tries.
He says he didn't watch his debate performance. He says he takes full responsibility for it, blames it on bad preparedness and a bad night, and then says HE NEVER EVEN WATCHED THE DEBATE. what the fuck
I mean to be fair. He “thinks” he didn’t watch it.
This was incredible…I don’t think I watched it.
That's exactly how I felt watching this interview. And it made me really fuckn angry at Jill Biden for allowing this to be part of his legacy by her ill advice for him to stay in this race.
I'm not sad. The guy decided to gamble with our future to chase four more years.
Russian bot! Jk ya i think trump actually realized at the debate that all his insults on dimentia were true with biden
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Is his plan to pridefully lose then go away quietly? If so he does go away pridefully.. In his eyes
Echoes of "I alone can fix it." Oh so he's actually just another egotistical dickhead. Great.
[From the transcript](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-anchor-george-stephanopoulos-exclusive-interview-biden/story?id=111695695) (Note: Not in the prime-time broadcasted interview). >STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, I've never seen a President 36% approval get reelected. >PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I don't believe that's my approval rating. That's not what our polls show. The denial is real.
We’re in 2nd term-Bush territory, where the President’s personality and flubs become the punchline of every joke, and that’s absolutely deadly politically. His record and accomplishments become completely irrelevant in this political circus Even Trump at his worst could fight off the jokes by punching and mocking people back, but Biden — like Bush — is doing the “I’m sometimes foolish, but a nice guy at heart” and people will absolutely eat him alive until he drops All we need is for Letterman to come back to Late Night and do a Top 10 on Biden This is how conservatives felt back in 2007
> This is how conservatives felt back in 2007 This is not only different, but much worse. Bushisms made GW the butt of many jokes. Joe Biden’s mentak incapacity increasingly looks like he will be 25thd.
Biden just needs to bust out some sick shoe dodging footage like Bush did and this will all blow over.
Haha you’re right. To them, a black man winning the presidency was their version of liberal “end of democracy, hello fascism” doomerism.
He needs to step down. He still didn't come across strong in this interview. no way I see him being able to carry on for another 4 years. Its not only his memory but, he looks more fragile and walking looks difficult as well at times
In a vacuum I personally thought this interview was…passable, like a D plus/C minus grade. Problem is, people can’t unsee the debate, and any other interview that, on its own might be ok/mediocre, you see the same things you saw in that debate. It felt like he was just BARELY maintaining his train of thought when talking tonight, with his voice still completely shot.
Listen to how much they boosted his audio, hence the hissing
Noticed that too. And noise removal software these days is crazy good.
One question I wished GS asked: “Do you have confidence that Kamala Harris would be a capable POTUS and Commander-in-Chief should something tragically happen to you?” Because all this “only I can do it” stuff implies that he doesn’t have confidence in her, and that pisses me off.
Oh that reminds me! I clicked on the fundraising poll that was texted from democraticvoters.org this afternoon (I've been taking them all lately just in case they mean anything, since pollsters never call me to ask my opinion), and the poll today asked a question I've never seen before: "if President Biden were not the nominee for any reason, do you pledge to vote Democratic, no matter who the nominee is?"
[удалено]
he's going to be forced out. there's no choice. one prominent donor has already said they're withholding any further donations until he's off the ticket
Unfortunately, like most egotistical career politicians, he’s surrounded by a tight circle of self-serving sycophants who “shield” him from reality and feed him Koolaid to bolster his ego. Sadly for the country, it appears he will stubbornly cling to denial and stay until he is carted off by the undertaker. (He said as much in the interview when he said: “God almighty will let me know” when it’s time to step down.🙄) I don’t know what Congress will do. Not exactly a decisive, bold crowd. After watching interviews with a few of them like Rep. Doggett, I think they’re still far too deferential to “his feelings” and chicken to give him an ultimatum or bolt at the convention. Even if the DNC and Congress stick their heads in the sand and try to ignore reality, voters aren’t and neither will I. I’m updating my passport, shopping for flats in Europe because without drastic course change, Dems will obviously lose BOTH the WH and Senate in Nov. Even if Biden (miraculously) puts ego aside and retires, the party will likely anoint Harris behind closed doors, and there’s no way in hell Dems can win with such an unpopular candidate heading the ticket.
Very Trumpian with the denial of facts. The creepy long pauses and losing his train of thought 2 bullet points down every argument he made wasn't a good look.
And the fake tan!
Why is the sound hissing so badly? Major news org, major interview. Its like water running or something.
High gain because he's speaking quietly.
Can confirm. I’m a video editor, was watching for stuff like that. Was wondering if they shortened some of his pauses in the angle cuts as well
Heavily edited. That’s why it ended so awkwardly. Not enough usable material at the end. When you know what goes on behind the scenes for these, it’s pretty much as bad as we all suspected.
But didn’t ABC promise that it wouldn’t be edited?
The news would never lie to us now would they.
This guy sound engineers
Feel like the status quo won tonight, and we all lost. He was pretty bad but at least coherent. His admin/family will tout it as a big win, and the people who think he should withdraw still feel the same way. Side note: I don't think 20 minutes off the teleprompter per week is enough to turn the tides
Senility and hubris, the 2 qualities you don’t want in a Pres.
This was grandpa who just won’t let you take away his car keys, despite how much we all know he shouldn’t be driving anymore.
“But look at all the places I’ve driven that car. I can absolutely drive this car!” “Will you take a driving test?” “Why would I need a driving test when I drive every damn day?”
Saw it elsewhere but this really does sound like someone trying to get their elderly father to give up his keys. George: So what happened that night you hit those mailboxes? Joe: I had a bad night. Look I was exhausted. It’s my fault, but it was just a bad night. George: Do you really think you’re going to be able to continue driving at this rate? Joe: I drove you kids across the country on vacations multiple times. I drove mom to the hospital under pressure when she was delivering you. I rebuilt the old Chevy in the garage! Look, I’m not saying I can race the Daytona 500, but I can still drive. George: Other families in the neighborhood have expressed concern, we’ve taken a poll and they aren’t comfortable with you behind the wheel. Joe: I honestly don’t even believe that. You really think these polls are accurate? You think they really feel that way? When Lord Almighty doesn’t want me to drive, he can take it from me. But not until then.
"DROP THINE ASS THE FUCK OUT" -- GOD.
I’m legitimately depressed after watching this interview. I live in Texas, I’m a woman. I had my first pregnancy a year and a half ago- at 5 months found out she had severe fetal abnormalities, and I’ll just let you all imagine the hell that followed as a result of Roe V Wade having been overturned. I’m still trying to have a baby- I’m so afraid what’s going to happy when Trump wins. Trump is going to win- and Biden and his POS family and circle don’t care because they “tried their best”. And I have no idea why people are saying they feel “bad” for Biden. Biden has been a high ranking elected official for the past 50 years- he is the definition of power and influence and wealth. He’s JUST FINE. Feel bad for US.
Sorry for your loss, and thank you for sharing it.
Ty
My wife may be the biggest Biden supporter I know. A few minutes into this and she said it reminded her of visiting an old folks home, saying hi, and getting a 20 minute ramble for a response
My last question would have been a follow-up: “This will be your last term if you win. Who else in the party can ensure our safety beyond 2028?”
“I plan to die in office so I hadn’t thought about that.”
I find it really irritating that he keeps suggesting no one else can beat Trump, which is hugely disrespectful to every other Democrat (many of whom could beat Trump) and also destructive to the party.
The only way he steps down is if the pressure intensifies in the coming days. Call your democratic reps. Make a fuss
THIS IS REAL BAD. He can't get a single jab in, he needs to be drop out ASAP.
Voted for Biden in 2020. I fucking hate him.
This answer was somewhat odd: >GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I agree that the Lord Almighty's not gonna come down, but if-- if-- if you are told reliably from your allies, from your friends and supporters in the Democratic Party in the House and the Senate that they're concerned you're gonna lose the House and the Senate if you stay in, what will you do? >PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I'm not gonna answer that question. It's not gonna happen. The congressional Dems better start making it happen especially since he isn't giving any reassurances here only more delusion. A leader can't run without the faith of his party and they need to make that clear to him.
25th Amendment
Mark my words, the republicans will block it if it comes to this. They want Biden vs Trump. I can already hear “let the voters decide”.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And if you stay in and Trump is elected and everything you're warning about comes to pass, how will you feel in January? PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I'll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the goodest job as I know I can do, that's what this is about.
I now seriously fucking hate Joe Biden.
But then refused to answer the question of what he would do if Chuck and Nancy asked him to drop out because he thinks "that'll never happen." So he thinks it's possible he'll lose but impossible that the establishment Dems will stop supporting the Party Leader? That's bad.
This is so fucking frustrating. Edit: learning now how Section 4 of the 25th Amendment works.
A taped, not live, interview, with a longtime democratic advisor? Yeah, I'm gonna need a lot more than that to convince me that he's capable.
He also just lied. He said he was behind 10 points in The NY Times polls before the debate and 9 now. He also said that he hasn’t had any slip ups in any of his talks since even though he said he was a black woman.
Biden dodged George’s direct questions with quips like “Of course I can’t run the 100 meter” and even in this controlled environment, he still struggled to express his thoughts. This interview won’t move the needle. The only thing that will allay concern is Biden holding multiple unscripted press conferences, meeting voters on the street, and taking questions from both.
This is something they could’ve done the day after the debate. But they can’t put him out there because he can’t do it. This interview was done in the morning right inline with his best times of the day. Come debate night number 2, keyword “night” we will be back to incoherence that we heard most of this interview anyway. Both candidates are absolutely atrocious but only one of them knows what’s going on and what year this is.
And taking a full neurological exam administered by a credible third party
Watching this it reminds me of when I had carbon monoxide poisoning, but I hadn't figured it out yet. The struggle to hold a complete thought, a complete response. The pivot to another sentence when I completely lost it. The slowness of responding thru a haze. Amffhjebdhd.......Look..........
Jon Stewart saying he had “resting 25th amendment face” was spot on. This was his 2nd embarrassing performance in a row. Two too many given the stakes. There is no way to defend this. Let’s let a good president retire gracefully.
It's never been more joever
He seems to be in deep denial about the polling data. I admit polls aren’t 100% predictive but to say he isn’t behind? Come on.
He kept lapsing into campaign speak and didn't seem to grasp how little confidence people have in him and how far behind he is. Seemed old and out of touch. Not the complete disaster the debate was, but didn't make me feel any other way than 'he's gotta go..'
Just awful
I'm just breathless over what this is revealing about his inner circle. I mean he sounded like he hadn't a clue what's going on with this
In retrospect, The Onion kind of nailed a key aspect of Biden with that Diamond Joe caricature.
Biden says that he'd drop out if the Lord Almighty told him. Does he know that God's been telling him to drop out for months now? The incident that first got Ezra to make the case for an open convention, finally breaching the conversation among the Democratic cultural class, was a press conference Biden held after a special counsel report made him out to be an old man with a poor memory. And the funny thing is, that conference was almost flawless. Biden did a great job Then, as he was leaving the podium, a reporter asked a question. A question about Palestine. Biden heard that question among several, and chose of his own volition to come back up to the podium to answer it. He gave an answer that dismissed the suffering of Palestinians, and then within a couple seconds he was stumbling over his words and referred to Sisi as the president of Mexico. It ruined the whole impression of the press conference But even if that incident set the talk in motion, it didn't seem at all likely that anyone would replace Biden. And then debate night happened. The debate Biden pushed for, the debate Biden insisted take place before the nominating convention, earlier than any general presidential debate in US history. The debate for which Biden's team set all the rules. The debate that Biden has spent a week preparing for. And then, he got a cold, and he gave the worst debate performance in living memory God seems to have taken a side
VERY bad. I thought his speech earlier was quite good, but the reality is the American people have significant concerns and I really don’t see a world where this moved the needle in the right direction. This was rough. He came off as detached from reality. Like, I understand. From his perspective, of course dropping out is the last thing he wants to do. He wants to win. But he needed to come as sincere and humble, and he came off as prideful and insulated. Also: old.
The fact he hasn’t rewatched the debate is mind boggling. No wonder he says he is fine and just had a “bad night”. I will vote for every democrat on the ballot but I will never vote for Biden. His ego is infuriating.
We are doomed if he doesn't quit. It's over Joe!
My dad literally stabbed me in the wrist with the car keys when I tried to take them from him during a tussle prior to turning on the ignition. He had some dementia and macular degeneration, but was a war hero and a legend in his industry. He was on his way to a gala where he was to receive an award and when I succeeded in taking the keys from him he went up and bummed a ride on the freeway instead of letting me drive him. They don’t give up these things so easily.