The President's continued brooding these past four weeks exposes anew that his dropping out of the race wasn’t some grand, noble gesture. It was his only option.
Another thing that gets me and speaks to Biden's ego is that he resents that Obama urged him not to run in 2016. How can he think for one second that he would have been a viable candidate in the first place in either 2016 or 2020 if not for Obama unexpectedly tapping him to be vice president? That was a real gift from the gods, and he showed no gratitude. How much support did Biden garner on his own in 2008? Maybe 3% in Iowa? On his own, he wasn't going to get more popular with more years behind him, I can tell you that. The VP pick was, very simply, his only path to a potential presidency.
Then Biden gained cache with the Black communuty because he was Obama's VP. Before South Carolina in 2020, he didn't seem to be going anywhere, and had not at all lived up to his favorite status. He just has never really resonated with voters outside of Delaware after 1987. That was when he was "up and coming." I'm not saying he hasn't had a great career, but the man has no perspective on himself and his popularity.
Another point is that it's scary how much power the vice presidential nomination has to essentially dictate the future. The inertia of that choice, often made for so many reasons other than intrinsic qualification and appeal, does not seem to be something that our creaky democracy can overcome at this point. People indirectly vote for whom they're told to vote for, and it's frustrating to me.
Great points. And as for VP, yeah---that's how we got the likes of Millard Fillmore and Chester Arthur and Harry Truman. Interesting to consider: who's the greatest Prez who rose from VP? Truman maybe? Teddy Roosevelt? Certainly not Andrew Johnson.
The thing that absolutely disgusts me is that while calling out Trumps quite obvious lies, Biden, his team, his Vice President, and Democratic party so-called elites all knew his condition and concealed it. And that his deterioration was clearly evident to insiders but he was propped up to run for re-election is a far more significant and insidious, and devious, lie. And that Harris, while younger and more energetic, was a willing participant in the lie. As if so long as it suits the narrative and agenda it's okay. And that we as the American public have no real issue being lied to, so long as the liars align to my side, my values, as opposed to the other side is all that matters in choosing our leader. The emperor that has no clothes here is us. We accept immortality in our leaders, and thus in ourselves, so long as it suits our cause. What are we teaching our children here? By not raising our voices against indecency we create it.
Bill -- I'm not precisely where you are though maybe not that far off. I just don't have enough clarity to know how much various people knew at a given point in time. A key question is how much Biden has declined in the last year or two.....that's impossible to measure with precision. I will say that the desire by Biden's camp to have a much earlier-than-usual first debate was crucial to this whole sequence of events. It has worked out immensely in the Dems' favor,, albeit with some freak-out and frustration along the way. You make a great point about "as if so long as it suits the narrative and agenda it's okay." .....along with other remarks you make.
Yes. An unfortunate consequence of age for many is digging deeply into, and clinging, to aspects of self with vehemence - and sometimes vengeance. It’s a stubbornness of perspective that perhaps in our youth gets us where we need to go, but in advanced age can become toxic to self and others. I hope to avoid it.
I'm surprised that there is the level of bitterness expressed by you and Mr Harris around a figure such as Biden. I would encourage you to consider some political stories such as those found in The Woman Behind the New Deal by Francis Perkins and There's Nothing for You Here by Fiona Hill and Biden's book, Promise Me Dad and Obama's A Promised Land. Now, of course I'll admit to egg all over my face if you have already digested these and are still so very bitter. You're all so young and have so many options you can organize and lead to move this democracy closer to the ideals you hold. Maybe I miss the point and your real quarrel here is the management of the Democratic party. I admire your insights and intelligence and encourage you to take that on, the improvement of the management of the democratic party. And be careful in using that dynamite packed word "elite" it's right up there with "populist" and "CRT." What does it MEAN? Are these people you assume look down on you? Do they? Why could they? You're smart and experienced and insightful, let them burn their eyes on you. Weighing in from my seat at the table.
Patti, you make a lot of terrific, thoughtful points as usual. However, to clarify one key thing: I don't have an ounce of bitterness for Pres. Biden. Disappointment and befuddlement are my dominant feelings. Disappointment always connotes a level of expectation, and I expected more humility and self-awareness than he's demonstrated. He's been a good soldier in making way, but it's been grudgingly. He has time to more fully embrace all this transition, of course, and my hope is that he finishes well in his term. Monday evening when he speaks at the DNC is one moment when he can shine in this new role he's reluctantly taken on. I have read Promise Me Dad---a couple of years ago---and am generally a fan of Biden. As for the Dem party management, I don't know the ins and outs of those who shielded Biden from legit competition in the primaries vs. those who worked to push him out last month---I suspect there was some overlap. Dean Phillips was gutsy and principled in clamoring respectfully for an alternative to Biden and he was treated \dismissively during his campaign. I hope there's a future for Phillips in politics---his courage and principle are all too rare in that sphere. Lastly, thank you for considering 56 young---it's the oldest I've ever been, but the youngest I'll ever be! Hoping for continued good momentum in Chicago this week.
You kidding? 56 is ridiculously young, in the blossom of that sweet spot of lots of educative experience and lots of freedom from the scrambling of getting situated in life. Frankly, the 45 to 70 year old crowd who choose to are the power engine of progress. I see Biden in several recent appearances with Kamala and I think the two show a lot of that wisdom that comes from always listening first. The reason I referenced the books Promise Me Dad and Obama's Promised Land is they spoke to my number one issue, ending these wars fought to profit the military-industrial complex and the constant back and forth Biden endured when he kept telling Obama and the Generals, this is immoral. Period. He was the only one continually getting the intel from the ground about the corruption and unneeded blood shed of our kids and he took the heat for the messy way, the only way we could get out of wars we had no real control over. I am on the other side of the am I old question at 70, I hope for some wonderful years but I am gloves off now with having no more patience for "it's complicated and it's nuanced and etc" stonewalling to getting to a place of peace. Biden pulled this country together in a way I had never thought I'd see in my lifetime. 70% of us agree on such important paths to peace, health care, affordable drugs, ending the lenders' grip on college grads, privacy, ending child poverty and he took us there. The least the dems could do was carry out what needed carrying out in private. I thought his step down speech was humble, I thought his appearance at dark thirty for the prisoners was humble and I thought his interview with Stephanopoulos was truthful and from the heart. He handles it all a lot better than I would.
Another thing that gets me and speaks to Biden's ego is that he resents that Obama urged him not to run in 2016. How can he think for one second that he would have been a viable candidate in the first place in either 2016 or 2020 if not for Obama unexpectedly tapping him to be vice president? That was a real gift from the gods, and he showed no gratitude. How much support did Biden garner on his own in 2008? Maybe 3% in Iowa? On his own, he wasn't going to get more popular with more years behind him, I can tell you that. The VP pick was, very simply, his only path to a potential presidency.
Then Biden gained cache with the Black communuty because he was Obama's VP. Before South Carolina in 2020, he didn't seem to be going anywhere, and had not at all lived up to his favorite status. He just has never really resonated with voters outside of Delaware after 1987. That was when he was "up and coming." I'm not saying he hasn't had a great career, but the man has no perspective on himself and his popularity.
Another point is that it's scary how much power the vice presidential nomination has to essentially dictate the future. The inertia of that choice, often made for so many reasons other than intrinsic qualification and appeal, does not seem to be something that our creaky democracy can overcome at this point. People indirectly vote for whom they're told to vote for, and it's frustrating to me.
Great points. And as for VP, yeah---that's how we got the likes of Millard Fillmore and Chester Arthur and Harry Truman. Interesting to consider: who's the greatest Prez who rose from VP? Truman maybe? Teddy Roosevelt? Certainly not Andrew Johnson.
The thing that absolutely disgusts me is that while calling out Trumps quite obvious lies, Biden, his team, his Vice President, and Democratic party so-called elites all knew his condition and concealed it. And that his deterioration was clearly evident to insiders but he was propped up to run for re-election is a far more significant and insidious, and devious, lie. And that Harris, while younger and more energetic, was a willing participant in the lie. As if so long as it suits the narrative and agenda it's okay. And that we as the American public have no real issue being lied to, so long as the liars align to my side, my values, as opposed to the other side is all that matters in choosing our leader. The emperor that has no clothes here is us. We accept immortality in our leaders, and thus in ourselves, so long as it suits our cause. What are we teaching our children here? By not raising our voices against indecency we create it.
Bill -- I'm not precisely where you are though maybe not that far off. I just don't have enough clarity to know how much various people knew at a given point in time. A key question is how much Biden has declined in the last year or two.....that's impossible to measure with precision. I will say that the desire by Biden's camp to have a much earlier-than-usual first debate was crucial to this whole sequence of events. It has worked out immensely in the Dems' favor,, albeit with some freak-out and frustration along the way. You make a great point about "as if so long as it suits the narrative and agenda it's okay." .....along with other remarks you make.
Yes. An unfortunate consequence of age for many is digging deeply into, and clinging, to aspects of self with vehemence - and sometimes vengeance. It’s a stubbornness of perspective that perhaps in our youth gets us where we need to go, but in advanced age can become toxic to self and others. I hope to avoid it.
I'm surprised that there is the level of bitterness expressed by you and Mr Harris around a figure such as Biden. I would encourage you to consider some political stories such as those found in The Woman Behind the New Deal by Francis Perkins and There's Nothing for You Here by Fiona Hill and Biden's book, Promise Me Dad and Obama's A Promised Land. Now, of course I'll admit to egg all over my face if you have already digested these and are still so very bitter. You're all so young and have so many options you can organize and lead to move this democracy closer to the ideals you hold. Maybe I miss the point and your real quarrel here is the management of the Democratic party. I admire your insights and intelligence and encourage you to take that on, the improvement of the management of the democratic party. And be careful in using that dynamite packed word "elite" it's right up there with "populist" and "CRT." What does it MEAN? Are these people you assume look down on you? Do they? Why could they? You're smart and experienced and insightful, let them burn their eyes on you. Weighing in from my seat at the table.
Patti, you make a lot of terrific, thoughtful points as usual. However, to clarify one key thing: I don't have an ounce of bitterness for Pres. Biden. Disappointment and befuddlement are my dominant feelings. Disappointment always connotes a level of expectation, and I expected more humility and self-awareness than he's demonstrated. He's been a good soldier in making way, but it's been grudgingly. He has time to more fully embrace all this transition, of course, and my hope is that he finishes well in his term. Monday evening when he speaks at the DNC is one moment when he can shine in this new role he's reluctantly taken on. I have read Promise Me Dad---a couple of years ago---and am generally a fan of Biden. As for the Dem party management, I don't know the ins and outs of those who shielded Biden from legit competition in the primaries vs. those who worked to push him out last month---I suspect there was some overlap. Dean Phillips was gutsy and principled in clamoring respectfully for an alternative to Biden and he was treated \dismissively during his campaign. I hope there's a future for Phillips in politics---his courage and principle are all too rare in that sphere. Lastly, thank you for considering 56 young---it's the oldest I've ever been, but the youngest I'll ever be! Hoping for continued good momentum in Chicago this week.
You kidding? 56 is ridiculously young, in the blossom of that sweet spot of lots of educative experience and lots of freedom from the scrambling of getting situated in life. Frankly, the 45 to 70 year old crowd who choose to are the power engine of progress. I see Biden in several recent appearances with Kamala and I think the two show a lot of that wisdom that comes from always listening first. The reason I referenced the books Promise Me Dad and Obama's Promised Land is they spoke to my number one issue, ending these wars fought to profit the military-industrial complex and the constant back and forth Biden endured when he kept telling Obama and the Generals, this is immoral. Period. He was the only one continually getting the intel from the ground about the corruption and unneeded blood shed of our kids and he took the heat for the messy way, the only way we could get out of wars we had no real control over. I am on the other side of the am I old question at 70, I hope for some wonderful years but I am gloves off now with having no more patience for "it's complicated and it's nuanced and etc" stonewalling to getting to a place of peace. Biden pulled this country together in a way I had never thought I'd see in my lifetime. 70% of us agree on such important paths to peace, health care, affordable drugs, ending the lenders' grip on college grads, privacy, ending child poverty and he took us there. The least the dems could do was carry out what needed carrying out in private. I thought his step down speech was humble, I thought his appearance at dark thirty for the prisoners was humble and I thought his interview with Stephanopoulos was truthful and from the heart. He handles it all a lot better than I would.