All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[JCAll]

The fact remains that Biden was almost in last place after Iowa (and Harris dropped out before the primaries). The voters just weren't going for him until they had no remaining choice. Bernie was too much of a wild card.

It was really only the first 2 or 3 primaries that Joe got really trounced in, probably something to do with him completely sleepwalking through the first debate. He started picking up steam pretty early after that, something that seemed like it surprised him as much as anybody.

[Tami]

Jack C won't concede the NJ Gov race. Not yet anyway. Not surprising.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

It was really only the first 2 or 3 primaries that Joe got really trounced in, probably something to do with him completely sleepwalking through the first debate. He started picking up steam pretty early after that, something that seemed like it surprised him as much as anybody.

Basically whoever got Clyburns endorsement was winning SC. That gave Biden enough momentum to be the obvious alternative to Bernie who was surging. Then basically on the eve of the next big primaries Buttigieg and Klobucher who did well in the initial primaries immediately dropped out and endorsed Biden as a last ditch effort to rally the party around Biden instead of Sanders and then Biden was able to build a lead and keep it, especially with Warren splitting the left.

But what's happening now isn't really surprising. Biden was never a great candidate. He got embarrased all the other times he ran and every poll pretty much said his voters really didn't care much about him but wanted Trump gone. That spelled disaster for the House races down ballot where Trump wasn't one of the picks. Now there's no Trump to run against and Biden is unpopular, can't get his party in order, is dealing with pandemic fallout, and is probably going to lose Congress and then get stonewalled until 2024.

[CSTowle]

One thing to appreciate is how Obama was able to manage his image in comparison to Biden in the comparative timeframe. Obama avoided getting personally tarred by all the politicking stuff and he was able to massage expectations like a champ and remain cool and above the fray, whereas Biden isn't able to pull off that trick for now.

In fairness Obama was probably the most effective speaker in the White House since Reagan. He loved the camera and speaking to the people. Probably his greatest strength. Joe was an effective speaker, gaffes aside, back in the day but he's clearly diminished and I think they want him to avoid cameras as much as possible because seeing him that way is a bit of a liability. There are a lot of nonsense stories circulating on the right about Joe falling asleep or s##tting his pants, but they gain traction because when you listen to the man speak it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility. It's the same reasoning behind the pee tape story about Trump. Made up, but plausible enough it sticks.

It would help if we had an effective speaker in the White House on the Veep side. Unfortunately we have Kamala Harris. Now would be the time for someone in her position to step up and be the face and voice of the Administration, not to mention getting the public familiar with the likely Democratic candidate in '24, but I'm not seeing that from her. Maybe she'll prove me wrong. I hope so. Trump's still around, and I worry about a smarter version with a real political agenda aside from ego-stroking picking up the baton and taking us further down the road Trump was flirting with.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

The thing is: I actually understand the frustration with Congress and the Obama Administration during the first two years of his presidency. If the political environment were like today and Democrats had a 59 seat majority in the Senate and a 257 seat majority in the House, there would be more of a reason to be upset about Democratic inaction. Voters in 2008 delivered a HUGE mandate for Obama’s vision of the economy and future. They got a fair pay act that had been blocked by Bush, the watered-down ACA intended to win Lieberman’s approval, and the original, all-too-small Recovery Act that got three Republican votes, one of whom switched parties afterwards. As annoying as Manchin and Sinema are though, Obama was dealing with people like Lieberman and Nelson. And there was more widespread resistance to filibuster reform.

Voters here didn’t deliver that kind of majority to Biden. They delivered him a bare majority in the Senate where you need every Democrat, or at least one or two Republicans, to back a bill to get it passed. And they delivered him a House with 222 of his party’s members. And, yes, it’s great Georgians voted for two Democratic Senators to get stuff done. But it isn’t like those Senators are holding up progress. It’s the guy from West Virginia. And because of the feature of our Constitutional system where the Senate provides equal representation to all states, regardless of population, and all bills have to also pass through them, President Biden is limited by the Republican Party’s relentless obstructionism and one guy from West Virginia. That’s what Americans voted for. If voters want to change that, that means getting people in Texas to vote for Democrats. That means getting people in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to also vote for Democrats.

Democrats could’ve sidelined Nelson and Lieberman if they wanted to. But this was still an era in which people believed in norms and there were FAR more moderates and less partisan sorting. Now, we live in that era, but the consequence is more division and a less effective electoral coalition which gives us the disadvantage in statewide races countrywide.

The problem is right now, as much as we can complain about the slim margins. The Democrats do have the numbers in their own party, they just can't get everyone in the party on board. BBB could be done if it wasn't for Democrat standing in the way. So as much as we can talk about slim margins, it's more Democrats not being able to get it done when they have the means to if the Party was on the same page. And a lot of that is contributing to both a schism in the party and the increasing perception that Democrats might be better policy wise than Republicans, but they are so bad at politics that they will just blow it all anyways and eventually their voters will get desensitized and check out, Republicans will win power, and you'll have to wait through a cycle of them screwing up to make a comeback where they will just get the same outcome

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

In fairness Obama was probably the most effective speaker in the White House since Reagan. He loved the camera and speaking to the people. Probably his greatest strength. Joe was an effective speaker, gaffes aside, back in the day but he's clearly diminished and I think they want him to avoid cameras as much as possible because seeing him that way is a bit of a liability. There are a lot of nonsense stories circulating on the right about Joe falling asleep or s##tting his pants, but they gain traction because when you listen to the man speak it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility. It's the same reasoning behind the pee tape story about Trump. Made up, but plausible enough it sticks.

It would help if we had an effective speaker in the White House on the Veep side. Unfortunately we have Kamala Harris. Now would be the time for someone in her position to step up and be the face and voice of the Administration, not to mention getting the public familiar with the likely Democratic candidate in '24, but I'm not seeing that from her. Maybe she'll prove me wrong. I hope so. Trump's still around, and I worry about a smarter version with a real political agenda aside from ego-stroking picking up the baton and taking us further down the road Trump was flirting with.

Obama also had the perception of being a newbie outsider who was optimistically trying to get the system to work. Biden is all too happy to be viewed as an elder statesman who knows the system and is a cog in it.

[GindyPosts]

Obama also had the perception of being a newbie outsider who was optimistically trying to get the system to work. Biden is all too happy to be viewed as an elder statesman who knows the system and is a cog in it.

But he's too steadfast in his ways to accept that things have changed and "staying the course" just ain't going to cut it. Especially when one side has shown they are more than happy to undercut you in every way while saying you were responsible for the policies they themselves created.

[mathew101281]

the fact that essays like this are coming from somewhat mainstream websites is kind of alarming to me.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opini...d=winp1taskbar

[Jack Dracula]

The problem is right now, as much as we can complain about the slim margins. The Democrats do have the numbers in their own party, they just can't get everyone in the party on board. BBB could be done if it wasn't for Democrat standing in the way. So as much as we can talk about slim margins, it's more Democrats not being able to get it done when they have the means to if the Party was on the same page. And a lot of that is contributing to both a schism in the party and the increasing perception that Democrats might be better policy wise than Republicans, but they are so bad at politics that they will just blow it all anyways and eventually their voters will get desensitized and check out, Republicans will win power, and you'll have to wait through a cycle of them screwing up to make a comeback where they will just get the same outcome

What makes you think there will be a chance to make a comeback?

[Iron Maiden]

the fact that essays like this are coming from somewhat mainstream websites is kind of alarming to me.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opini...d=winp1taskbar

This worries me tremendously. I think it was posted here already but I keep thinking about the rally in Idaho last week where a guy make this statement to the speaker Charlie Kirk "At this point, we're living under corporate and medical fascism. This is tyranny. When do we get to use the guns? I mean, literally, where’s the line? How many elections are they going to steal before we kill these people?” This shows you the level of division that has been sown. Who knows how many are out there that think the same thing. And they are the ones with all the guns. There are more (known) guns in this country than people and the U.S has 40 % of the world's privately owned guns.

IMO it's not so far fetched to assume that there is a small private army out there meeting through social media and making their plans.

[Robotman]

the fact that essays like this are coming from somewhat mainstream websites is kind of alarming to me.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opini...d=winp1taskbar

Right wing media is egging on the insanity and violence. Makes me wonder, is an actual civil war profitable?

[worstblogever]

Jack C won't concede the NJ Gov race. Not yet anyway. Not surprising.

This is now the "new normal" from Republicans thanks to Trump. Ignore the results of an election, claim you won, sow public resentment and destabilize actual democracy.

A disgusting party agenda for this nation, truly.

[Tendrin]

This is now the "new normal" from Republicans thanks to Trump. Ignore the results of an election, claim you one, sow public resentment and destabilize actual democracy.

A disgusting party agenda for this nation, truly.

"The governor's victory speech last night was premature," Ciattarelli said in a video message on Twitter Thursday. "No one should be declaring victory or conceding the election until every legal vote is counted."

There's that phrase again.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

There's that phrase again.

Yeah, I heard that too. I wonder who Jack C aimed that phrase at? Things that make you go hmmmmmm!

[Tami]

Yeah, I heard that too. I wonder who Jack C aimed that phrase at? Things that make you go hmmmmmm!

There were some problems with some fo the voting machines, but noting big enough to affect the election.

I'm not so worried about this, even if there is a recount it won't change the outcome.