this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2024

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politics

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‘I Know I’m Not a Young Man’: Biden Confronts Doubts During Forceful Rally (www.nytimes.com)

submitted 3 days ago by jeffw to c/politics

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[–] xenomor 103 points 3 days ago (3 children)

And…the rest of us have to pay the price of his hubris. Just like we’re paying the price for Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s hubris. And Feinstein’s hubris. And Hillary’s hubris.

The Republicans are pure, self-interested evil. But, all of consequences of their awfulness is actively fueled by the Democratic Party’s unwillingness to mount a meaningful opposition.

The only silver lining to Biden’s pathetic display yesterday, is the prospect that this moment may represent the last few stammering gasps of boomer domination in the US. Thanks for the music and the computers, now get the fuck out of the way so younger people can start cleaning up the mess you made.

[–] CitizenKong 36 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Fun fact: Biden is actually too old to be a boomer. So is Trump.

[–] CodexArcanum 18 points 3 days ago

This is the actual problem. Boomer voters (who are pathologically trapped in adolescence; look at how they projected views of eternal childhood onto Millennials) would only feel safe with the last of the ancient preceeding generation. "Save us elder daddies, we have no minds to think but can't trust the 'children' younger than us to know anything!"

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Don’t discount the "moderate voter's" aversion to progressive candidates.

[–] Ensign_Crab 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Seems to me like they're unreliable voters. Seems to me if the party is abandoning its (alleged) principles to court unreliable voters, it should have a better justification for ignoring progressives than "they're unreliable voters."

[–] disguy_ovahea 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (24 children)

You’re joking, right? They’re the majority of the active voters on the left. It’s progressives that protest by abstention and vote third-party when they don’t get an ideal candidate. Turnout cost Democrats the election in 2016, then we got Biden, not Sanders in 2020.

Those polls are exactly why the DNC keeps moving candidates toward center. They try to capture the reliably active voters rather than roll the dice on the inconsistent participation of the far left.

I voted for Bernie in the primary, and Hillary in the election. I know many who did the former, but did not do the latter.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Are we going to though? I have my doubts.

[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001 8 points 3 days ago

Studies have shown younger generations have basically said "fuck it we're going out in style" and are choosing to spend money on luxuries outside of their means because they don't see a future.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

We all do, Joe. That doesn't really change anything.

[–] cyd 24 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Okay, so he's still able to read off a teleprompter and seem "forceful". Now put him in front of the editorial board of any major newspaper for an hour long interview.

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[–] Otakulad 28 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Trump is three years younger than Biden. We only talk about Biden's age because he just looks older. They both have mental problems.

[–] Stern 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Clearly Biden needs a spray tan and some hair dye.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 days ago (1 children)

it would have fucking helped yes, there's no reason why his makeup team should let him on stage looking like a faded graphic tee

[–] JDPoZ 9 points 3 days ago

on stage looking like a faded graphic tee.

Damn, dude.

[–] HomerianSymphony 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (8 children)

Setting aside November for a moment, shouldn't we be having a discussion about whether Biden is fit to be president right now? It can't be good for all of the nation's enemies to know the US of A has an addled president, can it?

He should be stepping aside and letting Kamala take over.

Let Democrats see how President Harris fares for a couple months before the Democrat convention has to decide in August whether to run a different candidate or stick with Harris.

That way, if they do decide to run with Harris, she'll be entering the election as an incumbent.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The incumbent advantage really doesn't apply if it's not who was elected in the first place. The only real advantage would be having a (short) record to run on. Even that assumes that (1) she would have one worth promoting, and (2) that people would care.

The bigger concern is that Harris really, REALLY is not popular. It would take a long time to convince people otherwise, if it could even be done. Hillary spent decades trying to build her image, including a full election cycle in earnest, and failed so miserably that we ended up with Trump.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Clinton was doomed from the start, fox news and their ilk had spent 20 years making her the face of everything they told their viewers to fear.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Yes, and they've also started it with Harris.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

Not that it helps, but she's currently more popular than Biden.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

You think that if I were too old for this job I would have been able to beat healthcare?

[–] anticolonialist 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The Biden we saw at the debate is the Biden at the dnc has known all along, yet they pushed him as the incumbent, refusing to primary him and telling the public this is your only choice because they knew that voters would come out and vote for him regardless of what he has done or who he is or what he is incapable of doing. This is the exact same Biden that leftist told liberals back in 2019 2020 of who Biden actually is and they kept writing it off as a stutter

[–] jeffw 6 points 3 days ago

Good morning, sunshine!

[–] vxx 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

At least the trump campaign has to come up with some new tactics, since Biden obviously wasn't on uppers during the campaign as they suggested, and the "Biden is old" is pretty much effect less these days with trumps mental decline on display.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I think that analysis is missing an important fact: Yes, Trump's mental decline is visible to anyone taking a closer look. He is a liar who just as much as Biden, more even, can just get things wrong unintenionally on top of that. But one thing that is important about him, is that he is a narcissist. Projecting charisma and using bullshit to shield himself is literally what his pathology and the very core of his unconscious mind is built on, it will be the very last thing to go. That is why the "Biden is old" narrative is still working with people - both are old, both are showing signs of it, but Trump can keep up the optics, because that is the very essence of what his life and psyche is revolving around.

I had a very quick look at post-debate rallies of both Trump and Biden. (Sidenote - where was that energy during the debate, Biden? Your voice actually had proper inflection and power, what happened there?) Trump spewed bullshit, of course, lies, falsehoods, nonsense. But he knew how to interact with the crowd, he knew how to speak, he knew how to adjust his message and demeanor between talking to his supporters and talking to a more general audience. Biden was competent enough with his speech - more competent than during the debate for sure - but he still felt like someone who had lacking dynamism. And in light of the debate that just happened, his enthusiastic supporters and his hype-people trying to build him up felt... surreal to be 100% honest. The chants of "You can do it" did not feel like a powerful message of competence, but like cheering someone on out of pity. His message in light of the current situation also felt confused. Saying both (not direct quotes, from memory) "I know I am not the youngest", semi-acknowledging that there were problems, while also saying that "Trump is too dangerous" - that definitely sparked the immediate thought of "Yes, Trump is genuinely dangerous. So why are we running with you as our only hope of defeating him?"

I understand, talking about things right now is also about optics, it's about trying to convince others, and yourself, to go vote, to believe in your chosen team and candidate and all that. But lets not delude ourselves, because that idea of Biden beating Trump on the sole basis of being not Trump has led to this situation. The optics of the mental decline of both candidates are different, and the pushed narrative of Biden being old is far from effectless.

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