No one can predict the future. No one knows for sure the best path forward. But President Biden's expression of democratic values at the NATO Summit this week was inspiring.
While we cannot ignore what’s in front of our eyes, those being ridiculously anxious are solving exactly nothing. In fact, they are causing harm. What the Biden administration offers, even if he is in a diminished state (if that in fact is even the case) is so far superior than any realistic alternative.
There is no viable plan except getting across the finish line…together.
Please continue these uplifting messages in these times of overwhelming anxiety. We can't let Trump gaslight us into extinction. I stand behind President Biden 100% and your articles hopefully will give this message to President Biden.
Trump meeting with someone like Orban is very dangerous. We have no idea what they are discussing. And the fact that he came right after meeting with Putin and Xi is probably significant.
Anyone thinking of switching to trump because of this is insane... go ahead put the stumbles "side by side" in a message make it glaringly obvious trump is worse giving speeches and is quite evil in what he plans to do. A dead plant is better than trump
I don't believe this is the decision some are considering. It's not Biden vs. TFG, it's whoever is at the top of the ticket vs. TFG. Unfortunately, the bar is so utterly low for TFG that how pathetic he is doesn't seem to matter to so many of his supporters.
Steven President Biden will Run and will win stop listening to Polls and Clooney Biden brought us here and will take us all the way . This is all a bunch of chaos for nothing. Lead follow or get out of the way. There are : choices Democracy or Authoritarian rule. It’s simple polls don’t vote people do
I am certain that Russia’s trolls are working to sow discord within the Democratic Party. Putin does not want Biden to run, and if the Democratic Party pushes him out they will be giving Putin a great gift. Physically, Joe Biden has slowed down, but his mind and intelligence are still very much intact. He demonstrated that quite well at last night’s press conference. I fully back Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They make a great team. Let’s not sell ourselves short. #FourMoreYears
Steve, Your message is well worded and right on-target. Most importantly, the role our media has played in perpetuating Biden's minute faults only devalues his great accomplishments. Those commentators who I previously respected and listened to daily are now removed from my quotidian activities. Indeed, their focus on sensationalism instead of the real dangers facing our nation - Trump, dictatorship, fascism, Russia's interference, centralized autocracy, and ultranationalist political ideology downgrades the importance of this election and the continuation of our democracy.
Yes, I so agree with you. I’ve stopped following Washington Post writers I previously respected. When I see a headline with a “but her emails” sort of hysteria to it, I delete it immediately. The nation will have a choice between a knowledgable truthful statesman who loves democracy and one who wants to destroy it. Seems a pretty obvious choice to me. We need to stick together, work together, and preserve democracy.
The media is the gatekeeper of information. What they don’t let through the gate is not heard. It seems upside down to for them to talk about how he hasn’t broken through on his successes or that the VP isn’t highlighted enough. It’s their choice to let drama and ‘being first’ drive the news. As one narrator pointed out when a guest brought this came up —
“We all get the same daily schedules. Why aren’t these things covered?”
From what I saw last evening, President Biden has enough cognitive ability to keep the foreign policies of this country in his head. He responded to questions with dignity, he didn’t seem to lose patience with the same questions over and over. He has the capability to discuss information concerning the future with clarity. We must let him run this race, he and Kamala are the only team fit to govern this country.
All of this BS about Bidens age because these angry white men cannot stomach the possibility of a woman much less a Black woman should ever dare become president even by accident. If this was about Biden they would have removed him from office a year ago.
Although you may be right, I read this as an oversimplification of the issue. Please tell us how exactly "they would have removed him from office a year ago"? I don't know how that could have happened, so would appreciate understanding what this means.
I understand what amendment, but how would this be justified? You can't just say what amendment it is and not explain how it would have been used to remove him from office. In fairness, once he announced he was running, it killed any possibility of an actual primary.
So, not trying to be disagreeable, but the only people saying he's unfit are TFG and MAGA, not Ds and Biden supporters, or even those concerned with the performance in the debate. They're saying they are concerned with his ability to defeat TFG. Age takes a toll. The job of POTUS takes a toll. You cannot say that he is no different than he was a year ago because his campaign has kept him out of public scrutiny since he announced. Very rarely has he spoken ad lib or extemporaneously, most public appearances (think SOTU) were reading from a teleprompter. That doesn't make him a bad person or candidate, but from the moment he walked out on stage, to his incoherent opening statement, to his lack of making a cogent argument for why he deserves 4 more years or to defend his many amazing accomplishments, for me, it was worse than I feared. That TFG's campaign uses excerpts from the debate without modification for his latest round of ads is a problem and reinforces what he has been saying for over 2 years. To me, that's a problem.
But in fairness, he said he would be a one term transition away from TFG and re-establish our place domestically and internationally and he's done just that, and incredibly well. That he decided to run again prevented an actual primary with viable candidates, and he knew this. However, there is no fountain of youth. Again, I will support him if he stays or his replacement if he steps aside.
But Steven lays out a clear perspective in his essay, and although I don't disagree, I still have concerns, That won't cost Biden my support or my vote. But to boil this down to racist tropes about Harris and angry white men is an oversimplification IMO. But I respect yours.
Speaking of NATO, it’s worth noting that the chancellor of West Germany when it joined the alliance was Konrad Adenauer. He was 87 years old when he left office in 1963. He’s widely considered the greatest chancellor in German history.
Absolutely not true. If it were, why do we not allow anyone younger than 35 to run for POTUS? Look, I have immense respect for Biden, but father time catches up with all of us. Not saying it has for Biden, but to pretend age is irrelevant, when all TFG has to do is run campaign ads without modifying the debate at all is a problem. I will support Biden 100% if he stays, or his replacement should he decide to step aside. TFG and MAGA must be defeated and American democracy preserved.
Age can be both an asset or a hindrance, or a combination of both, depending on the person and situation. In Biden's case, I'm convinced it's been more of an asset. I truly believe that age has made him wiser, more grounded and more empathetic. What he's lost in vigor and speaking skills has been more than made up in those other areas. Now, he and his campaign have to convince voters of that, and make them understand that a 90-minute televised debate that is more about showmanship than substance is not the best way to gauge the answer to this question.
Thanks Craig. You absolutely could be right. I didn't see the debate as a reflection of a "wiser, more grounded, and more empathetic" Biden. But I admit I could be wrong.
Edit: I just rewatched the first few minutes of the debate, from the time they walked out to the time when Biden gave his opening remarks. I saw a person staring blankly, with his mouth open, who struggled to complete his thoughts and sentences. This was not about showmanship, but a platform that heightened suppressed concerns for months. I hope the hell you're right and I'm wrong, for the sake of American democracy.
I'm not disputing that the debate performance was bad. It was. I'm just saying that his ability to perform the duties of the office should not be judged solely, or even mostly, on those 90 minutes. Struggling to complete your thoughts verbally is not the same as not having informed thoughts to begin with; I believe the reason that Trump lies so effortlessly and coherently is that he's incapable of forming a complex thought. I've seen plenty of great writers and thinkers struggle on television to complete and express their thoughts in a coherent fashion at a given moment; it's not a reflection of their cognitive ability necessarily.
Fair enough. Full disclosure, I've had concerns since 2019 when he was running for 2020 election. At the time, to allay very fair concerns about his age then, he stated he would be a one term transition away from TFG and restore our place domestically and internationally. Biden did an amazing job at that and had a lot of significant accomplishments. those accomplishments won't matter to low info and either dis- or misinformed voters. He was able to run a bunker campaign in 2020 due to Covid, but he has been kept away from the public eye except when reading from a teleprompter or notes....until the debate. To say that I'm basing my concerns or opinions on a 90 minute debate is simply not accurate or true.
Biden has been a great President and should be proud of all of his accomplishments. He is smart, knows a lot about foreign policy and has a good heart. The issue is that he had a difficult time tonight articulating his message. He did admit that there are many Democrats qualified to be the next President, including VP Harris and he would get out of the race if the data told him so. Moving forward, of course we will continue to ride with Biden. If I was the campaign manager, I would get every surrogate to campaign for him as much as possible till election day, communicating all that has been accomplished, what our vision will be over the next 4 years and to emphasize what a danger a Trump Presidency would be. Clearly communicating how unfit Trump would be as leader of the free world. We need to call out the Calvary! They need to be the messengers, and hopefully ignite some enthusiasm for voters to see that Democracy is at stake and to motivate them to vote in November. Please always remember that there are many shades of blue, our party is a big tent, and I always appreciate the conversation with others who may disagree with my point of view. I remain open to be an active listener and have changed my mind many times on many issues in the past. It is important to be respectful when others have a different point of view. One thing that’s important to bear in mind, in addition to us not knowing how this ends: A lot of Democrats would vote for Biden in any capacity over Trump. In solidarity!
What is wrong with us? We are living in a perilous time when so many of us (and the media) have an attention span of minutes, or automatically believe what we hear or read without asking ourselves, "is that true?"
We need to listen to the wisdom, experience, and history that our older citizens provide us. Last night President Biden made it clear to me that he is more than capable of providing the leadership this country needs in these perilous times. I don't believe the polls. I think the majority of people support him and are ignoring the chaos and noise.
The polling says 94% of people who supported Biden before the debate are sticking with him.
For trump, it’s 86%.
This acting out by the Dems falls into the trap by the trump party. Their entire operation was built around Biden being incapable; attacking his family etc., allegations . (Chances are if Biden had not run for a 2nd term, Hunter would not be facing the possibility of incarceration.) But mostly age because it is the 1 thing that cannot be denied or changed.
They have plans for if the Dems try to change their candidate(s).
The Dems appear to be panicked & without a plan and so of course no timetable. No one with a brain would do this in public, right before NATO met and with the GOP convention so close. A smart tactician would wait until the GOP locked in their platform & named their VP before doing anything in public.
Totally agree. What does it say about a society that doesn't value its older citizens, women, different races, or even their children who are more likely to die from a bullet than any other reason?
I love President Biden, and really believe he has been the transformative leader we needed to clean up the mess Trump left. But, I'm also very conflicted about this issue, and will probably say some things that are unpopular. Listening to the president talk last night makes it clear that he has vast foreign policy knowledge and experience, and I commented to my husband, "Trump would NEVER be able to do this". But it's also true that he struggles to deliver a crisp message with the enthusiasm needed to excite voters. At the current moment, due to the media feeding frenzy, he's always on the defense and it drowns out the message of his successes. As awful as the convicted felon is, even though most of what he says is nonsense, even though he's still a con man, he still has the ability to rile up his supporters. As you said...no one knows what could or will happen. Joe Biden is still our candidate and I will continue to fight for him in any way I can. The idea that our country could elect Trump again is simply unacceptable to me.
I find myself going back to that old song, "We Shall Overcome", making it my personal anthem. The only way we will do that, however, is by understanding lwhat is going on and though cooperative effort. We have to stay focussed and keep talking and sharing the truth. We have to step out and take that chance of rejection in order to keep what is happening in America up front and center. When did Americans ever give up and just accept defeat? We are not made of that and the strength of standing firm for Democracy has to be seen and understood by our children and grandchildren, the workers around us, the media, the naysayers who are trying to steal away the things we hold precious. I'm not afraid as much as I am angry at the audacity of those people trying to usurp the foundation that has stood firm for so long in our country. This forum and others like it is valuable, but we have to determine to not stop here but be ready to move on ito defend America, President Biden and all who are working to maintain. We are in a battle, and it is a big job...but WE are America and we can do it.
Thank you Steven. All words of encouagement gladly accepted. You, Lucian Truscott IV, and Robert Hubble stay the course also and I wish the doubters would read them often. (Heather and Joyce too, of course) It feels like we are being distracted by way too many tiny dogs yapping incessantly. all throught the night and even the day. Enough!! There is work to get done.
While we cannot ignore what’s in front of our eyes, those being ridiculously anxious are solving exactly nothing. In fact, they are causing harm. What the Biden administration offers, even if he is in a diminished state (if that in fact is even the case) is so far superior than any realistic alternative.
There is no viable plan except getting across the finish line…together.
“We must hang together or assuredly we will hang separately.” - B Franklin
Please continue these uplifting messages in these times of overwhelming anxiety. We can't let Trump gaslight us into extinction. I stand behind President Biden 100% and your articles hopefully will give this message to President Biden.
I am more worried about what Trump is doing with Victor Orban at Mara Lago than anything. What kind of horrible plan are they hatching?
Trump meeting with someone like Orban is very dangerous. We have no idea what they are discussing. And the fact that he came right after meeting with Putin and Xi is probably significant.
They are probably sharing nuclear secrets he stole and that the FBI never got. Aileen Cannon has given Trump months to sell off some secrets.
Anyone thinking of switching to trump because of this is insane... go ahead put the stumbles "side by side" in a message make it glaringly obvious trump is worse giving speeches and is quite evil in what he plans to do. A dead plant is better than trump
I don't believe this is the decision some are considering. It's not Biden vs. TFG, it's whoever is at the top of the ticket vs. TFG. Unfortunately, the bar is so utterly low for TFG that how pathetic he is doesn't seem to matter to so many of his supporters.
Steven President Biden will Run and will win stop listening to Polls and Clooney Biden brought us here and will take us all the way . This is all a bunch of chaos for nothing. Lead follow or get out of the way. There are : choices Democracy or Authoritarian rule. It’s simple polls don’t vote people do
I am certain that Russia’s trolls are working to sow discord within the Democratic Party. Putin does not want Biden to run, and if the Democratic Party pushes him out they will be giving Putin a great gift. Physically, Joe Biden has slowed down, but his mind and intelligence are still very much intact. He demonstrated that quite well at last night’s press conference. I fully back Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They make a great team. Let’s not sell ourselves short. #FourMoreYears
Steve, Your message is well worded and right on-target. Most importantly, the role our media has played in perpetuating Biden's minute faults only devalues his great accomplishments. Those commentators who I previously respected and listened to daily are now removed from my quotidian activities. Indeed, their focus on sensationalism instead of the real dangers facing our nation - Trump, dictatorship, fascism, Russia's interference, centralized autocracy, and ultranationalist political ideology downgrades the importance of this election and the continuation of our democracy.
Elizabeth
From Democracy to Democrazy
Yes, I so agree with you. I’ve stopped following Washington Post writers I previously respected. When I see a headline with a “but her emails” sort of hysteria to it, I delete it immediately. The nation will have a choice between a knowledgable truthful statesman who loves democracy and one who wants to destroy it. Seems a pretty obvious choice to me. We need to stick together, work together, and preserve democracy.
The media is the gatekeeper of information. What they don’t let through the gate is not heard. It seems upside down to for them to talk about how he hasn’t broken through on his successes or that the VP isn’t highlighted enough. It’s their choice to let drama and ‘being first’ drive the news. As one narrator pointed out when a guest brought this came up —
“We all get the same daily schedules. Why aren’t these things covered?”
From what I saw last evening, President Biden has enough cognitive ability to keep the foreign policies of this country in his head. He responded to questions with dignity, he didn’t seem to lose patience with the same questions over and over. He has the capability to discuss information concerning the future with clarity. We must let him run this race, he and Kamala are the only team fit to govern this country.
Yes, unscripted questions and there’s no teleprompter for that.
All of this BS about Bidens age because these angry white men cannot stomach the possibility of a woman much less a Black woman should ever dare become president even by accident. If this was about Biden they would have removed him from office a year ago.
Although you may be right, I read this as an oversimplification of the issue. Please tell us how exactly "they would have removed him from office a year ago"? I don't know how that could have happened, so would appreciate understanding what this means.
The 25th amendment
I understand what amendment, but how would this be justified? You can't just say what amendment it is and not explain how it would have been used to remove him from office. In fairness, once he announced he was running, it killed any possibility of an actual primary.
They are saying he is unfit for duty and unable to be president. He is no different now then he was 1 year ago.
So, not trying to be disagreeable, but the only people saying he's unfit are TFG and MAGA, not Ds and Biden supporters, or even those concerned with the performance in the debate. They're saying they are concerned with his ability to defeat TFG. Age takes a toll. The job of POTUS takes a toll. You cannot say that he is no different than he was a year ago because his campaign has kept him out of public scrutiny since he announced. Very rarely has he spoken ad lib or extemporaneously, most public appearances (think SOTU) were reading from a teleprompter. That doesn't make him a bad person or candidate, but from the moment he walked out on stage, to his incoherent opening statement, to his lack of making a cogent argument for why he deserves 4 more years or to defend his many amazing accomplishments, for me, it was worse than I feared. That TFG's campaign uses excerpts from the debate without modification for his latest round of ads is a problem and reinforces what he has been saying for over 2 years. To me, that's a problem.
But in fairness, he said he would be a one term transition away from TFG and re-establish our place domestically and internationally and he's done just that, and incredibly well. That he decided to run again prevented an actual primary with viable candidates, and he knew this. However, there is no fountain of youth. Again, I will support him if he stays or his replacement if he steps aside.
But Steven lays out a clear perspective in his essay, and although I don't disagree, I still have concerns, That won't cost Biden my support or my vote. But to boil this down to racist tropes about Harris and angry white men is an oversimplification IMO. But I respect yours.
Speaking of NATO, it’s worth noting that the chancellor of West Germany when it joined the alliance was Konrad Adenauer. He was 87 years old when he left office in 1963. He’s widely considered the greatest chancellor in German history.
Age means nothing unless you’re a cheese or wine.
Absolutely not true. If it were, why do we not allow anyone younger than 35 to run for POTUS? Look, I have immense respect for Biden, but father time catches up with all of us. Not saying it has for Biden, but to pretend age is irrelevant, when all TFG has to do is run campaign ads without modifying the debate at all is a problem. I will support Biden 100% if he stays, or his replacement should he decide to step aside. TFG and MAGA must be defeated and American democracy preserved.
Age can be both an asset or a hindrance, or a combination of both, depending on the person and situation. In Biden's case, I'm convinced it's been more of an asset. I truly believe that age has made him wiser, more grounded and more empathetic. What he's lost in vigor and speaking skills has been more than made up in those other areas. Now, he and his campaign have to convince voters of that, and make them understand that a 90-minute televised debate that is more about showmanship than substance is not the best way to gauge the answer to this question.
Thanks Craig. You absolutely could be right. I didn't see the debate as a reflection of a "wiser, more grounded, and more empathetic" Biden. But I admit I could be wrong.
Edit: I just rewatched the first few minutes of the debate, from the time they walked out to the time when Biden gave his opening remarks. I saw a person staring blankly, with his mouth open, who struggled to complete his thoughts and sentences. This was not about showmanship, but a platform that heightened suppressed concerns for months. I hope the hell you're right and I'm wrong, for the sake of American democracy.
I'm not disputing that the debate performance was bad. It was. I'm just saying that his ability to perform the duties of the office should not be judged solely, or even mostly, on those 90 minutes. Struggling to complete your thoughts verbally is not the same as not having informed thoughts to begin with; I believe the reason that Trump lies so effortlessly and coherently is that he's incapable of forming a complex thought. I've seen plenty of great writers and thinkers struggle on television to complete and express their thoughts in a coherent fashion at a given moment; it's not a reflection of their cognitive ability necessarily.
Fair enough. Full disclosure, I've had concerns since 2019 when he was running for 2020 election. At the time, to allay very fair concerns about his age then, he stated he would be a one term transition away from TFG and restore our place domestically and internationally. Biden did an amazing job at that and had a lot of significant accomplishments. those accomplishments won't matter to low info and either dis- or misinformed voters. He was able to run a bunker campaign in 2020 due to Covid, but he has been kept away from the public eye except when reading from a teleprompter or notes....until the debate. To say that I'm basing my concerns or opinions on a 90 minute debate is simply not accurate or true.
That’s good to know, Craig!
Thank you Steven for this inspiring post that is so sorely needed by those who have ears to hear.
Biden has been a great President and should be proud of all of his accomplishments. He is smart, knows a lot about foreign policy and has a good heart. The issue is that he had a difficult time tonight articulating his message. He did admit that there are many Democrats qualified to be the next President, including VP Harris and he would get out of the race if the data told him so. Moving forward, of course we will continue to ride with Biden. If I was the campaign manager, I would get every surrogate to campaign for him as much as possible till election day, communicating all that has been accomplished, what our vision will be over the next 4 years and to emphasize what a danger a Trump Presidency would be. Clearly communicating how unfit Trump would be as leader of the free world. We need to call out the Calvary! They need to be the messengers, and hopefully ignite some enthusiasm for voters to see that Democracy is at stake and to motivate them to vote in November. Please always remember that there are many shades of blue, our party is a big tent, and I always appreciate the conversation with others who may disagree with my point of view. I remain open to be an active listener and have changed my mind many times on many issues in the past. It is important to be respectful when others have a different point of view. One thing that’s important to bear in mind, in addition to us not knowing how this ends: A lot of Democrats would vote for Biden in any capacity over Trump. In solidarity!
What is wrong with us? We are living in a perilous time when so many of us (and the media) have an attention span of minutes, or automatically believe what we hear or read without asking ourselves, "is that true?"
We need to listen to the wisdom, experience, and history that our older citizens provide us. Last night President Biden made it clear to me that he is more than capable of providing the leadership this country needs in these perilous times. I don't believe the polls. I think the majority of people support him and are ignoring the chaos and noise.
The polling says 94% of people who supported Biden before the debate are sticking with him.
For trump, it’s 86%.
This acting out by the Dems falls into the trap by the trump party. Their entire operation was built around Biden being incapable; attacking his family etc., allegations . (Chances are if Biden had not run for a 2nd term, Hunter would not be facing the possibility of incarceration.) But mostly age because it is the 1 thing that cannot be denied or changed.
They have plans for if the Dems try to change their candidate(s).
The Dems appear to be panicked & without a plan and so of course no timetable. No one with a brain would do this in public, right before NATO met and with the GOP convention so close. A smart tactician would wait until the GOP locked in their platform & named their VP before doing anything in public.
Totally agree. What does it say about a society that doesn't value its older citizens, women, different races, or even their children who are more likely to die from a bullet than any other reason?
Your observation points in the direction of us having a predatory society.
I love President Biden, and really believe he has been the transformative leader we needed to clean up the mess Trump left. But, I'm also very conflicted about this issue, and will probably say some things that are unpopular. Listening to the president talk last night makes it clear that he has vast foreign policy knowledge and experience, and I commented to my husband, "Trump would NEVER be able to do this". But it's also true that he struggles to deliver a crisp message with the enthusiasm needed to excite voters. At the current moment, due to the media feeding frenzy, he's always on the defense and it drowns out the message of his successes. As awful as the convicted felon is, even though most of what he says is nonsense, even though he's still a con man, he still has the ability to rile up his supporters. As you said...no one knows what could or will happen. Joe Biden is still our candidate and I will continue to fight for him in any way I can. The idea that our country could elect Trump again is simply unacceptable to me.
I find myself going back to that old song, "We Shall Overcome", making it my personal anthem. The only way we will do that, however, is by understanding lwhat is going on and though cooperative effort. We have to stay focussed and keep talking and sharing the truth. We have to step out and take that chance of rejection in order to keep what is happening in America up front and center. When did Americans ever give up and just accept defeat? We are not made of that and the strength of standing firm for Democracy has to be seen and understood by our children and grandchildren, the workers around us, the media, the naysayers who are trying to steal away the things we hold precious. I'm not afraid as much as I am angry at the audacity of those people trying to usurp the foundation that has stood firm for so long in our country. This forum and others like it is valuable, but we have to determine to not stop here but be ready to move on ito defend America, President Biden and all who are working to maintain. We are in a battle, and it is a big job...but WE are America and we can do it.
Yes, in these crazy days we must keep our attention and effort on furthering our priorities.
Thank you Steven. All words of encouagement gladly accepted. You, Lucian Truscott IV, and Robert Hubble stay the course also and I wish the doubters would read them often. (Heather and Joyce too, of course) It feels like we are being distracted by way too many tiny dogs yapping incessantly. all throught the night and even the day. Enough!! There is work to get done.