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https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/1724062678073...

A devastating evaluation from
@politico

@jmart
: 'Biden will not be able to govern and campaign in the manner of previous incumbents. He simply does not have the capacity to do it, and his staff doesn’t trust him to even try..

And no, it's not too late to jettison Biden off the ticket. The dems still have time to LBJ him right out of the race. The problem is - if they do - next up is Kamala Harris, who has all the political instincts of sawdust and is every bit as unpopular as he is.

And if they dump Harris...well, then: the careful work that Obama did to reshape the democrat party away from the traditional FDR coalition of liberals & labor and into a party of intersectional victim groups will be blow apart.

And no, it's not too late to jettison Biden off the ticket. The dems still have time to LBJ him right out of the race.

Yes, it is too late to jettison Biden off the ticket. You might recall that LBJ's decision to not seek re-election caused utter chaos in the party, leading to the disastrous 1968 DNC convention and the Democrats losing the election anyway. You might also recall that his decision was not precipitated by party elders, but the fact that he drew two serious primary challengers and was probably going to lose the primary.

You can't beat someone with no one. Unless and until a serious challenger actually enters the primaries against Biden, he will be the nominee unless he decides he doesn't want the nomination. Which is almost certainly not going to happen.

You can't beat someone with no one. Unless and until a serious challenger actually enters the primaries against Biden, he will be the nominee unless he decides he doesn't want the nomination. Which is almost certainly not going to happen.

Oh, I agree with everything you said. But you should consider 1 thing:

Is Joe Biden actually making decisions for himself?

Oh, I agree with everything you said. But you should consider 1 thing:

Is Joe Biden actually making decisions for himself?


Certainly yes. It would take a conspiracy of ridiculously large proportions to keep that hidden. This isn't an episode of the The West Wing, and Biden's not a Supreme Court justice. He has to interact with literally hundreds and hundreds of people in the course of a day or week. If he were so non compos mentis that he was not making decisions for himself, there's no way it would be kept under wraps.

He's old, not senile. So he's not going to be able to campaign the way a young person would. No whistle-stop, four-states-a-day tours for him. But that doesn't mean he's not making his own decisions.

Certainly yes.

Really? You're familiar with the story of Edith Wilson? That's clearly the dynamic here.

However...it does actually reinforce your point: Jill Biden loves being where she is and as long as Joe is upright, he ain't going anywhere. The question is, how long can the tension between her and the rest of the dnc last?

Really? You're familiar with the story of Edith Wilson? That's clearly the dynamic here.

No, it's not. Wilson was bedridden, and access to him was severely limited to a tiny handful of people. He was basically confined and isolated from contact with anyone outside the innermost circle. Even then, they were only able to keep the extent of his affliction concealed for a couple of months - by early 1920, everyone knew that he had been debilitated by the stroke.

That's not happening here. Biden is meeting with literally hundreds and hundreds of people every day. He's certainly not as sprightly as a spring chicken, but if he was non compos mentis there's no way it could be hidden.

No, it's not. Wilson was bedridden, and access to him was severely limited to a tiny handful of people. He was basically confined and isolated from contact with anyone outside the innermost circle. Even then, they were only able to keep the extent of his affliction concealed for a couple of months - by early 1920, everyone knew that he had been debilitated by the stroke.

That's not happening here. Biden is meeting with literally hundreds and hundreds of people every day. He's certainly not as sprightly as a spring chicken, but if he was non compos mentis there's no way it could be hidden.

You don't think access to Biden is closely guarded? And have you noted that even when he's in public he's given very precise and very specific things to say and do?

His cognitive decline has been fairly steady, and there's not enough Adderall laying around to fix it.

You don't think access to Biden is closely guarded?

OMG, no! Look, just yesterday he met yesterday with the entire team of the NHL champion club, in front of the press:

https://apnews.com/article/vegas-golden-knights-wh...

If someone is genuinely non compos mentis, you can't have events like that. It doesn't matter how scripted they are. If he's literally incapable of making his own decisions, you can't hide that in events with a hundred or more participants, cameras rolling from every angle, over and over again. It will get found out. There's no way to hide it. You just can't do those kinds of things in large, mixed groups that will certainly - just by chance - include at least some people who aren't supporters of the President. If he genuinely was impaired, you just can't risk him doing something on-camera in front of a mixed group that inarguably demonstrates mental incapacity.

You certainly can't schedule a summit meeting with the Chinese President if he's non compos mentis, either. Because again, there's no way to conceal that in a one-on-one discussion like that.

They were not successful in concealing Wilson's debilitation for more than a couple of months, even while keeping him hidden away from everyone other than his closest advisors. In an era before video, before cell phones. It's utterly impossible for Biden to be non compos mentis and for it to be concealed.

OMG, no! Look, just yesterday he met yesterday with the entire team of the NHL champion club, in front of the press:

You don't think those things are carefully managed? Come on, man.

You certainly can't schedule a summit meeting with the Chinese President if he's non compos mentis, either. Because again, there's no way to conceal that in a one-on-one discussion like that.


Right. Because all his other meetings with foreign leaders have gone sooooooo well:

https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/171458815047386...

If this was a one-off that'd be one thing. But these mental lapses are routine for Joe Biden.

To my knowledge Xi doesn't speak English, so at least there will be a translator there.

You don't think those things are carefully managed? Come on, man.

It doesn't matter how "carefully managed" they are. If Biden was literally incapacitated, you can't have those kinds of events. You can't have him exposed to hundreds of people in full view of the cameras. People who are so deteriorated that they are no longer "making their own decisions" can't be put in those types of situations, over and over again, and not have anyone notice. You're not talking about a malapropism or the inability to recall an anecdote - you're talking about the complete loss of basic mental capacity. It's just impossible.

Again, Wilson was only able to hide it because he went into complete isolation. He didn't do events - he didn't even do meetings. And even then, he couldn't conceal it for more than a few months.

Dope, it's just impossible. There's no way Biden isn't making his own decisions these days. There's no way you could conceal that degree of incapacity while still doing even "carefully managed" events. You'd have to cancel all of these types of events, and even then it would still be found out. If he's continuing to run for President, it's because he's choosing to run for President.

Fearless Predictions:


1.)If Biden comes off the ticket - the Faux Pro-Biden Liberals here ....will not say a PEEP about it 24 hours after it happens.

2.)The Liberals here - will not ONCE say "It's gotta Be Kamala, she's Veep, Biden picked her t".

No way.

Sadly, I' not sure the opposing ticket will be one that says, 24/7 "Jobs, Wages, Gas, Groceries" - rinse and repeat. We might be shouting "no abortion! Yes Israel! War War War!" instead....and maybe that won't be enough.


So who knows, maybe a fresh charismatic Dem, with the media at HIS side.....can be the one to replace Clarence Thomas.

If Biden was literally incapacitated, you can't have those kinds of events.

Hang on. Let's not move the goalposts. Biden might be upright enough to shuffle around and take selfies with some sports team. That in NO WAY is an indicator that he's up for FOUR MORE YEARS of a job that takes massive physical and mental toll of everyone who tries it. Just look at pictures of Obama, Bush and Clinton before and after the job...all of them look like they're 20 years older instead of 8 in each case.

Again, Wilson was only able to hide it because he went into complete isolation. He didn't do events - he didn't even do meetings. And even then, he couldn't conceal it for more than a few months.

Biden does less than the bare minimum for the job, fact. He routinely has days with very few (if not zero) public appearances and spends nearly every weekend at his beach house in Delaware. Hardly a taxing schedule.

If he's continuing to run for President, it's because he's choosing to run for President.

Biden wants to run. Jill wants to be First Lady. But they may not be the ultimate decision makers is my point. The people who run the democrat party are looking at his unpopularity, the economy, the mess he's made of foreign affairs and the fact that despite throwing every last DA in the country at Trump they haven't been able to take him out yet. The Politico I referenced is a shot across the bow.

Other media outlets that are reliable distributors of democrat talking points will soon follow suit if they haven't already.

1.)If Biden comes off the ticket - the Faux Pro-Biden Liberals here ....will not say a PEEP about it 24 hours after it happens.

I absolutely will talk about it. It will be one of the most significant events in modern electoral history - how could we not talk about it?

2.)The Liberals here - will not ONCE say "It's gotta Be Kamala, she's Veep, Biden picked her t".

I absolutely won't say that, because I don't believe it. It doesn't "gotta be Kamala." It almost certainly would be, given that she's the only one with a national footprint, and in the (inevitable) 12-or-more-car-pileup that would result from a vacant nomination that would probably be the difference. But she's not owed it, and certainly would face a multitude of challengers.

Let's not move the goalposts. Biden might be upright enough to shuffle around and take selfies with some sports team. That in NO WAY is an indicator that he's up for FOUR MORE YEARS of a job that takes massive physical and mental toll of everyone who tries it.

But those aren't the goal posts you laid out. You questioned whether Biden was making his own decisions, not whether he might have difficulty with fulfilling his duties if he were re-elected.

But they may not be the ultimate decision makers is my point. The people who run the democrat party are looking at his unpopularity, the economy, the mess he's made of foreign affairs and the fact that despite throwing every last DA in the country at Trump they haven't been able to take him out yet.

There's no "people who run the democratic party." There's no secret cabal of "real" decision-makers that can pull the strings here. Biden's the most powerful person in the Democratic party - he's the goddamn President, and can shower favors or rain down reprisals on everyone else to a greater degree than any other person in the party.

The democratic party - like the GOP - is a coalition. There are different factions in the coalition, and Team Biden is only one of them. Other factions - like the old Clintonian group that Carville's a part of - have their own political interests and goals, and it's advantageous for them to take some minor shots at Biden to set themselves up for whatever happens after his Presidency. So too with Obamaworld. But that doesn't mean that anyone in the party has the ability to "veto" Biden's decision whether to run for the nomination or not, nor the ability to deny him the nomination if he chooses to run.

That in NO WAY is an indicator that he's up for FOUR MORE YEARS of a job that takes massive physical and mental toll of everyone who tries it.

So far, there is nothing to indicate that what you are saying is anything more than bullshit.

And Trump? OMG, he sounds like an idiot every time he opens his mouth and he would do in spades what he tried and failed to do last time he had the chance: he will destroy our democracy, create a crony authoritarianism and do all in his power to get revenge on his perceived enemies. He's lazy and incompetent and corrupt and he surrounds himself with shamelessly unethical people with over-weaning ambition who care about nothing but their own selfish interests.

That's what you'd replace Biden with? Your nuts.

But those aren't the goal posts you laid out. You questioned whether Biden was making his own decisions, not whether he might have difficulty with fulfilling his duties if he were re-elected.

Indeed I did, and he's having difficulty doing his job right now.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/politics/bid...
https://archive.is/YkCdL

On Thursday, President Gustavo Petro of Colombia met with Mr. Biden, but the two did not hold a news conference together, another practice of his predecessors that Mr. Biden has frequently chosen to skip. After the meeting, Mr. Petro took questions from reporters — alone — at microphones in front of the West Wing.
And despite his press secretary pledging that Mr. Biden would “bring transparency and truth back to the government,” in his first two years, the president granted the fewest interviews since Mr. Reagan’s presidency: only 54. (Donald J. Trump gave 202 during the first two years of his presidency; Barack Obama gave 275.)

Back to the thread:
The democratic party - like the GOP - is a coalition. There are different factions in the coalition, and Team Biden is only one of them. Other factions - like the old Clintonian group that Carville's a part of - have their own political interests and goals, and it's advantageous for them to take some minor shots at Biden to set themselves up for whatever happens after his Presidency. So too with Obamaworld. But that doesn't mean that anyone in the party has the ability to "veto" Biden's decision whether to run for the nomination or not, nor the ability to deny him the nomination if he chooses to run.

There are a lot of people with influence in the democrat party (and in the GOP). Superdelegates. The people with the money. Unions. Party honchos like Axelrod. More. All of them are going to look at Biden and do a risk/benefit analysis of dumping the nearly $1 billion dollars it costs to elect a US President.

Dope, it's just impossible. There's no way Biden isn't making his own decisions these days. There's no way you could conceal that degree of incapacity while still doing even "carefully managed" events. You'd have to cancel all of these types of events, and even then it would still be found out. If he's continuing to run for President, it's because he's choosing to run for President.

And tomorrow, or next week, or in an hour, Dope will make the same assertions about Biden's mental status as if this thread, and threads like it all over the internet, never happened.

Cue the Sonny and Cher song, I Got You Babe......It's Groundhog Day.

can't be put in those types of situations, over and over again, and not have anyone notice. - albaby

-----------------

Perhaps it IS being noticed but what is being noticed over and over, by many and many, is not sufficient to meet your definition of fit for duty. In other words, the disagreement is really about is what does fit for duty really mean or require.

There are a lot of people with influence in the democrat party (and in the GOP). Superdelegates. The people with the money. Unions. Party honchos like Axelrod. More. All of them are going to look at Biden and do a risk/benefit analysis of dumping the nearly $1 billion dollars it costs to elect a US President.

That is true, and it's utterly irrelevant to whether Biden is the nominee or not. Because unless those folks actually support another candidate in the primary, then Biden will be the nominee. He doesn't need their support to win the nomination. He's got $90 million and no credible opponent. Again, you can't beat someone with no one - and unless these "people with influence" actually use their influence to get someone else into the race and support them against Biden, Biden is going to be the nominee.

Once he's the nominee, all those "people with influence" are going to line up and support him - because any realistic 'risk/benefit' calculation means that you can't ever decide to "sit out" a Presidential election. Even if the candidate is not ideal, even if they're not your first choice - or far from your first choice - you still have to participate. Even if Biden isn't leading Trump in the polls throughout the campaign, he's unlikely to ever be so far behind that anyone is tempted to just bail on the race - especially with both the House and Senate being tight contests.

Perhaps it IS being noticed but what is being noticed over and over, by many and many, is not sufficient to meet your definition of fit for duty. In other words, the disagreement is really about is what does fit for duty really mean or require.

As I mentioned to Dope, I haven't been talking about "fit for duty." I've been talking about what Dope said upthread - whether Biden is making his own decisions or not. Lots of people aren't fit to be President, but are well enough in possession of their faculties to still be making their own decisions.

Biden's the one who is going to choose whether he remains in the race. If he hasn't gotten out now, he's almost certainly not going to bail out before the convention.

Dope: If Biden comes off the ticket - the Faux Pro-Biden Liberals here ....will not say a PEEP about it 24 hours after it happens."

Another RushLimpbaughish BS prognostication, aka strawman.

With no MrSquigley to shield it, it gets blown to bits by a rational writer,like a clay pigeon hit with #00 .

Only if there was a Dem with the ability to relate to the broader D party, like Clinton or Obama, would Biden ever consider scripting a transfer of candidacy at this juncture.

Not bloody likely.

I am remembering many conversations about Hillary and her mental status after a small bump on the head a few years back. It does appear this constant barrage of BS and false accusations does pay dividends for the liars. You would think eventually people would see the pattern and figure it out.
Alan

He's [Biden] old, not senile. So he's not going to be able to campaign the way a young person would. No whistle-stop, four-states-a-day tours for him. But that doesn't mean he's not making his own decisions.

Plus, Biden's kind of got a lot of other stuff going on. He doesn't exactly have a lot of free time to campaign, unlike some other unnamed currently unemployed do-nothing former POTUSes.

You would think eventually people would see the pattern and figure it out.

Nope. This kind of thing has worked over and over again. Sadly. Lot of stupid people.

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