The Race For 2024

[TomC]

I am more concerned for his 2nd term though. He will be 86 in January 2029, the end of his second term - if he makes it that far. That is a much bigger concern than the question of whether he can run next year

That's a huge difference between Biden and Trump.

Biden fills his administration with competent folks who are loyal to the USA.
Trump filled his administration with people who were loyal to him, regardless of competence.

It's right out there in front of God and everybody.
Tom

 

[Swammerdami]

His legacy sucks, Godwin notwithstanding.

Personally, I think it make more sense to invoke Stalin these days, what with the rise of Vlad the Defenestrating Poisoner.

There really are strong similarities between Hitler and Trump. Expect Godwin's Law to morph into its own Trumpian corollary.

There is one strong difference in character between these two malignant narcissists, eighty years apart. It was anticipated by Karl Marx. With luck, America may eventually recover as Germany did after 1945, and this comparison will then elicit a smile:

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

 

[southernhybrid]

I don't think the person who wrote the comment was claiming that the people on the list were cognitively superior, so I have no idea how you made that assumption. He was just claiming they weren't suffering from cognitive decline, due to their age.

Yes. And as evidence of this, he used the fact that they were billionaires. Which is insane.

Shit, at least one of the specific billionaires mentioned (Rupert Murdoch) is almost certainly suffering cognitive decline.

I think you're making too much of the guy's list. Sure, he could have used better examples, but his only point was that a lot of people in their 80s and 90s remain cognitively intact. I agree that Murdock and Grassley were very poor examples, but I disagree with you about billionaires. Some of them are like Buffet, fairly decent people who have a talent for making money. And, that's was never the guy's point.

And, not all billionaires are simply greedy.

That's right; That's why I mentioned that some are merely lucky.

Buffet has said numerous times that he was simply born with a special talent for making good investments, but he's also said he's not better than anyone else.

Which is exactly my point. He's lucky, not virtuous.

This kneejerk defense of the ultra wealthy is a very unpleasant trait that seems to be surprisingly common, particularly in the USA.

Warren Buffet is almost completely unique amongst billionaires, in trying to tell you that billionaires aren't special; And your response is to gush about how wonderful he (and by implication, other billionaires) can be. Such humility.

I see the same bizarre sycophancy directed towards royalty in Europe; It is apparently hard-wired into people to view insane wealth as a symptom of virtue, rather than as a symptom of insanity (or merely a reflection of pure luck).

Enough already. You are over reacting to what one person said about some billionaires. I don't think Buffet is that bad, but I never said he was virtuous and that has nothing to do with the point of the man's post. I just don't think he's necessarily as evil as you seem to think he is, seemingly just because he has a lot of money. Btw, I don't gush over anyone and I don't give a shit about billionaires, royalty or movie stars etc. I don't care. The point was that he's not cognitively impaired. One more thing. As far as Murdoch goes, have you ever heard the term, "evil genius". The man was certainly very smart to be able to build such a large network of media, despite all the disinformation his networks and papers put out. I read a bit about him to see if he is cognitively impaired and I couldn't find anything to back up your claims. I did read in 2020, he told Trump that he lost and he should admit it, so at least he did one thing right. I have no idea if the evil Koch has lost it or not, and I would have listed different people if I had made that post, just so as not to upset you. Again, the man who listed those people wasn't saying they were virtuous or brilliant. He was only making the point that they haven't shown signs of cognitive decline despite being well over 80. I'm done with this.

 

[Copernicus]

What matters to me is that Joe Biden, in spite of all the mental deficiencies and incapacities that Republicans smear him with, has managed to be a very effective president, even when the House is solidly under control of Republicans and the Senate is largely gridlocked. It is hard to imagine how Donald Trump would have handled either the war in Ukraine or the latest outbreak of violence in Israel. Instead, we have a hardworking administration that manages to pull off diplomatic victories even under the toughest of circumstances:

How the Israel-Hamas hostage deal came together​

The process was painfully protracted because messages had to be passed from Doha or Cairo to Hamas in Gaza and then back out again. And the talks were highly technical, painstakingly hammering out details on corridors, surveillance, timeframes and total numbers.

The administration official said President Joe Biden was "directly and personally" engaged, calling up the leaders of Israel and Qatar at critical times.

...


One of the sticking points was a failure by Hamas to clearly identify who would be in the initial group of 50. It eventually produced the information when President Biden called the Emir of Qatar and said this was a deal breaker, said the official...

Most of the work was done by the Secretary Blinken's State Department, but Biden himself played a critical role, especially when he personally traveled to Israel at the start of hostilities. His effort to start shuttle diplomacy was undercut by the viciousness of both sides, but he kept at it for weeks until he was finally able to work with all parties to agree to a pause in fighting, humanitarian aid, and an exchange of hostages, many of them children. That kind of diplomacy would have been impossible during the Trump administration.

 

[Elixir]

What matters to me is that competence as a quality is so last week among Republicans. Fast, loud nonstop bloviation is all the rage, as taught by Hair Furor.
It is unfashionable, elitist crap in the minds of Republican politicos, to talk about implementing policies - and the FOXwashed rubes who elected them heartily agree. They think Trump could fix all that wonky stuff overnight, alone, if they’d just let him. With his big brain. Just like he got rid of Obamacare on day one of his first term and replaced it with something much better, much cheaper. And why should they have to worry about complicated stuff like foreign policy when Trump will punch anyone in the nose who threatens them?
They believe it, and will continue to do so even as they succumb to the Fascist State they were so eager to create.
That’s what matters to me.

 

[TSwizzle]

What matters to me is that Joe Biden, in spite of all the mental deficiencies and incapacities that Republicans smear him with, has managed to be a very effective president,{snip}

You can’t be serious. His approval ratings are in the shitter, even his own party are grumbling in the background about how old he is.

And Brandon is the guy to save democracy? ffs.

 

[Copernicus]

What matters to me is that Joe Biden, in spite of all the mental deficiencies and incapacities that Republicans smear him with, has managed to be a very effective president,{snip}

You can’t be serious. His approval ratings are in the shitter, even his own party are grumbling in the background about how old he is.

Yes, right down there with every Republican politician, including your favorite, Donald Trump. Remember him? The current front runner politician for the presidential nominee in your party--the one you prefer over Joe Biden. He is all of three years younger than Joe Biden, but that makes all the difference, right? Even though he is as good at remembering the names of foreign heads of states as Joe Biden is of remembering the names of pop singers.

And Brandon is the guy to save democracy? ffs.

Democracy is only threatened by the one you support and still intend to vote for no matter what in the 2024 election--Donald Trump.

 

[Swammerdami]

From time to time I check the odds implied at Betfair -- about as good a predictor as anything, especially when just doing diachronic analysis.

Trump is 38% to win in November, up from 36% three weeks ago.
Biden is 27.5%, down from 29%.
Newsom is 10%, unchanged.
Haley is 7%, up from 5%.
RFK Jr. still has the #5 slot. DeSantis continues to fall.

Trump is 81.5% to be the GOP nominee, up from 78%. (The race to be Trump's running mate is wide open, with Vivek Ramaswamy having a slight lead.)

Trump moves ever-closer to conviction on felonies and frauds. He says, almost in so many words, that he wants to be an Adolf Hitler look-alike. And his support increases. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

 

[Politesse]

Trump moves ever-closer to conviction on felonies and frauds. He says, almost in so many words, that he wants to be an Adolf Hitler look-alike. And his support increases. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

It worked for the original.

 

[Elixir]

Trump moves ever-closer to conviction on felonies and frauds. He says, almost in so many words, that he wants to be an Adolf Hitler look-alike. And his support increases. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

It worked for the original.

Not until he had his political opponents murdered.

 

[Politesse]

Trump moves ever-closer to conviction on felonies and frauds. He says, almost in so many words, that he wants to be an Adolf Hitler look-alike. And his support increases. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

It worked for the original.

Not until he had his political opponents murdered.

That's part of the "working" bit. Not everyone can just shoot their opponents and get away with it.

 

[TomC]

Trump moves ever-closer to conviction on felonies and frauds. He says, almost in so many words, that he wants to be an Adolf Hitler look-alike. And his support increases. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

It worked for the original.

Not until he had his political opponents murdered.

That's part of the "working" bit. Not everyone can just shoot their opponents and get away with it.

Trump may wind up putting his "I can shoot someone in broad daylight on 5th Avenue and not lose any supporters" theory to the test.

Or, what's the Atlanta equivalent of 5th Avenue?
Tom

 

[bilby]

I am more concerned for his 2nd term though. He will be 86 in January 2029, the end of his second term - if he makes it that far.

Life expectancy at 82 for men is 7.32 years. Most 82 year olds make it to 86; Wealthy 82 year olds with access to the highest level of healthcare, with a personal medical team on permanent standby, and with a twenty-four hour close personal protection team who plan all travel and defend against any external risks, are very unlikely to die before making it that far.

It's not like Mr Biden is going to have a fall in his kitchen, and not be found until his neighbours complain about the smell.

He doesn't have most of the risks of death that cause that 7.32 years figure to be as low as it is, for the average 82 year old American man.

 

[bilby]

You are over reacting to what one person said about some billionaires. I don't think Buffet is that bad, but I never said he was virtuous and that has nothing to do with the point of the man's post. I just don't think he's necessarily as evil as you seem to think he is, seemingly just because he has a lot of money.

I have offered no opinion whatsoever about him, and certainly not suggested that he is evil.

I have only commented on the ridiculousness of citing the fact that some people were billionaires, in the context of claiming that this is evidence against their having cognitive decline.

Bizarrely, your strident defence of billionaires against an imagined slur is further evidence that I am correct - people really do think that billionaire status is somehow worthy of intense respect.

 

[bilby]

Again, the man who listed those people wasn't saying they were virtuous or brilliant. He was only making the point that they haven't shown signs of cognitive decline despite being well over 80.

Again, whether or not they are billionaires has EXACTLY zero value as evidence for his point, so WHY DID HE MENTION IT?

My thesis is that he is exhibiting a common and misplaced sycophancy towards the ultra-wealthy, leading him to unthinkingly consider their wealth as some kind of indication of ongoing mental acuity.

Your inference, that my lack of respect for billionaires is a claim that they are "evil", is excellent evidence of just how widespread and unthinking such sycophancy really is.

 

[bilby]

What matters to me is that Joe Biden, in spite of all the mental deficiencies and incapacities that Republicans smear him with, has managed to be a very effective president,{snip}

You can’t be serious.

Oh, please tell us why claims of Biden's effectiveness are absurd:

His approval ratings are in the shitter

Strike One!

Approval ratings don't measure effectiveness. they measure popularity. Not the same thing at all.

even his own party are grumbling in the background about how old he is.

Strike Two!

The question at hand is whether he is effective. His age has nothing whatsoever to do with that question.

And Brandon is the guy to save democracy? ffs.

Strike Three!

The President's name is Biden. If you're still getting it wrong three years after his election, perhaps it's you we should be concerned about suffering age related cognitive decline.

 

[Patooka]

What matters to me is that Joe Biden, in spite of all the mental deficiencies and incapacities that Republicans smear him with, has managed to be a very effective president,{snip}

You can’t be serious. His approval ratings are in the shitter, even his own party are grumbling in the background about how old he is.

And Brandon is the guy to save democracy? ffs.

I think it's pretty obvious TSwizzle thinks Biden is the only choice on the ballot and is too mentally incapacitated to understand that there are two choices for 2024. Considering the number of posts that highlight this for him, I mean.

And that Biden is by far the best alternative. Like, by far.

 

[Elixir]

I am amazed that there are whole swaths of media-bubbled Murkins willing to reject even a bumbling, senile incompetent who doesn’t know one pop star from another, in favor of a guy who has already killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in his own self interest, and overtly promises to do away with democracy and use the power of the government to go after snd kill his political enemies - in his own self interest - if elected.
smh

 

[Swammerdami]

Buffet has said numerous times that he was simply born with a special talent for making good investments, but he's also said he's not better than anyone else.

Which is exactly my point. He's lucky, not virtuous.

This kneejerk defense of the ultra wealthy is a very unpleasant trait that seems to be surprisingly common, particularly in the USA.

Warren Buffet is almost completely unique amongst billionaires, in trying to tell you that billionaires aren't special; And your response is to gush about how wonderful he (and by implication, other billionaires) can be. Such humility.

An interesting (and eye-opening) 35-minute video on Warren Buffett (up to 1965) popped up for me: (or was it linked via this thread? )


(The video does seem to confirm that BuffetT is written with a double-T.)

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I am more concerned for his 2nd term though. He will be 86 in January 2029, the end of his second term - if he makes it that far.

Life expectancy at 82 for men is 7.32 years. Most 82 year olds make it to 86; Wealthy 82 year olds with access to the highest level of healthcare, with a personal medical team on permanent standby, and with a twenty-four hour close personal protection team who plan all travel and defend against any external risks, are very unlikely to die before making it that far.

It's not like Mr Biden is going to have a fall in his kitchen, and not be found until his neighbours complain about the smell.

He doesn't have most of the risks of death that cause that 7.32 years figure to be as low as it is, for the average 82 year old American man.

Most of the causes of death at that age are medical and not preventable.