Will Biden drop out? Who replaces him?

[TV and credit cards]

Well I think Biden and the Dems have to have a drop dead date to either make a break or coalesce. Because right now, Trump can play rope-a-dope while Biden expends what's left of his precious energy. Seemingly Trump can do nothing to harm himself. He is a hot mess and people want to vote for just that. That and the moneygrubbers who want to see government regulations shitcanned altogether.

Biden has a press conference today, Thursday at 1730EST.

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

I have to reiterate this, polls are unreliable. Even if Biden had Parkinson's (extremely unlikely), it is a condition that does not affect mentality, unlike Trump's dementia.
One of the greatest risks to Biden not winning the election is all these calls for him to step down, and disunity in Democratic Party, which is disloyalty that serves the Republican Party.
Another thing that would help the USA is if the media stopped making dubious claims about Biden and concentrated on revealing much more details of verified facts about Trump's mental and moral deterioration - his lies, his blackouts, his mental incompetence, and so on.

But you realize that the calls for Biden to step down will not stop, don't you? There is really nothing to make them stop. Biden will not suddenly get younger and start speaking more coherently. Similarly, you must realize that the disunity is simply not going to disappear. The people calling for Biden to step down are major figures and donors in the Party base, not to mention rank and file Democrats. You say it would help for the media to stop making these damaging claims about Biden and concentrate on Trump, but you must also realize that there is nothing to make them just suddenly do that. The media will focus on what it sees as newsworthy, and people are interested in what is going on with Biden. That's new. Trump is just doing what he always does, so they have no incentive to do that. Biden is not able to shift the narrative, so how is it going to make sense for them to start ignoring the drama surrounding Biden and go back the the same old Trump hubbub. That's just not going to happen, no matter how much Biden supporters wish that it would.

It is a poor strategy by the Democrats to not have a unified front. As I said elsewhere, if they had issues with Biden they should have raised them much earlier. Doing it after the debate is foolish.
Trump always create new material the news can use. Plus maybe American media needs to discover the concepts of investigative journalism and analysis reporting. By failing to put continuous pressure on Trump they are by default supporting him, and will be judged hard by history.

 

[ZiprHead]

The truth is what’s needed, not a “fresh” candidate. Our problem is that so many in the Trump bubble don’t know the truth.

I wish it were as simple as that, but the truth has been out there in full measure since at least 2016, and polls suggest that over half the country prefers Donald Trump over Joe Biden. It's crazy, but that's the reality. I don't know if it can be fixed, but I do believe that Joe Biden stands less of a chance of fixing it than his VP, who would at least change the dynamic of the election. She is younger, and the party would rally behind her, just as a great many Democrats are still trying to rally behind Joe Biden.

Biden's age-related issues are simply going to be the focus of the campaign from now into the foreseeable future. Republican campaign strategists are having a field day, and they no longer need to rely so much on faked videos and stories. The mainstream news media is taking the issue seriously, regardless of how strongly Democrats rally around Biden. The focus right now is on the Parkinson's disease controversy, which is all over Fox News. The White House at first denied that Biden was examined by the Parkinson's expert who visited the White House on record 8 times in 8 months. Now they are admitting that the specific doctor did examine Biden at the beginning of the year, but they claim he has not been diagnosed with Parkinson's and is not taking medications for the condition. It is a common neurological disorder in the elderly, and Biden's movements can easily be interpreted as consistent with the symptoms. So this is all over Fox News, The Daily Mail, and other rightwing propaganda outlets, who are, of course, saying things like this:

Top neurologist makes bombshell claim that Biden, 81, 'definitely' has Parkinson's disease and reveals the common symptoms he is displaying: 'I could have diagnosed him from across the mall'​

A top neurologist who diagnoses people in shopping malls. Utterly stupid, but some people take these stories seriously.

Here is how a mainstream news outlet reports on the issue in a more balanced way:

I have to reiterate this, polls are unreliable. Even if Biden had Parkinson's (extremely unlikely), it is a condition that does not affect mentality, unlike Trump's dementia.
One of the greatest risks to Biden not winning the election is all these calls for him to step down, and disunity in Democratic Party, which is disloyalty that serves the Republican Party.
Another thing that would help the USA is if the media stopped making dubious claims about Biden and concentrated on revealing much more details of verified facts about Trump's mental and moral deterioration - his lies, his blackouts, his mental incompetence, and so on.

To shorten the explanation, The White House Medical Unit treats hundreds of people, some of them being soldiers that have experienced head trauma. Of the eight times the neurologist visited the White House, Biden was actually gone from the WH five of those eight times.

Why did this come up? Because some idiot NYT reporter saw the neurologist's name on the visitor logs and just assumed he was there to treat Biden. If he had actually checked to see if Biden was actually there at the time he would have realized the reporter would have realized his conjecture was wrong. It was a rookie mistake an experienced reporter should not have made.

 

[Copernicus]

It is a poor strategy by the Democrats to not have a unified front. As I said elsewhere, if they had issues with Biden they should have raised them much earlier. Doing it after the debate is foolish.
Trump always create new material the news can use. Plus maybe American media needs to discover the concepts of investigative journalism and analysis reporting. By failing to put continuous pressure on Trump they are by default supporting him, and will be judged hard by history.

But the disunity was not a strategy. Nobody planned it. It happened quite rapidly as a result of Biden's performance in a debate that Biden himself agreed to, perhaps thinking that he would reverse his terrible poll numbers. You act as if Biden didn't choose this strategy, but he did. He gambled and lost. Maybe a better strategy would have been not to make the campaign all about Donald Trump, but Biden has been unable to sell the successes of his presidency to the public. Trump should be easy to beat, but Biden does not seem up to it.

To shorten the explanation, The White House Medical Unit treats hundreds of people, some of them being soldiers that have experienced head trauma. Of the eight times the neurologist visited the White House, Biden was actually gone from the WH five of those eight times.

Why did this come up? Because some idiot NYT reporter saw the neurologist's name on the visitor logs and just assumed he was there to treat Biden. If he had actually checked to see if Biden was actually there at the time he would have realized the reporter would have realized his conjecture was wrong. It was a rookie mistake an experienced reporter should not have made.

The doctor's name was there in the public visitor's record, and Karen Jean-Pierre wasted a press briefing by telling everyone that she couldn't confirm his name in public. She claimed that the neurologist had not examined him, and they later had to admit that, yes, that particular neurologist had examined him once. So the story is out there, and the Republicans are going to exploit it for all it is worth, even if Biden doesn't have Parkinson's, was never diagnosed for having it, and isn't taking medicine to slow it down. But I'm not going to tell you that I would be surprised to discover that he was so diagnosed and is being treated for it. I do not have confidence that the White House is being truthful about anything surrounding Biden's health at this point.

It's a cliché to say that perception is reality in politics, but it is a cliché because there is a lot of truth to it. Biden and those around him see all of these calls for him to step aside as unfair and uncalled for, but they are not able to change the perception that Joe Biden is unable to carry off an effective campaign against Trump. Maybe all the polls are wrong, and maybe he will get elected anyway. Who knows? At this point, it looks like he will lose to Donald Trump, and the MAGA Republicans will end up in full control of all three branches of the US government for at least two years. We are months away from the election, so there is still time to turn it around. The perception that Biden is irreparably damaged is not going to go away, and it now appears that Joe Biden has dug himself in and refused to bow out gracefully. LBJ did it during his very productive and successful presidency, but he recognized that his handling of the Vietnam war had damaged his ability to lead the country. Joe Biden needs to follow in LBJ's footsteps.

I'm going to tune in to Biden's non-primetime press conference in a few hours--the first since November of last year. Why has he not had more press conferences? He now has had fewer than past presidents at this point in his presidency. The only result I see coming out of it now is that he doesn't make some huge stumble or gaffe, and that is not how any of us should feel. People lack confidence in his abilities, and every word and gesture he makes will be examined for a hint of confusion or senility. That will be the rest of his campaign for the presidency, if he doesn't step aside. Still, I hope that he has a successful press conference and does something to give people more confidence in his mental acuity.

 

[ZiprHead]

The doctor's name was there in the public visitor's record, and Karen Jean-Pierre wasted a press briefing by telling everyone that she couldn't confirm his name in public.

And she said why she could not confirm it, confidentiality is expected.

She claimed that the neurologist had not examined him, and they later had to admit that, yes, that particular neurologist had examined him once.

Yes, but not in the time frame specified.

So the story is out there, and the Republicans are going to exploit it for all it is worth, even if Biden doesn't have Parkinson's, was never diagnosed for having it, and isn't taking medicine to slow it down. But I'm not going to tell you that I would be surprised to discover that he was so diagnosed and is being treated for it. I do not have confidence that the White House is being truthful about anything surrounding Biden's health at this point.

Parkinson's is a neurological disease affecting motor control of the body's movement. According to the Mayo Clinic:

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves. Symptoms start slowly. The first symptom may be a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder also may cause stiffness or slowing of movement.

In the early stages of Parkinson's disease, your face may show little or no expression. Your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson's disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time.

Other than his speech during the debate, Biden has displayed none of those symptoms. A hoarse voice and a stutter is not parkinson's

And, yes, Republicans will exploit anything they can exagerate into a dire situation. That's because Republicans are dishonest, cheating fucks. Did you expect any less?

 

[Copernicus]

The doctor's name was there in the public visitor's record, and Karen Jean-Pierre wasted a press briefing by telling everyone that she couldn't confirm his name in public.

And she said why she could not confirm it, confidentiality is expected.

She claimed that the neurologist had not examined him, and they later had to admit that, yes, that particular neurologist had examined him once.

Yes, but not in the time frame specified.

So the story is out there, and the Republicans are going to exploit it for all it is worth, even if Biden doesn't have Parkinson's, was never diagnosed for having it, and isn't taking medicine to slow it down. But I'm not going to tell you that I would be surprised to discover that he was so diagnosed and is being treated for it. I do not have confidence that the White House is being truthful about anything surrounding Biden's health at this point.

Parkinson's is a neurological disease affecting motor control of the body's movement. According to the Mayo Clinic:

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves. Symptoms start slowly. The first symptom may be a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder also may cause stiffness or slowing of movement.

In the early stages of Parkinson's disease, your face may show little or no expression. Your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson's disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time.

Other than his speech during the debate, Biden has displayed none of those symptoms. A hoarse voice and a stutter is not parkinson's

Zipr, are you seriously going to defend her stonewalling behavior? She was not protecting the doctor's identity, which had already been publicized by the White House. She and everybody in the press room understood what the questions were about. Did Biden show symptoms of Parkinson's disease or any other neurological disease? Had this neurologist or any other examined him for a suspected disorder and diagnosed him with one? If not, why not? She could easily have said she didn't know or that she was not going to disclose such details about his medical condition, but she chose to double down on the laughable confidentiality issue. The White House finally had to clear up the mess later--well after the damage had been done--by issuing a letter from the doctor himself, which admitted that he had examined Biden. How was that protecting his identity? They have been handling this issue in a totally incompetent manner. The excuse that the time frame was off is pure bullshit. Karen Jean-Pierre knew exactly what the people in the room were trying to find out, and she was being deliberately uncooperative. The Biden administration needs to be transparent and open, not obstructionist, on these issues. If it looks like the press has to pull teeth to get answers, that is a very bad look.

And, yes, Republicans will exploit anything they can exagerate into a dire situation. That's because Republicans are dishonest, cheating fucks. Did you expect any less?

Correct! That isn't the issue here. The issue is whether the Biden campaign can overcome such tactics. Republicans are behaving in just the way that everyone knows they will behave, and you would do well to remember that Democrats are not always above taking advantage of appearances when the shoe is on the other foot. They may not be quite the dishonest cheating fucks that MAGA Republicans are, but you aren't going to convince anyone that they never lie, cheat, or steal because of the political party they belong to. This isn't about Republicans. It is about Joe Biden and how the Democrats respond to this crisis caused by Joe Biden himself. If he can't cook, he should get out of the kitchen.

 

[ZiprHead]

The doctor's name was there in the public visitor's record, and Karen Jean-Pierre wasted a press briefing by telling everyone that she couldn't confirm his name in public.

And she said why she could not confirm it, confidentiality is expected.

She claimed that the neurologist had not examined him, and they later had to admit that, yes, that particular neurologist had examined him once.

Yes, but not in the time frame specified.

So the story is out there, and the Republicans are going to exploit it for all it is worth, even if Biden doesn't have Parkinson's, was never diagnosed for having it, and isn't taking medicine to slow it down. But I'm not going to tell you that I would be surprised to discover that he was so diagnosed and is being treated for it. I do not have confidence that the White House is being truthful about anything surrounding Biden's health at this point.

Parkinson's is a neurological disease affecting motor control of the body's movement. According to the Mayo Clinic:

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves. Symptoms start slowly. The first symptom may be a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder also may cause stiffness or slowing of movement.

In the early stages of Parkinson's disease, your face may show little or no expression. Your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson's disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time.

Other than his speech during the debate, Biden has displayed none of those symptoms. A hoarse voice and a stutter is not parkinson's

Zipr, are you seriously going to defend her stonewalling behavior? She was not protecting the doctor's identity, which had already been publicized by the White House. She and everybody in the press room understood what the questions were about.

Yes, I am. Why was the question asked if not to confirm? As she said, she did not have the authorization to confirm. What part of that do you not understand?

Did Biden show symptoms of Parkinson's disease or any other neurological disease? Had this neurologist or any other examined him for a suspected disorder and diagnosed him with one? If not, why not? She could easily have said she didn't know or that she was not going to disclose such details about his medical condition, but she chose to double down on the laughable confidentiality issue.

Because it is confidential. Again, wjhat part of that do you not understand? Do you expert her to just willy nilly break rules she is expected to follow?

The White House finally had to clear up the mess later--well after the damage had been done--by issuing a letter from the doctor himself, which admitted that he had examined Biden. How was that protecting his identity?

The doctor can release his identity if he chooses. It is no one else's choice to make.

They have been handling this issue in a totally incompetent manner. The excuse that the time frame was off is pure bullshit. Karen Jean-Pierre knew exactly what the people in the room were trying to find out, and she was being deliberately uncooperative. The Biden administration needs to be transparent and open, not obstructionist, on these issues. If it looks like the press has to pull teeth to get answers, that is a very bad look.

Following the rules of confidentiality is incompetence now? Absolutely no one has a right to release medical information of someone else without their permission.

If I had done that when I worked in the hospital I would have been fired and been subject to a $200,000 fine from the government.

And, yes, Republicans will exploit anything they can exagerate into a dire situation. That's because Republicans are dishonest, cheating fucks. Did you expect any less?

Correct! That isn't the issue here. The issue is whether the Biden campaign can overcome such tactics.

I agree it is difficult to win a game by playing by the rules against an opponent who lies, cheats, and steals to win the game.

Republicans are behaving in just the way that everyone knows they will behave, and you would do well to remember that Democrats are not always above taking advantage of appearances when the shoe is on the other foot. They may not be quite the dishonest cheating fucks that MAGA Republicans are, but you aren't going to convince anyone that they never lie, cheat, or steal because of the political party they belong to. This isn't about Republicans. It is about Joe Biden and how the Democrats respond to this crisis caused by Joe Biden himself. If he can't cook, he should get out of the kitchen.

I agree with much of what you have said and that's okay when it comes to political figures. However, the doctor was not a political figure. He was just a poor shlub that got stuck in the middle. Like those two poor ladies that Giulliani smeared, that was wrong, and so was this.

 

[Copernicus]

...
Zipr, are you seriously going to defend her stonewalling behavior? She was not protecting the doctor's identity, which had already been publicized by the White House. She and everybody in the press room understood what the questions were about.

Yes, I am. Why was the question asked if not to confirm? As she said, she did not have the authorization to confirm. What part of that do you not understand?

The question was asked in order to get a straight answer from her about the 8 visits of that one specific neurologist. However, she and everyone in that room knew exactly what the press was after--not confirmation of the doctor's name, but confirmation that Biden was not suffering from a neurological disorder. She could easily have confirmed his name, because it was already in the public record. If she didn't know whether he had examined Biden, she could have said so. It turns out that the White House did confirm that that particular neurologist had examined Biden but that no evidence of Parkinson's had been discovered. OK. Next tooth to be pulled--has President Biden been diagnosed with any other neurological disorder? And they should stop with the idiotic claim that he undergoes a neurological exam every day. They need to be straightforward and not play silly word games. That kind of thing may work with supporters like you, but it doesn't with most of the public, including a great many Biden supporters like me.

Did Biden show symptoms of Parkinson's disease or any other neurological disease? Had this neurologist or any other examined him for a suspected disorder and diagnosed him with one? If not, why not? She could easily have said she didn't know or that she was not going to disclose such details about his medical condition, but she chose to double down on the laughable confidentiality issue.

Because it is confidential. Again, wjhat part of that do you not understand? Do you expert her to just willy nilly break rules she is expected to follow?

No, it is not confidential. It is in the visitor's log. The name is public, as is his medical specialty. Confirming whether this neurologist had examined Biden and, if so, what the results were should have been pretty easy. She could even have said that she didn't know and would get back to them. Press secretaries do that all the time. What she did was generate embarrassing headlines for Biden's campaign with all that back and forth over confirmation of his name. It made it look like she was trying to hide something.

The White House finally had to clear up the mess later--well after the damage had been done--by issuing a letter from the doctor himself, which admitted that he had examined Biden. How was that protecting his identity?

The doctor can release his identity if he chooses. It is no one else's choice to make.

Were you not aware that he had done that after the drama in the press conference? His name was never an issue, just whether they would release the requested information about his involvement with Biden's neurological condition. The doctor confirmed that he had examined Biden at least once.

They have been handling this issue in a totally incompetent manner. The excuse that the time frame was off is pure bullshit. Karen Jean-Pierre knew exactly what the people in the room were trying to find out, and she was being deliberately uncooperative. The Biden administration needs to be transparent and open, not obstructionist, on these issues. If it looks like the press has to pull teeth to get answers, that is a very bad look.

Following the rules of confidentiality is incompetence now? Absolutely no one has a right to release medical information of someone else without their permission.

If I had done that when I worked in the hospital I would have been fired and been subject to a $200,000 fine from the government.

So you say to the press that you don't know and will get back to them. The argument over confirming a name came off as evasive. After the her stalling, the White House simply got the information requested out to the public. My complaint is that Biden and his staff are simply not handling this issue competently.

And, yes, Republicans will exploit anything they can exagerate into a dire situation. That's because Republicans are dishonest, cheating fucks. Did you expect any less?

Correct! That isn't the issue here. The issue is whether the Biden campaign can overcome such tactics.

I agree it is difficult to win a game by playing by the rules against an opponent who lies, cheats, and steals to win the game.

Yes, but everyone has known about those tactics for years. What we need is a Democratic challenger who can overcome that difficulty, not one that is stuck in a raging controversy his mental and physical health.

Republicans are behaving in just the way that everyone knows they will behave, and you would do well to remember that Democrats are not always above taking advantage of appearances when the shoe is on the other foot. They may not be quite the dishonest cheating fucks that MAGA Republicans are, but you aren't going to convince anyone that they never lie, cheat, or steal because of the political party they belong to. This isn't about Republicans. It is about Joe Biden and how the Democrats respond to this crisis caused by Joe Biden himself. If he can't cook, he should get out of the kitchen.

I agree with much of what you have said and that's okay when it comes to political figures. However, the doctor was not a political figure. He was just a poor shlub that got stuck in the middle. Like those two poor ladies that Giulliani smeared, that was wrong, and so was this.

But the doctor had no problem with issuing a statement about his involvement in an examination of Biden. There was no need to hide his identity, as it was fully disclosed in the White House visitor's log. All she had to say was that she would consult with the White House and get back to them. That is what they did in the end anyway.

 

[pood]

Plus maybe American media needs to discover the concepts of investigative journalism and analysis reporting. By failing to put continuous pressure on Trump they are by default supporting him, and will be judged hard by history.

I want to stress again that this idea that the major media have been ignoring Trump’s incompetence, corruption and perfidy is just flat wrong. They’ve been going after him ever since he first announced in 2015. MAGAts don’t care. They admire him for being a rogue, a swindler, a buffoon and a racist psychopath.

 

[ZiprHead]

...
Zipr, are you seriously going to defend her stonewalling behavior? She was not protecting the doctor's identity, which had already been publicized by the White House. She and everybody in the press room understood what the questions were about.

Yes, I am. Why was the question asked if not to confirm? As she said, she did not have the authorization to confirm. What part of that do you not understand?

The question was asked in order to get a straight answer from her about the 8 visits of that one specific neurologist. However, she and everyone in that room knew exactly what the press was after--not confirmation of the doctor's name, but confirmation that Biden was not suffering from a neurological disorder. She could easily have confirmed his name, because it was already in the public record. If she didn't know whether he had examined Biden, she could have said so. It turns out that the White House did confirm that that particular neurologist had examined Biden but that no evidence of Parkinson's had been discovered. OK. Next tooth to be pulled--has President Biden been diagnosed with any other neurological disorder? And they should stop with the idiotic claim that he undergoes a neurological exam every day. They need to be straightforward and not play silly word games. That kind of thing may work with supporters like you, but it doesn't with most of the public, including a great many Biden supporters like me.

I don't give a shit about what the press wanted. What part of not being authorized to release that information do you not get?

Did Biden show symptoms of Parkinson's disease or any other neurological disease? Had this neurologist or any other examined him for a suspected disorder and diagnosed him with one? If not, why not? She could easily have said she didn't know or that she was not going to disclose such details about his medical condition, but she chose to double down on the laughable confidentiality issue.

Because it is confidential. Again, wjhat part of that do you not understand? Do you expert her to just willy nilly break rules she is expected to follow?

No, it is not confidential. It is in the visitor's log. The name is public, as is his medical specialty. Confirming whether this neurologist had examined Biden and, if so, what the results were should have been pretty easy. She could even have said that she didn't know and would get back to them. Press secretaries do that all the time. What she did was generate embarrassing headlines for Biden's campaign with all that back and forth over confirmation of his name. It made it look like she was trying to hide something.

Jesus fucking christ! What part of not being authorized to release that information do you not get?

The White House finally had to clear up the mess later--well after the damage had been done--by issuing a letter from the doctor himself, which admitted that he had examined Biden. How was that protecting his identity?

The doctor can release his identity if he chooses. It is no one else's choice to make.

Were you not aware that he had done that after the drama in the press conference? His name was never an issue, just whether they would release the requested information about his involvement with Biden's neurological condition. The doctor confirmed that he had examined Biden at least once.

Yes, I was. I said the doctor can release that information if he chooses. He is, however, not allowed to release the results of any examination without permission.

They have been handling this issue in a totally incompetent manner. The excuse that the time frame was off is pure bullshit. Karen Jean-Pierre knew exactly what the people in the room were trying to find out, and she was being deliberately uncooperative. The Biden administration needs to be transparent and open, not obstructionist, on these issues. If it looks like the press has to pull teeth to get answers, that is a very bad look.

Following the rules of confidentiality is incompetence now? Absolutely no one has a right to release medical information of someone else without their permission.

If I had done that when I worked in the hospital I would have been fired and been subject to a $200,000 fine from the government.

So you say to the press that you don't know and will get back to them. The argument over confirming a name came off as evasive. After the her stalling, the White House simply got the information requested out to the public. My complaint is that Biden and his staff are simply not handling this issue competently.

So you want her to lie. And then she can be attacked if it's found out she lied. And there was no controversy until that press conference.

And, yes, Republicans will exploit anything they can exagerate into a dire situation. That's because Republicans are dishonest, cheating fucks. Did you expect any less?

Correct! That isn't the issue here. The issue is whether the Biden campaign can overcome such tactics.

I agree it is difficult to win a game by playing by the rules against an opponent who lies, cheats, and steals to win the game.

Yes, but everyone has known about those tactics for years. What we need is a Democratic challenger who can overcome that difficulty, not one that is stuck in a raging controversy his mental and physical health.

And there it is. Just like the Republicans you will use any tactic you can come up with to defeat Biden.

Republicans are behaving in just the way that everyone knows they will behave, and you would do well to remember that Democrats are not always above taking advantage of appearances when the shoe is on the other foot. They may not be quite the dishonest cheating fucks that MAGA Republicans are, but you aren't going to convince anyone that they never lie, cheat, or steal because of the political party they belong to. This isn't about Republicans. It is about Joe Biden and how the Democrats respond to this crisis caused by Joe Biden himself. If he can't cook, he should get out of the kitchen.

I agree with much of what you have said and that's okay when it comes to political figures. However, the doctor was not a political figure. He was just a poor shlub that got stuck in the middle. Like those two poor ladies that Giulliani smeared, that was wrong, and so was this.

But the doctor had no problem with issuing a statement about his involvement in an examination of Biden. There was no need to hide his identity, as it was fully disclosed in the White House visitor's log. All she had to say was that she would consult with the White House and get back to them. That is what they did in the end anyway.

Yes, he authorized releasing that information afterwards. You do understand the concept of time, right?

 

[ZiprHead]

Plus maybe American media needs to discover the concepts of investigative journalism and analysis reporting. By failing to put continuous pressure on Trump they are by default supporting him, and will be judged hard by history.

I want to stress again that this idea that the major media have been ignoring Trump’s incompetence, corruption and perfidy is just flat wrong. They’ve been going after him ever since he first announced in 2015. MAGAts don’t care. They admire him for being a rogue, a swindler, a buffoon and a racist psychopath.

And they need to keep going after him.

 

[pood]

Plus maybe American media needs to discover the concepts of investigative journalism and analysis reporting. By failing to put continuous pressure on Trump they are by default supporting him, and will be judged hard by history.

I want to stress again that this idea that the major media have been ignoring Trump’s incompetence, corruption and perfidy is just flat wrong. They’ve been going after him ever since he first announced in 2015. MAGAts don’t care. They admire him for being a rogue, a swindler, a buffoon and a racist psychopath.

And they need to keep going after him.

They do. But his supporters, about half the country, simply do not care about his crimes or psychopathy, and they do not trust the mainstream media, adhering instead to the dishonest propagandistic right-wing echo chamber of Fox News, NewsMax, etc. They have been religiously programmed to refer to the mainstream media as the “lamestream” media. It doesn’t help that lots of liberals also attack papers like the NY Times for reasons that are stupid.

 

[pood]

Donald Trump is unfit to lead, NY Times.

 

[ZiprHead]

Plus maybe American media needs to discover the concepts of investigative journalism and analysis reporting. By failing to put continuous pressure on Trump they are by default supporting him, and will be judged hard by history.

I want to stress again that this idea that the major media have been ignoring Trump’s incompetence, corruption and perfidy is just flat wrong. They’ve been going after him ever since he first announced in 2015. MAGAts don’t care. They admire him for being a rogue, a swindler, a buffoon and a racist psychopath.

And they need to keep going after him.

They do. But his supporters, about half the country, simply do not care about his crimes or psychopathy, and they do not trust the mainstream media, adhering instead to the dishonest propagandistic right-wing echo chamber of Fox News, NewsMax, etc. They have been religiously programmed to refer to the mainstream media as the “lamestream” media. It doesn’t help that lots of liberals also attack papers like the NY Times for reasons that are stupid.

It's not his supporters we need to change. It's the undecideds.

 

[Ford]

Well that could have gone better...

 

[ZiprHead]

Well that could have gone better...

I didn't think it was bad. Yeah, he made some gaffes but he's always been a gaffe machine. It showed he had full command of the facts and issues, especially foreign policy.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

If the Democrats force out a proven effective leader in Biden because of stupid and ageist concerns from one debate performance, they will kiss my vote good bye. I suspect they will insure a Trump victory if that SOB is still alive.

Sorry. No matter who the democratic nominee is, vote for them. I can’t believe anyone would fail to vote Democrat in this election. And it’s irrelevant why Biden is not the nominee. Vote Democratic. Our future really does depend on it.

Don't think of this as Democrat vs Republican. Rather, it's Democracy vs Tyranny.

 

[pood]

It was OK at best. Referring to “Vice President Trump” on the first question was not a good start. Of course Trump repeatedly mixes up Biden with Obama among his many other gaffes, but his support is baked in to half the country no matter what he says or does.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Yes, I did do that only because I don't want to get into an abortion debate. I wasn't trying to be rude or smart or anything. It's just not an area of interest for me.

It's a good bellwether even if you have no skin in the game. (I have no children and I doubt that in the future I will have sex with someone of reproductive age.)

I find all this hyperbole about theocracy and the end of democracy tedious. I will absolutely NOT be voting for Brandon (even if he were reasonably fit) and will probably not vote for any of the democratic alternates that have been mentioned. I will likely vote for Trump. Keep in mind I vote in California so my vote for Trump would not count for anything anyway.

Pay attention to what he is saying.

Just because your side keeps repeating insane claims doesn't mean the Democrats are.

 

[Copernicus]

...
I don't give a shit about what the press wanted. What part of not being authorized to release that information do you not get?
...
Jesus fucking christ! What part of not being authorized to release that information do you not get?
...
Yes, I was. I said the doctor can release that information if he chooses. He is, however, not allowed to release the results of any examination without permission.
...
So you want her to lie. And then she can be attacked if it's found out she lied. And there was no controversy until that press conference.

We've spent enough time on this issue, and I don't think you've refuted my comments at all other than to just keep repeating your earlier position. So I'm moving on. I'm not spending any more time on the specific doctor, who has publicly admitted to examining Biden. My view is that the press secretary just made things worse by the way she handled the press, and that issue has now been superseded by tonight's press conference performance.

...
Yes, but everyone has known about those tactics for years. What we need is a Democratic challenger who can overcome that difficulty, not one that is stuck in a raging controversy his mental and physical health.

And there it is. Just like the Republicans you will use any tactic you can come up with to defeat Biden.

And there is the ad hominem attack again, as if this is all about me falling for Republican tactics rather than addressing a legitimate concern that a large segment of Biden's base is openly expressing. You have no other response to the point that it is Biden's job to deal with those tactics, not mine to shut up about his failures to repair the damage he has been doing in unscripted appearances since his disastrous debate performance.

Well that could have gone better...

I didn't think it was bad. Yeah, he made some gaffes but he's always been a gaffe machine. It showed he had full command of the facts and issues, especially foreign policy.

I think that his initial scripted speech went reasonably well, and some of his responses to questions about foreign policy were ok, albeit a little shaky. The real story here is that every single reporter asked about electability and ability to handle four more years in office. Every single one without exception. They also asked other questions, but there was always at least a second question bringing up his perceived age-related health, electability, and ability to carry on in the future. His responses almost never addressed those questions directly, but tried to go back and deliver a litany of past accomplishments. Nobody really disputes the way he handled himself in the past. The question is how he handles himself now and in the future. He is not the same person he was in the past, and everyone knows it. He also made a lot of flubs, including the early one where he called Vice President Harris "Vice President Trump" and seemed not to realize it. Once again, he refuses to even consider stepping down or getting a new medical examination to reassure the public. I don't care about the results of the last one he had way back in February.