Well?

[Marshall]

Did he allay or confirm your concerns?

[TKennedy]

Confirmed.

[millring]

It confirmed my fears that anyone still thinks that Biden is the problem.

[majorminor]

Confirmed. I’m guessing that was the absolute best he could present. Make up, spray tan, soft lighting, rested, and probably pumped full of “perky juice” and he still sounded old and tired to me.

[Marshall]

You've got some splainin' to do, Lucy. (millring)

I suspect you mean that Biden has become more of a figurehead for the Administrative State. It certainly becomes obvious when his personal capacity comes into question. Trump, on the other hand is not beholden to anybody for anything.

[Marshall]

Jul 6, 2024 7:53:57 GMT -5 majorminor said:

Confirmed. I’m guessing that was the absolute best he could present. Make up, spray tan, soft lighting, rested, and probably pumped full of “perky juice” and he still sounded old and tired to me.

I agree.

Trump's been on spray tan for decades.

Maybe I should get me some.

[theevan]

Whachy'all talkin' 'bout?

[kbcolorado]

I don't need to waste another moment observing either of these guys. Choosing horribly bad over worst ever is not an inspiring prospect.

[John B]

Jul 6, 2024 8:20:16 GMT -5 theevan said:

Whachy'all talkin' 'bout?

I think Pres. Biden appeared on TV in an interview with someone who was probably rooting for a gotcha, but also rooting for Biden to succeed. So probably the most favorable type of interviewer.

[Cornflake]

I didn't watch. He doesn't seem to understand that nothing will make people unsee what they saw in that debate.

[howard lee]

According to a survey from 2022, reported by CBS News:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the #1 best President this country ever had, followed by 

Abraham Lincoln in the #2 position, and 

George Washington in the #3.

www.cbsnews.com/pictures/presidents-ranked-worst-best/36/

"Here are the results of a sweeping survey of historians, political scientists and presidential scholars maintained by Siena College Research Institute. Since 1982, SCRI has ranked presidents across 20 categories, ranging from integrity to executive ability."

Out of 46 Presidents so far, Joe Biden ranks #19, Donald Trump ranks #43, and Barack Obama ranks #11.

I'm just sayin'. Take this with the proverbial grain of survey salt.

[John B]

Jul 6, 2024 9:33:01 GMT -5 howard lee said:

According to a survey from 2022, reported by CBS News:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the #1 best President this country ever had, followed by 

Abraham Lincoln in the #2 position, and 

George Washington in the #3.

www.cbsnews.com/pictures/presidents-ranked-worst-best/36/

"Here are the results of a sweeping survey of historians, political scientists and presidential scholars maintained by Siena College Research Institute. Since 1982, SCRI has ranked presidents across 20 categories, ranging from integrity to executive ability."

Out of 46 Presidents so far, Joe Biden ranks #19, Donald Trump ranks #43, and Barack Obama ranks #11.

I'm just sayin'. Take this with the proverbial grain of survey salt.

Well yeah, but I'm still planning on casting a vote for Roosevelt today.* Now his younger VP...




*OK, if he was one of the candidates today I'd probably vote for him, even if he would be 142.

[Cornflake]

"Take this with the proverbial grain of survey salt." I will. I'd put Lincoln above Roosevelt. Otherwise I wouldn't quarrel much with those rankings. They're not based on any objective view of history, though. The rankings reflect the value judgments of those who assign the ranks. They tend to favor activist presidents over presidents who didn't think the federal government ought to have that large a role.

[Marshall]

Based on record, then, we should elect Roosevelt or Lincoln . . , oh, except they’re dead.

[majorminor]

Jul 6, 2024 10:12:42 GMT -5 Marshall said:

Based on record, then, we should elect Roosevelt or Lincoln . . , oh, except they’re dead.

So is Joe.

[Marshall]

Jul 6, 2024 10:30:15 GMT -5 majorminor said:

Jul 6, 2024 10:12:42 GMT -5 Marshall said:

Based on record, then, we should elect Roosevelt or Lincoln . . , oh, except they’re dead.

So is Joe.

(You got my drift)

[Cornflake]

Biden's problems have deflected attention from the fact that Trump is increasingly incoherent. Much more so than four years ago. I don't mean that in a snarky way but pretty much literally.

Does this election have a reset button somewhere?

[Russell Letson]

OK, here are the priorities and variables:

Priorities 1-infinity: Keep Trump out of the White House.

Variables and possibilities:

Biden convinces the electorate that he is and will continue to be competent to run an administration. Possible consequence: Electorate proves skeptical and (ignoring the fact that Trump is probably also incompetent and a wannabe dictator to boot) votes in King Stork. Or: Joe finds his voice and the energy to take on the inevitable Trumpian attacks, which means getting as loud and assertive as his opposition while somehow retaining the decent-guy-who-gets-things-done demeanor. And that just might work.

Or: Biden is convinced that he is or appears to be unable to do so and steps aside. Possible consequence: Harris steps into lead position, chooses an appropriate running mate, and takes on Trump. Probably consequence of that: Trump runs a Trumpian campaign (bragging, lying, name-calling, bullying), which may or may not gain traction with the 60% of the electorate that isn't fully committed to his cult. It would help in this scenario if the mainstream media would stop tippytoeing around Trump's pathologies and start highlighting things like the Project 2025 document and other indicators of what a second Trump administration is planning. (That "dictator on Day One" remark.)

I don't know what a thorough medical/cognitive workup would say about Biden's state of health and mind, but we have already survived one dementia-affected President in my lifetime. (A demonstration of the significance of staff work and political allies in keeping the wheels turning.) The cognitive issues that scare me are those of our citizenry, which seems to have trouble parsing situations and working out consequences.

[kenlarsson]

I will vote for anybody, anything that will defeat Trump. I think Biden's presidency has been largely successful. He is getting older and it shows. I'm much more concerned about what that does to his chances against Trump than his ability to govern. I believe with all my heart that Trump is evil and his election will be disastrous for our country and the world in general.

I will now stand by for incoming attacks.

[billhammond]

I'm starting to think we shudda paid more attention to Dean Phillips. Sigh ...