Has anyone else noticed a marked uptick in the media on the subject of Biden shelving any debates?

New York Times (Elizabeth Drew) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/opini...-2020.html

CNN
https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2020/08/01...-trump.cnn

Boston Herald
https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/07/25/...ate-trump/

(08-03-2020 08:08 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  Has anyone else noticed a marked uptick in the media on the subject of Biden shelving any debates?

New York Times (Elizabeth Drew) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/opini...-2020.html

CNN
https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2020/08/01...-trump.cnn

Boston Herald
https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/07/25/...ate-trump/

I think those are called trial balloons, Tanq. You know, where his campaign gets other people to float the idea and see how prople react.

Sure, it would be chicken s^^^ to dodge the debates, but this is biden, so...

Have to love to the Babylon Bee

Biden Says He Can't Wait To Find Out Who He Picked For VP

(08-04-2020 10:20 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  Have to love to the Babylon Bee

Biden Says He Can't Wait To Find Out Who He Picked For VP

Wouldn't it be funny if he gaffed the name? Maybe announced Stacey Keach?

Franco Harris

Supposedly Biden is down to Harris or Rice. Republicans will have a field day with Rice...Benghazi will tear its ugly head for the Dems yet again

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-v...ows-report

(08-05-2020 09:49 PM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  Supposedly Biden is down to Harris or Rice. Republicans will have a field day with Rice...Benghazi will tear its ugly head for the Dems yet again

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-v...ows-report

If Rice, it will not have a ripple. To some, Benghazi and that decision matters. To others, they dont give a **** about it. And no dredging it up will have a spit worth of difference in this environment.

(08-05-2020 10:21 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(08-05-2020 09:49 PM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  Supposedly Biden is down to Harris or Rice. Republicans will have a field day with Rice...Benghazi will tear its ugly head for the Dems yet again

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-v...ows-report

If Rice, it will not have a ripple. To some, Benghazi and that decision matters. To others, they dont give a **** about it. And no dredging it up will have a spit worth of difference in this environment.

I would just rather have a VP (and future Presdent) who has not lied to me about something as major as Benghazi, even t if it was at the instructions of Obama.

For most voters, it will not change anything. Tons of Democrats who would vote for anybody against Trump, including several posting here.

But glad to hear Stacy Keach is out of it. Probably.

Of the two, I would rather have Harris as the designated POTUS #47. I don't care as much about her sexual peccadilloes in the past as I care about Rice's dishonesty.

If/when Biden gets elected, I say we start a bet on the date that Biden resigns and/or the 25th is invoked.

(08-06-2020 10:34 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  If/when Biden gets elected, I say we start a bet on the date that Biden resigns and/or the 25th is invoked.

Given the way Reps have circled the wagons around Trump, who shows similar mental health issues, my guess is that Dems will do the same to Biden (for better or worse).

(08-06-2020 10:43 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:34 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  If/when Biden gets elected, I say we start a bet on the date that Biden resigns and/or the 25th is invoked.

Given the way Reps have circled the wagons around Trump, who shows similar mental health issues, my guess is that Dems will do the same to Biden (for better or worse).

Just because he doesn't speak in the manner you find acceptable does not mean he is mentally deficient. That is just CNN talking.

There is no chance the Republicans would 25th Trump. That is a Democratic dream, but why would the Republicans want to elevate Pence to the Presidency?

OTOH, Biden is not a candidate for a second term. So the strategy is to elevate the VP, and let her run in 2024 for a second term as the incumbent.

If Biden is removed before Jan. 20, 2022, she could even run again in 2028. But in any case, rather than having to gently ask(order?) Biden to step aside, they would have a ready made candidate.

The only question is when they will 25th him. I think not before the 2022 election. JMHO.

(08-06-2020 11:41 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:43 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:34 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  If/when Biden gets elected, I say we start a bet on the date that Biden resigns and/or the 25th is invoked.

Given the way Reps have circled the wagons around Trump, who shows similar mental health issues, my guess is that Dems will do the same to Biden (for better or worse).

Just because he doesn't speak in the manner you find acceptable does not mean he is mentally deficient. That is just CNN talking.

There is no chance the Republicans would 25th Trump. That is a Democratic dream, but why would the Republicans want to elevate Pence to the Presidency?

OTOH, Biden is not a candidate for a second term. So the strategy is to elevate the VP, and let her run in 2024 for a second term as the incumbent.

If Biden is removed before Jan. 20, 2022, she could even run again in 2028. But in any case, rather than having to gently ask(order?) Biden to step aside, they would have a ready made candidate.

The only question is when they will 25th him. I think not before the 2022 election. JMHO.

We're joking on the other page about Trump calling Yosemite "Yo-Semite." How can you try and say that Trump doesn't show mental deficiencies?

(08-06-2020 11:44 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 11:41 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:43 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:34 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  If/when Biden gets elected, I say we start a bet on the date that Biden resigns and/or the 25th is invoked.

Given the way Reps have circled the wagons around Trump, who shows similar mental health issues, my guess is that Dems will do the same to Biden (for better or worse).

Just because he doesn't speak in the manner you find acceptable does not mean he is mentally deficient. That is just CNN talking.

There is no chance the Republicans would 25th Trump. That is a Democratic dream, but why would the Republicans want to elevate Pence to the Presidency?

OTOH, Biden is not a candidate for a second term. So the strategy is to elevate the VP, and let her run in 2024 for a second term as the incumbent.

If Biden is removed before Jan. 20, 2022, she could even run again in 2028. But in any case, rather than having to gently ask(order?) Biden to step aside, they would have a ready made candidate.

The only question is when they will 25th him. I think not before the 2022 election. JMHO.

We're joking on the other page about Trump calling Yosemite "Yo-Semite." How can you try and say that Trump doesn't show mental deficiencies?

Try "corpse-man", if that is your criteria.

A deficiency in mental acuity would explain the Iran deal.

(08-06-2020 11:46 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 11:44 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 11:41 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:43 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:34 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  If/when Biden gets elected, I say we start a bet on the date that Biden resigns and/or the 25th is invoked.

Given the way Reps have circled the wagons around Trump, who shows similar mental health issues, my guess is that Dems will do the same to Biden (for better or worse).

Just because he doesn't speak in the manner you find acceptable does not mean he is mentally deficient. That is just CNN talking.

There is no chance the Republicans would 25th Trump. That is a Democratic dream, but why would the Republicans want to elevate Pence to the Presidency?

OTOH, Biden is not a candidate for a second term. So the strategy is to elevate the VP, and let her run in 2024 for a second term as the incumbent.

If Biden is removed before Jan. 20, 2022, she could even run again in 2028. But in any case, rather than having to gently ask(order?) Biden to step aside, they would have a ready made candidate.

The only question is when they will 25th him. I think not before the 2022 election. JMHO.

We're joking on the other page about Trump calling Yosemite "Yo-Semite." How can you try and say that Trump doesn't show mental deficiencies?

Try "corpse-man", if that is your criteria.

A deficiency in mental acuity would explain the Iran deal.

Biden from 2008 to 2016 looks a heck of a lot different. He is unquestionable a step slower now and more prone to misspeaks (no longer just limited to gaffes like Uncle Joe was known for doing).

We're literally stuck with picking between two candidates who are both over 70, clearly on the declining end of the mental spectrum, and who theoretically would leave office in 2024 when they're nearly 80 (if the stress doesn't kill them first). It's incredibly frustrating to be here, and I think the only thing more frustrating are people who try to present one candidate as being either more, or less, mentally equipped than the other.

Both of them need to be sent off the an old folks home, and not the White House.

(08-06-2020 12:06 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  We're literally stuck with picking between two candidates who are both over 70, clearly on the declining end of the mental spectrum, and who theoretically would leave office in 2024 when they're nearly 80 (if the stress doesn't kill them first). It's incredibly frustrating to be here, and I think the only thing more frustrating are people who try to present one candidate as being either more, or less, mentally equipped than the other.

So we look at the bench. Mike Pence versus Harris/Rice/whomever. A neocon religious right social conservative or a crypto-socialist/communist. I'm not on board with either, but I--and the USA--can survive Pence. I'm not at all certain that we can survive the other.

(08-06-2020 12:12 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 12:06 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  We're literally stuck with picking between two candidates who are both over 70, clearly on the declining end of the mental spectrum, and who theoretically would leave office in 2024 when they're nearly 80 (if the stress doesn't kill them first). It's incredibly frustrating to be here, and I think the only thing more frustrating are people who try to present one candidate as being either more, or less, mentally equipped than the other.

So we look at the bench. Mike Pence versus Harris/Rice/whomever. A neocon religious right social conservative or a crypto-socialist/communist. I'm not on board with either, but I--and the USA--can survive Pence. I'm not at all certain that we can survive the other.

We can unquestionably survive the "crypto-socialist/communist" - I'm not an expert on their policy positions, but something tells me Harris/Rice would both be considered moderate in most Western European political arenas, and we haven't see those countries fall apart yet.

It would be nice if, regardless of which party takes the WH, that Congress becomes a bit more functional. They've punted a lot of their responsibility to govern the past 8 years (if not more).

(08-06-2020 12:06 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 11:46 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 11:44 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 11:41 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 10:43 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  Given the way Reps have circled the wagons around Trump, who shows similar mental health issues, my guess is that Dems will do the same to Biden (for better or worse).

Just because he doesn't speak in the manner you find acceptable does not mean he is mentally deficient. That is just CNN talking.

There is no chance the Republicans would 25th Trump. That is a Democratic dream, but why would the Republicans want to elevate Pence to the Presidency?

OTOH, Biden is not a candidate for a second term. So the strategy is to elevate the VP, and let her run in 2024 for a second term as the incumbent.

If Biden is removed before Jan. 20, 2022, she could even run again in 2028. But in any case, rather than having to gently ask(order?) Biden to step aside, they would have a ready made candidate.

The only question is when they will 25th him. I think not before the 2022 election. JMHO.

We're joking on the other page about Trump calling Yosemite "Yo-Semite." How can you try and say that Trump doesn't show mental deficiencies?

Try "corpse-man", if that is your criteria.

A deficiency in mental acuity would explain the Iran deal.

Biden from 2008 to 2016 looks a heck of a lot different. He is unquestionable a step slower now and more prone to misspeaks (no longer just limited to gaffes like Uncle Joe was known for doing).

We're literally stuck with picking between two candidates who are both over 70, clearly on the declining end of the mental spectrum, and who theoretically would leave office in 2024 when they're nearly 80 (if the stress doesn't kill them first). It's incredibly frustrating to be here, and I think the only thing more frustrating are people who try to present one candidate as being either more, or less, mentally equipped than the other.

Both of them need to be sent off the an old folks home, and not the White House.

So you are an age-ist? I know lots of people 80 and above who are very sharp. But when I was your age, I was just as judgmental of the old folks.

Trumps problem, at least in some eyes, is that he goes his own way. Biden's problem, in my view, is that he doesn't.

But I think Trump has much better command of his faculties than Biden. Both men seem to be in good physical health.

If Biden wanted to be President, he should have done it in 2016. But it was Hillary's turn.

With Trump, we know he cannot run again. But with Biden, we are looking at 6-10 years of either President Harris or President Rice. I do not think any of the three (Biden/Rice/Harris) will be moderate in the face of a progressive Congress.

(08-06-2020 12:39 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 12:12 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-06-2020 12:06 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  We're literally stuck with picking between two candidates who are both over 70, clearly on the declining end of the mental spectrum, and who theoretically would leave office in 2024 when they're nearly 80 (if the stress doesn't kill them first). It's incredibly frustrating to be here, and I think the only thing more frustrating are people who try to present one candidate as being either more, or less, mentally equipped than the other.

So we look at the bench. Mike Pence versus Harris/Rice/whomever. A neocon religious right social conservative or a crypto-socialist/communist. I'm not on board with either, but I--and the USA--can survive Pence. I'm not at all certain that we can survive the other.

We can unquestionably survive the "crypto-socialist/communist" - I'm not an expert on their policy positions, but something tells me Harris/Rice would both be considered moderate in most Western European political arenas, and we haven't see those countries fall apart yet.

It would be nice if, regardless of which party takes the WH, that Congress becomes a bit more functional. They've punted a lot of their responsibility to govern the past 8 years (if not more).

Im not so sure that hoping for activity simply for activity's sake is something that is a good thing.

(08-06-2020 12:39 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  We can unquestionably survive the "crypto-socialist/communist" - I'm not an expert on their policy positions, but something tells me Harris/Rice would both be considered moderate in most Western European political arenas, and we haven't see those countries fall apart yet.

No, they wouldn't, and I'm getting really tired of this. They would be considered moderate in their welfare proposals, but not in their sources of funding.

Here's the big difference. European "social democracies" see social programs as a safety net, kind of an insurance policy where everybody pays premiums and everybody draws benefits. They do not see them as income redistribution schemes, and in fact they tend to make their tax structures very competitive to attract investment and growth. They may have some redistributive effects, but those are not the primary intention.

American "democratic socialists" see tax and welfare as ways to redistribute income and wealth.

If you want to reduce inequality, there are two ways--make rich people poorer or make poor people richer. European social democrats seek to make poor people richer, US democrats seek to make rich people poorer.

"Democratic socialists" and "social democrats" sound kind of alike, but it kind of matters which is the noun and which is the adjective.