If Biden can't ace an hour long unscripted press conference, yes he should leave the race

[Tom Rinaldo]

This will be my first and only OP questioning whether Biden should remain as our presidential candidate in 2024. Either he will decide himself to withdraw or he will be our nominee. If he remains our nominee I will fight for him. I have absolutely no doubt that a second Biden administration will be infinitely better for America than a second Trump administration. Biden places excellent people in positions of responsibility. Trump does the opposite. America will be well governed under a second Biden Administration even if Biden's health should falter.

First though, Biden has to be reelected in order for there to be a second Biden Administration. Many on this board seemingly subscribe to the proposition that "one bad night" should not nor will doom Biden's reelection campaign. I agree. However it is yet unknown, and to a degree unknowable, whether Biden might suffer a second, or a third, or even more "bad nights" or "bad days" or "bad moments" in front of a camera before this campaign is through. No one on our side imagined Biden would perform the way that he did on Thursday night. If that was a one off, and Biden fronts a strong campaign from here out, yes he can recover from that debate. Can he recover if more extremely weak moments lie ahead?

To the extent possible, the time to find out is now, before the Democratic nominee for President is set in stone. I believe Biden should hold a far ranging extended press conference where he fields all of the difficult and even hostile questions thrown at him. Outside of the MAGA cult, Americans expect the leader of the free world to be able to handle that. Hillary Clinton handled 13 hours in front of an often hostile Congressional hearing when she was Secretary of State..That largely defanged the Benghazi attacks against her, and Republicans were forced to move on to "her emails" as an alternate sham to pursue against her.

Biden needs to perform well, unscripted, at an hour long press conference. It would be well covered, and it would help calm the rough seas he is facing now, and allow voters to refocus their attention where it really belongs, on the dangerous failings of the criminal Biden is running against. If there are any serious doubts inside the Biden team about his ability to pull that off, well, we are probably only one additional disastrous performance away from a second Trump Presidency. Best to deal with this head on now.

[Think. Again.]

1. Nah, even if people don't want to vote for Biden....

...they DO want to vote AGAINST trump.

We're fine.

[LAS14]

29. I think you're overestimating the intelligence of the electorate. Or...

... perhaps you were being sarcastic?

[Think. Again.]

36. No, I don't think so...

For the majority of the electorate, this is a race between trump's personality and Biden's skills as President.

trump voters are voting for his image as a person.

Biden voters are voting for his continued success as the leader of the U.S.

Trying to apply trump-voter reasoning (that good tv appearances are all that matter) to Biden voters, is futile, and that's why the debate will not matter.

[DontBelieveEastisEas]

53. That seems like a conflict of logic

You said, "Biden's skills" are important to voters.
And, "the debate will not matter"

To me, it seems that the debate is a demonstration of skills.
So, if his "skills" are important, and the debate makes people think he no longer has those skills, it would matter.

[Think. Again.]

54. A televised debate is a demonstration of television skills.

...and that's all trumps got.

If you want a demonstration of Presidential leadership skills, look up Joe Biden's resume.

[123Z]

117. Anyone remember the Kennedy / Nixon debate?

Good point DontBelieve…

The 1960 (yea I’m old) Kennedy / Nixon debate was on TV (a first) and multiple national radio networks.
The race was very close the weeks before with some poll’s indicating Nixon’s slight edge, but no major polls indicating a Kennedy victory.

Those that listened on the radio said it was roughly a tie to ~Nixon won.
Those new 70 million TV viewers that watched were clearly in the Kennedy camp.
(Historical.com has a brief writeup).

Someone remind me who won that race? And televised debates don’t matter?

[thesquanderer]

91. My worry is that "if people don't want to vote for Biden", even if they don't want Trump, they may just stay home.

It's been said so many times, turnout is key. You get more turnout from people excited about someone's candidacy, they're more highly motivated, compared to just those who hold their noses when they vote. In a close election as this is expected to be, it will be hard to win with only Trump haters. We need people to be excited about voting for Joe, we need the turnout.

[bigtree]

2. he's done this repeatedly

...you're suggesting a phoney test, and it's just disgusting.

Take a gd minute and look at the president's myriad interviews.

Subjecting him to an ambush that his rival has no intention of doing himself is just opposition to our presumptive nominee. Plain and simple.

MF your test.

[valleyrogue]

6. Exactly. Biden has proven himself over and over and over again.

The criticism should be leveled at the Beltway mob media for its incessant attempt to force Biden out because certain owners are all butthurt Biden wouldn't give them access or they think Trump will give them more tax breaks.

The criticism over Biden is looking more and more insincere, and people need to knock it off.

[LAS14]

30. But the human condition tells us that things are bound to get worse..

... and worse at some point. And it has definitely begun.

[bigtree]

37. Biden has give interviews all month

...which one are you claiming he's 'gotten worse' in?

Stop the gaslighting.

[LAS14]

65. I didn't say he's "gotten worse." I said...

... he will get worse, as will we all.

[Cha]

97. Again, That's your OPINION.

[LAS14]

105. Of course. nt

[Demsrule86]

100. How about we stop the ageism shit against our nominee. There is no evidence of what you say.

[sop]

126. It's the textbook definition of 'ageism.'

To all these people jumping on the "Joe Biden is too old" bandwagon: give me one example where Biden's so-called age problem has interfered with his job as president, affected his decision-making or kept him from running a very effective administration. People are confusing stagecraft with statecraft.

[Cha]

92. NO .. There's Nothing "definite" about it. That's

your OPION!!

[Doodley]

40. He's proven himself to us, but not to many voters who we cannot afford to lose.

[emulatorloo]

46. ...

Y’all didn't watch the focus groups, did you?

If you haven't been watching the Univision FG of undecided Latino voters, nearly every single undecided voter said they now support Biden, not Trump! Latinos were watching and listening and Trump sounded like a crazy liar. Watch this video clip from @uninot

David Plouffe says Trump's debate performance did poorly with swing voters in focus groups, "No one was saying I am really excited about Donald Trump coming back
to the presidency. He reconfirmed all the reasons they voted against him in 2020."

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[bigtree]

48. why should he put himself through a gauntlet ( a media ambush) that his rival refuses to?

...it would just be a media effort to knock him off message and focus on all of the salacious nonsense they've been peddling over voter concerns.

Anyone claiming that would help his campaign need to consider that he'd be the only one subjected to the shitshow, not the convicted felon facing even more multi-felony indictments.

Critics act as if they're talking to some imaginary voter, when there are voters right here who deserve more than this backbiting navelgazing.

[Demsrule86]

99. Really what is you evidence...if you believe polls Biden was up or tied after the debate...you know Biden is nominee and

a Democrat. Support Democrats. He is not going anywhere.

[123Z]

3. Well Said.

Here’s the bottom line: The debate has MANY news, influencers and a large part of the undecided questioning Joe’s abilities.

This is about Joe, not the other guy.
Unless Joe can show he’s NOT what many saw and thought regarding the debate, he’s toast in November.

Be an echo chamber if you like, but critical analysis and Uber objectivity are required to win in November.

Tom, that’s the most objective post on DU this week.
Echos, flame away, but be objective.

[bigtree]

7. so many new posters with concerns and advice for the party

...bless their little hearts for bringing all of that divisive falderal here.

[Rafi]

19. What difference does it make if someone is new or not if what they say has merit?

I assume you were new here at some point huh?

[bigtree]

23. stick around and find out

[Rafi]

24. Find out what?

I've been around here several years.

[bigtree]

26. many new posters aren't aware this board is meant to support Democrats

...not just whinge about them.

[berksdem]

124. I have been around for years as well...

The problem is some Dems like to knock other Dems down b/c some of us don't have the longevity of other "more important" posters.

[berksdem]

49. This statement is ridiculous

[bigtree]

69. welcome to the discussion

...don't remember seeing you on the general disscussion pages.

Chuffed that you chose to weigh in on my post.

[berksdem]

122. & according to you

we shouldn't be in the discussion? Thanks...

[obamanut2012]

82. Lol

[Cha]

95. No it isn't.

[123Z]

67. Bless your sweet heart bt

So the fact someone has been following DU for years but only recently has chosen to register and post after the debate stirred them to action and make a post (since the rules just changed), that doesn’t qualify them to speak on a forum?


I was likely campaigning for, contributing to and voting for democrats when you were filling diapers. No disrespect intended but your quip is superficial. Thats not how the Democrats I know welcome others.
Have a great day.

[shrike3]

110. Bless your sweet heart , dear.

[berksdem]

123. Very well said.

Superficial is right.

[mcar]

79. Yes, bless them for letting us dum-dum's know

what's really going on.

[shrike3]

98. I agree. Lots of that stuff going on.

[Doodley]

42. That is a fair comment. There is a lot of emotion about this, but ultimately we all want Democrats to defeat Trump.

[Cha]

119. No. I don't think it is.

Calling DU "an Echo Chamber".. Really?

[emulatorloo]

47. What about the echo chamber of "news" "influencers"? What about the real people in focus groups who said

the opposite of the echo chamber of professional pundits you’re promoting?

If you haven't been watching the Univision FG of undecided Latino voters, nearly every single undecided voter said they now support Biden, not Trump! Latinos were watching and listening and Trump sounded like a crazy liar. Watch this video clip from @uninot

David Plouffe says Trump's debate performance did poorly with swing voters in focus groups, "No one was saying I am really excited about Donald Trump coming back
to the presidency. He reconfirmed all the reasons they voted against him in 2020."

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Welcome to DU btw. Great to have you here!

[DemocraticPatriot]

55. Your opinion would have more weight if you hadn't only just joined DU

on Friday night.... Is that objective enough for you ?

[Cha]

93. Stop Accusing and Insulting DU of being an "Echo Chamber".

[shrike3]

96. Gee, thanks. You do know Biden's given many press conferences over the years, right?

[valleyrogue]

4. It is not necessary.

Why is it so hard for some people to face the fact Biden was sick with a cold? Why are some people more upset with Biden than over the fact Trump lied constantly and was NOT called to task in real time by CNN?

Biden doesn't have to prove anything. Everybody outside of the Beltway Mob have moved on from the debate. Move on, please.

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. Because most people have had colds themselves

They understand that people are not at their best when they have a cold, sure, but almost all of us have worked through a cold. When the Adrenalin kicks in and the job is before us we still perform, maybe not up to our normal standard but not dismally. It usually takes a high fever, chills and full flu like symptoms for someone to fall that short due to a cold alone. In this case I suspect Biden was also "overly prepared" with too many prepared talking points he was trying to juggle. Sure his cold didn't help, but I don't think a whole lot of people will be willing to chalk up Biden's performance Thursday night to "well, he had a cold." Simply saying he had a "bad day" I think is a more resonant explanation.

[The Wandering Harper]

16. speaking for myself though I'm sure I'm not the only one

high fever, chills, full flu symptoms and I'd be in bed feeling like I''m about to die,
not anywhere remotely near a stage.
And I would totally fall that short due to a cold

[MarineCombatEngineer]

68. He's an 81 YO man who had a cold, when you're that age,

a common cold will affect one much more than someone much younger.
I know, I'm 76, close on to 77 and when I do catch a simple cold, it kicks my ass much, much more then when I was, oh say, in my 60's,

I wouldn't read too much into his performance the other night, the cold was a huge factor in his performance, and I'll bet dollars to donuts that he'll wipe the floor with Been A Dick Donald and his lies the next time they meet.

[Rebl2]

88. Bad colds

when I was younger-20’s and up-always kicked my butt. Flu would wipe me out. All the medication I had to take at young age made me more vulnerable and does to this day, in my late 60’s.

[Rebl2]

15. Biden has

been proving himself since he was elected to the senate in 1973.

[LAS14]

31. Because some of us are living with the effects...

... of aging and recognize the symptoms.

[EX500rider]

5. I admit it left me nervous about the effect on independents & uncommitted voters

The optics were not great.

[Deek1935]

8. Debates have ZERO effect on presidential election results. Forget about it and move on.

If debates mattered then Reagan, W.Bush, and Obama all would have lost. Forget about this and hammer on Trump.

[Rafi]

22. The debate does matter if it keeps producing headlines about people in the party calling for Joe to stepdown.

After a while that will have an effect.

[bigtree]

28. isn't that just a deliberately cynical media campaign to divide Democrats from our noninee?

...why should we give fealty to that effort here?

[DemocraticPatriot]

61. Almost all of THOSE people are not IN the party! They are pundits and publishers

who never ran for or were elected to ANYTHING. I've yet to hear of a SINGLE Democratic elected officeholder ANYWHERE who is calling for Joe to step down.

In August, somewhere just under 4,000 Democratic party delegates who WERE elected to the Democratic National Convention are going to renominate Joe Biden for President, and the pundit class does not have a veto over that.

[thesquanderer]

90. re: "If debates mattered then Reagan, W.Bush, and Obama all would have lost"

Reagan and Obama at least went on to have strong subsequent debates. Let's hope for that for Biden as well.

[emulatorloo]

44. The "optics" are a decent honorable man w a cold vs a Psychotic Liar. And uncommitted voters

Last edited Sun Jun 30, 2024, 12:01 PM - Edit history (1)

voters in focus groups saw that quite clearly.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[anamnua]

9. My heart goes one way and my head goes another.

I speak: 1. as someone who bows to nobody in terms of my respect and admiration for Joe Biden; 2 as a health care professional with some expertise in medicine of the elderly.
And I have been here for a long time: I am no concern troll -- I know the species and I abhor them.
I greatly fear that what we saw a few nights ago were the early signs of cognitive failure. This resonates with other straws in the wind. Disturbingly a feature of this lack of insight. And also a tendency to progress.
Much is made of his NC recovery: there is a difference between following an autocue and answering questions on the hoof.
Trump *must* be stopped. That is the bottom line.
And this was much more than a bad debate on JB's part. Much is made of Obama's poor performance in his first joust with Romney. That had much to do with poor preparation and other factors; and nothing to do with cognitive decline.
Maybe, before his legacy, and much else, is damaged someone should say to him: 'Joe you've done a great job. Perhaps it's time to move on.'

[Deek1935]

11. Autocue or not, Biden was STRONG, ENERGETIC, and FORCEFUL. Forget about the debate. They do not matter.

[jmbar2]

20. Nope, nope, nope

This was no debate. It was a classic rightwing information op that is nearly impossible to defend oneself against in 2 minute soundbites.

It was identified and explained a few years ago by the Rand Institute, and is practiced by many, including tRump, Gym Jordan, MTG, Boebert, Ted Cruz, KellyAnn Conway, etc. But it started as a Russian propaganda method, and has been adopted widely by the rightwing.

We characterize the contemporary Russian model for propaganda as “the firehose of falsehood” because of two of its distinctive features: high numbers of channels and messages and a shameless willingness to disseminate partial truths or outright fictions. In the words of one observer, “[N]ew Russian propaganda entertains, confuses and overwhelms the audience.”2
https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE198.html

Distinctive Features
- High-volume and multichannel
- Rapid, continuous, and repetitive
- Lacks commitment to objective reality
- Lacks commitment to consistency.

What makes it effective?
- Variety of sources
- Number and volume of sources
- The views of others, especially the views of those who are similar [fellow Dem handwringers] to the message recipient.

How do you counteract it?

...retractions and refutations are seldom effective. ...people will have trouble recalling which information they have received is the disinformation and which is the truth... Don't expect to counter the firehose of falsehood with the squirt gun of truth.

Rand conclusions for countering this technique
- make people aware that it is happening, and
- TURN OFF the source of the flow.

American media is now the primary source of the flow, endlessly platforming the lies, and then expecting Biden alone to somehow rebut it in two minute soundbites for our "entertainment".

Democrats, STOP participating in this abuse of democracy! DO NOT participate in false "debates/information ops" that platform the Firehose of Falsehoods and its many practitioners.

[thesquanderer]

94. Yes, aging only goes in one direction, and that feeds the concern.

Based on how he seemed at the debate, one may wonder what he will be like two, three, four years from now. Do people here really think that is an illegitimate question?

I will absolutely vote for whoever runs against Trump. Nothing will change that. But after the debate, I think it is harder to convince someone to vote FOR Biden (rather than just AGAINST Trump).

Whether it's what the OP suggests or something else, I hope we see the re-emergence of a much stronger Biden in some kind of very visible way.

Someone suggested it is unfair to subject Biden to something not being asked of Trump... but in this particular respect, it is Biden who arguably has more to prove, and would (hopefully!) benefit from the opportunity to prove it.

The comparable test for Trump would be a lie detector test.

[Silent Type]

12. +1. Love the man, but there is no guarantee it won't happen again. This was not a one off, sadly. I'm old too,

but know when I see someone struggling to even smile. He's been having difficulty for some time. Thursday should have put this election on a course to beat trump by 10 points or more, we failed. trump is still a POS, but he's likely closer to a second term now.

Even if his team is successful in carefully choosing how/where Biden appears, at some point the Hur audio will be released. There's a reason that despite clamoring for the tape after the Hur Report was released months ago, the DOJ is now trying to keep it under-wraps. Hopefully, they are sandbagging like Obama did with his birth certificate, only to cram it down GOPers' throats at the right point.

Maybe the polls will move in Biden's favor in the next week or so. Heck, trump got a bump with every indictment. So, who knows.

[yorkster]

13. Well, how about if this were to take place

certain standards would be required; reporters would stand, identify themselves and the organization they represent.

For the most part, presidential press conferences seem to be the most unruly of all. You don't hear reporters shouting, yelling, etc. at a State Dept. or DOJ presser, at least not to the same degree.


So, perhaps with the format suggested, the idea you presented might calm the waters and reassure voters (donor class?).

[Tom Rinaldo]

18. Don't be so adverse to real discussion

We here do not determine the nations mood. Nor are we introducing this matter into public debate. I did not trash Joe Biden. I made a suggestion. Personally I think Biden could well handle the press conference I suggested. It seems you think so also. If we are correct it would help not only Biden's campaign, but Democrats down ticket also.

And if Biden does not hold a press conference the national media will not lambast him for ducking a challenge from me on Democratic Underground to do so.

For the record, if I was a nationally known Democratic leader I would defend him staying in the race, until the moment he decided to withdraw, IF that moment ever came. Whether or not I might conceivable advise him to withdraw would be a private matter between us alone. Biden's first term in office left him (or anyone who might theoretically replace him) with a strong record for Democrats to run on, against a man who is a threat not only to our own democracy but to the world.

Like I said in my OP, this will be my only commentary on Biden remaining a candidate.

[Demsrule86]

101. Your suggest is to put Biden through a gauntlet of unfriendly media to prove what ...nothing. I think this entire OP

should be deleted. Biden is our nominee. He won the primary period end of the story. Do you honestly believe the media would give Bidend a fair shake? They wouldn't.

[Mike Nelson]

21. My concern with this...

...idea, while a good one, is that the conservative media will get their several seconds of "old Biden" and simply run with a fake impression. I could get many seconds of Sean Hannity stumbling over words and make him look like he's losing his mind. You could do that with almost anyone...

This press conference idea should have to have a build-up... insuring a big audience that could see the whole event.

... so, I would play it up as a Presidential prime-time address. Say nothing about the topic. The media would assume Biden is announcing his retirement. However, he could really say, "I know Americans have questions about my fitness for office." Next, he could reveal he's going down to the WH press room, where he will answer every question. After about an hour (go over an hour, as that will be noted), give a short conclusion, similar to the one given at his rally after the debate.

[Prairie Gates]

25. I think you nailed the problem with the "one bad night" line

One bad night is easy to write off. The reason that people are worried is more complex: what was bad about the night was that it tended to confirm long-held suspicions and long-term attacks. It's not "one bad night" in the sense that Obama was beaten by Romney in the first debate, then cleaned his clock in the next ones. It's a night that colors the last few years. And it colors the next few months as well. Any stumble from here on out is just "further confirmation." That is, as you rightly point out, the problem. If Biden had had a "bad night" by having a few gaffes or getting zinged by some Trump one liners, it would be totally different. People would shrug that off. But the bad night played directly into GOP attacks and Dem secretly held concerns. That's why it's not just a bad night.

[Frasier Balzov]

83. Magnifies suspicions that the obvious has been concealed.

Awkwardly assists anti-government conspiracy theories.

[honest.abe]

120. Yes, this is exactly what I have been wanting to say about the "one bad night" argument.

Thanks for articulating it so well.

[brush]

27. Did you mention if the lying, convicted criminal and rapist should leave the race also?

[Tom Rinaldo]

32. Correct. He should. And Hitler shouldn't have invaded Poland...

...or exterminated millions. And Putin should not have run for a 5th term as Russia's "President", or invaded Ukraine.

I don't waste my time expecting narcissistic murderous megalomaniacs to think of the well being of others, or of their nations.

Trump should immediately withdraw from the race. There, I said it. Is that better?

[brush]

34. Yes. Did you mention that in your OP? If not, pls add it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

38. I validated your point in my reply above

I'm sorry but i try to avoid writing things that are already fully self evident to those reading it. We are on Democratic Underground. It would perhaps be momentarily meaningful were I to call for Trump to withdraw on a right wing web site. Before I was banned that is.

[brush]

39. Translate pls. In the post calling for Biden to step aside, did you add the same for trump?

If you've been around DU for a while you should know that posting negativity against Dem candidates is a violation of Terms of Service.

I'll ask again, did you add that same call for trump to step aside also?

[DemocraticPatriot]

63. AND Every member of the pundit and publishing class who are demanding Biden's withdrawl,

should be demanding the same thing of the criminal Trump, and SHOULD have been doing it for weeks now...if not months.

[Tom Rinaldo]

66. I'm a DU poster, not a member of the pundit class

I've been saying that Trump is unfit to be President since he came down that escalator over eight years ago and was working to keep him out, then kick him out , and now keep him out of office again ever since.

I agree with you

[anamnua]

35. I make no bones about it.

The prospect of a second dose of Trump terrifies me. He will sell out Ukraine, sell out NATO, embolden Putin to strike elsewhere, fan the flames of war in Europe, and institute a fascist dictatorship in the world's powerhouse of freedom and democracy.
Joe Biden did the world an incalculable service by getting rid of him in 2020. I fear that his continued tenure, under these circumstances, risks a restoration.
I am unconvinced by the 'cold' theory. As POTUS he has ace medics on the spot -- they would certainly have got the whole thing called off were he ill enough for his intellectual functioning to be impaired.
Unfortunately history is littered with examples of great men (Charle De Gaulle, Winston Churchill) who simply hung on too long.

[BootinUp]

41. This is not unlike some of my thoughts yesterday

Can the Biden campaign and Joe set some reasonable level of expectations for his appearances, whatever campaign appearances they are needing to have, and then meet those expectations?

Let us go forward fighting, and knowing where we stand.

Personally, I have little doubt that it is doable.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

43. He already did

Link to tweet

[republianmushroom]

45. Tom, are you saying that the convicted felon "ACED" the hour long debate ?

Sure seems like it, to me.

[Tom Rinaldo]

64. I didn't comment on Trump's debate performance, did I?

Perhaps you feel I should have, but that was not what this OP was about. I also did not comment on Trump's fraud conviction, or the fact that Trump University was shut down by NY's AG years ago. Or that Trump paid little or no income tax for years. Or that he exchanges love letters with North Korea's murderous dictator. The list could go on.

In not discussing Trump's debate performance I obviously said nothing positive about it. I certainly did not say or imply that he "aced it." Trump lied his way through the entire debate. I don't consider that "acing" it. But Trump has been lying non stop for 8 years. That should have ended his political career years ago but unfortunately it hasn't and Thursday night was just more of the same from him.

[GoodRaisin]

70. For some of us that is part of the problem. So many assessments of

Joe, while forgetting what was happening on the other side. Yeah, Trump has been lying his entire life so he’s forgiven for lying in a debate and declared the winner. You didn’t say that but that’s how every assessment of Joe’s performance has been coming across the last few days. Few are talking about how only Joe answered the questions. Trump doesn’t have a legitimate answer so he lies instead. That’s what is disqualifying but few are saying that.

It seems to me that Joe had a senior moment during the debate but that doesn’t make him incapable of being President. I’m 71 and have been having moments of memory lapse (like he had Thursday night) often. It doesn’t mean my mind isn’t still sharp. But Joe’s enemies immediately pounced on it and used it against him; i.e, the NYT and AJC’s right wing editors. MSM’s corporate ownership. It’s frustrating, to say the least. Replacing Joe is a non option, we have to stay the course with Joe and keep accentuating the many positives he brings.

[niyad]

50. WTAF??? And what, exactly, are your credentials for determining how PRESIDENT

Biden meets your standards. Interestingly enough, the sane world leaders do not seem to share your concern. But, hey, thank you for alerting us.

[Irish_Dem]

51. Good OP. But things are tricky and complicated.

One the one hand, I agree that the best thing would be for Biden to give some press conferences and
public appearances to quiet down rattled nerves out there.

We don't know the reasons for Biden's behavior the night of the debate.

If there is a reasonable explanation for his "bad night" then we need to hear the WH
tell us about it.

On the other hand, we are in the fight of our life, trying to save democracy.
Up against ruthless and dangerous sociopaths who would kill us all in our beds if they could.

Our Dem party leaders have come out firmly for Biden. I am assuming there has been talk
at high levels about the issue and they have decided Joe Biden is our best chance at defeating
fascism.

The timing is terrible for a switch, there is not enough time for a viable replacement.
And no one who polls like Biden.

[Progressive dog]

52. Biden is our candidate and will remain our candidate

as far as I am concerned. It is too late, the primaries are over, the pledged delegates have been chosen and there are nowhere near enough Democrats to agree on another candidate.

[Voltaire2]

56. The post debate polls will likely decide the outcome. nt.

[forthemiddle]

57. Preconceived ideas

Biden, unfortunately, performed to the rights preconceived idea of his mental capabilities.
He didn’t just have a bad debate in which he answered some questions incorrectly, he played up the rights ongoing diatribe that He is too old to Govern.
His answer to the abortion issue (our biggest issue) was, in my opinion, awful. No late term abortion, sisters raping sisters, combining it with the immigration problem, etc.
I don’t think he has to drop out, but he does need to rehabilitate himself. I love the idea of open ended press conferences.
My fear is that the idea that he was too old was a preconceived idea among many, and now every single campaign commercial against him will further push that agenda.

[DemocraticPatriot]

58. Is Trump going to submit himself to a press conference where he demonstrates

that he is able to TELL THE TRUTH. and ANSWER the goddamned questions which he is ASKED, for a similar amount of time?

[ColinC]

59. This need to stop.

People need to get in line behind Biden or gtfo

[edisdead]

60. Oh yay more propaganda.

Oh but it is disguised as “concern”



There is nobody that can come in and perform better than biden in actual votes.

Please delete this garbage.

[LuckyCharms]

62. Biden won the debate.

I don't care if he stammered.

I don't care if he was hoarse.

It was supposed to be a DEBATE, not a reality show.

He answered the debate questions truthfully.

I recognized this almost immediately, and that's what I am focused on. A lot of other people will be focused on this too.

We're Democrats. That means we look below the surface.

And we don't eat our own.

This election has nothing to do with Biden's perceived "performance".

There's life and death issues on the line here.

[Emile]

73. +4 All Trump did was lie, used up the clock by

not answering any questions and talking about how great he is. Trump did mention he wants to enact tariffs and give tax cuts for the wealthy. Tariffs and tax cuts gave us the Hoover Great Depression.

If Trump wins I'm calling my financial manager and putting all my money in cd's.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

104. And the CNN "moderators"

insist fact checking is not their job; it's the candidates' job.

So President Biden is supposed to waste his time addressing the idiot's lies instead of providing his own answers.

Dana Bash looked like a zombie hostage during her Lindsey Graham ass kissing earlier today.

And...........what the blue bloody fuck is the convicted felon getting "retribution" for? Gawd I'm so sick of the braindead big mouth MAGAts.

[TexasDem69]

106. Biden's campaign agreed well in advance

That the moderators would not engage in fact checking. That’s common knowledge and I don’t understand why anyone on this message board wouldn’t know that

[MarineCombatEngineer]

74. Wow!!!!

Your first post here and you trash Pres. Biden?

Welcome to DU, I guess.

[Emile]

76. LOL

[Emile]

75. I thought Joe won the debate.

[William769]

78. Almost nice knowing you.

Bye Bye

[MarineCombatEngineer]

80. MIRt taking out the trash.

I really wish the admins would bring back the tombstone that said "Here lies a disrupter, they disrupted poorly".

I always thought that was funny.

[William769]

81. ...

[Cha]

102. People still ask.. what flavor of 🍕

🍕 Pizza would you like?

🕯️🕊️💙🌊🇺🇸

[MarineCombatEngineer]

121. I sometimes ask obvious trolls what toppings they would like on their tombstone pizza.

[DoBW]

72. What Sitting Bull said ...

“Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is good and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins I answer, the one I feed the most.”

maybe feed "Dark Brandon'" a wee bit more

[mcar]

77. Have you shared your wisdom with the Biden campaign?

So many on social media who are campaign experts all of a sudden.

[Azathoth]

84. It's not going to happen

The whole reason we're at this crisis point is because Biden's team have been lying to us for the past two years and very carefully guarding him and his public appearances. They managed to keep him shielded well enough that many of us, even those of us who quietly harbored suspicions about his health and would have preferred to see a younger candidate take the reigns, we able to dismiss the right-wing attacks on him as ridiculous slander where simple mistakes by an 80-year-old man were turned into fake evidence he was a vegetable.

But the cat is out of the bag now. He clearly does have some level of cognitive decline, and medically that only goes one way, even if the progression varies from one person to the next. There's absolutely no way his team is gonna subject him to an hour-long unscripted press conference. Right now, they're likely trying to figure out how to get him out of doing the second debate should he actually be the nominee.

[suegeo]

85. I adamantly disagree with you.

The GOP needs to call for Trump to step aside because he's a felon awaiting sentencing.
Because he said he didn't fu*k Stormy Daniels. But he did and what about the GOPs family values?

Because he is Putin's puppet.
Because he said Putin told him it was Putin's dream to take Ukraine.
Because he blocked/tried to block aid to Ukraine.
Because he incited a riot on Jan. 6.

I could go on and on about this traitor. Why is the GOP backing him? Where are their calls for a better candidate?

Trump should be questioned for an hour about the lies he told for 90 minutes straight on CNN. Ask him if that wife of his believes he didn't have sex with Stormy Daniels. Ask him about talking to Putin about his Ukraine dreams. When did that happen?

[Traurigkeit]

103. You must think there is still an actual Republican Party

That political party died prior to 2000

[ismnotwasm]

86. That's nice. It's not going to happen

Can we move on?

[SARose]

87. I'm with Biden

1. This was not a debate. It was a media photo op.

2. There was NO attempt by CNN to call out Cheeto man’s lies OR to continue to tell him to answer ANY questions.

3. In my opinion, this “debate” should have stopped immediately when Cheeto man started talking about putting live babies in bags. For God’s sake!

Joe Biden is one of the best Presidents PERIOD.

He is a decent, good man who dedicated his life to serve the American people.

Unleash the Kraken - Kamala Harris was a prosecutor let her prosecute the Orange Anus and everything he stands for.

While she’s at it, shut up MAGA Mike AND the Supreme Court.

C’mon peeps. This chaos plays right into Leonard Leo’s agenda. Take a deep breath and remember what JFK said

… and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

Vote Blue!

[MichMan]

89. Why would VP Harris be involved in prosecuting Trump ?

Are you suggesting she should be demoted ?

[SARose]

112. Nooooooo

She is a trained orator. Let her take on some of the insane things Cheeto man says.

“America! This man says…..

However, the facts and evidence say….”

See?

[Demsrule86]

107. Pearl clutching at its best...oh my, I need my fainting couch...

[Music Man]

108. Haven't you heard? That debate performance didn't matter, and it's all Russian propaganda.

It's the trolls, I tells ya! Undecideds know it was the cold medicine. And the lack of fact-checking: That's why Biden's opening statement--before Trump had even said anything to be fact-checked--was so bad.

Seriously, I love Joe, think he's a great president, and believe he can still win this. But if he does, it will be in spite of this debate, not because of it. Denialism just prevents us from addressing things.

[Demsrule86]

109. Debates mean very little...and Biden's numbers are the same and higher if you believe poll. And

consider Trump lied big time.

[SARose]

114. Respectfully, I disagree

His debate performance really doesn’t matter because that’s what it was - a performance.

Cheeto Man reminded me of P.T. Barnum. “Step right in folks, wait until you see the two headed elephant!” Suckahs!

The Supremes should rule tomorrow on the immunity horse pucky. I think they will refer it back to Judge Chutkan to decide which actions are criminal. She will speedily restart her hearings, unlike Judge Cannon.

Cheeto man will be sentenced just before the MAGA Convention.

August brings our convention.

A lot of things can happen between now and November.

[Polybius]

111. "No one on our side imagined Biden would perform the way that he did on Thursday night"

I heard a few predict it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

125. I was shocked

Joe was 4-0 in general election debates, including going 2-0 against TFG.

[Polybius]

127. True, he was great at debating

But the last one before this was nearly 4 years ago. A lot changed since then.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

128. He beat TFG, Paul Ryan, and Sarah Palin

They all presented unique challenges.

[Elessar Zappa]

113. Always like your posts, Tom.

What you propose isn’t a bad idea, all things considered. But whatever happens, we must all commit to supporting the nominee with our heart, mind, time, and money. Otherwise it’s American Dictatorship.

[JanLip]

115. My two cents

Choices: do I vote for a lying, egotistical, self serving CONVICTED FELON AND WANT TO BE DICTATOR or vote for a kind, smart, whose been around the block politically, gentleman who has done a fantastic job as our president and happens to only be a few years older than myself. There that’s not so hard

Jan

[honest.abe]

118. Excellent commentary and suggestion and it needs to be done as soon as possible.