I have a question to ask--Why is the media and internet filled with talk about President Joe stepping down and letting

[debm55]

letting tRump go free about his stepping down on his charges of felony, rape, Inserection given a pass? I watched the debate; I just don't understand it. trump should not even be running. I have watched some of his rallies and the debate was very similar to the trash he throws out to the rubes. Thank you and I am sorry it this was asked before. Edit to add it is on my Microsoft News.

[Turbineguy]

1. Russians are not going to criticize trump

[JI7]

6. It's not Russians

[debm55]

9. There was one from CBS.this morning. And I am so sick of seeing Carvile mouthing of from different sources. FY Jim.

[GreenWave]

2. Bots and puppets is all I got.

The more they pick on Biden the more he will gain, methinks.

[debm55]

5. I got a story on my computer home page about Jill's ex husband and the shit he will be spreading in his new book.. I get

news and it is filled with shit about President Biden and not a word about tRump. It does make me angry as it is coming from various sources.

[GreenWave]

10. I would think the less said the better about this book as IQ 45 does not respond to Mary Trump.

But if media start trying to weasel it into the national conversation, then they should face the why have you ignored Mary Trump and her books?

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. It is maddening. There are two camps talking about this, one is assholes who

look for any reason to cause trouble and the other I guess are sincerely concerned folks who want to do anything to beat the fascist traitor.

Problem is almost nobody in the media ever talks about the fascist traitor stepping down.

[debm55]

14. Agree. with you 100%

[GoodRaisin]

19. The media owners want their tax cuts.

[ms liberty]

4. Trolls, bots, Russians, chaos agents.

[DoBW]

32. Nato & Ukraine are stronger with Biden, ergo

It's Russians all over again -- polls, plants & pretense. For them, Biden's got to go. You can can hear it amplified every where. How many on DU saw all the alerts and juries the night of the debate?

[happybird]

7. Clicks and Likes and Ad revenue

$$$$.

The huge number of clicks on tcf’s legal stuff has probably dried up considerably (for now) so this is the juicy click-getter for news sites, “news” sites, and political blogs. When tcf makes an ass of himself on camera again/has a court date/poops himself on air/whatever, these stories will disappear. So, it won’t be long till we are done seeing this bs “story.”

[Ms. Toad]

8. The substantive calls I have seen for Biden to step down don't give Trump a pass.

They expressly call out a Trump presidency as a completely unacceptable threat to democracy - so grave that democracy may not survive if he is not defeated. Their position is that if Biden isn't up to the task of effectively campaigning and convincing the undecided voters to vote for him - he should step aside in favor of someone who can beat Trump, for the good of the country.

Calling on Biden to step aside to make way for a candidate who can ensure Trump is defeated is the opposite of giving Trump a free pass.

I don't think the editorials are particularly helpful - BUT - they aren't about giving Trump a free pass. That concept comes from people who read headlines, but skip the actual editorial.

[debm55]

12. I read them and watch them. Not one negative about trump. Not one. I use MicroSoft News to enter.

[Ms. Toad]

18. You didn't read the NYTimes editorial, or the Atlanta Journal Constitution editorial, then.

The two most prominent editorials I'm aware of calling on Biden to step down.

New York Times

Donald Trump has proved himself to be a significant jeopardy to that democracy — an erratic and self-interested figure unworthy of the public trust. He systematically attempted to undermine the integrity of elections. His supporters have described, publicly, a 2025 agenda that would give him the power to carry out the most extreme of his promises and threats. If he is returned to office, he has vowed to be a different kind of president, unrestrained by the checks on power built into the American political system.

. . .

If the race comes down to a choice between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, the sitting president would be this board’s unequivocal pick. That is how much of a danger Mr. Trump poses.
. . .

It is a tragedy that Republicans themselves are not engaged in deeper soul-searching after Thursday’s debate. Mr. Trump’s own performance ought to be regarded as disqualifying. He lied brazenly and repeatedly about his own actions, his record as president and his opponent. He described plans that would harm the American economy, undermine civil liberties and fray America’s relationships with other nations. He refused to promise that he would accept defeat, returning instead to the kind of rhetoric that incited the Jan. 6 attack on Congress.

The Republican Party, however, has been co-opted by Mr. Trump’s ambitions. The burden rests on the Democratic Party to put the interests of the nation above the ambitions of a single man.

Atlanta Journal Constitution:

The fact that he is all that stands in the way of Trump returning to the Oval Office significantly raises the stakes.

Trump has already hinted at what his second term might look like. He has spoken of a desire to seek “revenge” against his political opponents, and he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in a town hall last year that he would be a dictator on day one of his presidency (but only on day one).

Trump’s campaign staff has tried to dismiss those comments as hyperbole. That might be easier to accept had Trump not attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 elections here in Georgia and had he not repeatedly and falsely claimed that the election was stolen from him.

That stance alone should have disqualified Trump in the eyes of voters. The former president’s personal and professional conduct has been egregious enough that his former vice president, chief of staff and numerous Cabinet members have repudiated him. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, himself a potential presidential candidate in 2028, says he cast a blank ballot in the state’s Republican primary, refusing to vote for the man who attempted to subvert the electoral process in our state.

[W_HAMILTON]

20. Links to their op-eds calling on Trump to drop out?

Thanks in advance!

[Ms. Toad]

23. I was responding to assertions that the editorials calling on Biden to drop out were giving Trump a pass.

I didn't assert that they called on him to withdraw - merely that they weren't giving him a pass.

Both of significant mainstream editorials are calling on Biden to drop out expressly because they perceive Trump to be such a significant threat to democracy that we need to do everything possible to ensure his defeat - even if that means changing candidates at this late date. In their perception, Thursday's performance put Biden's ability to defeat Trump in doubt.

Here's the NYT editorial: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/opinion/biden-election-debate-trump.html
Here's the Atlanta Journal Constitutional editorial: https://www.ajc.com/opinion/its-time-for-biden-to-pass-the-torch/6PO45RNWDFH4FAUYGR56TPRMHM/

Neither give Trump a pass - both expressly call him out as unfit to serve as president. And expressly, or by implication, they make it clear that Trump has no better angels to call on, so the only option is for those who truly love democracy and the United States to evaluate who is in the best position to defeat Trump and take the steps to ensure that is accomplished. In both of their opinions, it isn't Biden.

I haven't looked for editorials calling on Trump to resign. That isn't the assertion I was responding to.

[W_HAMILTON]

24. Your attempt at defending them makes it sound even more damning if they haven't yet called on Trump to drop out.

[Ms. Toad]

26. Correcting mischaracterizations of what an editorial actually says is not defending them.

The allegation was that they were giving Trump a pass. Neither of the major editorials does that. Both bash him. Bashing him is hardly giving him a pass.

So it's not good enough for you that they call Trump a threat to democracy, unfit for service, etc.? They have to make a completely pointless call on him to step down?

I'm not hung up on a needing them to make a completely pointless gesture, given that they clearly state he is unfit for office and must be defeated.

[Blue Full Moon]

21. Yet

Not one single one of them has called out for tfg to step down. Not when he was indicted. Not when he was convicted. All there is, crickets.

[Ms. Toad]

25. It is not a parallel situation.

The two significant editorials bash Trump, call him unfit for office, and a threat to democracy. They are not saying that about Biden. Both praise him, his service to the country over his lifetime and in this presidency.

They are calling on Biden to step down precisely because of the way he has always approached service to this country - he puts the country's needs ahead of his own. Their belief is that Thursday was a strong indication that he will be unable to convince the critical voting block to vote for him, rather than Trump - and that the country can't risk that. From different perspectives, both ask him to think of the potential consequences of remaining in the race - and to do as he has always done - put the country's needs ahead of his own.

There is zero point in calling on Trump to step down for the same reason that he must be defeated at all costs. He has zero interest in serving the best interests of the country.

[Blue Full Moon]

28. Actually

All the newspapers and talking heads need to shout that trump needs to step down and none have. That needed to be a clarion call as soon as the indictments came and definitely after the convictions. A couple of editorials doesn’t even come close. The ones wanting Biden removed are babies that don’t understand that if a change occurs we will not win in November.

[Ms. Toad]

34. I see no more benefit to calling for him to step down,

Than I see in their calling for his defeat by describing him as unfit for service, and a threat to democracy.

[regnaD kciN]

29. FWIW, I'd be fine with Biden stepping down...

…in favor of “a candidate who can ensure Trump is defeated.” I just don’t know of any.

[Ms. Toad]

33. I would have been fine with that before Biden decided to run for a second term.

I didn't believe I publicly questioned it at the time (just like I've mostly stayed l it off the discussions about Gaza, I saw nothing to gain from entering that debate). But I did not, then, think he should have run for a second term.

But that ship has sailed. He is running - and is, as a practical matter, the only option to defeat Trump. Now is not the time to try to find a replacement candidate.

[Raven123]

11. Trump has successfully immunized them against Trump.

[Fiendish Thingy]

13. Because some Dem operatives freaked out and texted journalists during the debate that Biden should drop out.

The media then smelled blood in the water, and the feeding frenzy began.

[debm55]

17. Yes, it so cruel to go after a kind man that is good for our country then a con liar.

[stopdiggin]

15. have you seen a better story in the past 2-3 weeks?

that's really the simplest and most rudimentary answer.

Second answer - if you're waiting for Trump to be held to equivalency ... Going to be a long wait.

[misanthrope]

16. Because it is contentious, salacious and eyeball-grabbing

They are vying for attention.

[Kaleva]

22. There are DUers who are freaking out over Biden's performance

[Silent Type]

27. If a poll cited by Keith Olbermann is close to correct, 45% of Democrats think Biden should step down.

Poll was 1 to 3 days after debate. Could be more or less now.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=19083423

[raccoon]

30. THANK YOU!

[shrike3]

35. Part of the narrative. Biden is old and decrepit. Trump is old and vigorous, and everyone knows he lies anyway.

And so his lying is not newsworthy. This narrative has literally gone on for years. I don't know why anyone's surprised.

[Silent3]

36. It's not about overlooking how bad Trump is

It’s about who might be responsive to such an appeal.

Misguided strategy or not, people talking about Biden stepping down are just as afraid of Trump winning as people who want Biden to stay in the race.

Loudly calling for Trump to drop out is like have a plan to reduce crime that is based on telling criminals “Stop that!”

[Deminpenn]

37. Because they're bored with this 2020

Biden/Trump rematch.