Play Nice 46th President of the United States: Joe Biden 2: Incidit in scyllam cupiens vitare charybdim

[Blue1980]

The Biden strategy team absolutely need you in the room, poor hapless buggers...

"What about if we run on national security?

The border is overrun, everyone will remember Afghanistan once ad season rolls and Russia will have run our shorts up a very large flag pole no matter how much we pretend otherwise well before election time.

What about if we run on the economy?

Literally everybody except the people who ensured we became nominee feel worse off and we've run up a massive debt - most inconveniently, hundreds of billions on our most unpopular policies.

What about if we run on the environment?

I don't think we can count on the hope that their camp will miss that we approved more oil and gas drilling permits than Trump. The increases in our military expenditure and the resultant emissions dwarf any tiny progress we've made in other areas. POTUS falling asleep at conferences not a great look all things considered. It's not an area of strength.

[Jake Sullivan steps up to the plate]

What about if we run on Middle Eastern security?

[WTF? murmurs slowly give way to cautious optimism, borne out of sheer desperation...]

I'm great at this guys, I'll write a piece which highlights what an amazing job POTUS has done strengthening peace in the Middle East - it's never been quieter, right? I can talk about how much the situation in Gaza has been de-escalated, right? Tip-toe around the settlers like we usually do and it'll all be apple pie, you'll see. This is why you pay me the big bucks, right? I'll get on to Foreign Affairs and we should have it in print by their October 2nd edition."


You really can't begin to imagine how screwed these guys are feeling, but I reckon they could sure use a little 'what if we pretend to tweak healthcare?' inspiration in the room right now.

There is actually a good article on what you imagine here and much of what you write is probably accurate https://www.axios.com/2024/01/07/obama-biden-trump-2024-election

This part is particularly startling:

When pressed on why they think things are fine, Biden allies invoke four articles of faith:

The war, they think, will be far in voters' rearview mirror by Nov. 5.
By then, the economy will be so good voters can't ignore it. Voter confidence, the hope is, will catch up with the encouraging macro signs.
Abortion rights: Dems will be boosted by the anti-GOP backlash following the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade — swing voters won't want to give Trump a chance to appoint another Supreme Court justice. As Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has put it privately: "Dobbs and democracy."
Biden and allies will spend more than $1 billion telling voters Trump is terrible. In the end, Biden's inner circle contends, most independents won't look themselves in the mirror on Election Day, then go vote for Trump.
Reality check: Many senior Democrats fear that optimistic catechism shows a failure of imagination about the true chance that Trump could win.

 

[Blue1980]

Well everyone cheered Donald Trump when he handed over $15B in military aid to Israel.
Hell, Trump even recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, over the protests of Palestinians.

Trump doing that is part of what has escalated things and pissed off Palestinians even further.

 

[Blue1980]

Don't worry, he's got Tay Tay running a psy-op to ..... ahh ummm get people to register to vote.



Such scared, weird paranoid men

More people voting = psyop?

 

[Blue1980]

The comments are delightful.

Yay the war machine.

We have the choices on Gaza - Joe “bomb nicer” Biden or Donald “exterminate Palestine” Trump.

 

[Crankyhawk]

More people voting = psyop?

Insomuch as republicans rely on low voter turnout

 

[Blue1980]

Insomuch as republicans rely on low voter turnout

Well yes, that’s really just being blatantly mask off.

Then again you do get Matt Walsh types who openly say that there should be some sort of IQ test to determine if people should be able to vote.

The irony of that would be if it was a proper IQ test it would be detrimental to republicans not democrats. Republicans are all about tax breaks for the rich and beginning culture wars to attract poor/racist/ignorant/sexist/homophobic people to vote against their best interests.

 

[Magruder]

There is actually a good article on what you imagine here and much of what you write is probably accurate https://www.axios.com/2024/01/07/obama-biden-trump-2024-election

This part is particularly startling:

When pressed on why they think things are fine, Biden allies invoke four articles of faith:

The war, they think, will be far in voters' rearview mirror by Nov. 5.
By then, the economy will be so good voters can't ignore it. Voter confidence, the hope is, will catch up with the encouraging macro signs.
Abortion rights: Dems will be boosted by the anti-GOP backlash following the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade — swing voters won't want to give Trump a chance to appoint another Supreme Court justice. As Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has put it privately: "Dobbs and democracy."
Biden and allies will spend more than $1 billion telling voters Trump is terrible. In the end, Biden's inner circle contends, most independents won't look themselves in the mirror on Election Day, then go vote for Trump.
Reality check: Many senior Democrats fear that optimistic catechism shows a failure of imagination about the true chance that Trump could win.

There is some validity to your thesis.

The four point plan outlined is somewhat conventional but what modern candidate apart from Trump has provided such a volume of potential negatives? and ones rooted in such vivid recent memory and lived experience?

I guess we are about to find out if the politics of grievance are sufficiently entrenched and/or sufficiently irrational in just enough places.

 

[Geelong_Bisons_#36]

The same could be said of Trump with his claims.

Sure, no doubt Trump at 77 might not be 100% sharp, but Joe is on a different level. In 4 years time he'll be a vegetable

 

[Rayzorwire]

There is actually a good article on what you imagine here and much of what you write is probably accurate https://www.axios.com/2024/01/07/obama-biden-trump-2024-election

This part is particularly startling:

When pressed on why they think things are fine, Biden allies invoke four articles of faith:

The war, they think, will be far in voters' rearview mirror by Nov. 5.
By then, the economy will be so good voters can't ignore it. Voter confidence, the hope is, will catch up with the encouraging macro signs.
Abortion rights: Dems will be boosted by the anti-GOP backlash following the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade — swing voters won't want to give Trump a chance to appoint another Supreme Court justice. As Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has put it privately: "Dobbs and democracy."
Biden and allies will spend more than $1 billion telling voters Trump is terrible. In the end, Biden's inner circle contends, most independents won't look themselves in the mirror on Election Day, then go vote for Trump.
Reality check: Many senior Democrats fear that optimistic catechism shows a failure of imagination about the true chance that Trump could win.

They live in a fantasy land, much like the Clinton campaign did.

This article throws light on another of Biden's biggest problems...for all the billions promised, it's all talk, no mechanism of delivery left in their highly corporatised economic structure to actual deliver the promises - however good the intent:


The debate about how to implement a new industrial policy and political economy also points to a deeper problem. Simply put, our administrative machinery is old, outdated, and not designed to build quickly and equitably. And after decades of systemic vilification of public institutions, the task of standing up new governance regimes overnight is a tall order for government and civil society alike.
…
Ultimately we need a state that can build fast, at scale, and do so equitably and inclusively. But can we develop the kinds of administrative governance regimes required for this ambition before the window for change closes?

Saving Bidenomics - Boston Review

Biden’s industrial policy program promises a massive shift from decades of neoliberal orthodoxy. Can it deliver inclusive gains in time?

www.bostonreview.net

Can a journalist really accumulate so much cognitive dissonance so as to not realise they've just summed up in a nutshell why - love them or loathe them - the more State run economies like China and Russia are not only embarrassing the US' mode of privatised capitalism (even with the massively unfair advantage they get from being able to run up endless trillions in debt), they're also clearly demonstrating that they're capable of rapidly improving the lives of their citizens in ways the US hasn't been able to dream of since the 50's, maybe 60's at best.

Don't see any legacy media outlets running stories like 'Venezuelan Government Achieves Aim of Building 10 million Houses in 10 Years' for very good reason - envious Westerners might start to demand that kind of policy from our own governments if we knew what was actually possible in countries far poorer than ours!

 

[Geelong_Bisons_#36]

Worse.

Still, I'd rather him than the mental and emotional capabilities of Trump, with added temperament stability. And the policy platform, respect for democracy over any Republican candidate.

Emotional maybe, but you can't be serious on the mental capability. Some of the clips of him are shockingly bad, and he will decline even more so over the next 4 years

 

[geoffjennings79]

I wonder how many Americans who think Trump has 'good policies' understand that a fully developed policy is more than a one-line thought bubble?

Then again policy content here has deteriorated significantly since the days of Keating and Hewson, when they both actually put thought into changes, regardless of whether they were or have since been analysed as good or bad.

"Stop the boats" as an example is a somewhat under-developed policy when presented to the electorate.

 

[Captivating]

I wonder how many Americans who think Trump has 'good policies' understand that a fully developed policy is more than a one-line thought bubble?

Then again policy content here has deteriorated significantly since the days of Keating and Hewson, when they both actually put thought into changes, regardless of whether they were or have since been analysed as good or bad.

"Stop the boats" as an example is a somewhat under-developed policy when presented to the electorate.

You haven't been following US politics close enough.

The Dems campaign is all about stopping Trump. It has nothing to do with policy. It's all about Trump.

Trump will win the Rep nomination and his campaign is simple. Just let Biden keep walking into things.

 

[Chief]

Trump being elected into power was a pretend rejection of that “bipartisan” world.

EFA

 

[Chief]

The media reporting of the Dems campaign is all about stopping Trump. It has nothing to do with policy. It's all about Trump.

EFA.

 

[geoffjennings79]

You haven't been following US politics close enough.

Sure, because one post reflects that. Lol.

The Dems campaign is all about stopping Trump. It has nothing to do with policy. It's all about Trump.

Trump will win the Rep nomination and his campaign is simple. Just let Biden keep walking into things.

Depending on which reporting you pay attention to - you know, in following US politics - the number of Americans who believe Biden was legitimately elected is still above 60%, though slightly down on previous figures.

They may be concerned about the economy, rusted on support of Israel, etc, but IF Democrats vote, they will still largely vote for Biden. Regardless of age because the alternative is a blithering idiot.

Trump has a rusted on support base, which is not really growing.

Biden's biggest issue is actually getting Dems to vote, especially in critical states. His faux pas exist, but hugely overblown. Trump displays daily that he is akin to a teetering zombie.

I still think having two circa-octogenerians is the biggest issue leading up to, and beyond the election. For both parties, the US, and globally. That is solely on the 2 main parties.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

You haven't been following US politics close enough.

The Dems campaign is all about stopping Trump. It has nothing to do with policy. It's all about Trump.

Trump will win the Rep nomination and his campaign is simple. Just let Biden keep walking into things.

And ignore Trump walking into things, yeah?

 

[Satan]

Which bf poster did this ?

 

[Aussie in exile]

Sure, no doubt Trump at 77 might not be 100% sharp, but Joe is on a different level. In 4 years time he'll be a vegetable

I think both will be dead come the 2028 election.
Both men physically are not in good shape. Biden for obvious reasons and Trump is bordering on obese, and probably is obese if he was weighted i public.
These pair are a perfect example as to why politicians should be made to retire at 70 years of age.

 

[geoffjennings79]

I think both will be dead come the 2028 election.
Both men physically are not in good shape. Biden for obvious reasons and Trump is bordering on obese, and probably is obese if he was weighted i public.
These pair are a perfect example as to why politicians should be made to retire at 70 years of age.

A version of Logan's Run for pollies? Not a bad idea...

 

[Royces Hart]

Sure, no doubt Trump at 77 might not be 100% sharp, but Joe is on a different level. In 4 years time he'll be a vegetable

Trump will be dead because he’s never eaten a vegetable

 

[Magruder]

I think both will be dead come the 2028 election.
Both men physically are not in good shape. Biden for obvious reasons and Trump is bordering on obese, and probably is obese if he was weighted i public.
These pair are a perfect example as to why politicians should be made to retire at 70 years of age.

Why 'Biden for obvious reasons'...?
Bloke may be 81 but is in reasonably decent condition and his cognitive decline is hugely overstated...

Trump's weight is not the issue, more the cocktail of stimulants and vanity drugs.
In terms of acuity, Trump is coming off a low base...

 

[Satan]

Trump will be dead because he’s never eaten a vegetable

Stormy ?

 

[BigTacoBandit]

Stormy ?

Mushrooms???

 

[Bloods86]

Trump will be dead because he’s never eaten a vegetable

If you accuse him of this, he'll rant about how he loves ketchup on his cheeseburgers.

 

[faible]

Why 'Biden for obvious reasons'...?
Bloke may be 81 but is in reasonably decent condition and his cognitive decline is hugely overstated...

Trump's weight is not the issue, more the cocktail of stimulants and vanity drugs.
In terms of acuity, Trump is coming off a low base...

People like to pick on Biden's challenges with public speaking, as though he hasn't had to overcome lifelong difficulties with stuttering, as evidence of cognitive decline.

It's the usual Trump thing; punch down, at every opportunity. It's what his supporter base loves, it makes them feel better about themselves because he's saying the things a lot of them are thinking.

Meanwhile Trump says nothing of substance, makes up shit that doesn't even make sense; the civil war airfields, the Exxon leaving NY for Texas because of someone who wasn't even in power then. His supporters don't care what he says. His supporters don't care what he does, what crimes he commits, whether he's charged or convicted.