Fogbow

MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2024 3:57 pm

The article - which I did not quote in its entirety - stated that a half dozen participants tweeted that Biden had done a good job. What I did quote above stated that THREE participants were concerned about Biden's rambling and his appearing to get lost while talking.

RTH10260 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2024 5:54 pm re: passing the torch:

Please some speculation that if Joe Biden were to step down now and Kamela Harris takes over, what would her chances be for reelection in November?

RTH10260 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2024 5:54 pm Please some speculation that if Joe Biden were to step down now and Kamela Harris takes over, what would her chances be for reelection in November?

Annie Linskey
@AnnieLinskey
From Biden's doctor: "The President presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise."
6:22 PM · Jul 17, 2024
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Biden plans to return from his trip to Nevada and "self-isolate" in Delaware, per the White House.

Pelosi told Biden: You’re dragging down Democrats
An ally of the former House speaker said she would do “everything in her power” to get Biden off the Democratic ticket.
By RACHAEL BADE 07/17/2024 11:56 PM EDT

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told President Joe Biden last week that she and other Democratic lawmakers worry that he’s dragging down the party, in an extraordinarily candid confrontation that came amid mounting pressure on Biden to end his reelection campaign. Pelosi also warned Biden that some Democratic lawmakers would start to grow louder in their griping about his political weaknesses, according to two people close to Pelosi. She urged the president to make a decision about stepping down soon.

One Pelosi ally said it was possible she would press Biden publicly to give up his spot atop the Democratic ticket. “The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens,” this person said, referring to Biden quitting the race. A second Pelosi ally put her calculus in blunt terms. “There’s nothing subtle about Nancy,” this person said. “She starts with the question: ‘What’s it take to win?’ Then works backwards.”

The exchange between Biden and Pelosi underscores a new and increasingly public phase of the push to remove Biden from the Democratic ticket. Senior Democrats had hoped to address this matter privately — Pelosi, herself, certainly advised members to try to do so, at least for a time.

So far, Biden and his inner circle have refused to yield. Now, they’re facing leaks left and right that keep the president on the defensive. News of Pelosi’s conversation with Biden was first reported by CNN. It emerged hours after ABC News reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Biden, in two separate conversations, that it would be best for the country for him to end his campaign. POLITICO reported Wednesday evening that both Schumer and Jeffries had conveyed to Biden that they were deeply concerned about his effect on Democrats’ ability to win control of Congress.

Pelosi’s office in a statement said she had not spoken to Biden since returning to California on Friday — and questioned the reporting about her conversation with the president. “These sources are not good sources,” her spokesperson said. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates merely said: “Biden is the nominee of the party… plans to win, and looks forward to working with congressional Democrats to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”

Based on reported factors like polling, public statements, donor hesitations, and concerns over President Biden's health (including his third bout of COVID), there's speculation he may be considering stepping down. In my opinion, snubbing Kamala Harris for the presidential nomination would be a bad move—messy, risky, and disrespectful to VP Harris and the Democratic base. "First, do no harm."

Given these circumstances, who would make the best Vice Presidential choice? Typically, selecting a VP nominee involves several strategic factors. Here's what I believe are the typical considerations:

Obama tells allies Biden’s path to winning reelection has greatly diminished
The former president, hugely influential in the party, has told associates that Biden’s path to victory has significantly shrunk.
By Tyler Pager and Michael Scherer July 18, 2024 at 12:05 p.m. EDT

Former president Barack Obama has told allies in recent days that President Biden’s path to victory has greatly diminished and he thinks the president needs to seriously consider the viability of his candidacy, according to multiple people briefed on his thinking. Obama has spoken with Biden only once since the debate, and he has been clear in his conversations with others that the future of Biden’s candidacy is a decision for the president to make. He has emphasized that his concern is protecting Biden and his legacy, and has pushed back against the idea that he alone can influence Biden’s decision-making process.

Behind the scenes, Obama has been deeply engaged in conversations about the future of Biden’s campaign, taking calls from many anxious Democrats, including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and has shared his views about the president’s challenges, according to people with knowledge of the calls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. A spokesperson for Obama declined to comment. Obama sees his role as a sounding board and counselor to his former vice president, telling allies that he feels protective of Biden. In these conversations, Obama has said he thinks Biden has been a great president and wants to protect his accomplishments, which could be in jeopardy if Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress next year. In some conversations, Obama, who has long looked to data for political insights, has told people he is concerned that the polls are moving away from Biden, that former president Donald Trump’s electoral path is expanding and that donors are abandoning the president.
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Obama, perhaps the party’s most revered figure, has tried to keep a lower profile, hoping to draw on his longtime friendship with Biden, his former running mate and vice president. But Obama’s role as the leader of the party from 2008 to 2016 has made him a sounding board for concerns across the party. Former Obama advisers who continue to comment publicly on politics, from his counselor David Axelrod to a group of more junior aides who now run the Crooked Media podcast company, are among the most vocal Democrats arguing that Biden may no longer have a path to victory.
***
The Post previously reported that Obama has shared concerns about Biden’s path forward after the debate and that the two presidents spoke in the days after. But in the weeks since, Obama’s concerns about Biden’s candidacy have only grown deeper, the people familiar with the matter said. Meanwhile, some of Biden’s aides have fumed about Obama’s role in these conversations, blaming him for not keeping the party united behind Biden’s candidacy. After the debate, Obama posted a supportive message on social media for Biden. “Bad debate nights happen,” Obama wrote. “Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”

Since then, Obama has largely been silent publicly. But Biden aides say Obama could have stopped Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney, a close friend of the former president, from writing an op-ed in the New York Times that called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race. Movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, a top Biden campaign official, sought to stop Clooney, a longtime friend of his, from publishing the piece but was unsuccessful, according to a person familiar with his outreach.

But Biden aides say Obama could have stopped Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney...

bob wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2024 2:46 pm If reality was Game of Cards or House of Thrones, Biden would have resigned on January 21, 2023 (to permit President Harris to serve 10 years).

But he didn't, so he won't.

p0rtia wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2024 6:55 am

@ericgarland
The new "Pass the Torch" ads trying to get Joe Biden to quit are financed by a former FEC violator. Messaging is done by a cryptocurrency ad agency.

In an interview with BET last week, Biden indicated that he had initially expected to serve one term, as many voters expected, recalling a pledge he made during the 2020 campaign to be a “bridge” to the next generation of Democratic leaders.

“I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I would be able to move on from this and pass it on to somebody else,” the president told BET. “But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided.”

Still, in recent days, Biden had stepped up the praise of his vice-president, emphasizing her readiness to serve.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney 4m
We’re living through one of the most unfathomably insane months in political history.