Althouse: "Given the almost numbing predictability of the President and the ever-increasing difficulty his critics have mustering outrage toward him at this point..."

April 26, 2019

"Given the almost numbing predictability of the President and the ever-increasing difficulty his critics have mustering outrage toward him at this point..."

"... it came as a jolt to see Joe Biden go directly at Trump in a video announcing his Presidential campaign, on Thursday."

Joltin' Joe.

That's from "Why Is Joe Biden the Only Democrat Who Wants to Talk About Donald Trump?" by Susan B. Glasser in The New Yorker.

That caught my eye because of the open admission that the public is tired of the continual demonization of Trump. There's outrage fatigue. Other candidates seem to have moved on to actual issues, but maybe the man Trump calls Sleepy Joe Biden can jolt us awake and ready for a new go-'round of attacks on Trump. He's a big racist, etc. etc. Yes, yes, Joltin' Joe is a real cup of coffee for the bleary.

69 comments:

Robert Cook said...: Fuck Biden. Same as the Old Boss.; 4/26/19, 9:46 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: Joltin' Joe

Yeah yeah but did he 'pounce'? What about 'stoke'?; 4/26/19, 9:47 AM
hombre said...: Biden is a pathological liar, like Obama. It doesn’t matter what he says.; 4/26/19, 9:55 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: What else does Biden have?

The only thing Biden theoretically offers is the next chance to beat Trump.

So Biden needs to make it all about Trump.; 4/26/19, 9:55 AM
Susan said...: "Joltin' Joe"? Has someone been at him with a defibrillator?; 4/26/19, 9:56 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: Certainly this time it's right for old Joe
Even though his announcement was slow
He'll be surprised that his moping
Excused none of his groping
And Trump's 'pouncing' won't come as a blow; 4/26/19, 9:58 AM
livermoron said...: Coffee triggers my diverticulitis. So does Creepy Joe.

Just say NO! to joe and Joe.
That's my motto.

Kinda catchy, but confusing as a bumper sticker.; 4/26/19, 9:58 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Trump will run on the economy.

The Democratic candidate will run on what a bunch of fucking bigots we are. Again!

It's surprising what a large audience the Dem's message has.; 4/26/19, 9:59 AM
William said...: I wasn't under the impression that the other candidates were loathe to criticize President Trump.; 4/26/19, 9:59 AM
Henry said...: Where have you gone, Joe demonstrative?
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.; 4/26/19, 10:00 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Since when is Trump predictable?
You know what's predictable? That the media wants to talk about Trump and that they will do numerous stories today telling us Trump is appalling.; 4/26/19, 10:01 AM
gspencer said...: The real Joltin' Joe actually gave us some real entertainment and some real home-brewed coffee.

Never-having-ever-worked-in-the-dreaded-private-sector-where-accountability-is-demanded Democrat Joe Biden has become wealthy without ever providing value to anyone except to Joe Biden.; 4/26/19, 10:01 AM
Drago said...: I'll bet Neil Kinnock opposed Trump first...; 4/26/19, 10:03 AM
Paul said...: "Why Is Joe Biden the Only Democrat Who Wants to Talk About Donald Trump?"

You mean lie about Trump, right? So far that is all he has done (besides having gaffs every 10 seconds.); 4/26/19, 10:06 AM
Michael K said...: Neil Kinnock was a loser as Party leader. Joe has good instincts.

He was known as a left-winger, and gained prominence for his attacks on Margaret Thatcher's handling of the Falklands War in 1982, although it was in fact this conflict which saw support for the Conservative government increase, and contribute to its landslide re-election the following year.

Joe will follow the same pattern.; 4/26/19, 10:09 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Why is my therapist the only one who wants to talk about my fucking ex-husband?; 4/26/19, 10:12 AM
Francisco D said...: I wonder if Joltin' Joe is a placeholder for Hillary.

He holds the "moderate" Dems together until she can muster the energy.; 4/26/19, 10:14 AM
MadBohemian said...: The very VERY conservative Jennifer Rubin says he’s the guy to knock off Trump.
She sounds so desperately hopeful. LOLOL
For a conservative....; 4/26/19, 10:14 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun of yours?
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand, oh

I'm goin' down to grope my old lady
You know I caught her gropin' 'round with another man
I'm goin' down to grope my old lady
You know I caught her gropin' 'round with another man
And that ain't too cool

Huh, hey Joe, I heard you groped your mamma down
You groped her down now
Hey Joe, I heard you groped your lady down
You sniffed her hair to the ground, yeah
Yeah
Yes, I did, I groped her
You know I caught her gropin' round, gropin' round town

"Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix (1966); 4/26/19, 10:14 AM
gilbar said...: Shouting Thomas said... Trump will run on the economy.

How THE HELL could he? He's RUINED the economy! Just look at the headlines!!!!
US economy grows by 3.2% in the first quarter, topping expectations
US claims for unemployment aid hit lowest level since '69

MILLIONS of people are losing not just their unemployment checks, but their SNAP food stamps... ALL BECAUSE THAT DAMN TRUMP is making them go back to work!
WHERE'S OUR FREE RIDE? WHERE'S OUR OBAMA PHONES? !!!!; 4/26/19, 10:17 AM
Francisco D said...: The Crony capitalist wing of the Democrat party is scared of Bernie.

They would back Kamala Harris or Elizabeth Warren, but neither one excites voters. Thus, they will desperately back Slow Joe or Hillary unless they can come up with an obscure phony moderate.; 4/26/19, 10:18 AM
rcocean said...: Except when he's making Gaffes or touching someone inappropriately, "Slow Joe" is a dull dog. I think he'll disappear rather quickly from the headlines. He's been peddling his fish for 45 years, and not made an impression.; 4/26/19, 10:19 AM
JAORE said...: Oh boy, if the world is weary of hearing about Orange Man Bad, Joe is the guy I want to hear harping on it.

Another take is that Orange Man Bad is all he's got to work with. There is NO WAY Joe can out lefty the other candidates. Too old, too white, too establishment, too much of a record. And, currently, there ain't much juice to be squeezed from the I'm a moderate lemon.; 4/26/19, 10:19 AM
Nonapod said...: I have no idea who is running his campaign, but some of their decisions seem pretty stupid.

If you think about it logically, Biden is trying to convince people in critical swing districts who voted for Trump to vote for him. But of course in order to do so he has to first win the nomination. So far, he seems to be in the lead. It seems to me that if he wants to win the nomination all he has to do is not screw up, don't say or do anything too weird or outside of mainstream Democrat orthodoxy. The minute he starts attacking Trump he'll inevitably provoke a response from him. This might not be a good idea this early on. Trump has a habbit of hitting people in certain sore spots.

Trump will almost certainly dredge up stuff from Biden's long record, everything from Biden's support for segregation back in the 70s, his authoring of the '94 crime bill, his plagerism of speeches during the '88 campaign, his long history of gaffes. Sure, Trump will do all that eventually anyway, but why get into it right now?

And tangling with Trump now while ignoring the other candidates may come off as arrogant and petty to some Dem voters.; 4/26/19, 10:20 AM
Achilles said...: Joe Biden should do a tour of 7-11's and tell the country to start learning new languages.; 4/26/19, 10:21 AM
rcocean said...: Where have you gone, Joe Biden
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you
Wu wu wu
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Jolting Joe hasn't left or gone away
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey; 4/26/19, 10:21 AM
rcocean said...: Wu wu wu
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

Simon and Garfunkle were truly great writers. Nobel Prize 2021?; 4/26/19, 10:23 AM
Earnest Prole said...: Trump is many things but predictable is not one of them.; 4/26/19, 10:23 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Biden is a pathological liar, like Obama. It doesn’t matter what he says."

And Trump.

Except, their lying isn't pathological. It is professional, and calculated.; 4/26/19, 10:26 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Trump's critics have no trouble mustering outrage. They only have trouble mustering it in other people.1; 4/26/19, 10:27 AM
Mattman26 said...: Difficulty mustering outrage toward Trump, did you say? Wow. Just wow.; 4/26/19, 10:27 AM
Mattman26 said...: Well put, IIB. Remember when Bob Dole asked where the outrage was? IIRC, that worked out well for him.; 4/26/19, 10:32 AM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: What I've noticed more is the mind numbing predictability of Trump's critics.; 4/26/19, 10:38 AM
traditionalguy said...: Joe Biden is #1)a sweet guy with great empathy for anything within reach that is in need of a feelings transfer. And he is #2)also a cold blooded power mad executioner of the innocent. The Dems think we will see #1 and overlook #2. With the help of the Dem's Media many fall for that.; 4/26/19, 10:50 AM
hstad said...: Blogger Robert Cook said...
"Biden is a pathological liar, like Obama. It doesn’t matter what he says." And Trump.
Except, their lying isn't pathological. It is professional, and calculated.4/26/19, 10:26 AM

I would agree with you 100%, but a lot of (not all)Trump's lies end up being true over time. As Inigo Montoya says: "....You Keep Using That Word, I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means”; 4/26/19, 10:51 AM
Nancy said...: Is mustering like garnering?; 4/26/19, 10:53 AM
mccullough said...: Biden is going to be called a racist by the Woke. Just as he’s being called a misogynist.

Biden’s candidacy is valuable because he’s going to take the flak for the next 10 months.

Hopefully enough Americans get sick of the Woke and just start mocking them and ignoring them.; 4/26/19, 11:06 AM
Sebastian said...: "Other candidates seem to have moved on to actual issues"

Like reparations, Green New Deal, open borders, wealth tax, Medicare for all, free college and loan forgiveness.

No wonder Joe wants to stick to Trump.; 4/26/19, 11:09 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Like a cat stealing a baby's breath, Joe Biden can steal the smell from a woman's hair.; 4/26/19, 11:17 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I found it amusing to read the obvious untruths Glasser professes to believe about the other candidates. If this the best that Biden actually has in a strategy, he will be out of the race by August.; 4/26/19, 11:18 AM
bagoh20 said...: The candidates are not avoiding criticism of Trump, they may be cutting back a little, but it's still at an unprecedented fatiguing level. It will never get to normal.

As I've asked before, can you imagine the level of incivility if Trump were assassinated. Many people would not be able to resist celebrating it openly, and nearly all on the left would do so in private.

They would cheer the end of low unemployment, and the formerly "unattainable" 3% growth.; 4/26/19, 11:19 AM
bagoh20 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/26/19, 11:24 AM
rcocean said...: Just to be clear. Many on the Left would've celebrated Cheney or Bush II getting Killed during his Presidency.

Many Liberal Reporters celebrated when Breitbart died and when Tony Snow got cancer. Or when Rush started going deaf and it was thought he would never hear again. Including Al Franken and Matt Ygelsis.; 4/26/19, 11:29 AM
rcocean said...: It'd be an interesting thought experiment - what if Trump decided to Resign and Pence took over. How much would the Liberal/Left hatred go down? 10 Percent?; 4/26/19, 11:30 AM
PDM said...: "Why Is Joe Biden the Only Democrat Who Wants to Talk About Donald Trump?" The answer seems pretty clear to me: most of the candidates are afraid of Trump. They watched him savage his way through a field of about 16 seasoned Republican politicos 2 or 3 years ago, with infantile jokes about their appearance, or their mannerisms, and the Democrat field is scared to death of being flayed by that kind of childish -- but apparently effective -- criticism. They're grown-up snowflakes. For whatever reason, whether courage or stupidity or simply enough years on the planet that he thinks he's immune from such jibes, Biden's not as afraid as the rest of his democrat cronies.; 4/26/19, 11:32 AM
Bob Boyd said...: what if Trump decided to Resign and Pence took over. How much would the Liberal/Left hatred go down?

It would go up. It always goes up.; 4/26/19, 11:40 AM
libertariansafetyguy said...: When RussiaGate fell apart, the entire last 2 years of democrat outrage has been prove to to be fake news. What is real news is that the community is booming and Trump has taken direct measure on trade, taxes, and deregulation that is enabling this economic boom. At some point, result matter.; 4/26/19, 11:43 AM
tcrosse said...: Could Biden tell us some awful shit about Trump that we don't already know? I think not.; 4/26/19, 11:43 AM
bagoh20 said...: Remember when Trump was behind Hillary at the debate and she acted like he was assaulting her? And back with Gore ridiculously jumping into W's space for no reason. Trump will need to watch his back. Biden will be stalking that silky blond hair like a panther. I bet it smells very Presidential.; 4/26/19, 11:56 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: The New Yorker has funny cartoons.; 4/26/19, 11:59 AM
Michael The Magnificent said...: Way back when the Bill Clinton scandals started coming out in drips and drabs, I started reading whatever was available in order to figure out if the scandals were manufactured, or they were real. I also had a couple of VCRs that I put to use taping the Sunday morning political talk shows. This allowed me to watch the shows later, and be able to pause and rewind.

Joe Biden was a frequent guest of these talk shows. I'd never heard of him before, but he talked with authority and conviction, which is very convincing if you don't know the subject he is speaking on. And quite frequently Biden would make a statement as though it was rock-hard indesputable fact, and I'd pause the tape, rewind, and re-listen to what Biden had just said, because his statement didn't square with the knowledge I already had on the subject. And then I'd search the internet in order to resolve the accuracy of his statement of fact. And more frequently than not, I'd discover that Biden was wrong, in spite of his speaking with authority and conviction.

Biden has an ego that distorts his perception of himself. He thinks of himself as the smartest guy in the room, and too smart to ever be wrong. Unfortunately for him, he isn't that smart, and he is frequently wrong.

FLASHBACK VIDEO: Biden Spars with Voter, 'I Think I Probably Have a Much Higher IQ Than You Do' Which turned out to be so much bullshit.; 4/26/19, 12:07 PM
Anonymous said...: Joe recycled a Democrat lie from Trump's early days in office to attempt to re-smear Trump.
Joe can't even make up new lies to use, he's so pathetic & weakminded.
But hey, JOE RECYCLES would make a great bumper sticker for 2020.; 4/26/19, 12:18 PM
exhelodrvr1 said...: "What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Jolting Joe hasn't left or gone away"

or
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Jolting Joe's left hand has gone astray
Hey!! Hey!! Hey!!; 4/26/19, 1:11 PM
Lurker21 said...: Joe doesn't want to engage this cycle's Democrat issues because that can only lose him votes. The alternatives are to embrace the new Democratic agenda and alienate moderates and Independents, or reject the agenda and become even more hated by the left, so for Joe, it has to be about Trump and civility and even anti-Semitism.

As an added benefit, Biden is repeating everything the Republican #NeverTrumpers have been saying, and this leaves them in the position of wondering what possible reasons they would have for not supporting him, but that's assuming 1) that they are still on the fence and 2) that their support would help him.; 4/26/19, 1:16 PM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Is there enough blood plasma harvested from healthy teenagers to keep Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and RBG alive, or at least convincingly animated, until the 2020 election?

One wonders, but of course, if money is no object and sourcing from China is not off the table, it's probably doable.; 4/26/19, 1:26 PM
tim in vermont said...: That was a good use of a limp dicked word like “muster."; 4/26/19, 1:59 PM
Caligula said...: Pres. Trump is a year older than Hillary Clinton, yet he comes across as still young-old whereas she seems to have turned the corner into old-old some time ago.; 4/26/19, 2:02 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: Is Trump mind numbingly predictable, or is he chaotic? Can he be both? I wish the media would get its story straight.; 4/26/19, 2:48 PM
Matt Sablan said...: "what if Trump decided to Resign and Pence took over. How much would the Liberal/Left hatred go down?"

--What did he know and when did he know it would be the headline news.; 4/26/19, 3:22 PM
dreams said...: Sloppy Joe is more apropos. Hall of Fame baseball player Joe DiMaggio was Joltin Joe and Joe Biden is no Joe DiMaggio.; 4/26/19, 3:32 PM
The Vault Dweller said...: I suspect someone in his campaign is telling Joe, he needs to run as if it just him and Trump. So that the democrat voter base starts thinking about Joe vs. Trump. That way Joe winning the primary is a fait accompli. Of those running I think Joe arguably has the best chance to beat Trump, and is certainly in the top tier of those with a chance to beat Trump, but I don't think he will have any energy in the base behind him, because he is an old, white man (which democrats hold a generally negative opinion of now), and he is not entirely a goofball socialist. Though I am 100% confident he would be willing to adopt whatever policy position the left demanded to win.; 4/26/19, 7:14 PM
Narayanan said...: Is Trump mind numbingly predictable, or is he chaotic? Can he be both? I wish the media would get its story straight

We're guests inside
Schrodinger's castle.

Putin is Igor.
Hillary is Bride of Frankenstein.; 4/26/19, 8:03 PM
Fen said...: Democrats are being eaten by their own Identity Group politics.

Biden has his last name on a campaign poster, the background is various photos of Biden being "presidential". The last one is of him next to Obama, so the last letter of his name, N, is superimposed over Obama.

The SJW twitter mob immediately recognized this a dog whistle racism, the N being a subtle reference to "that word that is so forbidden it must be masked"; 4/26/19, 8:23 PM
LA_Bob said...: I seem to recall that Biden as vice president was less gaffe-prone than Senator Biden on the campaign trail. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention.

Still, Biden as "best chance to beat Trump" may not materialize as he actually campaigns. He has already stumbled out of the gate like a drunken tap dancer.; 4/26/19, 10:37 PM
daniel said...: I'm a'runnin'
I'm a'runnin
And my head is bended low
I hear their gentile voices calling,
Old White Joe.; 4/26/19, 11:38 PM
Gk1 said...: Slow Joe Biden is the Jerry Cooney of Democratic White Hopes. He sure looks good sparring and has a dynamite right hook but Larry Holmes carved him up like a hunk of spam just like Trump would with Slow Joe. But let's be honest Joe's time has passed. If the democrats are going to go down in a blaze of glory they might as well pick another "first" like a gay guy or a black mistress.; 4/26/19, 11:59 PM
Tim said...: Speaking of RBG, has she actually been seen in public in the last few months?; 4/27/19, 12:59 AM
gadfly said...: Even Mrs. Robinson knew that Joltin' Joe's last name was DiMaggio. And from where does the odd reasoning come that "the public is tired of the continual demonization of Trump?" Outrage fatigue? Moving on to other issues?

Dear me - Trump has taken over the minds of his believers. Obviously, The Mueller Report plainly indicates Trump's guilt and he will now have to wear his badge of shame. But he obviously wants more badges with his clear acts directly violating the Constitution's separation of powers over the past two weeks. Publicity and news control is good if it is about him because his ego tells him that Donald can do no wrong.

As for Biden, our ex-VP and never again politician, is looking for a campaign theme and 19 other candidates have taken Medicare for all, save the planet, save the feminists, get students out-of-debt, gun control, socialism now and even voting by prisoners as planks to die on. So no candidate has picked running for POTUS except for Plugs and he is now onboard.; 4/27/19, 3:11 AM
Michael K said...: The Mueller Report plainly indicates Trump's guilt and he will now have to wear his badge of shame.

Speaking of Trump living in your head. Hilarious, gaddy,; 4/27/19, 8:28 PM