Writes Gail Collins in "The Biden Sort-Of Lovefest" (NYT).
The second-highest-ranked comment:
Not sure who you are talking to, but being a female of a certain age with friends all over the country in their 50s 60s and 70s, we to a person want Joe to run. We are outraged at the political hit that's being perpetrated by opponents and see it clearly for what it is. We've all taken a deep interest in politics over the years and have a good grasp of issues and are immune to shiny objects waved in front of us. We want to beat Trump. This does not mean that if a better candidate emerges at some point we would not change our minds. But we need Joe to run.It is a political hit.
I'm not a Joe Biden fan. I thought he was loathsome in the 2012 VP debate with Paul Ryan (live-blogged here ("Ryan is speaking earnestly about preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons, and Biden is chuckling toothily, his body shaking like Santa Claus")). And I'm a longtime opponent of sexual harassment (and kept true to the position even when Bill Clinton, the first person I ever voted for for President who won, got accused of it). But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
Posts
170 comments:
Wholeheartedly agree about his loathsome 2012 debate performance.
“Put y’all back in chains!” is #2 on my list of top 10 awful Biden moments.
Having said that he’s still more likeable than most of the Dem candidates and that’s a fuckin’ big deal!
I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
Guys see it structurally, no emotion, just that things won't work out well.
Why you don't want women voting.
It is a political hit
Maybe. If it was it was very ham handed. The timing was poor, the effort was weak and uncoordinated. He makes one public comment about it then makes one Jimmy Swaggert video and it's over. Now he's stronger for it. Oops...
This does not mean that if a better candidate emerges at some point we would not change our minds
At least one person wants Snowplow Joe for Hillary!
I might be sympathetic to Joe if he hadn't pulled the same shitty political hitjob himself, on Justice Clarence Thomas, when Biden was the Chairman (hard to imagine that, in retrospect) of the Senate Judiciary Committee during Thomas' confirmation hearing.
It's only a hit piece with respect to how women will react. It's not a hit piece to a male audience.
We've all taken a deep interest in politics over the years and have a good grasp of issues and are immune to shiny objects waved in front of us.
You mean like a dossier provided by Russian spies to the Hillary campaign for money? You are immune to shiny objects like that? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! It’s not the old Democrats who are going to dispose of the Biden candidacy, BTW, it’s the “awokened” generation. The Democrats are two parties right now, and Biden is going to have to piss away any support he has from older moderates to appeal to them.
Althouse wants to reserve #MeToo for particular hot button situations, perhaps. The successful actress problem.
BO must not have given Biden access to the FBI kompromat on the other Dems.
It's a hit job, for sure. But I can't bring myself to feel sorry for Biden. You can't feel bad when someone who contributed to a destructive environment gets brought down by that environment. It's not tragedy, it's poetic justice.
And I have no faith that the woman who wrote the second-highest rated comment actually has a good grasp of the issues and is immune to shiny objects. If she did, she wouldn't be so desperate to beat Trump. Far more likely she is kidding herself.
Whatever magic Joe Biden has, I am immune from it.
He comes across as a phony to me. Is there any evidence that he is appealing to the blue collar voter?
Plus he has been wrong about virtually everything. He has this rep as a foreign policy wonk, but he's been wrong about so many of his foreign policy positions.
I'm not a Joe Biden fan. I thought he was loathsome in the 2012 VP debate with Paul Ryan
Yes! Then the democrats decided "when they go low, we go high".
Biden was a clown. Even my Democrat husband agreed through the first 4 years of Obama, Biden was a clown. Then he got kind of back shelved for the next 4 years, and now he emerges as the wise statesman. Nope. Just shows what a bad situation the Democrats are in right now.
I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is
Definitely your emotional reaction should overrule any rational analysis of the situation, which is that Biden believes that his physical charms should be used to counter any idea of seriousness that professional Democratic women hold in their pretty little heads. First let’s establish who is dominant here, then we can talk about whatever you are interested in young lady.
But women are mostly slaves to those charms and Biden knows it.
the same shitty political hitjob himself, on Justice Clarence Thomas
As I remember it, Senator Splash's staffers orchestrated it, but obviously Teddy couldn't take the lead. Biden couldn't keep them in control even if he'd wanted to.
"But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe"
Meh. It has only made me find the Democrats, the whole lot of them, even more loathsome. Vile crabs in a stinking bucket. Not that distinct from Republicans, now that you mention it.
Running for President, or someone considering running for President or being talked about as possibly running for President, that's all political, it's part of politics. So attacks on a possible candidates, I guess it's a political hit job, I'm not sure what other kind of hit job it would be. Or why it's to be condemned. It's all in the game.
I don't think there's anything so special about Joe Biden that the country will suffer if he doesn't get to be President. He's lived a life of mostly ease and comfort, and while he's had tragedy and sorrow, he's also had great opportunities and many privileges. I waste no emotions on Joe Biden. You run with the big dogs, sometimes you get bit.
"See, this is the reason people keep saying they love Joe Biden."
You can be a jerk, you can be pompous, you can be a two-time plagiarist, but if you're a Dem, you know there are second and third and fourth chances in American life. Dem privilege, which Dems project on the deplorables to whine about white privilege.
"Not sure who you are talking to, but being a female of a certain age with friends all over the country in their 50s 60s and 70s, we to a person want Joe to run. We are outraged at the political hit"
Yeah, and why hit a guy who just wanted to give girls a soothing massage, a tender kiss, a token of his affection?
"We want to beat Trump."
Ah, a bit of honesty. Forget #MeToo. Turns out, if you are a senator or VP, you can grab them, after all. Priorities.
"I'm not a Joe Biden fan. I thought he was loathsome in the 2012 VP debate with Paul Ryan."
That was then, this is now.
"But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is."
As a cynical male conservative, I'm not surprised. Well, a little: I thought Althouse would at least affect cruel neutrality about obvious political machinations that don't seem to call for any emotion of any sort, and since loathsome Joe was loathsome, as well as a fool, long before the Ryan debate, I thought he'd be enough of an obvious jerk to prevent any eruptions of contrarian sympathy.
All in all, a useful reminder that the GOP ignores women's feelings at its peril.
This alleged hit job (and the Ukraine bribe) are only scratching the surface from the oppo research department. A shot across the bow. I look for him to drop out very soon.
About that second-highest-rated comment. Replace "Hillary" with "Joe" and you have the exact same Democratic Party establishment position that lost to Trump:
Not sure who you are talking to, but being a female of a certain age with friends all over the country in their 50s 60s and 70s, we to a person want Hillary to run. We are outraged at the political hit that's being perpetrated by opponents and see it clearly for what it is. We've all taken a deep interest in politics over the years and have a good grasp of issues and are immune to shiny objects waved in front of us. We want to beat Trump. This does not mean that if a better candidate emerges at some point we would not change our minds. But we need Hillary to run.
Is part of your emotional reaction a feeling of schadenfreude that the usual defenders against long-ago incidents are Republicans who will probably decide not to defend Joe?
"...makes my sympathetic to him"
How can something that has been a multi-year (maybe multi-decade) open-secret be a "hit job"?
It is a hit job, but Biden made this bed, now he has to lie in it.
People see the political hit job and respond viscerally, to push back and vote for the victim.
At the same time, have no idea President Trump is on the way to a landslide victory.
Quite the disconnect.
being a female of a certain age with friends all over the country in their 50s 60s and 70s...
made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
I was wondering who Joe's demographic was, thanx for letting me know. If only a majority of voters were females in their 50s 60s and 70s...
It's hard (well maybe not) to think of Hillary Clinton as Michael --or should that be Michelle--Corleone. But it appears that someone in the Democrat Mafia has decided to give Joe Biden his Luca Brazzi moment.
Whatever--the hit was ordered. And I'll go with Paco Wove's thought about vile crabs in a stinking bucket here. But some swamp creatures can survive a hit--look at the three Democrat stooges in Virginia. They're still there despite "credible allegations" of sexual harassment and an unfortunate tendency to go black face or white sheet at parties. So Joe (aka "Freddo") may ride this one out.
Ralph L:
I presumed, and still presume, that it was Sen. Howard Metzenbaum's staff that was spearheading the effort to illegally release the FBI's interview reports. But I don't know that there is any public proof either way.
I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
Long-time readers are not.
AA sez: "But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is."
Great, but don't forget who is doing the "hit job" on Hair-Sniffer Joe. It's not Trump. It's the Democrat Party and their lackeys. The Young wise Latina Flores is a Bernie Bro. The women sniffed, hugged and fondled by Joe are all Dems.
Gail Collins is an untalented stooge for the Dems, too.
Nothing wrong with expressing a little sympathy for Hair-Sniffer Joe, but let's be clear who the bad actors are.
I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
I was about to ask why, but I believe Ignorance's comment is more on point.
We are are immune to shiny objects is the phrase that makes me shake my head. So Hillary.
Politicians are actually supposed to be charismatic. That's a component of successful leadership.
Plus he has been wrong about virtually everything.
He might have been right about partitioning Iraq, but we'll never know. It might have made it easier for us to leave earlier.
"Ryan is speaking earnestly about preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons, and Biden is chuckling toothily, his body shaking like Santa Claus"
That debate was a disgrace but somehow Biden won.
I know because the media told me.
A poseur and a fraud, and not particularly bright or politically smart. What's to like?
But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
And I am also surprised, Althouse. I would have thought that your sympathies would be with the women with whom Joe Biden got all handsy. Sisterhood is a myth I guess. Lots of politicians receive hit jobs. Biden is different only in that he really deserves it.
And no, he can’t beat Trump.
High school Joe Biden challenging 6'-3" quite athletic Donald Trump to a fist fight would not have ended well for Joe Biden.
This was a very foolish statement.
One may also question the smarts and competence of a politician who goes on TV at an international conference and publicly brags about his corrupt behavior.
And I am also surprised, Althouse. I would have thought that your sympathies would be with the women with whom Joe Biden got all handsy.
Is Althouse aware that Biden is Catholic? Because usually White Catholic males aren't deserving of her charity and benefit of a doubt. I guess being democratic and in favor of killing the unborn makes up for it.
And the next day Biden called up to say thanks 'for showing me what a jerk I was.'
Kabuki. Biden was 75 at the time. Of course he knew he was being a jerk, that was the point, his audience wanted him to be a jerk. When Collins called him on it, he put on the sensitive male mask for her benefit.
Dukakis survived the Willie Horton attack in the primaries.
Chuck, narciso could tell us who did what and their shoe sizes, but we likely still wouldn't understand it.
This is a good test for Biden. So far he is failing it. His groveling and mealy-mouthed platitudes aren’t cutting it.
Stop trying to appease the Woke. They are scum. Give them the back of the hand.
Joe isn’t leadership material.
Last year Biden told some college students that if only he and Trump were in high school together, “I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.”
Was that instance of Biden "tough talk" a reason for the "hit job"? Or do certain Democrats have other reasons to quiet the tough talking but "lovable" Joe?
Joe Biden's 2020 Ukrainian nightmare: A closed probe is revived
THE HILL BY JOHN SOLOMON, 04/01/19
Two years after leaving office, Joe Biden couldn’t resist the temptation last year to brag to an audience of foreign policy specialists about the time as vice president that he strong-armed Ukraine into firing its top prosecutor.
In his own words, with video cameras rolling, Biden described how he threatened Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in March 2016 that the Obama administration would pull $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees, sending the former Soviet republic toward insolvency, if it didn’t immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.
“I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion.’ I’m going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Biden recalled telling Poroshenko.
“Well, son of a bitch, he got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time,” Biden told the Council on Foreign Relations event, insisting that President Obama was in on the threat.
Interviews with a half-dozen senior Ukrainian officials confirm Biden’s account, though they claim the pressure was applied over several months in late 2015 and early 2016, not just six hours of one dramatic day. Whatever the case, Poroshenko and Ukraine’s parliament obliged by ending Shokin’s tenure as prosecutor. Shokin was facing steep criticism in Ukraine, and among some U.S. officials, for not bringing enough corruption prosecutions when he was fired.
But Ukrainian officials tell me there was one crucial piece of information that Biden must have known but didn’t mention to his audience: The prosecutor he got fired was leading a wide-ranging corruption probe into the natural gas firm Burisma Holdings that employed Biden’s younger son, Hunter, as a board member.
It isn't a hit job if it's true.
Last night on Snoozehour, Karen Tumulty repeated the lie for the thousandth time that Trump bragged about grabbing pussy.
> I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
Geez, Old Joe is a politician, not a dog.
Joe ain't bright, which perhaps attracts the motherly protective part of you. But Joe's also an inveterate liar, given to fits of really stupid speech ("They're gonna put y'all back in chains!") meant to sow racial discord among Americans. So of course every once in a while you can see him get in a mood where he starts believing his own bullshit and you get belligerent Joe popping off (alleging his high school self could beat down Trump wasn't his first foray into verbal fisticuffs), threatening people, or recommending (stupidly of course) that women fire off shotguns wildly to scare bad people off. In short, it disturbs me how often Joe lapses into recommending illegal and immoral behavior in others, telling me there are no guiding principles behind "old Joe's" folksy facade.
But look! Here's The Atlantic to jump in and defend Joe with the so subtle title of In Defense of Naked Joe Biden, proving how supine the DNC-Media can be when you're in their club. Unexpectedly!
The problem with getting all emotional and sentimental about candidates (or many other life situations)is that people tend to use those emotions instead of reason and logic when making decisions. Those decisions made by emotion are usually wrong and ultimately disastrous.
Obama as President is a prime example. It felt good to vote for the Black guy (half black guy) and correct all the wrongs of the past. Didn't it? Obama was good looking and oozed all the right charm. People voted for him without thinking about what he was actually saying, or evaluating his credentials. Emotion ruled and we are still trying to recover from the damage his Presidency did.
Yes. It probably is a hit job on Joe Biden. Not that he doesn't deserve some of the criticisms and ridicule. But...WHO is perpetrating this hit job?? I posit that it is NOT the Republicans but it is the Progressive/Socialist Democrats themselves. They are rabid about trying to overturn the OLD order and Slow Hands Joe is the epitome of the good ole boys network. If he were to become the Democrat Party Leader, they know that there is no way he would buy into their hopes and dreams of destroying the United States. Joe is more interested in feathering his own and his son's nest and having a glad-handing good time.
Joe Biden as the Democrat Candidate would not have a chance. Does anyone think he is a dynamic motivating force? Apathy and attrition of voters would decimate the Democrats. They would lose the Black and Hispanic vote. The rabid left would be hysterical and proceed to further eat their own. (ok that would be a plus for us to watch...bring popcorn). Joe is a loser for the Progressives and they want to knee cap him sooner than later.
If Joe Biden picked a fight with Donald Trump in high school, Joe would have been an 18 year old senior and Donald would have been a 14 year old freshman.
It would have been lose-lose for Joe: An 18 year old beating up a 14 year old will not exactly cover you in glory. If Joe somehow managed to lose to Donald, that is even worse--you got beat by a freshman?
It's a "hit job"? That's what we call removing the special protection for people important to the left wing cause?
It's so unfair Joe has to live by the same standards as everyone else.
“Put y’all back in chains!” is #2 on my list of top 10 awful Biden moments.
So many people believe or want others to believe there is still a core of non-extremist Dem / leftist politicians. There isn't. They're hate filled fearmongers who believe any disagreement with their beliefs is driven by racism.
It's not Joe Biden's DNC anymore.
I only clicked once.
Biden is getting hit for assaulting and grabbing others, pussies or not. Fair enough for me; unless B. Kavanaugh pulled some weight and helped convince these women they should speak their truth, in which case it would be cosmic/divine level Justice.
"And then Sen. Biden is talking -- again, glancingly
-- about a "strike force" commissioned to go to wherever
drugs are being grown and processed. Presumably, this would
exclude Vietnam, since we can't go back to Vietnam under any
circumstances; but short of there, is Sen. Biden suggesting
that our strike force should be prepared to descend into the
prairies, jungles and tundras of Bolivia, Peru, Chile,
Pakistan, India, Cambodia, Burma and China, not to say the 15
or 20 states within our own borders which glow with pride
over the quality of their golden grass? Strike forces with
that kind of a mandate will certainly eliminate whatever
unemployment problem we have left. But one wonders whether
the Democratic Party will stick with Sen. Rambo's
Expeditionary Forces." - FROM UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATED : 9/7/89
ON THE RIGHT by William F . Buckley Jr .
MORE OF THE SAME https://cumulus.hillsdale.edu/Buckley/index2.html#1554383727835_2
Biden would go to war with North Korea solely because he knows he could blame it all on DJT, and that makes it worth it. That and the backhanded billions he thinks he would get. Absolute warmonger. https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-iraq-war-vote-anniversary-2020-election-problem-2019-3
I'm more sympathetic to Neil Kinnock.
I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
Would it help to have Joe come hold you?
“Joe Biden's 2020 Ukrainian nightmare: A closed probe is revived
THE HILL BY JOHN SOLOMON, 04/01/19”
I don’t know where these Boomer Democrats who love Slo Joe so much hide, to be so uninformed about him, but he is, so far, probably the most damaged candidate of theirs running. Also surfacing last week was the story about his son, Hunter, tagging along on AF-2 to China, and walking away with $million$. If they think that Trump has a Russian problem, it pales to Biden’s Chinese problem. And this opens up the issue that the Obama Administration mostly turned a blind eye to Chinese theft of our industrial and military secrets, allowing that country to greatly reduce the technology gap that our military enjoys. The Russians might be ahead of the Chinese in military technology, but they don’t have the money it takes to really challenge us militarily. The Chinese do, and increasingly are doing so. And the Dems selling our technology to them were led by Biden, whose family accepted large bribes to do so. Not going to play well outside progressive enclaves that wouldn’t vote for a Republican even for dog catcher.
My impression is that Collins is in the tank for team Kamala.
Probably so:
https://thefederalist.com/2019/04/03/tricia-newbold-is-not-a-noble-whistleblower-shes-a-disloyal-resister/
Ace of Spades:
Good morning kids. Thursday is upon us and let's face it; Joe "Boldfinger" Biden's troubles are only troubles because one or more Democrat presidential candidates and perhaps the DNC leadership itself does not want him to run against Trump because a) he's not intersectional enough b) not Shining-Path-Maoist enough c) would get a rhetorical ass-kicking of yuuuge proportions in any debate with President Trump or perhaps a combination of all of the above. Some commenter posited yesterday that he thought Hillary was behind this because she is itching to run again. I actually stifled a laugh when I realized she is obsessed and vindictive enough to actually do it. We shall see. In any case, given Joe's nearly 50-year pedigree as a Democrat in good standing, many are reticent about denouncing him for his creepy grab-asstic proclivities with females of all ages, and so now the headlines are appearing about some very shady financial dealings involving him, his drunken failure of a son and the Ukraine. Stay tuned for that.
Hagar said...
High school Joe Biden challenging 6'-3" quite athletic Donald Trump to a fist fight would not have ended well for Joe Biden.
You mean that there was a time when President Bone Spurs was an athlete?
It's strange to me that Biden might be the Dems' best hope of beating Trump. In the meantime the supporters of Harris (somewhat mainstream views, but checks diversity boxes) or of someone to the left like Sanders, might want to destroy Biden. I don't think Biden's excessively grabby treatment of women is his biggest problem. George Packer's book The Unwinding has interwoven chapters on various people and their careers as big changes came to the U.S. from the 1970s onward. Jeff Connaughton was a "Biden guy," thrilled at the Senator's speeches, dedicated enough to work in various campaigns while becoming a lawyer and a Washinton lobbyist. The sad part of the story is that while Connaughton never got all that close to Biden, the better he knew him, the less impressed he was. Only once did Connaughton ask Biden for direct support in getting a job in Washington--or rather, he asked someone who was closer to Biden to ask. Biden refused. Ted Kaufman, Biden's chief of staff who later served a final two years of Biden's senate term, said "don't take this personally. ... Biden disappoints everyone. He's an equal opportunity disappointer."
"It is a political hit."
Maybe the women coming forward the last week are, but scores of women AND CHILDREN that Creep Joe touched and sniffed aren't.
"You mean that there was a time when President Bone Spurs was an athlete?"
Trump, despite what he looks like now, is a gifted athlete:
https://www.quora.com/Is-Trump-a-good-golfer
"He’s very good. His current GHIN Handicap index is a 2.8, which places him in the 95th percentile among all golfers with a handicap."
“Before we talk about what’s on your mind, young lady, let’s establish who is the alpha male here, shall we?”
Joe Biden’s thought process.
I'm surprised how distinct and disgusted my reaction is to you writing this;
" I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is."
@Chuck:
Don’t forget that in Democrat-land Biden’s failing in the Thomas confirmation hearing was that he allowed some actual cross-examination of Anita Hill. (Not the “trauma-informed” questioning of Dr. Ford.)
That is now a confirmed part of the Narrative.
Biden was a minion of the subprime cartel, he and Obama received the largest contribution from all those parties and they delivered in Purdue pushed Eric holder the sec helped with khuzaimi years the same bloodhound after Cohen and Manafort
Let me explain this situation in terms of Game of Thrones:
Cersei-Democrats
Tyrells-Republicans
High Sparrow-#MeToo
I don’t think the Dems have any wildfire this time.
I'm not a Daily Show fan but this ran more than FOUR YEARS ago!
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/yfmksi/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-the-audacity-of-grope
That dude is creepy. We've all seen the video.
He's handsy and likes to stick his beak in women's hair.
However, the entertainment value here is gold.
We were supposed to believe all wimmins! Except, apparently, the ones that call Joe a creeper.
That sound you hear is #metoo getting flushed down the toilet. And Joe's pulling the lever.
Brett Kavanaugh? Never heard of the guy. Vote Joe!
Biden also decided to insult our host in Afghanistan Karzai and overrule McChrystal's counterinsurgency strategy. Biden confront China or North Korea on what planet?
“Before we talk about what’s on your mind, young lady, let’s establish who is the alpha male here, shall we?”
Well it can’t be Creepy Joe. Real alpha males don’t have to humiliate women in order to establish their leadership ability.
OK. Josephine Biden has a high EQ. So high that he could become the first female President. All of the touchy seduction moves that Joe used on his targets are female seduction moves. He did not grab the women. He rubbed them and breathed his hot breath in their sensitive areas. And he kept it up expecting a sexual response. That is intimate sex.
Biden got what he wanted by publicly threatening to beat Trump, and got what he wanted when he privately assured the NY Times that he's really not that guy. He got to play to each audience and really paid no price.
Is the "creepy" theme mostly manufactured? Of course. In the political arena, most of the stated threats to women and minorities are manufactured b.s. You can't sell yourself as a protector without a constant supply of would-be victims who need protecting. This is one of those times where a guy who excelled at this game of political dodge ball suddenly found the balls aimed at him.
We were supposed to believe all wimmins! Except, apparently, the ones that call Joe a creeper.
Yep.
‘Believe All Women’ Movement Publishes Extensive List Of Exceptions
I was wondering when the Swift-Boating of Biden would begin, and now I wonder no longer. It's just a complete SHOCK to me that now multiple women are being shown on TV complaining about all this harassment, just at the very time the Democrat party is being torn between the progressive and liberal wings, with Biden representing the fading latter.
How can we destroy this man, say the Pharisees. Not that Joe is Jesus, but the story is as old as time.
I think this is mostly BS, but I have absolutely no problem making the Demonrats play by their own rules.
The Atlantic:
"That a man presents himself as "a regular guy" and also swims naked in his own backyard pool are not inconsistent!"
I have a backyard pool. I have a six foot privacy fence. I could certainly swim naked there without scandal because no one would know. Now throw in half a dozen or so folk (perhaps hundreds over the 10 years he's had SS protection)that are MANDATED to be there.
Doesn't the creep factor skyrocket?
Oh yeah, The Atlantic.
dbp said...
"You mean that there was a time when President Bone Spurs was an athlete?"
Trump, despite what he looks like now, is a gifted athlete:
https://www.quora.com/Is-Trump-a-good-golfer
"He’s very good. His current GHIN Handicap index is a 2.8, which places him in the 95th percentile among all golfers with a handicap."
As with nearly All Things Trump, his golf handicap is a fraud. You can look up the scores he posts on GHIN, and the last time I looked Trump had barely posted any scores in the last five years. He posted one score, a 96, in 2018. Zero scores in 2017. One score in 2016. And two scores in 2015.
But by all accounts including White House records, Trump has played more than 175 times since he became president. With just one score -- a 96 -- posted.
Trump's handicap is a vanity thing. He could not possibly play to it. Trump is an obese septuagenarian taking statin medications. Anyone who bet against Trump in any serious handicapped match could be assured of winning. Unless, that is, Trump cheated even more than usual.
If Joe were a woman, this wouldn't matter; being touchy-feely would be no problem, and probably a winning trait. If he were a Republican, Dems would call him a rapist.
I don't see anything wrong with his behavior in this regard, except that it makes him a target. Even so, schadenfreude is not always a bad thing, especially when the party of hypocrites gets a taste of their own medicine. I'm enjoying it.
And Joe advocated bullying and beating up a high schooler, so there's that.
The Nuzzler: “Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it.”
Say, that’s awfully familiar…
“I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different’ That was the culture then. I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office–or out of it. To anyone.”--Harvey the Dinosaur
Biden/Weinstein in 2020: “We’ll Get It Right One of These Centuries!”
I can't get there with Joe.
He has been in Washington since 1973(!), and he has been wrong about almost everything the whole time. His charm is the limited, goofy charm of your stupid, folksy uncle. You gotta love the guy, right? He says he is teetotal, and I believe him, but he achieves the affect of a genial drunk all on his own, God love him.
Joe has the persona of a ward-heeling, tavern house politico. He isn't wise, he is not a quick learner, and he is a hack of the first order.
It is past the time for Slow Joe to go.
My theory is that the Biden campaign has rolled this story out to keep his felonious son off the front page. Biden's work on his son's behalf to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired is truly disqualifying. Biden being a handsy douche bag is completely out of line and in my view grounds for keeping him away from everyone's wife and daughters. But at least you can put together a cogent argument that is is just "Tactile politics" or his misunderstood affection for his fellow (wo)man.
Biden is a dead man walking. He just doesn't know it yet.
Trump doesn't post a lot of scores lately because his golfing is more recreational now that he is president. Before that, he did a lot of pro-am tournaments which have a lot of witnesses.
Here is a good article on Trump's game from Golf Digest.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/how-good-is-donald-trump-the-golfer
Trump is easily the best golfer of any US president.
When I was in high school (sophomore), we had a biology teacher who did that sort of touchy-feely stuff with the girls. He was in an authority position and we were in a subordinate position. I consider it one of the few incidents in my life that I was sexually harassed. One of the probably age 14 or so girls in the class was gutsy enough to actually tell him in class that it made her uncomfortable. He acted hurt and started gaslighting her. He got fired - he deserved it.
"Swede said...
That dude is creepy. We've all seen the video.
He's handsy and likes to stick his beak in women's hair."
Young girls' hair. Likes to touch their little boobies too.
“I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.”
More tactile politics from Joe Biden.
"“He then put his hand on the back of my head and pressed his forehead to my forehead while he talked to me. I was so shocked that it was hard to focus on what he was saying. I remember he told me I was a ‘pretty girl,’ ” Kohnert-Yount said in a statement to The Post."
So, who tugs at the heartstrings more, #MeToo women or hit-victim Joe?
For us deplorables with no dog in this conundrum, it will be fun to watch.
Biden is a fucking asshole who has been a part of the democrat party dirty tricks and rotten rhetoric since Richard Nixon was in office. No one cried when Beria got whacked cause he had it coming for all the crimes he committed in the decades prior. Only Democrat party members feel guilty that one of their deceitful hitmen is getting what he was so happy to give others for the past nearly 50 years.
Trump is easily the best golfer of any US president.
I watched Trump (pre-President) hit balls at the range one day. It's not a swing you would want to teach but it's repeatable and he hits a good ball. Other pros and good amateurs would back up what that Golf Digest story says...
Same-wing conflict (SWC).
I have no problem with Biden's habit of getting too close to people. It's not something I would do or appreciate, but it's not disqualifying, and I thinks it's unfair to make much of it. I do think that the corruption that may be shown with his son and foreign dealings while he was Vice President is disqualifying and criminal if true. Besides that, he's just generally wrong on most things, and not good for the country, although not as bad as most of the other Dem hopefuls.
I want to know why these people are so adamant that they want to get rid of Trump. I know a lot of people just don't like his style, but man, the country is doing great, and would be doing a lot greater if Trump wasn't resisted so much. No new wars, great economy, best job market in our lives, and rising wages for the first time in a generation. He seems to be the only person in politics focused on the business of the country. We have big important things going on with major international competitors and alliances, our southern border is being invaded by thousands at the highest level in over a decade, and the rest of the political class is obsessed with getting Trump's tax returns and releasing the Mueller report a week earlier than it comes out anyway. It seems pretty clear that the Dems only care about the 2020 election and winning it by hurting Trump, while Trump wants to win by doing well for the country. That is such a stark difference that I don't see the Dems getting many independent voters. It's like the political class is completely obsessed with itself and to hell with the country. I think if given a choice most would rather be in charge of a failed nation than live in a prosperous safe one without being in power.
When's the last time YOU hugged a little girl (not family) from behind and somehow made sure your hand strayed and stayed on her chest (feeling for nipples, Joe?)?
IMO, he's a sick fuck and has no business in ANY public office.
I do not feel sorry for Biden over this hit job. I agree he is being targeted, but I am more bothered by the people who wrote his behavior off as "Joe being Joe" while he was useful. He's a jerk and deserves all he's getting. It only seems worse because he's been protected for so long.
He's also a coward, taking liberties in front of husbands and boyfriends (see biker photo) because he knows (and knows the husbands and boyfriends know) the Secret Service will intervene should an offended man try to do what is justified.
Narciso Unbound on the subject of Biden
narciso said...
Biden was a minion of the subprime cartel, he and Obama received the largest contribution from all those parties and they delivered in Purdue pushed Eric holder the sec helped with khuzaimi years the same bloodhound after Cohen and Manafort
Could this mean:
Biden was a minion of the subprime cartel.
He and Obama received the largest contribution from all those involved in the cartel, and they delivered.
In the Purdue* case, Biden and Obama pushed Eric Holder.
The Secretary of State under Obama, Hillary, helped with Khuzaimi**,who was in charge of investigating the subprime cartel and got nowhere. The same guy became a bloodhound when he was after Cohen and Manafort who helped Trump against Hillary.
*Purdue is the manufacturer of Oxycontin. "Though lawsuits have been filed against Purdue in regard to its marketing of OxyContin, none have been able to stop OxyContin sales, much less change the labeling to reflect the drug’s actual duration. In 2004, the West Virginia Attorney General did accuse Purdue of “deceptive marketing” – i.e. lying about the 12 hour pain relief. Yet Purdue’s legal team, led by future U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, managed to settle with the state for $10 million in funding for drug prevention programs, offering little consolation to the many who had become addicted to OxyContin or families who had lost loved ones due to the drug.
**Years ago, Khuzaimi was the director of the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which should have gone after the subprime cartel). At present Khuzaimi is Deputy U.S. Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. As such, he is the person who went who went after Cohen and Manafort.
The identity-politics torpedo (which is implicitly always a political hit) was launched to destroy enemies of liberal hegemony. It circled around and took out liberals.
I understand your anger, Professor. May I ask if you are also disappointed?
This is a takedown of Biden by dark money's dark crew. The woman is saying that Dem women can see the ploy, "wave a shiny object", for what it is. In my opinion, the idea is to take out the middle, so that the choice is Sanders or Trump.
Or, as I always think, Hillary or Trump. I know people think that Hillary will be too embarrassed to run but rhinos don't get embarrassed or people think that no one could be brazen enough to run when they are so not wanted. I say, "Yeah, like Lenin, she cares a lot what people think, it's her hallmark." alcibiades.
IMO, he's a sick fuck and has no business in ANY public office.
So don't vote for him. There, your problem is solved.
But what's the difference behind the attitude of your comment and that of shariah law?
Not nothing, but not much, either.
that's it essentially, I didn't know about khuzaimi, who hales from deutsche bank, till I read about in taibbi column, he prosecuted a small Chinese affiliate brokerage, took some scalps that became campaign contributions, but aig countrywide (which has resurfaced) morgan, they were spared,
Joe, you ran for 1988 and dropped out. You ran again for 2008 and dropped out. Obama for 2016 looked at you and looked at Hillary (!) and said, sorry Joe. Hang up your spurs.
Anonymous Michael said...
IMO, he's a sick fuck and has no business in ANY public office.
So don't vote for him. There, your problem is solved.
But what's the difference behind the attitude of your comment and that of shariah law?
Not nothing, but not much, either.
You don't embarrass easy, do ya.
“I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.”
But why does Joe thinks he will come out untouched (without any tactile repercussions) by Trump who is 4 year younger and also athlete.
Not on that reply, no. The "sick fuck" and having "no business" in our society tells the tale on what underlies your comment. Glad you are not running the stocks.
dbp said...
Trump doesn't post a lot of scores lately because his golfing is more recreational now that he is president. Before that, he did a lot of pro-am tournaments which have a lot of witnesses.
You can't fool anybody with that. And neither can Trump. Trump has played 200 rounds of golf since people began keeping track of him as a presidential candidate and onward, and he hasn't posted a single score in that time? That is completely illegitimate.
If he were good, and threatened to play to whatever handicap was posted for him, he'd be kicked out of any decent club for sandbagging. But Trump is the opposite. Trump wants the vanity handicap. Trump wants to say that he is a 2-handicap. Even though he isn't close to being a 2-handicap. It would probably not bother anybody with whom Trump was playing competitively, since Trump would always be losing matches to players who have honest handicaps.
But now, people play with Trump because he is the president and who wouldn't want to play with the president? Actually, Rex Tillerson (Augusta National Golf Club member) would almost certainly not want to play with the president, right? People play golf with Trump knowing that it won't be anything like serious golf. There won't be any match, because Trump can't be handicapped with that phony GHIN index, and because Trump would cheat his enormous ass off at every opportunity if it were a semi-serious match.
There are millions of golfers who play "recreationally," and yet play by the Rules of Golf and who turn in real scores because they want real handicaps. A phony vanity handicap will only guarantee your losing just about every match you play.
And about Jaime Diaz's Golf Digest story about Trump. These are the things he left out:
~Of the really good players who have played with Trump and then been interviewed about it, nearly all of them say that Trump is a decent player, who should have a handicap in the 8-10 range.
~Golf addict Alice Cooper was asked who was the worst cheat in all of his years playing in celebrity golf events. Cooper's answer was, "I wouldn't want to say, but I will say that I have played golf with Donald Trump."
~All of Trump's club championships were at clubs that he owned. Stories of Trump's supposed club championships are legendary. One of them dates to when the course in question had been renovated and re-seeded and was still growing in. Nobody could figure out who else played at the time. The course was basically unplayable. No one knows who Trump beat, to earn a "championship." Another one dates back to a time when one other senior player had posted a score for the "championship," and Trump handed to his golf pro a card with a lower score. Trump has been a member at a real golf club (a true, world-class club) which is Winged Foot in Westchester County, and not only has Trump not won anything there, he reputedly could not get any sort of serious game there dating back two decades ago because of his awful reputation for cheating.
My bet is that Joe Biden’s respect for women as intellectual equals hovers somewhere around that of rhhardin’s.
so the solon of Scranton's other offenses are much severe, but we are only allowed to mention one and readily dismiss, will they fire him from the u Pennsylvania, lets get real, even his offspring are precluded from investigation for their Russian and Chinese ties,
Gen Flynn took the hit to protect his son, will Biden?
Chuck said "You can't fool anybody with that. And neither can Trump. Trump has played 200 rounds of golf since people began keeping track of him as a presidential candidate and onward, and he hasn't posted a single score in that time? That is completely illegitimate."
I may have missed it, but I don't recall Obama posting his golf scores, and Clinton was notorious for calling Mulligans...who cares. FFS it's golf.
Drudge links to an anti-Biden commercial. Pretty devastating.
My own belief is that this really is a coordinated attack on Biden, but by the DNC or someone at that level. If he goes down then that will help the rest of the candidates. If he survives, he will be somewhat inoculated from similar attacks by Trump (“old news, you know”). Win-win for the Democrats.
Sorry you feel so emotional, Althouse, but politics ain’t beanbag.
Of the really good players who have played with Trump and then been interviewed about it, nearly all of them say that Trump is a decent player, who should have a handicap in the 8-10 range.
That beats Dwight Eisenhower.
George W is reputed to have about a 10 handicap.
If the country is lucky, the Dems will now concentrate on subpoenaing Trump's golf scores while MSNBC supplies breathless play by play everyday until the 2020 election.
Moving forward is what makes our system dynamic and great. Excusing Biden for his creepiness is definitely a regressive move. It's obviously a kind of fetish for him, or maybe it's the getting away with it that is so thrilling and empowering. Since he doesn't think there's anything wrong with touching little girls and grown women who are not his wife, who would stop him in the White House? Yuk.
Also I don't have a problem with "hit jobs" in political campaigns, that's how the system works in preparing the candidates for the voters' evaluation. I do have a problem with hit jobs afterward attempting to overturn the election results or incapacitate an elected official.
(eaglebeak)
I feel sorry for Biden, but if he were ever President I would be gripped by horror.
There's a terrific book, What It Takes, by Richard Ben Cramer, about the 1988 primary and election, that gives some disturbing insights into Joe (among others).
"But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe"
Karma, thy name is Kamala. I imagine that Clarence Thomas is sitting in his office at Supreme Court with the door closed, laughing.
Althouse: But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
Will you do some soul-searching as to why your reaction to the equally-obvious "hit job" perpetrated against Brett Kavanaugh was so different?
Huh... Biden is no longer PC or politically congruent. Here's to progress.
A political hit job on a politician- what a fucking surprise. Even worse for Biden is that the charges are fucking true, so not really a hit job at all, but the revelation of facts.
As I wrote the other day- any male employee of a Fortune 500 company doing this to colleagues would be fired after the second reported incident. If photographed doing it, after the first one.
Henry said...
Of the really good players who have played with Trump and then been interviewed about it, nearly all of them say that Trump is a decent player, who should have a handicap in the 8-10 range.
That beats Dwight Eisenhower.
George W is reputed to have about a 10 handicap.
And so as always with Trump, why lie about it? I would certainly agree that Trump knows his way around a golf course and is a "pretty good golfer." Eisenhower was as terrible as he was devoted to the game of golf. Gerry Ford liked golf and was a better athlete than Trump ever was (All-Conference football player at Michigan, skier and golfer). Bush 41 and 43 were also interested golfers and played like men who could barely squeeze in a round a month apart from perhaps July and August. And Kennedy has long been understood to have been the most sneaky-good natural golfer of all recent presidents. But his horrible back debilitated his game.
So yes, Trump is "pretty good" as a player. And a laughable liar about how good he really is, and a disgraceful cheat when it comes to really playing the game.
Emotionally, you guys always want to say something nice about Trump. And I am always looking for indisputable facts that put him in a bad light. I know that you don't care about my opinion and I certainly don't care about yours. I just want to drill down on hard facts. Which are sort of in short supply, when it comes to Trump's golf game.
It would not be the case, if other good players could speak honestly about actual scores they posted with Trump, and what they were playing for. That should be the case. The GHIN system relies on regular self-reporting of attested scores among golf club members. Trump has almost completely failed that system for a very long time.
The protester chants just write themselves:
"Hey Hey, ho ho, Gropey Joe has got to go!"
No, fuck Joe Biden. What's happening to him is so delicious. I've always sort of liked Biden actually, but I had your same reaction to his debate performance in 2012. And now, with his recent attempt at wokedness, he's become a pathetic shell of a man, constantly apologizing for being white and male and pandering in the hope that he can pacify the mob. You know it won't work and he's too old and weary to adopt the Trump strategy of refusing to apologize or bend to accommodate his detractors.
I hope he continues to melt down and Democrats see how stupid and counterproductive their cultural witch hunt really is. Al Franken was never a real issue in that sense because the Democrats knew they'd just get to pick a Democrat to succeed him. This is different. Trump is president and the Democrats need to nominate someone who can beat him. Killing off Biden for the "cause" therefore has to be worth it. What Democratic candidate makes killing off Biden tolerable thing to do?
Anonymous Michael said...
Not on that reply, no. The "sick fuck" and having "no business" in our society tells the tale on what underlies your comment. Glad you are not running the stocks.
When you have to lie to make your point, you should maybe reconsider your point.
I clearly said he has no business RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. You said I said "no business" in our society. Liar.
Despite all this, you have to admit that at least Joe is clean and articulate..., and an old white guy. That's storybook, man.
Of course, all that said, I hope the Democrats run him for President.
I understand the emotion, I agree it is a hit job, but I don't feel sympathy. Joe has carried out and supported similar hit jobs. The allegations against Justice Kavanaugh were less substantiated, but Biden thought Kavanaugh should be blocked from a higher office. For Biden to have a moral code, he should live under the rules he applies to others.
Then again, so should I. I thought the Access Hollywood tape release was a hit job. It made me more sympathetic to Trump. NBC happily sat on that tape when Trump was there employee. That it was the only thing they had as blackmail against a former employee told me Trump was a better person than I thought. The thing is Trump's words objectified women, but his behavior with the woman in question was proper. We have photos and video of Biden too close personally with woman, who aren't that familiar with him.
I agree with Pecan Pie Detective. I encourage him to write to Jerry Nadler and ask that Congress subpoena Trump's golfing records. It is the only way to get to the bottom of this important issue.
Althouse, so what if it’s a hit job, since the charges are true?
And why are you ignoring his Ukraine corruption and lies? He’s a phony, smiling, hack. A mediocrity.
Shorter Chuck: allow me to demonstrate how much time I've spent obsessing about Trump's golf handicap.
Remember that when next he tells us TDS isn't real.
Emotionally, you guys always want to say something nice about Trump.
No, we would just like to see a Chuck post that was about something other than your hate of Trump.
I scroll past most of than time. Your comments are about as useful as Inga's and I wonder how much this virtue signaling is important to you?
You could probably make some interesting comments about law or med-mal or something interesting,.
this is why morning and evening news is almost entirely worthless
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kyle-drennen/2019/04/04/cbs-hosts-lament-sad-conversation-over-bidens-behavior
The only way you will beat Trump, is if he beats himself.
Hello second term, Mr. President.
Gerald Ford was a great athlete who was a comically bad golfer.
Teddy Roosevelt was probably the best at judo and general beatdowns.
I think Bloomberg is re-thinking a run.
There is big push for a so called 'moderate'. And even the Dem leadership realizes Biden doesn't have a chance of beating Trump.
But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is.
Do you understand this is a hit job waged by DEMOCRATS? His own party wants him off the ticket because he is:
1) old
2) white
3) male
The Left didn't suddenly grow a conscience about molesting women. They simply found his Achilles Heel.
It helps the GOP because, while Biden would have been put out to pasture during the primaries, as a front-runner he would have drawn attention away from the other candidates and possibly allowed a Cortez type to sneak into contention. Instead, we will be focusing both barrels on Harris.
I do not know that Biden rises to the level of mediocrity.
I'm fairly confident this 'hit job' as Althouse describes it, is coming from Democrats and not the GOP. I think Trump would welcome the opportunity to run against Biden. When he's not smelling women's hair, he comes across as an arrogant prig. Truth be told, 'Creepy Uncle Joe' is creepy and acts like a pervert.
Chuck: One of them dates to when the course in question had been renovated and re-seeded and was still growing in
OMG what the fuck is wrong with you? Are you seriously obsessing about Trump's golf game?
a disgraceful cheat when it comes to really playing the game.
And listening to second-hand gossip like a fish wife? Hey, Lizzy Proctors says Trump accidentally placed his wedge into the sand before playing the ball and... you won't believe what happened next... HE ONLY CALLED A ONE STROKE PENALTY ON HIMSELF!!!
I wonder what that says about his character? Do you think he cheats on his wife? Because if you cheat at golf, you're probably a serial adulterer too! Quick, make it go viral! Trumps cheats at golf and probably on his wife too!. You finally found a way to peel off his supporters!
(but in all sincerity, I find it wonderful that you have created your own hell)
I think Joe Biden is a better and more serious person than he seems if you watch him on TV, or review the bare facts of his political history (e.g. plagiarising a British politician for the biographical section of his stump speech, or blatantly lying about his academic resume). His habit of rubbing womens' shoulders is absolutely creepy and gross, and the idea that he's sniffing their hair and kissing them while he does it kind of sends a shiver through me, but it's not like this is new -- it's been a running joke for years, and my only surprise is that it's exactly as creepy and gross as the Creepy Uncle Biden memes made it out to be.
That said, I think a lot of the goofiness of his public persona -- including claiming that he got three degrees when he got one, claiming that he was in the top half of his class in law school when he was, ah, 76 out of 85, stealing other politician's applause lines, and even his tendency to act out for the camera (as was on display during the VP debate) -- is just a result of a deep-seated insecurity. It's an act, but it's one he's not really in control of. And based on the anecdote quoted in the post, he knows he's not really in control of it, and has the decency to regret it. It's like he just wants so much for his audience to approve of him, which is why he says dumb, offensive stuff like "put y'all back in chains".
Out of the public eye, though, it sounds like he's perfectly able to work alongside people he's just been insulting in front of the cameras. He seems to have had good relations with his Senate colleagues, both Republican and Democrat. I've mentioned before his plan to partition Iraq as a serious effort to cut through the ethnic and sectarian tensions in the region and move the country to more sustainable borders. Sure it would inevitably have resulted in the deaths of thousands, but arguably, we got the deaths of thousands anyway, and we didn't even get sustainable borders out of it. He would have been a better president than Obama.
Still don't think he should be President, but Trump is probably the only Republican he could beat -- Trump is not really in a position to capitalise on any of his weaknesses, whether it's inflating his resume, plagiarising other politicians, or his creepy habit of sniffing womens' hair. Against a normal Republican, I think he'd crash and burn, but he really could beat Trump.
His habit of rubbing womens' shoulders is absolutely creepy and gross, and the idea that he's sniffing their hair and kissing them while he does it kind of sends a shiver through me, but it's not like this is new -- it's been a running joke for years, and my only surprise is that it's exactly as creepy and gross as the Creepy Uncle Biden memes made it out to be.
Agreed. He reminds me of the elderly guy who grew up saying "colored people" and can't understand why everyone is all offended and saying "people of color" instead.
As I wrote the other day- any male employee of a Fortune 500 company doing this to colleagues would be fired after the second reported incident. If photographed doing it, after the first one.
And Biden's bosses could have fired him, too, Yancey. But they have chosen repeatedly not to do so. Maybe they don't see the sin in quite the same light some here do. Maybe they don't see any sin, shocking thought. In any case, isn't this the way the political system is supposed to work?
...or his creepy habit of sniffing womens' hair.
For fuck sakes, it's not "women's", although that's bad enough. IT'S YOUNG GIRLS. , And he does more than sniff. And it's not just their haIr
PedoJoe
“Blogger Iowan2 said...
People see the political hit job and respond viscerally, to push back and vote for the victim”
Roy Moore says hi.
Curious George, another video which I can't watch all the way through. Chilling.
For f*ck sakes, it's not "women's", although that's bad enough. IT'S YOUNG GIRLS. , And he does more than sniff. And it's not just their haIr
It's girls, it's women, it's mothers, it's old ladies. It's mostly female but sometimes male. What could make it clearer that this habit is something different from sexual predation? Where are the cases of actual sexual predation committed by Biden? So far, there aren't any, and that's after four decades or more in public life.
I can't believe I am defending this man, for whom I have zero regard. But "creepy" -- which, as several have pointed out, is not the universal reaction by those with whom Biden has interacted -- is not illegal. Creepy is not immoral.
How about saying you'd like to date your daughter, oh, if she weren't your daughter that is -- I'm sure plenty of people would find that creepy. Especially here, had it been said by a Democrat.
Too much.
Re: Michael:
How about saying you'd like to date your daughter, oh, if she weren't your daughter that is -- I'm sure plenty of people would find that creepy. Especially here, had it been said by a Democrat.
The closer analogy is the covert hand rub technique that Trump is supposed to use. It's more obviously sexual (and inappropriate) than what Biden does, but less creepy. Even if he's doing it with men too (although it seems to be overwhelmingly with women), that doesn't make it much better -- imagining anyone with whom I am not extremely close touching my shoulders and then leaning in to sniff my hair and kiss me on the head from the back gives me the heebie-jeebies.
I'm someone who doesn't like being touched by strangers at all, so my reaction here is probably stronger than someone for whom skinship is just part of the continuum of ordinary interpersonal interaction. For some people, I suppose, it's probably just something you put up with like when a grandparent pinches your cheek, as grandparents are stereotypically supposed to do -- it's meant affectionately, not maliciously. But it's the kind of thing that will make me flinch involuntarily.
Merkel's reaction when Bush II engaged in a much more mild form of a Joe Biden special is pretty much how I would react.
One way to know that I am right, is when Althouse commenters complain that "it isn't important."
That, and also when they don't rebut what I have written, but rather make up stuff that they imagine I might be thinking.
By the way, I didn't introduce the subject of Trump on this page. Several others did.
I didn't introduce any notion of Trump being an above-average athlete. Someone else did.
And I didn't bring up the issue of Trump being an extraordinarily good golfer. "dbp" did that, at 8:53 blog time.
See, I'm a counter-puncher. Somebody says something nice about Trump, and I hit back 20 times harder.
(My original comment on this page was about the subject of the blog post; Biden's own history (in the context of the Thomas confirmation hearing).
See, I'm a counter-puncher. Somebody says something nice about Trump, and I hit back 20 times harder.
Strange that you think that's something to brag about. You're why we threw Chamber of Commerce and country club Republicans out of the party.
"But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe. I'm surprised how distinct and strong my emotional reaction is."
To the tune of...
Campaigns are long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't creepy, he's Joe Biden
So on we go
Long hugs are not my concern
No burden is he to bear
He sniffs my hair
For I know
He’d not try to finger me
He ain't groping, he's Joe Biden
If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of nuzzling one another
It's a long campaign
From now ’til November next
While on the bus to there
With touch let’s share
New social codes
Do not weigh me down at all
He ain't creepy he's Joe Biden
Althouse, you're being played. You're feeling sympathy for someone who doesn't deserve it. Those pictures are NOT Photoshopped. The videos are real. This is a man who at the very least is insensitive to the discomfort his touchy-feely demeanor causes in the people whose personal space he invades. In a post-#MeToo America, that is a deal-breaker among Democrats in terms of getting the 2020 nomination, if being an old, white guy wasn't already. Who are you going to believe, the Democrats telling you, "No, those pictures are being taken out of context!" or your lying eyes?
And if the Democrats had not already gotten this meme out there, Biden would have been hugely vulnerable to it coming from the Republicans if he was nominated in 2020. You would see commercials on television, wall-to-wall, of Biden touching women and girls in ways that look inappropriate, sniffing hair, etc. The American people would be revulsed by it.
I've had no use for the man since the Clarence Thomas hearings. I think these accusations are karma.
"I'm not a Joe Biden fan...". Me neither. In fact I really despise him. But this absolutely transparent hit job on him for behavior that was part of his public persona throughout his career is obviously nothing but a political maneuver. I can't really feel sorry for him personally, since he would certainly do the same to any of his opponents, but I do feel sad that we have this kind of savagery going on among the people who make up the "talent" pool from which we have to pick a president. I know it's always been this way (the things Jefferson and Madison said about each other!) but it still stinks. I'd honestly rather have our entire complement of elected officials replaced by a random selection of tax-paying high school graduates.
it's probably just something you put up with like when a grandparent pinches your cheek, as grandparents are stereotypically supposed to do -- it's meant affectionately, not maliciously.
Yes, Balfegor; and maybe no. I wouldn't say there is NO sexual component to what Biden has always been doing -- he may get a little thrill out of it, too, who knows? How we indulge, limit, and cope with the strongest drive we humans experience is complicated!
And that is reflected in some of the comments here, hello. But politics is a highly personal undertaking. So this is his way and his voters reelected him every time they had the chance. The revulsion in some of the reactions to his mannerisms -- which are only being judged from limited-perspective videos -- is part and parcel of our ambivalent attitudes toward sex, period. I think some are projecting; that is, if they were to do some of these things Biden is doing, they can only believe it would mean sex. Sex sex sex, how awful. Maybe it ain't so awful. Maybe the touch is helpful to some. Some, that's all! LOL.
Just a note to people like Michael and mikesixes, above, who are finding a slightly different way to say "Biden being Biden." None of the women in this video seem to be happy being touched. The girl in the red dress is clearly uncomfortable with his hand on her rib cage.
I don't know who the Great America Pac are, and I don't much care. Does anyone think that Trump's reelection committee couldn't get an equivalent video, and three for four to spare? And how about his gaffes? He could readily be made out to be the fool that he generally is.
But by all means, Democrats, nominate him as your "normal" (meaning not wackadoodle crazy) candidate. Do it. Please do it. Puh-LEEZ.
Trump suffered through a progressive inquisition for privately voicing an observation of socially liberal culture. Then there were the politically congruent warlock trials that expired with an election. #HandsOff
mikesixes@5:41PM laments that the state of politics today produces savages that would expose Joe Biden as a serial groper. The truly shameful truth is the five decades of covering for Joe Biden. The truth sets us free. The truth is that Joe Biden is a creep, a liar, and a democrat party deceiver, and he always has been, and the democrat party and the democrat party media has been shielding him just as sure as the NEW YORK TIMES shielded Rape-rape Weinstein.
The Party of Senator "Oldsmobile" Kennedy and Bill "Horndog" Clintoon shouldn't be lecturing anyone on morals.
I'm baffled that people want an old coot like Biden to run.
I just don't get it, at all.
I see that there’s an article in The Atlantic where the headline is about Biden’s “deviant decency.” Seems true enough, minus the “decency” bit.
We have finally identified who Chuck is! Here is Chuck in his prime. I leave it to the commenters to figure out which one is the future Pecan Pie Detective.
My favorite Slow Joe moment was during one of the raging gun debates in 2011 and him saying people really didn't need hand guns or assualt rifles just a shotgun. "Just run outside and fire your shot gun in the air and people will run away!" Jebus, what a retard. And I don't buy for minute he would match up well against Trump because he's just not that bright. His debate performance against Paul Ryan is seared into my brain. Ryan was too much of a puss to fight back.
But this hit job has made me sympathetic to Joe.
Finally, an adjective from the material plane.
Sympathetic...to a lifelong politician who never felt the slightest breeze without resetting his sails to catch it. To a man who used our money to get a Ukranian prosecutor fired who was investigating his son's employer.
PLEASE run Biden. I beg you.
One way to know that I am right, is when Althouse commenters complain that "it isn't important."
See? Your self-doubt is hanging limp for all to see. Aside from the fact that your info is no better than a second hand accounts from the gossipy fishwife:
A) Yes, if I needed to know a man's true character, the fact the cheats at golf would be a useful tell. I have a keen sense for that sort of thing (and is why I find you reprehensible).
B) But your aren't divining an unknown candidate's body language or speech patterns or the way he glances off to the side when he talks about his fairway game. You're trying to convince us that a man who has had multiple affairs is not trustworthy.
C) So it's not important. It's already baked in.
Play the martyr all you want. Civility Bullshit tags all abound. You're like the driver who gets pulled over and tries to be "clever" with the policeman who has heard your line of BS 3 times this week already. You still don't get just how disgraceful the GOP "leadership" must be for us to give a man like Donald Trump a chance.
You wan't a tell on just how out of touch you are? Find ONE person who claiming Trump has not met their expectations. I'll wager 9 in 10 are ECSTATIC at how the Trump Presidency has turned out. I held my nose to block that Witch Hillary, and was resigned to 4 years of a Democrat-Lite. Turns out that's what you and yours represent, not Trump. The Establishment Party (E).
What happened to the Reagan generation? How did we get all these men without chests? You guys got fat and lazy and corrupt. And now you'll go extinct. You think anyone will ever get be interested in your Romneys and McCains?
"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst." - C.S. Lewis
To BigMike -- my basic objection is to seeing someone banned from the world for being "creepy" in the eyes of some subset of the population. Too Puritannical, smacks of the stocks, too intolerant… you have any bad habits? You have some neighbors who don't care for you? You ever cross some petty power -- a boss, a principal, a committee-person? So, in Joe B's case -- which is far different from Harvey Weinstein's, as far as we know -- our system of leaving the matter up to the voters seems right to me. Not hounding him for touching constituents who kept on reelecting him. I am more afraid of those screaming "creep" than of Biden's touchy-feeliness.
Anonymous, above, is me, Michael.
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