"Then they experienced the exquisite torture that comes with the slow release of politically damaging information, in this case the acknowledgment of classified documents found in Mr. Biden’s former offices and Wilmington home.... [I]t’s hard to exaggerate the level of Democratic exasperation with him for squandering a huge political advantage on the Mar-a-Lago story and for muddying what may have been the best chance to convict Mr. Trump on federal charges.... Republicans are ferocious attack dogs, especially when they have something to chew on.... It’s not hard to envision an ambitious primary challenger arguing, more in sorrow than in anger, that he or she supports most of the Biden record but elections are about the future and the party needs a more vigorous candidate.... Democratic leaders will be shocked and appalled by the upstart’s temerity in spoiling the party’s impressive unity. But New Hampshire is full of anti-establishment independents.... He could easily lose or be weakened there, opening the door for other Democrats.... Imagine instead that the president.... And the smiling old gentleman in the Corvette — his shortcomings forgotten and his family protected — would assume his proper place as a bridge between political generations and arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history."
From "Don’t Kid Yourself. The Classified Documents Story Is Bad for Biden" by Jonathan Alter (NYT).
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63 comments:
Jonathan Alter>>.... And the smiling old gentleman in the Corvette...would assume his proper place as...the most accomplished one-term president in American history."<<
I want some of that acid that Jon's dropping!
Classified documents in former leaders' homes is traditional and not a hysterical security problem. It's being played as screaming soap opera by the left to get rid of Biden and seems to be sucking in the outrage-loving segment of the right as well.
Formerly played to get rid of Trump.
It's all about being played, whichever side you're on, now.
"...arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history."
Bwahahahahaha!
Biden has one foot in the grave (politically) and the other on a banana peel placed there by his colleagues in the corrupt left.
Don't worry. The Bidens will get a pass, and Michelle Obama will rescue them. Then we can hear how RACIST we all are because we don't want the wife of the guy who fundamentally changed America into the shithole we are living in now.
I got something you can chew on right here, Alter, you execrable, pernicious shitweezul.
Hunter for President. Corvetting his way to a city near you on Route 66.
rhhardin
Sauce for the goose and all that. The left is responsible for stoking the flames, going back at least to W's presidency but really pouring on the gasoline with Trump. The right has no choice but to respond in kind or else get trampled on by the media.
No one voting in 2024 will care about this. For either Trump or Biden. However, this is obviously part of the plan to get rid of Trump." Maybe find some classified docs on Biden. Have Biden resign over it, then indict Trump with criminal charges.
Or maybe it was just, "Hey, guys. If we set up a fake Special prosecutor for Biden, we can then claim we're unbiased and going after both side."
The biden thing will provide cover for go after and jailing Trump.
"And the smiling old gentleman in the Corvette — his shortcomings forgotten and his family protected — would assume his proper place as a bridge between political generations and arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history."
Dear God. How delusional can they get?
Republicans are ferocious attack dogs, but he's concerned about the ferocity of Democratic challengers.
rhhardin said...
I'm a serious guy about TS docs. what bothers me hugely is the double standards
hang'em all
"Republicans are ferocious attack dogs ...." and "... arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history."
Speaking of "attack dogs", remember two BS impeachments and the January 6th Committee? Speaking of "accomplished one-term president(s), remember Donald Trump's accomplishments in the face of seditious behavior by Paul Ryan and House Democrats?
Are there any columnists writing for the NYT who do not reflect the supercillious blindness of the institution?
The BS in this piece is deep. This article needs a "taller boots" tag.
And the smiling old gentleman in the Corvette — his shortcomings forgotten and his family protected — would assume his proper place as a bridge between political generations and arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history.
James K. Polk has to be the all-time most accomplished one term president ever, but he's out of favor now. The Washington DC illusion is that accomplishment is getting things through Congress. If the bills passed just add to the debt without leaving anything of value behind and the country languishes, is that really an achievement?
The rest of what Alter writes is also questionable. A bridge between generations? Biden's a throwback to the generation before Obama. It's going to be hard to bridge the gap between Biden, someone from the Pelosi-McConnell generation (almost from the Dukakis-Mondale generation), and Democrats of the AOC generation. And why should Biden's family be protected? Are they somehow above the law and above reproach?
You saw the mask of the "smiling old gentleman" drop when he was asked a serious question about the documents. Biden is only smiling and affable, so long as the media collaborates to maintaining his facade. Whenever anything cuts too close, you see what's behind the mask.
But it's nice to think that after all today's agitation and propaganda are forgotten, posterity might remember Trump as a smiling, entertaining old gentleman and perhaps the most consequential one-term president in some time.
muddying what may have been the best chance to convict Mr. Trump on federal charges
The best chance to convict Hillary Clinton on federal charges was when she was caught hiding State Department documents on her private computers.
Does Jonathan Alter mention that in his NYT article?
"[I]t’s hard to exaggerate the level of Democratic exasperation with him for squandering a huge political advantage"
Right, it's strictly a PR issue.
"Republicans are ferocious attack dogs"
Those mean attack dogs! They pounce!
"spoiling the party’s impressive unity"
Right, but its easy to restore "unity": have the PTB pick their favorite, and demand that everyone unite behind them. Happened to Hill in 08.
"arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history."
Thanks to Althouse for posting this. It illustrates as well as anything how progs judge current events. Biden is indeed very accomplished: he pursued nearly every prog priority on spending, climate change, and the border, not to mention straight bribery on student loans and jumping on the trans culture-war bandwagon. He pulled out of Afghanistan in disastrous fashion, kept trying with the mullahs, dissed Israel, joined the war against Russia--what's not to like?
Don't kid yourself.
The left are now engineering a Trump comeback - so they can beat him again in 2024.
’’…arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history.’
He’s certainly destroyed the economy quicker than I predicted.
a bridge between political generations
Joe Biden is a bridge between the generations that are
* less than 80 years old
....and ...
* more than 80 years old.
Well Ice Nine, I agree the writer is on something mind-altering. But this is just awkwardly written:
And the smiling old gentleman in the Corvette — his shortcomings forgotten and his family protected — would assume his proper place as a bridge between political generations and arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history.
It's so poorly written that to me it appears to say he "is a bridge" between "generations" [whatever that means!] and an accomplished "one-term president" which to my reading can only refer to Trump. But attributing that meaning to Alter doesn't compute.
Could he really have slipped in a truthful assessment of Trump in the middle of his blather? Or is Ice Nine correct in reading this as fantastical gibberish?
Don't kid yourself, the Biden document scandal is not in any way unexpected. The Democrats were idiots to go after Trump on those grounds. Many of us have survived doing stupid things, but eventually it catches up with you. May the Democrats have many more face plants, they deserve it.
Democrats won't be happy until they can find a way, any way, to put an opposition candidate in jail, but Republicans are ferocious attack dogs.
let's see.. Where to start?
Joe Biden graduated in the bottom half of his law class..
(you'll see, that i skipped a BUNCH of stuff before this)
Joe was sleeping with his babysitter..
This hurt his wife, SO MUCH, that she killed herself by pulling her car in front of an on coming truck
Joe than married the babysitter (which was hard, because she was already married to his biggest backer)
(hmmm, then Joe lied and plagiarized his way through congress; molesting little girls as he went).
Joe then was picked as 'impeachment insurance' by President Barry O'Bama*
While Vice President...
Joe obtained a special exemption, for his son Hunter; who was too old to join the Navy
Joe obtained a special exemption, for his son Hunter; who was a coke addicted felon, so to join the navy
Hunter then..
IMMEDIATELY was cashiered for coke use (actually NOT immediately; he lasted until his FIRST drug test)
Started f*cking his dead brother's widow, with whom he would go on coke binges
Sold out America to BOTH the Ukrainian Nazi's As Well As, the Chinese Communists
To aid in his son's treason, VP Joe STOLE classified documents, which they gave to the Chinese
Oh and this whole time, Joe was "showering" with his teenaged daughter; who went INSANE and became a nympho
That About covers the Bidens; Except that, i guess i Should Mention, he is starting a THERMONUCLEAR WAR
President Barry O'Bama* who once famously said: "never underestimate Joe's ability to f*ck things up"
Democratic exasperation with him for squandering a huge political advantage on the Mar-a-Lago story and for muddying what may have been the best chance to convict Mr. Trump on federal charges.
So, you see, this is all about "no man being above-the-law."
oh i ran out of room and forgot to mention his rapes, put in the box with his child molestation
James Polk is the most accomplished one-term president
rhhardin said...
Classified documents in former leaders' homes is traditional and not a hysterical security problem.
Agreed. Trump seemed so insistent on holding the documents that he spent two years refusing to give them back, whereas Biden just gave them back. But obstructing a giant "meh" issue is still meh. Frankly it was frustrating that the Justice Department served a warrant at Mar-a-lago -- felt like a total distraction at the time and unnecessary. Less "getting Capone on tax fraud" and more "getting Capone on a parking ticket". The correct media response to Biden's classified docs is to chill out about Trump's, not to double down on the stupidity by pretending it's yet again a big deal. (For the right, I totally understand the desire and opportunity to turn the tables -- I'd be going nuts right now...)
A reminder that the biggest holder of classified info in Mar-a-lago is Trump, in his brain, not some room with documents in it. Same for Biden, when he's in his garage next to his document stash, washing his corvette in ripped jean shorts.
It's only bad for Biden because Democrats have given the go-ahead to their media division. Even CNN is now declaring Biden has issues. The NYT suddenly discovers his business dealings. And don't think for a minute it's not all choreographed. The Dems already have their succession plan in place. The FBI and CIA have approved it.
Am I too cynical? I live in the US, in 2023. How can I see it any other way?
"Republicans are ferocious attack dogs, especially when they have something to chew on..."
The RINOs that go along with totalitarian Democrats are for sure. They even help attack their own.
But for the rest, that's completely untrue. The MAGA/Tea Party faction of the GOP doesn't send in the FBI to raid a former President's home. They don't hold political prisoners. The don't endlessly use lawfare. They don't Impeach to cover up Ukrainian corruption and US politician money laundering schemes.
Joe Biden and his family are corrupt. This is what we get for not addressing the voter fraud that installed him back in 2020. Boo-hoo. Thanks to all those that supported the fraud, and the people who just wanted to "move on".
The Commune has determined that Joe must be placed on the ice floe.
Alter: "Republicans are ferocious attack dogs, especially when they have something to chew on.... "
Republicans pounce! Democrats just uncover the "truth."
It is only bad for Biden because of how the exact same issue was used against Trump. It will be hilarious if this is the issue that forces Biden out because there are a plethora of better reasons.
Trump seemed so insistent on holding the documents that he spent two years refusing to give them back, whereas Biden just gave them back. (after his lawyer found them hidden away in 4 different places. WHY were they looking for them. What were they trying to get ahead of??)
6 years later, when he HAD NO RIGHT TO HAVE THEM as he wasn't President. Did Obama declassify?? WHERE is Obama?? Why hasn't he come to Joe's defense?? Did Hunter read them?? Did he sell them to China?? Enquiring minds want to know.
Forcing Biden out should be easy.
How about forcing out Kamala Harris? She is a two-for in identity politics.
Joe now realizes: Im Fredo
This article is horse crap. The Dems already got full advantage from all the Trump classified document bs. It helped save them from losing more seats last year.
arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history.
Ok, fella, you're going to have to back that one up - either with evidence or like a truck.
OTOH, I guess - as with so much about these times we live in - it depends on just what the intent was to accomplish.
maybe they could send FJB to Ukraine as viceroy on behalf of USA
Jeebus, that's embarrassing to have to supplicate yourself so openly. Not only do they have to kiss and lick Joe's ass they have to exclaim loudly how good it tastes. Does any democrat really believe this?
Jonathan Turley
@JonathanTurley
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While Biden’s “corvette standard” for storing classified documents was baffling, his declaration of “no regrets” is downright infuriating. It is also remarkably daft with a special counsel in the field.
...It was right out of the Alex Baldwin School of Criminal Defense in claiming that the gun did it. Fortunately, the President is not (yet) saying that the Corvette did it.
7:12 AM · Jan 20, 2023
Article a deserved love letter to the great Obama! Afraid it's wishful thinking on resulting Democratic upstart in '24. I fervently hoped that would happen in '16, but we only got Bernie. I think Adams, father and son, top the one termers table.
I’d prefer if all people in power were more careless about classified info.
Note:
What he doesn't say here is "how dare VP Biden take classified documents he had not right to, and store them in a criminally unsafe manner?"
Because NONE of the Democrats who claimed to be bothered about Trump's (entirely legal) actions with (previously) classified documents actually care about the claimed crime (that wasn't a crime, because thanks to then President Trump's declassification powers he didn't actually commit a crime, unlike VP Biden).
In fact, none of them actually have any principles at all, of any sort.
All they have is a lust for power.
Which is why Biden's only "crime" for Alter is that he hurt a Democrat power play
"Trump seemed so insistent on holding the documents that he spent two years refusing to give them back, whereas Biden just gave them back."
And how exactly are we to know that Biden "just gave them back"? We only know that he gave some back. Are there others that will never see the light of day?
I remember when FBI Comey said that Hillary's handling of state dept documents was criminally sloppy but she was getting a pass because Hillary. He went on to say that nobody else should expect the same treatment, so don't get any ideas, Mr or Ms Average Citizen.
So, where does that leave Slow Joe?
Heh, I kid!
Unfortunately for President Biden, his dementia is a progressive disease. Pun intended.
Since we don't have Journalists anymore, you have to read about the truth from the Daily Mail.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11658147/Bidens-68-days-silence-classified-documents-farce.html
Jersey Fled said...
"Trump seemed so insistent on holding the documents that he spent two years refusing to give them back, whereas Biden just gave them back."
And how exactly are we to know that Biden "just gave them back"? We only know that he gave some back. Are there others that will never see the light of day?
1/20/23, 1:39 PM
I forgot to put quotes on that,@ 11:55am. That quote came from Daniel12 @ 11:04am
Biden "just gave them back," after leaving them for years in places where his bag man son could easily copy them, in one place where Chinese nationals held keys. Those Chinese nationals, BTW, had given Joe Biden nearly a million dollars in "salary" for teaching at Penn, which he didn't do very much of, and funded Blinken's Penn-Biden Center to the tune of thirty million dollars.
Perhaps Trump held on to them because he had no plans to simply copy them, which would have been illegal, a constraint that meant nothing to the Bidens. I still don't know what these documents were, but I know that negotiations were under way, and then Biden said that Garland was not being aggressive enough, and then the negotiations over the documents stopped without notice to Trump, and Biden's goon squad showed up at Mar-a-lago.
Call it soap opera if you want, that's one way to look at it, but it's a soap opera where a political party has subverted the FBI and DoJ to go after its political enemies.
There was a moment during the inaugural ball when 46 looked up, as if to the sky. Wondered what he was thinking. Now realize he was declassifying in his mind all his documents, making sure he got all the locations covered. They haven't disclosed 45's oval office note, but figure it was passing on that and several other tricks of the trade.
Trump seemed so insistent on holding the documents that he spent two years refusing to give them back, whereas Biden just gave them back.
This argument that Biden was cooperative upon breaking the law - whereas Trump wasn't when he didn't - isn't the slam dunk you lefties think it is.
The "burden"... uh, burden, of Biden.
Biden is like Clinton by way of Obama.
Daniel12 said...
A reminder that the biggest holder of classified info in Mar-a-lago is Trump, in his brain, not some room with documents in it.
The solution is clear: Send Trump (and his brain) back to the White House, stat!
When Biden was a Senator, he voted against Jimmy Carters nominee to head the CIA, Ted Sorenson, because Sorenson had taken home classified documents from his time in the Kennedy White House. Biden said Sorenson was guilty of violating the Espionage Act.
Break out the Dramamine, the media gyrations to spin this to be a nothing burger will make you dizzy.
Holding, hiding, those documents is a felony. Gosh I didn’t know is the Baldwin defense. You pulled the trigger, you took the documents. Cooperating is not a felony absolving tactic.
Daniel12 said...
rhhardin said...
Classified documents in former leaders' homes is traditional and not a hysterical security problem.
Agreed. Trump seemed so insistent on holding the documents that he spent two years refusing to give them back
That's because they weren't classified, because he used his presidential power of unilateral declassification to declassify them before he left office.
So he "insisted on keeping them" because he had ever legal right to do so.
VP Biden, OTOH, had NO legal power to declassify things unilaterally, and so had them illegally.
But gee, what's a little matter of "law" when it comes to the Left's lust for power?
Lewis Carroll invented the word 'chortle', I learned today. It's a cross between chuckle and snort. Maybe Alter chortled to find his name in Wordle this morning.
arguably the most accomplished one-term president in American history.
You could say that about Trump, I think!
Biden?
What the fuck?
Was it the double-digit inflation or the magnificent withdrawal from Afghanistan?
I know, I know. He got Roe v. Wade reversed! Which is a huge deal and he should get all the credit in the world for that one.
Oh, wait. He didn't want that to happen.
It just seems like failure and failure plus some more failure.
Immigration is up!
Oh no, that's illegal immigration. That might not be good.
What is his accomplishment again? And if he's so fucking awesome why are you already classifying him as a "one-term president"? That's not even damning him with faint praise. It's stamping him with Loser two years before he runs for re-election.
You know he's a future loser, and he's the best future loser we've ever had!
John Sexton at HotAir writes:
Alter seems to be using the document mess as an excuse to yank Biden off the stage. It’s not the real reason he needs to go it’s just a convenient premise. The real reasons are the ones reflected in those polls Alter refers to, polls taken before the document situation was even on the radar. People think Biden is too old and not that competent.
Indeed. The classified document messes will not reelect either Trump or Biden but old age and incompetence will dispose of both candidates.
Geezus. Who's kidding himself?
"Frankly it was frustrating that the Justice Department served a warrant at Mar-a-lago -- felt like a total distraction at the time and unnecessary. Less "getting Capone on tax fraud" and more "getting Capone on a parking ticket"."
Danny Numbers
Sure, time to move on.
An unannounced, and absolutely unnecessary, early morning armed raid on the home of the former President by FBI goons, ordered by the President's Justice Department (and about which the President dishonestly denied knowledge or involvement) over an archiving dispute, which may easily have triggered civil war if not great political unrest (and seems to have been intended to have that effect).
Frustrating.
Guess what? I am not frustrated. I am outraged. And I have completely lost any small faith I may have had in the institutions of our government and media.
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