July 2, 2024

"A campaign email slammed those calling on the president to step aside as the 'bed-wetting brigade'..."

"... and offered tips for responding to 'your panicked aunt, your MAGA uncle, or some self-important podcasters,' an apparent reference to the former Obama officials who host 'Pod Save America.'... I’ve heard hopeful Democrats enthuse about how much better Biden was in North Carolina than he’d been the day before at the debate, but that’s silly: We all know Biden is usually fine reading from a teleprompter. The question is whether he can think and speak extemporaneously.... [I]f Thursday were just a bad night, he could reassure doubters by doing a bunch of interviews and unscripted town halls. If he’s not doing that, it’s probably because his campaign doesn’t think he can pull it off.... Now, it would be worth it for the party to set its credibility on fire to keep Trump out of the White House.... Finding a Biden alternative would be risky and messy, and there’s no guarantee that it would work better than trying to put on a brave face and drag the current president across the finish line. But the Democratic Party’s leaders — the people, let’s remember, who got us into this mess — have no right to condescend to those trying to find a way out.... If you’re in a car careening toward a cliff and can open a door, you should jump out."

Writes Michelle Goldberg, in "There’s No Reason to Resign Ourselves to Biden" (NYT).

I don't think the headline is justified — you can see at least some reason — but I understand her distress. The party's credibility is already shot. So... do something drastic. Jump out of the car. That's her argument. Is it better than the campaign email idea to hold steady, keep the door closed and the seatbeat fastened, and fly out over the cliff?


ADDED: Check the operation of the door handle before attempting the tricky jump-out:

111 comments:

Wilbur said...

I'd like to hear the "tips for responding to 'your panicked aunt, your MAGA uncle, or some self-important podcasters..."

Oso Negro said...

I loved this passage "Democrats damn well should be standing lock step with their ethical and morally decent 81-year-old president." I loved this one as well - "especially after the sinister Supreme Court ruling on Monday granting presidents immunity for their official acts, an act of civic desecration all but ensuring that a second-term Trump would rule as a vengeful dictator. The stakes of this election are existential; it’s a referendum on whether America will continue to be a liberal democracy."

Biden as ethical and morally decent. OK. There sure haven't been ANY clues or occurrences that would suggest otherwise, would there? And this notion that Trump will be a dictator. What evidence from his first-term?

Perhaps the Democrats had better send Jill Biden out to debate Trump next time as it looks like she is the person who will be taking those 3:00 a.m. phone calls and making the decisions.

Mr. D said...

That immunity ruling will save Biden's ass. And it prevents people from looking into Obama's fondness for drone strikes. You'd think they'd be grateful.

boatbuilder said...

I think Michelle Goldberg is also one of the people who got them into this mess. Like she hasn't been leading the cheerleading for Biden. Had no idea Biden was losing it. Right.

doctrev said...

Biden absolutely humiliated the NYT by defying their calls for his withdrawal, and they are not taking it well. Stephens, Friedman, and Goldberg must represent larger interests (I wonder who), but the people you install in the Presidency become larger interests by definition.

I don't expect non-Christians to be spiritually aware of what a Faustian bargain is, but I do expect NYT columnists to have some intellectual understanding. What a clown show.

Ann Althouse said...

Here's the Pod Save America episode in question.

rehajm said...

But the Democratic Party’s leaders — the people, let’s remember, who got us into this mess

YOU voted these people in, hon…

doctrev said...

Goldberg, Stephens, and Friedman represent larger interests than themselves (I wonder who), and the NYT is NOT taking Biden's defiance well.

Too bad. You'd think non-Christians would be able to intellectually comprehend a Faustian bargain even if they don't have the spiritual foundation to know they're always a bad idea.

rehajm said...

Replacement theory incorrectly assumes one Democrat is as good as another. The relatively anonymous people what have been running the executive have something to say to you about that…

rehajm said...

…soon they’ rollin the tanks and you will all fall in line. They know it. You know it…

Achilles said...

They don’t care about who is in power.

They only care about their tribe having the power.

What is actually happening right now is that democrat voters are just dropping the last vestiges of decency and integrity and admitting to the world they don’t mind do whatever it takes to hold power.

The only reason they are admitting Biden is unfit now is because they know that people have seen through their lies.

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

Not really related: in a pretty great noir movie, Too Late for Tears, a couple who are constantly quarreling about money are driving outside LA. A car coming in the other direction passes, and someone throws a bag of money into their back seat. Obviously mistaking their car for another car. Host Ben Mankiewicz says something like: I have to warn you, if you drive around LA, this could happen to you at any time. The Dems can hope for the best.

Of course the money turns out to be a curse, not a blessing. It's just possible that the ice blond turns out to be a narcissistic psychopath.

doctrev said...

rehajm said...
…soon they’ rollin the tanks and you will all fall in line. They know it. You know it…

7/2/24, 6:38 AM

You know who drives and maintains those tanks, right? Not a bunch of Harvahd soyboys, that's for sure.

Michael said...


Read the comments on Goldberg's column. NYT readers are scathing in their critique of the Dem Power Elite, and doing it in words usually saved for Republicans.

Enigma said...

This is indeed the Achilles Heel of change movements in all places and across history: force an imagined outcome or die trying. Double down on an idea until you "win," even when failure is baked in.

If pride gets in the way of failure, project outward and blame opponents for your own problems. It's a surefire--if unintended--way to quickly wipe out the Party's mental defectives/lemmings.

gilbar said...

to Paraphrase my favorite Republican.
"You say we could replace Biden with Anybody..
That's the problem, we CAN'T replace him with Anybody.. We'd have to replace him with SOMEBODY"

Saint Croix said...

"A campaign email slammed those calling on the president to step aside as the 'bed-wetting brigade'..."

Like it's a small number of people!

Most of the country wishes he would step aside.

You're addressing the nation and saying it's urination?

Cappy said...

Usually they just respond with an FBI investigation of their enemies.

typingtalker said...

The Biden Situation is evidence of a lack of leadership and political strength within the democratic party. It's major league baseball with a pitcher that can't get the ball over the plate (which doesn't matter because he's throwing underhand anyway) backed by a team that can't run, bat, catch or throw.

Unfortunately, I don't see the republicans cashing in on the situation.

Biden Situation ... hmmm ... I see a book title there ...

rehajm said...

Like it's a small number of people

AI says a brigade is 1,500-7,000 people. There’s way mote leftie bedwetters than that.

Patentlee said...

Well, Obama had “we-weed up season” and Biden has bed-wetting.

Quaestor said...

Instead of Jonestown-style mass suicide, maybe Goldberg has in mind a miraculous escape in the style of the ancient Republic serial (Republic, get it?) that always had at least two cliffhangers involving the hero escaping certain death by jumping from a car moving at high speed. Whereas such a jump would kill any real person 99.9% of the time, the "heroes" that inhabit Michelle Goldberg's tortured mind don't even soil their hats.

Wilbur said...

I found the Biden campaign emailed list of talking points — "7 Things To Tell Your Friends After The Debate and 4 things you can do"

https://www.mediaite.com/news/biden-campaign-drops-list-of-talking-points-for-fans-7-things-to-tell-your-friends-after-the-debate/

Interestingly, there are no "7 things" to tell your friends, nor 4 things to do. There is a list of 4 things which Trump allegedly lied about

-Defended the end of Roe v. Wade, saying “it’s been a great thing.”
-Said that the pro-Trump Nazi march in Charlottesville was “made up.”
-Said on January 6th that “we were respected all over the world.”
-Defended his 34 felony convictions, saying the system was “rigged” and he did nothing wrong.

There are 23 things listed which Biden has done. Here's the first several:

Expanded health care to millions of families
Lowered the price of insulin to $35 for seniors
Created more jobs than any president in history
Vaccinated the country and reopened our schools
Took the largest climate action in the history of the world
Canceled student loans for nearly 5 million people
Rallied the world in support of Ukraine, and expanded NATO while doing it
Passed the largest national funding for passenger rail since the founding of Amtrak

tim maguire said...

Replacing Biden would be messy, but I think the "stay the course" people are missing something big--the "none of the above" vote. Right now, millions of people who don't like either candidate are planning to hold their noses and vote for Trump because at least he doesn't belong in a rest home.

If the Democrats replace Biden with someone with a little youthful energy, those votes will be an easy pick-up.

Temujin said...

I love that Michelle Goldberg exonerates herself from putting Biden in office in 2020. Even as she- and all of us- watched his handlers carefully keep him from campaigning or even meeting with the press after 9:30 am during his Missing in Action Presidential campaign of 2020. Remember 'lids' on Joe Biden? It was a screaming advertisement for a guy who was not up to the job.

How conveniently short her memory. Mine is still fine.

mindnumbrobot said...

...it would be worth it for the party to set its credibility on fire to keep Trump out of the White House.

Too late. It's already on fire.

narciso said...

Burning poop

Todd said...

all but ensuring that a second-term Trump would rule as a vengeful dictator.

Could someone please explain how this Trump hypothetical differs from the Biden (dark brandon) administration's ACTUAL behavior?

Tom T. said...

Tactical mistake for the campaign to get people thinking about urinary incontinence.

Aggie said...

..."We all know Biden is usually fine reading from a teleprompter PAUSE"

BUMBLE BEE said...

As others have pointed out, she's one of the cheerleaders of the Biden regime.
My brain injured wife was alerted by the 'campaign from the basement' strategy.
Something was amiss - BIG TIME, and she watched it grow.
Doesn't speak well of the Dem pundit class, does it?

God of the Sea People said...

I'm not sure "bed wetting" is an association the Biden campaign should be encouraging.

Todd said...

That immunity ruling will save Biden's ass. And it prevents people from looking into Obama's fondness for drone strikes. You'd think they'd be grateful.

Not if we had an honest DOJ! There is plenty of evidence that Biden and his handlers have done much that is outside of the "Constitutional duties of the President". The "big guy's" 10% is not official presidential acts, nor what he did to secure that. An honest investigation of this administration would get a significant percentage of the "elite" into prison stripes. Now THAT would be a "day of days"...

Quaestor said...

Pod Save America is a glaringly obvious pun, though I tend to relate "pod" to giant alien green beans that invade and take over Planet Earth.

Here's the Podcast of the Lotus Eaters (don't ask about the Homeric reference, it eludes me) on the Debate from Another World and credibility.

Quaestor said...

Something is weird about the reCAPTCHA bot... expect a Blogger malfunction.

Big Mike said...

The [Democrat] party's credibility is already shot.

Do they realize that?

planetgeo said...

Leftists seem to have a serious problem with simple logic. Perhaps because they believe that their core constituency does too.

For example, the current campaign to "explain" away what went wrong in the debate, and why they should stop the bedwetting and get back to Ridin' with Biden to victory. Their explanation is that it was a temporary "performance" problem. You know, like even great athletes have a bad day sometimes.

Sorry/not sorry. It wasn't a temporary performance problem, even if Joe can still occasionally read a teleprompter straight through without freezing up between 10am and 4pm. No, it's a permanent, progressive decline in cognitive function due to advanced age and the effects of dementia and likely Parkinson's as well. No amount of coaching, schedule management, drugs, or skin tanning lotions are going to reverse that. He simply is no longer capable of functioning consistently with the energy and mental acuity needed of a President of the United States.

We all saw it. And what we saw can't be unseen. Or successfully covered up or "explained" any longer.

mindnumbrobot said...

This is the crew that promised a return to normalcy, decency, and stability. Now, after helping steer us into this dangerous place, they have the audacity to preach about what a fundamental danger a second Trump term would be. No second thoughts. No introspection. No humility.

I still contend there is no way the powers that be will allow Trump to win a second term, so the further they slide the more dangerous they become. Very worrisome.

Butkus51 said...

Theyre back. I have a few dem acquaintances and more than half are saying Trump seemed just as senile as Biden. For the record, none watched the debate. They read about it.

Instead of saying you cant make this shit up, its par for the course.

They are that far gone.

Yancey Ward said...

If Joe Shit For His Brains Biden doesn't want to quit the race, then the Democrats are stuck with him.

Goldberg is one of those whose credibility is shot, too. It would be good to see her admit that.

Aggie said...

..."On Monday, I listened to a recording of a Zoom meeting with Biden’s national finance committee in which his deputy campaign manager, Quentin Faulks, accused the media of blowing the debate “out of proportion"....”

My, that's some pretty remarkable access for a reporter, no? You get to hear a Zoom meeting of the inner sanctum, the money men, on the 'down low'? Turmoil on the decks, then - and apparently, within the East Coast Establishment ranks, too. I think it's shaping up to be a very exciting month.

narciso said...

Did you laugh in theif face its the only decent thing to do

narciso said...

A recording of a zoom call ok

doctrev said...

Blogger Butkus51 said...
"Theyre back. I have a few dem acquaintances and more than half are saying Trump seemed just as senile as Biden. For the record, none watched the debate. They read about it.

Instead of saying you cant make this shit up, its par for the course.

They are that far gone."

The NYT and James Carville still aren't getting it. Which is good. The Biden regime had jack other than screaming "LIAR LIAR" and now they're adding "SENILE SENILE SENILE". Completely irony free. But it does mean they've lost hope that this election is even within stealing range.

Yancey Ward said...

Even if the Democrats do replace Biden at the top of the ticket, that candidate still has to run on Joe's record the last 4 years.

imTay said...

Let's see. The reason Joe is staying in is because his grasping wife doesn't want to give up living like royalty, and his son is making bank selling his close relationship with his US President father. If Joe Biden steps down, the magical carriage is going to turn back into a pumpkin, but don't worry, they have the country at heart.

What's really got me looking for the popcorn is that a lot of this is maneuvering to keep Harris away from the nomination, at any cost. She must be even worse than we know, or, more likely, she is hooked into the California crime family of Pelosi, et al, and the Bidens will be cut out.

I say give her a shot.

Saint Croix said...

That immunity ruling will save Biden's ass.

Merrick Garland is still wide open, though.

If Watergate taught me anything, little fish go to jail.

The appointment of Jack Smith was illegally done.

I suspect Biden ordered Garland to prosecute Donald Trump.

Find a way!

And that was a first in American history. Not one, not two, not three, but four simultaneous criminal prosecutions of your opponent in the 2024 elections.

Merrick Garland, the weasel, violated the Constitution in naming Jack Smith "special counsel" without any Congressional authority. Mission: arrest and prosecute Donald Trump, while you hide Biden's involvement.

A reputable AG would have resigned rather than do that shit.

Biden has immunity. And his Parkinson's gave him immunity before the Supreme Court did.

Merrick Garland has no immunity!

He is the mastermind of this "lawfare" shit-show. The American people smell a rat. I predict failure, and Trump will win, and will take office.

What I'd like to see is a prosecution of Garland that forces him to roll over on his boss in order to avoid prison time. Give Garland immunity so that he gives up his ugly boss, and stain that name "Biden" for American history.

n.n said...

Narcissistic Anxiety Projection (NAP) or is it a Parade? A binary conundrum as Democrats play pin the tail on the Ass.

Bob Boyd said...

Why should we listen to Goldberg at this point? Why should she listen to herself? She should put her hands up and say, "You know what? I'm an idiot. I don't know anything. Don't listen to me anymore."
She was either completely deluded or she has been completely dishonest. Either way...

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Isn’t bed wetting on of the problems of dementia?

It’s y'all with dementia, not Joe.

Wince said...

A campaign email slammed those calling on the president to step aside as the 'bed-wetting brigade'...

Have the Democrats taken-on a dysfunctional family dynamic? With the Biden Campaign treating other Democrats like Michael Landon's mother hanging-out his dirty, urine-soaked sheets for all to see?

The Loneliest Runner

Saint Croix said...

Worse than Nixon?

Yes!

narciso said...

Garland isnt un charge cop killer fan kristen clarke and lisa monaco are

Kakistocracy said...

Let's not forget Ruth Bader Ginsburg refusing to retire and let Obama put forward a liberal judge — leaving Trump to fill the inevitable void with a conservative. The left is superb at shooting themselves in the foot.

Oligonicella said...

Thank you for the T&L clip. I never tire of it.

Sebastian said...

Blue-on-blue fight. Couldn't happen to a nicer party.

But what's a good Dem to do, without settled talking points and marching orders and Journolist coordination? Follow NYT or WH?

Of course, some of us are rooting for Joe & Jill.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

If a lie repeated often enough becomes a truth, does exposing it back to reality causes a person to experience loss?

"There is no right way to experience bereavement" they say.

That which cannot continue, becomes abuse.

Milo Minderbinder said...

The panicked aunt is just so because she along with more people daily realize it will be Jill Biden answering that 3am phone call.

Americans don't like anyone lying to them. The Bidens' arrogantly shoved all that deception in their faces last Thursday evening.

Jersey Fled said...

So they’re basically admitting that it’s a Cabal that’s running the country. Some elected, some appointed, and some, like the big money donors, neither elected nor appointed. Running under the banner of the Democrats and with a President who is just a figurehead and isn’t really that important.

Vote for the Cabal.

Robert Cook said...

Trump would be similarly handicapped in public speaking events (and debates) if he were required to tell the truth and be accurate. Take that away and he's got nothing else. He would look just as stricken, feeble, and lost for words as Biden did if he were fact-checked every time he stated as truth an exaggeration, distortion, or lie.

Quaestor said...

"Garland isnt un charge cop killer fan kristen clarke and lisa monaco are"

Has Biden highjacked narciso's account???

Kakistocracy said...

It’s extraordinary that a presidential candidate is running after being convicted of felonies. It’s also extraordinary that the sitting president (reportedly) is taking advice about his political future from a son who has been convicted of felonies.

Biden’s Family Tells Him to Keep Fighting as They Huddle at Camp David
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/30/us/politics/biden-debate-anxious-democrats.html

Yancey Ward said...

"He would look just as stricken, feeble, and lost for words as Biden did if he were fact-checked every time he stated as truth an exaggeration, distortion, or lie."

It is almost as if Robert were born last night and has no memory of the last 9 years.

tommyesq said...

I’ve heard hopeful Democrats enthuse about how much better Biden was in North Carolina than he’d been the day before at the debate, but that’s silly: We all know Biden is usually fine reading from a teleprompter.

Biden was not "better," he was juiced up to the point of being maniacal. If they wanted to play the "he had a cold" game, they should not have so dramatically course corrected his meds and let him appear sick for another few days. The NC speech instead strongly emphasized how much Biden relies on stimulants to get through a speech.

William said...

It is self-evident that Joe Biden is stubborn and deluded about his capabilities. You even wonder what other things Joe Biden might be stubborn and deluded about? I've heard that Biden was advised that the timing and phasing of the withdrawal from Afghanistan was going to cause problems. He was said to be stubborn and insistent that the withdrawal proceed as ordered....Biden has to face worse threats than Donald Trump's insults. What if he has another one of his bad days when a shit storm hits?....Biden is clearly at the edge or, on bad days, over the edge of severe cognitive impairment. God knows what he's going to be like in four years. Things could get much, much worse. It's irresponsible for the Democrats to defer to the judgement of a stubborn, deluded old man. And it's not their dilemma. It's ours.

Breezy said...

Tapper and Bernstein have started the media course correction. Tapper interview of Coons is exhibit A. We’ll have to see how far they’ll go, how much they’re willing to correct, wrt both Biden and Trump coverage.

RCOCEAN II said...

Democrats need to simmer down. Biden isn't fated to lose, and he can still recover. Good lord, what a bunch of nervous nellies.

Repeat after Me: Keep calm. Stay the course. Keep Calm. Stay the course.

Personally, if i was doing the "chicken run" I would have my door OPEN at the start, maybe rig it so the only thing keeping the door from not being completely open was a jerry rigged piece of string. But y'know people who drive off cliffs into the ocean don't think ahead.

RCOCEAN II said...

BTW, jumping and rolling out a car going 25-30 MPH is only safe in the movies. Your body is going the same speed as the car when it hits the ground.

gilbar said...

Rich (who claims to be intelligent) said...
It’s extraordinary that a presidential candidate is running after being found mentally incompetent of conviction of felonies.
fify

narciso said...

Claims without evidence

Mr. D said...

What I'd like to see is a prosecution of Garland that forces him to roll over on his boss in order to avoid prison time. Give Garland immunity so that he gives up his ugly boss, and stain that name "Biden" for American history.

Yes. And that would be where it starts. There are countless weasels meriting exposure.

Big Mike said...

@Cookie, has it ever crossed that silly thing you jokingly call a brain that maybe Trump is telling the truth and you’re the lying liar?

Ann Althouse said...

"Trump would be similarly handicapped in public speaking events (and debates) if he were required to tell the truth and be accurate. Take that away and he's got nothing else. He would look just as stricken, feeble, and lost for words as Biden did if he were fact-checked every time he stated as truth an exaggeration, distortion, or lie."

Satire?

To me, the worst lie is the one Biden based his presidency on and is still pushing, to the detriment of all Americans, the Charlottesville hoax.

Me on August 13, 2020: "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris deploy the Charlottesville hoax to stir up racial pain and anger — I can't imagine what Biden could do to win my confidence. I'm not going to bother to put in a request this time, because I feel completely hopeless that he will try. He has decided to run on — his people have decided to run him on — fomenting racial division, fear, and hatred. He could have run on just not being Trump — the simple dream to make America normal again. But he has chosen an eyes-closed nightmare."

Greg the Class Traitor said...

The question is whether he can think

No, he can't

John henry said...

We talked about the Chinese Curse and the Gypsy's Curse yesterday. It just occurred to me that there is a VPs curse.

Since the 12th Amendmend, 2, count 'em, 2 sitting VPs have been elected, 150 years apart. Many have run, 2 have succeeded.

Of VPs that did get into office through death or resignation, none were elected to a 2nd full term of their own.

Of the VPs that did get into office, only 1 (possibly 2) had successful presidencies. That ties into not getting relected.

We had 2 former VPs get into the presidency after a hiatus, Biden and Nixon. Nixon wound up resigning. Biden looks like he is going to resign.

John Henry

hombre said...

Democrats only have to give up their passion for Democrat identity politics for a moment to vote for the machine. After all, they will still be voting against Republican Trump. They've already set their "credibility on fire" by voting for the odious QuidProJoe for President three times, two primaries and the 2020 general when all their dead relatives also voted for him. They will do it again even if he stays in the basement until the election.

People like Goldberg and the other mediaswine have convinced the sheeple that their survival depends on hating their fellow Americans.

Rusty said...

Thanks, Ann.
I watched that clip. It would have been funny if it weren't so sad. The left has managed to convince themselves, with no evidence, that Trump will be this homophobic, racist dictator.
They're like children who like being scared.

hombre said...

mindnumbrobot: "I still contend there is no way the powers that be will allow Trump to win a second term, so the further they slide the more dangerous they become."

I couldn't agree more. They have already gone farther than most could have imagined. Some honest Democrats have confirmed that the attacks on Trump are only because he is running for President. It is not unreasonable to fear for his life.

Achilles said...

Robert Cook said...

Trump would be similarly handicapped in public speaking events (and debates) if he were required to tell the truth and be accurate. Take that away and he's got nothing else. He would look just as stricken, feeble, and lost for words as Biden did if he were fact-checked every time he stated as truth an exaggeration, distortion, or lie.

Because Cook is the owner of truth. Everyone else is a liar. Only Cook speaks the truth.

These Soviets just cannot see themselves.

Achilles said...

Rich said...

It’s extraordinary that a presidential candidate is running after being convicted of felonies.

What felonies?

Static Ping said...

The essential problem here is Michelle Goldberg has no credibility. It has been obvious since at least 2019 that Biden is suffering from some level of dementia, and it has only become more obvious over the years until the debate made it impossible to hide anymore. Michelle is either a liar or an idiot. Both are immediately disqualifying.

Oligonicella said...

RCOCEAN II:
BTW, jumping and rolling out a car going 25-30 MPH is only safe in the movies. Your body is going the same speed as the car when it hits the ground.

Hah! Thanks for the trigger of a funny memory.

I was driving to a friend's house with Dennis in the passenger seat. Dennis was not the brightest and for some reason, as I rolled up on the side strip at about 15mph, he opened his door and literally hopped out.

What I saw was a cartoon: his feet, then hips, then full body and finally head all tilted and shot off to my right. Fortunately on grass but still got the hell beat out him by the fall/roll.

He didn't think it was funny, I couldn't stop laughing.

tommyesq said...

He would look just as stricken, feeble, and lost for words as Biden did if he were fact-checked every time he stated as truth an exaggeration, distortion, or lie.

But Biden looked stricken, feeble and lost for words without being fact checked!

Also, in a debate, isn't it Biden's job to point out Trump's alleged lies? After all, Trump fact checked Biden throughout (e.g. the "suckers and losers" lie).

Oligonicella said...

And just to emphasize RCOCEAN II's point, when I was in high school long ago, they were waaay more harsh with what they showed us in driver's ed. Actual shots of people having gone through windowshields, etc.

They also gave an excellent do-it-yourself demonstration of his point. Run at your house full speed and try to stop yourself with your hands. Demonstrated the need for seat belts but works for impact too as you will certainly impact your house.

Static Ping said...

Robert Cook: Trump would be similarly handicapped in public speaking events (and debates) if he were required to tell the truth and be accurate.'

The percentage of politicians for which this would be an issue is enormous. To try to make this Trump specific is laughable. For instance, Biden would be completely unable to do anything given he is a pathological liar, not that he can do anything anyway in his feeble state.

The main problem with this argument is Trump's lies tend to be more hyperbole than actual falsehoods. Yes, technically what he says is not true, but anyone with half a brain can understand the point he is trying to get across and understand not to take him literally in those cases. There's a big difference saying "the debt is a zillion dollars" and "the border is secure."

Wa St Blogger said...

<Trump would be similarly handicapped in public speaking events (and debates) if he were required to tell the truth and be accurate. Take that away and he's got nothing else. He would look just as stricken, feeble, and lost for words as Biden did if he were fact-checked every time he stated as truth an exaggeration, distortion, or lie.

I might have to take back my assessment of you being a thoughtful liberal. What a stupid comment. All politicians hyperbolize and distort to get their message across. You just don't have tolerance for it when it's the other side doing it.

Skeptical Voter said...

The gaslighting Dims--and the gaslighting MSM that supported the Dim's claims of Joe's mental competence failed to understand that credibility is like virginity. You can lose it only once--and once it's lost its extremely difficult to restore.

Ms.Goldberg and the other 'journolists" that cling like barnacles to the sinking hull of various "news" organizations might ponder that.

planetgeo said...

Robert Cook, I don't think it's a coincidence that your self-chosen icon looks exactly like what a courtroom artist's drawing of Biden in the debate would look like.

loudogblog said...

It's interesting how many films there are that have a scene where someone drives a car over a cliff and jumps out at the last minute. They even had one in the 2009 Star Trek movie where a teenaged James Kirk steals his step dad's antique Corvette (which used to belong to Kirk's dad) and drives it over a cliff while jumping out at the last minute.

imTay said...

Robert, let's hear Trump's biggest lie, in your opinion, the most important one, and let's discuss whether it is really a lie. Or will it turn out that it's just a difference of opinion?

Come on, you have laid down a pretty hard marker that Trump lies constantly, so this should be easy for you. If you don't do it, don't worry. We already know what you are.

Original Mike said...

"The main problem with this argument is Trump's lies tend to be more hyperbole than actual falsehoods. Yes, technically what he says is not true, but anyone with half a brain can understand the point he is trying to get across and understand not to take him literally in those cases. There's a big difference saying "the debt is a zillion dollars" and "the border is secure.""

One example: Apparently, Trump said during the debate that the US pays for all of NATO. CNN fact checked this by telling us that the US only pays for 70% of NATO. Ooookay…

Original Mike said...

"The main problem with this argument is Trump's lies tend to be more hyperbole than actual falsehoods. Yes, technically what he says is not true, but anyone with half a brain can understand the point he is trying to get across and understand not to take him literally in those cases. There's a big difference saying "the debt is a zillion dollars" and "the border is secure.""

One example: Trump apparently said during the debate that the U.S. pays for 100% of NATO. CNN fact checked this to say, 'No, the U.S. only pays for 70% of NATO.'. Ooookay…

who-knew said...

Every time I see that clip from Thelma and Louise all I can think of is what a waste of a perfectly fine Thunderbird. Not a comment on the main point of the post, but I'm late to the game and most of the relevant points have been made by others.

Captain BillieBob said...

The walls are closing in...........on Biden. Clock is ticking.

Kakistocracy said...

One of the reasons I have never been a Biden fan going back to his senate days is that there was never anything he wasn't prepared to do for political gain. I was a staunch supporter for him in 2020 for obvious reasons.

But if he is the patriot he claims to be, and if he wishes to be remembered by history as someone who put the country ahead of his ambitions — the opposite of Trump — he should step aside and work hard to launch another candidate. A real "healing" move would be Manchin, Romney or Whitmer. That would seal the deal and leave Trump and MAGA in the cold.

The rest is the rest.

Aggie said...

@Original Mike said @12:57: "One example: Trump apparently said during the debate that the U.S. pays for 100% of NATO. CNN fact checked this to say, 'No, the U.S. only pays for 70% of NATO.'. Ooookay…"

Is that what they actually pay, or is that what they're supposed to pay? Just remembering that famous photo of Trump sitting with his arms folded and *that look*, with all of the EU leaders standing around him, glaring.

Original Mike said...

"Is that what they actually pay, or is that what they're supposed to pay?"

I'm not sure. I'm just reporting what the post-debate on-screen CNN fact-checky guy said.

Remaining on the topic of NATO, it just floors me that democrats are screaming "He says he'll pull out of NATO! How in God's name do these people think you handle a negotiation? 'You must pay what you promised, but if you don't nothing will happen to you.'. Yeah, that'll work. Morons.

Original Mike said...

"One of the reasons I have never been a Biden fan …"

Oh, Rich. Last month you were singing his praises.

Aggie said...

@Original Mike, yeah, I was just remembering that NATO funding meeting, where it transpired that the US actually was paying for a lot more of NATO than they should have been, because most of the member nations in the EU were in arrears on their slice, which if I recall correctly, is based on a percentage of GDP, 2% or something.

It would be normal if Trump noted what the US was actually paying with CNN screaming 'That's a Lie !! ' and trotting out what the US is supposed to be paying, according to the letter of the deal, as if that was the fact of the matter.

Oh, Look! :

Only 35% of NATO Countries Meet the Group’s Defense Spending Target

Saint Croix said...

It’s extraordinary that a presidential candidate is running after being convicted of felonies.

It is extraordinary. Trump's an extraordinary guy.

The reason so many people are supporting him, in case you missed it, is that all his prosecutions are a joke. Completely politicized. Four simultaneous criminal prosecutions? When does that happen? What has that ever happened?

In his New York case, they didn't manufacture evidence so much as manufacture crimes that didn't exist.

I believe all of these cases were motivated to keep Trump out of office.

Yes, Trump kept documents. All presidents keep documents (and some vice presidents, Joe). It's never been criminalized before!

The decision to prosecute Trump for keeping documents was actually a decision to interfere with the 2024 election.

Arresting Jack Smith for election interference would be fair. And, as narciso says, Kristen Clarke and Lisa Monaco should be arrested, too.

I suspect Biden is the criminal "mastermind." I put quotes around that because it was stupid from the get-go. Garland's appointment of Smith was sketchy, unconstitutional, and designed to hide Biden's involvement.

Biden has immunity for his crimes. Garland does not. He violated a Congressional subpoena. And decided not to prosecute himself.

I have zero doubt that they were attempting to keep Trump out of office. And the way they did it, with multiple phony prosecutions, shows how desperate they were.

I would not blame Trump for wanting some of these people arrested, for what they did to him. An eye for an eye.

It's also possible that he takes the high road, and pardons them. Ford got in trouble for pardoning Nixon. But pardoning your enemies? That would be extraordinary, too.

Original Mike said...

"Despite being a major contributor to NATO otherwise, Germany had fallen below the 2% minimum as of 2023. But – perhaps in response to the uproar over Trump’s comments – the spokesman for the German defense ministry announced on Feb. 14, 2024, that the country had hit the 2% mark, which is thanks at least in part to a government allocation for defense spending."

Germany is lying. They're including their funding of the Ukraine war to reach the 2% level.

John said...

Skeptical Voter wrote: "[C]redibility is like virginity. You can lose it only once--and once it's lost its extremely difficult to restore."

Oscar Levant: "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin!"

Richard Dolan said...

The real outrage is all that CO2 being spewed pointlessly into the environment.

Joe Smith said...

Isn't Goldberg in the same class of boot-licking, ass-kissing Democrat lackey stenographers telling us all this time that everything is fine; that Joe is the reincarnation of Einstein and Newton all rolled into one person?

Fuck off Michelle.

Time for the adults to try to save the country from communism...

Jim at said...

A real "healing" move would be Manchin, Romney or Whitmer. That would seal the deal and leave Trump and MAGA in the cold.

Why it's almost as if you have no political instincts at all.

Maybe you should find another hobby.

The Godfather said...

Remember the first "Presidential Debate"? Nixon "lost" to Kennedy because of bad lighting and make-up. Later candidates have "lost" because they gave the "wrong" answer to a loaded question.

Biden's behavior during the "debate" a few days ago was NOT that kind of F*ck-up. He didn't fail to give an effective answer to a tough question. He displayed to the public that he is non-compos-mentis. His handlers have been trying to hide his mental deterioration from the public, but we the people now have to deal with the reality. He can't CAN'T be allowed to continue as President after this election.

I don't know if there's any way the Democrats can replace Biden as a candidate at this point. The easyist fix would be Kamala, but they picked her so she would be no threat to Joe, and she's lived up to those expectations. JFKjr. is a "real" Democrat, and I think he's on the ballot already in most States. They could try that.

Otherwise, it's Trump.

Saint Croix said...

Brutal article in Politico.

"We've all enabled the situation."

...inside the White House, Biden’s growing limitations were becoming apparent long before his meltdown in last week’s debate, with the senior team’s management of the president growing more strictly controlled as his term has gone on. During meetings with aides who are putting together formal briefings they’ll deliver to Biden, some senior officials have at times gone to great lengths to curate the information being presented in an effort to avoid provoking a negative reaction.

“It’s like, ‘You can’t include that, that will set him off,’ or ‘Put that in, he likes that,’” said one senior administration official. “It’s a Rorschach test, not a briefing. Because he is not a pleasant person to be around when he’s being briefed. It’s very difficult, and people are scared shitless of him.

JAORE said...

"Replacing Biden would be messy, but I think the "stay the course" people are missing something big--the "none of the above" vote."

Not to mention those who may stay home. Concern 1 for the left might become holding onto either hose of congress. Thee is the real lefty nightmare.

Achilles said...

Rich said...

One of the reasons I have never been a Biden fan going back to his senate days is that there was never anything he wasn't prepared to do for political gain. I was a staunch supporter for him in 2020 for obvious reasons.

But if he is the patriot he claims to be, and if he wishes to be remembered by history as someone who put the country ahead of his ambitions — the opposite of Trump — he should step aside and work hard to launch another candidate. A real "healing" move would be Manchin, Romney or Whitmer. That would seal the deal and leave Trump and MAGA in the cold.

The rest is the rest.


Pretty funny to watch these lying pieces of crap pretend the last 8 years don't exist and rewriting everything that has happened.

Rich of course has never been a fan of Biden. He never thought Trump colluded with Russia either. And he certainly never thought that the Laptop was Russian disinformation.

After Biden took office I predicted that he would be so inept and so incompetent that he would test the limits of humiliation that democrat regime supporters would tolerate.

We are starting to see the low 90's IQ losers jump ship now. It is too much now even for Rich.

P.S.

God I hope the Democrats pick any of those people you mentioned. Especially Romney. Please god run Romney.

These stooges would pull exactly zero votes from Trump.

While you are at it you might as well try to recruit Desantis. Desantis might pull a million voters out of the 80 million or so Trump will get.

Balfegor said...

Re: boatbuilder:

I think Michelle Goldberg is also one of the people who got them into this mess. Like she hasn't been leading the cheerleading for Biden. Had no idea Biden was losing it. Right

I think a lot of members of the Outer Party were genuinely surprised to see Biden's incapacity during the debate. I would guess that the majority of high information voters were already aware Biden was in his dotage, and that was baked into his pre-debate polling. Same with low information voters who don't rely on or trust mainstream media. And the two groups who were honestly surprised, for whom the debate provided new information were (1) high information Democrat hyper-partisans (including most journalists), who had believed and propagated the "cheap fakes" falsehood, and (2) low information voters who generally trusted the media and accepted that the funny videos of Biden looking completely lost had been manipulated somehow.

I think Michelle Goldberg is in group (1).

But I also don't think the bottom is going to fall out on Biden's numbers, since a huge fraction of the people who intended to vote for him pre-debate knew perfectly well he was senile.

walter said...

" if he wishes to be remembered by history as someone who put the country ahead of his ambitions"
--
Dear Rich,
How is your guest room to high density "migrant" rescue conversion going?
Don't forget to soundproof it so you can sleep.
Read Peter Schweizer's book on Biden Inc if you can't.