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:iagree:
Did you ever stop to think that the reason why they didn't express their concerns a year ago was because they were unaware of how much he has declined mentally. Or maybe he was fine last year, but since then has started a gradual decline and what we saw during the debate was the first public evidence of that decline.
There is an article by NY Mag, entitled "The Conspiracy of Silence to Protect Joe Biden". Its behind a paywall, so I haven't read it and I won't post the link. So there could be a reason why these Democratic Representatives were unaware of Biden's condition.
But there could be a less nefarious reason too. When you take into consideration how many members of Congress actually get to meet with the President on a daily basis, maybe all or some of those 20 representatives didn't have the opportunity to see first hand what Biden's mental condition was like.
Yes i have thought about. And since that terrible performance in the debate over two weeks ago,President Joe Biden has been campaigning in multiple states to prove to those twenty Democratic Representatives that he can serve a second term. And agree maybe all or some of them didn't have the opportunity to see what his condition was like. And since President Joe Biden remains adamant about staying in the race,even though he's trailing in most battleground states,do you think they will continue to urge him to step aside or start supporting and help him turn things around?.
Looks like the infighting continues within the Democratic Party,with members of congress sending a letter to the DNC asking them to delay the virtual rollcall. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...ion-rcna162164
Here's a non-paywalled article on a similar theme. Not only has his inner circle been shielding Biden from public scrutiny, but it seems they may have been shielding him from views or advice they thought we wouldn't want to hear.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/0...ircle-00166160
I think there were signs that he had cognitive problems before the debate. Many people gave him the benefit of the doubt because the evidence was a bit mixed and they didn't want to help Trump. After the debate, most people joined the dots and the pattern became clear. Perhaps they should have looked more critically beforehand.
https://www.vox.com/politics/358877/...media-coverage
That said, it's absurd to shift the primary blame from Biden and his inner circle, who were obviously best placed to know. If these Congress members had raised concerns before the primaries it would have been futile. They would have been derided and dismissed, just as Dean Phillips was.
They've lined up all the big guns. In a parliamentary system, he'd be gone already.
https://www.vox.com/politics/361597/...pelosi-schumer
I watched the debate and thought he sounded awful. The only thing that made me hesitant at first about him going is that he is very likeable and Democrats have frequently vetted talented politicians who are accomplished and bright and who people can't relate to. There was a certain amount of stumbling and gaffe making that was endearing. And he has in the past had choppy performances and then uncharacteristically strong ones in public. He has passed the point of no return though, where the bright days aren't bright enough, and the days where he sounds cloudy and confused predominate.
I think the Democrats will need to put Kamala Harris first. The Bernie left like to make fun of her, the right wing doesn't like her, but I consider her likeable and capable. I don't care if she's told the same story about what is, unburdened by what has been (if you haven't seen the montages you can look them up)....who cares if she has this same peculiar line in a bunch of speeches. She's not the first and it's totally irrelevant.
BTW, what I mean about talented Democratic politicians I think is exemplified by Pete Buttigieg. No, he doesn't have a ton of experience. He's also gay and married to a man (which is preferable given his preference). He's sharp as a tack. Now, that doesn't mean people have to agree with every policy opinion he has, but he is the type of capable politician who really doesn't have a big base. People accuse him of being careerists and lob all sorts of attacks on his family. Democrats have had trouble nominating the most qualified people bc well, people are superficial. It's so easy to demonize someone and turn them into a joke (see Howard Dean). Instead, we end up with a guy with diminished and diminishing cognitive faculties, who has always had a fighting spirit and open personality. But we don't have a culture where we can necessarily choose someone who will be a great leader and nominate them knowing that the public will fall in line....
I haven't seen a lot of her, but some of the dislike does not seem to be rationally-based, as with Hillary Clinton. I recall a successful politician who used the line "Yes, we can" a lot, so that can't be a substantive objection. Incidentally, he wasn't experienced either.
The more substantive objection is that she did poorly in the primaries last time. She probably wouldn't be first choice if they were starting from scratch, but I can see the argument that she might be the only feasible option at this stage.
Anyway, if Biden is refusing to stand down because he doesn't think KH is electable that's really on him: for not allowing an orderly process to find the best successor and for choosing her as VP (especially when he says he wasn't originally intending to run again). Even if he wasn't so bad a year ago, it was still a poor decision in risk assessment terms.