Biden Gets A Chance To Make His Case
Last night, Joe Biden gave the debate performance we all wished we had seen last week. Now, that statement isn't strictly accurate, since the event Biden appeared at last night was a townhall meeting with undecided voters and not an actual presidential debate. Also, the reason we didn't see this performance last week was because the incessant noise and bluster from Donald Trump made it all but impossible to hear what Biden was actually saying. Nevertheless, last night's performance was indeed what most voters should have watched instead of last Tuesday's debate.
At this point, I have no idea how many of them did watch. I haven't heard any ratings, and the mainstream media and the punditocracy seems to largely be ignoring last night's event. I have no idea why this is, personally. Perhaps it was set up at the last minute and took everyone by surprise? The event did have a rather ad hoc feel to it, but then most things do these days. The pandemic has caused so many changes in the way such events happen that every one of them has the flavor of making it up as we go along. Last night was no exception.
NBC's Lester Holt was the moderator, and they tried to be extra-careful to keep everyone safe. This meant lots of distance between everyone and holding the event outside. Unfortunately, the site chosen was a wee bit too close to a major freeway and bridge approach, which led to such loud background noise that Biden couldn't even hear the first question. Somehow they fixed this technical problem immediately, though, and Biden heard everyone else clearly. He couldn't see one of them, due to the hyperactive camera crew trying to give every possible angle on Joe Biden's head (Biden even castigated them at one point for being too obtrusive).
Technical problems aside, though, I wonder how long ago this event was planned. I certainly hadn't heard about it until a few days before it happened, which led me to ponder if Team Biden decided to hastily schedule the event after last week's debate. The townhall was held in Miami, which is notable for a few reasons. Florida may be the key state in the election, Biden has been criticized for not doing enough outreach early enough with Florida Latinos, and Biden's poll numbers in Florida have recently (and markedly) improved. So Biden had nothing to lose and a lot to gain by going to Miami.
But whether they had scheduled this event months ago or last Thursday, it worked like a charm for Joe Biden. He got lots of substantive questions on a range of subjects, although most were either directly or indirectly concerned with the coronavirus pandemic and what Biden's response to it would be. This is understandable, since it is the main subject on the minds of most voters -- and they were the ones asking the questions.
Biden was... well... Joe Biden. That's really the best way to put it. He did what he's always been fully capable of -- answered each question with honesty and empathy, and laid out his vision for the future of the country. He mostly avoided taking potshots at Donald Trump, but he clearly showed that things would be different with Biden in charge.
This is what Trump was afraid of all along, and the real reason he torpedoed the first debate so completely. Trump knows that if Biden is allowed to speak, that everyone can see that Trump's caricature of him is downright ridiculous. Many of Biden's answers were multifaceted, with him reeling off a numbered list of his priorities. Such complex thinking and planning for the future is beyond the abilities of Trump, of course. And it stands in direct conflict with Trump's fantasy that Biden is somehow "not all there."
Biden sympathized on a personal level with a teacher and a flight attendant. He pointed out that his wife is a teacher and one of his sisters-in-law is a flight attendant. He used this familiarity to directly address specific steps that should be taken to keep people in both jobs safe and protected. Again, this level of sympathy is completely beyond Trump's abilities.
Trump, meanwhile, is in the midst of a bout of propaganda efforts that can only be called Soviet in nature (or perhaps North Korean). The Dear Leader is so strong and macho that he personally wrestled COVID-19 to the floor and beat it for all time. In an appearance worthy of any tinpot generalissimo, Trump valiantly whipped off his mask upon his return to the White House, signalling that such wimpy things would now be in his past. This was after his carriage ride to wave to the adoring masses, which put two Secret Service members at serious risk of infection for no real reason at all (other than to produce propaganda videos).
The difference between the two men is striking. Donald Trump cares only about how the world sees Donald Trump. That is it. That's all he cares about. He cares not one iota for anyone else around him, be they family members, his top aides, his political team, the Secret Service, reporters, or anyone else under the sun.
Joe Biden, on the other hand, not only cares about other people, he actually wants to help them. He wants the opportunity to lead the nation out of crisis, instead of further into the fray. He is thoughtful, he listens to the advice of experts who know more than he does about a subject, and he leads by example. Trump does none of those things.
This is the contrast we all should have seen in the first debate. We didn't get to see it because Trump is a bully and simply would not shut up at all. Which is why I would encourage anyone who was disappointed in the first presidential debate and who didn't catch last night's NBC townhall with Joe Biden to take the time to check it out. You'll be thankful you did so, because it really was the performance we should have seen last week.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
... and the mainstream media and the punditocracy seems to largely be ignoring last night's event.
Yeah, what else is new? It must have been a good performance if the mainstream media and punditocracy ignored it. Sigh.
I have no idea why this is, personally.
Sadly, I do.
To them, he is, has been and always will be nothing more than a gaffe machine and if Biden doesn't live up to that asinine billing, they're not interested.
Although, that may be starting to change.
No, it's not! Slap my wrist. It will never change. I have long ago resigned myself to that truism.
The difference between the two men is striking.
Indeed, in every way imaginable. :)
I'm really glad it went well.
I don't understand why Biden doesn't do more of these events and press interviews. When he was senator, I rarely missed a Sunday talk show lineup and certainly never when he was regularly on.
And, having said all that, the New York Times just endorsed Biden for president. Heh.
Like they had a choice.
I just watched a Washington Post 3-minute digest of Biden's Town Hall, on your recommendation. Agreed, it was pure Uncle Joe. He's old, but his head's screwed on straight, and he's worked in government and knows where the bodies are buried.
What puzzles me is this insistence, from the debate coverage of last week to this question of whether anyone has watched this Town Hall, that people need to understand who Biden is and who Trump is. In fact, the most comic coverage has been the media's desperate attempts to find genuinely undecided voters who aren't delusional or lying. Biden comes across as old, if not very old, but there's no doubt in his supporters' minds that he's about a 10^(10^15) improvement on the president, in every category that isn't an expression of sin, illegality, and immorality.
I feel the same way about the extensive analysis of Strong vs Weak states for the two candidates from the last post (yeomanlike work, by the way). Biden is ahead by every measure that matters - except the question of voter disruption, suppression, and obstruction.
That is where the media ought to be at this point. Every secretary of state, every board of elections supervisor, every local chief of police, every state judge with a nonsensical lawsuit about supposed fraud risks: what are you doing to ensure a free and fair election count in the first week of November, and later if necessary? Every media outlet, social media site, pundit on cable, state representative: what are you doing to get ready for the s***storm of nonsense that the GOP is preparing to flood the country with on November 3 and after?
That's the only story left - Biden by every indication for the past six months will have a popular and electoral majority in a free and fair election. Will this be a free and fair election?
I just saw the new Republican Voters Against Trump commercial starring Michael Hayden. With stuff like that, Biden himself can stay with positive messaging.
On Nicole Wallace's show today, they were discussing new polling that showed Biden up by 2% on the economy and a lot more than that on everything else.
So, Stephen Miller has tested positive for the coronavirus. Is undead a comorbidity factor?
LizM,
I have long ago resigned myself to that truism.
It's a half-truism.
Fat Donny really does have bad instincts. Who did he think he was appealing to with his unilateral shoot down of any stimulus before the election?
the mainstream media and the punditocracy seems to largely be ignoring last night's event. I have no idea why this is
It was not a spectacle and they knew it wouldn't be. It was a major politician behaving like a normal human being. Meanwhile, the orange one was behaving like a monster as usual.
JFC- Trump's instincts aren't driving this train wreck. It's the dexamethasone. This steroid has a bad reputation for causing cognitive impairment - and Trump’s brain was already missing a lot of cogs.
TS,
I don't see where the steroids have made any difference to his ignorance, impulsivity, narcissism, stupidity, or cruelty. They look just the same as always.
I'll agree that they're making him believe that he isn't sick, but that's it.
Is it too soon to point out that the CIC is on medication that causes mental side effects and is still allowed to be in control of the nuclear codes?
It's one thing to be taking a cocktail of opioids, but an entirely different thing to be on the 'roids. The former has more predictable behavioral effects and the latter is a fickle mistress that one cannot predict when, or what side effect will manifest.
Personally I do not want anyone with access to the "football" to be allowed control if they are on a unpredictable mind altering medication.
The "fake news" should be asking this question.
Unfortunately we already know what the answer would be....
[8]
[12]
Stop it! You're killing me!
goode trickle
I agree. Dexamethasone is not your typical steroid — far from it! For most steroids used to combat COPD and other breathing illnesses, the worst side effect was that it made your bones brittle (and tasted gawd-awful!) with prolonged use.
I have heard multiple stories from people who have loved ones who had been given it that their sick family member hallucinated like crazy when on it. A few did report that they were amazed at how quickly the medicine seemed to clear their lungs up and how great they felt within days. Those same people all said that their loved ones died days after they believed things had taken a turn for the better!
I definitely now believe that he was infected after watching him standing on the White House balcony gasping for air like a goldfish that jumped out of its bowl. It was painful to watch him forcing himself to act like he was not sick. I do wonder if he might have been hallucinating when he saluted like he was inspecting the troops during a military parade.
[4] Elizabeth Miller wrote:
And, having said all that, the New York Times just endorsed Biden for president. Heh.
Like they had a choice
No, there's no rational choice to be made here. One of my fave politics websites, The Atlantic, has only endorsed three Presidential Candidates in their 163 year history. The last endorsement was for Hillary in 2016. No doubt they'll once again endorse in 2020...and it won't be Cheetogod.
BTW a while back I saw an article that I wish I'd shared with y'all. It's title was,
If it's safe enough to go to the grocery store it's safe enough to vote.
Kinda puts the whole voting in person thing in perspective, amirite?
[17]
FYI, The Atlantic endorsed Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and LBJ in 1964.
No, there's no rational choice to be made here.
Precisely.
My point? If the NYTimes is looking for a pat on the back from me, they won't get much of one. :)
Sigh.
Death Harris,
If the NYtimes, CW or the rest of the media wants a pat on the back from me
LOL! I was gonna say that delusions of grandeur from you are priceless, but they're not. Definitely worth less than $201.
Please seek help (for your mental state, not your grift).
It's amazing how much other news Fat Donny can drown out with his insanity.
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) announced that he will not seek re-election in 2022 just the other day.
Trump TV has ramped up the insanity to 11 right along with Short Fingers.
Yesterday, NY Post columnist Miranda Devine appeared on Dana Perino's show to help the GOP with old folks.
I think it's incredibly selfish of old people or neurotic people who are timid and afraid and won't come out of their basements
Let's hope the GOP sticks with that talking point.
ListenWhenYouHear
16
I definitely now believe that he was infected after watching him standing on the White House balcony gasping for air like a goldfish that jumped out of its bowl.
Heh, Russ, I said the same thing about the appearance of a fish out of water... except "Clownfish Von Trump."
#Finding Nemo #Cheetolini
I do wonder if he might have been hallucinating when he saluted like he was inspecting the troops during a military parade.
#Cheetolini
#Covita
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tZVnbDq9B4
The Lincoln Project mocks Trump... again. ;)
Joe Biden [snip] not only cares about other people, he actually wants to help them.[snip] he listens to the advice of experts who know more than he does about a subject, and he leads by example.
this is a very good case, if biden and his supporters can hammer it home.
Opinion today from 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals:
https://tinyurl.com/y6p74blu
Donald Trump can't block Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance’s subpoena for his financial statements and tax records. Now he'll likely appeal it back to Supreme Court for a second time where he'll delay but lose and they'll be turned over.
Spoiler Alert: If Donald had documentation/justification for the business loses claimed on his tax returns, he would have turned them over already.
Poor Donald. There's no federal pardon that can save him from criminal tax fraud against the State of New York.
Winning! *shakes head*
@don,
there is substantial recent evidence of biden behaving the way CW says he is (e.g. wearing a mask, speaking respectfully, listening and responding to voter concerns), and very little evidence (if any) of him behaving the way you say he is. i don't think anyone would claim biden is pure or perfect, himself included. but whatever his flaws, he has shown to be a decent human being. i had no intention of calling you out for it, but i sincerely believe that i'm not the delusional one in this scenario.
JL
[21]
[22]
Newsflash! None care one way or the other about any "pat on the back."
Trump just pulled all TV advertising from Ohio and Iowa. Apparently the campaign is very short of cash, as they spent one week's worth of TV advertising in Iowa on fireworks for the Republican convention instead.
Polls show Biden ahead of Trump in Ohio by one percent, and trailing Trump in Iowa by only a half percent. Those are 8 to 9 percent swings in Biden's favor from Trump's margin against Hillary in those states in 2016.
9] nypoet22 wrote:
"just because guam, marianas, USVI and samoa don't currently have a grassroots movement for it doesn't mean they'd turn down statehood if it were offered."
True enough. But only D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the USVI meet the population threshold for statehood. The Northern Marianas and American Samoa do not.
Covita
Adultery
The MAGA Church
Rasmussen has Big Money Joe up by 12 in their national poll.
Un-believable. Literally.
I don't believe that there is some hidden reserve of silent Drumpf voters. The death cult zombies aren't shy about who they love.
I think the hidden voters are people who normally just don't care much about politics or voting, but are sick of the orange one's relentless wall of noise. My brother is one of them and he lives in a purple state.
How about the crime bill?
How about voting for wars and military spending?
How about forty years of working for the big money interests instead of ordinary citizens?
So, you want to bash Biden for supporting a crime bill that addressed what the media was telling everyone was, nationally, a huge problem at the time? A bill that a majority of the people — who today are complaining about how awful the bill was — voiced their full support for it at the time? The crime bill addressed what the press referred to at the time as “an epidemic of gang related drug crimes” across our nation. (The press’ tendency to misuse that word in describing certain social justice issues really becomes noticeable when we are facing the effects of a true EPIDEMIC, don’t you think?) Regardless of how that bill is viewed in hindsight, at the time, passing that bill was Biden following the “will of the people”.
Same goes for voting to go to war with Iraq... the citizen support for stopping Iraq for getting/using WMD’s was massive. No one ever WANTS to go to war (well, no one but maybe Dick Cheney). No one WANTED to get involved in the war with Japan and Germany in the 40’s until we were forced into it.
And if Biden’s got over 40 years of putting BigMoney before the will of the people, you’d think that you would provide specific cases to support your argument... but you never seem to do that!
The “reality” of it all is that you believe people should only back and vote for candidates that run small donation ONLY campaigns, of which there are zero nationwide to choose from! You harass CW to write an article that would show the world a mentally unstable man with delusional beliefs and political views that would serve no other purpose than to highlight your plight. That’s REALITY!
Kick,
LOVED that Covita video! Surprised Randy Rainbow didn’t beat them to that one!
-R
Kick...
Speaking of Randy Rainbow....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AoY6RRfMZM&ab_channel=RandyRainbow
(Duet with PATTI LUPONE!!!!)
Russ,
Same goes for voting to go to war with Iraq... the citizen support for stopping Iraq for getting/using WMD’s was massive.
While some senators may have understood their vote for the AUMF in Iraq as a vote for war, Senator Biden did not. Quite on the contrary, he voted in favour of it to avoid war.
ListenWhenYouHear
43
Speaking of Randy Rainbow....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AoY6RRfMZM&ab_channel=RandyRainbow
(Duet with PATTI LUPONE!!!!)
Russ, this is so funny. Lots of curse words too. I like it! :)
It is a rational approach to solving a real problem that 80% of citizens want a solution to.
Except it does NOTHING TO SOLVE BIG MONEY IN POLITICS! NOTHING! $5000 is NOT BIG MONEY!!! If you think anything over $250 or $300 is BIG MONEY, you are just a freaking idiot.
The problem with your line of “thinking” — and I am being extremely generous by using that term — is that it requires us to believe that the ONLY way we can determine who will truly represent their constituents and work on behalf of the people by whether or not they jump through a hoop that you have held up as the magic purity test! It is why you get so bent when I bring up the homophobic Neo-Nazi white Nationalist candidate that may follow your example — let’s face it, they have made plenty of horrible life choices in their lifetime...what’s one more? You claim that One Demand won’t support such a candidate, but you have outlined that you have ONLY ONE DEMAND that someone must agree to in order to win your support. That is IT! Unless you plan on changing your scam’s name to One Demand Plus 4 or 5 Strong Suggestions, you really cannot say no to anyone who might want to hitch their wagon to your star.
The fact is that you have no way of ensuring that a person who will agree to run a small donation only campaign is the type person who deserves our support... but that is your One Dumb Plan!
*
So Trump has now gone from blaming China to now thanking God for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
*laughs uncontrollably* *catches breath* *more laughing*
I cannot fathom the ignorance it would take in order to a cast a vote for this kind of sheer unmitigated effing stupidity.
Don Harris
33
And believing what you want to believe despite the reality that contradicts what you believe is being delusional.
Says the board mooch who has an outdated website that contains voting disinformation. It is a violation of law to disseminate false information to voters, and your website does that in more ways than one.
Ask these guys what happened to them for disseminating false information to voters:
https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-technology-arrests-michigan-voting-rights-e0d49155dc8f347b1347cf779fd43812
So to recap: You are delusional if you seriously believe anyone is going to violate federal law and disseminate your false information.
Hurray! My absentee ballot arrived in my mail box today, a next day delivery from the starting gun by The US Mail! So far so good. I filled it out tonight and will hand deliver it to the Board of Elections tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how long the line is at the drop off box...just one box per county...no matter how many voters in your county or the acreage of your county. The box looks pretty solid on the Board of Elections web site. Not sure if it's a drive by delivery, or if I have to park (free) and wait in line, if there is one.
Don Harris
47
As for me thinking that people should only vote for small donor candidates you are right.
You are also right there are currently none to vote for.
With those confessions, you admit to disseminating information with the intent to disenfranchise voters. That is illegal in multiple jurisdictions.
Why is someone pressuring a public figure to do the right thing harassment?
You can't think of a single reason?
Is it because when you have no rational argument that you need to pretend it is harassment so that you can dismiss it as delusional?
No, moron; it's because the person you're harassing has said you're a troll and asked you to stop the trolling. Yes, you are a harassing troll:
*
CW writing about One Demand will not be showing that I am unstable or delusional.
CW writing about One Demand would be the dissemination of your voter disinformation that is incorrect in multiple states.
It is a rational approach to solving a real problem that 80% of citizens want a solution to.
Disseminating disinformation to voters is illegal and not rational at all. It doesn't solve a real problem when you encourage people to vote for themselves when that's not even possible in the vast majority of states and impossible and encouraging self-disenfranchisement.
It is no different than people forming or joining any organization on any other issue.
Yes, it is, moron.
It is how democracy is designed to work- you make a demand and enforce that demand with your votes.
Not casting a valid vote isn't the equivalent of voting. When you can't vote for yourself in the overwhelming number of states without collecting signatures and/or paying a fee of thousands of dollars in order to cast a valid vote for yourself, what your encouraging is disenfranchisement of voters. That is not how democracy is designed to work, and it's freaking illegal.
People don't really have a choice if they are not offered all the choices.
Bullshit... bullshit... bullshit. You still have a choice when all the choices aren't offered. Anyone telling you otherwise doesn't understand a damn thing about choosing, and you sound dumber than a barrel of hair to claim otherwise. You may not like the choices, but you still have a damn choice.
TheStig
52
Awesome! :)
JFC-13
I honestly think Trump has reached a new level of ignorance, impulsivity, narcissism, stupidity, AND cruelty. Now doping is clearly involved, so his record performances may not be recognized by the Guinness Book....Trump may have to settle for a paltry Putin's Choice.
That Pence is oily debater.
Is it just me or did the irony gods cause a fly to land on Pence's head while he was spewing BS about law and order?
TheStig
56
That Pence is oily debater.
The insects sure know where to land, do they not?
The fly appeared to be feeding...you can draw your conclusion about what Pence's head is composed of. I hope Mr. Fly gives an interview. Possibly live, next Saturday night.
The Giant Fly is trending on Google!!!
I expect he/she will have a Twitter Account before midnight...possibly several accounts.
Can The Giant Fly commit to accepting donations < $200? If so,
Harris has candidate he can accept.
Breaking news....
Giant fly will not commit to a small donor campaign and will allow PAC's to advertise on his behalf.
He also said he likes big pie.
I can't believe that Trump's ending the Covid stimulus negotiations never came up at the VP debate.
I believe that the two most spoken words in the debate were thank you.
vice president pence would be the next three most spoken words.
I hereby name this debate:
Lies Lies Falsifies, Bloodshot Eyes, Lord of the Flies
goode trickle
63
The filter ate my post saying basically the same thing.
Pence wouldn't let Harris get a word in edgewise, and the moderator got as much speaking time as the Senator. Pence's constant interrupting and patronizing of Harris won't help the GOP one iota with the suburban women and seniors leaving them in droves.
Mike Pence was a steaming hot pile of lying horseshit, and the fly knew exactly where to land.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCdo-CS4t-M
A lot of what Pence has to say flys in the face of reality.
Somebody had to say it.
Actually, the time was split pretty evenly between Harris and Pence.
So, republican commentator Bill Kristol rated the fly as coming in #2 in the debate.
New VP debate column up -
check it out
-CW
____________________00__________________
___________________0000_________________
__________________000000________________
_______00_________000000__________00____
________0000______000000______00000_____
________000000____0000000___0000000_____
_________000000___0000000_0000000_______
__________0000000_000000_0000000________
____________000000_00000_000000_________
____0000_____000000_000_0000__000000000_
_____000000000__0000_0_000_000000000____
________000000000__0_0_0_000000000______
____________0000000000000000____________
_________________000_0_0000_____________
_______________00000_0__00000___________
______________00_____0______00__________
________________________________________
*
I second the motion. Chris?
[54]
Chris Weigant wrote:
Don Harris [49] -
Yes. You are a troll. Deal with it.
As for your language, you are pushing me very very close to banning the first person ever from my site. You have been warned, and this is your final warning.
If ignoring you doesn't work, then banning you just might. Address the issues in the articles or the comments to those articles, and quit with your own monomania, because nobody's listening. Instead, you are just trolling.
And we're ALL way beyond getting tired of it.
Is that clear enough?
-CW
Elizabeth Miller
68
Actually, the time was split pretty evenly between Harris and Pence.
No, it wasn't, EM. When Harris was having to spend her time telling the other dipshit that she was talking while he was interrupting her and asking the moderator to give her equal time, then she's not getting actual "pretty evenly" debate time.
So to recap: Harris having to spend her time telling Pence to STFU isn't "pretty evenly" while he was allowed to prattle on endlessly while she sat there.
The cast of Veep did a reunion show as a fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
You can see it here.
Harris handled Pence about as well as Biden handled Trump. Not very impressive in either case. :(