Robert, Please let me know how to send you a private email. I tried via Substack but that doesn't seem to have worked. I have a concern about the financial information related to my subscription and I'd rather not explain it here. Thanks very much,
No ordinary moment indeed! Thanks for this brilliant summation and the reminder to keep up the good work. President Biden did exactly what he needed to do and so much more. And if the GOP coffin needed another nail, Katie Britt came through for them with the most smarmy, fear mongering and agenda-less speech possible. Can’t wait for SNL…
Moses said ``O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue'' (4:10). Moses led the Israelites out of bondage and to the land of Israel.
President Biden is our Moses. He is leading us out of darkness and into the light. He is not glib, not a smooth talker, but he is a good man with a vision for the commonweal I have not seen in a US president in my lifetime (70 years).
Thank you, Robert and Jill. You are heroes and patriots of the highest order and I count on your perspectives to help me through these extraordinary and difficult times. We cannot, must not give up on our country’s highest ideals.
Robert, as Gartner put it “Trump is in crisis”. He’s in crisis alright and it is of his own making! He put us in crisis for 4 agonizing years. It is only fair that we bear witness in him having a complete meltdown.
I wrote to both of the WaPo authors of the report about Biden being too old. I was sarcastic, but in the nicest of ways.
POLITICO upset me about our President's age! Here's my Letter to the Editor yesterday!Disrespect for the office of USA President seems as popular among journalists as playing video games is for preteens. Walter Cronkite is dead and so are his standards. To say that President Biden is ill-equipped for our nation’s leadership due to his age is untrue. With age comes wisdom and experience. Why does Donald Trump at age 78 in 2024 seem preferable age-wise to journalists like Jack Shafer? Trump would never appear on a pickle ball court nor on a bicycle. He mixes up Nicki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, two vastly different women. But to Trump, he has no respect for either. Neither does he respect a woman’s right to contraception and the right to control her own body. Both men mix up their words at times but Biden has always been fighting stuttering whereas Trump, to some, is showing dementia problems. The more important issue than the numerical count in years is the Presidential candidate who is the most decent, respected, intelligent man, with the best qualified, experienced support staff to lead our nation. Big duh, it is not the candidate who promises to be a dictator on his first day in office, nor is it the candidate who wants to disband our commitment to NATO and who led an insurrection.. Rght now, many baby-boomers see an aging Donald Trump as a deplorable rude, unprincipled, and dangerous buffoon who thinks he is above the law. My husband and I and many more baby boomers like us respect President Biden as a decent leader for honoring his NATO commitments, for caring about climate, for trying to solve immigration issues, for his concerns regarding LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, and for trying to solve the horrible issue of gun manufacturers absolved of death lawsuits due to automatic rifles On all these issues (and others), President Biden is the most intelligent, astute winner.
Disrespect for the office of USA President seems as popular among journalists as playing video games is for preteens. Walter Cronkite is dead and so are his standards. To say that President Biden is ill-equipped for our nation’s leadership due to his age is untrue. With age comes wisdom and experience. Why does Donald Trump at age 78 in 2024 seem preferable age-wise to journalists like Jack Shafer? Trump would never appear on a pickle ball court nor on a bicycle. He mixes up Nicki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, two vastly different women. But to Trump, he has no respect for either. Neither does he respect a woman’s right to contraception and the right to control her own body. Both men mix up their words at times but Biden has always been fighting stuttering whereas Trump, to some, is showing dementia problems. The more important issue than the numerical count in years is the Presidential candidate who is the most decent, respected, intelligent man, with the best qualified, experienced support staff to lead our nation. Big duh, it is not the candidate who promises to be a dictator on his first day in office, nor is it the candidate who wants to disband our commitment to NATO and who led an insurrection.. Rght now, many baby-boomers see an aging Donald Trump as a deplorable rude, unprincipled, and dangerous buffoon who thinks he is above the law. My husband and I and many more baby boomers like us respect President Biden as a decent leader for honoring his NATO commitments, for caring about climate, for trying to solve immigration issues, for his concerns regarding LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, and for trying to solve the horrible issue of gun manufacturers absolved of death lawsuits due to automatic rifles On all these issues (and others), President Biden is the most intelligent, astute winner.
The line I appreciated too was when he was addressing the Supreme Court. I don't think anyone has ever spoken to them like that, knocked them off their pedestal a bit and it was awesome. They have massively under estimated women and they are about to find out just how mad we are...
At Robert's suggestion, I sent the following email to the two Washington Post journalists who had authored yet another article, leading up to the SOTU, obsessing on Biden's age:
Ms. Caldwell and Mr. Meyer:
My name is Gary Stewart. I have had 135 LTEs published in 29 states since 2018, including in the WP.
Very briefly, I am writing to urge you to set aside whatever journalistic calculus you are using to obsess over and constantly talk about Biden's age and cognitive function, and move forward to reporting on the real news - Biden's accomplishments, and his policies.
Claims about Biden having cognitive dysfunction have been a mantra on the right for many years. It is repetition in place of persuasion, and it has worked.
Consider how the traditional media, including the WP, consistently give a near-total pass on Trump's age and cognitive function, as well as his constant stream of poisonous lies and hate-mongering, which are not called out on a regular basis, if at all.
The journalistic paradigm you have been following was rendered irrelevant by Biden's State of the Union address, which was everything you had claimed it wouldn't be, and more.
Compare it, for example, to Trump's conspiracy-laded, fact-free, spiritless and error-riddled victory address on Super Tuesday. The contrast cannot be more obvious. Where is that described in the WP?
Your job, as a service to your readers, is to state plainly that the concerns about Biden's age are markedly exaggerated, as the SOTU demonstrated. This is your opportunity to move on - please take it.
I just read Jennifer Senior's article in The Atlantic. It starts with such a tell about the media narrative: "It is hardly fashionable to say positive things about Joe Biden these days. I myself have been among his doubters, convinced that he’d never be able to win a rematch against Donald Trump," she writes.
My hope is that he has turned that narrative on its head.
FDR. 1941 Nazi views on women, 1939: KKK "Kinder, kucher, kirche".... ...Tonight the useful unconscious idiots placed a smart, accomplished US Senator Katie Britt right back in the kitchen where they think she belongs. This can't be happening, and it won't.
AND Joe Biden hit it out of the park, now it is our turn to do so in Nov.!!
I am referring to complexes that are gated, so non-residents cannot access front doors. Sometimes, it appears front doors may even be in hallways. (I can’t see.)
One thought I’ve had is finding resident volunteers who are willing to knock on co-residents’’ doors to give them a voter registration application. (We don’t have online registration in Texas.) For example, I can see on the voter roll that particular apartment numbers have a registered voter on the roll. A resident volunteer could physically deliver applications to addresses not on the roll. (We already visit leasing offices to leave mail-in applications to place in new resident packets, but obviously that’s just new residents.)
President Biden’s speech was strong and inspiring.
However, Marjorie Taylor Greene wore a campaign hat in direct violation of House rules of decorum not to mention a violation of the Hatch Act. I wonder what will be done.
I read that she was asked to remove it by whoever does that, and didn't do it. What a piece of work. But the best thing is the way Biden completely deflated her with looking at her and laughing in a friendly, "Hey, look at you!" way, like he was talking to a grandchild dressed in a dinosaur costume.
They never stop, do they? Here's a headline from today's The Guardian. It's near the top of the online edition, large type: Explainer
Dehumanizing, inaccurate and outdated: why did Biden say ‘illegals’ in his State of the Union address? Explainer is in a red box and the rest of the type is black -- for Xtra contrast!? I foolishly thought that maybe The Guardian would of all the mainstream media be most likely to: not highlight what was most likely either a gaffe by Biden or him doing that darn human thing he does -- pretty sure he doesn't hate all migrants or people who aren't White unlike Republicans and (The Guardian) call at least perhaps a 24-hour ceasefire in the media blitz to try to destroy the political candidate who is trying to save democracy at this point and not entirely off-topic, their jobs. When I consider all of the possible horrible things that Trump says on a daily basis I am motivated to suggest to The Guardian that they start just featuring one-a-day like one of those calendars you tear off a page every day with Trump Sayings! or The GOP nominee for president of the U.S. speaks ... Same large type, same positioning for maximum reader attention. Let's suggest they do this every single day for awhile and see what kind of feedback they get?
Robert, Please let me know how to send you a private email. I tried via Substack but that doesn't seem to have worked. I have a concern about the financial information related to my subscription and I'd rather not explain it here. Thanks very much,
Kate
kateor08@gmail.com
Thank you Ma'am !
No ordinary moment indeed! Thanks for this brilliant summation and the reminder to keep up the good work. President Biden did exactly what he needed to do and so much more. And if the GOP coffin needed another nail, Katie Britt came through for them with the most smarmy, fear mongering and agenda-less speech possible. Can’t wait for SNL…
Moses said ``O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue'' (4:10). Moses led the Israelites out of bondage and to the land of Israel.
President Biden is our Moses. He is leading us out of darkness and into the light. He is not glib, not a smooth talker, but he is a good man with a vision for the commonweal I have not seen in a US president in my lifetime (70 years).
Thank you, Robert and Jill. You are heroes and patriots of the highest order and I count on your perspectives to help me through these extraordinary and difficult times. We cannot, must not give up on our country’s highest ideals.
Robert, as Gartner put it “Trump is in crisis”. He’s in crisis alright and it is of his own making! He put us in crisis for 4 agonizing years. It is only fair that we bear witness in him having a complete meltdown.
I wrote to both of the WaPo authors of the report about Biden being too old. I was sarcastic, but in the nicest of ways.
POLITICO upset me about our President's age! Here's my Letter to the Editor yesterday!Disrespect for the office of USA President seems as popular among journalists as playing video games is for preteens. Walter Cronkite is dead and so are his standards. To say that President Biden is ill-equipped for our nation’s leadership due to his age is untrue. With age comes wisdom and experience. Why does Donald Trump at age 78 in 2024 seem preferable age-wise to journalists like Jack Shafer? Trump would never appear on a pickle ball court nor on a bicycle. He mixes up Nicki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, two vastly different women. But to Trump, he has no respect for either. Neither does he respect a woman’s right to contraception and the right to control her own body. Both men mix up their words at times but Biden has always been fighting stuttering whereas Trump, to some, is showing dementia problems. The more important issue than the numerical count in years is the Presidential candidate who is the most decent, respected, intelligent man, with the best qualified, experienced support staff to lead our nation. Big duh, it is not the candidate who promises to be a dictator on his first day in office, nor is it the candidate who wants to disband our commitment to NATO and who led an insurrection.. Rght now, many baby-boomers see an aging Donald Trump as a deplorable rude, unprincipled, and dangerous buffoon who thinks he is above the law. My husband and I and many more baby boomers like us respect President Biden as a decent leader for honoring his NATO commitments, for caring about climate, for trying to solve immigration issues, for his concerns regarding LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, and for trying to solve the horrible issue of gun manufacturers absolved of death lawsuits due to automatic rifles On all these issues (and others), President Biden is the most intelligent, astute winner.
Pamela Carrey,
Laguna Beach, California
POLITICO upset me. Here's my LTE:
Disrespect for the office of USA President seems as popular among journalists as playing video games is for preteens. Walter Cronkite is dead and so are his standards. To say that President Biden is ill-equipped for our nation’s leadership due to his age is untrue. With age comes wisdom and experience. Why does Donald Trump at age 78 in 2024 seem preferable age-wise to journalists like Jack Shafer? Trump would never appear on a pickle ball court nor on a bicycle. He mixes up Nicki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, two vastly different women. But to Trump, he has no respect for either. Neither does he respect a woman’s right to contraception and the right to control her own body. Both men mix up their words at times but Biden has always been fighting stuttering whereas Trump, to some, is showing dementia problems. The more important issue than the numerical count in years is the Presidential candidate who is the most decent, respected, intelligent man, with the best qualified, experienced support staff to lead our nation. Big duh, it is not the candidate who promises to be a dictator on his first day in office, nor is it the candidate who wants to disband our commitment to NATO and who led an insurrection.. Rght now, many baby-boomers see an aging Donald Trump as a deplorable rude, unprincipled, and dangerous buffoon who thinks he is above the law. My husband and I and many more baby boomers like us respect President Biden as a decent leader for honoring his NATO commitments, for caring about climate, for trying to solve immigration issues, for his concerns regarding LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, and for trying to solve the horrible issue of gun manufacturers absolved of death lawsuits due to automatic rifles On all these issues (and others), President Biden is the most intelligent, astute winner.
Pamela Carrey,
Laguna Beach, California
The line I appreciated too was when he was addressing the Supreme Court. I don't think anyone has ever spoken to them like that, knocked them off their pedestal a bit and it was awesome. They have massively under estimated women and they are about to find out just how mad we are...
At Robert's suggestion, I sent the following email to the two Washington Post journalists who had authored yet another article, leading up to the SOTU, obsessing on Biden's age:
Ms. Caldwell and Mr. Meyer:
My name is Gary Stewart. I have had 135 LTEs published in 29 states since 2018, including in the WP.
Very briefly, I am writing to urge you to set aside whatever journalistic calculus you are using to obsess over and constantly talk about Biden's age and cognitive function, and move forward to reporting on the real news - Biden's accomplishments, and his policies.
Claims about Biden having cognitive dysfunction have been a mantra on the right for many years. It is repetition in place of persuasion, and it has worked.
Consider how the traditional media, including the WP, consistently give a near-total pass on Trump's age and cognitive function, as well as his constant stream of poisonous lies and hate-mongering, which are not called out on a regular basis, if at all.
The journalistic paradigm you have been following was rendered irrelevant by Biden's State of the Union address, which was everything you had claimed it wouldn't be, and more.
Compare it, for example, to Trump's conspiracy-laded, fact-free, spiritless and error-riddled victory address on Super Tuesday. The contrast cannot be more obvious. Where is that described in the WP?
Your job, as a service to your readers, is to state plainly that the concerns about Biden's age are markedly exaggerated, as the SOTU demonstrated. This is your opportunity to move on - please take it.
Respectfully,
Gary StewartLaguna Beach, CA
bertrandbartok@gmail.com
Well-stated! Thank you!
I just read Jennifer Senior's article in The Atlantic. It starts with such a tell about the media narrative: "It is hardly fashionable to say positive things about Joe Biden these days. I myself have been among his doubters, convinced that he’d never be able to win a rematch against Donald Trump," she writes.
My hope is that he has turned that narrative on its head.
From Denialad: donbialostosky.substack.com
Biden’s Kickin’
Of course today’s big news is Biden’s kickin’
And giving the Republicans a lickin’.
He schmoozed the assembled crowd before and after,
Told jokes that prompted even Lindsay’s laughter,
Spoke so loudly and fast that some complained,
Climbed stairs and at the podium maintained
His poise. He rarely gave way to a stutter
And met Republican heckling with utter
Aplomb and wit. Ready for repartee
He blew the morning headliners away—
They’d set him up with such low expectations.
He demonstrated to the watching nation
That he is by no measurement the lesser
Compared to his oft mentioned “predecessor.”
The Democrats often stood up and cheered
And vigorously shouted “Four More Years!”.
Republicans not heckling sat frustrated;
Mike Johnson sat there looking constipated—
Unsure expressions, should I sit or stand,
When so many were giving Joe a hand?
No way to get up and go to the john
With so many TV cameras on!
One thing that cameras noticed, inter alia:
MTG came in full MAGA regalia
Including her Trump-autographed red cap.
She thought that she had Biden in a trap
And yelled out to get him to say the name
Of the young woman whose death MAGA blames
On an undocumented immigrant.
He said it, called on her to implement
The border bill Trumpers like her had tanked.
His answer took their exchange to the bank.
After so much preliminary tension
The SOTU was the Democrat’s convention
Republicans just found themselves attending—
This time not much bipartisan fence-mending.
The lines were sharply drawn, the stakes made clear,
And they wondered what they were doing here.
A few tried the Party party to roil,
But their outbursts just served as Biden’s foil
To clarify his partisan agenda.
He took advantage of their taunts to send a
Clear message that watching voters could see—
He was on the right side of history!
Very nicely done! Good to see a literati in the comments!
FDR. 1941 Nazi views on women, 1939: KKK "Kinder, kucher, kirche".... ...Tonight the useful unconscious idiots placed a smart, accomplished US Senator Katie Britt right back in the kitchen where they think she belongs. This can't be happening, and it won't.
AND Joe Biden hit it out of the park, now it is our turn to do so in Nov.!!
I am referring to complexes that are gated, so non-residents cannot access front doors. Sometimes, it appears front doors may even be in hallways. (I can’t see.)
One thought I’ve had is finding resident volunteers who are willing to knock on co-residents’’ doors to give them a voter registration application. (We don’t have online registration in Texas.) For example, I can see on the voter roll that particular apartment numbers have a registered voter on the roll. A resident volunteer could physically deliver applications to addresses not on the roll. (We already visit leasing offices to leave mail-in applications to place in new resident packets, but obviously that’s just new residents.)
President Biden’s speech was strong and inspiring.
However, Marjorie Taylor Greene wore a campaign hat in direct violation of House rules of decorum not to mention a violation of the Hatch Act. I wonder what will be done.
I read that she was asked to remove it by whoever does that, and didn't do it. What a piece of work. But the best thing is the way Biden completely deflated her with looking at her and laughing in a friendly, "Hey, look at you!" way, like he was talking to a grandchild dressed in a dinosaur costume.
They never stop, do they? Here's a headline from today's The Guardian. It's near the top of the online edition, large type: Explainer
Dehumanizing, inaccurate and outdated: why did Biden say ‘illegals’ in his State of the Union address? Explainer is in a red box and the rest of the type is black -- for Xtra contrast!? I foolishly thought that maybe The Guardian would of all the mainstream media be most likely to: not highlight what was most likely either a gaffe by Biden or him doing that darn human thing he does -- pretty sure he doesn't hate all migrants or people who aren't White unlike Republicans and (The Guardian) call at least perhaps a 24-hour ceasefire in the media blitz to try to destroy the political candidate who is trying to save democracy at this point and not entirely off-topic, their jobs. When I consider all of the possible horrible things that Trump says on a daily basis I am motivated to suggest to The Guardian that they start just featuring one-a-day like one of those calendars you tear off a page every day with Trump Sayings! or The GOP nominee for president of the U.S. speaks ... Same large type, same positioning for maximum reader attention. Let's suggest they do this every single day for awhile and see what kind of feedback they get?