Thank you Robert for this great Today's Edition. I'm with you, Biden, and all the other Biden supporters all the way! This is going to be a great note to go to bed on (it's just about midnight in our easternmost time zone). I hope you, and all the rest of the Biden supporters sleep as well as I think I will. As Joyce Vance says, "We're in this together." And that's just where I want to be.
Thanks David and Robert. I think we just have to get through this. CBC radio's "As it Happens" interviewed Shevrin Jones yesterday. He is a Florida State Senator and chair of the Miami Dade Democratic Party, and Mr Jones made a great case for sticking with Joe Biden. He said most of those who are coming out against Biden are those that never wanted Biden to run in the first place.
It appears my local ABC affiliate is not one that is owned by Sinclair, for I was "allowed" to hear about the positive meeting Biden had with 20 Democratic Governors yesterday. I just heard the anchor say "the Governors doubled down on their support".
I'm glad to hear the good news of the Democratic governors and other. I'm in total agreement with Robert and the rest of the gang who still support our President. We can do this!
Correction: 10 months ago, 2/3 of Dems and Dem-leaning voters wanted another candidate besides Biden. The below article documents that and explains why that preference existed. For those with that outlook, our worst fear has now been painfully confirmed.
Being angry at us and deeply loyal to Joe (a great president and fine person) isn't going to turn him into a winner in November. We ALL are disgusted at the idea of Trump being re-elected! Defeating him is all that counts. With 2 months of intense campaigning, I believe any of the 3 or 4 top Dems have a significantly better chance of winning that Biden. Not "great", but "better".
One last point: people keep saying, "If Biden's too old, Trump is too old." The problem with that is that pollsters are asking if person X is "too old", but what they really mean is "are they too feeble". That is where the concerns about Joe have been for these many months. David Plouff said, shortly after the debates, that Biden seemed 30 years older than Trump, not 3 years. It was painfully true.
What is interesting about your thinking, Tyler, is that voters wanted “a moderate” to run in 2020. Yet, no sooner was President Joseph R. Biden in office than the press began offering a negative narrative (nonsensical popularity/favorability polls) even as he was making progress in spite of a Republican Party that was running the Newt Gingrich playbook.
Now, they are playing the Trump playbook of lies, vitriol, hate speech, bullying, & conspiracy theories. Concurrently, those of us who believe in and support President Joseph R. Biden are wrestling with the divisiveness encouraged by an irresponsible press and an unfortunate one night (90 minute) debate.
As Robert wrote, identify your candidate and put forth a path to victory that will insure a win with unity in the party.
Let’s be honest here, people in the United States of America are stressed by the chaos wrought by Trump and his team of enabling elected (non) leaders who have turned themselves inside out. They spoke on January 7, 2021 of Trump’s being fully responsible for the attack on our country’s Congressional elected Senators and House of Representatives and the deaths of Capitol police officers as he sat idle watching on TV.
Now, they kiss his ring and travel to Mar-a-Lago as though he was a Christian hero rather than the malfeasant criminal protagonist he is.
David Plouffe clearly didn’t listen to the content of what Biden and Trump were saying. He’s a featherweight; like so many others, he was suckered by “form above substance”.
Trump largely blathered — who in the media *cared* ? If they had the wit to pull back the curtain on appearances, their story lines would have been largely about Trump’s mentally unhinged rants, not merely Biden’s physically weak appearance. They’d be asking whether *Trump* is mentally (and morally) fit to be our President.
One of the reasons why Americans have lost respect for the media is that so many of its members have become so self-important and shallow (quite a combination!), often thinking their role is to preach their wisdom.
What we’re getting from media about Biden, now, is demonstrations of herd instincts. The fact that so many have coalesced into holding the same view says at least as much about their psychological needs as the merits of the argument they are hawking.
You cited CNN!?--FOX lite!? And David Plouffe!? these are your unbiased experts?
Facts are beautiful things:
"All 50 states have already held their primaries, and Biden has won the vast majority of their delegates. Only Biden himself can direct those delegates to vote for someone else, as they are pledged to vote for him unless he drops out before the Democratic convention this August.
This is where practical and political challenges merge: Biden is the only one who can decide if he wants to drop out before the floor vote. No secretive party apparatus or individual can direct him to do it.
The first obstacle: Presidents are chosen through elections between candidates picked through a specific, organized party process.
The Democratic presidential nominee is chosen in August at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where a candidate needs to win the support of the majority of the Democratic delegates. Those delegates are assigned proportionally based on the vote totals in a state’s primary (for any candidate who wins more than 15 percent of votes) and are then “pledged” or “bound” to that candidate in the first round of voting at the Democratic convention. Under this system, some other candidate would need to win more delegates than Biden in order to become the nominee. But Biden has not just all the delegates he needs, but essentially all the delegates, period.
Only Biden has the fundraising and money machine necessary on the Democratic side to run ads, hold events, hire staff, and, effectively, run a campaign. No other Democrat, elected or unelected, has that practical machinery in place.
You are certainly correct, Barbara, that the delegates must decide in Aug., and that Biden can only be replaced if he decides not to run and releases his delegates. The latter could be done in a few hours, once he became convinced it's a must.
Before saying more, let me be clear about my "position": I have been donating to Biden-Harris monthly since the spring, plus 7 other organizations that increase Dems chances. I just received my Dems Make Life Better shirt. I despise Trump and believe that MAGAts are a revolutionary army trying to force the rest of us back to 1953 via an overthrow of the gov't. We are in a true national emergency, IMO.
Going forward, my first choice would be for Harris, Newsom, Whitmer, and Buttigieg (and maybe a few others) to spend a full day or 2 deciding, behind closed doors, who they think would make up the ticket with the highest odds of defeating Trump. Then they all come out 110% committed to supporting that ticket full force for the next few months. Turn this into a situation where those 4 plus 5-10 other Democratic leading lights were being seen and heard daily in 30-40 states. If Biden gave his blessing, and those folks were pounding the airwaves for the next 6 weeks, what do you think would happen at the convention?
My 2nd choice would be an open convention. It would turn a boring event into don't-miss TV as a handful of candidates made their pitches, all with the understanding that they MUST pull together and support the winner at the end. I believe the press would eat this up, for months. The GOP would be on their heels.
I listened today to this podcast, which I highly recommend. Part 1 discusses, from 3 Never Trumpers point of view, how awful and dangerous the immunity decision was. They are blistering. The 2nd half, starting at 29:30, discusses Biden and the Dem's best options now. Adam Kinzinger strongly makes the point that the roughly $200 M of Biden/Harris donations could be returned to donors, with a plea that new and equal donations be made to the new ticket. He and other panelists are absolutely convinced that $ would pour in at record rates to STOP TRUMP. They see a new ticket as creating the excitement that donors would love!
Lastly, having watched the GOP disparage all MSM as liars for the last 73 years, it saddens me that we are now at a point of blaming most if not all of Biden's troubles on "the media". CNN, the NYT, the WaPo, etc. are now seen here as the enemy of the good. I agree that they have been slanted. AND they were very slanted against Trump when he was Pres. The MSM loves to be critical and provocative; it sells soap! And I agree that they should have found a framework for exposing MAGA's dangers forcefully every week. I've tried unsuccessfully to get an OpEd published to that effect this summer!
The main fact here is that Biden has been a great president and gotten steadily worse as a communicator. IMO, that's a fatal weakness in an election today.
President Biden is not stepping aside as candidate. He has my full support and vote.
Either he has yours or not. It is decision time for you.
I am recommending that people who like to write long essays like yours put their energy towards making sure Biden wins. Otherwise please get out of our way.
Trump gave, by most accounts, a tirade of 99% lies and was only partly coherent. Does THAT qualify him to run for president of the United States? I think it disqualifies him. Why are you not calling for Trump to step down from his candidacy, based on his appalling performance in the recent debate?
Because Traitor Trump is always the Evil One and there is zero chance he will step aside, Christina. Why waste time and words on that? We are the adults and have to come together in the way that gives us the best chance of saving America from fascism.
I have no crystal ball, and neither does anyone else here. Biden may have the best chance of winning, though I now doubt it. Others probably have a better chance, IMO - if the process is handled well. It was Robert who invited anyone who believes the latter to put forward their alternative and reasoning.
Thanks for your post, Tyler. It doesn’t seem that people believe that we can both admire and appreciate the accomplishments of Biden and admit that we can’t unsee and unhear the debate. Right now we’re going to lose. Our only chance to win is another candidate. I can only hope the President realizes this and makes the right decision.
That was my feeling precisely David. Robert’s article was the last thing I read last night. I don’t get it: why is the media supporting the felon when IF the felon is elected, he will burn down the media? I have determined not to listen to or read any more negative press suggesting President Biden should drop out of the race. Poppycock! Malarkey! The press is not taking my vote for democracy and Joe away from me. Thank you Robert for putting this issue in perspective!
Well Cindy, as hard as it might be we should be reading and listening to other voices. Moreover, when we can we should push back on false narratives and the grievance mentality that pervades our ecosystem.
Mr. Cooper, the heck with "pushing back on false narratives." We need to go on the offensive. I am completely aghast at the lack of calls for Trump to step down from the presidential race, because of his appalling performance in the debate.
99% lies and mostly incoherent. It's not about pushing back on false narratives. It's about taking the fight to the opponent now. Call for Trump to step down! Don't waste time responding to lies and insanity.
Well, I certainly agree that we need to be on the offensive track. Quite frankly, as one who did not see the debate (I was traveling.) I have wondered about the prep work President Biden did. It feels to me that the debate was yet another case of underestimating Donald Trump’s willingness to lie and never take the high road.
Alas! I think it is right to be on the offensive but also appropriate to counter the flood of misinformation and lies.
You know, there was a time after the first Democratic presidential debate back in June 2019 when all the press and the political pundits wrote-off Joe only to be chastened by the American voter. Sadly, they never learn. What floors me more is the horrific turn of the the NY Times against Biden. I am absolutely dumbfounded. It's almost as if the Times has been taken over by Rupert Murdoch!
Today is the 4th of July. A day to celebrate the birth of a new nation, a declaration of independence from the throes of Tyranny and yet, here we are, in the midst of opposing "the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” (This is a direct quote from Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation and architect of Project 2025 - thanks to Joyce Vance for the reference.).
I hardly feel like celebrating. I feel like fighting.
I will support Joe until the day he is either elected or decides on his own merit to pass the torch. But don't count Joe out. He's a fighter and has demonstrated time and again that he is stronger and more resolute than people give him credit for.
And finally, I say A.G. Sulzberger, has defamed the good standing of his family's legacy. To be blunt: Mr. Sulzberger, "I fart in your general direction!" (Thank you, Monty Python, for the reference)
I read my local daily newspaper, and the other periodicals I subscribe to, but I won't give them the power to persuade me to give up on the highly successful Biden-Harris Administration.
In the past several days I've been seeing some encouraging developments in the pro-democracy movements that I support.
Lots of new highly motivated people are volunteering for various Field Team 6 programs to register Democrats and save the world.
Indivisible groups around the country have seen an influx of highly motivated volunteers (and donations).
Focus For Democracy's latest fundraising event exceeded the 3,000 zoom participant limit in their account. They raised more than $4 million in one hour for several quality grass roots organizations. They are upgrading their Zoom account to accommodate more participants in future programs.
Earlier this year, Robert and I both published articles on how "The Mainstream Press Has a Double Standard on Slip-ups by Politicians not Named Biden" Here's a link to my article: https://thomasdillhunt.substack.com/p/mainstream-media-has-a-double-standard?r=1lwl10 It has a link to Robert's excellent article which inspired mine. You can skip mine and link to his if you want to. People should read/reread his article and recommit to the ongoing effort overcome the journalistic malpractice which is motivated by subscriptions, clicks and profits.
Wow! All interesting and thoughtful letters, at least until I reached the one suggesting a "national-unity" ticket with Chris Christie as VP candidate, replacing Kamala Harris. What a bizarre choice. I wouldn't trust Christie as far as I could throw him - not very far at all given that I'm 5'3"/100 lbs. There are other, still sane, Republicans one could choose from IF one wanted to play that game.
Thank you Robert for your continued support of our Best President and candidate Joe Biden.
Like you I am tired of the NYT’s Bashing Biden. Here is the the letter I sent to the NYT today after receiving another misleading BREAKING NEWS email this morning:
NYT Breaking News 7/3/2024 10:50 A.M. by Katie Rogers read:
Breaking news: Biden told ally that he is weighing whether to continue in the race
( in small print the article states that “the White House said the report is false.) WHY then is it reported as Breaking News?
Breaking news should read- re:THE SUPREME COURT JUST PAVED THE WAY FOR TRUMP’S ACTIONS TO BE ABOVE THE LAW IF HE WINS A SECOND TERM!
Why isn’t this your BREAKING NEWS?
Does your NYT’s staff member honestly think that TRUMP as a DICTATOR PRESIDENT will be GOOD for our country, or GOOD for The New York Times?
As a retired Oregon school teacher I am very concerned about the negative message the NYT is presenting about Biden. He is a good President who will continue to uphold the Laws of our Constitution and will continue to support programs that benefit all Americans!
Trump is a Huge Threat to our Democracy-a Democracy that has benefited this Nation for over 200 years.
That message is what you need to be presenting as BREAKING NEWS!
My question to the NYT is -What Values do you Really Support?
I believe this election is truly a turning point in our history. Which side will you choose-Democracy or Autocracy? You do have a clear choice with support for Biden-Democracy or with Trump-Autocracy.
This is an important moment that could change our country in a very destructive way if Trump succeeds in winning a second term.
You know the logical outcome of a Trump Presidency. Please do not continue to overlook the grave threat TRUMP poses to our well being as a nation.
I sincerely hope to see a change in the messaging that the NYT is presenting about the crucial difference between a Biden second term and a Trump second term as US PRESIDENT!
I got the same Breaking News from WaPo, but I get postings from the Biden admi as well which contradicted them. I had not gotten around to canceling my WaPo subscription, the NYT lost me earlier this year, when I got tired of the stupid responses that their editors with no life experience were sending me. I looked up their resumes too, and was not impressed with their exposure to diverse people. One group that seems to be discounted is people who are older like 70-100. This ageism is terrifying me. How can we allow people to be so ignorant about aging? I also understand right now that it is the Democrats, influenced by the right wing propaganda of the Heritage Foundation and Trump, and his people and the Republican party who need to stop bowing down to Trump as having a superior campaign. He does not. Most of his money comes from one big donor, Mellon. He does not have campaign offices everywhere, his campaign money is going to his legal woes. He had one forum in which he was reported to be superior, but the fact that his words were those of a master fascist demagogue did not get covered, or the fact that he is the one who should step down because he is a multifaceted criminal and is against our constitution. The people who are getting cold feet about Biden should not allow themselves to join the MAGAs in being against Biden. They are being manipulated. They should be reading Prof. Ruth Ben-Ghiat's Substack Lucid. She is an expert on fascism and the tricks they employ to make themselves seem more acceptable and others less so. https://lucid.substack.com/
The Trump campaign is strangely silent about this. They want Biden to stay in the race. It is geared up for Biden and would not know how to handle a different candidate who had the D party fully behind him or her. Just sayin'
I had a heartening encounter today, the 4th of July, that supports what you're saying, Linda. The humans, the people, are making their own decisions, quietly, unpolled, with no fanfare. I went to the grocery store and encountered a bunch of people manning a Rotary Club booth selling raffle tickets. I went up to buy a ticket and said, I just hope we have a 4th of July next year! It might get cancelled, because we might have a different form of government! All the people in the booth looked at me, and said, with quiet responsiveness, I certainly hope and trust you're wrong, and that we WILL have a 4th of July next year! They were clearly aware of the issues. Not one responded Trumpishly, or with anger or hate. We discussed the Star-Spangled Banner and how much we love this country. I could see that they were involved and getting ready to do the right thing for America. I think there are many more quiet millions like this across our country than there are corrupted newspeople or MAGA crazies. Have faith. Hang in there. Vote for Biden, and do everything you can to get others to vote for him too.
Turmoil, chaos and violence is what Trump offers and that may be what the press wants, to engage readers and increase profit. Stability and common sense is what Biden offers, good for the country but too boring for the press.
“Stability and common sense is what Biden offers, good for the country but too boring for the press.”
This⬆️ In the unedited ProPublica interview, President Biden said he had spoken with at least six “serious” reporters ,who he would never reveal,that admitted they were worried if they didn’t say/do something to get a “hit”.
Raising our flag today, as every day, next to our Biden /Harris sign. Happy 4th, Democracy Warriors!!
Maybe not only click bait in the sense you probably meant, Jocelyn B. Maybe it’s also a form of virtue signaling among fellow journalists, to be “respected” by the brethren.
But gas prices are going down, even here in the SF Bay Area! And entertainment is what Netflix is for. Oh, wait, the Netflix CEO has said Biden should step down .....
Well, they shouldn't. I think that was just a stream-of-conscience thing, because I had just been reading about him. I assume he is very rich, so that probably matters to some.
Going down here in San Diego as well, a region where gas prices have been among the highest in the state. Just saw $4.29 for regular several days ago. Sounds high to those living outside of California but it's a major drop here, from close to $5/gal. in just a few months.
Here in SF, I have been paying between $5 and $6 for months, sometimes closer to $6! Now it's just above $5, with cash you can get down to $4.49. I wonder if SF/the Bay Area has been having the highest prices.
I suggest most people are organized by their wantings rather than delibertely setting forth clear thought out principles and then committing and honoring those commitments.
Rober has done an enormous amount of the heavy lifting of sorting through the materials out there so we don't have to. For this we are in his debt.
Self government whether for one's individual self or that self writ large as a nation of people is the heavy lift each of us needs to take on. We can now clearly see how it goes in this age of instant world wide communication if we abdicate this responsibility.
At some point, posting and bothering ourselves with this stuff is avoiding the responsibilty of taking needed actions. Vote now by the commitment you honor and actions you take. Robert keeps doing this with the opportunities for reader engagement he includes.
I appreciate the need to be informed and at some point more information is not being more informed.
At times I think we push the “ for profit” motivation of the press too much. Another perspective might be that they, too, are frightened by the prospect of a return of DJT to the White House. Certainly, most of us are.
Another recognizable outlook is that the media folks of all stripes are caught up in their own bubble. Or, so too, are we caught up in a bubble. Whichever it is, we must fully come to terms with our shared stress and double down on creating civil discourse to unite begin a candidate who is a person of integrity with a vision for a future where our diversity and country’s wealth are shared by all citizens - with good healthcare, freedom, safe communities, and collaborative efforts to come together around solutions to the many challenges we and the global community face.
I read that, and the new one from this morning. The NYT is starting to sound like trump witnesses in the stop the steal suits: "We have it on good authority from someone who knows someone close to the president, how close we don't know because we don't know who it is--now that presidents can kill with impunity no one is safe-- and anonymity of third or fourth hand sources is critical to our ability to shape (I mean bring you) the news. But I've signed an affidavit that says it is an accurate report by someone who is close to the president, how close we......."
You are right on. The Times’ article on p. 1 on July 3 did exactly what you described. For me it is hard to accept how many Dems are taken in by this kind of journalism. If we lose this election, it will in no small part be the result of how our own party is behaving.
What “education” means to most Americans is the possession of “credentials”. Acquisition of credentials, or training, has become conflated with *education*. They are often different.
I am beginning to wonder just how many people were really for Joe Biden after all. How many politicians are seeking to further their own political ambitions and are chasing the microphone.
It does, or should, give us pause that we Dems are also humans subject to thought errors and overemotional responses and unwillingness to go beyond what someone "important" tells us because it is easier, particularly if fear is involved. Not to mention conspiracy theories! "The White House has been hiding...."
I abhor what the MAGATs believe in. But I can understand, if deplore, how they came to believe it.
Thank you for pointing out their errors. As an Oregon resident, I am conflicted on my following The NY Times. There are sections beyond the front page that I really enjoy, but I am now wavering on what to do. Will they hear us? Maybe we just take the plunge and see what happens. Your thoughts?
I have done so too and I DO NOT MISS IT. I actually feel freer. A long time ago I lost all respect for it and its writers. I remember when I subscribed years ago and actually thought I was so sophisticated. Am I ever glad this paper never darkens my doorstep again.
The same for me. I currently still have a subscription to the Washington Post but I'm considering dropping that as well. FYI, months later, I am still getting "limited time" offers to get a year of the NYT for $50! I can still access Wordle without a subscription, so I'm good!
I cancelled in late '16 when they failed to label trump's lies for what they were (they had a lot of company). At the time I attributed this failing to 'both siding' the issue. I've a darker view of it now...
My family has had NYT subscription all my life, and now I have it. Can’t wait to give them a piece of my mind in a letter when I terminate it. I’m going to say they don’t give fair coverage anymore, are too old and should drop out.
Elisa, please post this again in comments after Robert ‘s next newsletter. Whether we’ve unsubscribed to NYT or not, let’s each use your refrain to all the email addresses we have for anyone connected to the times. No big long, brilliant essays of all the ways they continue to fail their nation, our nation, and all of us.
Dear NYTer,
You have failed your nation.
You are too old and should drop out.
~ A disgusted and fed-up citizen voter (and former subscriber)
Write them. Write a letter every day, keep making points (there are too many good points to make in just one letter of readable length) and use it to the hilt. Send it to their reporters, their editors, their subscription department, then send it to every other news source prefaced "As I wrote the NYT in response to their highly skewed article"... make one letter go as far as possible!
I was a decades-long NYT subscriber and just bailed last week.It was freeing !!!🤸 I’d just paid for the month ,still have several weeks but haven’t looked back and don’t miss it one bit. Made sure to include my Dear John letter….although I should have admitted the relationship had been rocky for awhile.
Mary Alice I hung in there thinking if I just kept commenting then people would hear some reason. The comments sections have been swarmed with strident anti-Biden trolls. The New York Times has dug in on their hatred of President Biden.
We can word smith it all we want Michael. The bottom line is we have an openly hostile media towards the Democratic Candidate for President of the United States of America. The Fourth Estate has mightily abused their rights and privileges bestowed upon them by the Second Amendment.
What is remarkable in all this is their chosen candidate (by default) openly hates the media and talks of how he will punish them if he wins. Project 2025 plans on eliminating the White House Press Corp.
I also was wavering, but NYT failure to address the danger of Trump and his Court pushed me over the top. A press that does not address the danger of Trump and his Court IS part of the problem we face as a nation. So I wrote a letter to editor and hit “pause” on my subscription for 2 months. If they come around and focus on the danger of Trump and his Court, I’ll resume my subscription.
But Alice, if you take a critical look at the other sections it is evident to this reader that their quality has really deteriorated and, in some cases even vanished. Take the business section as an example. There is no serious business reporting. The Styles section is focused on New Yorkers and the wealthy. The Arts & Leisure section leans heavily into interviews or ten things so and so likes. The opinion page is a mix with Maureen Dowd’s sarcasm and Ross Doubtout’s traditional religious dogma self righteous, etc. Oh! Well! Maybe I’m not open minded enough.
Thank you for your critical observations, some that I share. Lots of food for thought in the comments that I will seriously consider. My academic training taught me to know opposing points of view, but I believe we are beyond the validity of doing so in these times of misinformation and blatant lies.
Thanks you for sending such a spot-on letter! It is inconceivable to me that the NYT is not all about Trump's impending dictatorship and Project 2025. I have lost so much respect for Nicholas Kristof and Thomas Friedman. Why is no one calling for Trump to resign? Will send my own letter off today.
I saw that click bate earlier today. I cancelled my N.Y.Times subscription months ago. I still get the "breaking news" emails and such to keep an eye on what they are up to. I don't click anymore though.
Thank you, Vicki, for this excellent letter! We need to take courage in the support we have for President Biden. I really appreciate your eloquent words.
I love that you took action! Writing letters to various editors, sending postcards, donating to Biden and other Democrats, wearing Biden-Harris tshirts, posting lawn signs and bumper stickers, talking with friends and family about the threat of Trump, Project 25, and how the magnificent light of our democracy has already begun to dim...all of this and more is needed. Let's roll up our sleeves - we can do this.
I so completely agree with this response - especially the piece on The NY Times. I was telling my husband how I felt about NYT handling of Biden. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who has picked this up....
Great comment. People don't realize that a different President than Joe Biden might start taking action as "official acts" against not only his political opponent and those who voted not to certify the 2020 election but also the 6 so called conservative justices who have granted immunity to any President. Those justices then would have a taste of what they have wrought on this country. A little jail time or worse.... Hmmmm...
Lawrence O’Donnell shared an excellent editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer that said emphatically that Trump is the one who should step down— why don’t we hear more of that??!!
Lawrence O’Donnell and we would also appreciate Heather Cox Richardson’s comment today (7/03/2024) that over the past week, SCOTUS and the Republicans have pulled off a legal coup, so we have 5 months to save democracy.
Well. Because we still have free speech. We don't lock people up when we disagree with them no matter how egregious. Our role is to follow the tenets of our Constitution and work like hell to defeat these people. My Dad always said to never sink to another person's level.
....right. I was jumping the gun. As it were. He hasn't actually done anything yet. Of course we shouldn't sink. But it's awfully tempting sometimes! :-/
Exactly, Barbara. We are witnessing a bloodless, slow-motion coup. It's not an invading army dropping from the sky and rolling tanks across our border, taking instantaneous and violent control of us. It's the MAGA congress, the "supreme court," and the dictator wannabe Trump, funded and orchestrated by right-wing billionaires, slowly and methodically unraveling our democracy, our institutions, and our laws, right in front of us. We only have four more months to stop it. Let's stop it.
We can also add in a complicit media. I have never seen anything like this. The really terrifying thing is that because we have not seen this before in our history people are blind to what is happening.
Cancel your subscriptions to this bullshit. They're engaging in this because the intergalactic widgetmakers who own them want PROFITABILITY so they can sell them off.
Cancel subscriptions, harm their business models, let them die since they no longer deserve to live.
I wrote Rather and asked what fuck was wrong with him. And then I cancelled him. Along withe every other Substack run by a Vichy Dimocrat. I don't have the time or the money to waste on drooling morons.
I did cancel my subscription to the NYT today. The misleading headlines you described were just too much to bear! I spoke to some one in subscriptions and explained exactly why I was stopping my subscription. He said he has had many similar calls since the debate. Then I wrote a long explanation in the online form.
And I couldn’t bring myself to read Friedman’s last two columns and I will no longer read his column. I could not believe he took that position.
I cancelled today, too, after wavering for months. I'll miss Wordle, Spelling Bee, and Frank Bruni, but can't support the shilling for Trump and trashing Biden.
Do any of these news media really think they'll be allowed to thrive if Trump takes office? Dismantling the news media is part of the Trump and Project 2025 agenda. Perhaps the NYT is auditioning to be the official MAGA newspaper. A free press in an authoritarian country is an oxymoron. No such thing.
I ask myself that question every time I see a Biden-bashing article in the NYT. Do they think they'll be doing journalism if Trump is reelected? Fat chance. (PS- cancelled yesterday)
I think you can still access Wordle* but they do cut you off on Spelling bee.
*I had Wordle before NYT took it over so it is possible that I'm grandfathered in, but I didn't lose Wordle when I dropped my NYT subscription. If you want a good Wordle alternative, I recomment Wordle! from Lion Studios Plus.
Thanks for sharing this, Eileen. I was just researching the best way to register a complaint before canceling my subscription. I’ve been reading the New York Times for over 50 years and will miss some of the sections, columns, and games. But enough is enough! Critical news about Trump, and Project 2025 is barely covered. It is unconscionable!
Yesterday I wrote (emailed) PBS, and asked when they would be covering Project 2025, and if not, why not. I also mentioned that my family were also very impressed to see HCR on the PBS News Hour - I want to give credit where credit is due. It will be interesting to see if I hear back from them.
I think not reading the craziness is the key here. Stop reading this nonsense. Work for Field Team 6 instead. Wear your Biden/Harris tee shirt to the grocery store. Talk to people. Do not read.
I wrote my comments of dismay on Dan Rather's newsletter and also linked to Robert's newsletter from yesterday, "The press vs democracy." Lots of positive responses to that.
Also, my husband finally canceled his NYT subscription.
I never subscribed to the NYT, but I removed them from my Google news feed after seeing 3 headlines all devoted to bashing Biden, so now they don't even get my indirect support.
Keep it up, Robert. It boggles my mind to see otherwise kindred spirits beating each other up over something most of us are unqualified and too uninformed to judge - the health of someone seen on TV. The unintended consequences of a knee-jerk reaction may be disastrous.
As I said the other day, "Should we be thinking about replacing President Biden? Absolutely not! Should we be thinking about contingency plans and the future? Absolutely! Even at his worst, President Biden is far better for our country and the world than Felonious Trump is at his best."
If President Biden is all in, so am I. If he decides it's time to retire, I sincerely hope the Democratic leadership has been spending this time productively considering contingencies, and not just tossing chum to the sharks in the battery-infested waters.
"...most of us are unqualified and too uninformed to judge..." not only the health but the mindset of someone on tv. Unless, of course, they're an outrageously racistly misogynisticly electronically felonious felon that's afraid of sharks. Knee-jerk reactions tend to end up kicking yer own ass.
I just learned today that if Joe were to drop out, another candidate could not use his “war chest” of money for the campaign….except for Kamala. I don’t think the naysayers are thinking about this either. I am solidly behind Biden and I am horrified at the press, that it isn’t the orange fascist that is being pushed out of the race, and that democrats refuse to pull together did our wonderful president while the republicans are coalescing behind a mentally ill very demented felon. It really doesn’t make sense. We are chewing off our own arm.
Exactly! They can’t use the money and there is no time to raise the sort of money it takes to run a regular presidential campaign never mind one that is actually one to save our form of government from fascism- thanks again to a very fascist Supreme Court. Also the Dem Convention will not be pretty and after a lot of ugliness it will be Kamala because that was the deal Biden made to be the nominee back in 2019. Dems need to buck up and cut it out. Let’s say Biden isn’t well and after elected steps down and Kamala becomes president-what is wrong with this scenario- NOTHING- that’s what. We need to grow a backbone. What we are voting for is so much more than 1 person.
Yes to everything you've said, Heidi. In addition, these people who insist Biden must be replaced based on their assumptions that he is not healthy enough or young enough, are suggesting we vote instead for one of their "fairy tale" candidates.
These suggested replacement presidential candidates may be popular in some portion of the country. And they may be good at campaign speeches and giving Trump a loud, energetic verbal thrashing for all his many, many, many faults. But no one, including these pushy, media, click bait "experts" knows if a new candidate will be able to gain enough name recognition, respect and trust in four months, to win the votes of a majority of this country.
And if all these Biden bashers had succeeded, which they thankfully have not, in forcing President Biden to choose a new candidate, and that new candidate lost the election, you can bet they won't be going on any apology tours. They will just write another column, opinion piece or television script bashing the Democrat who lost the election for not running a better campaign.
A few days ago, someone commented - either here or in HCR's comment section, that the Democrats tend to "eat their own." It took a while, but now that is beginning to resonate. Although I'm hoping it's mostly the ones searching for "good" click bait. Meanwhile, I have read/heard it suggested that, were Joe to step down, the best replacement would be Kamala. But do we think the USA would elect a black woman? I dunno.
Lawrence O'Donnell did a commentary on that shortly after the Hur report came out and before the SOTU quieted the "dump Biden" rhetoric -- at least temporarily.
As Simon Rosenberg likes to say, we are all "information warriors" within our own sphere's of influence. As you talk with friends, family, and neighbors over the holiday weekend, come armed with the facts. Listen to someone's concerns and acknowledge the uncertainty, then explain why dumping Biden would create the Chaos that MAGA's crave and explain why you still support Biden - either his many positive accomplishments, justified concerns about another Trump term, Project 2025, or a mixture of the above.
Thank you - please keep fighting the good fight for Biden, I am. As the brilliant Rebecca Solnit wrote, "it does work better if you attack the candidate from the party you want to defeat rather than the party that you want to win." All the writhing now is not going to change the outcome, get to work folks!
Yes, Nancy! Offense! We need to play offense. Each and every one of us should be screaming for Trump to step down from his candidacy because of his appallingly bad debate performance. Where is the attack??
I get just about all of my news from Robert, Heather, Simon and Joyce. This morning, I stupidly took a look at the NYT and felt like crying all day. I felt a little better after writing a letter to Biden practically begging him not to quit. I was heading for bed when I saw Robert's latest. I will sleep much better tonight. Thank you, thank you! By the way, I just subscribed. Should have done it long ago. Never surrender! It worked for Churchill.
Like you, Robert, I fully support Joe Biden. He is an accomplished president and an upstanding human being. What I worry about is the very loud chorus of naysayers who have very public platforms and who will have an outsize influence on the uniformed, the lazy, and the sheep. I haven’t heard a single compelling plan B. If Democrats don’t immediately get behind Biden, his loss will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we will have four more unimaginable years of Trump, who has now been set free by the corrupt Supreme Court majority to do anything he wants without consequence. What are these foolish people thinking?
Adele, we all need to start speaking up among our friends and family.
Make sure they know that another candidate would have to raise their own funds, build their own infrastructure, etc. And that polls are showing that Kamala would have the best chance of any of the candidates being floated as a Biden alternative - which is what we would already get if (heaven forbid) Biden does become incapacitated. (I don't think he is now, but it's definitely possible within the next 4 years).
And ask them if they were fully supporting Biden before the debate - and if it makes sense to do a 180 based on a 90-minute debate. I'm really disappointed that so many people appear to ready to abandon ship and cede the race to Trump and the MAGA crazies.
Thank you Robert! I *needed* to hear somebody scream the truth, and you have so fulfilled my needs (and the needs of others, whether they realized it or not). Truer words were never spoken, in my opinion, and I thank you with all my heart and soul.
I remind myself that presidential candidates represent viewpoints. No matter whether Biden is at the top of his game or not, he represents the viewpoint that government exists to serve its citizens and to protect freedom. Trump represents himself and the interests of some megabusinesses. Why isn't the press focused on Trump's failure to answer the questions put to him in the debate? I want the Democrats to stay in this race!!!
I’m with you, Robert — and more importantly with JOE BIDEN! I go back to writing postcards tomorrow and will be doing that every day until November. I fervently hope more people take the advice to stop looking at the media who are so wrong in their assessments. Their mental health will improve!! (And they will have more energy to put into productive work to get out the vote!!)
I fear this Democrat indecisiveness will have a side effect on grass roots efforts. Like Robert has said, this call for Biden to step down is like a slap in the face for past and present campaigning.
Not sure who said it first, but it is very salient:
"You can't roll up your sleeves and get to work if you are busy wringing your hands!"
Who are you writing postcards for Linda?
I like to mix it up and currently have 4 different campaigns on my radar - one with a ST deadline related to the July 30 AZ primary and 3 for NC - a FT6 registration campaign to Women in NC-01 (the only House district in NC considered to be competitive), Postcards to Swing States for NC (mid October mailing date), and a hyper-local anti Tricia Cothem campaign - she is the turncoat who ran as a pro-choice Democrat wiho flipped parties and have the GOP legislature a veto-proof majority which led to a 12-week abortion ban and a lot of other nasty stuff! These have an August deadline (since they must be returned to be mailed en masse).
I also will be writing postcards for Mo Green running for Superintendent of Public Education, but the postcards are not yet available. The GOP candidate, Michele Morrow is a conspiracy theory nut who wants to abolish the Dep't of Education and called for the execution of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I kid you not - UGH!
Hi Cheryl- I write postcards for both Postcards2Voters and Activate America. Different campaigns or issues. I started about a year ago to overcome the angst of the current political climate. I knew that this is something that I could do! Have written and mailed over 700 postcards so far.
Faced with the existential threat that is the current Republican Party in all its iterations, I DARE DEMOCRATS TO JUMP SHIP NOW.
Shame on you ALL for so easily falling for the well planned and well financed avalanche of mis and dis information being so readily bandied about by our so-called pillars of public information.
PS. 40 million Democrats didn’t vote in 2016 thinking their vote didn’t matter. Well, we are all suffering from PTSD as a result. Make sure it doesn’t happen again. 🙏🏻
Doesn’t anyone remember the NYT wrongly beating the drum for George Bush’s Iraq War. People died for their belligerence. They were wrong, kept at it, people died and here we go again.
I love what you said! It's getting hard now. It was hard during the American Revolution. It looked completely hopeless. It was hard during WWII. It looked completely hopeless many times. American men and women did not give up, did not give in to their doubts. They just kept going, inch by inch and step by step. They prevailed. We will too--if and only if we keep going and don't give up! So what--it's hard. We're Americans, dammit! We can do this!
I am with you Robert and I am flabbergasted, flummoxed, nonplussed, angry, and sad about what's happening in our nation. I have to wonder what Sinclair Media has to do with this state of affairs.
The Democratic Party’s 57 primaries named our nominee: Joe Biden. The replacement pushers show their weak-kneed urge to run. I have seen Joe Biden, the fighter, get back up. He put his fist into a ball. I stand with Joe.
Thank you Robert for this great Today's Edition. I'm with you, Biden, and all the other Biden supporters all the way! This is going to be a great note to go to bed on (it's just about midnight in our easternmost time zone). I hope you, and all the rest of the Biden supporters sleep as well as I think I will. As Joyce Vance says, "We're in this together." And that's just where I want to be.
Thanks David and Robert. I think we just have to get through this. CBC radio's "As it Happens" interviewed Shevrin Jones yesterday. He is a Florida State Senator and chair of the Miami Dade Democratic Party, and Mr Jones made a great case for sticking with Joe Biden. He said most of those who are coming out against Biden are those that never wanted Biden to run in the first place.
It appears my local ABC affiliate is not one that is owned by Sinclair, for I was "allowed" to hear about the positive meeting Biden had with 20 Democratic Governors yesterday. I just heard the anchor say "the Governors doubled down on their support".
https://www.localsyr.com/hill-politics/governors-after-biden-meeting-we-have-his-back/#:~:text=Moore%20said%20that%20the%20governors,during%20the%20meeting%2C%20Hochul%20said.
Happy Independence day ya'll! Let's continue to push forward with everything we've got to maintain our independence and freedoms.
Thank you for sharing the article! The media seems to only focus on negative news.
Stop reading the media! And if you aren't strong enough to do that, then stop believing it!
I'm glad to hear the good news of the Democratic governors and other. I'm in total agreement with Robert and the rest of the gang who still support our President. We can do this!
Yes! There has always been 10% or so who want someone else and they seem especially loud right now....
Correction: 10 months ago, 2/3 of Dems and Dem-leaning voters wanted another candidate besides Biden. The below article documents that and explains why that preference existed. For those with that outlook, our worst fear has now been painfully confirmed.
Being angry at us and deeply loyal to Joe (a great president and fine person) isn't going to turn him into a winner in November. We ALL are disgusted at the idea of Trump being re-elected! Defeating him is all that counts. With 2 months of intense campaigning, I believe any of the 3 or 4 top Dems have a significantly better chance of winning that Biden. Not "great", but "better".
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/cnn-poll-joe-biden-headwinds/index.html
One last point: people keep saying, "If Biden's too old, Trump is too old." The problem with that is that pollsters are asking if person X is "too old", but what they really mean is "are they too feeble". That is where the concerns about Joe have been for these many months. David Plouff said, shortly after the debates, that Biden seemed 30 years older than Trump, not 3 years. It was painfully true.
What is interesting about your thinking, Tyler, is that voters wanted “a moderate” to run in 2020. Yet, no sooner was President Joseph R. Biden in office than the press began offering a negative narrative (nonsensical popularity/favorability polls) even as he was making progress in spite of a Republican Party that was running the Newt Gingrich playbook.
Now, they are playing the Trump playbook of lies, vitriol, hate speech, bullying, & conspiracy theories. Concurrently, those of us who believe in and support President Joseph R. Biden are wrestling with the divisiveness encouraged by an irresponsible press and an unfortunate one night (90 minute) debate.
As Robert wrote, identify your candidate and put forth a path to victory that will insure a win with unity in the party.
Let’s be honest here, people in the United States of America are stressed by the chaos wrought by Trump and his team of enabling elected (non) leaders who have turned themselves inside out. They spoke on January 7, 2021 of Trump’s being fully responsible for the attack on our country’s Congressional elected Senators and House of Representatives and the deaths of Capitol police officers as he sat idle watching on TV.
Now, they kiss his ring and travel to Mar-a-Lago as though he was a Christian hero rather than the malfeasant criminal protagonist he is.
David Plouffe clearly didn’t listen to the content of what Biden and Trump were saying. He’s a featherweight; like so many others, he was suckered by “form above substance”.
Trump largely blathered — who in the media *cared* ? If they had the wit to pull back the curtain on appearances, their story lines would have been largely about Trump’s mentally unhinged rants, not merely Biden’s physically weak appearance. They’d be asking whether *Trump* is mentally (and morally) fit to be our President.
One of the reasons why Americans have lost respect for the media is that so many of its members have become so self-important and shallow (quite a combination!), often thinking their role is to preach their wisdom.
What we’re getting from media about Biden, now, is demonstrations of herd instincts. The fact that so many have coalesced into holding the same view says at least as much about their psychological needs as the merits of the argument they are hawking.
You cited CNN!?--FOX lite!? And David Plouffe!? these are your unbiased experts?
Facts are beautiful things:
"All 50 states have already held their primaries, and Biden has won the vast majority of their delegates. Only Biden himself can direct those delegates to vote for someone else, as they are pledged to vote for him unless he drops out before the Democratic convention this August.
This is where practical and political challenges merge: Biden is the only one who can decide if he wants to drop out before the floor vote. No secretive party apparatus or individual can direct him to do it.
The first obstacle: Presidents are chosen through elections between candidates picked through a specific, organized party process.
The Democratic presidential nominee is chosen in August at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where a candidate needs to win the support of the majority of the Democratic delegates. Those delegates are assigned proportionally based on the vote totals in a state’s primary (for any candidate who wins more than 15 percent of votes) and are then “pledged” or “bound” to that candidate in the first round of voting at the Democratic convention. Under this system, some other candidate would need to win more delegates than Biden in order to become the nominee. But Biden has not just all the delegates he needs, but essentially all the delegates, period.
Only Biden has the fundraising and money machine necessary on the Democratic side to run ads, hold events, hire staff, and, effectively, run a campaign. No other Democrat, elected or unelected, has that practical machinery in place.
VOX
You are certainly correct, Barbara, that the delegates must decide in Aug., and that Biden can only be replaced if he decides not to run and releases his delegates. The latter could be done in a few hours, once he became convinced it's a must.
Before saying more, let me be clear about my "position": I have been donating to Biden-Harris monthly since the spring, plus 7 other organizations that increase Dems chances. I just received my Dems Make Life Better shirt. I despise Trump and believe that MAGAts are a revolutionary army trying to force the rest of us back to 1953 via an overthrow of the gov't. We are in a true national emergency, IMO.
Going forward, my first choice would be for Harris, Newsom, Whitmer, and Buttigieg (and maybe a few others) to spend a full day or 2 deciding, behind closed doors, who they think would make up the ticket with the highest odds of defeating Trump. Then they all come out 110% committed to supporting that ticket full force for the next few months. Turn this into a situation where those 4 plus 5-10 other Democratic leading lights were being seen and heard daily in 30-40 states. If Biden gave his blessing, and those folks were pounding the airwaves for the next 6 weeks, what do you think would happen at the convention?
My 2nd choice would be an open convention. It would turn a boring event into don't-miss TV as a handful of candidates made their pitches, all with the understanding that they MUST pull together and support the winner at the end. I believe the press would eat this up, for months. The GOP would be on their heels.
I listened today to this podcast, which I highly recommend. Part 1 discusses, from 3 Never Trumpers point of view, how awful and dangerous the immunity decision was. They are blistering. The 2nd half, starting at 29:30, discusses Biden and the Dem's best options now. Adam Kinzinger strongly makes the point that the roughly $200 M of Biden/Harris donations could be returned to donors, with a plea that new and equal donations be made to the new ticket. He and other panelists are absolutely convinced that $ would pour in at record rates to STOP TRUMP. They see a new ticket as creating the excitement that donors would love!
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/courting-disaster-1fb
Lastly, having watched the GOP disparage all MSM as liars for the last 73 years, it saddens me that we are now at a point of blaming most if not all of Biden's troubles on "the media". CNN, the NYT, the WaPo, etc. are now seen here as the enemy of the good. I agree that they have been slanted. AND they were very slanted against Trump when he was Pres. The MSM loves to be critical and provocative; it sells soap! And I agree that they should have found a framework for exposing MAGA's dangers forcefully every week. I've tried unsuccessfully to get an OpEd published to that effect this summer!
The main fact here is that Biden has been a great president and gotten steadily worse as a communicator. IMO, that's a fatal weakness in an election today.
President Biden is not stepping aside as candidate. He has my full support and vote.
Either he has yours or not. It is decision time for you.
I am recommending that people who like to write long essays like yours put their energy towards making sure Biden wins. Otherwise please get out of our way.
Tyler Taylor, your choices are votes for Donald J. Trump for dictator.
Trump gave, by most accounts, a tirade of 99% lies and was only partly coherent. Does THAT qualify him to run for president of the United States? I think it disqualifies him. Why are you not calling for Trump to step down from his candidacy, based on his appalling performance in the recent debate?
Because Traitor Trump is always the Evil One and there is zero chance he will step aside, Christina. Why waste time and words on that? We are the adults and have to come together in the way that gives us the best chance of saving America from fascism.
I have no crystal ball, and neither does anyone else here. Biden may have the best chance of winning, though I now doubt it. Others probably have a better chance, IMO - if the process is handled well. It was Robert who invited anyone who believes the latter to put forward their alternative and reasoning.
Thanks for your post, Tyler. It doesn’t seem that people believe that we can both admire and appreciate the accomplishments of Biden and admit that we can’t unsee and unhear the debate. Right now we’re going to lose. Our only chance to win is another candidate. I can only hope the President realizes this and makes the right decision.
You are showing extreme gullibility in allowing the current press cycle to dictate your vote.
How do people carry on pushing ahead with the false notion that Biden should step down, yet ignore that the right is threatening our very lives?
""We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be,” Roberts told Brat."
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/bloodless-if-the-left-allows-it-to?r=o0nu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2ySn5PRsjsHEvXSZ8MfFtpjQp97dkS22KZm35PA0eUhvPy8XUPUZGl5Pg_aem_lONHBUbcz5eGJnPcVv3OGw&triedRedirect=true
https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/1808507354310209711
Lynn, you read my mind! Keep it up!
Hooray for you, Robert! Hooray for Joe Biden!
me too!!
110% and then some! YES!
That was my feeling precisely David. Robert’s article was the last thing I read last night. I don’t get it: why is the media supporting the felon when IF the felon is elected, he will burn down the media? I have determined not to listen to or read any more negative press suggesting President Biden should drop out of the race. Poppycock! Malarkey! The press is not taking my vote for democracy and Joe away from me. Thank you Robert for putting this issue in perspective!
Well Cindy, as hard as it might be we should be reading and listening to other voices. Moreover, when we can we should push back on false narratives and the grievance mentality that pervades our ecosystem.
Mr. Cooper, the heck with "pushing back on false narratives." We need to go on the offensive. I am completely aghast at the lack of calls for Trump to step down from the presidential race, because of his appalling performance in the debate.
99% lies and mostly incoherent. It's not about pushing back on false narratives. It's about taking the fight to the opponent now. Call for Trump to step down! Don't waste time responding to lies and insanity.
Well, I certainly agree that we need to be on the offensive track. Quite frankly, as one who did not see the debate (I was traveling.) I have wondered about the prep work President Biden did. It feels to me that the debate was yet another case of underestimating Donald Trump’s willingness to lie and never take the high road.
Alas! I think it is right to be on the offensive but also appropriate to counter the flood of misinformation and lies.
You know, there was a time after the first Democratic presidential debate back in June 2019 when all the press and the political pundits wrote-off Joe only to be chastened by the American voter. Sadly, they never learn. What floors me more is the horrific turn of the the NY Times against Biden. I am absolutely dumbfounded. It's almost as if the Times has been taken over by Rupert Murdoch!
Today is the 4th of July. A day to celebrate the birth of a new nation, a declaration of independence from the throes of Tyranny and yet, here we are, in the midst of opposing "the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” (This is a direct quote from Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation and architect of Project 2025 - thanks to Joyce Vance for the reference.).
I hardly feel like celebrating. I feel like fighting.
I will support Joe until the day he is either elected or decides on his own merit to pass the torch. But don't count Joe out. He's a fighter and has demonstrated time and again that he is stronger and more resolute than people give him credit for.
And finally, I say A.G. Sulzberger, has defamed the good standing of his family's legacy. To be blunt: Mr. Sulzberger, "I fart in your general direction!" (Thank you, Monty Python, for the reference)
The NYT is circling the drain.
Good image, David.
From your lips to God's ear. The best thing would be for this corrupt has-been newspaper to declare bankruptcy and go out of business.
I'm sleeping well, David, because of Robert and people like you.
I read my local daily newspaper, and the other periodicals I subscribe to, but I won't give them the power to persuade me to give up on the highly successful Biden-Harris Administration.
In the past several days I've been seeing some encouraging developments in the pro-democracy movements that I support.
Lots of new highly motivated people are volunteering for various Field Team 6 programs to register Democrats and save the world.
Indivisible groups around the country have seen an influx of highly motivated volunteers (and donations).
Focus For Democracy's latest fundraising event exceeded the 3,000 zoom participant limit in their account. They raised more than $4 million in one hour for several quality grass roots organizations. They are upgrading their Zoom account to accommodate more participants in future programs.
Earlier this year, Robert and I both published articles on how "The Mainstream Press Has a Double Standard on Slip-ups by Politicians not Named Biden" Here's a link to my article: https://thomasdillhunt.substack.com/p/mainstream-media-has-a-double-standard?r=1lwl10 It has a link to Robert's excellent article which inspired mine. You can skip mine and link to his if you want to. People should read/reread his article and recommit to the ongoing effort overcome the journalistic malpractice which is motivated by subscriptions, clicks and profits.
Lots of good news in your comment! The WaPo published four good LTEs https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/04/biden-harris-1968-nixon-convention/
Wow! All interesting and thoughtful letters, at least until I reached the one suggesting a "national-unity" ticket with Chris Christie as VP candidate, replacing Kamala Harris. What a bizarre choice. I wouldn't trust Christie as far as I could throw him - not very far at all given that I'm 5'3"/100 lbs. There are other, still sane, Republicans one could choose from IF one wanted to play that game.
i dont' know how I missed that one. that's crazy, replacing Harris--especially with Chris Christie.
Thank you Robert for your continued support of our Best President and candidate Joe Biden.
Like you I am tired of the NYT’s Bashing Biden. Here is the the letter I sent to the NYT today after receiving another misleading BREAKING NEWS email this morning:
NYT Breaking News 7/3/2024 10:50 A.M. by Katie Rogers read:
Breaking news: Biden told ally that he is weighing whether to continue in the race
( in small print the article states that “the White House said the report is false.) WHY then is it reported as Breaking News?
Breaking news should read- re:THE SUPREME COURT JUST PAVED THE WAY FOR TRUMP’S ACTIONS TO BE ABOVE THE LAW IF HE WINS A SECOND TERM!
Why isn’t this your BREAKING NEWS?
Does your NYT’s staff member honestly think that TRUMP as a DICTATOR PRESIDENT will be GOOD for our country, or GOOD for The New York Times?
As a retired Oregon school teacher I am very concerned about the negative message the NYT is presenting about Biden. He is a good President who will continue to uphold the Laws of our Constitution and will continue to support programs that benefit all Americans!
Trump is a Huge Threat to our Democracy-a Democracy that has benefited this Nation for over 200 years.
That message is what you need to be presenting as BREAKING NEWS!
My question to the NYT is -What Values do you Really Support?
I believe this election is truly a turning point in our history. Which side will you choose-Democracy or Autocracy? You do have a clear choice with support for Biden-Democracy or with Trump-Autocracy.
This is an important moment that could change our country in a very destructive way if Trump succeeds in winning a second term.
You know the logical outcome of a Trump Presidency. Please do not continue to overlook the grave threat TRUMP poses to our well being as a nation.
I sincerely hope to see a change in the messaging that the NYT is presenting about the crucial difference between a Biden second term and a Trump second term as US PRESIDENT!
Submitted with deep concern,
Vicki G. Baker
Astoria, OR
I got the same Breaking News from WaPo, but I get postings from the Biden admi as well which contradicted them. I had not gotten around to canceling my WaPo subscription, the NYT lost me earlier this year, when I got tired of the stupid responses that their editors with no life experience were sending me. I looked up their resumes too, and was not impressed with their exposure to diverse people. One group that seems to be discounted is people who are older like 70-100. This ageism is terrifying me. How can we allow people to be so ignorant about aging? I also understand right now that it is the Democrats, influenced by the right wing propaganda of the Heritage Foundation and Trump, and his people and the Republican party who need to stop bowing down to Trump as having a superior campaign. He does not. Most of his money comes from one big donor, Mellon. He does not have campaign offices everywhere, his campaign money is going to his legal woes. He had one forum in which he was reported to be superior, but the fact that his words were those of a master fascist demagogue did not get covered, or the fact that he is the one who should step down because he is a multifaceted criminal and is against our constitution. The people who are getting cold feet about Biden should not allow themselves to join the MAGAs in being against Biden. They are being manipulated. They should be reading Prof. Ruth Ben-Ghiat's Substack Lucid. She is an expert on fascism and the tricks they employ to make themselves seem more acceptable and others less so. https://lucid.substack.com/
"The people who are getting cold feet about Biden should not allow themselves to join the MAGAs in being against Biden. They are being manipulated."
I so agree with you on this Linda. Thanks for your cogent look at this serious problem.
The Trump campaign is strangely silent about this. They want Biden to stay in the race. It is geared up for Biden and would not know how to handle a different candidate who had the D party fully behind him or her. Just sayin'
Wrong. They are silent because Dems are doing enough damage to themselves. So, stop being part of that, as Robert has so clearly pointed out.
Because:
"Never Interfere With an Enemy While He’s in the Process of Destroying Himself"
Source: Napoleon?
You are so wrong. They are silent while talking heads and other dems do the backstabbing for them. They do t want to run against Biden.
I had a heartening encounter today, the 4th of July, that supports what you're saying, Linda. The humans, the people, are making their own decisions, quietly, unpolled, with no fanfare. I went to the grocery store and encountered a bunch of people manning a Rotary Club booth selling raffle tickets. I went up to buy a ticket and said, I just hope we have a 4th of July next year! It might get cancelled, because we might have a different form of government! All the people in the booth looked at me, and said, with quiet responsiveness, I certainly hope and trust you're wrong, and that we WILL have a 4th of July next year! They were clearly aware of the issues. Not one responded Trumpishly, or with anger or hate. We discussed the Star-Spangled Banner and how much we love this country. I could see that they were involved and getting ready to do the right thing for America. I think there are many more quiet millions like this across our country than there are corrupted newspeople or MAGA crazies. Have faith. Hang in there. Vote for Biden, and do everything you can to get others to vote for him too.
Hello fellow Lucidite! Solidarity.
Turmoil, chaos and violence is what Trump offers and that may be what the press wants, to engage readers and increase profit. Stability and common sense is what Biden offers, good for the country but too boring for the press.
“Stability and common sense is what Biden offers, good for the country but too boring for the press.”
This⬆️ In the unedited ProPublica interview, President Biden said he had spoken with at least six “serious” reporters ,who he would never reveal,that admitted they were worried if they didn’t say/do something to get a “hit”.
Raising our flag today, as every day, next to our Biden /Harris sign. Happy 4th, Democracy Warriors!!
❤️🤍💙
🪧🇺🇸
Right: just confirming that it's all about click bait; never mind the consequences for our FREE (at the moment) press.
Maybe not only click bait in the sense you probably meant, Jocelyn B. Maybe it’s also a form of virtue signaling among fellow journalists, to be “respected” by the brethren.
In what way?
Yes, paid to disseminate false and misleading information for financial gain!
If we didn't have a corrupted Congress and Supreme Court, the "Orange T--D" would be in prison today! IMHO!!
Enough said! Vote Biden/Harris! No other choice!
Happy 4th to you, Kathy!
Sadly, Americans seem to want low gas prices and entertainment more than self-government.
But gas prices are going down, even here in the SF Bay Area! And entertainment is what Netflix is for. Oh, wait, the Netflix CEO has said Biden should step down .....
Why should anyone care about what the president of Netflix has to say about whether Biden should or should not step down?
Well, they shouldn't. I think that was just a stream-of-conscience thing, because I had just been reading about him. I assume he is very rich, so that probably matters to some.
And we saw how not well he ran Netflix. Fool.
Going down here in San Diego as well, a region where gas prices have been among the highest in the state. Just saw $4.29 for regular several days ago. Sounds high to those living outside of California but it's a major drop here, from close to $5/gal. in just a few months.
Here in SF, I have been paying between $5 and $6 for months, sometimes closer to $6! Now it's just above $5, with cash you can get down to $4.49. I wonder if SF/the Bay Area has been having the highest prices.
Ouch! This site might be helpful for you: http://www.californiagasprices.com/San_Francisco/index.aspx
I suggest most people are organized by their wantings rather than delibertely setting forth clear thought out principles and then committing and honoring those commitments.
Rober has done an enormous amount of the heavy lifting of sorting through the materials out there so we don't have to. For this we are in his debt.
Self government whether for one's individual self or that self writ large as a nation of people is the heavy lift each of us needs to take on. We can now clearly see how it goes in this age of instant world wide communication if we abdicate this responsibility.
At some point, posting and bothering ourselves with this stuff is avoiding the responsibilty of taking needed actions. Vote now by the commitment you honor and actions you take. Robert keeps doing this with the opportunities for reader engagement he includes.
I appreciate the need to be informed and at some point more information is not being more informed.
Doesn’t it make you wonder….or who is paying them?
At times I think we push the “ for profit” motivation of the press too much. Another perspective might be that they, too, are frightened by the prospect of a return of DJT to the White House. Certainly, most of us are.
Another recognizable outlook is that the media folks of all stripes are caught up in their own bubble. Or, so too, are we caught up in a bubble. Whichever it is, we must fully come to terms with our shared stress and double down on creating civil discourse to unite begin a candidate who is a person of integrity with a vision for a future where our diversity and country’s wealth are shared by all citizens - with good healthcare, freedom, safe communities, and collaborative efforts to come together around solutions to the many challenges we and the global community face.
Completely agree with you, B Evans. Thanks for posting what I and many others, I’m sure, are thinking.
I read that, and the new one from this morning. The NYT is starting to sound like trump witnesses in the stop the steal suits: "We have it on good authority from someone who knows someone close to the president, how close we don't know because we don't know who it is--now that presidents can kill with impunity no one is safe-- and anonymity of third or fourth hand sources is critical to our ability to shape (I mean bring you) the news. But I've signed an affidavit that says it is an accurate report by someone who is close to the president, how close we......."
You are right on. The Times’ article on p. 1 on July 3 did exactly what you described. For me it is hard to accept how many Dems are taken in by this kind of journalism. If we lose this election, it will in no small part be the result of how our own party is behaving.
And we are the ones who are in favor of education.
What “education” means to most Americans is the possession of “credentials”. Acquisition of credentials, or training, has become conflated with *education*. They are often different.
I am beginning to wonder just how many people were really for Joe Biden after all. How many politicians are seeking to further their own political ambitions and are chasing the microphone.
It does, or should, give us pause that we Dems are also humans subject to thought errors and overemotional responses and unwillingness to go beyond what someone "important" tells us because it is easier, particularly if fear is involved. Not to mention conspiracy theories! "The White House has been hiding...."
I abhor what the MAGATs believe in. But I can understand, if deplore, how they came to believe it.
Well said. Thank You!
Thank you for pointing out their errors. As an Oregon resident, I am conflicted on my following The NY Times. There are sections beyond the front page that I really enjoy, but I am now wavering on what to do. Will they hear us? Maybe we just take the plunge and see what happens. Your thoughts?
I gave up my subscription because they refuse to cover
Biden fairly and truthfully.
I have done so too and I DO NOT MISS IT. I actually feel freer. A long time ago I lost all respect for it and its writers. I remember when I subscribed years ago and actually thought I was so sophisticated. Am I ever glad this paper never darkens my doorstep again.
The same for me. I currently still have a subscription to the Washington Post but I'm considering dropping that as well. FYI, months later, I am still getting "limited time" offers to get a year of the NYT for $50! I can still access Wordle without a subscription, so I'm good!
I am also canceling my subscription to the NYT.
I cancelled in late '16 when they failed to label trump's lies for what they were (they had a lot of company). At the time I attributed this failing to 'both siding' the issue. I've a darker view of it now...
I did too. It's a rag, a tabloid. a propaganda machine for authoritarians and their secret donors with deep pockets.
Same.
My family has had NYT subscription all my life, and now I have it. Can’t wait to give them a piece of my mind in a letter when I terminate it. I’m going to say they don’t give fair coverage anymore, are too old and should drop out.
Yes! I love that: "too old and should drop out" !!
Good point. "Too old and should drop out." Bingo!
" ...are too old and should drop out." Good one.
Elisa, please post this again in comments after Robert ‘s next newsletter. Whether we’ve unsubscribed to NYT or not, let’s each use your refrain to all the email addresses we have for anyone connected to the times. No big long, brilliant essays of all the ways they continue to fail their nation, our nation, and all of us.
Dear NYTer,
You have failed your nation.
You are too old and should drop out.
~ A disgusted and fed-up citizen voter (and former subscriber)
They can all rot in MAGA hell.
Write them. Write a letter every day, keep making points (there are too many good points to make in just one letter of readable length) and use it to the hilt. Send it to their reporters, their editors, their subscription department, then send it to every other news source prefaced "As I wrote the NYT in response to their highly skewed article"... make one letter go as far as possible!
I have and will continue to do so.
I was a decades-long NYT subscriber and just bailed last week.It was freeing !!!🤸 I’d just paid for the month ,still have several weeks but haven’t looked back and don’t miss it one bit. Made sure to include my Dear John letter….although I should have admitted the relationship had been rocky for awhile.
We cancelled yesterday, and I've been a subscriber since 1985.
Mary Alice I hung in there thinking if I just kept commenting then people would hear some reason. The comments sections have been swarmed with strident anti-Biden trolls. The New York Times has dug in on their hatred of President Biden.
So I cancelled my subscription yesterday.
“Hatred of President Biden” – I think that’s inaccurate. I think the Times’, and much of the media’s attitude toward Biden is *supercilious contempt*.
What puzzles me is why that contempt so rarely is (openly) demonstrated toward Trump.
We can word smith it all we want Michael. The bottom line is we have an openly hostile media towards the Democratic Candidate for President of the United States of America. The Fourth Estate has mightily abused their rights and privileges bestowed upon them by the Second Amendment.
What is remarkable in all this is their chosen candidate (by default) openly hates the media and talks of how he will punish them if he wins. Project 2025 plans on eliminating the White House Press Corp.
I also was wavering, but NYT failure to address the danger of Trump and his Court pushed me over the top. A press that does not address the danger of Trump and his Court IS part of the problem we face as a nation. So I wrote a letter to editor and hit “pause” on my subscription for 2 months. If they come around and focus on the danger of Trump and his Court, I’ll resume my subscription.
We cancelled and never, ever quote NYT on social media now. Same for WAPO, except for Jennifer Rubin and Eugene Robinson.
But Alice, if you take a critical look at the other sections it is evident to this reader that their quality has really deteriorated and, in some cases even vanished. Take the business section as an example. There is no serious business reporting. The Styles section is focused on New Yorkers and the wealthy. The Arts & Leisure section leans heavily into interviews or ten things so and so likes. The opinion page is a mix with Maureen Dowd’s sarcasm and Ross Doubtout’s traditional religious dogma self righteous, etc. Oh! Well! Maybe I’m not open minded enough.
Thank you for your critical observations, some that I share. Lots of food for thought in the comments that I will seriously consider. My academic training taught me to know opposing points of view, but I believe we are beyond the validity of doing so in these times of misinformation and blatant lies.
ME TOO; I hung on for the recipes/food but finally disengaged!
I cancelled mine months ago.
Nothing lost in writing to the NYT and calling them out.
Thanks you for sending such a spot-on letter! It is inconceivable to me that the NYT is not all about Trump's impending dictatorship and Project 2025. I have lost so much respect for Nicholas Kristof and Thomas Friedman. Why is no one calling for Trump to resign? Will send my own letter off today.
I'll answer your question. They support value for shareholders. $$$$$
The shareholders aren't going to appreciate declining subscription rates and the need to bribe people with special rates to get them to come back...
Good point. They should have a word with the man-child publisher, AG Sulzberger, who's behind the Biden-bashing.
Thank you for your perceptive comment. I also saw the NYT headline and immediately realized it was a “click” technique.
I saw that click bate earlier today. I cancelled my N.Y.Times subscription months ago. I still get the "breaking news" emails and such to keep an eye on what they are up to. I don't click anymore though.
Thank you for your letter to the NYT. I cancelled my subscription earlier this year. Have you an email address so I can contact them too?
Thank you, Vicki, for this excellent letter! We need to take courage in the support we have for President Biden. I really appreciate your eloquent words.
I love that you took action! Writing letters to various editors, sending postcards, donating to Biden and other Democrats, wearing Biden-Harris tshirts, posting lawn signs and bumper stickers, talking with friends and family about the threat of Trump, Project 25, and how the magnificent light of our democracy has already begun to dim...all of this and more is needed. Let's roll up our sleeves - we can do this.
I so completely agree with this response - especially the piece on The NY Times. I was telling my husband how I felt about NYT handling of Biden. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who has picked this up....
Exactly, Vicki! Great comment!
Great comment. People don't realize that a different President than Joe Biden might start taking action as "official acts" against not only his political opponent and those who voted not to certify the 2020 election but also the 6 so called conservative justices who have granted immunity to any President. Those justices then would have a taste of what they have wrought on this country. A little jail time or worse.... Hmmmm...
Vicki, that's a great letter! Thank you for posting it.
Lawrence O’Donnell shared an excellent editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer that said emphatically that Trump is the one who should step down— why don’t we hear more of that??!!
Lawrence O’Donnell and we would also appreciate Heather Cox Richardson’s comment today (7/03/2024) that over the past week, SCOTUS and the Republicans have pulled off a legal coup, so we have 5 months to save democracy.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/tv/video/amanpour-heather-cox-richardson
Agree. It a bloodless coup. So far. Kevin Roberts is already threatening a bloody coup if the "leftists" protest too much.
Wow. Why is he not, and others of his ilk, on trial for treason??? Oh, right, because the courts are stacked. My god.
Well. Because we still have free speech. We don't lock people up when we disagree with them no matter how egregious. Our role is to follow the tenets of our Constitution and work like hell to defeat these people. My Dad always said to never sink to another person's level.
....right. I was jumping the gun. As it were. He hasn't actually done anything yet. Of course we shouldn't sink. But it's awfully tempting sometimes! :-/
It sure is tempting.
Nope. THEIR god. Mammon we used to call it.
Exactly, Barbara. We are witnessing a bloodless, slow-motion coup. It's not an invading army dropping from the sky and rolling tanks across our border, taking instantaneous and violent control of us. It's the MAGA congress, the "supreme court," and the dictator wannabe Trump, funded and orchestrated by right-wing billionaires, slowly and methodically unraveling our democracy, our institutions, and our laws, right in front of us. We only have four more months to stop it. Let's stop it.
We can also add in a complicit media. I have never seen anything like this. The really terrifying thing is that because we have not seen this before in our history people are blind to what is happening.
I fully intend to stop it. Let's stop this.
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/first-presidential-debate-joe-biden-donald-trump-withdraw-20240629.html
Thanks for that link. I'm sharing it on my FB page.
This is a MUST WATCH video that connects all the dots. Great work by Heather Cox Richardson!
Cancel your subscriptions to this bullshit. They're engaging in this because the intergalactic widgetmakers who own them want PROFITABILITY so they can sell them off.
Cancel subscriptions, harm their business models, let them die since they no longer deserve to live.
I wrote Rather and asked what fuck was wrong with him. And then I cancelled him. Along withe every other Substack run by a Vichy Dimocrat. I don't have the time or the money to waste on drooling morons.
I did cancel my subscription to the NYT today. The misleading headlines you described were just too much to bear! I spoke to some one in subscriptions and explained exactly why I was stopping my subscription. He said he has had many similar calls since the debate. Then I wrote a long explanation in the online form.
And I couldn’t bring myself to read Friedman’s last two columns and I will no longer read his column. I could not believe he took that position.
I cancelled today, too, after wavering for months. I'll miss Wordle, Spelling Bee, and Frank Bruni, but can't support the shilling for Trump and trashing Biden.
Do any of these news media really think they'll be allowed to thrive if Trump takes office? Dismantling the news media is part of the Trump and Project 2025 agenda. Perhaps the NYT is auditioning to be the official MAGA newspaper. A free press in an authoritarian country is an oxymoron. No such thing.
There are Wordle alternatives to try. Google around for "games like wordle".
Plus you can play wordle without subscribing to NYT!
Yes, you can and I do!
Thanks! I didn't know. Though I'm not comfortable doing anything that makes it look like I'm a NYT fan.
I ask myself that question every time I see a Biden-bashing article in the NYT. Do they think they'll be doing journalism if Trump is reelected? Fat chance. (PS- cancelled yesterday)
Laurie, I’m a recent NYT escapee. Did you know about free Quordle?
https://www.merriam-webster.com/games/quordle/
Thanks for this link! I just tried it did 4/4. A fun way to start my day.
RIGHT! There would be no free press.
I think you can still access Wordle* but they do cut you off on Spelling bee.
*I had Wordle before NYT took it over so it is possible that I'm grandfathered in, but I didn't lose Wordle when I dropped my NYT subscription. If you want a good Wordle alternative, I recomment Wordle! from Lion Studios Plus.
You can play Wordle without NYT subscription at least for now. 😊
I get Wordle free every day. No need to subscribe!
Thanks for sharing this, Eileen. I was just researching the best way to register a complaint before canceling my subscription. I’ve been reading the New York Times for over 50 years and will miss some of the sections, columns, and games. But enough is enough! Critical news about Trump, and Project 2025 is barely covered. It is unconscionable!
Yesterday I wrote (emailed) PBS, and asked when they would be covering Project 2025, and if not, why not. I also mentioned that my family were also very impressed to see HCR on the PBS News Hour - I want to give credit where credit is due. It will be interesting to see if I hear back from them.
Friedman was the last person I expected could be so shallow. Also Dan Rather.
I am not surprised. They are part of the know-it-all culture which I believe will come back to haunt them.
I couldn’t bring myself to read any of columns. I chose to avoid it. I was just shattered by all if it.
I think not reading the craziness is the key here. Stop reading this nonsense. Work for Field Team 6 instead. Wear your Biden/Harris tee shirt to the grocery store. Talk to people. Do not read.
Thomas Friedman who absolutely should have known better. He broke my heart. No more for me.
Sigh. Have not read Friedman yet, will tomorrow when I have my strength up again and will then comment and probably, from the sound of it, cancel.
Yes - cancel! You can do it - they don’t deserve our business for a second!
I wrote my comments of dismay on Dan Rather's newsletter and also linked to Robert's newsletter from yesterday, "The press vs democracy." Lots of positive responses to that.
Also, my husband finally canceled his NYT subscription.
I cancelled my NYT subscription a couple of days ago and I said it was due to their bias against Biden.
I've discovered I now have something in common with my MAGA acquaintances: I no longer trust mainstream media.
I never subscribed to the NYT, but I removed them from my Google news feed after seeing 3 headlines all devoted to bashing Biden, so now they don't even get my indirect support.
Vichy Democrats! Love it. And hate it. We have to be the underground now.
Keep it up, Robert. It boggles my mind to see otherwise kindred spirits beating each other up over something most of us are unqualified and too uninformed to judge - the health of someone seen on TV. The unintended consequences of a knee-jerk reaction may be disastrous.
As I said the other day, "Should we be thinking about replacing President Biden? Absolutely not! Should we be thinking about contingency plans and the future? Absolutely! Even at his worst, President Biden is far better for our country and the world than Felonious Trump is at his best."
If President Biden is all in, so am I. If he decides it's time to retire, I sincerely hope the Democratic leadership has been spending this time productively considering contingencies, and not just tossing chum to the sharks in the battery-infested waters.
"...most of us are unqualified and too uninformed to judge..." not only the health but the mindset of someone on tv. Unless, of course, they're an outrageously racistly misogynisticly electronically felonious felon that's afraid of sharks. Knee-jerk reactions tend to end up kicking yer own ass.
I like your conclusion, Beth. Quite true, and a less subtle admonishment about "unintended consequences."
I just learned today that if Joe were to drop out, another candidate could not use his “war chest” of money for the campaign….except for Kamala. I don’t think the naysayers are thinking about this either. I am solidly behind Biden and I am horrified at the press, that it isn’t the orange fascist that is being pushed out of the race, and that democrats refuse to pull together did our wonderful president while the republicans are coalescing behind a mentally ill very demented felon. It really doesn’t make sense. We are chewing off our own arm.
Exactly! They can’t use the money and there is no time to raise the sort of money it takes to run a regular presidential campaign never mind one that is actually one to save our form of government from fascism- thanks again to a very fascist Supreme Court. Also the Dem Convention will not be pretty and after a lot of ugliness it will be Kamala because that was the deal Biden made to be the nominee back in 2019. Dems need to buck up and cut it out. Let’s say Biden isn’t well and after elected steps down and Kamala becomes president-what is wrong with this scenario- NOTHING- that’s what. We need to grow a backbone. What we are voting for is so much more than 1 person.
Yes to everything you've said, Heidi. In addition, these people who insist Biden must be replaced based on their assumptions that he is not healthy enough or young enough, are suggesting we vote instead for one of their "fairy tale" candidates.
These suggested replacement presidential candidates may be popular in some portion of the country. And they may be good at campaign speeches and giving Trump a loud, energetic verbal thrashing for all his many, many, many faults. But no one, including these pushy, media, click bait "experts" knows if a new candidate will be able to gain enough name recognition, respect and trust in four months, to win the votes of a majority of this country.
And if all these Biden bashers had succeeded, which they thankfully have not, in forcing President Biden to choose a new candidate, and that new candidate lost the election, you can bet they won't be going on any apology tours. They will just write another column, opinion piece or television script bashing the Democrat who lost the election for not running a better campaign.
Oh, but “they” don’t like her laugh. Makes me beyond sick and ashamed of being a fellow citizen. I’m dirtied by their awfulness.
Really?? I have not heard that. I suppose those "they" also tell her she would be prettier if she smiled more.
OMG, you’ve nailed it. Oh, and the pant suits!
Not to mention, ballot access. Could a different candidate even get on the ballot in all 50 states??? I'm with Biden. We need to stay with him.
A few days ago, someone commented - either here or in HCR's comment section, that the Democrats tend to "eat their own." It took a while, but now that is beginning to resonate. Although I'm hoping it's mostly the ones searching for "good" click bait. Meanwhile, I have read/heard it suggested that, were Joe to step down, the best replacement would be Kamala. But do we think the USA would elect a black woman? I dunno.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/biden-campaign-money-kamala-harris-rcna159850
Lawrence O'Donnell did a commentary on that shortly after the Hur report came out and before the SOTU quieted the "dump Biden" rhetoric -- at least temporarily.
Check out yesterday's Digital Drumbeat:
SOCIAL MEDIA RALLY: #WeBackBidenHarris
https://www.digitaldrumbeat.com/p/social-media-rally-webackbidenharris?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
As Simon Rosenberg likes to say, we are all "information warriors" within our own sphere's of influence. As you talk with friends, family, and neighbors over the holiday weekend, come armed with the facts. Listen to someone's concerns and acknowledge the uncertainty, then explain why dumping Biden would create the Chaos that MAGA's crave and explain why you still support Biden - either his many positive accomplishments, justified concerns about another Trump term, Project 2025, or a mixture of the above.
Thank you - please keep fighting the good fight for Biden, I am. As the brilliant Rebecca Solnit wrote, "it does work better if you attack the candidate from the party you want to defeat rather than the party that you want to win." All the writhing now is not going to change the outcome, get to work folks!
Yes, Nancy! Offense! We need to play offense. Each and every one of us should be screaming for Trump to step down from his candidacy because of his appallingly bad debate performance. Where is the attack??
I get just about all of my news from Robert, Heather, Simon and Joyce. This morning, I stupidly took a look at the NYT and felt like crying all day. I felt a little better after writing a letter to Biden practically begging him not to quit. I was heading for bed when I saw Robert's latest. I will sleep much better tonight. Thank you, thank you! By the way, I just subscribed. Should have done it long ago. Never surrender! It worked for Churchill.
Welcome!
Like you, Robert, I fully support Joe Biden. He is an accomplished president and an upstanding human being. What I worry about is the very loud chorus of naysayers who have very public platforms and who will have an outsize influence on the uniformed, the lazy, and the sheep. I haven’t heard a single compelling plan B. If Democrats don’t immediately get behind Biden, his loss will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we will have four more unimaginable years of Trump, who has now been set free by the corrupt Supreme Court majority to do anything he wants without consequence. What are these foolish people thinking?
Adele, we all need to start speaking up among our friends and family.
Make sure they know that another candidate would have to raise their own funds, build their own infrastructure, etc. And that polls are showing that Kamala would have the best chance of any of the candidates being floated as a Biden alternative - which is what we would already get if (heaven forbid) Biden does become incapacitated. (I don't think he is now, but it's definitely possible within the next 4 years).
And ask them if they were fully supporting Biden before the debate - and if it makes sense to do a 180 based on a 90-minute debate. I'm really disappointed that so many people appear to ready to abandon ship and cede the race to Trump and the MAGA crazies.
Thank you Robert! I *needed* to hear somebody scream the truth, and you have so fulfilled my needs (and the needs of others, whether they realized it or not). Truer words were never spoken, in my opinion, and I thank you with all my heart and soul.
I remind myself that presidential candidates represent viewpoints. No matter whether Biden is at the top of his game or not, he represents the viewpoint that government exists to serve its citizens and to protect freedom. Trump represents himself and the interests of some megabusinesses. Why isn't the press focused on Trump's failure to answer the questions put to him in the debate? I want the Democrats to stay in this race!!!
The media can’t quit the clicks.
I’m with you, Robert — and more importantly with JOE BIDEN! I go back to writing postcards tomorrow and will be doing that every day until November. I fervently hope more people take the advice to stop looking at the media who are so wrong in their assessments. Their mental health will improve!! (And they will have more energy to put into productive work to get out the vote!!)
I fear this Democrat indecisiveness will have a side effect on grass roots efforts. Like Robert has said, this call for Biden to step down is like a slap in the face for past and present campaigning.
The stakes are so high...!
Not sure who said it first, but it is very salient:
"You can't roll up your sleeves and get to work if you are busy wringing your hands!"
Who are you writing postcards for Linda?
I like to mix it up and currently have 4 different campaigns on my radar - one with a ST deadline related to the July 30 AZ primary and 3 for NC - a FT6 registration campaign to Women in NC-01 (the only House district in NC considered to be competitive), Postcards to Swing States for NC (mid October mailing date), and a hyper-local anti Tricia Cothem campaign - she is the turncoat who ran as a pro-choice Democrat wiho flipped parties and have the GOP legislature a veto-proof majority which led to a 12-week abortion ban and a lot of other nasty stuff! These have an August deadline (since they must be returned to be mailed en masse).
I also will be writing postcards for Mo Green running for Superintendent of Public Education, but the postcards are not yet available. The GOP candidate, Michele Morrow is a conspiracy theory nut who wants to abolish the Dep't of Education and called for the execution of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I kid you not - UGH!
Hi Cheryl- I write postcards for both Postcards2Voters and Activate America. Different campaigns or issues. I started about a year ago to overcome the angst of the current political climate. I knew that this is something that I could do! Have written and mailed over 700 postcards so far.
Faced with the existential threat that is the current Republican Party in all its iterations, I DARE DEMOCRATS TO JUMP SHIP NOW.
Shame on you ALL for so easily falling for the well planned and well financed avalanche of mis and dis information being so readily bandied about by our so-called pillars of public information.
Stop reading their BS.
Stop being click bait.
It will be the death of us.
Stay the course.
Work harder.
Commit more.
EDMV - Every Democrat MUST Vote in November.
Help us make that happen.
I beg of you!!!!!!
PS. 40 million Democrats didn’t vote in 2016 thinking their vote didn’t matter. Well, we are all suffering from PTSD as a result. Make sure it doesn’t happen again. 🙏🏻
Doesn’t anyone remember the NYT wrongly beating the drum for George Bush’s Iraq War. People died for their belligerence. They were wrong, kept at it, people died and here we go again.
And donate more to Biden’s campaign!
I love what you said! It's getting hard now. It was hard during the American Revolution. It looked completely hopeless. It was hard during WWII. It looked completely hopeless many times. American men and women did not give up, did not give in to their doubts. They just kept going, inch by inch and step by step. They prevailed. We will too--if and only if we keep going and don't give up! So what--it's hard. We're Americans, dammit! We can do this!
Sure, but you are preaching to the choir here. And many of us here are donating, writing post cards, etc., in order to push your message Out there.
Yes, Jocelyn. I’ll preach to whomever I can. My reach is limited. 😊
Sure! Go for it! (I still don't know how to include emojis here, but: :-) )
(I still don't know how to include emojis here, but: :-) )
Right click within the message box. It will open a list of options - the first one is Emoji. 💙🌊💙🌊💙🌊
Hm. I tried that. I got a list of other stuff, but nothing about emojis. Sniff. Maybe my versions are old or something. Thanks for trying!
Thank you, and god bless you for taking all the incoming. Have a nice 4th!
I am with you Robert and I am flabbergasted, flummoxed, nonplussed, angry, and sad about what's happening in our nation. I have to wonder what Sinclair Media has to do with this state of affairs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stations_owned_or_operated_by_Sinclair_Broadcast_Group
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sinclair+media+group&atb=v405-1&ia=web
The Democratic Party’s 57 primaries named our nominee: Joe Biden. The replacement pushers show their weak-kneed urge to run. I have seen Joe Biden, the fighter, get back up. He put his fist into a ball. I stand with Joe.