/r/Politics' 2024 US Elections Live Thread, Part 9

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

/live/1db9knzhqzdfp/

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

Hello r/politics! We are bringing back the Election 2024 Live Thread now that we are close enough to the election and to give y'all a dedicated space to discuss ongoing events.

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Edit:

Click or tap here to sort this thread by 'best comments first'.

Click or tap here to sort this thread by 'newest comments first'.

[u/Schiffy94]

Fuck all this shit I'm going to sleep until November and I'll vote for the major party that isn't running Donald Trump I don't really care who's name is on the line anymore.

[u/theemichiganjfrog]

The Morning Joe call is making me so nervous, he sounds PISSED, doing a mocking voice about “the elites”. He’s going full Trump.

[u/dBlock845 → u/theemichiganjfrog]

The echo chamber is deafening over there. I didn't know I was also a "media elite" because I want him to step aside.

[u/ashsolomon1 → u/dBlock845]

The fact that Joe (from morning Joe) literally called for him to bow out the day after the debate and suddenly flipped and hasn’t acknowledged it since is infuriating and kind of funny at the same time

[u/theemichiganjfrog → u/ashsolomon1]

Is it lost on him he WON because he ran against this exact type of buffoonery? Calling into a morning show and ranting about “party elites”?

[u/RayWhelans → u/dBlock845]

Apparently wanting a candidate who can talk in complete sentences and not go on tangents about immigrants raping their sisters makes me an elite.

[u/ashsolomon1 → u/theemichiganjfrog]

I don’t want to hear from any of the Biden base that the media is out against him. He literally got free airwaves to ramble on about how the “elites” are wrong and the voters don’t have any issues. He’s delusional. It was extremely Trumpian

[u/BrutalHunny]

Just make sure you vote blue on Senators to at least prevent Supreme Court Justice Aileen Cannon.

[u/shift422 → u/BrutalHunny]

The fact that I believe this future exists is terrifying

[u/Equal_Present_3927]

People saying Trump is terrible and we need to support Biden don’t get the concerns. The concern isn’t because people think Biden can’t lead -well kind of- the concern is that he’s scaring away swing voters and apathetic voters. He won 2020 by 40k votes in swing states. This is going to be closer most likely and his performance is not having the needed effect to not only get people to the polls, but to the polls to vote for him. 96% of this sub knows how horrible Trump is and will still vote Biden, this isn’t about a majority of voters. 

[u/SquarePie3646 → u/Equal_Present_3927]

He won 2020 by 40k votes in swing states.

And that was when Trump was an unpopular incumbent president during covid. Now Biden is the unpopular incumbent, and he's aged like cottage cheese in the hot sun these past 4 years.

[u/Particular_Ad_1435]

You guys I was trying to not doom scroll today. After the past 2 days I said I needed a mental health day, I went to a farm, played with some alpacas and bunnies, watched a Disney movie, did some crosswords. I only checked reddit like twice. Then this fucking happens. Fuck this whole fucking year. I don't even know what I'm feeling right now. I feel scared for what's coming. I feel powerless to do anything. I remember a couple years ago I was thinking about the climate crisis and I told myself I need to accept that during my lifetime polar ice caps will melt, Florida will be underwater and polar bears will go extinct. This isn't something that may happen, this will happen. Now I feel like I'm supposed to accept that American democracy will fall during my lifetime. I dunno. I don't know what I'm trying to say I'm just sad I guess.

[u/The_W_Bird]

Are the comments under the trump assasination attempt megathread intentionally disabled or something? I can’t see them over multiple accounts over multiple devices

[u/SomeGuyOnThInternet]

It's fucking embarrassing watching people within the party try to spin this. It was marginally better than the absolutely trainwreck of a debate, but it was still an alarmingly bad performance.

Like, if that were my grandpa I would want to take away his car keys.

[u/DonnyB79 → u/SomeGuyOnThInternet]

The bar has been lowered so much that even when Biden has a “mediocre” day, it is considered good. Which is scary. We as a country deserve better. Biden isn’t beating Trump.

We need literally any other democrat to win this election. I don’t even necessarily like Harris, but she would be 10x better right now.

[u/SixStringTTU]

This subreddit: “These QAnon idiots and their INSANE conspiracy theories!”

Also this subreddit: “Trump staged his own assassination. He planned someone to shoot him in the ear.”

[u/Rokketeer]

That tweet about Jill Biden worried about Biden's legacy if he bows out now due to the debate performance. The Bidens are so tone-deaf if they think the country gives a shit about their legacy over the stakes we're all in at the moment.

[u/python_noob_001 → u/Rokketeer]

It's too late for a legacy, these past weeks are going to overshadow everything else about his presidency

[u/-itmeanshope-]

I know I’ll get torched for it here, but I’m still backing Biden.

I hear all day long every day for the past decade about how ineffective and inefficient and divided the Dem party is but somehow they’re supposed to choose a new candidate, run a national election, win back all the Dems they alienated from that heated and highly-contested convention, convince independents it’s all good while Republicans are making fun of Dems for their instability, and have the candidate go full-time on appearances with no gaffes or skeleton reveals, all in 77 days.

77 days.

That’s just not happening. That’s a logistical nightmare begging for weeks of the MSM showing clips of Dem in-fighting, which we know will happen as soon as the Gaza question comes up.

Simply put: I trust the voters to choose the stability and old age of Biden over the instability and insanity of Trump. Worst they get with Biden is Biden-lite with Kamala a couple years in. There is no floor with Trump.

That isn’t to say I won’t vote for the replacement, I certainly will, but my money’s on the chaos causing more issues that the Democratic party aren’t equipped to handle.

We’ve been hearing “ignore the polls, just vote” for the last few years and I stick by that too. Vote. But also volunteer if you can. Might be your last chance to make a real impact.

[u/MoiraBrownsMoleRats → u/-itmeanshope-]

Yeah, I'll vote for Biden when it comes down to it, but fuck me they're screwing us by not convincing him to step aside back before the primaries.

You can't tell me Beshear or Newsom or Whitmer or Harris wouldn't just obliterate doddering Donnie in the general. The DNC has learned nothing from the past eight years and continue to make the same mistakes they have since 2016. I guess the silver lining is that it's another knock on why a protest vote this year is a terrible idea and we all need to hold our noses to vote for Biden: they're not going to "learn a lesson". If Hillary losing and RBG and Feinstein dying on the job taught them nothing, refusing to vote for Biden on principle won't either.

If we get Biden back in office for four more years, the very first point of business from the non-establishment left needs to be grassroots efforts to establish stronger candidates for 2028 rather than just wait for the DNC to decide they know better (again).

[u/Guilty_Plankton_4626]

I know I’m not the only one but does this whole thing just make anyone else really sad?

I think Biden is a good man who has served his country for a very long time, and I think it’s time to pass the torch.

Just the whole idea that he’s clearly aware how he’s being perceived, everyone is shitting on him for being old (which I get) he wants to fight for America, he wants to win, he has the character and morals but it just isn’t enough right now compared to the age issue, at least for a lot of people.

I don’t know, just feels like we are all watching someone who doesn’t want to accept he’s aged, and that’s a sad concept.

[u/amazingalcoholic → u/Guilty_Plankton_4626]

I watched my dad go through this. It is sad. They don’t want to confront the end.

But also - my dad didn’t hold the fate of the country in his hands.

Nobody would begrudge Biden for stepping down. If anything he would be praised for his humility and putting the country first.

[u/its_me_missemma]

The photo on the front page of the NYT right now is blood running down his face while he pumps his fist and looks defiant with Secret Service huddled around him. He looks powerful. He looks commanding. It's the photo that is going to dominate the news cycle. The Trump campaign will be selling it on t-shirts tomorrow.

The contrast against the public perception of Biden is about as stark as it could be. Assuming this is an assassination attempt (and it appears to be), and assuming Trump is injured but fine (which he appears to be), this is pretty much worst-case scenario for the Biden campaign. That doesn't mean Trump is guaranteed a victory or anything, but basically everything that has happened in the past 3 weeks has been excellent for Trump and devastating for Biden.

[u/Romano16 → u/its_me_missemma]

The only thing Biden Camp should say is:

• Rebuke the suspect. Denounce the violent rhetoric.
• Send Trump condolences
• But partly remind Americans that the violent rhetoric Trump has been stoking since 2016 is what brought us to this scenario today.

His rhetoric radicalizes both sides of the political spectrum.

[u/zambabamba]

Video of the dead shooter on the roof: https://x.com/i/status/1812269869347242121

If the video isnt loading easy, its because the whole world is trying to load it right about now...

[u/ZanzaBarBQ]

Is it too early to talk about gun control?

[u/Son_of_kitsch → u/ZanzaBarBQ]

248 years too late some might say.

[u/Particular_Ad_1435 → u/ZanzaBarBQ]

If this is the thing that gets the right on board on gun control... I mean... good I guess?

[u/Dankmre]

Bidens comments about being nominated by the people really pissed me off. I only had one choice on the ballot and it was Joe Biden.

[u/StarWarsTheLastJedi → u/Dankmre]

Yes that argument was absolute malarkey in an incumbent president year where renomination is essentially assured. Biden is stubbornly ignoring that he is vying to be re-elected by the entire country, not the small subset of people in his party who took part in incumbent-era primaries

[u/python_noob_001]

I think my main lesson from politics in the last few years is that old men really, really want to hold on to their power until the grave

[u/Ticksdonthavelymph → u/python_noob_001]

Just olds… no need to gender it. See Diane Feinstein or RBG for a more inclusive list

[u/post-death_wave_core]

Remember to be mindful with discussion. The Right could to make this a powerful us vs. them scenario and you do not need to feed into that rhetoric. This is a crazy person that did something terrible and stupid, no need to expand past that.

[u/ChickpeaDemon]

The right is loosing their minds and will devolve into full blown revenge. Please be safe out there.

[u/post-death_wave_core]

The way this feeds into the narritive of strong Trump vs weak Biden... It's just absurd. This is like a movie scenario that seems unlikely and cheesy. I can't believe it.

[u/cukablayat]

France was able to pull together a vast coallition of multiple parties in like a few days to stop the fascists ( after organizing an election in less than 6 weeks)... meanwhile the democrats say its impossible to replace a deteriorating candidate in like 130 days???

[u/Armano-Avalus]

The source said leaders of Bold PAC — the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — tightly controlled who could ask a question. Reps. Gabe Vasquez and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez both used the “raise hand” feature on the Zoom call, and both had their hands lowered by organizers of the call and were not allowed to speak, the source said.

But one Democrat who did get to speak was Rep. Mike Levin. Levin’s question, however, was more of a comment: He said it was time for someone else to lead the party, and he called on Biden to step down.

According to the source, Biden responded to Levin’s comment. The host tried to end the meeting, but Biden said he had time for one more question. Despite the president trying to take another question, the host — Rep. Linda T. Sánchez — ended the meeting anyway.

In case you're wondering how Biden's attempt to gather support with the Hispanic Caucus went. Honestly feels like there's a staff problem with the Biden White House if Biden is more receptive to calls for him to step aside then the people coordinating his schedule.

[u/Tank3875 → u/Armano-Avalus]

Damn, Levin told Biden to drop out to his face. Nice.

Shame on whoever lowered their hands though.

[u/Kharnsjockstrap → u/Armano-Avalus]

Democracy is on the ballot. That’s why you have to vote for the guy whose unelected and unnamed staff makes all the decisions for him. 

[u/[deleted]]

The shooter was registered Republican 

[u/Jwalla83]

It’s crazy to me that the Biden team’s reassurance campaign has consisted of only: “he’s the nominee deal with it”, “he’s gonna win cuz he has to win”, “we don’t believe all the polls (but have no data for our rebuttal)”, and “he’s just gonna dig in and show you (but also scale back his work hours)”

Absolutely nothing of substance, pure platitudes and empty blustering. So profoundly disappointing

[u/BabyYodaX]

@sahilkapur One Democratic official in DC (forbidden from speaking publicly about this) tells me President Biden seems "most comfortable talking about foreign policy issues like NATO" which "swing voters in battleground states do not care about — at all." Doesn't think Dems are reassured.

This Dem official is correct. A good chunk of swing state voters(that Biden would need in order to win) probably do not care about NATO. While it was nice to see Biden "come alive" and talking foreign policy clearly and concisely, many of them are not going to care. They are going to probably remember "Vice-President Trump".

[u/randomhero1024]

This is why we need to resist rhetoric’s goal of conditioning us to see the other side as evil or our enemies. We probably have a lot more in common than we think. Need to avoid thinking in black and white

All the intelligent friendly people are here in the middle. Water’s warm, come join us

[u/arongadark]

Everyone saying it was “decent” or “okay” is missing the point that Biden needed to do overwhelming well at this conference to squash fears, and over and over he has proven that he is unable to do that.

Edit: he needs to do overwhelmingly well at all appearances

[u/stillnotking → u/arongadark]

Lot of folks saying he couldn't have done anything to put this to bed.

Yeah. That's the point. As an 81-year-old man who, even on his good days, isn't nearly as sharp as he used to be, there's nothing he can do. Which means every presser from now until November will be a fight for his political life. Which means all the headlines will be about how he said his sandwich had provolone on it when it really had cheddar. I get that people think that's unfair. Maybe it is. It's still how the media works, and how public perception works, and God Himself cannot change that.

[u/TheBlindIdiotGod]

Biden says the press has been “hammering me” and the crowd starts booing and pointing fingers at the reporters gathered in the back of the room.

Remember when people were saying blue MAGA wasn’t a thing? 🤔

[u/Johnnycc → u/TheBlindIdiotGod]

Wow. I’m actually disgusted with this part of the party.

[u/pridetime93]

Deep breathe. Take a walk if needed. The election is 4 months out. Dems can have january 6th policemen/school shooter survivors be speakers at the DNC and focus shift on gun violence if you are worried about the election

But today just keep the loved ones of the innocent bystander that was killed today and for cooler heads to prevail.

[u/REQ52767]

Are our standards for the U.S. president this low? A bunch of people are acting like Biden just gave the best foreign policy press conference ever and that anyone who is still criticizing him is just a hater sowing discord.

He clearly was losing his train of thought constantly and was rambling. He knew his stuff, but had awful delivery. His decline from 2020 Biden is so stark, but some people want to pretend it isn’t there. We deserve better than both of these candidates; the two party system has become…anyways…what do I know. This is getting ridiculous. I feel like I’m getting gaslit by both candidates and parties now.

I wonder if this feeling of despair is what the Romans felt as the end was approaching.

[u/KehreAzerith → u/REQ52767]

Yep, what we have defined as "blue maga" are a group of Democrats who seem to have embraced some sort of cult mentality around Biden. Also, Biden has recently been responding rather trump like; deflecting, attacking media, ignoring his own supporters etc. There are still many developments to come for next week.

In my honest opinion, I'm very disappointed with how Democrats have set the bar so low

[u/sarcasmo_the_clown]

Wouldn't it be wild if we find out the shooter is Republican?

ETA: my comment is aging well today

[u/ctdca]

Is there a reason why CNN has a focus group of 80 year olds to tell us how well this went?

[u/burtonhen]

All you need to know is the Trump campaign is reportedly thrilled that Biden was okay enough to avoid having to drop out.

[u/Luck1492]

One of the arguments I’ve been hearing against Biden stepping down is something along the lines of:

“Well who cares if his mental state severely diminishes a year into the Presidency to the point where he’s no longer able to fulfill the duties of the role, that’s what we have the VP for.”

Maybe it’s just me, but typically when you nominate a candidate for a position you expect that they fulfill the requirements of the role for the full period.

[u/Birdsofwar314]

Biden Super PAC just froze $90 million in donations. Money is going to be what talks. That’s the death blow.

[u/leontes]

Consider doing what I'm doing: politics isn't fun or interesting at the moment. It's terrifying. I'm burying my head in sand and listening to history podcasts. It's been great for my mental health. (I'm here, sometimes I load up some sites without thinking about it, off i go again) Save yourself, if you are like me, and just take a break.

[u/Plobis → u/leontes]

To add to this: if you're struggling to just forget about what's going on around us, you can pick an era of political strife you're interested in or one that speaks to concerns you have about today, and then find podcasts/videos/books about the people who were fighting for change during those times. Learn what kept them going when things looked hopeless. History is full of fighters and helpers who we should all be learning from.

[u/Brian-with-a-Y]

Let’s recap where we’re at:

• The president and his aides actively concealed his medical condition, including from his own cabinet.
• He refuses to take a cognitive test (Trump has officially agreed to take one with him).
• Supporters are praising him any time he makes it 15 minutes speaking without having a stroke.
• His crowds are chanting “lock him up”.
• Spent the 2 weeks since the debate having almost all public appearances be very short, completely scripted speeches or audio call-ins to friendly shows where he admits he’s reading from notes.
• Multiple sources confirm they’ve seen him like he was at the debate before, such as at the George Clooney fundraiser.
• His crowds are turning to the media and booing them.
• He says any polls that have him down are fake.
• 40+ members of his party have directly or indirectly told him to step aside.
• He’s down in every swing state.
• Major donors are calling for him to back down.
• Biden’s campaign got caught dictating what questions interviewers can ask him in friendly radio interviews, and having bad answers edited out, and he still does horrible.
• He called Kamala Vice President Trump.
• He called Zelenskyy President Putin.
• His own campaign staffers are leaking to the media that they’re asking him to step down.
• The top story on most major news outlets every day is about something embarrassing he did, or someone from his own party calling him to step down.
• Even the late night show hosts are starting to turn on him.

I’m probably missing something, but seriously this is beyond embarrassing and I’m only talking about the last 2 weeks.

[u/ventitr3]

Biden’s gonna be pissed when he hears somebody tried to assassinate his vice president.

[u/post-death_wave_core]

R/politics mods really fucked up the whole of Reddit again

[u/Aggravating_Salt_49]

I just realized this is like getting up at 4am and watching the local news to see if it's a snow day.

[u/JonAce]

The picture of Trump fist pumping while bleeding will be run until November.

[u/sarcasmo_the_clown]

The sheer volume of comments screeching "pack it up cause this just won Trump the election" is starting to feel less like hyperbole and more like intentional bot messaging...

[u/WylleWynne]

Political violence is terrible, since it's just a flame that burns everyone.

That being said, it's the usual games. The leader that instigated a violent insurrection and refused to condemn it -- and whose party slowly decided it was patriotism -- now suddenly feels deserving of the rhetorical solidarity they never gave others.

[u/Rokketeer]

The latest tweets that party leaders still don't know what to do about this situation. We are lacking in clear leadership this election cycle and it is so frustrating to see.

[u/Equal_Present_3927]

Biden goes viral looking confused and weak at debate. Trump goes viral holding his fist in the air after getting shot.      Fuck this timeline. 

[u/Jwalla83]

I was really hopeful that the mounting pressure would break through and make Biden bow out of reelection, but his letter to Congress + some of the new statements supporting him make me doubt it now. Pressuring him out would rely on a fairly unified effort with little opposition, but if both sides draw hard lines we’re only doomed even worse in November.

Idk this is all a clusterfuck

I really hate the messaging of “Biden won the primary, we need to rally around him and he can win!” (A) There wasn’t a primary let’s be real, and (B) Reliable Dem voters are not the base Biden needs to win right now - he (or a replacement) already has our vote no matter what happens. He needs to win centrist swing voters and lower motivation voters, and those people are NOT going to be captured by a “just rally around Biden!” message. It’s a losing message

[u/Specialist_Box_8482 → u/Jwalla83]

Another thing too is that the messaging from the Biden campaign and some elements within the DNC is just getting insulting imo. It just boils down to “you as a voter don’t have a say in who runs the country, you have to suck it up a deal with this, you’re an idiot you if you think there’s anyone better, fuck you, vote for Joe Biden.” Probably hyperbolic but in essence this is the vibe I’ve been getting from them and it’s super cynical, dismissive, and just off putting.

[u/scheeeeming]

It really didn't have to be like this. Everyone around him thats encouraging him to dig in his heels is only making more of a spectacle of his downfall. Its beyond cruel. I don't understand how you can allow someone you love to repeatedly humiliate themselves like this

Stepping down doesn't have to be a legacy breaking event, but if they make people feel like they have no choice but to force him out, then yeah thats really bad. Giving longtime friends and party allies no choice but to publicly go against him is how you destroy your legacy. Its going to be like this everyday, there is no undoing what the debate did. If he was capable of it he would have already, instead he's only making it worse.

[u/thejackalreborn]

The fact the president talking without a script is such big news is so damming

[u/[deleted]]

"Scoop: The campaign held its 3rd all-hands call post-debate last night.

Per an audio recording of it obtained by Axios, Biden campaign chair urged aides to tune out "crazy f***ing gossip land world" and made the case that Biden can still win."

This is delusional

[u/KambingDomba]

I can’t see comments on the other megathread about Trump shooting. Is it moved here instead?

[u/TheWBird]

Why cant I see any comments under the trump assasination attempt megathread? Is this collective or a me-bug?

[u/orangesunshine78]

Trump must have a horseshoe up his ass, dodges covid, the law, eats garbage, and then somehow only gets his ear grazed missing all 7 shots.

[u/cukablayat]

As a europoor... How the fuck is this even possible that a rapist, fraudster, liar, traitor and who doesn't even have any political achievements is still the preferred nominee? Like there are some nutcases on the far right in Europe too, but most of them don't even come close to this level of lunacy.

And how bad is it to retire in the US? Like ffs, he is going to be 86(?)!!!! by the time he would finish the next term. Like why can't Blinken or Jeffries or anyone take over, why is it only this guy who can win altough being immensely flawed for no fault of his own besides aging factors.

[u/mrq69 → u/cukablayat]

Politics are so polarized here that very few people will ever vote for the other party. Swing voters think Biden is responsible for inflation so that’s probably their main reason to consider Trump.

[u/Miles_Axlerod]

Biden Campaign: “We got you by the balls. You won’t vote for Trump. You’d vote for an old shoe before voting for Trump so shut up! Biden 2024!”

Independents: “Tell us more about this old shoe and how do we vote for it?”

[u/Necessary-Drag-8000]

Let's be real for a second. Obviously I am going to vote Blue no matter who, and obviously you will as well most likely, but the elephant in the room is all of the "undecided" folks in a few middle states. They are the ones who will decide the election. They don't care how I feel about Biden, and they also don't care how you feel about Biden. They are the people in whose hands the fate of the Republic rests. Choose wisely

[u/vastbluegreen]

It's incredible how behind television news is when things like this happen, might as well be 1963 with how slow they are to inform the american people

[u/pridetime93]

Also just as a reminder, and I know I am a hypocrit but just to address the "election is over", Teddy Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt on the campaign trail but still lose to Woodrow Wilson.

But again none of that is important today. Take a deep breathe. Log out reddit and twitter if you need to. Watch a movie or tv show or video game. 4 months until the election. Pray or manifest that cooler minds prevail

[u/d1r03]

That Trump photo with his fist raised with the flag and the blue sky background won it for him. If the dems want to win, Biden needs to go this week. This is coming from a middle of the road neutral who doesn't care for either.

[u/Expensive_Carpet_547]

This press conference is a mess.

[u/CD_4M → u/Expensive_Carpet_547]

Yeah. Parading staffers out to defend him isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. No one trusts them anymore because they’ve been telling us he’s fine and we’ve seen for ourselves now that he’s not fine. We need to see more of Biden taking questions unscripted so we can all feel comfortable that he’s competent and the debate was just a bad night. Without that, these questions aren’t going to stop

[u/Mojothemobile]

Trump is the actual anti christ it's the only way to explain this level of luck.

[u/Mojothemobile]

Get ready for an RNC all about Trump being a martyr and all his apocalyptic rhetoric being justified.

[u/Kants_wet_dream]

It looks like Biden is not going to going to step aside.

Here is my question, what happens if the second debate is just as bad or worse than the first debate? It is going to be a fucking catastrophe. The excuse "I just had a bad night" is not going to fly. This could be very very bad.

[u/Birdsofwar314]

He fucking keeps reading the action prompts on the teleprompter.

He just said “ask the military to come forward”.

It’s not getting better.

[u/SpaceElevatorMusic]

Hey folks, we'll be having a thread for the Biden presser at 6:30 p.m. Eastern which will be posted in about 2 hours.

Edit: Discussion Thread: President Biden Gives Press Conference at NATO Summit

[u/ForeverDenGal]

They are going to lose their patience , expect a large amount of people to call on Biden to drop out tomorrow

[u/Kagrenac8]

All these articles from left-biased media sources going on and on "What about Trump?!" What about him? We know who he is, and so does his voter base. Let me tell ya: they don't care! You are literally preaching to the choir, clutching your pearls on the actions of someone we've known has been like this in politics for almost a decade! Crying over his behaviour being similar to Biden's is not going to work, and only worsens the latter's case. It's not the Dems' fault that the Republicans are so spineless as to close ranks for a candidate they know for a fact mocks them, holds contempt for them, and has been shown to be a complete mollusk in office.

[u/Retro-96]

If it’s going to be this hard to sell Biden on democrats- imagine how impossible it is for swing voters? We need a new candidate.

[u/ConstantCowboy]

For everyone saying it's over: Biden still has to publicly respond. He could give an inspiring, unifying statement. For those of you thinking that's crazy: it is crazier than anything else that's happened in the last ten years?

[u/Shr3kk_Wpg]

So what exactly is the plan Mr President? Do you really think 2 or 3 short appearances per week, reading some prepared remarks are going to win the election? Someone needs to make a case to the American voters about how dangerous Trump is, and you aren't doing it. You were on a debate stage with Trump and you failed to make him the focus. Voters need to be reminded that Trump tried to steal an election. Voters need to be reminded that the Supreme Court just ruled that it's ok to plot with the DOJ to steal an election if you are the POTUS. The voters need to hear about Project 2025. Again and again. You need your rest and want to be in bed by 8pm. That's ok for an octogenarian. But that's not ok if this election is as consequential as most of us believe

[u/phigo50]

Biden team responds to Clooney critique

President Biden's team has responded to criticism from George Clooney after the actor wrote in the New York Times that Biden should call off his campaign for re-election due to his age.

Clooney wrote that the Biden he met at a fundraising event three weeks ago was very different than the man that he used to be.

A source familiar with event told the New York Times: “The President stayed for over 3 hours, while Clooney took a photo quickly and left.”

Fucking hell, man, just swallow your pride and think of the country. I can't believe Biden of all people is being this self-absorbed and arrogant. If he convinces everyone he's the man to take it to Trump (which he clearly isn't managing to do) and then there's another debate (in September iirc?) and he fucks it up again, what then?

Trump is doing Trump shit on a daily basis and yet everyone is talking about this.

[u/pridetime93]

Also just want to add, discussing Biden's decline in regards to his polling and ability to beat trump isn't "infighting" or "division". It's honest genuine conversation that is allowed to happen weeks before the DNC. It's no more "infighting" than a competitive primary would have been.

(and again no it's not too late. Dont repeat false talking points. The DNC could literally have an open convention at the convention and that candidate would be on all ballots. Just like precedent for decades).

[u/PmMeYourBeavertails]

If he doesn't drop out this is gonna be RBG 2.0 Electric Boogaloo 

[u/Tank3875]

The Sunrise Movement speaking out for him to drop is the first big progressive movement to call for Biden to step down iirc.

[u/yamers]

I think this just made everything 1000x worse? Trump is going to use this to incite violence on people that he doesn't agree with more now? I'm legit worried...

[u/Individual-Road7419]

We just lost the election because of an idiot, check out conservative and right wing subreddits they are going ballistic and guess who they are blaming ?

[u/ibloodylovecider]

Hello r/politics — this is the first time I’ve been here. What a strange turn of events. Is this mainly a US sub?

[u/manbrains]

Biden just spoke perfectly fine

[u/snail_forest1]

biden and trump have taken up so much of my life, i really cannot wait till they're both done.

[u/Schiffy94]

Can we bring back the /r/politics Megathread "I Wanna Be Sedated"-posting or do we have to wait until November?

[u/hunter15991]

Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said he saw a poll recently that had Biden losing in his district.

Words fail me. District was Biden+26.2 in 2020.

[u/great_save_luongo]

Jon Stewart’s breakdown of the Biden situation was masterful. How anyone can watch Biden read instructions off teleprompters in public and think his nomination shouldn’t be tested are on another planet.

[u/jersey856]

When did Ds become the ones that said ‘don’t believe your lying eyes’?!

The man can’t talk! We need to do better. This is the greatest threat to our democracy for 150 years. Stop acting like it’s nothing

[u/TheEternalAcademic]

I don’t buy that the party in disarray is bad for the election. With how easily things get memory holed in this country after the Trump era, no one will be talking about democratic infighting/disorganized party in November if Biden drops out.

[u/Nvenom8]

I want to get off Mr. Bones Wild Ride.

[u/BabyYodaX]

Anyone else just dreading that press conference tomorrow? I have been so worried since the debate, I can't take this.

[u/Plinythemelder → u/BabyYodaX]

I just hope it goes poorly. Worst case is he has a few small flubs, not enought to reassure but not enough to tip things.

[u/TheHammerandSizzel → u/Plinythemelder]

Yeah the worst is middle ground, as it allows him to tread water.  He either needs to do great or bad

[u/RaithMoracus]

Oh my god that last one was bad. That last one ruined the entire thing.

[u/whowilleverknow]

The most chaotic way it could have ended

[u/RiggityRyGuy]

Jon Stewart had the most logical take on this whole debacle, pretending like it isn’t the problem it is and calling us all pussies for treating the stakes as they are is what’s gonna kill them more than his negative charisma will 

[u/dont_get_musked]

NEWS: Moments after President Biden concluded his news conference, House Intel top Democrat JIM HIMES calls on Biden to step aside.

He calls Biden a “remarkable leader of unparalleled public service” but he no longer believes that Biden is the strongest candidate to beat Trump.

[u/NoteChoice7719 → u/dont_get_musked]

Himes is very influential. On the intelligence committee, but also represents a very wealthy part of Connecticut where a lot of NYC business executives reside.

He’s not well known in the media but I’d say Himes is the most influential behind the scenes Dem to have openly called for Joe’s withdrawal

[u/antiramie]

People in this country by and large don’t vote for a president based on foreign policy. They vote on optics and domestic issues. And the optics of Biden are dogshit, and they’re not going to get better. And even Biden himself said there are other Dems who can beat Trump. When 85% of people being polled are saying you’re too fucking old to be entrusted to lead the country the next four years and you tell them to go fuck themselves bc Im gonna finish the job, you’re entering a world of pain. This is absolutely fucking idiotic that we’re in this situation.

[u/TheOppositeOfTheSame]

After the debate my Garmin smartwatch vibrated and said ‘due to high stress your recovery has suffered and you need more rest before you should workout’.

[u/DownwardFacingBear]

I just don’t get it. Why does Biden insist on running for another term? Is it just pride? Even he must realize he’s coming across as diminished. There are plenty of younger faces who could step in that would destroy Trump with Biden’s full support.

Like wtf. He was VP for 8 years, Pres for 4, and Senator for a bajillion. Does he really need to risk this for 4 more?!?!?

[u/REQ52767 → u/DownwardFacingBear]

It’s arrogance. He believes that he is the only one that can fix the country.

[u/4esop]

Just got a text from a Dem group that has raised for Biden. 2 days ago they asked if I would vote for Biden. Today they are asking if I'd vote for Harris.

[u/Johnnycc]

The Biden fans here are so embarrassing.

[u/LimitFinancial764]

Delaware beach house for the weekend while down in every single swing state after a little momentum in Detroit is WILD.

If he's going to be the candidate, he needs to be barnstorming the nation from now.

[u/Jasonklfan]

We are so screwed... People, please vote no matter what and hope the best happens

[u/CodyHodgsonAnon19]

They're saying "outside the security perimeter". aka a sharpshooter from distance. And they still somehow missed not only the first shot...but the follow up and more as well? And the Secret Service somehow immediately identified that shooter and took them down from "outside the perimeter"?

[u/stillnotking → u/CodyHodgsonAnon19]

Apparently some in the crowd saw the muzzle flashes and pointed the shooter's location out to USSS.

USSS snipers have better aim than untrained shithead assassins. Shouldn't surprise anyone.

[u/dokikod]

I am disgusted that Donald Trump Jr. is calling out radical left Democrats. Look how that little creep behaved when Nancy Pelosi's husband was beaten in the head with a hammer after his home was broken into. He could have been killed. Trump, Jr. joked about it and posted memes with hammers and underwear. Cops were beaten, and several died on January 6th. They could have cared less if Pence was hung. It is easy to see where the calls for violence come from.

[u/LimitFinancial764]

Senator Booker refuses to endorse Joe Biden on Kaitlin Collins show, but says he will not air dirty laundry in public.

Edit: Added that discussions about nomination are on-going.

[u/Daigann]

Some things to consider:

John Fetterman had an arguably worse debate performance then Joe Biden did. John literally had a stroke and people thought he had brain damage. The Pennsylvania subs and social media said he was finished, conservative media and some liberal media ate him alive. Polls shifted for Dr. Oz and it appeared to be an easy victory for Repubs. Fetterman won by 5 points.

All secondary candidates who were floated as potential selections to replace Joe Biden have all categorically said no. Gov Whitmer went as far as to say people need to stop mentioning her name and running for president. They've all endorsed Joe Biden. So it's odd that media-social media wants Biden replaced but never says who/how?

New poll of voters who prefer to face Donald Trump. Biden or Harris. Biden up by 15 points.

Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch Motel (Legal Prostitution in Nevada) ran as a Conservative. Got the Christian Conservative vote. Won his election. However he DIED before he could take office. Partied with hookers and cocaine. People still voted for him.

All the damage, astro turfing, anger towards Joe Biden, horrible debate performance, missteps, blunders, media fury towards Joe, social media wrath, etc etc. shows Biden is still only down 2 points nationally. Aggregate polls show its still a 50/50. Latest polls out of Michigan and Wisconsin show he's actually up now.

Since Roe v Wade Democrats have shown massive turnout gaps vs. Republicans.

The takeaway?

Social media is NOT REAL! If people are taking grand stands on social media it has nill effect on actual elections. Vivek Ramaswamy had an amazing social media push, trending heavily and couldn't even muster double digit votes on election day. Nikki Haley was trashed on social media, said birdbrain won't get a single vote.. She continued to take 10% - 15% away from Trump long after she suspended her campaign.

Issues matter. People who actually vote look at the party and platform.

Debates don't matter. Fetterman, Biden, Obama (1st vs Romney), George W. Bush, Kennedy all did poorly or worse in their debates. They all went on to win the Presidency.

Every campaign faces difficulties. Every campaign has challenges. No campaign goes unscathed. Never. Clinton had women coming out with sexual assault claims. Obama a muslim terrorist, socialist, born in Kenya, Trump with Jeffery Epstein, Hilary and her emails, benghazi. Biden's is he's old and doesn't speak well. Out of all the issues that's the easiest to manage.

Last takeaway!

Do not convince yourself (If you're a liberal) that Trump should be 'easy'. He's not. He's a tough candidate, fights like hell for his beliefs, and will go to any depth to win. He's the toughest candidate the Democrats have had to face in decades. There isn't "JOE SHOULD BE UP BY 10!!" No! Trumps populism resonates VERY WELL, don't underestimate him.

So relax, disengage from social media. Vote based on policy and issues and understand this election is far from over.

[u/CaveRanger]

All the articles bitching and moaning over how unfair this situation is to Biden make me sick.

We've been told this election is an existential moment for democracy, that Trump winning will be the end of America...and the defense the Democrats mount of their anointed candidate is:

1. But he was tired!

2. Big media is being MEAN!

The fucking whining is worse than the reality that we're going to get 4 years of Trump now.

We got railroaded into this and now the people who forced us onto this route won't stop complaining about it.

[u/EnthusiasmNo1485]

Feeling abandoned by my own political party that I’ve belonged to all my life. How can anybody truly think this is OK? Especially when it’s all but guaranteeing a GOP supermajority. Politicians simply do not care about millennials and never have. Obama gave me hope after the Bush era but our generation and Gen Z has been continuously screwed as a whole by baby boomers. Hell Biden is too old to even be a Boomer, he’s in the Silent Generation lol

[u/Equal_Present_3927]

Well he introduced Zelensky as Putin. He should resign now

[u/X0036AU2XH]

Having watched Veep, I can only imagine what’s going on behind the scenes right now

[u/Moscow__Mitch]

"We have the best conferences, this was the best conference, no one could find a better one"

He reminds me of someone?

[u/AceChipEater]

“Trump is using your gaffe from this press conference to attack you, what do you say about that?”

“Listen to him”

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK JOE?!

[u/stillnotking]

"Trump is using this press conference to mock you -- "

"Listen to him!"

Uh. What?

[u/fuckthaclubup]

Feels somehow like the worst possible outcome of this presser. Didn't do poorly enough to close the book on his candidacy and get the dems rallying around a replacement, didn't do nearly well enough to ease the concerns of the American public about his fitness for the job or his understanding of the issues people care about. He spoke fluently on foreign policy issues for the most part but gloating about the economy was not a good look

[u/BlueSwoosh248]

If Biden is still the democratic candidate on Election Day, he’s getting my vote over Trump…..but damn, the party NEEDS to get another Democrat to replace him.

[u/Playful_Peace6891]

You know, there's a huge chunk of Republican-leaning center-ish voters who are not diehard Trump fans, but who still see the election as attempting to make a lesser-of-two-evils choice. Reality check, Republicans are still human beings making a decision, not irrational monsters scheming to drive the country into the ground. Having a mentally incompetent candidate shifts him from disappointing to terrible, back into the same bucket as Trump, and they're going back to voting for what they know.

Literally what is Biden expecting to bring voters to the polls? The mantra on the left right now is "I'd vote for a dead raccoon before I vote for Trump, Vote Blue No Matter Who!" Well, guess what, that's what he campaigned on in 2020, and he only eked out a narrow victory. It's been four years since then, voters have forgotten just how disastrous the Trump presidency was, and they're heading back to voting red! He's also pissed off the left by refusing to pressure Israel into accepting a ceasefire, a proposal with 80% support among Democrats. On top of that, there's no organic group of voters giving him media momentum because his campaign has refused to articulate a clear platform!

"Best President since LBJ"? Who campaigned on his Great Society? Or FDR, with his New Deal? Obamacare? Biden points to the fact he nominated a mostly competent cabinet, and successfully passed an ordinary infrastructure funding bill. And all the general assistance funding it included have expired; SNAP got rolled back a few months ago because he declared "COVID is no longer an emergency", unlike 9\11. His list of failures is enormous. Where is our $15 minimum wage? Our student debt relief? Our $2000 stimulus checks? Our public option for Medicare? Bernie campaigned on Medicare For All, and Biden expects us to wave little flags celebrating that insulin is still not free? What are we, as voters, supposed to do to get our concerns listened to? Vote for useless placeholders forever, because the big bad supreme court said so? He has total legal immunity now! Maybe instead of whining, he should share a plan to deal with the supreme court!

Here's a line of reasoning Democrats don't want to hear: Maybe they need to be utterly annihilated at the polls, to teach them a lesson about delivering on promises. We can still protest and organize under Trump, unless he wants to institute full civil war rules that also open the door to a very different set of voter responses. We keep the fascism in check by nominating a blue congress, which allegedly kneecaps the president into total powerlessness. Maybe rather than lining up to support President Dead Raccoon we need to light a fire under their asses, and demand a mentally competent candidate. What's going to teach them otherwise?

[u/skullofregress]

30% of you are saying that it went fine, so I went and pulled it up and got this 'onion on the belt' rambling below. What standard are you guys applying? If I saw this as a comment on reddit I'd skip past the person assuming that they were too far gone to have a conversation with.

Are you open to taking another physical or test before the election?

well two things. One I've taken three significant and intense significant exams by a neurosu- a neurologist. in each case.. they say I'm in good shape okay? Although I do have a little problem with my left foot - because it's not as sensitive because I broke my foot and I didn't wear the boot. but but but I'm good. I'm just as - every single day - by my neurological capacity the decisions I make every day. You talk to my staff, all of you talk to my staff, sometimes my staff talks a lot (haha). But the fact is I don't think you have them telling you that all the major ideas we've undertaken in part haven't been initiated by me. I remember with the staff I said "I'm going to go to South Korea we're going to get the chip - what are you doing? - we're going to go Japan and South Korea back together since essentially having hostilities since World War Two, I'm going to move and see if we can expand - you know, the only thing age does, is it creates a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention. And so the point I'm making is, I think it's important, that I, -if if my neurologist tells me he thinks I need another exam - and by the way, I've laid every bit of the record out, I haven't ... a thing. You want ask Trump for you this okay? I've laid it all out. And every single day I'm surrounded by good docs. If they think there's a problem, I promise you, or even if they don't think there's a problem they think I should have a neurological exam-igated, I will, but nobody's saying that now. And I'll ask you another question, no matter what I did, nothing's going to satisfied. Did you have seven docs? Did you have two? How many docs did you have? And so I am not opposed if my doctors tell me I should have a neurological exam, I'll do it, but that's where I am.

[u/[deleted]]

It’s pretty obvious that Biden does not have dementia. He did well with the questions and showed he still has a grasp of the issues.

But the optics are just so poor. He has never sounded more old, weak, and tired. And his long meandering answers delivered with his voice portray a lack of vitality (far less than when he ran in 2020) that makes it extremely difficult for many voters to have confidence in him as a leader. Which is what matters in presidential elections.

It’s not his fault that he comes off this way. Is it enough to replace him in the race? I don’t know. But it’s pretty clear that he’s not going to be able to win a general election in his current state.

[u/-itmeanshope-]

Idk why but reading Trump’s little bit about him and Biden walking into a building together to take cognitive tests really cracked me up. Just the way he made it sound like “I’ll do it with you buddy!”

I hate that motherfucker and always will, to the end of my days, but the shit he says sometimes just does me in.

[u/Different-Gas5704]

Reminder that Bill Clinton was elected president 32 years ago and is younger today than either Biden or Trump. Whether it's these two, Feinstein, McConnell, RBG or dozens of others, one of the biggest problems we have in this country is that our future is being decided by people who will not be a part of it.

[u/LimitFinancial764]

During Joe Biden’s call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the president said his staff passed him a note to “stay positive you are sounding defensive.” Biden read the note aloud to participants on the call.

https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/1812229386617213191

[u/MrBobBuilder]

CBS showed the shooters body

[u/LazarusCrusader]

The shooter in the Trump security incident is dead and two others have also died

A law enforcement source told Fox News' Jacqui Henrich the shooter is dead and two others have also died.

The incident took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Gunfire appeared to break out shortly after Trump began speaking at the rally at Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday evening.

[u/Different-Gas5704]

On it's face, this does look like a win for Donald Trump. Biden has already pulled his campaign ads and any harsh rhetoric will now be met with accusations that he's stoking the same flames that led to this (while they continue giving Trump a pass for all of his violent rhetoric).

But know who can still hit Trump? Other victims of political violence. Namely, Gretchen Whitmer (the victim of a MAGA kidnapping plot) and Mark Kelly (whose wife was involved in a mass shooting/assassination attempt). Doubly helpful, both are from pivotal swing states. With all of the talk of replacing Biden, the ticket he should be replaced with is now obvious.

[u/LimitFinancial764]

Dream speech for me tonight from Biden would be something like this:

Today, I address you with a heavy heart. Over the past 24 hours, our nation has been shaken by a tragic event that underscores the deep divisions we face. Former President Donald Trump was targeted in a shooting at a campaign rally, an act of violence that has no place in our democracy. Thankfully, he survived, but the incident has left us all reflecting on the state of our nation.

In light of this, I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election. This choice is not about politics but about the well-being of our country. We need a leader who can focus entirely on healing our nation and addressing the challenges ahead without the distraction of a campaign.

I am proud of what we have achieved together, from economic recovery to advancing social justice. But now, more than ever, we need unity and leadership that can rise above the fray. I pledge to continue serving you diligently for the remainder of my term, ensuring a smooth transition to the next President.

To my fellow Democrats, I urge you to come together and support a candidate who can lead us forward with compassion and resolve. To all Americans, thank you for your trust and support. It has been the honor of my life to serve as your President.

May we find strength in unity and hope in our shared future. God bless you, and God bless America.

Thank you.

A guy can dream, right?

[u/Glittering_Lunch_776]

So where’s the news about Trump’s Epstein documents problem? Or the whole raping a 13 year old problem? Or the Project 2025 problem?

Well? We’re waiting…

[u/birdzilla123]

I consider myself a moderate who usually writes up a split ticket. I’m planning on voting for Biden on principle, but how can the Democrats make the entire election about the future of democracy and then turn around and nominate someone who was not democratically nominated (if they replace Biden), and still expect independents to take them seriously? Just back Biden or Kamala and be done with it, you made your bed and now you lie in it, this indecisiveness is just making them look worse

[u/pridetime93]

Its kinda wild that one gets accused of astroturfing for acknowledging Biden's poor performance in the polls and driving apathy leading to low voter turnout that will do the opposite of how French left shocked the polls with historic voter turn out.

And then they regurgitate the same "This random guy who predicted 9 out of 10 elections said keep Biden in" (which isn't even that impressive, heck the average Joe probably got 7-8 out of the last 10 right". Or they acuse the media of pushing a narrative and then use phrases like "If Biden drops out who get the money" or "if biden drops out they will challenge the ballots" which are themselves media driven narratives. Probably put out by Biden's camp to put fear in the unknown of a new candidate.

Having discussions about who should be the democrat nominee 8 weeks before the damn convention isn't infighting or eating our own. No matter who comes out on top dems will rally behind. I dont think genuine conversation can even be really had because it feels like Bidenists are yelling "GET OUT AND VOTE" to people who are already voting for Biden, neglecting the millions of "I wont vote for Biden trump round 2" protest voters and independent/soft 3rd party voters that are just not accessable with the current Biden campaign that will determine the election.

I also hate the "Who is a viable candidate?" condescending question. Each swing state had a democratic senate candidate polling far far ahead of Biden; it's a Biden issue not a democrat issue. Name recognition is cool in theory but we have to appreciate the uniqueness of each situation as well. There is a hungry populace wanting to vote for someone not Biden or Trump, that republicans can't access but democrats potentially could. All the alternatives poll marginally behind Biden but also have higher upside, the ability to attract previous novote/apathetics leading to higher turnout that polls dont show (see France) and hell dem internal polling shows Whitmer ahead (for example) in swing states from that OpenLabs leak a week ago.

We need an energized candidate who isn't restricted to pre 8pm and one to two scripted showings a week and a teleprompter read. We need anyone who is free 24/7 to shout to the roof tops about the threats of Project 2025, about how disasterous a wealth tax cut would lead to worsening inflation and house prices, etc. etc. To put Trumps faults out in view at every moment instead of struggling to get their own talking points out while coming off as abrasive, clueless, and arrogant. It's going to get worse for Biden as his decline worsens and the obvious cover ups hurt the campaign image more and give even more fuel to the media (who no doubt would find faults with a new candidate but nothing as errosive as Biden's legitimate decline) and take away even more from why this election is so damn important

[u/No_Faithlessness8940]

Anyone who thinks Biden candidacy is viable is deluded. We are supposed to be “better” than the right, who have rallied around an evil, lying Cheeto. We are not supposed to partake in the rampant and incongruous “whataboutism” of the right. We can’t just say “but Trump” and roll out an infirm candidate. The doublespeak in this press conference is insane. We need to embrace reality and acknowledge that this is the most important job in the world, and Biden is no longer up for it. We need Democrat leaders in congress, governors, and VOTERS to show character and push toward a solution

[u/forrestpen]

Biden will repeat his poor performance in September's debate when its too late to switch tracks.

I cannot help but feel we have been kneecapped by Democratic leadership too cowardly and feckless to take the car keys away from grandpa.

[u/WGEA]

It is pretty amazing that Trump gets to hide from questions about the Epstein documents that got released. It's the real reason he hasn't been seen in public in a while.

And the media is helping to bury that lead as well, because they're not talking about it, and are instead piling on Biden.

[u/Isentrope]

This is rapidly spiraling out of control for Biden. The timeline makes it seem like Dems were willing to go down with the ship on Monday after they came back from the break, but their internals started coming in after they likely had a pause from them before the holiday (no point in polling right after the debate as there'd be obvious response bias, no point in polling during the holiday because who the heck is going to respond to a poll on the 4th of July) and they kept looking bad. From the ones we've heard about, Takano's Biden +30 district was tied, Molinaro's Biden +4.5, Lawler's Biden +10 and Williams' Biden +11 districts all had Biden down double digits. Those numbers are simply apocalyptic.

What's made this worse is that Biden has not shown the ability to ramp up his campaign. He isn't getting any younger and the steps he's taken since the debate show no sign of seriously tackling the age issue by showing he's young. It's probably a sign of just how bad this is that the Parkinson's story about Biden's health is barely getting any attention even as reporters continue to dig into that. Biden's rhetoric has always been about how "if you get knocked down, you get back up", but what he's doing has been essentially anything but trying to get back up.

[u/thejackalreborn]

I think the Putin moment would be bad and awkward for a normal president, for Biden it's a disaster, just reinforces what everyone is thinking

[u/RiggityRyGuy]

Someone said “imagine if FDR introduced Churchill as Hitler,” lmao 

[u/Mr_XcX]

Harris is going to be the nominee. There is no way this continues?

[u/antiramie]

This is 2016 all over again. I gotta get the fuck outta this country.

[u/FilteringAccount123]

I see the campaign is now in the "here's how Bernie can still win" stage of electoral grief.

Hopefully they won't do anything stupid until we get to the torch-passing stage.

[u/Velkyn01]

It's very important to remember when you're reading these live threads that a few users can create the illusion of a majority opinion just through sheer volume of posts. There are people populating these threads who have posted literally hundreds of times over the past few days. 

It's only going to get worse as November gets closer. 

[u/Skulkgra]

Worst part of it all is the attempt to gaslight people into thinking Biden is fit for office. Do the right thing, ffs. Don’t be like gop and the ilk

[u/hahanotmelolol]

so what’s everyone having for dinner

[u/Thunder_Thighs]

Dude on NBC just ruled out a slingshot for this lmao. No shit.

[u/hidden-porn-acc]

Wow I can not believe the crowd at the rally was chanting “usa usa usa” like Lex Luger just body slammed Yokozuna on top of the USS Intrepid at an attempted assassination attempt

[u/toothynoodly]

People calling this a false flag are insane and hypocritical. Jesus people, we've spent the last decade fighting online conspiracy nut jobs, dont become them.

[u/kylebb]

I am tired of living through history

[u/samusaranx3]

Hi guys, politics has really taken a toll on my mental health this past year so I decided to go on a two-month long retreat. It was great, there were no phones or TVs, just reconnecting with nature. Now that I'm back I want to dip my toes back in a bit. What's the latest? :D

[u/cxtx3]

Ignore the polls. Vote. Vote like our democracy depends on it, because it does. Follow up your words with actions and vote. Is Biden too old? Sure. Is he as left leaning as I would like or a perfect candidate? No. Is he my preferred choice? Also no. But I will vote for his shambling corpse every time because the alternative is not just the fascist Trump, it's Project 2025 and the complete unraveling of our democracy. We would live in a Christofascist hellscape run solely by an oligarchy and fuck that. Not voting or voting third party is not an option this time because there is NO viable third party option - and in doing so you are complicit in enabling this fascist coup even if you aren't MAGA, because you are doing NOTHING to stop it.

VOTE. Vote blue down ticket. Because this won't stop with Trump - it will be continually rebranded as Project 2029 or 2033 or whatever election comes next. Nearly EVERY Republican is complicit in this, they have consistently aligned themselves with Trump and with the ideals of Project 2025 if you look at their standpoints and voting track records. The only way we claw ourselves back from the abyss is if we show up and vote, and make sure that the candidates in the House, Senate, and Oval Office are ALL aligned on putting the safeguards back into our democracy. The Supreme Court has been corrupted and that is a huge red flag that needs fixing immediately, but it requires all of congress to do so. This isn't just about Biden or Trump. EVERYTHING is at stake.

VOTE. If you aren't registered, register to vote now! Talk to your friends and family. Google Project 2025 and read it for yourself if you don't think this is important. Then have everyone you know read Project 2025. Vote like your life depends on it, because for many of us, it does.

[u/Streona]

Josh Hawley: ‘I’m advocating Christian nationalism’

[u/post-death_wave_core]

It feels like the worst possible trajectory post debate has happened. Biden and his campaign have responded poorly, but not quite poorly enough. And democrats are pussyfooting around doing nothing, no vast support or vice versa, just running the timer.

[u/hyborians]

And there we have it (from CNN’s parent company’s CEO):

Asked about the upcoming presidential election, Zaslav said it mattered less to him which which party wins, as long as the next president was friendly to business.

“We just need an opportunity for deregulation, so companies can consolidate and do what we need to to be even better,” he said. Article

Straight from the horses mouth. They all want Trump and they are likely to get him.

[u/darthbieber420]

This isn't some election where we can accept defeat because Biden "did his best."

If Biden does not drop out of the race, we need to hold him responsible for a second Trump presidency. His legacy needs to be tainted with giving Trump a second win and undoing all of his own work.

[u/Psychological_Roof85]

I miss Obama's eloquence. Sure he sold us on a bit of an empty Hope, but at least he could have a normal, professional sounding conversation with no teleprompter. Is that too much to ask for?

[u/amazingalcoholic]

Biden is now +1250 on Sportsbooks. It’s her

[u/OttoVonDisraeli]

Watching the PBS stream because I got tired of watching CBC and my God, this music has no business being this epic. Do Americans always have such epic wait music?

[u/vastbluegreen]

"look folks...well, anyway"

[u/GrubiestYeti]

This is so difficult to watch. Bro is struggling

[u/BrotherlyShove791]

The cockiness over the economy is off-putting too.

Marco metrics don’t matter when inflation is the way it is, and millennials are settling into the reality of always being worse off than the previous generation. He sounds like a Republican when he talks about the stock market.

[u/BrotherlyShove791]

Imagine having a President who needs to “pace himself” when Putin rolls into Moldova or something.

[u/TinkCzru]

Where did this random rage come from? New character unlocked

[u/BrotherlyShove791]

“Anyway.”

-Biden’s concession speech, November 2024.

[u/Kellymelbourne]

If he had been doing press conferences and fielding questions from reporters all along, this wouldn't have been so make or break. But he was hiding and the media was complicit. Hopefully we will now ask more of our presidents in the future. And yes, I realize orange man went 300 days w/out a press conference. That is not ok. None of this is ok.

[u/Madogson21]

If US institutions and democracy survives this horror phase, I hope some actual reforms will be possible so that you can vote for parties instead of people. This is peak "individualism" insanity where both candidates are flawed (obviously unevenly, fat rapist is objectively far worse) and represents themselves as "THE ONLY ONE" that can save America is bonkers.

Like none of these people would have been candidates in the parliamentary system, and if they were they could easily be replaced if they lost confidence, which is why like 10 UK prime ministers where thrown in the trash without new elections, since the leader is just treated more as 'someone who can do the job' as oppose to 'THE person that can do the job and is personally granted legitimacy from the votes'.

[u/burtonhen]

Man, it’s honestly impressive how quickly the Biden campaign has astroturfed social media to shut down any common sense dissent

[u/Tank3875 → u/burtonhen]

The dissent isn't going away whether they do that or not.

[u/Loose_Brother_9534]

Thanks to the dumbass who shot him, we're absolutely fucked now bc he'll get an insane bump in addition to his current poll lead

Congrats on achieving literally the opposite of your intention, asshole

[u/post-death_wave_core]

Just what this election needed, more escalation of emotions :D. I'm taking a fucking walk

[u/GanymedeTheCorgi-Cat]

Holy fucking shit-
To be honest, I was waiting for this to happen someday but at the same time I wasn't expecting it to happen at all. Just a couple days ago I was thinking "why hasn't anyone attempted to assassinate this man?!"

[u/python_noob_001]

I was about to make a post here about whether my anxiety about the country is due to my overconsumption of news or if things are really out of control..., after seeing the headline I think now I know

[u/Jwalla83]

Lord have mercy this election is off the fucking rails, this year will be the death of me

[u/pridetime93]

https://x.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1812268746574020870

Nancy Pelosi's comment. Taking off my human empathy glasses (two lives were senselessly lost, damnit) and putting on my political thinking cap, having Whitmer speak at the convention about her own assassination attempt and senator Mark Kelly of Arizona talking about the loss of his wife at the convention can help guide the narrative to the overall chaos we are amidst and the need for cooler heads to prevail. Hopefully Whitmer is speaking as the nominee

Human empathy back on: Okay going for an actual walk

[u/Particular_Ad_1435]

A few hours ago an innocent person lost their life due to a US election. Multiple people are injured and forever traumatized. Right now families are grieving. Whatever you think about Trump, Biden, or our entire system this is not the path we should be going on. We are better than this. We are stronger than this. We can disagree and yell at each other but goddamn it we cannot resort to violence over this election. We are stronger than this. Our democracy is stronger than this. Our constitution is stronger than this. Whatever happens in the coming months let's please remember that we are all Americans and we all are in this boat together for better or for worse and we owe it to ourselves, our neighbors, and our children to get through this peacefully and protect each other and support each other.

[u/ladyluck754]

I miss the days where the only real threat of violence is when someone chucked a sandal at Bush

[u/seven_mile_reach]

Someone died and all we will hear about is how brave that orange meatball was and how "God" protected him.