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Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

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Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#761

Post by smlavine »

sparky_z wrote: post #126
majewsky wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It seems super late in the game but okay. Why does the US in specific have such drawn-out campaigns? Earlier this week, I saw a pundit commenting that 4 months before the election is too short notice to pick a new candidate. But there's countries in Europe that announce elections, pick candidates, do the campaigns, go to the pools, do the counts, and have the electees take office, all in less than 4 months (see e.g…

Because elections here aren't "announced". They're on a fixed 4-year schedule. Everyone knows they're coming, and if they start just a little sooner than the other guy this time, that may give them an advantage. Over time, it creeps earlier and earlier. Like retail stores putting out Christmas stuff in mid-october. Obviously, in great Britain's recent election, nobody knew there was going to be an election until it w…

Great Britain's election season is shorter compared to the US in part because they don't need to spend so much time choosing the candidates. Various prospective parliamentary candidates were already selected months before, and Keir Starmer was the Labour Party's "PM candidate" since all the way back in 2020! But since in the US the parties are so much larger and multidimensional (and internally democratic in terms of choosing the candidates), that takes up most of the time that we think of in a Presidential election.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#762

Post by qingcharles »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #431
temporarely wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a "radical" idea: why not actually let the constituency of this party make the choice.

It's barely been a few hours yet I've seen this idea making the rounds. Seems manufactured.

It's a common system in other countries, though.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#763

Post by Capricorn2481 »

trentnix wrote: post #4
skilled wrote: post #2

It’s for the best. The man is not in his best form and he has repeatedly shown that he isn’t. He attempted to rectify the situation since the debate but even those attempts fell short. Let’s see who is going to take the mantle now. /edit: he is endorsing Kamala, https://nitter.poast.org/JoeBiden/status/1815087772216303933

[flagged]

Republicans would have to confirm a VP replacement, which they won't do. So even if he had to resign, he would be held hostage by Republicans because they would rather he lead the country badly than let someone else take over.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#764

Post by Workaccount2 »

netsharc wrote: post #503
dimal wrote: post #479

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> probably Harris is the simplest answer And probably the wrong answer. I don’t see her winning over swing voters. Gretchen Whitmer seems like the best option to me. I’d enjoy watching her debate Trump.

The 2 parties' bases will vote for whoever their candidate is, and their work is just to convince the undecideds. An HN commenter a while ago wrote, they don't get who in the hell can be so stupid/ignorant to still be undecided in this election. I feel like to win them over, the candidates have to rely on the halo effect, ie. sadly even just on looks. The young and fit-looking Whitmer, or Newsom, seem to be the best…

The big thing isn't getting people to choose who to vote for, it's getting them motivated to come out and vote.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#765

Post by eightysixfour »

twodave wrote: post #715

As a registered Republican who voted IND in 2016 and then for Trump in 2020 (which probably puts me in about a 0.1% minority on a site like this), I feel upset that the democratic process for choosing a nominee for the Democratic Party is about to just get bypassed. Are other folks feeling this? I’d be even more riled up if this were my party telling me, “Oh, that guy you voted for in the primaries? We thought he cou…

No, I am angry at Biden, he shouldn’t have run again. He is the one that created this situation by not accepting his obviously growing limitations. While the lack of real primary competition will further reinforce the elitist “kingmaker” perception of the Democratic Party, I also can’t really blame them for working within the system and the one we have doesn’t encourage hard primaries against your own incumbent President.

For reference, in February 2019, the RNC voted to provide undivided support to Trump. A few states outright cancelled their primaries.

All things considered, I’ll take an elitist party with a whiny progressive arm over a President and party that tried to stop the peaceful transition of power.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#766

Post by malloryerik »

avar wrote: post #590
tiffanyh wrote: post #533

Putting politics aside … Why don’t they have an age limit on the president (or any elected office)? E.g., you must be younger than the average life expectancy (currently men: 73yo / female: 79) - while in office. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html

> you must be younger than > the average life expectancy > (currently 73yo) - while in > office. As an aside, it's a common error to think that overall life expectancy is relevant to this sort of thing, it's not. That number includes those who die in infancy, etc. If you wanted to limit it by "life expectancy" you'd want to limit it by the statistical expected remaining years of life at the candidate's current age .…

Still, people age very differently. Some octogenarians are completing triathlons. Medicine also seems likely to increase longevity.

Think of the many who through their 80s were cogent, even masterful. Examples include Warren Buffett, John Searle, Hubert Dreyfus, George Soros, Henry Kissinger, Clint Eastwood, and with women it’s probably even more common, and we can look to Nancy Pelosi, or indeed my own grandmother. Whatever memory slowdown there may be is compensated for by depth of experience.

Then there are those who lose it in their sixties.

In many ways it seems that ageism is one of the last acceptable prejudices.

In Biden’s case, I was struck by the difference in him before and after his son Beau’s death. It seemed like he never recovered. Charisma gone. Eyes turned beady and body stiff. Despite that he was an active and successful president (should be admitted no matter one’s politics), though unpopular.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#767

Post by eBombzor »

readthenotes1 wrote: post #29
strangelove026 wrote: post #8

Dannnnnng. I think it's definitely for the best (probably never should've come to this, reminds me of RBG). And that said I really, really liked his presidency, but, he is undeniably really old.

The problem isn't just his age, it's his decrepitude, both physical and mental. I know people in their 90s who are able to speak clearly at any hour of the day...

Am I wrong to think that whoever is appointed to Presidency is just a figurehead of the actual administration, and that it really doesn't matter how functional he actually is? I'm not defending or endorsing Biden, but from my eyes we vote for the administration, not for the person.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#768

Post by drewcoo »

lisper wrote: post #603
tiffanyh wrote: post #533

Putting politics aside … Why don’t they have an age limit on the president (or any elected office)? E.g., you must be younger than the average life expectancy (currently men: 73yo / female: 79) - while in office. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html

Airline pilots have a legally mandated retirement age of 65. Running the country seems like it's at least as mission-critical as flying a plane.

And no one past grade 12 is eligible to be a Girl Scout. Running the country seems like it's at least as mission-critical as selling Samosas.

That's a silly argument.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#769

Post by Spivak »

lolinder wrote: post #732
loughnane wrote: post #709

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a similar thought. It would be bold to pluck a republican of the old order as a gesture to the many republicans who now feel like men without a party. Romney would be an interesting choice. I remember this[0] article in the globe where a columnist who dragged him during his presidential run apologized after seeing how bad things could be. Like you say though, hard to imagine any party conjuring the courage to d…

> hard to imagine any party conjuring the courage to do something like that even if they thought it was wise. They would if they sincerely believed that losing this election would doom democracy. If they nominate a straight polarized political ticket instead of one that can actually unify everyone who doesn't want to see a second Trump term then we know that they don't actually believe their own apocalyptic rhetoric.

I think both choices are defensible here depending on what factors you think are more important. If you think you can actually sway moderate Republicans away by giving them a home in the VP (I think Romney would only do numbers as the actual nominee) then a split ticket makes sense. If you think mobilizing your base like Obama in 2008 and get more of the non-voting population to show up at the polls then a "polarized" ticket makes sense.

Re: Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate

#770

Post by dclowd9901 »

apexalpha wrote: post #61

From Europe, so not as much skin in the game as others here. But jeez the Democratic party needs to new leadership. And I don't mean Harris or whoever, but the party leadership itself. The gaslighting in the past year about Bidens age was insane to watch. Literally asking people to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.

You’ve got it exactly right. The DNC has been a clown show since as long as I can remember. Probably Clinton? Obama was an obvious favorite at his time, the party couldn’t even get Clinton across the line against Trump and Trump was so bad, most people voted anything but. Basically it’s all been accidental success.

The party is run by a weird mix of blue dogs who don’t really reflect progressive values, and left wing extremists who kowtow to the dogmatic sect of the party. The middle class, who they’re _supposed_ to represent are completely forgotten.

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