Joe Biden, Senator from Citibank (oops, DELAWARE), to Run for President

i don't think there's a plausible scenario where biden steps down

i don't think he will, either. but any scenario that does involve him stepping down also involves a lot of public pressure to make him step down

I was all in for Bernie but I have no illusions that he’d even be considered if Biden dropped out. Just give the nomination to Inslee, I don’t give a shit, he’d be fine.

Realistically, it would have to be Sanders - dropping Biden before the election and going with anyone else would destroy turnout with Sanders voters - which is why they'd stick with Biden if he sexually assaulted someone on camera. It's Trump's 'shoot someone on 5th Avenue' but the hooting masses would be consultants, tech CEOs and Politico writers.

i don't think there's a plausible scenario where biden steps down

I don't realistically see it either unless he gets coronavirus or some kind of cognitive decline were to set in. But I've got 50 on both Klobuchar and Kamala at 250-1 so if he's looking like he's heading into the long grass I need to have a second look!

or some kind of cognitive decline were to set in

imagine

Madame Prosecutor, tough as hell on truant high schoolers, a pushover for rapists.... https://t.co/x2AXp5pWOE

— Jeffrey St. Clair (@JSCCounterPunch) April 27, 2020

I worried St. Clair wouldn't find another reason to attack Biden after Sanders lost the race!

If only it were still April and there were still dozens of primaries left on the calendar, and Democrats had multiple broadly popular candidates who could unsuspend their suspended campaigns. Would help us all avoid a lot of hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance.

— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) April 28, 2020

if all that were true, it would probably be wise to encourage the still-popular former vice president to withdraw (on his own terms, with some face-saving excuse), with plenty of time for voters to select among numerous credibly electable alternatives. alas we're locked in baby

— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) April 28, 2020

"multiple broadly popular candidates"

Therefore, if Biden survives through the convention and is elected, he has an even more progressive flank pushing him. Assuming the Senate flips (and I assume it will if the Dems win the exec branch), I don't see results much different than 2009 except we move inches forward with progressive legislation. The difference is, I see "inches forward" as progress, asynchronous with the crisis, especially in my state (with the prettiest name!) where sea level rise is a calamity that COVID-19 will sidetrack for a loonng time. I see this as an inevitability, and I don't understand how Sanders or anyone Not Biden would've stopped this sordid state of affairs.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 28 April 2020 bookmarkflaglink

like, I get you don't care about "inches forward" but that's what brown people like me have to rely on

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 28 April 2020 bookmarkflaglink

I thought it was only the left who had illusions.

"multiple broadly popular candidates"

that means winning a Bidenless race, fuckface

Nah we have to think about it, but we don't need to shit ourselves with fear, reverse the democratic results of a primary, and defenestrate a beloved elder statesman of our party in a fit of panic because of an obvious hatchet attempt comically lacking in credibility.

— CloudFactory (@Row_Boat_Cop) April 28, 2020

this you unperson?

lol trying to imagine unperson using "beloved elder statesman" even ironically

1) I didn't want Biden to be the nominee. I wanted Warren to be the nominee. Biden is the nominee, though. So I will vote for him, if and when the time comes.
2) I am not alone in thinking Reade is less credible than people radically opposed to Biden's candidacy (some who work for the Republicans, and others who think this will somehow rebound to Saint Bernie's benefit) wish to portray her as being. Is Biden a guy who touches people - men and women - more than they would like? Absolutely. Has there ever been a story of him cheating on his wife, though? Has there ever been any allegation as serious as this, in his roughly half century in public life? As far as I know, this is the first. Couple that with all of Reade's now-disappeared writings on *cough* other subjects, and...nope, Ol' Joe's definitely a rapist, and should absolutely withdraw from contention for the presidency, because that will 100% help Saint Bernie to accomplish many, many progressive goals during Trump's second term.

Only the second rape is bad, you get a freebie

So why did Fred get permabanned again?

curious how quickly the people who claim to be taking these allegations seriously shift the subject into 'and that's how bernie can become the nominee'

no rational person thinks the Democrats would nominate Sanders, so shove the strawmen

if I lived in a swing state I’d still vote for biden. none of this changes my view of him as a compromised ghoul. still better than trump. he should step down though of course while there’s still time to rally around someone else

Wait, where did this idea Bernie is somehow going to be nominee come from? The threads move fast I know so I could have missed it, but I've definitely not seen that suggeested here!

I do think the difference here b/w Trump and Biden is that 1) I don't think Biden is a serial abuser. This situation may well have happened, but he's been in the public eye long enough that if there were other allegations they'd be coming up by now and 2) I don't think anyone is passionate about Biden the way Trump supporters are about him. This is a real hold your nose and vote election; if Biden kicks the fucking bucket before inauguration, or drops out after getting the nomination and Abrahms or Harris or Klobuchar or whoever is then moved up to be the nominee, everyone is going to be fucking fine with it.

to put it another way: Trump has people who vote for Trump. Biden's base is probably 80% just voting against Trump

no rational person thinks the Democrats would nominate Sanders, so shove the strawmen

2) I am not alone in thinking Reade is less credible

― but also fuck you (unperson)

i am not alone in not wanting to talk to you or listen to you, thanks

obviously that was a rash response, and i try not to make rash responses. i'm not a saint i guess?

w/out Biden no one will reach the majority + 1 of delegates

enjoy your open convention

(and obv do I hafta say it, rules wd be invented to stop Sanders and that was always the case)

Unperson's attitude -- as disgusting as it might be -- points to the way the democratic party leadership would think around this. They absolutely don't give a shit.

ok guys what if and just hear me out what if Bernie was accused of rape and promised to never say M4A again and also say that socialism totally sucks to a room of big ticket donors would he be ok then? Or is he still off the table bc he’s old and whi—-
Ah shit this is tough. Back to the drawing board.

Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her endorsement of Joe Biden this afternoon https://t.co/bPbrqI9MhT

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 28, 2020

kind of a weird time to endorse, but ok

all i want to do is vote for someone who hasn't sexually assaulted someone.

i'm asking for very little here, i think

i.e. why we need a female president

yep, would be pretty damn nice to not have to worry about that one for an election cycle

we are so quick to forget: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/03/elizabeth-warren-tweet-on-alleged-sex-scandal.html

i would actually like to forget everything i've ever learned and become a baby, thanks

I mean, that SOUNDS good, but I’m afraid Trump already beat you to it.

BREAKING: @HillaryClinton releases special video message to Tara Reade regarding her sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden:

"You have a right to be heard and you have a right to be believed." pic.twitter.com/BjZBQIK39g

— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) April 28, 2020

why are you even sharing this dogshit?

this is clearly a good-faith effort by Team Trump that respects Tara Reade's trauma.

there are some people who just don't need to be making public statements about things

wait is that an old video lol

I just keep thinking about that Rebecca Traister piece from yesterday. at this point I almost think any woman would have to be disqualifyingly insane to want to be Biden's potential veep and subject herself to six months of this bullshit

the larry king clip is really bad

like, seems bad for biden. i don't doubt for a second that was her mom as she mentioned the existence of this clip before it was unearthed.

so at the very least, she had told people at the time that she experienced something that fell under the umbrella of sexual harassment, which was the topic of the show. whether it was as serious as the assault she regaled recently, i don't know.

Not really -- it's too vague. Yesterday's Business Insider story is worse.

and I do believe her mom called the show

that's true--she told people at the time, according to several sources.

at first, i wanted to be cautious about this story and not join the legions of bernie supporters eager to believe it. but now, i really do think that it or something like it probably happened. and that being the case, the whole smearing her as a "russian agent" is palpably disgusting and also idiotic.

i think he will step down. you can't be the democratic nominee in 2020, three years into #metoo, with something like this hanging over your campaign.

he's not going to step down