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

in your heart...

Bernie Sanders co-chair: Voting for Joe Biden like eating 'half a bowl of s–t' https://t.co/c4APKd3QyN pic.twitter.com/ytNu1o8xw1

— New York Post (@nypost) July 27, 2020

Strategy/advice from the kind of mainstream Democrat ILX loathes (doesn't matter who):

5. Whatever you do, don't debate Trump. Trump has now made more than 20,000 misleading or false statements according to the Washington Post. It's a fool's errand to enter the ring with someone who can't follow the rules or the truth. Biden will undoubtedly take heat from Republicans and the media for skipping the debates. But it's worth the risk as trying to debate someone incapable of telling the truth is an impossible contest to win.

Not sure about that one at all. While I wouldn't go seeking debates, to turn them down would unleash a avalanche of speculation (what is he hiding, his fitness, etc.) It'd give Trump something to grab onto at a time when he nothing. Trump's relationship to the truth is pretty well documented by now--can't see that that would be a problem with anyone leaning even slightly in the direction of voting him out.

He can and should agree to a few debates, but don't be goaded into shit like 50 debates or a live cognitive function test shootout.

Mockingly dismiss that shit as the desperation ploy it is, and keep smiling.

Ditto this type of thing - Susan Collins demanding 16 debates:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/as-pandemic-limits-scrutiny-gop-fears-lesser-known-democratic-candidates-will-steamroll-to-senate-majority/2020/07/24/e7087534-cde3-11ea-b0e3-d55bda07d66a_story.html

Traditional "debates" are pointless. Trump will unleash a tidal wave of his usual rote phrases ("beautiful," "the best ever," "many people are saying," "no one has ever before") and bullshit. The questions should be factual in nature. "What does the 14th Amendment state?" "Which Cabinet agency is in charge of the United States' nuclear arsenal?" Stuff Biden knows, and Trump would fumble and try to bullshit through. It's not about proving that Trump is unfit at this point. That's established, in the minds of a majority of voters. What needs to be done now is to assure/reassure anyone who needs it that Biden will be better at the actual duties and responsibilities of the job.

Debate is dumb because both of them are champion bullshitters, but for one of this is an asset and for the other it is a liability.

VP debate better idea.

Dual best idea.

In the first debate, Biden should preface his first answer with, “I often think about the advice that the first thing a person should do when out into prison is find the biggest person in the yard and immediately pick a fight to gain respect,” then turn to Trump and say, “Here I am, shitstain. Take your best shot, try to get your self-respect back. I DARE YOU.” When Trump demurs, he should punch Trump repeatedly in the face while yelling “ARE YOU ENTERTAINED, AMERICA??? ARE YOU?” and then go into the details of his jobs plan as the Secret Service drags him off the stage.

still just need the Sons Debate

Wives debate.

I don't care do u

just bring Michelle Obama out to debate Melania

Melania will just repeat everything she says

but there's a 'ding' on the end, so it's a different song

they can't afford michelle's speaking fee

You don't need to change the tide. Running mates don't do that in a positive way anyway. You want someone who can raise money, be a son of a bitch, be loyal, not leak, help you govern, and be plausible for '24. Warren gets most of those. She's probably too old and white. https://t.co/twRNUguUzN

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) July 28, 2020

"anarchists should be prosecuted" i'm sorry is it 1917? we're doing criminal syndicalism and sedition laws? https://t.co/xu05gPDcci

— David Forum 🦅 🇨🇺 (@zlingray) July 28, 2020

incredible

furious Joe Biden won't say on television what we all obviously think which is that arson is great

well sure, if you've got the fire investigator in your pocket

important not to keep in the back pocket, when you sit down, might kill him

learned about this by hate-reading a george will column in support of joe biden

Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden has said, "Fracking is not going to be on the chopping block," if he's elected president, a statement which may rile left-leaning climate change activists and supporters of renewable energy.

An interviewer with Pennsylvanian ABC News affiliate WNEP, asked Biden, "We're losing a lot of jobs overseas, losing jobs to COVID-19, and if fracking is on the chopping block, how are you going to help these displaced workers?"

Biden responded, "Well, fracking is not going to be on the chopping block," Biden said. "Right now the president gives [an] advantage to companies that go overseas and invest overseas by reducing the taxes they have to pay on foreign profits. I'd double that tax and do that on day one."

https://www.newsweek.com/biden-says-fracking-jobs-wont-chopping-block-if-hes-elected-1516793 (<--from July 9, which i think is ONE day after the climate task force (AOC+Kerry+others) recommendations were released

didn't realize biden was being allowed to speak to the press, seems like a mistake

press usually gives cookies to Dems for being economically nationalist

Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden has said, "Fucking is not going to be on the chopping block," if he's elected president, a statement which may rile left-leaning climate change activists and supporters of renewable energy.

those guys fuck

"resultant paste" comes to mind

Surely it’s not actually necessary to have Biden talk to people. Being the embodiment of the Generic Democrat from polling questions has worked so well thus far.

chant:

half-a-bowl-o-shit
half-a-bowl-o-shit

(CONFETTI)

^man, Lou Reed was really on a downslide in his last years

Sounds like it’s Kamala

Why? Because of the leaks about Biden staffers trying to block her?

bcz of this story? https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/biden-photographed-with-kamala-harris-talking-points-as-running-mate-speculation-grows-1.5043316

Ooh, hadn't seen that.

I’m with Reid. She has heavy odds but it is not a lock. Part of me tends to think that if it was going to be Harris it would already be Harris. https://t.co/VHqJJe0JHl

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) July 29, 2020

The fellow in the article was wrong in phrasing but correct in principle; if she cannot absolutely subsume her interests to Biden’s, she doesn’t belong there. I myself did it, Bush Senior, and so forth. It must work like that. It must. And they doubt she can and that’s a problem. https://t.co/CQ1OlpKQvN

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) July 30, 2020

seemed like those talking points Biden had were prepared in case he was asked about Chris Dodd's negative comments on Kamala--not necessarily a tip that she's the pick

Yeah that makes more sense to me

Twitter Nixon is right enough about veeps in the couple of tweets posted recently. "You want someone who can raise money, be a son of a bitch, be loyal, not leak, help you govern, and be plausible for '24" is the right laundry list. Warren is too old and white to be a good fit, even with her other strengths and the big q-mark about Harris is whether she could co-exist peacefully with Biden and swallow her tongue each time Biden does or says something she feels indignant about. Picking a veep who can't act subservient regardless of their private opinions is putting a loose cannon on deck in a rolling sea.

The fellow in the article was wrong in phrasing but correct in principle; if she cannot absolutely subsume her interests to Biden’s, she doesn’t belong there. I myself did it, Bush Senior, and so forth. It must work like that. It must. And they doubt she can and that’s a problem.

1) what a fucking dork
2) can he just give us this schtick since half the time he now doesn't even pretend to be in character?

I just had a passing thought which may be of interest. If Harris is considering being veep as a step toward a presidential run in 2024, then she would necessarily run while Biden was still in office, which, depending on Biden's record of success or failure, might put her into Hubert Humphrey's dilemma of having to run on Biden's record, even to supporting all his actions as the campaign was happening, or else force her into actively distancing herself from Biden while still being VP under him. Could get awkward.

On the one hand, the need for total loyalty is way overstated, on the other, I really doubt Kamala Harris would find herself constantly at odds with Biden and always forced to hold her tongue.

I also think if Biden wins, there's a pretty good likelihood he'll also run for re-election. I don't buy all the one term stuff.

(xpost) The Humphrey analogy is a good one; "or else force her into actively distancing herself from Biden while still being VP under him" would basically be Gore/Clinton.

This whole scenario of active distancing is wildly speculative.

Sure it is. This is the Political Speculation Room.

Are these really the calculations, though?

I kinda feel like it's all about whether the running mate gains more votes than she loses.

There's a group of voters who would think, "Good choice. Woman? Check. Woman of color? Check. Accomplished, apparently smart and savvy, charismatic? Check. We're on board."

There's another group of voters who would think, "Seriously? Read the room. In a time of utter disgust at cops of all sorts, you choose... a cop. Fuck you, Joe."

The only worthwhile calculations here are: (1) which group is bigger? and (2) where do they live?

The main reason Gore distanced himself from Clinton was the perceived lingering stain of the impeachment, and it was still a terrible strategy.

We have no reason to assume a similar situation will happen with Biden & Harris, nor that following the Al Gore playbook is a good idea.

I didn't mean to imply it was a good strategy by Gore, just observing that that's what he did.

The main reason Gore distanced himself from Clinton was the perceived lingering stain of the impeachment

"Lingering stain" is particularly apt here

"Lingering stain" "Lingering stain" "Lingering stain"

My point was that using the veep as a step to the presidency is always a career move with built in hazards. It couples your political identity with the president's and you are no longer in control of it. Veeps have no power over anything, but become appendages with no independent volition.

"Lingering stain" is an onomatopoeia.

More and more, I'm thinking that Susan Rice would be a good pick. Hard to imagine the Benghazi stuff resonates to anyone who isn't already voting for Trump.