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

I don't really understand how anyone is arguing with Milo right now. He's very otm right now.

― blue light or electric light (the table is the table), Wednesday, August 12, 2020 8:32 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

WHAT THE ohh

the table calling milo otm is perfection

But what do map and Left think?

I find myself arguing on the opposite side of where I usually am, which is that political theater and appearances and a thousand other small things matter (at which point I'm usually called out for caring too much about "horse-race" trivialities). So I do understand. It just nagged at me today when she was championing Biden's commitment to civil rights--I can't unforget that memorable flare-up. And I agree with something Mad Puffin said earlier--it would be the easiest thing in the world to preemptively brush away, whether through humour or a mea culpa or whatever.

If they don't, they don't. I hope they have something credible ready when it comes up in a debate.

Or when the media gets bored six weeks from now, and they're looking for something to make an issue of.

it's just the first day of their campaign together! I thought her speech was great

I miss Οὖτις, wish he would come back

(my post was a joke about mistaking Milo to mean Yiannapolous, carry on)

And I agree with something Mad Puffin said earlier--it would be the easiest thing in the world to preemptively brush away, whether through humour or a mea culpa or whatever.

The problem is that if you take it seriously as anything other than Harris trying to claw her way to the front of the pack, you can’t just brush it aside with a joke. Whose mea culpa? His for palling around with racists and supporting them on bussing or her making one for mentioning that he palled around with racists and supported them on bussing?

It's tricky, I realize that. But I'd still like them to address it.

(xpost) I did too, 95% of it. I've always thought she has so much presence (by which I mean facility for political theatre, of course).

And if no one indeed cares, and not a single vote will be changed either way, then presumably a clumsy or less than credible attempt at an explanation will carry no cost.

that moment in the first debate seemed like a point of real connection on a personal level to me. I don't see it as a negative for them

Sure it will. Doing so makes it an issue. It’s all downside, no upside. No one who wasn’t voting for Biden will do so, but you have once again raised the specter of Biden’s history as a segregationist bro when you’re the party that can’t win without African-American voters.

I think people evolve

I don't see it as a negative for them.

I don't either--it could be a plus if addressed properly.

What I would do is have Biden say he learned from that moment, he was wrong, she's a tenacious debater, etc.

Would that just be political theater, just stuff he's saying? Probably. But since that seems to be acceptable, then great.

I'm curious if "voodoo economics" ever came up in the '80 campaign, and if so, how VP candidate Bush addressed it. Wasn't sure how to search that.

it would be good if milo could evolve from saying ‘trying to claw her way to the front of the pack’

What I would do is have Biden say he learned from that moment, he was wrong, she's a tenacious debater, etc.

There is no advantage to running on Biden's history before 2008.

See? Milo otm

she's a tenacious debater, etc.

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VjYq4vPTkWSLyrRHouqKjX.jpg

Say what?

They wouldn't be! It would be the perfect opportunity to lend credence to the notion that he's changed.

I think people evolve

I'm guessing you just flat-out reject that idea.

Anyway, I've made my point, we'll see what happens.

People evolve. People who feel compelled to tell you they've evolved have not.

The issue and the national discussion would not be her attack (unless you think she shouldn't have made it and needs to apologize), the issue and discussion would be what the attack was about, ie Biden's history.

Have you ever watched US cable news? Have you ever read a US newspaper or political news website?

Yeah, I have - and you get pieces like this
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/joe-biden-didn-t-just-compromise-segregationists-he-fought-their-n1021626

I'm sure that getting renewed coverage in the media would do wonders for African-American turnout in Pittsburgh.

If the argument is that Joe Biden should disclaim and apologize for his entire political career prior to 2008, go for it I guess? I mean, he should.

And then everything that continues to comes out of his mouth publicly, from "I think we need to RE-fund the police!" and "A M4A bill is never going to come across my desk, and I'm not even going pay lip service to the idea of ever signing one if it somehow did!" will quickly erase any notions of any true ideological shifts in his actual thinking or policy goals.

There's a reason his numbers have never been better when he was figuratively locked in a closet away from public view not saying anything while the country burned down around Trump. The less he talks, and the less anyone talks about his history, congressional or otherwise, the better his chances in November. Hopefully his campaign will lock him back into that figurative closet soon so we don't have to see anymore groan-worthy soundbites like that aforementioned yahoo news clip about the hypothetical M4A bill.

I'm guessing you just flat-out reject that idea.

why on earth would Biden evolve? he's had a charmed professional career despite being a creep and a terrible parent

God, you people are tiresome.

What's tiresome is this idea that this new, most recent milquetoast centrist donor class backed candidate put forth by the democratic party is ever going to radically "evolve", "shift leftward", or truly, fundamentally change from the behavior, beliefs, and policies that got them into that position in the first place. As evidenced by basically every presidential election since time immemorial.

I will say that I do think a Biden admin is certainly capable of shifting/pivoting/whatever, but not sure down any "evolution" on their/his part. It would take mass fucking outrage, not just bad polling. (In an ideal world that would kick off more or less immediately following election day regardless of outcome, but, y'know)

I know, I know, outrage is tiresome and we're all so very tired.

I have a question. Is your username supposed to be funny? How so?

big words from sound of scampo talk to me

mine is an inside joke about some pub snack I’ve never eaten and lcd soundsystem. And you?

I have a question. Is your username supposed to be funny? How so?

― sound of scampo talk to me (El Tomboto)

it's ok tombot i think he's just making fun of me, and i don't really count anyway

first of all harold land is the fucking GOAT according to Austin, and that's good enough for me. secondly, i think it's the "terrible parent" kind of thing that is tiresome. is he? seems like his family loves him, but what do i know. but am i really sitting here thinking of his bad parenting skills, if he has them, as yet another example of his endless failures, like that's anywhere near as relevant as his role in the 1994 crime bill, anita hill, etc? it's that kind of stuff that gets tiresome (to me).

I'm not making fun of anyone, I encountered "DARVO" and it reminded me of the DARPA initiative. that's the "joke"

I've never seen him called a terrible parent before this thread.

(His connections have done pretty well for Hunter, wish my dad had been such a bad parent!)

Probably someone has said shit about him because of hunter's drug use? Seems a stretch

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/08/will-hunter-biden-jeopardize-his-fathers-campaign

i'm tired of everything. tired and sad and just don't care. joe biden causes cancer, you know, for all i care, joe biden causes fucking cancer.

I didn't like Biden before, but that New Yorker article sealed the deal for me. Racist? Toucher? Relies on personal family tragedy to increase fortunes of professional political career? Uses political connections to aid and abet son's drug problems until they cause problems for political career?

If the guy is a good guy, I really do wonder who some of you consider a bad guy. It's like if the person isn't Hitler you'd have 'em over for a beer.

I really don’t care about any of his personal flaws. He sucks for his what he believes in and for his priorities.

I’ve had so many unhitlers over for beers, oh my god what a terrible person I am

Gotta network in case a job opens up with a Latin American coup planning office.

"Racist? Toucher? Relies on personal family tragedy to increase fortunes of professional political career? Uses political connections to aid and abet son's drug problems until they cause problems for political career?"

come on

This entire thread since 2018 or so is pretty easily reduced to two arguments which wouldn’t have much to do with each other in a slightly better timeline:

1. Joe Biden is an acceptable alternative to Trump, let’s get this done so we can make sure RBG isn’t replaced by someone else off the federalist society’s a-list

2. Joe Biden is a horrible human being arrgh omg america deserves this shit fuck everything arrgh we’re doomed

2 is more exciting hence the overwhelming majority of posts devoted to it, despite the mind-numbing repetition

please enjoy your bowl full of blood, hair, and shit, milo

Joe Biden is a horrible human being arrgh omg america deserves this shit fuck everything arrgh we’re doomed