Brian Beutler: The premature data the campaign has cited thus far to make Biden seem like the safe choice actually underscores how precarious the situation already is. And that’s without imagining all the stumbles we can expect between now and November.

It makes some sense for Dem officialdom to act unbowed before a damage assessment is complete. But once it’s done, we must insist Biden’s advisers be honest with themselves and then with him. And we can help make sure that happens.

What We Can Expect Of The People Closest To Joe Bidenwww.offmessage.net No one can force Biden to make a rational decision, but he certainly won't if the people he respects refuse to level with him—or with themselves.

The premature data the campaign has cited thus far to make Biden seem like the safe choice actually underscores how precarious the situation already is. And that’s without imagining all the stumbles we can expect between now and November.

What We Can Expect Of The People Closest To Joe Bidenwww.offmessage.net No one can force Biden to make a rational decision, but he certainly won't if the people he respects refuse to level with him—or with themselves.

Biden and his advisers don’t just need to be willing to read data clearly. They need to be able to perceive their environment clearly. www.offmessage.net/p/what-we-ca...

An alternate needs to be treated as a course that *will* be taken if it’ll help the country save its democracy. Biden should be expected to marshal irrefutable evidence that a new ticket would somehow make things worse. Thus far, he has not come close.

What We Can Expect Of The People Closest To Joe Bidenwww.offmessage.net No one can force Biden to make a rational decision, but he certainly won't if the people he respects refuse to level with him—or with themselves.

Uh, doesn't the alternative have to marshal irrefutable evidence that the ticket would be better off. Given the costs of making a change the burden is even higher on the change course people.

Psst: not sure if you're aware of this, but while you're pissing your pants about an old guy, a bunch of fascists just decided that we should have a king and is ruling that way.

I mean, in what fucking world does the Dems replacing Biden look like anything other than surrender ... to pants pissers who write columns about pissing their pants? A big campaign message that screams "I'm weak!"

Try doing actual politics. Appeal to the lizard brain. That's how the GOP wins.

"Trump wants to give guns to everyone - including murderers!"

Unfollowing. I just do not have time for this sort of bedwetting over one bad debate.

But he has. He is in a dead heat with Trump. Meaning he has a coin flip chance of victory. What hypothetical candidate would be able to credibly claim they could do better in a hasty open convention, untested, usurping the black female VP, and in violation of democratic voters’ preferences?

FFS, it's four months till the election, & the VAST majority of voters have not seen how batshit crazy Trump is now. It's INSANE that there are all these stories about Biden's cognitive decline, when Trump is out there spewing complete word salad every fucking day.

Setting aside that it's pretty difficult to "marshal irrefutable evidence" about much of anything, how could you possibly expect someone to do that about a future event that depends on the votes of over 100 million people?

Purely from a practical standpoint, which potential alternative candidate could realistically have a good chance at winning?

I hear Unnamed Young White Male Democrat has good numbers. Everybody else is pretty borked for one reason or another.

*Unnamed Young White Straight Male.

*bowing politely* I stand corrected.

I’m not satisfied with the sequence of adjectives, though. Seems clunky. I could’ve just said “not Buttigieg”.

Oh he’s the best! He’s especially good at bipartisanship, which is crucial, isn’t it?

The problem is that Biden's advisors made their decision months ago, so that ship has sailed. There are only three people that can make the decision to change course moving forward...President Biden, Jill Biden and Barack Obama. No one else.

[Vizzini poisoned wine glass meme]...

This is the most dishonest part of their rationale: that he will “bounce back” from a campaign stumble like other candidates have. You don’t “bounce back” from deterioration.

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