Tell me I'm wrong: A bunch of the media and donor class panicked, for good reason, after the debate. Made a big coordinated push to make Biden step aside. Didn't work, wounding pride of lots of big egos. Now too miffed to concede so stuck denying that Biden can win to justify continued aid to Trump.
I think you’re overlooking two things:
1) It became clear post-debate that Biden’s staff had been less than transparent about his fitness for office;
2) Biden and his inner circle didn’t just botch the debate — they also failed abysmally at damage control.
Basically, everyone in Biden world is pinning their hopes to this TV interview, and everyone else is waiting for them to see that's not going to turn it around.
I responded to a text request for $ by noting that of course I'll vote for Biden if he's the nominee but that I think it would be best for the country were he to step aside and let Harris run the vigorous race that the moment demands. So that ought to resolve things. You're welcome.
My biggest hope is that our goldfish brains will have this whole debacle far in the rear view mirror by November because something - anything - even more idiotic than we know finally sticks to Trump
(insurrection, rape, incompetence, racism, fraud, & dictatorship hasn’t done it so idk I can dream)
If he were planning on getting out, I hope like hell they would keep it *absolutely* locked down for a couple of weeks to make sure they had all their ducks in a row for unified messaging, and then announce absolutely as soon as possible in order to maximize the chance of a swift and decisive DNC.
they don't have the luxury of weeks. If they're going to do it, they need to call Harris into a room, and tell her she's up, hand her the keys and the time the next day they're going public with it
If this is done in a panicked dash in a matter of days, it will be slipshod and patched-together and that is not a recipe for success in Presidential elections.
Spending a couple of weeks with poor Biden messaging is survivable if it results in a strong, unified party backing a Harris candidacy.
If Harris becomes the nominee next week, followed by the RNC the following week, don't you think they'll have an advantage in defining her before we get a chance?
You’re not wrong, but I would like to think “if you can keep your fucking mouth shut about this for a few days then we can have Harris as a nominee, and if you can’t then we won’t” would be both extremely reassuring and a strong incentive to exactly the kind of Dem who is having kittens over this.
They had a good start last Friday am with his event in NC, but since then, no event that creates any real push towards a story that directly says, "it was just an off night." Filling that void is a bunch of "maybe this wasn't a one off."
I think the worst - and most likely - case for this TV interview is that Biden goes out and does fine
not great, not knocking it out of the park, but not badly enough for his team to throw in the towel
so his team thinks he did enough to stay in and the deluge of leaks continues
I’m convinced Biden’a going to do a fine, not great but totally fine interview, and Biden world is going to declare victory.
I’m really worried it won’t be enough, but they’ll view it as enough
Fine is he addresses the questions. Speaks a little stilted and raspy, but doesn’t lose his train of thought. Some of his usual stuttering, but nothing that feels like he jumped a rhetorical track.
Great is he seems lively and energetic. Doesn’t sound raspy. Reminds people of the State of the Union
“Warner getting group together to ask Biden to step down”
“Biden staff members concerned about how closely he’s being managed”
“Top donors pulling funds from Dems”
“Dems start moving to Harris behind the scenes”
etc
those types of stories will continue imo
yeah I mean maybe it’s not the best language (though I feel like the stories about Dem anguish behind the scenes are fairly characterized as leaks) but ultimately it’s semantics; my point is the “Biden should drop out” stories won’t be halted by the interview and it appears so far I am correct
I sure hope so!
what I want to see if he’s staying in is stories like “important Dems get back on board with full throated support” “efforts to push Biden out fizzle” “senators reassured by Biden in meeting”
the Biden folks need to get everyone back on board if he’s staying in and do it soon
I think it's weird that I've seen takes about Biden's response to the Warner story, assuming that Biden implied he tried to run this year, and not what he did. Literally projecting a made up gaffe.
We’re stuck in a bit of psychological trap. He won’t/can’t do it under pressure. If something knocks the story into a background noise hum, then they’ll think they’re through it and won’t do it. Not sure how he gets the space to go out strong while still having it be clear he needs to go out.
To me, I’m not seeing leaks with any great concern. But everyone has now worked themselves into a frenzy. I’ve seen big accounts be slowly convinced over the last 24 hrs that he’s gotta drop out…but all I’ve seen so far is a whole lot of noise and not much signal.
Like, the anxiety is real and I feel it too and I’m fucking worried as hell but it’s too late to make a switch ffs! We are making this a self fulfilling prophecy when we really don’t have to!!
And to be clear I’m not worried about his ability to be president. I’m worried (and suspect many others are too) of OTHER people worrying and deciding he’s too old. It’s all very self inflicted.
completely agree, and they still don't understand that a single abc interview on a holiday weekend is not going to reach many people and is not even close to enough.
biden needs to be in front of cable tv cameras every single day until nobody treats this as a serious concern. anything else is bad.
media landscape shifted in a night and they still don't get it. we're locked in. we know he's done a rally, a radio show, and an address.
but normies? maybe the last one? so to them after questions of his fitness following a bad debate, they've seen him once for fifteen minutes.
not gonna cut it
they need to fucking throw biden in front of the media as much they can. surprise appearances at pressers. have him take a public walk to the steps of SCOTUS for a speech and questions.
for once the media wants to see biden as much as possible. fucking give it to them in the best way you can.
This isn’t live, so I think his team will get more out of this than the viewers. They and Biden will know if he’s putting the world in jeopardy and if he should bow out after this performance.
