Max Berger: Here’s why Biden is toast: in this situation, any candidate in Biden’s shoes would do a series of events (interviews, press conferences, town halls, etc) to prove they are up to the task. But, Biden isn’t doing that because he can’t. He’s not capable—and that’s not going to change.

Here’s why Biden is toast: in this situation, any candidate in Biden’s shoes would do a series of events (interviews, press conferences, town halls, etc) to prove they are up to the task. But, Biden isn’t doing that because he can’t. He’s not capable—and that’s not going to change.

yeah, at this point the problem isn't the debate; it's the response to it validating everyone's concerns

Except he did do a bunch of events? That night and the next day.

Did he take any questions?

Apparently with ABC being released Friday

Hasn’t and doesn’t plan to until Friday night with Stephanopoulus

He's had an event every day except one since the debate. We're all just trapped in meta discourse hell, and nobody wants to write a "hey he seems normal every other time he's in public" article

Has he answered questions at any public or private events since the debate? My understanding is that he has not. The campaign trusts him to read off a teleprompter and not much else. He didn’t even do calls to elected officials!

I'm not sure because I've only watched a couple but he's slated to sit down with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday

I do feel like the goal posts are drifting into "impossible to prove it was a one off thing" territory though.

i’ve seen him twice since including his statement on SCOTUS which was really quite good, and I don’t watch tv or seek it out necessarily

Hey now, who are you going to believe? Max, or your lying eyes?

Will you commit to a goalpost and take on some consequence if it's met and you're wrong? Like, something that would be as life-altering for you personally as what you're calling for would be for Biden? Or will you just keep moving the goalposts? (answer: you'll just keep moving the goalposts)

I can’t believe he’s not taking questions from the press corp… bsky.app/profile/kevi...

“What makes you so confident you should be president?” is an actual question a reporter shouted at the incumbent who just warned about a reckless court decision that imperils democracy

I'm not even American and even I know that's not true. www.msnbc.com/chris-jansin...

Biden speaks with Schumer, Pelosi and Clyburn after debate falloutwww.msnbc.com President Joe Biden has spoken to Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jim Clyburn after concerns were raised about his presidential debate performance.

bsky.app/profile/kell... But since when do you care about facts or truth?

Fyi, Biden was busy giving an interview to a black radio station in Milwaukee during the day on Wednesday www.wpr.org/news/biden-b...

Biden courts Black voters in Milwaukee radio interviewwww.wpr.org In an interview on "The Truth with Sherwin Hughes," Biden highlighted his record on issues that affect African Americans to draw a distinction between himself and former President Donald Trump.

Here’s the thing tho: who gives a shit

literally tens of millions of american voters who think joe biden is mentally incapable of being president, my guy

At this point the issue is that the media is poisoned against the candidate. What can you do, really? The right thing to do might be different from what's pragmatic.

The debate WAS that opportunity to break through the media bubble and show everyone, in a live, televised environment, that he was still sharp. Dispel the age narrative. Unfortunately, that opportunity went terribly. Now he's back behind the media curtain, same as May, where reality doesn't matter.

He's done plenty of public events. But more central to the point, of all the adjectives I might use to describe ditching the incumbent candidate four months before the election with no particularly acceptable method for replacing him, "pragmatic" is not one of them

That’s one way to put it another way to put it is that his appearances have not been convincing

none of which have settled folks' fears or moved the conversation onwards.

Is that because the fears are well-founded, or do we agree the sky is falling if enough people shout it loud enough?

I think when half your campaign and party leaders are leaking to the press that they're shitting bricks, and you're not putting it to bed with some urgency, there's a problem that's a lot bigger than a few folks on social media thinking the sky is falling

Do you think the media covered Clyburn's statements honestly?

At the bare minimum, it shows he can’t get on the phone with his own damn party and tell them to stay on message, which just furthers the impression that he’s not fit enough to be behind the wheel.

You didn’t even know he has been at rallies or is giving an interview on Friday, sir, come on

Uhhhhhhh which leaks, exactly? And how is this not "putting it to bed"?

Your too-public panic attack is not POTUS’s priority. Log off for a few days. Chill out. Enjoy the holiday weekend. Check back on Monday. ✌️

I would frankly feel more comfortable if the situation is that Biden's getting ready to decide not to run & this is what the process looks like from outside than if he's staying in & there's just no discipline or strategy.

Most of the party leaders are in the same age bracket and aren't at the top of their game, either. Are they ready to 'step aside?'

Why is this only affecting people with college degrees and not us who do not have one?

The leaks are apparently from donors and bundlers, described as advisors as part of editorial confirmation bias.

We’re four months out. Be realistic. Vote Biden, get Harris! #Biden #Harris #elections #vote elections

Yeah - though that would suggest that Biden's *actual* condition is irrelevant to this.

Which may be the most important conclusion anyway; this is politics, perception is reality, etc.

That kind of implies an unwillingness to have these “fears” settled or to change topics. At a certain point if he’s doing exactly what he *should* be doing we should be exploring why the press is hyperfixated on having this conversation rather than any of the important ones.

In the first instance the campaign validated those fears with the debate. The question is if the campaign can get out from under them, and that's not just purely a question of the media

Or to put it another way, brushing this under the carpet as a "media obsession" was perhaps plausible strategy until the debate; it's not really one after it

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