iNow

And for those same reasons, reports suggest he’s who Trump is most afraid of facing if Biden isn’t any longer on the ticket

The anti-Trump portion of the voting populace is quite a bit larger than the pro-Biden portion of the voting populace. The challenge (as I cited a while back in this thread) is apathy and people choosing either not to vote or to waste their vote on a 3rd party candidate (de facto making it a vote FOR Trump). That lack of energized turnout then has an amplified and disastrous effect by hurting congressional raises in the house and senate down the ballot. Some of those races are exceedingly close and can be won or lost by a few hundred votes… and all of them will get challenged in courts led by Trump appointed judges. This is where the panic is. Trump cannot be allowed back into power AND a GOP led congress will only further harm our efforts to curb climate change and avoid reductions in women’s bodily autonomy AND he’d support Putin and pull us out of Ukraine and NATO and ad infinitum. Gaming this out, I’d like to see the Republican convention happen then finish, Biden announce his stately decision to pass the torch to Kamala Harris at their own Democratic convention, then have Harris choose Gretchen Whitmer as her VP. A double female ticket will create enough energy to totally reset the narrative, drive tons of excitement and turnout, and they could probably even carry the critical 3 electoral states of Wisconsin, Michigan (where Whitmer is Governor), and Pennsylvania. Then Joe gets newly celebrated for once again putting his country first and is considered to be one of the best most selfless presidents we’ve ever had (similar to how George Washington is still celebrated for voluntarily giving up his presidency and setting the example for the next 250 years).

Benghazi!

I screwed the pooch, eh?

Right, but irrelevant. I asked how to bring in NEW people and did so with subtle snark about profit motives to highlight how pollyannish your idea appears. But even ignoring that, if these self-motivated people you cite are already onboard then they’re clearly not part of the population under discussion. I see, but Polk county is easily the best educated and most cosmopolitan part of the state. Perhaps you meant to cite Adam’s or Adair county? Never mind, more to the point: How is this new meandering bigoted rant relevant to your broader uneducated annxieties about global energy supply and sustainability? I haven’t had an exchange this disjointed since my neighbors kid came by after sniffing glue. I hear the Iowa State Fair is one of the best in the country, though.

You’re not in a sandbox, though. You’re in a litter box pissing on everything you see while contributing nothing more than turds

Bad governance and easily duped voters who believe too much hogwash is my guess

How would we motivate others to get onboard? Maybe some sort of stipend or financial reward, perhaps?

Sustainability and people over profit? Sometimes the wiser move is to wait for the storm to pass and recognize not everyone is facing equal threat.

Until and unless a) Biden voluntarily steps down, or b) someone challenges him at the upcoming convention and somehow manages to win, then it’s all moot and we’re engaged in little more than a circular firing squad where we self-immolate and eat our own young as the rabid coyotes and wolves howl and laugh and anxiously lick their salivating lips while we do.

I can’t agree with you here. While I agree there’s a decent risk that Biden will cease to be fit before the end of a 2nd term in 4 years, as it stands today he’s been an outstandingly and surprisingly successful POTUS. There are essentially two different faces of any presidency which matter: 1) The public perception and how the populace “feels” about them… the “I wanna have a beer with that guy” mentality. This is the “vibes” component of every presidency and impacts elections and social chatter like we’re engaged in here. Then, there’s 2) The back office nitty gritty navigation of global geopolitics, global economy, and global threat landscapes… ensuring leaders across the government are clear and successfully on mission… setting up the country for future success 10 years from now, building things to make the lives of our kids and grandkids better, and leaving things better than how they found them upon entering office. I’ll grant that Biden isn’t great at the vibes game and clearly has some serious grandpa energy, but suggesting he isn’t “fit to run the country” is… to put it plainly… ridiculous. He inherited a seriously bad hand and despite that has expertly played it. In terms of the meaningful things presidents do behind the scenes (I.e. NOT golfing or finding ways to bilk rubes out of their paychecks or coming up with rude nicknames for rape victims), old grandpa Joe has been delivering and performing well above average. He has positioned the US incredibly well after a global pandemic and amid multiple kinetic wars and trade disputes and a rise of right wing authoritarianism in every direction. He’s moved the needle noticeably across multiple metrics. I know I’m not your average American voter, but I for one value the latter of those two faces of the presidency far more than “vibes.” I also see his opponent as far worse across all metrics so the choice is profoundly easy. I’d vote for a moldy ham sandwich and tray of gas station sushi over Trump and if/when it’s Biden v Trump, then it’s a no brainer. But here’s the point that matters: Until further notice, Biden is who is on the ticket. End program. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. He won the democratic primaries… And this remains true regardless of how many people wish for something else or shout from the sidelines that Biden should quit. It remains true regardless of how many well intentioned folks suggest that some of us here are “looking at it the wrong way” from the safe comfort of their foreign countries. I’m quite clear headed on the very real challenges ahead, have been honest about how Biden looks and performed, and have acknowledged that others might potentially have a better chance to energize voters, but none of that matters. We must play the cards we’re dealt, not the cards we dreamt about holding during a wet dream last night. ✌️

The House GOP is now moving to subpoena multiple WH aides regarding Bidens cognitive state so they can continue making hay out of this through September and October as election approaches. https://www.axios.com/2024/07/10/biden-house-oversight-committee-subpoena-aides I’m reminded of how Speaker Johnson spoke of invoking the 25th Amendment after the debate. But sure, I’m certain this is all happening in good faith bc they want our nation and our allies around the world to be safe. 🙄

Meanwhile there were several very large very well funded oil and gas companies there who were quite pleased with the way he represented them and more or less bankrolled every one of his election wins. /rimshot

Let’s assume for the sake of discussion that there is such a plan. It’s a great plan. The best plan you’ve ever see or heard of. A beautiful plan. How would you implement it, or find it? How would you deal with people who actively block it for their own personal self interest and avarice?

Yeah, I’m like a cockroach that way.

After a stroke, he died today. Good riddance to his bad governance

My bad. I didn't see that, but in retrospect now can.

Unless it highlights a flaw in our model, one which suggests an update is needed

That it equals mass times the speed of light squared

This post should land in the Trash Can, not because it’s ridiculous, but because it’s a waste of bandwidth with no actual discussion points.

Oh, well as long as you’re sure, that’s more than good enough for me! /sarcasm

Turns out the meeting today will also include senate dems

His interview with Stephanopoulos didn’t help, and may even have exacerbated concerns. Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries meets with House Dems Sunday where calls to step aside will only grow more intense

I understand. We were talking passed one another. Apologies for that. My main struggle is how you’re pulling a number out of your butt. My numbers, while not precisely aligned with your focus, were at least able to be validated while in parallel touching upon the remarkably similar / overlapping theme of support.