Reply With Quote
Half of the Medicare premium increase is just for that bogus Alzheimer's drug which 10 out of 11 experts rejected
LOL boomer copypasta. Actually wouldn't be bad to use it as such tbh.Biden Should Not Run Again — and He Should Say He Won’t
Dec. 14, 2021
Credit...Damon Winter/The New York Times
By Bret Stephens
Opinion Columnist
Is it a good idea for Joe Biden to run for re-election in 2024? And, if he runs again and wins, would it be good for the United States to have a president who is 86 — the age Biden would be at the end of a second term?
I put these questions bluntly because they need to be discussed candidly, not just whispered constantly.
In the 1980s, it was fair game for reputable reporters to ask whether Ronald Reagan was too old for the presidency, at a time when he was several years younger than Biden is today. Donald Trump’s apparent difficulty holding a glass and his constricted vocabulary repeatedly prompted unflattering speculation about his health, mental and otherwise. And Joe Biden’s memory lapses were a source of mirth among his Democratic primary rivals, at least until he won the nomination.
Yet it’s now considered horrible manners to raise concerns about Biden’s age and health. As if doing so can only play into Trump’s hands. As if the president’s well-being is nobody’s business but his own. As if it doesn’t much matter whether he has the for ude for the world’s most important job, so long as his aides can adroitly fill the gaps. As if accusations of ageism and a giant shushing sound from media elites can keep the issue off the public mind.
It won’t do. From some of his public appearances, Biden seems … uneven. Often cogent, but sometimes alarmingly incoherent. What’s the reason? I have no idea. Do his appearances (including the good ones) inspire strong confidence that the president can go the distance in his current term, to say nothing of the next? No.
And many people seem to know it. On Sunday, my colleagues Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns reported on the Democratic Party’s not-so-quiet murmurs about what to do if Biden decides not to run. Aspirants for the nomination appear in the story like sharks circling a raft, swimming slow.
This is not healthy. Not for the president himself, not for the office he holds, not for the Democratic Party, not for the country.
In 2019, the Biden campaign — cognizant of the candidate’s age — sold him to primary voters as a “transition figure,” the guy whose main purpose was to dethrone Trump and then smooth the way for a fresher Democratic face. Biden never made that promise explicit, but the expectation feels betrayed.
Things might be different if the Biden presidency were off to a great start. It’s not. Blame Joe Manchin or Mitch McConnell or the antivaxxers, but Biden’s poll numbers have been deeply underwater since August. The man who once gave his party hope now weighs on his party’s fortunes like a pair of cement shoes.
Editors’ Picks
A Love Language Spoken With Hands
Could Oreo Cookies Solve New York’s Rat Problem?
Quiz: Do You Recognize These Notable People of 2021?
Continue reading the main story
Things might also be different if it looked like the administration would soon turn the corner. That’s the administration’s hope for the mammoth Build Back Better legislation. But last month’s passage of the infrastructure bill didn’t really move the political needle for Biden, and that bill was genuinely popular. Now B.B.B. looms as another costly progressive distraction in a time of surging prices, ing homicides, resurgent disease, urban decay, a border crisis, a supply-chain crisis and the threat of Iran crossing the nuclear threshold and of Russia crossing the Ukrainian border.
Oh, and Kamala Harris. Her supporters might decry the fact, but to an ever-growing number of Americans, the heir apparent seems lighter than air. Her poll numbers at this point in her term are the worst of those of any vice president in recent history, including Mike Pence’s. If she winds up as her party’s default nominee if Biden pulls out late, Democrats will have every reason to panic.
So what’s the president to do? He should announce, much sooner than later, that he will not run for a second term.
The argument against this is that it would instantly turn him into a lame-duck president, and that’s undoubtedly true.
But, news flash: Right now he’s worse than a lame duck, because potential Democratic successors are prevented from making calls, finding their lanes and appealing for attention. That goes especially for people in the administration who should be powerful contenders: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu.
And what would that mean for the rest of the Biden presidency? Far from weakening him, it would instantly allow him to be statesmanlike. And it would be liberating. It would put an end to the endless media speculation. It would inject enthusiasm and interest into a listless Democratic Party. It would let him devote himself wholly to addressing the country’s immediate problems without worrying about re-election.
And it needn’t diminish his presidency. George H.W. Bush accomplished more in four years than his successor accomplished in eight. Greatness is often easier to achieve when good policies aren’t en bered by clever politics. Biden should think on it — and act soon.
More on the Biden presidency
Opinion | Corey Robin
Why the Biden Presidency Feels Like Such a Disappointment
Dec. 9, 2021
Opinion | David Brooks
Joe Biden Is Succeeding
Nov. 18, 202
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
Bret Stephens has been an Opinion columnist with The Times since April 2017. He won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary at The Wall Street Journal in 2013 and was previously editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post. Facebook
A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 15, 2021, Section A, Page 26 of the New York edition with the headline: Biden Should Not Run Again, and He Should Say He Won’t. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
READ 2109 COMMENTS
You’re almost out of free articles.Suggested newsletters for you
Get unlimited article access
for $1 a week.
Subscribe nowLimited time offer. Cancel anytime.
Don't show me this again
WEEKLY
Sunday Best
The most thought-provoking, funny and delightful stories from The New York Times Opinion section.
See the latest
Sign Up
DAILY
The Morning
Make sense of the day’s news and ideas. David Leonhardt and Times journalists guide you through what’s happening — and why it matters.
See the latest
Sign Up
AS NEEDED
Breaking News
Alerts when important news breaks around the world.
See the latest
Sign Up
Bret Stephens
Foreign policy and domestic politics.Capacity for Surprise
Dec. 7
Games
Nov. 30
Progressivism
Chandan Khanna/AFP, via Getty Images
Dec. 15
Continue reading the main
Special offer. Subscribe for $4.25 $1 a week.
Thanks for reading The Times.
Half of the Medicare premium increase is just for that bogus Alzheimer's drug which 10 out of 11 experts rejected
this is golden
No kidding that was low level boomer copypasta.
Grandkid must have been frustrated repeating things and talking them through the process.
I can hear the conversation, “sure, just highlight, wait what, no it will not turn yellow, ok, just press the left mouse button and scroll down until you get to end of items you want and select copy, the thingy that looks like tv, remember, then hit the paste, the scissors picture thingy I told you about a couple of times, where you want to post the items you copied. What, no, you have to toggle to the other site. Use alt-tab, alt-tab are keys on the keyboard. No, both kets at once. Wait one grandpa, recess is over and I have to go to my second period class. We are learning to color within the lines today. I have to go now grandpa, byyyyeeee.”
Democrat's ridiculous iden y politics choice for VP has been the greatest gift ever handed to the Republican party. The GOP does not even have to campaign on anything, just watch the existing group of (D) failures inevitably self destruct. Here's an idea, next time pick someone based on merit, not skin color or gender.
this is golden
this is golden
& I'll be honest, I never thought she'd the bed like she has. A total calamity.
She's had more on her shoulders as a VP than anyone in recent memory, save for Pence on Jan 6th tbh. This is because she can speak clearly and the POTUS cannot, and so the MSM ignores Joe mostly and focuses on Harris.
this is golden"and Im vice president...."
Kagala. One of the worst piece of humans to ever grace this green earth
I did
Me
I called it
WH crying on twitter
I kinda saw it coming because she polled so poorly in the Dems primary.
What I did not see coming was Joe handing her that sh1t sandwich of a border that he created...
Is build back badly now officially dead?
I'm inclined to think that it isn't. I think Manchin wants something and this was a power play move.
I expect they'll get something passed and call it a win
Sad, but true.
It was nice though watching Jim Acosta/CNN suffer over this today. He couldn't even set still...He-was-livid.
Any guesses on how low Failing Joe's poll numbers will go over the Winter Of Death?
President Joe Biden has experienced a tremendous drop in support among the younger demographic those under the age of 30 since taking office, a YouGov/Economist survey found.
According to the Economist's analysis of the data, "Mr Biden's failure to impress the young now threatens his presidency," as he has lost significant support since January. Currently, just 29 percent of adults under the age of 30 approve of Biden's job performance, while half disapprove.
"The net rating of -21 points is the worst for any age group," the Economist found. However, his net approval is underwater with other age groups as well. Adults 65 and older give Biden an approval of -8, while those 45 to 64 give him -5. Adults 30 to 45 give Biden a negative rating in the double digits -17.
Overall, Biden has experienced a -50 point drop-off in support among young Americans since taking office.
Joe Manchin Privately Told Colleagues Parents Use Child Tax Credit Money On Drugs
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/...104509135.html
Let the hit pieces start rolling
The commies are so mad
Desperate WH resorting to straight up lies now
I'm sorry you're suffering in this economy.
Guess he saw the Ghost of Christmas Future
Interesting, if accurate
https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org...wance-is-good/
There are currently 3 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 3 guests)
Posting Permissions
