Biden for President?

[TragicMonkey]

Does Biden have any qualifications to be president?

He's been holding elected political positions for decades, including the vice presidency. He's actually more qualified than most presidents have been.

That doesn't mean he deserves the job, of course. Merely that he's well-qualified.

 

[JoeMorgue]

"Qualification" is a weird concept (not wrong or bad to be 100% clear, just weird) to functionally apply to elected positions.

There's more "First date impression" then "Going down the list of qualifications at a job interview" to how America picks its President.

 

[theprestige]

The vice presidency is the least possible elected position you could get and still technically have it be an elected position.

 

[BobTheCoward]

He's been holding elected political positions for decades, including the vice presidency. He's actually more qualified than most presidents have been.

That doesn't mean he deserves the job, of course. Merely that he's well-qualified.

If he was running for speaker of the house that would be a good resume. But not for a chief executive.

And I don't think vice president is experience for anything.

 

[TragicMonkey]

If he was running for speaker of the house that would be a good resume. But not for a chief executive.

And I don't think vice president is experience for anything.

I don't think what you don't think matters a small heap of beans, old sport.

 

[calebprime]

Who am I not to be entitled to my opinion about Bob's opinion? I'm a tax-paying American just like everyone else ought to be.

 

[TurkeysGhost]

Not sure what exactly they own, but take heart, neither establishment cannot stop Bernie. He told us so himself.

They own fielding a champion that seems obviously unfit for the fight ahead of them. All the warning signs are there. Should he fail the hindsight will be vicious, and the party will deserve every bit of it.

It is my sincere hope that the anti-Trump animus is going to be enough to run up a strong win for the Democratic party, because Biden seems weak.

 

[Segnosaur]

Can't vote for Sanders; he's a crazy old radical socialist from the 1960's who believes in the Lost Tribe of politics, and he'll never get his crazy universal healthcare through Congress and he praises Cuba and Stalin, and he's old and had a heart attack and he's not even a real Democrat, and his Bernie Bros are just like Donald Trump and, and, and...

Oh, look Biden made another embarrassing gaffe!

I think the difference between BernieBros and BidenBoosters is how they often identify with the problems with their particular candidates.

Biden would not have been my first pick as a candidate, but I think he is best of what's left. However, I do recognize his track record of making embarrassing gaffes is a problem and it could cost the democrats at least some votes. (I suspect the majority of BidenBoosters here feel the same way).

On the other hand, when you point out the problems with Bernie, you often get a complete failure to acknowledge the problems by the BernieBros. Point out how his statements on Castro might cost votes (especially in Florida), and you get "Obama said the same thing/its true/etc.", when the proper response would have been "Yes it was a mistake." Point out how its foolish for Sanders to attack "Democratic elites" since he will need their support in the general election, and you get "Well, they had it coming". Point out how Sander's self-labeling as a "socialist" could be problematic, and you get "Well Republicans will attack anyone". Point out how the vast majority of people are against banning private health insurance, and you get some sort of claim about how "If you don't support BernieCare you want to see people die in the streets, besides look how great of a system it is!".

How dare you do Trump's work for him, passing on all the disinformation of the Russian bots and Putin must love you, and there is nothing wrong with Biden, he has always been this way and how can you even when the point is to get someone anyone elected just shut up shut up already!

I think the issue is that BernieBros are not just dealing with the gaffes themselves (which might be fair game), but they are trying to suggest that it is due to senility/dementia (which is at least partly speculative).

And keep in mind that at least one poster who has been supportive of Sanders (Sideroxylon) appears to have accepted a doctored video of Biden as valid.

 

[JoeMorgue]

Who am I not to be entitled to my opinion about Bob's opinion? I'm a tax-paying American just like everyone else ought to be.

You have no opinion about that.

 

[Segnosaur]

“We can not win this election. We can only re-elect Donald Trump.”

-- Joe Biden yesterday

It turns out this video was doctored by the White House:
Twitter applied its new “manipulated media” label for the first time on Sunday to a deceptively edited video of former vice president Joe Biden. The video was shared by White House social media director Dan Scavino and retweeted by President Trump.

I haven't read the original article... paywall... but I have read other versions of the story, such as: https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/8/21170714/twitter-manipulated-media-biden-video-retweeted-trump

One thing is that supposedly Twitter has a policy of banning posters who repeatedly post deceptive content. It would be interesting to see if they actually follow though, as Trump and his minions ramp up their disinformation campaign. It would be funny to see Trump unable to post anymore.

Too bad facebook isn't as proactive as twitter.

 

[Belz...]

However, my husband has been known to substitute the wrong word for something his entire life so much so that it's a family joke. He'll say "washing machine" instead of "dishwasher", etc. But he most certainly does not have dementia.

Maybe he always has! How would you know?

 

[d4m10n]

I think the issue is that BernieBros are not just dealing with the gaffes themselves (which might be fair game), but they are trying to suggest that it is due to senility/dementia (which is at least partly speculative).

I've been seeing a lot more experts in geriatric neurophysiology and degenerative diseases in my timeline than usual, and they all agree: Only Bernie can save us from the other two septuagenarians.

 

[Tero]

I have to admit that although I saw young males get excited over Sanders and then Yang this time around (and those lost interest, not going back to Sanders) I never knew what exactly were Berniebros other than males.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

On the other hand, when you point out the problems with Bernie, you often get a complete failure to acknowledge the problems by the BernieBros. Point out how his statements on Castro might cost votes (especially in Florida), and you get "Obama said the same thing/its true/etc.", when the proper response would have been "Yes it was a mistake."

I'm not surprised. Whataboutisms aren't just for trumpkins, they seem to be a tool of most radicals, who tend to say or do (or support) things that aren't too easy to defend when challenged. For example, alternative medicine/spiritualist supporters tend to go "but but big pharma" and the edgy Palestine supporters almost answer answer with "but but Israel!!" as a knee-jerk reaction, no matter what you tell them.

I don't think another radical outsider with a "let's burn down the house, this isn't working" mindset and edgy supporters is really what polarised America wants or needs right now. Then again, you could say the same thing about another elderly man who might have started to exhibit symptoms of dementia. At least the Dems don't have a candidate who's both rolled into one.

 

[Belz...]

Deleted. The quoted post was retracted.

 

[Belz...]

So Biden just needs to smile and shake hands while people in the background make all the decisions. Sounds perfect.

It sure beats Trump.

Bill Clinton was a centrist, but Obama was not.

Ring-wingers are adorable.

 

[Belz...]

I don't care behind which junk you're trying to hide your dishonesty.

Basic skeptical methods are junk. Why am I not surprised?

Yes, campaign slogans like "A vote for me is a vote for change!" and then "Hope & change!" plus even "My Presidency will be remembered as the time when everything in the whole world started getting better because of all my change!" can work, even when they come from someone who won't end up following through on them.

By that logic no single politician in history has ever run as a centrist.

Getting that from what I wrote is like a Rorschach test

Indeed. I'd say strong bias is involved.

 

[Belz...]

Oh, no's! The Republicans might "mobilize"!!

You think it's a joke? Clinton lost because not enough Democrats decided to vote, moreso than Republicans. A boring candidate on the Democratic side might just lull GOP voters into complacency.

Considering how close the last election was, it's no joke. The opposition being inspired to vote or not matters.

It's OK to question the health of one of the Democratic nominees but strictly verboten for the other, because that would be doing Trump's work????

Do you deliberately miss people's points consistently, or is it just a trait?

As I suspected and mentioned previously, this rumor that Biden is in mental decline is being spread by Sanders supporters:

Starting to wonder if the primary process isn't just helping the opposition by weakening your own candidates.

 

[Belz...]

His qualifications are that he is a Geriatric psychiatrist with expertise in dementia. If I provide the sourced quote, will you admit that this is evidence?

You want her to evaluate the evidence before you present it?

That's certainly a novel approach that our resident woo-woos would love to see become standard.

It turns out this video was doctored by the White House:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/tech...tweeted-by-president-trump-manipulated-media/

That's what Trump will be feeding the American voters for the next eight months.

I'm sure the right-wingers here are fully embarrassed now.

 

[calebprime]

Oh. I saw that here and stupidly assumed it had been vetted by someone here instead of it being a cheap fake.

It did influence me, so now I can forget I ever saw it.