Biden news 1/5/2024

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 2:39am

This one is entirely too skimpy -- I may add stories later today if I find them. Let's start with this Newsweek article: "Joe Biden Campaign Volunteers Are Quitting in 'Droves'".

A group of staffers working on President Joe Biden's reelection campaign warned the president that his volunteers are quitting "in droves" over his handling of Israel's military response in the Gaza Strip.

I guess they've all written an open letter published on Medium or something like that. The letter is narrowly written to condemn indiscriminate IDF bombing. But certainly they've noticed that there's a pot of gold in the wider war coming up later this year. Caitlin Johnstone:

That the US and its allies would go to war against the people who are trying to stop an active genocide tells you everything you need to know about them. The fact that they’d do it for corporate profit margins tells you even more...

And certainly they've noticed that Joe Biden is the #1 recipient of AIPAC money in the US. No? Why would anyone campaign for Biden unless they wanted to advance their careers?

Meanwhile, Biden looks like a curse to The Economist. "Joe Biden’s chances do not look good. The Democrats have no plan B." Here's what they think the primary dilemma is:

Mr Biden’s swooning poll numbers leave the Democrats in a miserable predicament. The alternatives that might still be possible are not obviously preferable. When asked whether it would be better if Mr Biden withdrew, the party’s preferred public-relations strategy is to pretend that the idea is absurd.

So -- to all those who think the Dems are going to replace Biden later this year: how are they going to wiggle out of the trap they've set for themselves? Inquiring minds want to know.

And here's a story I didn't expect. The polling part of the story appears real enough -- here's local news from Virginia reporting on it, and here's CBS News on the same story. Sabrina Salvati pairs it with a story about migrants:

So, yeah.

EXTRA: About that wider war: Here's the Biden angle on it, from Politico.

EXTRA: Moon of Alabama weighs in on the wider war talk. Here's the part where the author mentions Biden:

Netanyahoo wants to stay in power. At any price. As soon as he is out of office the prosecutors will relaunch the dormant bribe cases against him and his wive. Both are likely to end up in jail. Given that alternative, a war in Lebanon, even one which Israel is likely to lose, may well look like a good option. But the best case for such a war would involve some U.S. promise to have his back in that war and to come to his help should the adventure go as bad as it is likely to be become.

Will Biden promise such support? I doubt it.

The answer given here is entirely too easy. Biden is likely to trust whomever is actually making the decisions in the White House. Who is actually making the decisions in the White House?

Tags:

# Joe Biden

Vote

Comments

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 6:19am

polling numbers mean nothing to the PTB

any more than the will of the people mean anything to congress
politicians are selected by secret committees just as legislation is
enabled by lobbyists. This is not most peoples idea of a functioning
democracy. Seems pretty obvious, except to the press.

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 10:52am

Perhaps the poll numbers --

@QMS are an underestimate of the actual situation. More jobs! The AP crows. Do any of these jobs pay anything? Maybe they're all volunteer positions, or gig economy stuff. Or maybe it's a defense industry boom -- all that money they've encoded so that weapons can be manufactured and shipped to Ukraine, where the Russians promptly destroy them. Or maybe they're shipped to Gaza, where they kill civilians. As I suggested earlier, the statistic that matters is one of what portion of the surplus actually goes to the working class. And that we're not being told.

The usual "righteous indignation" stance is to blame Joe Biden for this state of affairs. But is there a real Joe Biden to blame? There's a physical body that can receive applications of make-up so that it looks good reading words off of a TelePrompTer. But the physical body is assumed to have powers it doesn't have. "Maybe Joe Biden will change his mind," assumes the letter by the staffers. Really? Is that at all possible?

—

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Submitted by TheOtherMaven on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 2:24pm

Mind? What mind?

@Cassiodorus

Biden hasn't got a mind to change - at this point he's an automaton performing as programmed by his owners.

—

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 2:38pm

gives lobotomized a new cousin

@TheOtherMaven

-
robotocied

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 2:38pm

He's definitely not agile.

@TheOtherMaven Has anyone who was qualified and who was at liberty to tell the world the truth about his real condition (at present) been able to assess his abilities? I'm assuming he suffers from early-stage dementia and thus experiences a slow worsening of his situation.

—

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Submitted by Snode on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 7:27am

If it were the 60's

There would be a song with lyrics wondering how many kids ol' Joe killed today. Of course the neolibs would lecture us on how bombs don't kill kids, people kill kids, and besides it's just self defence. Also good for the economy. Vote R or D and in the end it's mass murder by bombs or slow genocide by policy. It's so ingrained we applaud other countries that do the same.

Regular people can imagine this happening to them, and if enough of us can stand up there might be some change. Israel is trying to drive out the Palestinians to other countries and take over the land. Bonus question: How many Palestinian refugees will the US take?

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 10:59am

Well, there's always David Rovics

@Snode

There would be a song with lyrics wondering how many kids ol' Joe killed today.

Yeah, I know the song is not about ol' Joe. But ol' Joe is like the real death toll in Gaza. Nobody really knows the full extent of what it is because large portions of it are hidden from the public.

—

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 01/05/2024 - 7:50pm

Groan…

Robert Reich

The Garbage of 'Lesser of Two Evils' Discontents

As the Republican Party has gone fascist, with unhinged Trump at its head, the potential consequences of your not voting or voting for a third-party candidate are horrific.

Some people tell me they hate Trump but don’t particularly like Biden. They say Biden is too old, or he’s not doing enough to stop Israel’s bombing of Gaza, or he’s caved to Big Oil, or he isn’t tough enough.

So they tell me they’re not going to vote next November. Or they’ll vote for a third-party candidate.

Maybe you know someone like this. Or you yourself fall into this camp.

Here’s what I tell them: By not voting or voting for a third party, they’re actually casting a vote for Trump.

Some respond by saying that Trump may be a curse, but they’re sick and tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.

Wrong. Biden is not evil. Trump is truly evil.

The fact is, America has a two-party system. You may not like it, but that’s our reality. The founders did not opt for a parliamentary system, where citizens have more options of whom to vote for. So one of the nominees from one of the two major parties is going to win. And if you don’t vote, or you vote for a third-party candidate, you’re inevitably hurting the candidate from one of the major parties who’s closest to you in values — and helping the one farthest from you.

In 2016, many people knew Trump was out of his gourd. But they disliked Hillary Clinton so much they decided to sit on their hands, or vote for the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, rather than vote for what they described as “the lesser of two evils.”

And look what we got.

If Trump gets back into the Oval Office, it’s likely to be even worse this time.

Does Robert really not know why so many people voted for Trump instead of Hillary? Lots of people voted for him because they were disgusted by Obama’s betrayals for domestic policy and his taking the country to 7 wars and they knew that Hillary would be even worse and that she was totally corrupt.

But what was so bad about Trump’s presidency and if it was so bad then why is Biden doing many of the same things he did? Trump continued many of the things Obama did, but no one complained about it when he did.

So can someone tell me why Trump was so bad and what fascist things he did?

A comment:

Absolute RUBBISH article. If you do not vote you do not vote. If you vote for Cornell west you vote for cornell west.

If you vote for Trump then you vote for Trump. Only those who vote for Trump vote for trump.If you live in a Democracy you vote for the candidate that represents your values and not one that Mr Reich instructs you to vote for . If you do not think Genocide is a “value” you can be proud of you do not vote for it.

Mr Reich has no values. None other then being a Democrat and no matter the candidate would vote for them. Even one that enables Genocide. Genocide is evil.

A persons vote belongs to that person and it up to that individual whom they should vote for and nor Mr Reich. That is how a democracy works . Remember the USSR and the “you can vote for any party you like as long as its the Communist party?” This is what Mr reich advocates.

As to Ms Clinton not winning against Trump THAT is on the DNC and guys like Reich who wanted trump as the Candidate because they thought he the only one Clinton could beat and then sabotaged the Sanders campaign, Sanders would have trounced trump. To blame the people who did not want Hilary and voted green is idiotic deflection.

You have no case mr reich. You are a Corporatist toady and a war mongering lackey, nothing more.

Shitlibs and people like Robert think that everyone owes their vote to democrats and if democrats don’t win it’s the fault of the voters. BS. Democrats know damn well what they could do to earn people’s votes, but since Clinton whore'd out the party to big business I’d like to see one thing that Democrats did for the working class. Biden really wants to help people with student debt, but he nor democrats have thought about changing the bankruptcy laws that Biden got passed so they couldn’t be discharged. Obama could have passed single payer or left everything as it was, but he passed his Romney care crap that made everything worse.

—

There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?

Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Sat, 01/06/2024 - 2:30am

This is what a Google search turns up

@snoopydawg The “I won’t vote for the lesser of two evils” rubbish

The arguments aren't very good ones. Poor Robert Reich has given up.

The fact is, America has a two-party system. You may not like it, but that’s our reality.

You have to think that learned helplessness is one of Robert Reich's most secure values. Or helplessness is what he wants YOU to learn. "If you ingratiate yourself to the rich or the powerful you can live comfortably in an oligarchy of the donor class, you know, like me." Got it. Imitate Robert Reich in all things. I'll serve in two Presidential cabinets starting right away. I can see I have some catching up to do.

you’re inevitably hurting the candidate from one of the major parties who’s closest to you in values

Biden shares my values? How so?

If Trump gets back into the Oval Office, it’s likely to be even worse this time.

Worse than what? Ukraine? Gaza? Dedollarization? Censorship? Candidate deplatforming?

A footnote: Panic about Republicans didn't save America from them during Obama's tenure. 2010, 2014, 2016: worst defeats in history. No third party can be blamed.

.

Robert Reich

The Garbage of 'Lesser of Two Evils' Discontents

As the Republican Party has gone fascist, with unhinged Trump at its head, the potential consequences of your not voting or voting for a third-party candidate are horrific.

Some people tell me they hate Trump but don’t particularly like Biden. They say Biden is too old, or he’s not doing enough to stop Israel’s bombing of Gaza, or he’s caved to Big Oil, or he isn’t tough enough.

So they tell me they’re not going to vote next November. Or they’ll vote for a third-party candidate.

Maybe you know someone like this. Or you yourself fall into this camp.

Here’s what I tell them: By not voting or voting for a third party, they’re actually casting a vote for Trump.

Some respond by saying that Trump may be a curse, but they’re sick and tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.

Wrong. Biden is not evil. Trump is truly evil.

The fact is, America has a two-party system. You may not like it, but that’s our reality. The founders did not opt for a parliamentary system, where citizens have more options of whom to vote for. So one of the nominees from one of the two major parties is going to win. And if you don’t vote, or you vote for a third-party candidate, you’re inevitably hurting the candidate from one of the major parties who’s closest to you in values — and helping the one farthest from you.

In 2016, many people knew Trump was out of his gourd. But they disliked Hillary Clinton so much they decided to sit on their hands, or vote for the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, rather than vote for what they described as “the lesser of two evils.”

And look what we got.

If Trump gets back into the Oval Office, it’s likely to be even worse this time.

Does Robert really not know why so many people voted for Trump instead of Hillary? Lots of people voted for him because they were disgusted by Obama’s betrayals for domestic policy and his taking the country to 7 wars and they knew that Hillary would be even worse and that she was totally corrupt.

But what was so bad about Trump’s presidency and if it was so bad then why is Biden doing many of the same things he did? Trump continued many of the things Obama did, but no one complained about it when he did.

So can someone tell me why Trump was so bad and what fascist things he did?

A comment:

Absolute RUBBISH article. If you do not vote you do not vote. If you vote for Cornell west you vote for cornell west.

If you vote for Trump then you vote for Trump. Only those who vote for Trump vote for trump.If you live in a Democracy you vote for the candidate that represents your values and not one that Mr Reich instructs you to vote for . If you do not think Genocide is a “value” you can be proud of you do not vote for it.

Mr Reich has no values. None other then being a Democrat and no matter the candidate would vote for them. Even one that enables Genocide. Genocide is evil.

A persons vote belongs to that person and it up to that individual whom they should vote for and nor Mr Reich. That is how a democracy works . Remember the USSR and the “you can vote for any party you like as long as its the Communist party?” This is what Mr reich advocates.

As to Ms Clinton not winning against Trump THAT is on the DNC and guys like Reich who wanted trump as the Candidate because they thought he the only one Clinton could beat and then sabotaged the Sanders campaign, Sanders would have trounced trump. To blame the people who did not want Hilary and voted green is idiotic deflection.

You have no case mr reich. You are a Corporatist toady and a war mongering lackey, nothing more.

Shitlibs and people like Robert think that everyone owes their vote to democrats and if democrats don’t win it’s the fault of the voters. BS. Democrats know damn well what they could do to earn people’s votes, but since Clinton whore'd out the party to big business I’d like to see one thing that Democrats did for the working class. Biden really wants to help people with student debt, but he nor democrats have thought about changing the bankruptcy laws that Biden got passed so they couldn’t be discharged. Obama could have passed single payer or left everything as it was, but he passed his Romney care crap that made everything worse.

—

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon

Submitted by janis b on Sat, 01/06/2024 - 3:22am

You can say that all again, especially,

@Cassiodorus

Worse than what? Ukraine? Gaza? Dedollarization? Censorship? Candidate deplatforming?

The whole trajectory is defeatist.

Submitted by ban nock on Sun, 01/07/2024 - 5:29pm

I didn't work on either of the last 2 presidential campaigns

During Obama and for the 16 primary I organised canvassing and phone banking for both my precinct and the adjoining precincts. I also organised very large caucuses of well over 300 people.

But I've stopped.

The Democratic Party bad mouths people like me and my neighbors. I'll vote for Biden but I won't work to get him elected.

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Mon, 01/08/2024 - 7:23am

Thanks for the disclosure!

@ban nock nmi

—

“When there's no fight over programme, the election becomes a casting exercise. Trump's win is the unstoppable consequence of this situation.” - Jean-Luc Melanchon