Biden news 1/17/2024
It's been too long. Biden news!
The headline article in tonight's Evening Blues is that Biden, Israel’s accomplice in Gaza, pretends to be a bystander. Echoing Aaron Mate is Jeremy Scahill: "Joe Biden Wants You to Believe He Is Opposed to Genocide in Gaza."
The Aaron Mate piece is a good piece, though it must also be said that there is another piece in Substack, this one by Seymour Hersh, about Joe Biden. Unfortunately it's only for subscribers. I can, however, tell you some things about what's in it, since a subscriber leaked it to me and some other people.
1) Hersh liked Biden's initial accomplishments, saying they were "legislation that improved the daily lives of millions of Americans in desperate need." It's good to appear balanced.
2) Hersh mentions the evidence for the claim that the Ukrainians had a good deal going in March 2022 and that the West destroyed that good deal. Nonetheless, Hersh claims, there are peace talks now ongoing, but they are pursued by the generals and not by the political class.
3) Hersh then goes on to discuss US support for Israel and the current US attack on the Houthis. The Houthis, he says, are like the Viet Cong.
4) Hersh elaborates upon Obama's concern for Biden's campaign:
...former President Barack Obama, who will never publicly acknowledge the extent of his dissatisfaction, fears that the chances of winning the race against Trump are dwindling unless there is a change in strategy, beginning with convincing Biden to give up his control of campaign finances. That is seen as a first step toward taking control of the campaign—and perhaps convincing the incumbent to step aside.
So there's no real commitment to a prediction, here in Hersh's concluding paragraph, but I guess it's possible that Obama could eventually "convince Biden to step aside." It seems clear to me, though, that the Dems could have just come out in opposition to Biden without him "stepping aside," and they could have done so a LONG time ago, but they chose not to do so. The problem with making any moves at this late date is that by this point the Democratic Party is sunk exceedingly deep into the Joe Biden rabbit hole. Useful idiots, however, are starting to speak up about this situation. Jonathan Chait, the useful idiot par excellence, has a piece in New York Magazine online about "Do You Remember the Ecstasy of Electing Joe Biden? How the coalition that defeated Donald Trump crumbled." And the Hill Democrats are concerned.
Since the big Biden selling point is "omigod Trump," it needs to be said that the scary campfire stories about Trump have escalated into self-parody. Jimmy Dore collages this:
Once again: if the Powers That Be really believed ANYTHING they have said publicly about Donald Trump, they wouldn't be running Joe Biden against him. They are not, then, afraid of a Trump presidency. We can be afraid of a Trump presidency, that's fine, but keep in mind that they, the collective origin of the scary stories, are not afraid.
As for the physical Joe Biden, I think he's traveling to North Carolina. And he's supposedly going to lower your overdraft fees or something like that.
And Team Biden? They are in Davos with the WEF, pleading for more money for Raytheon Zelensky.
Comments
"They are not, then,
afraid of a Trump presidency.". If we could figure out who all the "they" are we might have a chance. It's not just the ultra wealthy but also their enablers. Ever since the 1960's the march to dismantle the modern United States has been relentless. The assassination of leaders with a different direction for America, the consolidation of political power, the central position of the military in diplomacy, the radical capitalist supreme court, the rise of Reaganism and the enthusiastic rise of "Blue Reaganism" with the Clintons all lead to pre civil war America. We'll still fight about the original sin of slavery, but that's just crumbs for us rubes. After all who needs slaves when you have robots?
The Powers That Be --
can of course be identified with the tools of elite sociology. The usual pattern, IIRC, is that a lot of them are now meeting up at the WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland going on right now where they are listening to Team Biden tell them of the urgency of shoveling boat-loads of cash into the manufacture of weapons for Ukraine.
(You may have heard of the most recent scheme for doing this: "reparation bonds.")
If you want one book to identify them, I would recommend Peter Phillips' Giants. But I suppose the real point of "Biden news," as I've covered it here, is to cover Team Biden: Blinken, Nuland, Sullivan, Austin and so on: pretty much everyone coveted by Nikki Haley. I have to imagine that their thought collective is well-seated in the Ivy League universities and that Joe Biden appointed them as a package deal. (As regards package deals, here one recalls that Barack Obama appointed nearly all of his cabinet on the advice of a Citigroup executive.)
Their media mouthpieces are everyone who appears in that Jimmy Dore video. And who needs an actual audience -- CNN's is doubtless suffering from early-stage dementia at this point -- when you have billionaires subsidizing your media business?
“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
I hear what you are saying.
I have no argument. I understand about the big fish, and the presentations of Jimmy Dore. My impatience is the tight focus on individual players, the well reasoned argument that in a way, doesn't matter. Only because when that player exits the stage, there's another to take their place, ready to pick up and carry on destroying our country. Subject to another damning analysis and in the end no change. We've been living through the "global warming" of our democracy, with many enablers beyond the big fish and wealthy. I look at Biden, and I see Reagan, and not much difference in the end between the Bush, Obama, Clinton governments. None presented much of a delaying force in this relentless shift to oligarchy, the melting glacier of democracy. Trump just threw more grease on the skids and the cool kids are jealous. All brought about by a 2 party system and elections. A third party just throws the election to one or the other.
Who are the "they? The Harvards and Princetons? Who are the cogs that make this happen. I mean, would you describe, in general, our leaders as intelligent? Shrewd, cunning, ruthless, yes, But who are the people who make this happen? There are so many small players making this happen, making small decisions that don't make but a small difference that build and build to where we are today.
I know there is no one answer. We lost our country in many ways. Somehow we let this happen.
America's been letting it happen for decades.
And, yes, there are many different players in the scheme. You have the millionaires and billionaires, the shadow government, the various players on Wall Street and Washington DC (most especially the lobbyists), the Pentagon, the Ivy League, the satellite Ivies (what comes to mind here are things like Pomona College), and the prep schools which feed into the Ivies.
America has been an oligarchy since its inception. What changes from year to year is the nakedness with which this oligarchy presents itself. The oligarchs really had a winner with Barack Obama, which would explain the stunningly record-setting Republican triumph in the downticket elections occurring during his terms in office. Joe Biden, on the other hand, cannot keep the curtains closed, and so you see the nakedness of the regime in its full and dead-body-producing glory.
(And, as I've emphasized again and again, since the major players are so well insulated from the rest of the public, they are allowed to believe in fantasies like neoliberalism. I cannot recommend highly enough Philip Mirowski's Never Let a Serous Crisis Go To Waste.)
“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
There has been a bit of talk up
in the media lately about Dean Phillips, the Congressman who is running for President. I suppose he is the backup for Biden. I wonder if Joe's health might have taken a turn for the worse, lately. Allowing Phillips to be nominated would let the party sidestep Harris. It is interesting that his campaign website has some rather progressive elements. I don't say I believe it, but it is interesting that TPTB think they need to somewhat placate the progressive wing of the party.
What I saw is, in any case, a rather mild progressivism--no calls for rent controls or any other structural change that might make housing affordable, no Wall Street sales tax, no close overseas bases and bring our troops home.
The Dem poobahs might be waiting to see what he can do in actual primaries.
Mary Bennett
He is calling for
Medicare for All or pretending to do so. I won't venture to guess which. Maybe Schumer et al have decided they might have to offer (offer, mind you, not necessarily implement) M4A to get more funding for their Israel/Ukraine adventures.
Mary Bennett
They could appropriate the significant savings --
-- offered by a Medicare for All program (over what the government is doing now) to fund the Ukraine adventure. I think they'd rather confiscate Russian assets though.
Do you have an MfA link?
“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
I doubt savings is what this is about, not
with all the wealth of Russia glittering in the far distance.
M4A has now become what we have to promise the rubes to be able to keep on funding our war policy.
Phillips campaign website is www.dean24.com. M4A is the first item on his platform:
(quote)
On Wednesday, December 20th, 2023, Congressman Dean Phillips officially signed on to HR 3421: The Medicare for All Act of 2023, originally proposed to Congress by US Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and US Senator Bernie Sanders (VT).
Those who can't stomach Biden, supposing he is still alive come Nov. 2024, might well vote for Phillips against Biden. Such will seem the reasonable, prudent, respectable vote.
Mary Bennett
Remember that there are already four states --
-- Massachusetts, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee -- that have canceled primaries so that Joe Biden can scoop up all of their delegates. Perhaps the list will increase?
I do have a question for those with TV sets. Has there been any coverage of the Democratic Party caucuses in Iowa? My computer screen has said nothing about this matter. Jimmy Dore, on the other hand, shows up very well:
Meanwhile my email mailbox is being spammed with Biden-Harris requests to donate. And, per Alex Christoforou, Biden was asked about whether bombing the Houthis works. No, he replied, but we'll continue to do it.
As for Dean Phillips, I do appreciate the sentiment. Running as "not Joe Biden" is a noble thing. If I recall correctly, however, Jaime Harrison declared (I think) about nine months ago that Joe Biden was the Democrats' nominee.
“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
No TV here.
My suspicion is that Phillips is the backup choice in case something goes drastically wrong, such as Biden dying in office of natural causes or having a debilitating stroke. He is relatively young, scandal free so far as we know, and not publicly associated with lowlifes like the unlamented Epstein. He not quite blow-dried generic candidate and does seem to make a good impression on voters.
Mary Bennett
My gawd
Kamala is getting worse every time she opens her mouth. I still can’t believe no one on her staff or the wh has ever sat down with her and coached her on not sounding so stupid. 3 years in and she still can’t say anything coherent.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
Because they'd be fired?
Everyone likes a paycheck now and then.
“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
Been too long since a paycheck was motivating
but it does bring to mind some old song about a puppet on a string
Putting Phillips in, should it come to that,
would bypass Harris because Our nominee should get to pick his own running mate, not that they actually do, but that would be the message. Hapless John Kerry wanted Richard Gebhardt, got Edwards foisted on him instead. Obama had to offer State to Killary--worst decision he ever made--to keep her off his ticket.
Mary Bennett
Babylon Bee reports on Kamala
https://babylonbee.com/news/kamala-enjoys-finally-being-smartest-person-...
They nailed her.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.