I didn’t get to see the Biden presser live because something came up that required my immediate attention, but from y’all’s accounts of it in comments, the POTUS did well. A couple of clips I saw on Twitter just now caught my notice. First, this response to the 2024 question we figured was coming:
“Yes, my plan is to run for re-election, that’s my expectation.”
At his first formal news conference, President Biden, 78, says he plans to run again in 2024 https://t.co/wKz9BWS1k3 pic.twitter.com/WIkTIP2j2y
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) March 25, 2021
It’s news that Biden plans to run again, but that’s not what interested me about the exchange. It was the tone Biden took toward The Former Guy.
The reporter asks Biden about running and says his “predecessor” had already set up a reelection committee at this point in his administration. Biden says, “My predecessor needed to!” and chuckles, adding, in a mocking tone, “My predecessor…oh God, how I miss him!”
It was unexpectedly refreshing to see one of the most powerful people in the world publicly treat TFG with the utter contempt he deserves. Biden batted away the reference as if TFG is a complete joke. He did so during the campaign too, but now that Biden is president, his words carry more weight.
I guess I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear someone with real power talk about Trump like the fucking clown he is. I hope the rest of the world heard it too. And I hope tiny, limp fists are ineffectually pounding some hideous carpet in a tacky executive housing suite at a South Florida beach compound.
On a more substantive matter, Biden showed he gets the importance of passing the voting rights bill.
"It's sick." Joe Biden says he is disgusted by legislation to limit voting access https://t.co/FddwPNXco8 pic.twitter.com/iIVs4MITPs
— Bloomberg (@business) March 25, 2021
I don’t know if opposition to state-level GOP voter suppression is widespread among non-elected Republicans across the country as Biden implies. But here in FL, where Republicans are simultaneously bragging about pulling off a flawless election and trying to restrict voting rights to promote the Big Lie, supervisors of elections on both sides of the aisle are calling bullshit on at least some of the provisions, like the proposal to make voters request mail-in ballots for every election cycle.
Georgia Republicans just passed their voter suppression bill in the House and moved it to the state’s Senate. Not sure how we can address it since Chief Justice Roberts removed the teeth from the VRA. Can AG Merrick Garland use the toothless VRA to gum some of these shitty new voter suppression laws to death? Beats me. But Biden emphasized the importance of passing the new voting rights legislation now in the U.S. Senate, and that’s critical.
Open thread.
bluehill
All these voting bills seem like a real slippery slope, but repubs don’t seem to have a problem authoritarianism anymore.
WaterGirl
Joe will never be a great orator, but he surely does bring what we need right now. Quiet competence.
I don’t recall where or when exactly, but in recent weeks I recall Merrick Garland saying that he has some options for defending voting rights, though he wouldn’t provide details. I noticed Biden declined to provide details today also, when asked.
VeniceRiley
The way around the Roberts decision, as I understand it as INAL, is to make pre-clearance a requirement for ALL states. That way, no state is singled out for their history.
I think that’s part of the bill.
SalterWobchak
Kaitlin Collins asked Biden if he planned to run in 2024, if he expected Harris to still be his running mate, and if he expected he’d be running against Trump again.
We may not be sending our best people to be White House correspondents.
dmsilev
@SalterWobchak: That was quite possibly the worst question of the whole thing. What a waste of everyone’s time.
Betty Cracker
@VeniceRiley: Also not a lawyer, and I don’t know what can be done either except pass SR 1 (or whatever it’s called now). One smart tactic Biden has been using ever since he was sworn in is to flip the “unity” bullshit script by saying it’s elected Republicans who are out of step with the majority of the electorate. It’s true, not that they’ll necessarily pay a political price for it. But it squashes the stupid idea that by not adopting the Republican agenda in toto, Biden is failing on the unity promise.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@bluehill: They should, dictators always go after their supporters sooner than later.
Peale
@SalterWobchak: Its just dumb that our election cycle never stops. But then we are a dumb people. (Putin may be right about that). Its just a dumb press fixation on having elections and putting people in “Gotcha” situations. So if in 3 years he decides not to run or decides to run, they can dumbly “gotcha” him on whatever promise they think he made before. Where’s my dumb Pulitzer?
Yutsano
I’m pretty sure the right wing will use that clip to try to sell him as a doddering old man. Fuck them in the ear with a rusty farm implement. He lost track because he definitely had strong emotions about this subject. As I’m certain we do.
Elie
@WaterGirl:
I agree he is not the smoothest orator but I have been surprised by his common sense and sincerity — and a real sense of moral duty/leadership. That is worth more than 6000 lbs of slick words that don’t mean anything. His words are sparse, simple even — but they are rooted to real stuff. I did not expect this from him but as he has gone forward, it is clear that this style is a feature not a bug. I call myself impressed.
Shakti
I get why they ask these questions, but I don’t see the point of giving any more oxygen to … *waves* that.
One of my resolutions is to give the gift of my attention to people I want to lift up and ideas and causes I want to promote and withdraw it from those I don’t. I may not succeed as well as I want but my health is demanding it.
Eljai
@Shakti: I love your resolution. When TFG was still in the White House, I used to read stories about people, especially young people, working to make the world a better place and it gave me hope.
tokyokie
@WaterGirl: And I thought that the president, in expressing his contempt for GOP efforts to restrict voting, did so with a righteous anger that I had not previously seen from him and with a sincerity that contemporary Republicans can only feign.
Ken
Biden could have fallen back on traditional answers. For example, “My fellow Americans, I have just signed legislation that will solve the Trump problem forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.”
Hoodie
@Elie: Frankly, Clinton and Obama were so good at this that some people took them as being slick. Joe’s sometimes halting cadence and meandering comes across as authentic. I thought one of his strongest moments was when he was being pressed on the border “crisis” by a couple of somewhat unfair questions based on individual stories that, while regrettable, are probably not typical. He made a point of not apologizing for changing the policy to accept unaccompanied minors rather than letting them rot in Mexico. He did a great job considering how incredibly stupid some of the questions were, such as ones asking a guy who’s been in office for a grand total of 2 months whether he’s running again in 2024.
BC in Illinois
Elie
@Hoodie:
I agree. I also think that the press had set their bar low both because of the experience with Trump but also cause I think they were anticipating a much less straightforward presentation and response from him. He just cooled them all out and they had not been ready for how effective he was in doing that. There will always be stupid press questions but I think they got an important message from Biden: those stupid questions will just make YOU look bad — not me.
NextInGA
@BC in Illinois: you count as 3. They are counting # of shots administered.
Dan B
@BC in Illinois: Doses.
Not numbers of people. That would be complicated because of one dose J&J vs. 2 dose: Astra, Moderna, Pfizer. Do you count J&J as one &/or the others as one half? They’re counting doses.
lowtechcyclist
@Elie:
Me too.
People can see he’s a fundamentally decent human being, and he doesn’t need any fancy words because they’re from the heart, and people can tell that.
We really did get lucky with him. And I say that as someone who was totally backing Warren from the time she entered the race until she had to drop out. No question, he’s the right guy for this moment.
jl
Solid works. For me, the most important question: will Biden’s answers resonate with voters, and will it get some news play? He can try oratory can wait for later. Lincoln did jokes and japes and rambling stories when that was appropriate, oratory when that was appropriate.
But Biden great oratory is ‘Listen folks, I’m not joking, this ain’t your grandparents’ Republican party. I don’t know what the heck they’ll do. Anyone who’s raised toddlers knows what I’m talking about. So I’m going to put one foot in front of the other, just like all those moms and dads out in Scranton and towns all over this country do every day. No Lie!”
Only difference I see in Biden is that he stops and thinks before he’s about to do a BidenGaffe. He must be in good shape to have survived the intense boot camps needed to make that great progress.
Strong work, Joe, keep it up.
BC in Illinois
@NextInGA:
@Dan B:
Okay. That’s fair. It’s a reasonable metric, not the final goal, which is to beat the virus out of our society by a combination of immunities and safe practices.
On an amusing note, Rep Dan Crenshaw (R – empty words) had an interview on Fox in January, where he said this:
Rep. Crenshaw is, as of today, impressed with the Biden administration.
sukabi
@BC in Illinois: Doses of vaccines is what’s being counted…which is why when they break it down they give a percentage of the population covered…
# Doses /= # people
MomSense
@Elie:
I feel genuine care and affection for him. I think he is a good, moral, caring person who sincerely is trying to help people. My kids call him a champion. He is and he is a champion for ordinary people.
BC in Illinois
Victor Laszlo @Impolitics
MomSense
@BC in Illinois:
Perfection!
Juju
@Peale: I don’t think we are a dumb people. Some of us are indeed dumb, and unfortunately it seems a lot of them have managed to get jobs in the msm and beyond.
JMG
Jonathan Bernstein, the political scientist columnist for Bloomberg, wrote that the fact no reporters asked Biden about the pandemic or the economy, which I thought was a disgrace to my former profession, was actually proof Biden is succeeding at his goals, since White House reporters NEVER ask about things that are going well.
BC in Illinois
Also on Twitter, 100 million doses, and the press conference:
LOLGOP @LOLGOP
Ken
Hence the focus on the dog a couple of weeks ago.
The cynic in me adds, before they got their marching orders about the border crisis.
dmsilev
@Ken:
I guess we should be grateful for the lack of cat questions.
debbie
@VeniceRiley:
Or, litigate them to hell and back.
namekarB
Am I the only one who is depressed with this gaggle of reporters? The two biggest issues front and center in America is the continual slaughterhouse by guns and the current pandemic. White House reporters? Crickets
Omnes Omnibus
Do we want an orator as President or a competent executive who can communicate in a way that resonates average Americans?
Ken
@Omnes Omnibus: No option for a bloody-handed dictator who crushes all opposition?
Mike in NC
We wake up every morning thrilled to have gotten rid of that crass slob from Queens and his horrible family and henchmen.
Spanky
“Where’s the cat, Mr. President?”
Baud
@Ken:
I’m right here.
debbie
@BC in Illinois:
I only listened, and I thought Joe did great. The questions were inane and nothing more than wasted opportunities to get substantial information for the American people, which is what I thought these events were for. I don’t know if RWNJs were behind all the immigration questions, but we deserve far better than we are getting from the press.
Nettoyeur
I still remember Jon Stewart’s name for Trump: F*ckface von Clownstick.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I wondered who that was. I missed the conference itself, but I was listening to MSNBC recaps while running errands. That three parter got worse as she went on.
Also, a reporter asking twice if Biden would get rid of the filibuster. I was wishing I had a desk to bang my head against.
debbie
@Omnes Omnibus:
I want what we have.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Susan Collins is joining Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham on their border stunt. If anybody other than Joe Manchin still believed that she was anything but phony and a partisan hack, after Neera Tanden and her refusal to negotiate on a rescue plan and her vote for Kavanaugh and her consistent votes with McConnell and Bush before him…. She wants to help Moscow Mitch take the Senate back so she can be Chair of APproprations. That’s all there is to her.
Brachiator
I did not watch the press conference.
Did anyone ask about the stimulus package or the infrastructure bill? Any intelligent questions?
EmanG
Newly minted GA voter here. Can anyone clarify how Garland might gum up the works of our newly passed voter fuckery? Or will most of it end up in court anyway?
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I didn’t like her questions at all, but finding this tidbit has redeemed her.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Any chance we can toss them over to the other side and shut the gates like they want?
Cheryl Rofer
@Brachiator: Nobody asked about infrastructure, but Biden gave an answer chock full of numbers. Although he had to consult a small notebook for some of the numbers, so that doesn’t count.
Biden has honed a talent that’s worthwhile for anyone speaking in public. I’m starting to get the hang of it when I do interviews with reporters. Give the answer to the question you wanted to be asked. Nine times out of ten, the reporter won’t notice.
You might think that reporters on the White House beat would be better than that, and stick with their question, but I think only one – maybe two – did that today.
Wyatt Salamanca
@SalterWobchak:
Kaitlin Collins should be arrested for impersonating a reporter. Just another useless overpaid tool obsessed with horse race bullshit instead of issues that actually fucking matter to ordinary citizens.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Biden interviews possible new running mates (photo)
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Door #2, of course!
Baud
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch:
There’s no law saying the Vice President has to be one person.
Kathleen
@Shakti: That is very wise. I should do the same.
MomSense
Fuck Georgia Republicans.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Susan Collins is exactly who I always thought she is:
Another run of the mill asshole Republican who deceived the DC village idiots into thinking she was a serious, open minded reasonable politician.
The Thin Black Duke
@Omnes Omnibus: I, myself, prefer the steak to the sizzle.
WaterGirl
@EmanG: I think Garland and Biden are both being deliberately mum. Why share the tools/weapons at your disposal – for protecting democracy – with your opponents in advance?
Jeffro
Hey, if worse comes to worst, we. will. stand. in. those. fucking. lines. to vote.
A lot of these GQP shenanigans are going to get thrown out. The rest? We’re going to line up and get it done.
debbie
John S.
@Ken: So, Conan the Barbarian for president?
Brachiator
@Cheryl Rofer:
It’s fine that Biden consults notes. Pretty damn smart.
The relief bill, and what legislation comes next, may be critical in helping to restart the economy. It is insane that the press did not ask more about Biden’s economic plans.
I notice this sometimes in interviews. It’s great when an interview subject doesn’t spin or evade, but offers a better response than the question posed.
You’d think more reporters would try to learn from this.
smith
@BC in Illinois:
Re: the number of shots vs number of people immunized, the CDC breaks it down for you every day.
In that regard, I’m curious about some references to Biden’s goal that rather consistently use out of date numbers. For instance, in Jennifer Rubin’s review of the news conference today, she says we will reach the goal of 100M shots on Friday (which she also cites as Day 58 of Biden’s presidency). In fact, we reached 100M doses on March 12. As of today, by my calculation Day 64 of the Biden era, there have been 133M administered.
It’s not just Rubin who’s confused — I’ve seen this kind of outdated citation in a number of places, and am curious where someone would get their numbers, if not from the CDC.
John Revolta
@Cheryl Rofer: That’s because the reporters aren’t actually listening to the answers. They’re just thinking of what they’re going to say next, and probably about how they look on camera.
Ruviana
@Wyatt Salamanca: CNN’s pretty impressed, running a blurb on its website about Kaitlan Collins’s “tough question.”
Jeffro
He would have disappointed too many people when he said, “…I’m kidding, I’m kidding”
germy
Chicago Hospital Exec Resigns After Bragging About Vaccinating Eric Trump From Supply of COVID-19 Doses Meant for Underserved Residents
trollhattan
@dmsilev:
Cats know what they did. Even before they do them.
O. Felix Culpa
I listened to the press conference on my way home from jab #1 in Amarillo (Moderna, if you’re wondering) and concur with the jackaltariat: Biden 1: Press Corpse 0. Stupid questions intelligently answered. We hit the jackpot with this decent, knowledgeable, and effective man.
P.S. How do I get my vax sticker?
Mike in NC
@germy: He should have given Eric Fucking Trump a placebo.
germy
@Mike in NC:
Eric’s father* should have worn a prophylactic.
*Gary Busey
Cheryl Rofer
@smith: I haven’t checked your numbers, but some vaccine was administered before January 20. Biden doesn’t count those shots in his goals – only those administered since he became president.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Yup. That’s how we ended up with Tan-Suit-Gate and Mustard-on-Cheeseburger-Gate and He-drinks-OrangeJuice-not-Coffee-Gate
dmsilev
@smith: He’s shooting for “200 million doses in the first 100 days”, so you need to subtract off the 20 or so million doses administered during the last days of That Guy’s regime.
MomSense
@O. Felix Culpa:
Congratulations! I have an appointment for my first Fauci Ouchie next Wednesday.
germy
A Fox News clip from last January:
Major Major Major Major
@Betty Cracker:
Lots of things! We shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking that these opening bids are the only acceptable bills. The most important things to do are fix gerrymandering and set up stable, national voting processes. Even if the rules we end up with aren’t fully to our liking—and I say this because we may see a grand bargain type thing—as long as they’re stable, then democratic activists have the demonstrated ability to get people the documents they need for IDs or whatever, and you can bet a Biden administration would help.
Automatic registration, universal mail-in, all nice to haves.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@germy:
LOL!
BruceFromOhio
Overheard the NPR version of events, “He didn’t spend a lot of time on gun control” which is correct because the first 45 minutes was BORDER CRISIS gotcha questions. Completely glossed over the voting rights, which is the only thing left between the end of democracy and civilization hanging on for a few more minutes.
I hate everything media-related right now. I need to adopt The Think Black Duke’s approach, though like zen, the pursuit makes the objective more elusive. Maybe some Maddow later will calm these troubled waters. And bourbon. Lots of bourbon.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
No drama O’Biden
BruceFromOhio
@germy:
Your reservation has been accepted, enjoy your meal.
Cheryl Rofer
Froomkin is disappointed in the White House press corps.
germy
@BruceFromOhio:
Does he have a future in politics? Crenshaw, I mean.
John S.
@germy: Everyone knows that Crenshaw was referring to Jovian days, which are only 9 hours and 55 minutes long. That’s only 40 days here on Earth.
So epic fail for Biden, libtard!
Major Major Major Major
@germy: Texans do seem fond of re-electing humiliating embarrassments.
smith
@dmsilev: OK, I can see why he’d have to do that, since otherwise the R’s would scream that he’s taking unfair credit, but the numbers still don’t compute. As of Jan 20, there had been 16,525,281 doses administered. The date on which more than 100M additional had been administered since then was 5 days ago. I guess Rubin could have been referencing something a week out of date, in which case shame on her. I still wish there’d been more recognition of how soon that goal was met, given that the Biden administration had to set up a distribution system starting at close to 0.
narya
@John S.: Well, yeah, but most of the lamentation seems to be done by men these days.
BruceFromOhio
@germy:
Nary a clue, sorry.
mrmoshpotato
@Major Major Major Major:
and never actually seceding from the Union
Jeffro
I’m trying to think of creative ways for GA Dems to send a big F.U. to the GA Republicans about these new voting restrictions.
I’m hoping it fails in court before the next election, of course, but the first thing that occurred to me was to get Dem voters – ones who agree and know what will happen – to agree to vote, THEN stop by a water station and pick up a water bottle to give to a voter who’s in line.
First voter’s vote counts. Second voter still gets water (and his/her vote still counts too). We get footage of American citizens getting arrested for giving other Americans water while exercising their constitutional rights. Do it with enough voters, and the police end up getting called away from everything else and totally besieged with “offenders” that they have to arrest, take away, and process.
Hmm…
Citizen_X
@John S.: Drop Crenshaw into Jupiter, then.
Immanentize
Humor from the Immp front. It seems the students were just given a small Rice-branded cowbell. With picture of same he texts:
“I seem to have a fever. The only prescription.”
It also seems he has a keen awareness of all internet traditions.
MomSense
@Immanentize:
Hoot hoot!
Immanentize
@Brachiator: someone this morning noted Beschloss thought Biden was FDR or LBJ quality. He understands the pacing (as he said). Infrastructure next gets “peckers in his pocket.”
Fuck LBJ.
Immanentize
@MomSense: my work is (almost) done here.
dmsilev
@smith: I think your numbers are a bit off, or at least don’t quite track what the CDC has. Looking at the CDC tracker (set to Cumulative Count), there are 21.7 million doses reported administered as of January 20; the total exceeded 121.7 million on March 18th, which is a week ago. You said Jen Rubin is referring to Day 58 of the administration and that was March 19th, so close enough.
cain
@Wyatt Salamanca:
I suspect that she’s being asked to make these kind of questions.
danielx
@Major Major Major Major:
I suppose that explains Louie Gohmert.
Just Some Fuckhead
Liberals keep acting like the Voting Rights Act is going to fix everything but they aren’t considering the fact that SCOTUS with a 6-3 wacko conservative majority can overturn it or gut it. But at least we stopped Hillary, huh?
debbie
@Immanentize:
What a great guy that Immp is!
Immanentize
@debbie: He is quite the card.
smith
@dmsilev: Rubin said, in her column dated today, it will be 100M this Friday, Biden Day 58, so, yes, it’s entirely consistent if she’s a week off. The Jan 20 numbers I got from Our World in Data , reflected in the graphs here. In recent weeks those have been exactly the same as the CDC numbers, and I wasn’t aware that they had diverged in January.
Still true that 100M was exceeded several days ago, and there wasn’t a lot of notice taken that I was aware of.
LurkerNoLonger
I think he would make a very good pirate mascot at a Long John Silver’s in downtown Amarillo.
planetjanet
@BC in Illinois:
The 200 Million goal is for shots in arms. We have only vaccinated about 84 million people with at least one dose so far.
debbie
@LurkerNoLonger:
Careful, you’re edging into Pete Davidson territory.
Just Some Fuckhead
@LurkerNoLonger: Or a king in the land of the blind.
J R in WV
@smith:
They don’t want to count the doses administered during the Former Guy’s administration. If you subtract those, I think then the numbers will straighten out.
John S.
@Citizen_X: I like your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
debbie
Andy Borowitz:
Miss Bianca
@Shakti:
I really need to do this too – thank you for the timely wisdom!
Ksmiami
@Just Some Fuckhead: then we expand the Court or plow it over…don’t let up
dopey-o
aside from putting Manchin and Sinema in a headlock, what power does a president have to change a senate rule?
Green Lantern theory of politics, anyone? Vulcan Mind Meld? Put a pebble in his pocket and invade their dreams, Inception-style?
”Help us Obi-Wan Joe. You’re our only hope!”
John Revolta
@Immanentize:
Gee, what do all those guys have in common? Oh yeah, years and years of political service before they moved into the White House!
mrmoshpotato
@debbie: Pete Davidson should’ve apologized for Crenshaw being such a sack of shit.
mrmoshpotato
@Immanentize: You know 2021 is going to be The Summer of the Cowbell, right? Enjoy! ?
Bill Arnold
@John S.:
Here’s a slightly older, Sumerian version.
The exaltation of Inana (Inana B): translation
A snippet from the longer full text of a priestess’s formal praising of Goddess Inana:
A similar future is awaiting the GOP, enemies of good. Their choice. :-)
EmanG
@WaterGirl: from your lips to god’s ears.
Amir Khalid
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I expected better from Kaitlin Collins.
Eljai
Rachel is doing a story right now about drugs that are very effective in keeping people from getting sick and dying from covid. However, these drugs are just basically sitting around unused, unless someone is informed enough to ask for them. So the Biden administration is trying to get the word out. I dunno, but this seems like something a competent journalist might have brought up at the press conference this afternoon.
TriassicSands
@Spanky:
That wouldn’t have been the worst question. Not even close. I can’t figure out why no one asked him if he was considering an amendment to the Constitution that would allow him to serve 4-6 terms. I mean, enquiring [sic] minds want to know.
NotMax
@TriassicSands
No need if there’s an amendment increasing the term of office to, say, 10 years.
//
James E Powell
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Don’t forget Al Gore. That’s how we got Roberts & Alito.
Since 1986, the chief justice of the supreme court has been a man who started his career opposing voters’ rights.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@debbie: So what’s going on, a bunch Carlson’s writers all Liberal Hipsters seeing what kind of dumb nonsense they can get him to say?
SWMBO
@Jeffro: Dead thread but have them be volunteers from out of state. They can hand out water while local Dems get souls to the polls.