Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

When we show up, we win.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

T R E 4 5 O N

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Republicans do not trust women.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Heather Cox Richardson interviews President Biden

Heather Cox Richardson interviews President Biden

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I know some of y’all are fans of historian Heather Cox Richardson, author of “Letters from an American,” a Substack page that doesn’t feature whiny-ass contrarian content. She said Biden’s people reached out to see if she wanted to interview the president recently (smart!), and she did so on February 25:

Biden threw a little shade at Manchin at around the 10-minute mark — just a one-liner about how people don’t understand what’s in BBB “mainly because one senator from West Virginia talks about how it’s all social spending…” (PawPaw Blacklung is probably meeping about this hate crime to Axios right now.)

Other tidbits: Biden’s brother and John Meacham decorated the Oval Office and chose to hang a portrait of FDR because they said no other president had ever taken office as far behind the eight-ball on the economy except FDR, and they included a painting of Lincoln because no other president had come into office with the population more divided.

Biden says American democracy will survive because most Americans are fundamentally “decent and honorable” and “phony populism” is transitory. He still believes it’s possible to unite this country, and he acknowledged that current levels of wealth inequality are incompatible with democracy but thinks it’s possible to address this in a bipartisan way.

We’ll see!

One quality Biden has that’s really powerful, maybe even his superpower: He doesn’t look down on voters. That comes through toward the end.

I think almost every previous president at least pretended to have that quality, except maybe TFG, but for Biden, it seems genuine. I do not share that trait, but I see the value of it.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

123Comments

  2. 2.

    zhena gogolia

    Thanks. I get her newsletter and it’s really good although I hardly ever manage to read it carefully too much bj time. Aaron rupars newsletter is also really good

  5. 5.

    Spanky

    I do not share that trait, but I see the value of it.

    I think you speak for a lot of us on this.

  7. 7.

    Baud

     a Substack page that doesn’t feature whiny-ass contrarian content.

    Isn’t that against the terms of service?

  8. 8.

    debbie

    Whether he says it out loud or not, I hope Joe’s moved past his dream of a kumbaya moment with the GOP Congress.

  10. 10.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Spanky:

    I do not share that trait, but I see the value of it.

    I think you speak for a lot of us on this.

    Yup. Whenever I hear trumpists feel looked down upon, I know for a fact it’s true, and will be at least as long as there’s breath in my body. And they’re not the only ones whose pates I see most of the time.

  12. 12.

    Kathleen

    @zhena gogolia: For whatever worth my opinion is I highly recommend taking the time to read it. I read it first thing in the morning and her words and tone are like a soothing cup of cocoa. She spends a lot of time curating the 3-5 most important stories of the day and provides historical context and links. She’s brilliant and authentic.  I would characterize her as fact and values based

    ETA: And the conversation with President Biden is very uplifting and worthwhile.

  14. 14.

    Ohio Mom

    I have tried to adopt an optimistic posture but that’s all I can manage. I think Biden’s sincerely felt optimism is related to his deep religious faith, something else I am incapable of summoning.

  15. 15.

    Betty Cracker

    Do y’all remember when Marilynne Robinson interviewed PBO? This conversation reminds me of that. The Robinson-Obama convo was more philosophical and erudite. But there’s a similar vibe — a POTUS who’s thoughtful but relaxed because he’s not talking to a shill who’s trying to flush out click-bait.

  17. 17.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Manchin and his family are all parasites.  They deserve every bit of shade they get.

  21. 21.

    Spanky

    @Alison Rose ???:

    I’ve just started watching it. Is that noise the wood crackling in the fireplace or is someone playing pool somewhere behind the camera?

    Yes! Biden installed pool tables in the Oval Office so he could shoot a few rounds or frames or whatever those bad kids call it. And of course Fox News is LIVID over it.

    Trouble!
    Right here in River City!

  23. 23.

    phdesmond

    Biden seemed in good form during the interview.

    this, lifted from Digby, is cheering:

    After what’s been a bleak several months politically for President Biden, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey finds he is seeing a significant boost in his approval ratings across the board following his State of the Union address and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    “This is an unusual bounce,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll. “It gets him back to where he was pre-Afghanistan.”

     

  24. 24.

    germy

    Tucker says the only thing Kamala Harris is qualified to do is date Montel Williams pic.twitter.com/Wthfg08qhW

    — Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) March 4, 2022

    1/x I see @TuckerCarlson retreated to his safe space last night – attacking black women – to distract from walking back his breathless embrace of Putin.

    He has spent his life as part of the idle rich, I spent my first career as a Naval intel officer doing counter-Russia work… https://t.co/ScnxYhbjBY

    — Montel Williams (@Montel_Williams) March 4, 2022

    2/ Tucker would have you believe he discovered Putin was up to no good in Ukraine yesterday. Maybe he’s the wrong guy to assess the competence of others?

    Story via @HaleighFoutch @TheWrap.https://t.co/4DNvuDs3ss

    — Montel Williams (@Montel_Williams) March 4, 2022

  25. 25.

    Miss Bianca

    @zhena gogolia: LOL!

    Seriously, I have thought of petitioning WaterGirl to reach out to Adam S and his staff and saying, “Hey, I know you’re busy, but…could you possibly come back and shoot the shit with us about the current state of WW III and saaayyy is Ukraine going to come up again in the Jan 6 hearings and oh by the way how your dad is doing?”

  29. 29.

    Kay

    I laughed when he was talking about the transfer of power between 11 AM and 1 PM on 1/20 and said “…the other president didn’t even come to the inaugeration”

  30. 30.

    Starfish

    The theme of dignity of being able to afford the medicine for your child’s chronic condition is one Biden has hit on repeatedly. I guess it is a more uplifting framing than “We, one of the richest countries in the world, should not let your kid die because some rich people in government have forgotten that people who are not rich and not just pharmaceutical companies make up their constituents.”

  31. 31.

    Miss Bianca

    @germy: You know, I haven’t thought of Montel Williams in years, always thought his show was kind of silly, but dayum…those are some righteous burns. I had no idea about his previous background.

  32. 32.

    Jim Appleton

    @Betty Cracker: Also, I’m sadly struck by the probability that few, if any, nominal R voters will see this conversation, much less appreciate it honestly.  If they even catch wind, in any context, of what he says here, thoughtfully and compassionately, about their own self interest they’ll reflexively dismiss ol Sl**py Joe as senile.

    Contrast with just about any interview with their hero, TFG, whom they revere despite his obvious incompetence and failures laid bare.

    Off topic but related, I took a detour from the last thread to check out Wikipedia’s trove of megayacht pages.  There are a lot of them.  There is even a category of megayacht tenders, many of which are larger than a lot of megayachts, and exist solely to provide space for stores and supplies, maintenance and recreational services and equipment, and housing for non-crew service employees.

    A very different world from the one I live in.

    Not unlike the goober lament above.

  33. 33.

    germy

    If you were wondering about whether the Russians really influence our social media, compare the list of top Facebook posts from a few weeks ago to this week, when Russia couldn't access its foreign cash reserves. Rather telling. pic.twitter.com/tneHdNkOaC

    — Mark Hachman (@markhachman) March 4, 2022

  38. 38.

    trollhattan

    @Jim Appleton:

    Also, I’m sadly struck by the probability that few, if any, nominal R voters will see this conversation, much less appreciate it honestly. If they even catch wind, in any context, of what he says here, thoughtfully and compassionately, about their own self interest they’ll reflexively dismiss ol Sl**py Joe as senile.

    Here’s how Fox will do it: frame-grab Joe blinking, run it with chyron “Biden sleeps through entire interview.”

  40. 40.

    Dan B

    Mike Pence will announce that there is mo room in the GOP for people who praise Putin.

     

    Wonder how well that will be received.

  41. 41.

    Miss Bianca

    @Dan B: I’m somehow not seeing Mike Pence as a GOP social influencer. But we do live in the strangest timeline now, so anything’s possible, I guess.

    ETA: I mean, if a Trumpian fall coincides with a Pencian rise, I will really feel like we are through the map and off the looking-glass, as Adam likes to say…

  42. 42.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    Dems always get pestered about “unity” while the wingnuts get a free pass

  46. 46.

    Ken

    @Miss Bianca: It could be part of a Republican “We have always been at war with Eastasia Eurasia” rectification. If so I would expect a parallel push to claim that Democrats have been supporting Putin for the last twenty years.

  47. 47.

    trollhattan

    @Dan B: Mike Pence will announce that there is mo room in the GOP for people who praise Putin.

    I’m having a good laugh over Sterny McSternface saying, “Mo room.”

  49. 49.

    dnfree

    @Kathleen: every day I read Heather Cox Richardson and electoral-vote.com for insights I don’t get anywhere else.  Both involve historians.

  50. 50.

    Jim Appleton

    @trollhattan: My own guess is they’d also butcher-edit the couple of times he admits he can’t remember (viz. how many 2016 incumbent House R districts he campaigned in, as a small part of a successful swing to a D House majority).

  58. 58.

    smith

    @Spanky:  Mother will dance with some hot young stud, and force Mike to watch.

    Aren’t you thinking of the Falwells? Or is it a new Republican tradition?

  61. 61.

    MomSense

    I’m glad you shared this.  I subscribe to her newsletter and she is a friend of my cousins.  I hope I’ll get to see her this summer.

  63. 63.

    Kathleen

    @MomSense: I subscribe to her newsletter also and it’s the best investment in “media” I’ve made. I admire her so much. Not just her brilliant analysis and writing about historical and current events, but the authentic values she brings to her work.

  65. 65.

    Brachiator

    @Jim Appleton:

    Off topic but related, I took a detour from the last thread to check out Wikipedia’s trove of megayacht pages. There are a lot of them. There is even a category of megayacht tenders, many of which are larger than a lot of megayachts, and exist solely to provide space for stores and supplies, maintenance and recreational services and equipment, and housing for non-crew service employees.

    Funny thing. I just bought a bargain yacht on Craigslist from a Russian oligarch. Too much trouble to operate. I will probably sell it on EBay.

    When I taught a tax class, I would try to have fun with current events and try to make numbers relatable.

    And so, I would note that the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire was that the millionaire superstar athletes could go party on a yacht, but only billionaires could own and operate them.

    So, for example, a tiny 180 ft yacht might cost $40 million. And then, it costs a minimum of $4.5 million per year to operate and maintain.

  66. 66.

    Kathleen

    @dnfree: Isn’t she amazing? It’s like having a mini Master Class in American history every morning. Her piece about Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address was brilliant and uplifting.

  70. 70.

    MomSense

    @Kathleen:

    She’s great!  I often read her email first thing when I wake up.  It’s funny that on the days she takes a break and posts a photo, I’m always so glad to have a photo. Sometimes she shares local photographers and I’ve enjoyed seeing the work of people I know.

    The other Maine Historian I like is Colin Woodard.  He’s actually taken a new job – sort of setting up a center to study and promote democracy.  Prior to this new post he was a journalist with the Portland Press Herald.  Last summer my dad took my youngest to hear him give a talk in Camden. My son was really impressed.

  71. 71.

    Other MJS

    @Jim Appleton:

    Also, I’m sadly struck by the probability that few, if any, nominal R voters will see this conversation, much less appreciate it honestly.  If they even catch wind, in any context, of what he says here, thoughtfully and compassionately, about their own self interest they’ll reflexively dismiss ol Sl**py Joe as senile.

    A zillion times this. I wish we could force every voter to watch this. HRC is a national treasure.

  72. 72.

    phdesmond

    @Kathleen:

    i sent one of her daily essays, about the birth of the Republican party in the days of abolition, to a half-dozen people i know in Maine.   it was gripping!

  74. 74.

    geg6

    @germy:

    Wow, you go Montel!  I knew he was in the Navy but did not know the kind of work he did while serving.  Interesting.

  76. 76.

    AWOL

    @dmsilev: I was playing a Jazz mix on YouTube yesterday and poor, pathetic, castrato schmuck Ben Shapiro “bought” long commercial breaks on YouTube to spread anti-Biden propaganda.

    It’s hard to shut-up fascist trollops. They’re sneaky, like roaches.

  84. 84.

    Geminid

    @Jim Appleton: I think you are right to say that few Republicans will hear this interview. But even if the audience is Democrats only, it’s always good to rally the faithful. Some get depressed and need the encouragement.

  85. 85.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Ohio Mom: ​
      I lack Biden’s deep religious faith, but I share his optimism. I think that the American people are capable of more than we frequently give them credit for. I think Biden does too.

  90. 90.

    Geminid

    Pennsylvania Congressman Conor Lamb picked up another endorsement for Senate this week, from the National Organization of Women’s Political Action Commitee. The primary will be May 18, a little more than 10 weeks from now.

  91. 91.

    Sure Lurkalot

    Will watch after dinner. I think HCR is one of the best voices out there.

    I wish like some of you that Joe would call out the Republicans for the traitorous obstructionists they are and the media for the disingenuous lazy assholes they are but if wishes were horses…

    He’s much more politic than I could ever dream to be and despite the incredible hardships in his life, he seems to give the benefit of doubt when there should be none. Sometimes it’s infuriating and sometimes I’m humbled by his grace.

  96. 96.

    Gin & Tonic

    Same thing I’ve been saying over and over.

    One of the most chilling things for me is watching and reading comments by Russians to what their country is doing in Ukraine. They either think these are all fakes, or are convinced that Ukrainian army is bombing its own civilians.The level of hate to Ukrainians is mind-boggling— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) March 4, 2022

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    One quality Biden has that’s really powerful, maybe even his superpower: He doesn’t look down on voters. That comes through toward the end.

    Biden’s decency is genuine. Trump and the Republicans could never effectively counter it, even though they tried hard.

    Most voters got the message and voted for the guy who was genuine and decent. I think some people who usually vote Republican also got the message. But the GOP has to expend a great deal of time and effort in trying to push lies about Biden and the Democrats. They don’t have much else.

  99. 99.

    Jim Appleton

    @Geminid: Agreed.

    And it’s so, so deeply gratifying to hear his humility and gift of service.

    TFG by contrast made everything about himself.  Biden observes and catalyzes.

    If a small fraction of nominal R voters are persuadable and successfully reached, we ought to keep the all-important House in November.

  100. 100.

    Kathleen

    @MomSense: Yup. I’m up at 3 am and that’s the first thing I read when I open my emails. She’s so soothing and calming. It’s so cool that you get to enjoy the company of these talented people. My dad was a History major in college so I learned a lot from him and the books he bought. One of this things I miss most is asking him about his perspective on current events vs other periods in history. Dr. Richardson fills that gap to some degree.

  101. 101.

    Kathleen

    @phdesmond: Was that a more recent one? I’ve only been subscribing for about 6 months at most but that sounds vaguely familiar. I will check my email archives.

  102. 102.

    Kathleen

    @Omnes Omnibus:  Optimism historically has not been one of my qualities but I figure I don’t have the luxury of despair or cynicism in these perilous times so I’m always focusing on the need to be optimistic (while also grounded in reality). That’s one of the reasons I treasured that conversation.  Joe Biden lifts my spirits.

  103. 103.

    Skepticat

    @MomSense: … It’s funny that on the days she takes a break and posts a photo, I’m always so glad to have a photo. Sometimes she shares local photographers and I’ve enjoyed seeing the work of people I know. .. The other Maine Historian I like is Colin Woodard.

    I’m very impressed by both of them and never miss her Letter from an American. They’re both wicked smaht. And I too love the photos, especially Peter’s. Of course, they’re fellow Mainiacs, after all, so we’d expect nothing less.

  104. 104.

    Kay

    Good article about the collection of grifters and crooks collecting money for the “Freedom Convoy”

    At a rally point near the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Tex., as the wind whipped American flags atop an 18-wheeler behind her, a Southern California lawyer and anti-vaccine activist named Leigh Dundas exhorted a crowd to make donations.
    “We’re going to be doing a little altar call up here. A hundred percent of that cash is going back into the boys’ pockets for the next fuel stop,” Dundas told onlookers and live-stream viewers, encouraging them to give online to the “People’s Convoy,” a U.S.-based group of activists opposed to vaccine mandates and inspired by the self-styled “Freedom Convoy” that occupied Canada’s capital for weeks.
    The group set a goal of $5 million to fuel its fight and claimed to have collected $1.5 million by Monday, eliciting growing support across the country from people who’ve cheered at rallies, demonstrated from chilly highway overpasses, and taken to social media to profess a loss of faith in government, politicians, media and other institutions they paint as corrupt and out of touch.
    They want to do something, so they give. In this case, to the AFCLF Foundation, which launched last year and names as its executive director a Texas woman named Pamela Milacek, whose arrest is sought, records show, by authorities who allege she violated the terms of her community supervision after pleading guilty to felony fraud and exploitation charges in 2020.

  105. 105.

    Skepticat

    @Jim Appleton: If a small fraction of nominal R voters are persuadable and successfully reached …

    Let’s both dream on. I fear the percentage is vanishly small.

  108. 108.

    phdesmond

    @Kathleen:

    try searching her site?  i haven’t.  or i have a copy.  if you get my e-mail address from administration, i can send it to you.

    it’s beautiful and patriotic.  the writing is exceptionally good.

  115. 115.

    Heidi Mom

    @Brachiator: In one of the books about the 2008 election (can’t recall which), it was mentioned, in a discussion of the selection process for Obama’s VP, that Biden “had no meanness in him.”

  118. 118.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, …

    I think Elon has realized that the rest of the auto industry will eat his lunch if allowed to electrify, and that the most lucrative path forward is one where EVs continue to be a lucrative luxury niche that Tesla can dominate. https://t.co/n8TVTz9mDi

    — Michael Tae Sweeney (@mtsw) March 5, 2022

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  119. 119.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @germy: I have ONE  heat seeking missile to launch up the ass of a single human being on the planet and so many choices…help me decide lol

  123. 123.

    zoritoler imol

    Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back often!

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