Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

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

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

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

To the privileged, equality seems like oppression.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Stand up, dammit!

I don’t recall signing up for living in a dystopian sci-fi novel.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Everybody saw this coming.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

T R E 4 5 O N

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Be a wild strawberry.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / President Biden / Repub Enablers Open Thread: Joe Biden Obstinately Remains Ooooold!…

Repub Enablers Open Thread: Joe Biden Obstinately Remains Ooooold!…

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  3. 3.

    bbleh

    How much of “Biden is old” sticking is just other attacks not sticking.

    How much of it is because there ARE no other serious attacks? ICYMI, nobody cares about Hunter’s Penis, and as much as the Wall-Street-aligned MSM howl about “inflation,” almost everybody is doing better than they did under TIFG.

    You know how I know Biden is physically and mentally totally up to the job?  Because he got the real briefing from the intelligence people about the breadth and depth of Trump’s exposure, and he didn’t have a heart attack right then and there.

  4. 4.

    SpaceUnit

    There’s maybe eleven people idiots in this country who prefer Biden but will vote for trump because of the age issue.  Sheesh.

     

    ETA:  Nate Silver can go fuck himself.

  5. 5.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    I don’t see their problem. If they don’t have enough to write about go cover the Trump cases, there’s plenty there.

    ETA Biden isn’t making enough news? GOOD!

  6. 6.

    Josie

    Nate Silver is way out over his skies. Being good with numbers does not make him a political expert. He should have stuck to baseball.

     ETA: I wonder if he has considered what a second term under Trump would look like.

  7. 7.

    Alison Rose

    I mean, if Biden were having stroke-freezes at the podium like McConnell, sure, then I might be worried. The idea that age alone is something to be afraid of is weird.

  8. 8.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @SpaceUnit: Question:  Would those eleven people be able to vote without mismarking their ballots?  Biden would probably get six of their votes by accident.

  9. 9.

    Alison Rose

    @Josie: I will say, the existence of Nate did give us one good thing, which was back in I guess 2008 when he had his scarily accurate election predictions and Jim Newell, then writing at Wonkette, wrote that “Nate Silver taught numbers how to fuck”. I still laugh at that line.

    But I also wish he would STFU.

  10. 10.

    Lapassionara

    I’m close to Biden in age, as is Mr.LP. Mr. LP has a brother who is 90 and still mows his own lawn. Everyone ages differently, and Biden is a young 80, whereas TFG is an old 77 year old.

  11. 11.

    Scout211

    I was young once and I know when I was young I would never have wanted someone in my cohort being a world leader. Sheesh.  Do these journalists ever see the big picture?

    Also why do these journalists hate grandpas?  I don’t think too many young people hate grandpas.  Just saying.

  13. 13.

    satby

    My youngest son, 37, and most of his friends all think most of the politicians running the country right now are too old. Still, they’re going to crawl over hot coals to vote for Joe and Democrats in Nov.’24.

  14. 14.

    Josie

    @Lapassionara: ​
     Exactly. I will be 80 in another month, and my brain works just fine, thank you very much. I still lift light weights and walk every other day. As long as I get an adequate amount of sleep, my energy level is good. I manage to keep up with my 8 year old and 5 year old granddaughters every day when I pick them up after school and keep them until parents get home at 6:00.
    I’m sure Biden’s schedule is much more rigorous than mine, and I’m also sure he is up to the challenge.

  15. 15.

    Mike in NC

    One of my favorite Binden stories is when he got a look at all the expensive golf simulator toys that Fat Bastard had installed in the White House, and remarked, “What a fucking asshole.”

  16. 16.

    MisterDancer

    @Alison Rose: The idea that age alone is something to be afraid of is weird.

    Yes! It’s Age Discrimination, just as what happened to Barack was Race Discrimination. It’s a media unable to imagine an Older White Male as someone still able to be Progressive! He’s supposed to be like Trump or McConnell, to be upholding the Patriarchal Values America was built on. Not taking hard steps to dismantle that shit!

    And certainly not just being vocal about being not just seeking Black votes, but putting real political capital into Black issues! And supporting labor issues! And actually seeing LBGTGIA+ issues as not just stuff to pander too!

    They hit him with Discrimination because he’s too fucking effective. And as much as, yeah, the Biden Administrative can and should do more, we here should be telling anyone who thinks Biden is “too old” to explain exactly what they mean.

    Don’t give me this vague age shit. Tell me why age is suddenly more than a number.

  17. 17.

    piratedan

    @SpaceUnit:these guys are free to doom speculate all they want because no one keeps receipts that matter in regards to job security for these folks…

    the fact remains that if it comes down to policy it’s pretty much this:

    GOP: The GOP needs to be in charge because the rest of you are either icky or not worthy.

    Dems: Government should be boring and make lives better for people, regardless of race, sexual orientation or belief system.

  18. 18.

    twbrandt

    Yeah, I wish Biden were younger. But he’s accomplished more in his one term than most presidents accomplish in two, and he’s 1000 times better than any candidate the republicans can come up with. I’ll vote for him in a heartbeat.

  19. 19.

    Citizen Dave

    I’ll never understand the old Joe stuff.  He has shown himself time and again to put country first.  I have no doubt he would step down if forced by failing health.  And I have no doubt that Kamala will whip the ass of whatever slimeball is the GOP candidate.

  20. 20.

    Suzanne

    I’m sick of talking about him being old. I’m sick of talking about the media talking about him being old. They’re trying to create drama where none exists, because they cannot get those sweet, sweet clicks without it.

  21. 21.

    TS

    @SpaceUnit:

    Truth. Without a dem primary (or one that Biden wins without trying) the political media is left with TIFG & the rest of the RW anti government  apologists – which TIFG will also win – despite being tied up in court and/or in prison.

    Be nice if the campaign actually got back to what a government does and how well the Biden administration does it – for everyone except the pundits.

  22. 22.

    Lapassionara

    @MisterDancer: yes. This. I liked what BC said, which was that we chose Biden in 2020, well-knowing his age then. So it was baked in, and to consider changing now is ridiculous. And he has and is doing great!

  26. 26.

    Danielx

    Indeed he is old. But considering his likely opponent, it’s not even a choice. I’ll take boring competence for 50 points, Alex!

    The only people who seem all that concerned with Biden’s age are Villagers, and Nate Silver is very much a card carrying Villager at this point. Fucking concern trolls…

  27. 27.

    Roger MacGuffin

    @MisterDancer:

    The late 70s and early 80s are a period when medical problems often get much worse for the typical American man.

    At age 70 — Trump’s age when he was inaugurated for his first term — the risk of death in the upcoming year for a white American male is 2.4 percent. By age 78 —Trump’s age in 2025 — the risk has roughly doubled to 4.9 percent. At 82 — Biden’s age if he’s reinaugurated in 2025 — it’s increased further to 7.3 percent. And the risk of dying is 11.0 percent by age 86, which would be Biden’s age at the end of his second term.

    Note that those are annual risks — not cumulative over the four-year term.

    According to the Alzheimer’s Association, this age range is also associated with a sharp increase in Alzheimer’s dementia:

    Age is the greatest of these three risk factors, with the vast majority of people with Alzheimer’s dementia being age 65 or older. As noted in the Prevalence section (see page 17), the percentage of people with Alzheimer’s dementia increases dramatically with age: 3 percent of people age 65-74, 17 percent of people age 75-84 and 32 percent of people age 85 or older have Alzheimer’s dementia.

    h/t natesilver.net/p/of-course-bidens-age-is-a-legitimate

  28. 28.

    SpaceUnit

    @TS:

    I’ve learned to be cautious with my optimism, but I suspect that once the race begins in earnest the Biden campaign is going to go into steamroller mode.

    He’s got no end of accomplishments to run on and trump’s got nothing to offer but bitterness and tears.

  29. 29.

    Alison Rose

    @Scout211: Also, there are a number of journalists past and present who worked until far older than 80. Obviously “journalist” and “president” are very different jobs, but it’s a bit rich for them to be screeching about how Biden is 80 going on 112.

  32. 32.

    Danielx

    @TS:

    Yes indeed, and well paid pundits don’t really care how well government functions until it personally affects them – it’s not like they are on Medicaid, for example.

  33. 33.

    Alison Rose

    @MisterDancer: The one time when I was happy to reference a candidate’s age was when dipshit men in 2016 were like “we can’t elect Hillary, what about when she has PMS” and I was like…she’s gonna be 69 years old on Election Day, you dork ass losers.

  36. 36.

    Alison Rose

    @Roger MacGuffin: So what? “Risk” doesn’t mean “certainty”. My great-grandpa lived to 95 and never had any dementia whatsoever. Meanwhile my friend’s husband started exhibiting early-onset dementia in his early 50s.

    Every single living person is technically at risk of dying every moment of every day. (Which I know sounds like a line from an emo band song, but it’s also true.) So what’s your point?

  37. 37.

    sdhays

    @Citizen Dave: This. I was concerned about Joe’s age in 2020, but as it became clear he was going to be the nominee, I asked myself what my bottom line is. My bottom line is that Biden – and, very importantly, the people he surrounds himself with – care deeply about this country, above themselves, and won’t prop him up to hold onto power like Woodrow Wilson or Ronald Reagan.

    If Biden himself knows he’s slipping, he’ll step aside. If he’s slipping and doesn’t realize it, he has people he trusts that will tell him. And he implicitly trusts his VP, so it’s not some agonizing choice – if the time comes before the end of the term, he’ll do it without hesitation. And that’s all that I can ask of anyone.

  38. 38.

    Roger MacGuffin

    @Alison Rose:

    You and everyone else here are deluding yourselves.

    Whether you like it or not, Biden’s age is a big fucking deal to a majority of Democratic voters. He should do the right thing and withdraw from this race so that the age issue can be taken off the table on the Democratic side.

  39. 39.

    Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg

    I’m 61. We do tend to be run by a gerontocracy in the executive branch, the Congress and corporate world – people whose visions may have staled while they no longer have a great stake in the policies they push.

    Will I crawl over broken glass for Biden? Yes. Can I still think that to many 65+ folks are clinging to reins they should hand over?  Yes.

  41. 41.

    Alison Rose

    @Roger MacGuffin:

    to a majority of Democratic voters

    You got actual receipts for this? Or are they still stuck up your ass where you pulled the rest of your comment out of?

    Sure, some Dem voters might be worried about his age. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THEY WON’T VOTE FOR HIM AGAINST A FASCIST INSURRECTIONIST. You really think he’s going to “withdraw” when he is in good health and has had a first term that, 3/4 in, is one of if not the most positively consequential presidencies in the nation’s history, just because he might have age-related issues in a year or two or three? What other health-related aspects do you think should bar a person from running? Asthma? Diabetes? Depression? Hell, I’m only 5 feet tall, if I ran for office, an aide would have to follow me to every podium with a stepladder.

    You’re being ageist, ableist, and stupid. Go be those things somewhere else.

  43. 43.

    Ken

    Robert Black: I think all the media types […] are just still upset that the Democrats chose someone so, well, uncool as their standard-bearer

    “Un-cool?”

  46. 46.

    Jay

    Mc·Guf·fin
    /məˈɡəf(ə)n/
    noun
    noun: MacGuffin
    an object or device in a movie or a book that serves merely as a trigger for the plot.
    “the McGuffin in this intriguing comedy is an unpublished novel by a young writer killed in the war”
    Origin
    1930s: a Scottish surname, coined in this sense by the English film director Alfred Hitchcock, allegedly from a humorous story involving such a pivotal factor.

  47. 47.

    wjca

    I confess, I would wonder what the Liberty Caucus types is thinking, if I thought they were capable of doing so.  They are all hot to impeach Biden.  But they are even more horrified, shocked and appalled at the mere thought of a President Harris.  Which is what they get if they remove him.

    Or maybe, since they are all about posturing rather then substance, the are counting on the Senate to refuse to convict (given the utter lack of evidence), and so save their bacon.

  50. 50.

    randy khan

    I am pretty amused at the comment about Biden not being cool.  He actually is pretty cool in an old guy way.  Among other things, he has a fine ear for snark, which he employs sparingly, but quite effectively.  He is, more or less, the cool grandpa.

  51. 51.

    smith

    One point that is never made in these discussions is the possibility that Biden has made such consequential progress with the tiniest of margins in Congress is because he is old. That is, he has a wealth of experience in getting things done at the federal level that few if any politicians have, now or ever. He also has built many relationships among key government and political players, and, perhaps more importantly, can predict with a fair amount of certainty how they will act and how far they can be trusted. The accumulated experience that goes with having lived a long time is devalued in our culture and makes it almost impossible to see that there are plusses along with minuses from being old. I have no other way to explain how this suposedly decrepit old man manages to outwit the entire Republican party again and again and makes it look easy.

  52. 52.

    wjca

    @Roger MacGuffin: Whether you like it or not, Biden’s age is a big fucking deal to a majority of Democratic voters.

    Assume, for the sake of discussion and I personally don’t believe it for an instant, that you are right.  That would mean that independent voters are the ones smart enough to know it’s a bogus issue.

  54. 54.

    Percysowner

    I often wonder if all these people who are “worrying” about Biden’s age also think that Kevin McCarthy age 58 is a superior House Speaker to Nancy Pelosi who was in her 80s during the end of her run as Speaker. I mean, I think Hakeem Jeffries will be great when he gets his chance, because Nancy supported him and she knows talent, but Nancy Pelosi was a once in a lifetime power.

  55. 55.

    Lyrebird

    @Suzanne: Agreed that this is just them stirring up sht.

     

    Biden – and, very importantly, the people he surrounds himself with – care deeply about this country, above themselves

     

    @sdhays: and I totally agree with you on this!

    One of the reasons I voted WITH JOY for Biden is his clear commitment to picking a really great and effective Veep and cabinet members who actually want to GOVERN.  And are qualified.  I will grieve deeply whenever Biden’s time comes, but if it comes while he’s in office, we’ve still got Haaland Granholm Pete B the NJ twitter gal and (drum roll) Madam VP.

    Trump cult members think that presidenting is about rewarding your self and your buddies and punishing your enemies.  I don’t think actual governance ever crosses their minds.  Just being important and powerful.

    I am so angry at these so-called journalist yahoos who know better and still would rather turn the US Govt into even more of a dumpster fire just because they find decency and competence boring.

  56. 56.

    twbrandt

    It is 15 months out from the 2024 election, and the polls are pretty meaningless at this point.

    So fucking what if polls show that people are concerned about Biden’s age right now? When the choice comes down to Biden vs Trump, will that matter?

  59. 59.

    rikyrah

    They are mad about Biden because the Democratic Party base doesn’t fall for shiny objects. They so wanted to phuck up Democrats with the shiny objects of Marianne Williamson and RFK, Jr. That they are non-starters , because the base says that they are non-starters. That is another reason why I am thankful the primary state order was changed.

  60. 60.

    BruceFromOhio

    You make money talking shit, you talk shit. Doesn’t mean anyone has to listen.

    Fuck every single one of these motherfuckers with a fucking rusty pitchfork.

    Send the fascists scurrying, quivering in fear and jumping at shadows, the fucking snowflakes. Send daddy a card in prison.

    Biden/Harris 2024.

  61. 61.

    wjca

    @Lyrebird: Trump cult members think that presidenting is about rewarding your self and your buddies and punishing your enemies.  I don’t think actual governance ever crosses their minds.

    Not least because they wouldn’t know governance if it smacked them in the face.  Although, should they encounter it, they would (and do) reflexively oppose it.  See their contempt for the “Deep State”.

  63. 63.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @SpaceUnit: Nate Silver can go fuck himself.​

    Nate Silver richly deserves to be pistol-whipped to within 2.54 cm of his utterly worthless life.

  64. 64.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Josie: Nate Silver is way out over his skies. Being good with numbers does not make him a political expert. He should have stuck to baseball.​

    For anything more complex or consequent than baseball stats, Silver can’t find his arse with both hands.

  66. 66.

    Tony Jay

    There’s obviously lots of reasons for the Infotainment Machine to go negative on Biden, all to do with money and how the business model they are cogs in makes that money, but the reason behind this specific angle of attack is pretty much Rove 1.1. Attack your enemy’s strengths, redefine them as weaknesses.

    Biden is effective as President because he’s old. He’s comfortingly grandfatherly because he’s old. He’s snarkily funny because he’s old. He’s blithely unconcerned about stacking up favours for his post-Presidential career because he’s old. He’s all of these things, and the Democratic Party are going to run him unopposed against Trump (or whoever) and win the 2024 Election, which puts the young, brown lady with all the opinions in pole position to run in 2028 against whatever post-Trump dreck the MAGOP barf up.

    So damned straight they’re going to try and redefine Biden’s age as something ‘everyone knows’ is a disqualifying issue. Otherwise they’d have to acknowledge that the Democrats are going into this Election cool, composed and confident of victory, and that just isn’t in the narrative.

  67. 67.

    206inKY

    This curation of tweets is really damn amazing, 10/10, balloon juice at its best. Thank you for the hard work of putting it together.

  68. 68.

    lowtechcyclist

    @smith: ​
     

    One point that is never made in these discussions is the possibility that Biden has made such consequential progress with the tiniest of margins in Congress is because he is old. That is, he has a wealth of experience in getting things done at the federal level that few if any politicians have, now or ever. He also has built many relationships among key government and political players, and, perhaps more importantly, can predict with a fair amount of certainty how they will act and how far they can be trusted. The accumulated experience that goes with having lived a long time is devalued in our culture and makes it almost impossible to see that there are plusses along with minuses from being old. I have no other way to explain how this suposedly decrepit old man manages to outwit the entire Republican party again and again and makes it look easy.

    This. All of this.

  71. 71.

    matt

    That pud Nate Silver doesn’t matter to me at all. He’s always talking shit about something dumb. The David Sacks of pundits.

  74. 74.

    Brit in Chicago

    @Citizen Dave: “I have no doubt that Kamala will whip the ass of whatever slimeball is the GOP candidate.”

    I worry that the racism and misogyny of all too many voters would make her a losing candidate. On the other hand, as long as Joe makes it past the election (and wins, which I think he will), we’re ok. Of course I’d love to see Joe serve out a full second term, and do even more (if he had the House and the Senate without having to rely on Manchin or Sinema, we might get some real tax reform, for example).

  75. 75.

    Brit in Chicago

    @Alison Rose: Sometimes the stupidity of (many) men amazes me. I’m one of them, but I had the great advantage of growing up with four sisters and sensible parents.

  79. 79.

    Bill Arnold

    @Roger MacGuffin:

    You and everyone else here are deluding yourselves.

    And you are a f’ing Republican operative. F-off, Fascist.
    (Yes, I’m serious. Help elect Republicans, you are a Republican.)

  80. 80.

    Bill Arnold

    @Bill Arnold:
    That could be a bit harsh, not sure.
    The basic point is:
    What if Biden decides that the media, which is hard-pushing the Biden is too old narrative, says f-it, the media outlets are right, I quit. (The narrative is not organic; that can trivially proved by showing the relative lack of pushing of the narrative that Trump is too old, the guy who saves precious heartbeats by riding a golf cart when everyone else is walking.)
    How does this not increase the probability of a Republican presidency win in the 2024 election?
    Lay down a scenario for how it increases the probability of a win by Democrats, that does not sound like something written by a Republican strategist writing up a wishful thinking scenario.
    I have seen no such scenario.

    Hell, the Republicans would have run actual Alzheimer’s patient Reagan for a third term if he had been constitutionally eligible. Probably would have won, too. And Biden is nowhere in the same loss-of-cognition territory as Reagan was in 1988. He’s a little slower than he was 10 years ago, but e.g. (a) still rides a bicycle (what percentage of the population his age ride a bicycle?) (b) has a working, even reasonably sophisticated, sense of humor, unlike Trump.
    Actuarial tables are useful if the only information one has is a dimension in the table, like age, or sex. If there is more information, like actual health status, they are just additional data and must be modified using the additional information.

  81. 81.

    SteveinPHX

    @Roger MacGuffin: I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. “Who You Gonna Call? Ain’t no ghostbusters waitin’ in the wings.

    He’s competent. He’s got a good team. Biden’s the only choice these days.

  82. 82.

    VOR

    My position: I wish Biden was 20 years younger. But if my choices are Biden vs. TFG, then I will crawl over broken glass to vote for Biden. Since any of the other GOP candidates are simply different shades of awful, I’d still crawl over that glass.

  84. 84.

    Ryan

    Are we all forgetting that Biden has at his disposal, the White House physician (I know, I know, Ronnie Jackson, but aside from him).  I mean, if you’re old and frail, which Biden is not, you couldn’t be in better hands.  I think we should be less worried about Biden running for reelection precisely because he is an incumbent.

  85. 85.

    wjca

    @Danielx: Indeed he is old. But considering his likely opponent, it’s not even a choice.

    Actually, even considering his unlikely opponents, it’s not even a choice.

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