Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

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

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

We will not go back.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Joe Biden’s Just Like Us!

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Joe Biden’s Just Like Us!

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… I do believe there’s more than a few of us — voters as well as jackals — who’ll look at this list and say ‘Looks pretty good, considering what’s in my medicine cabinet.’

The ‘sensory neuropathy in his feet’ would explain why Biden looks great on a bike, but a bit hesitant/shuffling when he walks. His balance is fine, but he doesn’t have full feeling in his feet (especially when he’s wearing stiff shoes, I suspect). This is actually reassuring, because ‘poor feeling in feet’ is hella less threatening than ‘possible brain issues’!

And I’ll use this report as an excuse to share a thread from Jaime Harrison…
Wednesday Evening Open Thread: <em> Joe Biden's Just Like Us!</em>

Joe Biden’s age and experiences have provided him wisdom, insight, empathy, and a fundamental understanding that the American Dream is meant for all of America’s people.

Biden inherited the reins of a nation in the midst of a pandemic, with a crippled economy, and a democracy bludgeon from an insurrection… but despite it all he brought us back from the brink of disaster and achieved some of the greatest legislative achievements of a generation. From investing in the nation’s infrastructure, to creating millions of new jobs by rebuilding our manufacturing capacity, to repairing our reputation on the world stage, to lowering healthcare costs & investing in the fight against the climate crisis, Joe Biden navigated the chaos of Washington and delivered for America.

I can’t say that about an old and unhinged, twice-impeached, Donald Trump, who has done so much to destroy our democracy, abandon our foreign allies, embrace brutal dictators, attack our nation’s veterans, and rip away the fundamental rights of women to control their own bodies. (There aren’t enough characters to cover all that he has done to hurt America and the American people.)

I also can’t say that about a younger Nikki Haley who as Governor of South Carolina blocked thousands of her constituents from life saving healthcare & attempted to rip away the freedom of women to control their own bodies.

To hell with age… what are you going to do with the power when you get it?!

Are you going to fight for the folks I care about- in my family and my community? Are you going to be fair and just? Are you going to stand up for all or just a select few?

We have seen the work of Nikki & Donald up close and frankly we can’t afford to repeat those disasters. It isn’t their ages that make them bad leaders, but their fundamental beliefs.

@JoeBiden
hasn’t just been a good President, but a great President! He is a good and decent man that gets up every single day thinking about making our nation better for all.

His determination for a better America is not hampered by his age, but enhanced by his wisdom!

So in the choice between Nikki, Trump, or Biden… there is only one correct answer folks- give me that seasoned JOE BIDEN! #BidenHarris2024

Reader Interactions

70Comments

  1. 1.

    Chris Johnson

    Plus we Dems are team-builders and democracy supporters.

    We BUILD systems faster than right-wing rabblerousers can tear them down. We’re just funny like that.

    A vote for Biden is a vote for America, not just for Biden. Vote for the whole system :D

  4. 4.

    Gary K

    Yeah, doc, but can you “state unequivocally, [that Biden] will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency”? Checkmate, libs!

  6. 6.

    japa21

    It isn’t their ages that make them bad leaders, but their fundamental beliefs.

    Repeat, repeat, repeat.

  7. 7.

    Ruckus

    @Urza:

    Now do an honest exam of the other guy:

    I can’t say that about an old and unhinged, twice-impeached, Donald Trump, who has done so much to destroy our democracy, abandon our foreign allies, embrace brutal dictators, attack our nation’s veterans, and rip away the fundamental rights of women to control their own bodies. (There aren’t enough characters to cover all that he has done to hurt America and the American people.)

    This is a start.

  8. 8.

    SpaceUnit

    Plus, Uncle Joe doesn’t wear our asses out every day with a pathological barrage of showboating, drama, grievance, and lies.  He just gets shit done.

  9. 9.

    Kay

    I knew he was fit and healthy. He’d look younger if he would gain 10 or 20 pounds but I think he’s probably naturally slim and can’t.

  11. 11.

    HumboldtBlue

    We need a movie on Clyburn and his impact in Congress and life in general. The man oozes wisdom.

  14. 14.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    I’m glad they found a normal physician. Poor Obama got stuck with that Right wing nutjob who seems to be some kind of drunk/drug addict and went on to Congress.

  15. 15.

    Jay C

    @Kay:

    well, if you’re referring to Ronny Jackson, he proved to be the perfect physician for TFG: just signed off on anything his “patient” wanted to say.

  18. 18.

    MattF

    I’ll bet seeing that list gets every Old to compare their own list of ailments. I don’t see hypertension on Biden’s list, which is a good thing.

  19. 19.

    Kay

    @Jay C:

    I think he was Obama’s physician too. Well, “his” physician. I’m sure Obama had a real doctor on the side.

    Was Ronny Jackson doing all the recreational drug prescribing in the Trump White House? Outside the scope of practice- they should look at his license. Texas though. Probably not.

  21. 21.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Kay: I believe you are correct.He was the one handing out all sorts of pharmaceutical goodies. Have you seen that list?

  24. 24.

    Kay

    @MagdaInBlack:

    The unit spent $46,500 from 2017-2019 on 8,900 unit doses of Ambien, a brand name sleeping medication, which was 174 times more than the $270 the generic equivalent would have cost for the same amount of doses. It spent $98,000 on 4,180 unit doses of Provigil, a brand name stimulant, 55 times more than the $1,800 the generic equivalent would have cost, the report found.

    Stimulants! For what, I wonder? None of them did any work. It does kind of explain the incoherent, aggressive shouting they all do, though. Kelly Anne Conway is definitely on something.

  25. 25.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Kay: They used the stimulant to wake him up from the Ambien. There’s fentanyl and both oxy and hydrocodone in huge quantifies as well. It’s just nuts

    Eta: I watched a youtube clip where they had a page of the pharmacy log and went down the page explaining what everything was and the quantities given at one time.

  28. 28.

    Eyeroller

    Other than Eliquis (anticoagulant) and Crestore (statin) those are all over-the-counter drugs. That’s a pretty light medication regime for somebody his age.

  30. 30.

    Unabogie

    @Kay: Well the big question is why they paid full price for no reason? Someone who acted as the supplier got that money for free.

  32. 32.

    AlaskaReader

    @Kay: Not just in the Whitehouse, all through the system.

    Example: How can Louis DeJoy still be allowed in a position of public trust?

    There are more…..

  34. 34.

    Jay

    CANADIAN, TEXAS – A cluster of wildfires scorched the Texas Panhandle on Wednesday, including a blaze that grew into one of the largest in state history, as flames moved with alarming speed and blackened the landscape across a vast stretch of small towns and cattle ranches.
    Authorities warned that the damage to communities on the high plains could be extensive.

    Known as the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest blaze expanded to more than 1,300 square miles (3,370 square kilometres) and jumped into parts of neighboring Oklahoma. It is now larger than the state of Rhode Island, and the Texas A&M Forest Service said the flames were only about 3 per cent contained.

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/wildfire-grows-into-one-of-largest-in-texas-history-as-flames-menace-multiple-small-towns-1.6788355

  35. 35.

    Princess

    Haha, this is hilarious. He literally sounds like me right down to the Flonase. Okay, I don’t have neuropathy…yet.

  39. 39.

    Unabogie

    @AlaskaReader: I get that they are in the tank for pharma generally, but this is a specific supplier who would have been tasked with procuring the drugs. That person can charge whatever they want and take a commission, so instead of buying $300 worth, they bought $50,000 worth. Someone just pocketed that cash. Maybe they even bought the generics and just said they bought the name brand?

  41. 41.

    Geminid

    I saw some good news in the Times of Israel. National Security Minister and political arsonist Itamar Ben-Gvir had declared restrictions on Arab citizens attending Ramadan services next month on top the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Last year hundreds of thousands attended.Today Israel’s War Cabinet rescinded the restrictions and said they, not Ben-Gvir, would determine policy in this area.

    Ben-Gvir wants to start a civil war to go along with the war on Gaza. Last Saturday night, he instructed police to break up demonstrations in Tel Aviv with water cannons and mounted police. The demonstrators say they are coming back this Saturday and bringing everyone else they can.

  42. 42.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    Since we’re talking about health, is it normal to see sparkles when you cough? Very occasionally it spatters my vision, looks almost digital in nature.

    Only other time I saw it, I took a real good slap so I’m wondering if I’m dinging something.

  43. 43.

    Jackie

    @Kay:

    He’d look younger if he would gain 10 or 20 pounds but I think he’s probably naturally slim and can’t.

    If only he’d follow TIFG’s diet and exercise regimen! //

    Biden exercises regularly – in part to burn off the ice cream calories he consumes daily? – but, ya, he’s got that natural skinny gene we all wish we had.

  44. 44.

    Kay

    @AlaskaReader:

    I read that Louis DeJoy has gained the trust of Democrats. He helped push a postal reform bill (with funding) thru Congress – he got GOP Senators to sign on. Supposedly he gets along with the postal unions and people in the USPS now trust him.

    As it happened, the count was coming along very nicely. DeJoy may be best known as the Trump-era GOP megadonor the left accused of meddling with mail-in voting to subvert the 2020 election. But by the time Schumer called him on that frigid winter night, DeJoy was on his way to convincing congressional Republicans—120 in the House and 29 in the Senate—to buy into a lengthy Democratic wish list of postal reforms. When President Joe Biden signed the landmark legislation into law two months later, it guaranteed a union-friendly version of six-day mail service and stabilized health coverage for the 650,000 USPS employees. “There’s no way we could have gotten [the] votes without Louis DeJoy,” says Jim Sauber, the chief of staff for the National Association of Letter Carriers at the time. “That’s for sure.”

    Biden and DeJoy plans would convert 100k part time postal jobs to full time, which, speaking as a former USPS employee and manager, is amazing. We were constantly being told we couldn’t move anyone to full time permanent.

  46. 46.

    Geminid

    @Baud: The Al Aqsa compound on top of the Temple Mount is 37 acres in area. I saw a picture of it last year, on the last night of Ramadan. It was packed with worshippers..

  48. 48.

    Doc Sardonic

    I’m not quite 20 years younger than Biden and can testify that the sensory neuropathy can wreak havoc on your balance and stability on your feet, and the spinal arthritis (fortunately the report did not mention stenosis) just adds to the fun. The spinal arthritis can make the sensory neuropathy worse at times, which can have a greater effect on gait and stability.

  50. 50.

    Geminid

    @Baud: Almost 20% of Israeli citizens are Arab, and most of these are Muslims. Barring men under age 40 from Ramadan services on the Mount, as Ben-Gvir intended, would have been a grave insult.

    During the 11-day Gaza war in May of 2021, there was rioting between Jews and Arabs in Israel’s mixed cities. Westerners were mainly upset about Israel bombing Gaza and Hamas firing rockets into Israel, but Israeli media seemed much more disturbed by the rioting. So far this war has not caused that sort of inter-communal strife, but Ben-Gvir wanted to change that.

  51. 51.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: Also today, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Assembly’s law creating the state’s new Congressional map. It’s fairly close to the one released by the Independent Redistricting Commission, which in turn tracked the one devised by a special master for the 2022 election. Democrats like Tom Watson are hopping mad about this.

  53. 53.

    Scout211

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: In consultation with Dr. Google, it appears that seeing sparkles while coughing or sneezing is not unusual.  It usually occurs when you squeeze your eyes shut while doing either.

    I get sparkles occasionally but I have recurring vitreous detachments (bursts of floaters) that cause sparkles when they burst and then last for a couple of days.

    Dr. Google says there are many other reasons why people see sparkles but it sounds like if you are aware that it happens while coughing you likely don’t have one of the more serious conditions.

    And try not to squeeze your eyes shut when you cough.

  56. 56.

    wjca

    @Jay: the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest blaze expanded to more than 1,300 square miles (3,370 square kilometres) and jumped into parts of neighboring Oklahoma. It is now larger than the state of Rhode Island, and the Texas A&M Forest Service said the flames were only about 3 per cent contained.

    Well, that’s what happens when you don’t rake the prairie.

    /s

  57. 57.

    Scout211

    @pluky: when I saw my retina specialist, he explained that a retinal detachment may have sparkles but it is marked by a much more serious curtain-like effect (like a curtain coming down over your affected eye and blocking your vision).

    The vitreous detachments I have are mostly sparkles, with no curtain coming down.

    But getting an ophthalmologist’s opinion is always superior to Dr, Google, so that is good advice for The Kropenhagen Interpretation.

  58. 58.

    Matt McIrvin

    Yeah, about half of the things on that list are things I’ve got, and I’m a hell of a lot younger than him.

  62. 62.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Eyeroller: FTR Crestor is available as a generic (rosuvastatin). I take it in generic form and as a tier 1 drug, my Medicare Part D plan provides it for free.

  63. 63.

    Ohio Mom

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: IMO, you will get a more thorough exam from an ophthalmologist (who is a medical doctor).

    Plus, if there is, or ever is, something wrong with any part of your eye, you will need an ophthalmologist, so might as well establish a relationship with one now. As the old saying goes, the best time to look for a doctor is before you need one.

  65. 65.

    AlaskaReader

    @Unabogie: The Director of the White House Military Office has oversight of the White House Medical Unit which runs the White House pharmacy services.

    In Trump’s term the Director of the Military Office was Keith Davids, the Director of the Medical Unit was Ronnie Jackson.

    Mark Meadows was Trump’s White House chief of staff.

    The ongoing military investigation into the matter may identify a  specific person who directed the purchases of brand drugs and other crimes committed under those above named Directors.

    I pointed at Meadows because I believe, between he and Trump, they both micro-managed every facet of the comings and goings at the Trump White House.

  66. 66.

    AlaskaReader

    @Kay: I still see him as an embed.  I can’t give the benefit of the doubt to any Republican, let alone a Republican appointee of Trump.

    It appears he’s ‘playing nice’ to preserve his position, but that doesn’t excuse him for lining his pockets with contracts, (Louis DeJoy held investments in 14 companies that have done business with the U.S. Postal Service when he took office as U.S. postmaster general),  or for his hand in disrupting the vote.

    Count me as thinking we can do better.

  67. 67.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: Watson thinks NY Assembly Democrats could have gained more of an advantage for Democratic candidates and still complied with NY antigerrymandering law. The Democratic majority was too cautious, he felt.

  70. 70.

    Subsole

    @Kay: I suspect the Stimso were to help counteract the massive volume of downers being handed out.

    Y’know. Like drinking a bottle of green label to take the edge off the crank.

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