I was unaware he was speaking – still kind of unplugged – but I thought we should all have a listen.
This Oval Office address is so critically important.
President Biden continues to meet this extraordinarily challenging moment in time.— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) July 15, 2024
SpaceUnit
What’s this country coming to when you can’t feel safe at a fucking nazi hate rally?
M31
wow, Twitter has become a complete and total shitshow
Campionrules
Oof. The continued struggles with even reading a speech off the teleprompter. Was no one there to tell him to look down?
Eyeroller
I didn’t want to be frist, hopefully won’t be, but I want to re-up what Jake Tapper claimed
A senior House Democrat tells Axios: “We’ve all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency.”
To which AOC responded
“If you’re a “senior Democrat” that feels this way, you should absolutely retire and make space for true leadership that refuses to resign themselves to fascism.
This kind of leadership is functionally useless to the American people. Retire.”
The House has been dribbling anti-Biden reps a few at a time, day after day, for the past two weeks. They are sniveling cowards with no loyalty to our own candidate. The Senate may be as bad but with a few exceptions they’ve kept their mouths shut.
debit
@Campionrules: What? I thought he did fine.
SiubhanDuinne
@M31:
I’m not on Twitter/X/whateveritscalledthisweek. What in particular makes it more shitshowy now than previously?
Nukular Biskits
Good speech.
And I personally don’t care about style or his fumbling over a few words. What he said needed to be said … and should have never needed to have been said.
What I’m curious to see is if this will cause Trump to reevaluate his rhetoric. It’s one thing to call for or insinuate violence (in whatever form) be visited upon others. It’s quite another when that violence is visited upon you.
Freemark
@Campionrules: what the hell are you talking about? He seems fine.
SiubhanDuinne
@Campionrules:
Gosh. I thought he was fine; I even wrote a small homage to Joe and the teleprompter in a downstairs thread.
M31
@SiubhanDuinne: any Biden/Dem/official post is inundated with dumb bluecheck nonsense immediately. I mean, it was there before but it’s worse now. Just smug MAGA insults. Yeah there’s some pushback but still
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
I’ve always been 100 percent against political violence. I have been subject to direct threats of political violence as well as a member of groups affected by Republican propositions for state violence.
Every 24 hour network has spent the whole day both-sidesing this. I’m sorry but calling out the people explicitly threatening violence as dangerous is not, itself, a threat of violence.
Until the media stops gaslighting the public, they’re enabling.
SiubhanDuinne
@M31:
You make me gladder than ever I don’t have an account.
Eyeroller
Trump was apparently well enough today to go golfing so apparently it wasn’t all that traumatic to him.
Suzanne
I thought this was a great message from Joe. He’s doing his best to turn the heat down. I hope people heed that message.
Man, these times are too interesting. Too precarious.
Mai Naem mobile
Watched a few minutes of CNN. Van Jones, Scott Jennings, Jonah Goldberg, Bash, Collins and Cornish. Van Jones is the supposed ‘liberal.’ I’ll guarantee you that will be the same line up during the Democratic convention because more GOPrs is always ok on cable tv news. I switched channels.
Chet Murthy
When I was young, I believed that Americans were fundamentally good people. In a sense, I trusted Americans and the American people. After yesterday’s events, processing them, and then this morning, I realized:
TCFG has his Horst Wessel: *himself*. He’s both Hitler and Horst Wessel. And he’s going to win, b/c his base will be energized by this. He’s their Messiah, and he’s survived a brush with death — almost as good as dying and being resurrected in their eyes.
And then, I realized: I no longer trust the American people, my fellow Americans. I just don’t trust them. To do the right thing, or even just not to do the horrendously wrong thing.
I’m not even sure where to go from here.
Harrison Wesley
@Nukular Biskits: Trump? Reevaluate? That’s a joke, right?
M31
@Eyeroller: and apparently he made a joke, after he made a putt, that he was a better shot than the would-be assassin
probably the family of the dead guy didn’t think that was super funny though
holy shit what a classless lowlife
Another Scott
@Nukular Biskits: +1
I don’t expect TCFFG to change his rhetoric greatly, but rather to again claim that the government is “weaponized” against him and the like. The first words out of his mouth, after demanding to get his shoes, I mean, were “fight, fight, fight” after all.
Biden’s speech was good – heart felt, well delivered, appealing to all of us to bring out our best even when we disagree.
The GQPers would be careful in Milwaukee if they were smart – a split screen commercial of Biden’s speech and the “some people need killing” types would be a powerful commercial. I don’t expect them to be smart.
Eyes on the prizes.
Cheers,
Scott.
Mai Naem mobile
@Campionrules: what? did you not understand what he said?
TaMara
@debit:
@Freemark:
@SiubhanDuinne:
Guys, don’t take the bait
Jeffro
um
He caught Covid, nearly died…and became an anti-vaxxer
His corrupt ties to China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia have been constantly exposed…and he promotes them now more than ever.
He was driven from office…and tried to overthrow the government. When THAT failed…he called the J6ers “patriots” and “hostages”, and now campaigns on pardoning them.
Re-evaluate his rhetoric?
Quite the opposite: he will almost surely double down on his insanity and lies. Plus in all likelihood, he’ll now go full-on “I am the Chosen One.”
japa21
@Suzanne: That greatest of all curses: “May you live in interesting times!”
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Harrison Wesley: Apparently Trump’s people are marking the campaign as a reboot to Trump 2.0
debit
@Chet Murthy: I say this without malice: get off the internet for a while. You have been spiraling downward into to doom for a long time and it can’t be doing you any good.
Another Scott
@Chet Murthy: He lost in 2020 with all the advantages of incumbency and all the advantages of having his people in government.
He has less power now and is less popular.
Hang in there.
Cheers,
Scott.
M31
speaking of pie — as far as I can tell, our sudden resident Biden-must-drop-out trolls have vanished. That is, they’re not participating in other posts that aren’t about Biden’s chances
huh
debit
@TaMara: You’re right. I should have followed my first instinct and had some pie.
hitchhiker
@Campionrules:
He said exactly what needed to be said, he’s the only person in the country who could do it, and he knew that.
Now a zillion people want to make sure we all know he was doing it wrooooonnngggg.
Cool.
Suzanne
@M31: I will also note that the Bethel Park community is not doing awesome, either. Roads were shut down in that neighborhood and reporters were swarming, of course.
Mai Naem mobile
@SiubhanDuinne: it’s full of merch ads for the fight picture and more bots than normal with lots of conspiracies, especially that the shooting was staged. I wonder if anybody has asked Alex Jones if it was staged since he’s the expert on false flags, crisis actors and fake news.
Jackie
@Campionrules: What else did he do wrong, per your hypercritical criticism? Wrong tie? Not enough steely expression? Face color not orangey enough?
Good grief 🤦🏼♀️
Trivia Man
@Nukular Biskits: TCFG change? Ha Ha!
I seem to recall after he had Covid he just doubled down and said “I’m fine, don’t be a baby” or something. No doubt he’ll say “I’m to tough for them, give it right back!”
Almost Retired
@Chet Murthy: Please don’t despair. It’s too early to tell, but I don’t think there’s any coherent partisan narrative that anyone can rally around about this incident. Let’s see how this plays out at the convention.
Jay
Pro Tip, if you see a new nym posting bs, or an unfamiliar nym posting bs, that you did not see with your own eyes or hear with your own ears,………………… well,…………
Recent event’s have taken “Butter Emailz 2.1” out of being the narrative, they want it back.
Jackie
@Eyeroller:
That was a Mike Lee lie. It’s been debunked. Bedminster was under lockdown and TCFG flew to Milwaukee today.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
You do understand they already believed this since before 2016?
Raoul Paste
In his speech, Biden cited a number of examples of recent political violence, including January 6. What he didn’t say was that every one was perpetrated by Republicans
Harrison Wesley
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Trump 2.0? The Six Million Cryptocurrency Man! We can make him dumber, greedier, nastier!
Geminid
@M31: I expect they’ll be back.
Shalimar
@Eyeroller: From the photo I saw on Twitter, he has a few scratches on his face and some blood from a really bad ear-piercing. Nothing that would prevent him from riding in a golf cart.
frosty
@Suzanne: Yes, my son who is a cop with the Bethel Park police told us “it’s a madhouse.”
Mai Naem mobile
@Nukular Biskits: i don’t think it will cause him to reevaluate his rhetoric but I don’t think he’s going to feel safe at his rallies with ‘his’ people. I don’t care who you are or how strong you are, just missed getting assassinated has got to do a number on you mentally.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Jay: yes, this is getting so obvious now it’s obvious from the nym what they are.
Trivia Man
@Jackie: I will be shocked if he spends the night in Milwaukee instead of Tr*** Chicago hotel. I am glad that if he does there are already lots of eyes watching to accuse him of insulting the state if he does. We all know he thinks Milwaukee is beneath his dignity.
divF
@debit: I am very quick on the pie trigger these days. If it’s a nym I don’t recognize, and they start with this kind of crap, out they go.
I know I am not competent to evaluate the consequences of various decisions in a highly complex (and frankly, brain-damaged) electoral system. Biden and his team are professionals, with a proven track record, who clearly understand at a deep level both the odds and the stakes here. I trust them to do what is right.
Shalimar
@Chet Murthy: Trump’s base was already voting for him. It doesn’t matter if they do it energetically or not. You don’t get an extra vote for enthusiasm. Save the despair for after the election if it’s necessary.
Eyeroller
@Jackie: Oh Mike Lee, never change. Is he one of the biggest liars in the Senate? Tough competition among the Republicans, for sure! Is he ahead of Tuberville? Let’s go to the scoreboard.
cain
@Chet Murthy:
I had that after 2016 when the American public showed who they were.
I started to feel unsafe after that because Trump gave people free license to be assholes.
TS
I have never been less interested in following any major US news event than this one. I well remember the assassination of Kennedy, the 2000 election, the attack on the twin towers and the election of President Obama. We followed them from thousands of miles away 24×7. This one, the stories are just so wild and continuous I only hear what I can’t avoid.
Just wanted to thank all the BJers for being here because its the only place on the internet I see some folks providing a reality check. I rarely comment in recent times but thanking you all for being here.
Elizabelle
He went to Bedminster. No doubt to spend some quality time with the first Mrs. Trump, Ivana.
Jackie
@Jackie: Here’s a link to Mike Lee’s BS:
https://www.rawstory.com/mike-lee-trump-golfing-shooting-false/
Eyeroller
@cain: Speaking as a translucent-American, I just want to say that it was mostly the white American people who showed what we are.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Oh! Oh! Maybe there will be a video at the GOPer convention were The Donald bravely undergoes surgery to have an experimental cybernetic ear lobe replacement and our one and Only DONALD rises from the grave after a savage attack.
They can have Trump elevated from under the stage in a cloud of steam while TAKE THAT LIBERTARDS!!! flashes over head.
Still, tisk tisk Donald, just selecting Vance as VP like that, where is the caged death match.
Bill Arnold
@M31:
That is tacky even for the entity known as Felonious D.
ETA I see the golf story is said to be debunked.
If anyone sees someone being christian-messianic about convicted felon DJT’s “escape” from death, feel free to ask them about the wounded head in Revelations 13:14.
Shalimar
@Eyeroller: Mike Lee is a lot smarter than Tuberville, which to me means he is more likely to know he’s lying instead of just repeating bullshit someone told him.
Eyeroller
@Elizabelle: I do remember reading that he flew to New Jersey after being released from the hospital in Pennsylvania, but of course that doesn’t mean he was golfing today.
Lyrebird
Oh I’d agree your prediction is more likely, in addition to being well supported. I also admire @Nukular Biskits: ‘ keeping an open mind to the possibility, however remote.
This situation is extra aggravating for the unfairness of the both sides crap from the media, but it is imnsho also one where we can at least feel like we are doing something to help while being slimed. It’s not just for the principle of the thing that taking the high road here is a good choice, it’s also better for Joey O’Biden and his whole family. The more his voice of reason can hold the center, the less added threat to him and everyone. Oy.
I know you know all this, probably, and I know you uphold the principles with or without speeches… thanks for letting me ramble. I pray for the three families affected, actually I will push myself to pray for all five including the fascist candidate and the murderer’s family, and pray twice over for POTUS and VP and families.
M31
@Bill Arnold: yeah I wonder if it’s made up
however, it’s completely in character and I’m sure that if he didn’t say it today he’ll say it in the future
Mike E
Here’s all the receipts, enjoy.
Eyeroller
@Shalimar: Uninteresting lower bound. I wonder whether an actual potato tuber might be smarter than Tuberville.
SW
I saw the video after telling myself I wouldn’t watch it. I found it nauseating that Donald was understandably shaken and scared shitless until one of the SS agents told him that the shooter was down. Then our boy instantly turned into the snarling macho jerk off we’ve all come to know and loath. He won’t be able to stop himself from using this. I don’t think it will help him. George Wallace was shot and seriously injured in 72. We all remember President Wallace.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Maybe, since THE NARRATIVE is Trump is beyond reproach I imagine they will be showing a lot more of Trump now. That never turns out well for him.
Trivia Man
@Eyeroller: Silver lining: WI dumbhead Ron Jo isn’t the dumbest man in the senate since Coach Tubby oozed in. I think he has Lee beat by a mile.
Harrison Wesley
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Your scenario reminds me of some of the rock shows I attended many, many, many years ago. But this would probably be a lot tackier.
Bill Arnold
@Raoul Paste:
Yeah, that was well done. Wonder if it was hid idea or his speechwriter’s’, but either way, well done.
Eyeroller
@SW: I read that the SS sniper took down the shooter 3 seconds after the shots were fired. Amazing. So of course Donnie felt safe to demand his shoes back and to pose for the raised-fist picture.
Elizabelle
@Eyeroller: saw report that daughter Ivanka hung out w him at Bedminster.
Another Scott
ICYMI, Biden’s Secretary of State – Anthony Blinken – sat down with Heather Cox Richardson for an interview recently. She broke it up into 2 parts and it’s on her substack thing.
Part 1 (scroll down)
Part 2
I think it’s a pretty good overview of what Biden and Blinken are trying to do, and how foreign policy is so directly tied into domestic policy.
One thing that seemed to be news to me was Blinken’s ending statement at the end of part one (roughly) “we’re working to reform the UN Security Council so that it reflects today’s realities, not those of 75 years ago.” That’s very necessary (Ukraine is right that Russia has shown that it doesn’t belong there with a veto, among other things), but making that happen would be a really, really heavy lift.
And (of course) would never happen if TCFFG is back in office.
Cheers,
Scott.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
My gwad, how to make it more tackier? Perhaps Trump rising from under the stage while choirs of women, who look like one doesn’t not cross a state line with, clad in white bikinis, and veils sing “YMC”
Trivia Man
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Good point. He has been very lucky that every story is BIDEN OLD and not GET A LOAD OF THE LATEST SHIT OUT OF THIS PIEHOLE.
Harrison Wesley
@Trivia Man: Spud City Tommy might be the perfect VP match. A Floridian who pretends to be a resident of Alabama backing up a New Yorker who pretends to be a resident of Florida.
Jinchi
Yeah, it’s hard to carry the victim card while spouting about “vermin”.
Another Scott
@Mike E: She’s very good.
Cheers,
Scott.
eversor
@Eyeroller:
Lee is uniquely bad. By his own admission his only goal is to rip out social security “by the roots” and create libertopia. He’s not even being paid off by Peter Theil like say Vance or Hawley. He just wants this. He is utterly furious at the fact that the state can help people. It drives him nuts.
He should be first into the wood chipper.
Trivia Man
@Harrison Wesley: Great call! Please Republicans, whatever you do, don’t let him choose Tuberville as VP or Biden is DOOMED! That would be worse for Dems than a whole briar patch!
Enhanced Voting Techniques
And imagine that with the talking heads fawning over it.
Mai Naem mobile
@Elizabelle: Ivanka smells money. Wonder who sniffs out money better – Melania or Ivanka? Bet they both sniff out money better than my dogs sniff out tennis balls.
YY_Sima Qian
Good read from Van Jackson on how the MAGA reactionaries are trying to seize the moment, worth reading in full:
Captain C
@Elizabelle: Is TCFG a necrophiliac? It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
And it seems severely unlikely he would be disciplined enough to stop for the better part of four months.
YY_Sima Qian
@Chet Murthy: In this farcical repeat of history, the hapless Trump supporters shot to death are the counterpart to Horst Wessel, if the reactionaries choose to play it in that particular way.
Archon
@Chet Murthy: If you consider yourself a believer in liberal Democracy and a progressive remind yourself that the forces aligned against us want to destroy everything you believe in. The bad news is they aren’t offering compromise or quarter. The good news is they are the minority so if we stick together and fight like hell for our country we win.
We have no choice but to fight though.
Jay
https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/this-is-absolutely-the-last-fucking
Suzanne
@frosty: Yeah, I was down there today at the mall — needed to pick up some things at Target and let the Spawn play at the mall playplace indoors. The shooter lived in that neighborhood near there, by the YMCA. I saw on local news that it’s a total mess and so I approached the mall from the other side. The whole situation is terrible.
Harrison Wesley
@Trivia Man: In this regard I’m tempted to say that Republicans suffer from an embarrassment of riches, but that would be twice incorrect since they don’t understand embarrassment and ‘riches’ is hardly a description I’d use for their crew of VP candidates.
Lyrebird
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Here’s hoping!
And oh yeah @Trivia Man: I mean, oh no, not Tuberville, Dems could never match his reputation with military families!
@Harrison Wesley:
Well some of them are rich…
Trivia Man
@Lyrebird: Coach is a proven winner! Dems are scared of real american manly football studs!
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
I love you all, and am very grateful that Balloon Juice can bring us together. ❤️❤️❤️
Jackie
@Mike E: Awesome!
Wapiti
@Raoul Paste: I connected those dots just fine. I expect that many did.
Another Scott
@Raoul Paste: @Wapiti:
I noticed that as well.
Biden remembers the Hatch Act and knows and respects it enough to follow it. I don’t know how much of a consideration that was, but I’m sure it was at least part of it.
Cheers,
Scott.
Bupalos
@debit: If this was live, it’s ok. Sort of. If this was recorded and this was the best take they could get…yikes.
Bupalos
@Raoul Paste: no he referenced the congressional baseball game shooting of whatsisface. Also I’m not sure you can or should really talk about political affiliation per se with these nutballs.
wjca
@Lyrebird:
Oh, this is so, so true! Tuberville is in a class by himself on that score.
Kayla Rudbek
@Trivia Man: yes, I know someone who has to deal with the senators, and they say that Tuberville is indeed dumb, but Rubio is intelligent
Slightly_peeved
@Chet Murthy:
Australia does skilled worker’s visas..
(I presume you weren’t being that literal. I know a now-Australian citizen who started making arrangements as soon as Trump got the nomination back in 2016. He’s sad that his fears about Trump in 2016 were realised at all, but he’s much happier living here regardless)
LanceThruster
My view exactly mirrors the quote Lee opens with. Thought so first time I saw it.
Chris Johnson
@Eyeroller: Pretty harmless for AOC to say that (hope the ‘air quotes’ were done with fingers and everything) when they’re presenting her with what is very likely just plain made up shit.
You CAN just make up some shit and then go find AOC, or Joe Biden, and demand a realistic counter to ‘sources’ and a proposition that simply does not exist.
It would mean either the news people, or somebody in a position to feed them background info, are lying sacks of shit. …AND? You see, that’s the exact problem.
You can’t go out and prove that Axios’ sources made it the fuck up, but inability to put a wire on the fuckers and prove they’re full of shit in a court of law does not mean you have to TRUST them. I trust AOC more than them, and I trust Joe more than them.
Chris Johnson
@Eyeroller: Well, that don’t make sense because (a) what proves there’s only ONE shooter, and (b) why would all the SS agents assume there’s only one shooter and their job of being a big meat blanket was suddenly and completely over? I’ve seen video of Secret Service flipping out when shots are fired, even a video of them hustling Trump offstage. I’ve seen video of Trump frightened by a BIRD. (admittedly, a pissed-off eagle would alarm me too! But so would gunshots.)
It’s not my job to deconstruct what the hell happened. I don’t have to trust the narrative being promoted around it, and I don’t have to know what’s wrong, or prove it, to be put off.
I simply do not trust that Donald Trump is a superhero with nerves of steel whose only thought is to save America. I’m sorry, I just don’t. If the only conclusion is to conclude that, I’m giving massive side-eyes whether or not I can prove it’s nonsense point by point.