Joe Biden- why?

[Galactis]

Medicare and Medicaid are currently covering majority of high risk pools. I don’t understand why Medicare for all would fail, when adding the low risk pools currently making insurance companies a fortune, should help lower the average individual expenditure of Medicare.

Medicare is paid for by people out of pocket even if they work full time and then still have to be co-pays which are a ripoff. More insurance coverage is great, I'm a middle liberal but I don't see Medicare for all working at all. ACA is TERRIBLE coverage for anyone that pays for the bare minimum coverage which is outrageously expensive.

Yes it will lower costs across the board by removing all restrictions of applicants.

Idk, what we need is 1 healthcare program.

100% covers all patients regardless of income, status, preexistence, etc.

Is taxed according to percentage of income or personal contribution. Done. If one can't afford it at all, no worries, still covered.

[PACOX]

:looks at the camera:



Why tho. Not saying this was absolutely free.

And that's why I can't get behind Biden. He is grossly out of touch.

Its one thing if he had to work with them to pass legislation. It's another if he going around boasting about it.

Its like he is incapable of seeing his error (not working with them at the time but his words on the situation now).

He isn't going over black people under 40 with that rhetoric.

[Elegiac]

And that's why I can't get behind Biden. He is grossly out of touch.

Its one thing if he had to work with them to pass legislation. It's another if he going around boasting about it.

On Juneteenth of all days, no less. It's one thing to be a Third Way relic, but bragging about cooperating with segregationists is grossly insulting to the modern party.

Its like he is incapable of seeing his error (not working with them at the time but his words on the situation now).

He isn't going over black people under 40 with that rhetoric.

I'd like to take a moment to share a neat little test by Nate Silver that might help us better clarify what constitutes an actual gaffe [link].

1. The misstep ought to be viewed as such by the median voter in the Democratic primaries and not just by the most liberal or the wokest ones.

2. The misstep should be something that the media would call a misstep if it happened to another candidate, so it’s not just trading on Biden’s reputation for being gaffe-prone.

Silver admits as such that his "I've never been called boy" line constitutes a gaffe by this rubric - I personally would argue that his "I don't demonise rich people" speech is also as such since it demonstrates a high level of insensitivity to the American public in general, let alone the Democratic base.

At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet in the face of rising expenses and stagnant wages, standing in front of a group of rich people snacking on petit fours and assuring them that their standard of living is in no danger from him seems kinda tone deaf.

Like about 47% of an actual tone.

[Levelfive]

Biden is far from my favorite politician, but I agree with Biden.

The Democrats are becoming the new Tea Party. Cory Booker repurposing his message is *literally* Biden's fucking point.

This is why I would be a bad candidate: because I can't stand this ridiculous gatekeeping that has NOTHING to do with policy. The moment you try to form an argument you get stomped with some bullshit purity test. And you people think you're engaging in politics.

So fucking depressing to watch.

Biden changed the original story from, "He never called me Senator, he called me son," to "He never called me boy, he always called me son." Biden was making a calculated play--the left's ire is a bonus. Let's not pretend he's failing some purity test.

ETA: And just to bring the point home: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/...-forum-1374588

"A slew of Democratic presidential contenders are scheduled to talk Friday to the nation’s largest association of Latino officials, but there’s one notable absence: Joe Biden.

Biden’s decision to skip the Miami forum has unleashed new criticism that the former vice president and front-runner is taking a pivotal constituency for granted in a primary where the Latino vote could swing the outcome in several key early contests.

“This is one of the first real national platforms for candidates to speak to Latino voters and its leadership, and to be a no-show is a significant risk,” said Arturo Vargas, CEO of the group, known as NALEO.

Biden’s absence at NALEO isn’t an isolated incident, according to operatives and organizers focused on mobilizing Latinos on the ground in key states. His campaign has offered almost no direct outreach or verbal acknowledgment of the rapidly growing Latino electorate, they say, and has made little if any inroads with the Latino community in critical swing states like Nevada or Florida.

The former vice president has not used the terms “Latinos,” or “Hispanics,” in any of his remarks in 20 fundraisers and speeches since the campaign’s launch, according to pool reports and speech transcripts from the events. In the few instances where he made inexplicit references to the Latino community, his remarks were exclusively about immigration or border security."

The primary's beneath him. Biden's running against Trump.

[JohnBrown1917]

Biden is far from my favorite politician, but I agree with Biden.

The Democrats are becoming the new Tea Party. Cory Booker repurposing his message is *literally* Biden's fucking point.

This is why I would be a bad candidate: because I can't stand this ridiculous gatekeeping that has NOTHING to do with policy. The moment you try to form an argument you get stomped with some bullshit purity test. And you people think you're engaging in politics.

So fucking depressing to watch.

You think his obvious racism does not affect policy? The dude should just join the GoP already, fits him way better. He is by far the most conservative democrat.

[Edge-]

What his campaign is showing me so far is that whoever was working with him as VP did a great job keeping a lid on his stupid comments.

I get what he was trying to get at with the segregationist comment but...good lord, read the fucking Democratic base a bit. And his response to Booker asking him to apologize didn't help.

Biden needs to be more disciplined if he wants to get broad Democratic support and enthusiasm (more important) leading into the debates, and shooting himself in the foot like this isn't going to help.

[Elegiac]

What his campaign is showing me so far is that whoever was working with him as VP did a great job keeping a lid on his stupid comments.

I get what he was trying to get at with the segregationist comment but...good lord, read the fucking Democratic base a bit. And his response to Booker asking him to apologize didn't help.

Biden needs to be more disciplined if he wants to get broad Democratic support and enthusiasm (more important) leading into the debates, and shooting himself in the foot like this isn't going to help.

I mentioned this before; there's a reason why Biden is a perennial candidate but has not actually come close to winning the primary.

Like, ignoring his political positions - his perceived strength as a candidate this time around is literally just a function of Democrats being too afraid to put anyone who isn't a right leaning white dude up to challenge Trump. Which is one of the chief reasons why I'm apprehensive of a Biden candidacy; Clinton tried running against Trump as a contest of character and lost, and I don't think Biden's character is sufficiently sterling for 2020. He's too old and set in his ways.

Levelfive really had the right of it. This is the campaign strategy of a candidate who assumes he already has the primary in the bag, and that isn't smart.

[Endus]

I mentioned this before; there's a reason why Biden is a perennial candidate but has not actually come close to winning the primary.

Like, ignoring his political positions - his perceived strength as a candidate this time around is literally just a function of Democrats being too afraid to put anyone who isn't a right leaning white dude up to challenge Trump. Which is one of the chief reasons why I'm apprehensive of a Biden candidacy; Clinton tried running against Trump as a contest of character and lost, and I don't think Biden's character is sufficiently sterling for 2020. He's too old and set in his ways.

Levelfive really had the right of it. This is the campaign strategy of a candidate who assumes he already has the primary in the bag, and that isn't smart.

I think you're nailing the "fear" angle exactly right.

The Democrats are running scared. They assumed 2016 was a slam dunk, and it wasn't, because they were overconfident and stupid. But even in 2016, there was an undercurrent of ideological fear, a feeling that they had to push to the center-right because anything left of center was freaky-weirdo crap.

And the problem with that is, most of their voters are left of center. There's a reason Bernie got so much support in 2016, even if it fell apart as they realized he didn't have solid policy proposals and Clinton's persecution generated sympathy (and antipathy, I'll freely admit). There's a reason Warren is still getting a lot of support. You don't have to push to the right to get elected as a Democrat. That's a ridiculous idea; worse, it's a Republican idea. It's exactly what they want, because the further they pull the Democrats to the right, the further right they can go, and the Overton window slips a little more to the right.

This isn't a recent issue; this has been a deliberate strategy by Republicans for decades, now. And it's bullshit. The proper response is to elect a strong left-wing candidate and give the Republicans an ideological middle finger.

Instead, Democrats get afraid, and kowtow to the Republicans, and push for ever-more-right-wing Democratic leadership. And that's why their voters are pulling back, why Clinton got so little support.

Stand the fuck up for your principles, you goddamned cowards.

[Elegiac]

I think you're nailing the "fear" angle exactly right.

The Democrats are running scared. They assumed 2016 was a slam dunk, and it wasn't, because they were overconfident and stupid. But even in 2016, there was an undercurrent of ideological fear, a feeling that they had to push to the center-right because anything left of center was freaky-weirdo crap.

And the problem with that is, most of their voters are left of center. There's a reason Bernie got so much support in 2016, even if it fell apart as they realized he didn't have solid policy proposals and Clinton's persecution generated sympathy (and antipathy, I'll freely admit). There's a reason Warren is still getting a lot of support. You don't have to push to the right to get elected as a Democrat. That's a ridiculous idea; worse, it's a Republican idea. It's exactly what they want, because the further they pull the Democrats to the right, the further right they can go, and the Overton window slips a little more to the right.

This isn't a recent issue; this has been a deliberate strategy by Republicans for decades, now. And it's bullshit. The proper response is to elect a strong left-wing candidate and give the Republicans an ideological middle finger.

Instead, Democrats get afraid, and kowtow to the Republicans, and push for ever-more-right-wing Democratic leadership. And that's why their voters are pulling back, why Clinton got so little support.

Stand the fuck up for your principles, you goddamned cowards.

Speaking of principles, let's talk about messaging.

Say what you will about MAGA but, stupid as it is, it's a simple and easy to repeat slogan that does encapsulate the thrust of the Trump campaign - and I think one of the keys to his victory in 2016. We saw it in 2008 with "Change" and 2012 with "Yes we can" and Obama, and the inverse in 2016 with Hillary's failure to really market herself with a coherent message besides "Trump sucks", which wasn't exactly compelling to people hungry for change.

What exactly is Biden's message? People keep saying "a return to normalcy", but that in itself is troubling since normalcy was what voters in 2016 seemed to reject. His policies seem primarily to be afterthoughts. And it's clear from his statements regarding inequality and millennial voters that he's never going to be able to generate the sort of energy Obama did in 2008.

And yet he's still the most electable candidate because he's the most visible white dude who isn't Trump. Which, as you said, is a Republican litmus test.

Have we really come to the point where we are so frightened that we are willing to try and primary the Republican incumbent?

[Endus]

Speaking of principles, let's talk about messaging.

Say what you will about MAGA but, stupid as it is, it's a simple and easy to repeat slogan that does encapsulate the thrust of the Trump campaign - and I think one of the keys to his victory in 2016. We saw it in 2008 with "Change" and 2012 with "Yes we can" and Obama, and the inverse in 2016 with Hillary's failure to really market herself with a coherent message besides "Trump sucks", which wasn't exactly compelling to people hungry for change.

What exactly is Biden's message? People keep saying "a return to normalcy", but that in itself is troubling since normalcy was what voters in 2016 seemed to reject. His policies seem primarily to be afterthoughts. And it's clear from his statements regarding inequality and millennial voters that he's never going to be able to generate the sort of energy Obama did in 2008.

And yet he's still the most electable candidate because he's the most visible white dude who isn't Trump. Which, as you said, is a Republican litmus test.

Have we really come to the point where we are so frightened that we are willing to try and primary the Republican incumbent?

On messaging, Americans are generally action-oriented. The word that makes MAGA something we're still commenting on, unlike either of Obama's slogans, is the word "Make". It provides for agency and action. George W. Bush's slogans were more "active" than Gore's and Kerry's, Bill Clinton's as well. Unless your slogan really nails the zeitgeist in a big way, like Reagan's "Are you better off than you were four years ago?", something that's active and puts agency in the hands of your voters, rather than promising big things from above, is probably a smarter choice. That's what got Trump voters fired up about MAGA; it wasn't a call to let the Republicans do it, it was a call for Americans to show up and take part in that process. It's good messaging, even if I think the core of it is dishonest malarkey.

[JohnBrown1917]

https://twitter.com/jordanchariton/s...138312704?s=21

Somebody tell the dems you don't fight racism with the exact same sort of racism.

[Elegiac]

https://twitter.com/jordanchariton/s...138312704?s=21

Somebody tell the dems you don't fight racism with the exact same sort of racism.

Someone should tell Joe that the reason Eastland was willing to work with him was the same reason he was never called "boy".

[Edge-]

https://twitter.com/jordanchariton/s...138312704?s=21

Somebody tell the dems you don't fight racism with the exact same sort of racism.

RIP Biden. His long history was always going to be a risk, and in the current political climate I can't see him getting enough support unless the other top tier candidates royally fuck up.

[ComeStabMeBrother]

Joe Biden is deep in their establishment rot of corruption, I don't see Pelosi and the rest of the hags trusting the younger democrats with anything.
This is just how much of of a shitshow the Democrats have become. But the pedo memes of Biden are effective so its going to be fun to watch them continue burning like a dumpster fire for four years now lol

[I Push Buttons]

Judging by the fringe leftist comments in this Reddit thread, it seems we are rapidly approaching another 2016.

https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/co..._joe_biden_is/

[Draco-Onis]

Judging by the fringe leftist comments in this Reddit thread, it seems we are rapidly approaching another 2016.

https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/co..._joe_biden_is/

Isn't that what you want? not sure why reddit matters but if you think so then you ought to be happy.

[Elegiac]

Judging by the fringe leftist comments in this Reddit thread, it seems we are rapidly approaching another 2016.

https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/co..._joe_biden_is/

Is she wrong, though?

The country is in the mood for a change and has been since 2008. That's why they voted in Obama and then punished him when he didn't deliver, that's why they voted in Trump and punished him when he didn't deliver.

We are rapidly reaching a point where inaction is as damaging as an error. The US cannot afford four more years of Trump, but there is a strong argument to be made it cannot afford four more years of Bideness As Usual™.

[I Push Buttons]

Isn't that what you want? not sure why reddit matters but if you think so then you ought to be happy.

What would I want that?

I have been a vocal proponent of establishment Democrats my entire voting life.

[Draco-Onis]

What would I want that?

I have been a vocal proponent of establishment Democrats my entire voting life.

Establishment democrats are the reason we got Trump they are basically conservative lite, people need to worry less about Trump and worry about a better future version that won't be a moron.

[Ghostpanther]

Establishment democrats are the reason we got Trump they are basically conservative lite, people need to worry less about Trump and worry about a better future version that won't be a moron.

Yeah! Bring them on over to the light side.