Biden’s Alleged Terrible Night and the Optics vs Substance Divide

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228 Biden’s Alleged Terrible Night and the Optics vs Substance Divide

Jaime Harrison on X: “@LoveAllPersons He is serving right now and ain’t going anywhere” / X

Mike Sax on X: “Couldn’t agree more-it’s the friends with you in foxholes who are worth anything” / X

Charles M. Blow on X: “Reposting this column because not only do I stand behind it, it now feels even more relevant. https://t.co/OKxW4z4a42” / X

Josh Marshall expresses well my own extreme reticience to this “just swap this guy for another guy” Nate Silver narrative-he actually mentioned Zack Wilson

Mike Sax on X: “Maybe benching your QB is a LOT easier than your Presidential candidate at this stage of the race?” / X

(2) Josh Marshall on X: “as long the SCOTUS has given Trump a full right to pardon here are some … More Thoughts on the Debate and It’s Aftermath https://t.co/6K8oDMRPq5 via @TPM” / X

It seems astonishing indeed impossible but the NY Times STILL doesn’t think it’s done enough damage to our democracy

Mike Sax on X: “A great piece by Charles Blow underscores the fact that the moral panic over Biden’s age really is But Her Emails Circa 2024-the NY Times led that freakshow too https://t.co/HKjsSGMGpX” / X

Leta McCollough Seletzky, JD 🐳 on X: “We’re having a cancellation party, and everyone is invited” / X

Mike Sax on X: “Jen Rubin is right across the board with a particular emphasis on 3 and 4. Clearly, for instance, Nate Silver objectively WANTS Biden to either step down OR LOSE if he doesn’t to vindicate Silver’s own allegedly brilliant insight. 5 is also dead on-this entire premise is madness” / X

Mikel Jollett on X: “Yeah, I guess we have no way of knowing if Biden would be a good president. I mean, other than: – economic performance (best in world) – crime data (down 26%) – jobs (most new jobs EVER by ANY president) – dragging the country out of Covid and – saving the world economy” / X

Peter Hamby on X: “Literally *nothing* will convince Biden to stay in the race more than the New York Times Editorial Board calling on him to drop out https://t.co/XetyEt2hYj” / X

Mike Sax on X: “This is proof that his mental faculties continue to function at a high level” / X

Mike Sax on X: “I mean Biden is LITERALLY doing the job now. By this definition FDR would never have been President and he was the best POTUS EVER. He made these huge WWII decisions when he was literally DYING https://t.co/erXIGGAKtu” / X

Matthew Dowd on X: “If you are piling on Biden today, you are doing what Trump wants. Trump succeeds when he divides the country and the pro-Democracy majority. Just because you have an opinion and you believe it to be true, you might ask yourself if it is helpful and necessary.” / X

The Media Establishment Lays on the Horn: Joe Must Go – POLITICO

Jay McGill Says Make The Yankees Great Again!!! on X: “I guess if you are an upper class one percenter, you probably don’t give a shit if Trump gets back into 1600. Hey, you’ll be fine. You have the resources to get away or flee the country. Well, most of us don’t have that luxury. We will stay and fight!” / X

Optically Biden had a pretty bad night. OTOH he did get better as the night went on but OTOH the “normie” voters this sort of pageantry is targeted at are more likely to form an opinion within the first 10 minutes then reach for the remote.

Last night in the short term at least was very good for the Nate Silver Bedwetting Complex-with the futures market dropping Biden’s chances at one point effectively beneath 30%.

Manisha Sinha on X: “Not one but five @nytimes op eds asking Biden to drop out after his debate performance and not one asking Trump a convicted felon, serial sexual predator, and a man who sought to overthrow American democracy to do that! I am glad I am in Europe away from the bankruptcy of this!” / X

Elie Mystal on X: “Sitting Presidents always get worked in their first debate of reelection. Happened to all of them, including Trump last time.” / X

OTOH as Stuart Stevens points out an election is not a good play for day traders-find tweet.

https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bb9e9633-5250-47fa-8f90-c3ada6400a32_898x372.png (898×372) (substackcdn.com)

Rick Wilson on X: “Biden had a bad night. Also, Trump is an existential threat to democracy, the Republic, the Constitution, and our most fundamental liberties, in addition to being a fraud, a liar, a felon, a degenerate, a global embarrassment, and an ally of evil. Toughen up. Fight’s on.” / X

Expand the Court on X: “As is the mainstream media’s” / X

On yet another hand this is a good spot if you like a bargains-seems to me Biden at $.29 cents is a steal.

Expand the Court on X: “Actually a very good segment about the divide between substance and “optics”-would FDR be electable today? Certainly not in 1944 where he literally WAS dying (181) ‘Approaching panic’: Joy Reid reports on Democratic response to Biden debate performance – YouTube” / X

Terrell Jermaine Starr 🇺🇦🌻🇵🇸🍉✊🏾🇬🇪 on X: “I’m over in Berlin and am just catching up on the debate. I’ve watched Trump talk about Ukraine and foreign affairs(my area of expertise) and counted at least 10 lies after just a few minutes. Biden looks unsharp and, honestly, old. But Trump looks like the biggest liar and” / X

Seth Abramson on X: “15/ And before we get into why President Biden should *not* be debating tonight, and why neither CNN nor any other outlet or entity (including the moribund Presidential Debate Commission) should have sought to schedule this debate, we must understand Trump’s desperation tonight.” / X

Jamelle is right I believe

Opinion | ‘Is It Too Late?’ Four Writers on What Democrats Should Do About Biden. – The New York Times (nytimes.com)