Susan Walsh / AP file So, what is actually happening here? In the wake of the first presidential debate, I’ve watched members of the media, high profile talking heads, and millions of voters frantically pushing the panic button, calling for Joe Biden to step down and encouraging sky-is-falling histrionics.
Considering the fact that Republicans, MAGAs, Christian Nationalists, and all others who hate equality and justice for all; steal, cheat, manipulate and lie, in order to introduce and pass laws that support autocracy more than democracy—yet we remain a democracy, tells me Biden governs better than he debates. So Biden continues to get my vote. I don’t need a good debater, I need a good President. Also Biden infuses far more kindness, integrity, honor, and truth to the Presidency than he does misinformation or misplaced values. Therefore, he continues to get my vote. While on the other side of the isle, tRump infuses America with lies, fears, and hate. Hell, tRump isn’t fit for citizenship, let alone a debate. He is a liar. He is a coward. He has no integrity. He has no kindness only revenge. He has no truth only lies. He has no moral compass, only projection and blame. He is not welcomed into my home, nor would I welcome him into the White House. And anyone who enables his political career is as spiritually and intellectually and morally bankrupt as any dead person, either cremated or buried.
Thank you Thank you Thank you John. These are the words that need to be said. That I have been trying to say to those who contacted me after the debate to ask if I was all right. I am sharing this and memorizing these points to calmly present to all those who continue to demand that President Biden bow out of the race.
Here's the response I gave to a reader when I restacked this newsletter:
I haven’t written a ton about myself on my Substack, but my mother is a malignant narcissist. Most of my life, I have been the victim of malignant narcissistic abuse. It took therapy and completely cutting her off to gain perspective on the extent to which I was gaslit, but that education makes me very attuned when it happens to me now. (This story is relevant to the below. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mention it.)
I hear the concerns of Democrats who are calling for Biden to stand down. I wasn’t excited to vote for him in 2020 (I voted for Elizabeth Warren in the primary.) But as of right now, he is our candidate. For me personally, it is more productive to keep informing people of our imminent Christo-fascist government if Republicans win, to spend time writing postcards to swing-state voters, to convince the Congressional P2025 task force to let me help them, and to try to show as many people as possible what’s at stake. Every second that I’m not focused on those things is a second wasted, a second of this fight I’ve given to malignant narcissists who are trying to manipulate me to throw my energy behind something that gives them an edge.
If Biden decides to stand down, I will put just as much energy toward electing whoever stands in his place. But please understand: The “debate” was the product of malignant narcissism, with rules that benefited a psychopath, for the purpose of sowing these very seeds and manipulating Democrats to fight amongst ourselves. Every second we spend doing that is a second of giving our fascist oligarchs and their enablers in government and the press a victory.
Why are we obsessing about Joe when the real, present danger is from a compulsive liar who is a convicted felon on 34 counts, & a convicted rapist. Trump uses people like the rest of us use paper towels. Melania must be constantly looking over her shoulder knowing she is tied to this flawed, mentally unstable buffoon… We the People must stop the gaslighting by disconnecting the gas service.
I just posted for those in my industry (meetings/hospitality) in which I’m an older (than most) practitioner. Physically I can’t do what I did: dash through hotels checking speakers. My gained, retained & newly acquired knowledge are what matters.
Yes,I wish Pres Biden had felt better to slam his felonious, ignorant opponent on a stage. Shrug. I trust him to lead us and know there are those who I hope elect to stick around in a second term who will help.
The point I've been making, and I've seen elsewhere, is that Joe Biden is the nominee and the nominee is Joe Biden, and if that somehow changes, we'll all be notified.
As it is, literally nothing about the stakes of November has changed, nor has the fact that all presidential administrations are great big groups of people who can either be compassionate and brilliant or they can be sadistic freaks. In Trump's case, we have a whole entire Project 2025 to show us what Sadistic Freak 2.0 would really look like.
The one thing you must never do with a narcissistic psychopath is allow him to face no consequences for anything he does and that is what the Supreme Court just did. They are either cowards or sycophants and I have lost any respect I ever had for them which was never very much. The Supreme Court has made it certain that if T is re-elected there will be no guard rails holding him back from punishing anyone he wants and being as lawless as he intends to be. The SC in my opinion just sounded the death knell for our democracy and built the throne for America's first king, should be win the election. As for Biden's very bad debate performance (and that's what debates are: performances) it no longer matters. Whether Biden remains the nominee or is replaced, the Democratic candidate is the only one who will save our democracy. If Biden is the nominee and he has a few memory problems or is a terrible performer, at least he will be surrounded by people who will help him govern in a democratic way, and not as a king. A president is not supposed to be a king. I president is supposed to surround himself with cabinet members and advisors who help him make decisions and protect the country. Joe Biden will not destroy our democracy. Donald Trump will. As John proves in his essay, that is all that matters.
We should also keep in mind that if Trump does win and Project 2025 is activated, it will be the death of the Democratic party as an opposition party. The US will become a single party, Fascist state. And the GOP will then begin hunting down its enemies--these will include anyone who has written articles such as yours, John. I can almost guarantee they will seize voter rolls, and that registered Democrats will be targeted for everything from legal harassment and asset seizure, to job loss and, possibly, imprisonment. Regimes do not negotiate.
You are right, John. I think what democrats need to do is to lean into the age of their candidate and not to try to feed their illusion he could become younger and show up a super hero who surfs on the tsunami of lies thrown at him in the next debate. Surely, the candidate himself could have offered something better about his age himself like he did the day after. This was the most important message and he should have delivered it at the debate. Who ever has prepared him with memorizing facts instead of being steady, sympathetic and present did a bad job. Biden did a bad job. CNN did a bad job. America did a bad job.
So what you are offering here is a desensitization approach for Democrats to finally get their head around that their candidate is the oldest in history and might show up tired the next time around at 9 pm for a debate. That agism itself is discrimination. It is so interesting that the party who screams so loud when facing any kind of discrimination has fallen in this rabbit hole. If some one is old and speaks slowly you have to listen more carefully. Also, I doubt that the debate stage mirrors any real world governing situation when Biden shows up for a dialogue with a world leader with his prep team, his experts, translators and notes. I think he can still do that even when he needs help getting down the stairs.
So yes, Biden is old. He brings experience, wisdom, courage and virtue. The other guy is old, too. He brings non of these.
Thank you John, for yet another excellent example of "Stuff That Needs to Be Said." Putting this perspective out there is greatly appreciated. It's appalling - and frankly scary - to see what the mainstream media has done (and how forcefully they've done it) to advance the idea that Joe Biden is too old and feeble. Here's another wonderfully articulated post on the subject by Heather Cox Richardson for those who haven't seen it:
"If Joe Biden’s age or his speaking style or his physical appearance or his debate performance are more important to you than beating back the fascism breathing down our collective necks you’re failing America and you need to do better." If you were trying to convince me to vote for Biden, you make some good points. But you don't have to convince me. We need to convince the millions of voters who will never read your blog and ARE convinced that Biden's fragilities make him unsuitable for a second term. We have to win this election in November and the majority of Americans don't think Biden is the best person to take on Trump. Yes, we can continue to fight this uphill battle to change that opinion, but why not at least consider the alternative? I see so many possibilities unfolding if Biden agrees to step down. The media coverage would immediately change. Instead of Biden's fargility, Democrat wrangling and Trump's idiocy, we'd see coverage of an exciting search for a new candidate. Voter enthusiasm and turnout could be enhanced. Joe could leave a legacy of courage and selflessness, putting the future of America above his own ambition. To really broaden the appeal, the Democrat candidate could name a never-Trump Republican such as Adam Kinzinger as VP. The possibilities are exciting to think about, but we need to be willing to seize this opportunity and make them reality. Biden has done well to get us this far, but he needs to pass the baton if we want to win this race.
Considering the fact that Republicans, MAGAs, Christian Nationalists, and all others who hate equality and justice for all; steal, cheat, manipulate and lie, in order to introduce and pass laws that support autocracy more than democracy—yet we remain a democracy, tells me Biden governs better than he debates. So Biden continues to get my vote. I don’t need a good debater, I need a good President. Also Biden infuses far more kindness, integrity, honor, and truth to the Presidency than he does misinformation or misplaced values. Therefore, he continues to get my vote. While on the other side of the isle, tRump infuses America with lies, fears, and hate. Hell, tRump isn’t fit for citizenship, let alone a debate. He is a liar. He is a coward. He has no integrity. He has no kindness only revenge. He has no truth only lies. He has no moral compass, only projection and blame. He is not welcomed into my home, nor would I welcome him into the White House. And anyone who enables his political career is as spiritually and intellectually and morally bankrupt as any dead person, either cremated or buried.
Thank you Thank you Thank you John. These are the words that need to be said. That I have been trying to say to those who contacted me after the debate to ask if I was all right. I am sharing this and memorizing these points to calmly present to all those who continue to demand that President Biden bow out of the race.
Here's the response I gave to a reader when I restacked this newsletter:
I haven’t written a ton about myself on my Substack, but my mother is a malignant narcissist. Most of my life, I have been the victim of malignant narcissistic abuse. It took therapy and completely cutting her off to gain perspective on the extent to which I was gaslit, but that education makes me very attuned when it happens to me now. (This story is relevant to the below. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mention it.)
I hear the concerns of Democrats who are calling for Biden to stand down. I wasn’t excited to vote for him in 2020 (I voted for Elizabeth Warren in the primary.) But as of right now, he is our candidate. For me personally, it is more productive to keep informing people of our imminent Christo-fascist government if Republicans win, to spend time writing postcards to swing-state voters, to convince the Congressional P2025 task force to let me help them, and to try to show as many people as possible what’s at stake. Every second that I’m not focused on those things is a second wasted, a second of this fight I’ve given to malignant narcissists who are trying to manipulate me to throw my energy behind something that gives them an edge.
If Biden decides to stand down, I will put just as much energy toward electing whoever stands in his place. But please understand: The “debate” was the product of malignant narcissism, with rules that benefited a psychopath, for the purpose of sowing these very seeds and manipulating Democrats to fight amongst ourselves. Every second we spend doing that is a second of giving our fascist oligarchs and their enablers in government and the press a victory.
Why are we obsessing about Joe when the real, present danger is from a compulsive liar who is a convicted felon on 34 counts, & a convicted rapist. Trump uses people like the rest of us use paper towels. Melania must be constantly looking over her shoulder knowing she is tied to this flawed, mentally unstable buffoon… We the People must stop the gaslighting by disconnecting the gas service.
I just posted for those in my industry (meetings/hospitality) in which I’m an older (than most) practitioner. Physically I can’t do what I did: dash through hotels checking speakers. My gained, retained & newly acquired knowledge are what matters.
Yes,I wish Pres Biden had felt better to slam his felonious, ignorant opponent on a stage. Shrug. I trust him to lead us and know there are those who I hope elect to stick around in a second term who will help.
DO BETTER, yes yes yes.
The point I've been making, and I've seen elsewhere, is that Joe Biden is the nominee and the nominee is Joe Biden, and if that somehow changes, we'll all be notified.
As it is, literally nothing about the stakes of November has changed, nor has the fact that all presidential administrations are great big groups of people who can either be compassionate and brilliant or they can be sadistic freaks. In Trump's case, we have a whole entire Project 2025 to show us what Sadistic Freak 2.0 would really look like.
The rest is noise.
The one thing you must never do with a narcissistic psychopath is allow him to face no consequences for anything he does and that is what the Supreme Court just did. They are either cowards or sycophants and I have lost any respect I ever had for them which was never very much. The Supreme Court has made it certain that if T is re-elected there will be no guard rails holding him back from punishing anyone he wants and being as lawless as he intends to be. The SC in my opinion just sounded the death knell for our democracy and built the throne for America's first king, should be win the election. As for Biden's very bad debate performance (and that's what debates are: performances) it no longer matters. Whether Biden remains the nominee or is replaced, the Democratic candidate is the only one who will save our democracy. If Biden is the nominee and he has a few memory problems or is a terrible performer, at least he will be surrounded by people who will help him govern in a democratic way, and not as a king. A president is not supposed to be a king. I president is supposed to surround himself with cabinet members and advisors who help him make decisions and protect the country. Joe Biden will not destroy our democracy. Donald Trump will. As John proves in his essay, that is all that matters.
Spot on, John. Thank you.
We should also keep in mind that if Trump does win and Project 2025 is activated, it will be the death of the Democratic party as an opposition party. The US will become a single party, Fascist state. And the GOP will then begin hunting down its enemies--these will include anyone who has written articles such as yours, John. I can almost guarantee they will seize voter rolls, and that registered Democrats will be targeted for everything from legal harassment and asset seizure, to job loss and, possibly, imprisonment. Regimes do not negotiate.
Hear! Hear!
Amen! To every word.
I would rather have an honest, compassionate old man who cares about Democracy, than a felonious liar who only cares about himself.
You are right, John. I think what democrats need to do is to lean into the age of their candidate and not to try to feed their illusion he could become younger and show up a super hero who surfs on the tsunami of lies thrown at him in the next debate. Surely, the candidate himself could have offered something better about his age himself like he did the day after. This was the most important message and he should have delivered it at the debate. Who ever has prepared him with memorizing facts instead of being steady, sympathetic and present did a bad job. Biden did a bad job. CNN did a bad job. America did a bad job.
So what you are offering here is a desensitization approach for Democrats to finally get their head around that their candidate is the oldest in history and might show up tired the next time around at 9 pm for a debate. That agism itself is discrimination. It is so interesting that the party who screams so loud when facing any kind of discrimination has fallen in this rabbit hole. If some one is old and speaks slowly you have to listen more carefully. Also, I doubt that the debate stage mirrors any real world governing situation when Biden shows up for a dialogue with a world leader with his prep team, his experts, translators and notes. I think he can still do that even when he needs help getting down the stairs.
So yes, Biden is old. He brings experience, wisdom, courage and virtue. The other guy is old, too. He brings non of these.
Exactly!!! Thank you!
Thank you John, for yet another excellent example of "Stuff That Needs to Be Said." Putting this perspective out there is greatly appreciated. It's appalling - and frankly scary - to see what the mainstream media has done (and how forcefully they've done it) to advance the idea that Joe Biden is too old and feeble. Here's another wonderfully articulated post on the subject by Heather Cox Richardson for those who haven't seen it:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-27-2024
"If Joe Biden’s age or his speaking style or his physical appearance or his debate performance are more important to you than beating back the fascism breathing down our collective necks you’re failing America and you need to do better." If you were trying to convince me to vote for Biden, you make some good points. But you don't have to convince me. We need to convince the millions of voters who will never read your blog and ARE convinced that Biden's fragilities make him unsuitable for a second term. We have to win this election in November and the majority of Americans don't think Biden is the best person to take on Trump. Yes, we can continue to fight this uphill battle to change that opinion, but why not at least consider the alternative? I see so many possibilities unfolding if Biden agrees to step down. The media coverage would immediately change. Instead of Biden's fargility, Democrat wrangling and Trump's idiocy, we'd see coverage of an exciting search for a new candidate. Voter enthusiasm and turnout could be enhanced. Joe could leave a legacy of courage and selflessness, putting the future of America above his own ambition. To really broaden the appeal, the Democrat candidate could name a never-Trump Republican such as Adam Kinzinger as VP. The possibilities are exciting to think about, but we need to be willing to seize this opportunity and make them reality. Biden has done well to get us this far, but he needs to pass the baton if we want to win this race.
Perfect pitch.