2024 Presidential Election Thread

[beefytee]

2012 - Obama was running again. He touted his achievements and directly contrasted what might happen if he were no longer President. It was a campaign speech.

2020 - Trump was running again. He touted his achievements and tried to contrast them to the previous administration. It was a campaign speech.

2024 - Biden is running again. He touted his achievements and contrasted them to the opposition's. In this case, he has the unique circumstance of being able to point out what a terrible job the likely opposition candidate did during the previous administration.

It's not exactly unusual.

On top of being able to point out the shortcomings of Trump’s term, the fact that we know who the opponent will be is pretty unique. I don’t know that we’ve ever had a presumptive nominee this early.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Biden is certainly outside the traditional parameters of sleeziness. Biden follows the model of the Clintons in self enrichment through political connections. He has directly benefitted, encouraged, and tried to hide his family's business practices on a large scale.

He was the architect for the modern strategy of political character attacks on judicial nominees while chairing the senate judicial committee in the 80s.

He is particularly skilled in providing political handouts to business sector supporters while demonizing his supporters' competition.

He refused to acknowledge a grandchild and only did so due to political pressure. His family's first tactic was to deny the child's existence, then pay the mom off, then attack her character.

His presidency has been bad. He kept most Trump's tarriffs, he signed huge spending bills that funneled money to his special interest groups which considerably worsened already bad inflation. His foreign policy has been inconsistent. He has bungled the immigration problem. And he has an inability to keep his staffers in check as they undercut him on important policy issues. He is in over his head and the administration is being run by his chief of staff.

He may be better than Trump, but he isn't good.

To varying degrees I agree with your main points, but your use of the limp "may" in your final sentence was a major needle scratch in an otherwise reasonable presentation. Changing the subject, sort of, but Trump's behavior the past 48 hours has highlighted what a Trump second term would portend. His obvious admiration for and apparent envy of Orban should be very concerning to any voter.

[Shaka]

You're lying. You don't give a shit about whether he gave a traditional SOTU speech or not. Stop lying. The guy you're going to end up voting for showed up for court hearing after court hearing for no other reason than to turn it into a campaign stop. Don't lecture us on when it's appropriate for a politician to turn a media event into a campaign event.

Dude I get that this is the internet and it's mostly faceless interactions between folks. But this kind of response is that of a coward. Cowards use the internet as a shield to say stuff the wouldn't say IRL to your face. Don't tell me what I give a shit about, don't call me a liar, and stop with the virtue signaling.

[LVAllen]

On top of being able to point out the shortcomings of Trump’s term, the fact that we know who the opponent will be is pretty unique. I don’t know that we’ve ever had a presumptive nominee this early.

It's just after Super Tuesday. I can't remember the last time the presumptive nominee, or at least a prohibitive favorite, wasn't known by now. The issue isn't the nominees aren't known at this time, it's that the SOTU is so much later than normal for a presidential election year:

2020 - Feb. 4
2016 - Jan 12
2012 - Jan 24
2008 - Jan 28
2004 - Jan 24
2000 - Jan 27
1996 - Jan 23

Blame Mike Johnson for that.

[beefytee]

It's just after Super Tuesday. I can't remember the last time the presumptive nominee, or at least a prohibitive favorite, wasn't known by now. The issue isn't the nominees aren't known at this time, it's that the SOTU is so much later than normal for a presidential election year:

2020 - Feb. 4
2016 - Jan 12
2012 - Jan 24
2008 - Jan 28
2004 - Jan 24
2000 - Jan 27
1996 - Jan 23

Blame Mike Johnson for that.

Sure there are always favorites.

Bernie sanders didn’t suspend his campaign until April in 2020

Same with Santorum in 2012 and Santorum won several contests through March.

[fusnik]

All true. And it helps explain why he has one of the lowest approval ratings for a president in US history.

And here I am hoping he gets re-elected.

All true? WTF?

Let’s go ‘graph by ‘graph, lol.

Biden is insanely poor for pulling the strings like the Clintons.

Im assuming his second point is about Bork. Bork was a bipartisan vote and was followed by Kennedys and Souters unanimous nominations. Both confirmed by Democratic majorities.

Isn’t this what politicians do? This paragraph is so naive it’s dumb.

The grandchild episode on its face is gross, but do we know what really happened? I tend to give grace to messy familial situations as folks are trying to figure things out. With a son and drugs and who knows how many times the Bidens get approached about a kid from Hunter I can understand a slow response. It’s not what I would do.

His presidency hasn’t been bad. It’s been full of bipartisan bills. It’s had to navigate the brain rot of an entire political party and the attempted coup by that party. Economy has done great. People have jobs. People are better off than they were the last year of Trumps administration.

He’s been acceptable, B at best, probs a B-, C+ at worst.

[Jeff Lebowski]

All true? WTF?

Let’s go ‘graph by ‘graph, lol.

Biden is insanely poor for pulling the strings like the Clintons.

Im assuming his second point is about Bork. Bork was a bipartisan vote and was followed by Kennedys and Souters unanimous nominations. Both confirmed by Democratic majorities.

Isn’t this what politicians do? This paragraph is so naive it’s dumb.

The grandchild episode on its face is gross, but do we know what really happened? I tend to give grace to messy familial situations as folks are trying to figure things out. With a son and drugs and who knows how many times the Bidens get approached about a kid from Hunter I can understand a slow response. It’s not what I would do.

His presidency hasn’t been bad. It’s been full of bipartisan bills. It’s had to navigate the brain rot of an entire political party and the attempted coup by that party. Economy has done great. People have jobs. People are better off than they were the last year of Trumps administration.

He’s been acceptable, B at best, probs a B-, C+ at worst.

Why do yo think Biden has the worst approval rating of any president in history at this point in his tenure?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Biden is insanely poor for pulling the strings like the Clintons.

His brother, James, has made millions trading on this family connection.

His son, Hunter, is addicted to crack and whores. And he has made millions trading off his connection to his old man. You seriously think Hunter provides any value whatsoever to companies in Ukraine, China, etc other that influence with his old man? It is sleazy as hell.

[myboynoah]

His brother, James, has made millions trading on this family connection.

His son, Hunter, is addicted to crack and whores. And he has made millions trading off his connection to his old man. You seriously think Hunter provides any value whatsoever to companies in Ukraine, China, etc other that influence with his old man? It is sleazy as hell.

I keep hearing this and Biden suffers from the same family sickness that afflicts all famous folks with any ounce of power. Yes, sleazy as hell, but I wonder why Biden is held to a higher standard than everyone else (the Clintons, the Trump crime family, Clarence Thomas and his wife, some of those Bridges boys, etc.).

[LVAllen]

His brother, James, has made millions trading on this family connection.

His son, Hunter, is addicted to crack and whores. And he has made millions trading off his connection to his old man. You seriously think Hunter provides any value whatsoever to companies in Ukraine, China, etc other that influence with his old man? It is sleazy as hell.

EVP at MBNA. Board of Directors at Amtrak. Board of Directors at World Food Program. Attorney at Boies Schiller, a prominent Vault 100 firm.

He may have benefited from his name, but the idea that he's an unqualified hack is nothing but a Trump talking point. If you feel that using connections to gain an advantage in a professional career is unbecoming to a politician, please don't vote for Hunter.

Also, you can't say that Joe himself has benefited from any of this. And the reason I say that you can't is because the GOP has spend a tremendous amount of time trying to find anything or anyone that shows he has, and has gotten exactly nowhere.

[myboynoah]

Why do yo think Biden has the worst approval rating of any president in history at this point in his tenure?

Primarily because he appears to be so old. That magnifies missteps, which all Presidents make. He's done some very good things (Chips Act, the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, and even tried a immigration reform bill) which for some reason do not bring him credit. The economy is humming along and unemployment is way down, down so much that businesses are hard pressed to find the labor they need.

Why he doesn't get more credit baffles me.

[Northwestcoug]

His brother, James, has made millions trading on this family connection.

His son, Hunter, is addicted to crack and whores. And he has made millions trading off his connection to his old man. You seriously think Hunter provides any value whatsoever to companies in Ukraine, China, etc other that influence with his old man? It is sleazy as hell.

Didn't realize Ted entered the room. Very declasse.

Look if someone can prove that Biden has pushed his weight around to get favors for his family, in an effort that is outside the norm of sleazy political behavior in this country, and without resorting to criticizing the foibles of his son, I'm all ears.

[Maximus]

Didn't realize Ted entered the room. Very declasse.

Look if someone can prove that Biden has pushed his weight around to get favors for his family, in an effort that is outside the norm of sleazy political behavior in this country, and without resorting to criticizing the foibles of his son, I'm all ears.

Hes gonna ignore it like a cber but Full on fox news. Hunter? Who gives a shit about hunter?

On one side we have a dude who is too old and has been mostly moderate . Has low approval because of hyperpartinship and democrats not having a cult following of him.

On the other side we have a dude who is too old, really dumb and has a cult followoling of 40% of the nation willongnto elect him no matter what when he openly wants to be a dictator .

[beefytee]

I haven’t looked into it, so I’m asking. Is there an institution that isn’t at record low approval rating right now? POTUS? Congress? SCOTUS?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Didn't realize Ted entered the room. Very declasse.

Criticizing Biden is "declasse"? Ha. Stop.

Look if someone can prove that Biden has pushed his weight around to get favors for his family, in an effort that is outside the norm of sleazy political behavior in this country, and without resorting to criticizing the foibles of his son, I'm all ears.

All politicians are sleazy is a lazy dodge.

It's funny you and other think that Biden is clean as long as he doesn't personally accept money. He allowed Hunter to enrich himself by peddling influence and engaging in these activities. You think he had no idea what Hunter was doing? Nonsense.

And why do you think these foreign institutions paid all that money to Hunter? Just a random goodwill donation to his crack fund?