US Politics

Honestly though, who is the alternative this close to the election?

Donald Trump, oh wait, I mean Kamala Harris.

Right now I think anyone would do better than Biden. I hope I’m wrong ‘cos I don’t see him standing down, but I can only see a Trump win from here if Biden stays.

Front page news worldwide is that he called Zelenskyy ‘Putin’, and said ‘Vice President Trump’ when he meant Kamala Harris.

The write up in le monde isn't painting the best picture of Biden.

I was sure he wouldn't step aside but now that people in his own party are calling for him to go and worldwide media are all over it his position is looking pretty untenable.

So the situation is that the US has a president that isn't capable of running, which means they have a president currently who isn't able to do the role. If he limps through the campaign and wins (by Americans holding their nose) they're still left with a president unfit for office. Or they throw a hail Mary and get someone else in.

Or Trump gets in whatever, what an absolute shit show.

Fuck it, get Clooney in. If he can write for the NYT, he can run the country.

Without a doubt a better option than is currently on the table.

I think he has previously mentioned he has too many skeletons in the closet to run for office.

Whereas currently Biden feels like a barely animated corpse.

he and his inner circle just refuse to accept it

At the centre of U.S. politics there's this whole organisation that comes in with the president and is totally bound to them, much more than they are to the rest of the political party. It's pretty unique in the West, where most other presidents are figureheads. Some of those people probably want to do what's best for party and country but can't see how (especially since he's not cooperating), others will be purely and genuinely devoted to him, others are just there for the ride and since he's the one that brought them in, probably sticking with him for as long as it lasts. God knows what the balance of those and other factions is, but the tension and drama behind closed doors must be epic.

But fuck all that, for the sake of the rest of us.

Is there not some kind of "fitness to work" process? I mean we have it for far lesser roles than "leader of the free world". Isn't this what Vice President is for?

The 25th amendment, but it requires a 2/3 vote from both houses and Trump would rather see Biden stay to the end, so that's not going to happen even if the Democrats were all ready to vote for it.

Fuck

Michelle Obama is the only person that can save us now

Biden just needs to fall on his sword

Harris is the perfect antidote to trump. And she’d make an amazing president

Someone get Hillary on the line. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/09/biden-clinton-harris-democrat-poll-00166937

Has anyone here ever got somebody’s name mixed up or even forgotten it when speaking?

I don’t see why everyone is up in arms as long as his thinking and decision making is straight, look at the drivel coming out of Trumps mouth! He can’t string a coherent sentence together.

If it was a one-off no-one would care. But it's YET ANOTHER ultra-high-profile cockup that is just the latest of a long string of them

If she's the best hope the dems have then they are beyond fucked.

Can't tell if joking or not.

Same here.

American politics is currently beyond farcical.

Harris is not popular generally and Hillary lost last time around.

The only hope is that the news cycle does move pretty fast - if they can get one of the palatable governors/senators in sharpish, between now and November is quite a long time for people to forget the circumstances how they became the candidate.

Harris is the perfect antidote to trump. And she’d make an amazing president

They've really messed this up, I thought when Biden got in that he'd take on the position of saviour from Trump and that rather than a long term proposition he'd be positioned as a one term mentor / guide for Harris (et al) for the future terms.

It's inevitable that he's going to have to step down, shame it couldn't have been handled more gracefully.

I think the biggest shame is that Biden’s legacy will be this, rather than the incredible policy program that he has enacted.

I’m not joking. While I haven’t followed the US election run up as there has been stuff going on here I don’t see him as having Truss levels of incompetence or lack of intelligence and his brain is obviously working like an adults unlike the child like cognitive ability of Trump.
Is there a better candidate? Probably.
They too may get somebody’s name mixed up.

Doing it twice in one night, and the mix up being the complete opposite of what should be said, seems an issue for someone who is going to do a lot of public speaking though.

I can't watch. It's just too much.

+1