The one idea in this article that rang a bell for me was the concept of winners/losers. It reflected in my mind the CNN special describing Trump's father's admonition "don't be a loser" by any means necessary. How terribly sad that our language boils so much down to one or the other of those conditions, and that's all that counts. DK
I’m from from Ohio so I was extremely happy about the vote. Then the next thing they’re talking that the Republicans are going to try and fight it. We need to oust them out and get our state back.
An overwhelming majority of Americans get their news from social media and they are less engaged and less knowledgeable, according to Pew Research. Only one in three school children read at the appropriate level. These are two reasons why Biden's achievements fly right over the heads of some voters. Add Fox, Newsmax and other far right news outlets where extolling Biden's achievements is anathema, and you get a large number who are clueless or pickled in ultra conservative factories masquerading as legitimate news sites. In short, Americans least qualified from an awareness viewpoint pick the President. That's why the Founding Fathers created the deeply flawed Electoral College. They didn't trust voters. They feared that an aspiring king would captivate a large segment of the uneducated voters and as "president," would establish a quasi monarchy that they had just fought the Revolutionary War to prevent. Little did they know that 240 years later that their worst fears would have a strong chance of being realized.
Always VOTE! John Fetterman won the Braddock Mayoral election by ONE Vote.
Without that he does not have a public well known name.
Which lead to an unsuccessful senate run, however without the mayoral victory, that would never have happened. Which lead to being Lt Gov of Pennsylvania, which lead to winning the US Senate Seat in Pennsylvania.
Many years ago there was a bond on the ballot in the small town that my husband grew up in. It was for an underpass under the main road that was to go between the grade school and Highschool. It was rainy and my mother in law didn’t feel like going out. She would have voted for it. It failed by 1 vote
I have become a polls-skeptic, given their dismal predictive power in recent elections. No room for complacency, but the recent elections belie what the pollsters predicted.
The real problem for DEMS only occurs when we forget why we vote & for whom— there’s NO gray area— either we vote BLUE for DEMOCRACY for ALL of US(A) or we allow the destruction of our DEMOCRACY. I will vote BLUE because #WEareBETTERwithBIDENHARRIS
Dan - I agree that Biden and team appear to be achieving extraordinary results with a 'steady joe' at the helm - and he gets shit done, no doubt the product of much hard work and his senate and VP experience paying dividends. These days wisdom and careful thought - like common sense, ain't that common! Your country, democrats and independents, agnostics and all those 'non-trumpeters of the Donald' add up to 'more than enough to defeat any Republican. But, history proves that the 'two people on the ticket' can be magic, or are playing over their head when people say, "what were they thinking?" ... (McCain, sure, but Palin?) ... and many others. So, as an observer from the the sidelines, one has to ask, "What it take to get two strong candidates + two strong VP candidates on-board within the next few months. The concern is not only 'will any candidate be in jail' but also will either of them be in the ICO or a grave. The best think about the U.S. is it's form of government and its politics. And, the worst thing about the U.S. is its form of government and politics.
I read so many references on various Substack posts to how good President Biden is, that he’s the best president since FDR, that he works for the middle class like FDR did. On the other hand, what is a common and constant complaint is that the Biden administration is not particularly adept/downright lousy at “selling” all of Biden’s accomplishments, despite having had to work with very slim majorities in Congress and then no majority in the House.
I’m only 82, so I never heard these talks, but President Roosevelt was known for his periodic Fireside Chats that were broadcast at night over the radio. I believe that an up-to-date version of these talks, at night, on TV, in a setting where President Biden is most comfortable, might go a long way to dispelling all this this talk about him being to old, and convince all concerned Democrats that, in fact, he’s been doing a great job, and has what it takes to continue for a second term. Part of Biden’s genius has been the really high caliber of people he’s surrounded himself with. I have to believe that’s true, as well, with respect to his writers.
Our press loves the negative, doom and gloom and works overtime to hype that. Leave it to them to find the dark clouds in brightest of the days, no matter the situation. It may pay their bills and generate profits for their owners but does a disservice to society and foments divisiveness and feels like deliberate attempt to sow doubts and confusion. While there is always room for improvement in whatever anyone does especially in leadership positions it is patently devious to ignore the vast trove of accomplishments and the challenging times they were achieved in. Compare them to other presidents esp TFG, ask the question of voters what they would like to have been done otherwise if not say creating jobs or avoiding recession or growing economy or supporting Israel or standing up to Putin and Xi or investing in infrastructure etc. etc.? Would these voters like him to tank the economy, cow tow to dictators, grope women, boast about shooting someone in Time Square with no consequence, threaten to use the government to jail his opponents? I believe tools, models and approaches used by the media pollsters are outdated and are not well suited to read the minds and desires of today's electorates or what they intend to do.
Will Biden's 2024 opponent's criminal actions actually make a difference to the electorate? Why is that even a question? Without a doubt it most certainly should! (Shame on Minnesota Court!) A person charged with criminal offenses should NEVER be allowed to be elected to any office! Period! Exclamation Point!
The one idea in this article that rang a bell for me was the concept of winners/losers. It reflected in my mind the CNN special describing Trump's father's admonition "don't be a loser" by any means necessary. How terribly sad that our language boils so much down to one or the other of those conditions, and that's all that counts. DK
I’m from from Ohio so I was extremely happy about the vote. Then the next thing they’re talking that the Republicans are going to try and fight it. We need to oust them out and get our state back.
They are still cheating to win ejections.
An overwhelming majority of Americans get their news from social media and they are less engaged and less knowledgeable, according to Pew Research. Only one in three school children read at the appropriate level. These are two reasons why Biden's achievements fly right over the heads of some voters. Add Fox, Newsmax and other far right news outlets where extolling Biden's achievements is anathema, and you get a large number who are clueless or pickled in ultra conservative factories masquerading as legitimate news sites. In short, Americans least qualified from an awareness viewpoint pick the President. That's why the Founding Fathers created the deeply flawed Electoral College. They didn't trust voters. They feared that an aspiring king would captivate a large segment of the uneducated voters and as "president," would establish a quasi monarchy that they had just fought the Revolutionary War to prevent. Little did they know that 240 years later that their worst fears would have a strong chance of being realized.
We have to worry about the Independent candidates and from whom they will draw in the ‘24 Presidential race . No poll can predict that now.
Always VOTE! John Fetterman won the Braddock Mayoral election by ONE Vote.
Without that he does not have a public well known name.
Which lead to an unsuccessful senate run, however without the mayoral victory, that would never have happened. Which lead to being Lt Gov of Pennsylvania, which lead to winning the US Senate Seat in Pennsylvania.
ONE Vote.
Vote!
Always Vote!
Many years ago there was a bond on the ballot in the small town that my husband grew up in. It was for an underpass under the main road that was to go between the grade school and Highschool. It was rainy and my mother in law didn’t feel like going out. She would have voted for it. It failed by 1 vote
I have become a polls-skeptic, given their dismal predictive power in recent elections. No room for complacency, but the recent elections belie what the pollsters predicted.
The real problem for DEMS only occurs when we forget why we vote & for whom— there’s NO gray area— either we vote BLUE for DEMOCRACY for ALL of US(A) or we allow the destruction of our DEMOCRACY. I will vote BLUE because #WEareBETTERwithBIDENHARRIS
Dan - I agree that Biden and team appear to be achieving extraordinary results with a 'steady joe' at the helm - and he gets shit done, no doubt the product of much hard work and his senate and VP experience paying dividends. These days wisdom and careful thought - like common sense, ain't that common! Your country, democrats and independents, agnostics and all those 'non-trumpeters of the Donald' add up to 'more than enough to defeat any Republican. But, history proves that the 'two people on the ticket' can be magic, or are playing over their head when people say, "what were they thinking?" ... (McCain, sure, but Palin?) ... and many others. So, as an observer from the the sidelines, one has to ask, "What it take to get two strong candidates + two strong VP candidates on-board within the next few months. The concern is not only 'will any candidate be in jail' but also will either of them be in the ICO or a grave. The best think about the U.S. is it's form of government and its politics. And, the worst thing about the U.S. is its form of government and politics.
Thanks for another good column.
I read so many references on various Substack posts to how good President Biden is, that he’s the best president since FDR, that he works for the middle class like FDR did. On the other hand, what is a common and constant complaint is that the Biden administration is not particularly adept/downright lousy at “selling” all of Biden’s accomplishments, despite having had to work with very slim majorities in Congress and then no majority in the House.
I’m only 82, so I never heard these talks, but President Roosevelt was known for his periodic Fireside Chats that were broadcast at night over the radio. I believe that an up-to-date version of these talks, at night, on TV, in a setting where President Biden is most comfortable, might go a long way to dispelling all this this talk about him being to old, and convince all concerned Democrats that, in fact, he’s been doing a great job, and has what it takes to continue for a second term. Part of Biden’s genius has been the really high caliber of people he’s surrounded himself with. I have to believe that’s true, as well, with respect to his writers.
What do you think?
Many on this thread have pointed out that polling is fraught with error, as so many of us refuse to take part in polling calls.
Our press loves the negative, doom and gloom and works overtime to hype that. Leave it to them to find the dark clouds in brightest of the days, no matter the situation. It may pay their bills and generate profits for their owners but does a disservice to society and foments divisiveness and feels like deliberate attempt to sow doubts and confusion. While there is always room for improvement in whatever anyone does especially in leadership positions it is patently devious to ignore the vast trove of accomplishments and the challenging times they were achieved in. Compare them to other presidents esp TFG, ask the question of voters what they would like to have been done otherwise if not say creating jobs or avoiding recession or growing economy or supporting Israel or standing up to Putin and Xi or investing in infrastructure etc. etc.? Would these voters like him to tank the economy, cow tow to dictators, grope women, boast about shooting someone in Time Square with no consequence, threaten to use the government to jail his opponents? I believe tools, models and approaches used by the media pollsters are outdated and are not well suited to read the minds and desires of today's electorates or what they intend to do.
Good article! So true!!
Will Biden's 2024 opponent's criminal actions actually make a difference to the electorate? Why is that even a question? Without a doubt it most certainly should! (Shame on Minnesota Court!) A person charged with criminal offenses should NEVER be allowed to be elected to any office! Period! Exclamation Point!
What if: Kamala is removed from the ticket and a male VP candidate replaces her?