I like Joe Biden and I think he's done a good job, but I really wish he would acknowledge his age and that the most prudent thing to do is to announce he won't be running for another term and allow other Democratic candidates time to campaign for 2024. We need to separate the concept of arbitrary age discrimination from the physical reality of getting older and how that can affect one's ability to perform what may be the hardest and most stressful job in the world.

the most prudent thing to do is to announce he won't be running for another term — GRWelsh

Mental fitness tests for presidential candidates would be fantastic.

New Trump indictment coming down the pipe any day now.

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Third-Bank-Records-Memorandum_Redacted.pdf

:yawn:

Mental fitness tests for presidential candidates would be fantastic. — flannel jesus

Simply a younger generation of candidates is what the US needs. If I'd be an American, I really wouldn't be excited about choosing from two old farts like Trump and Biden, that have some probability of dying or being hospitalized during the next four years. What's this peculiar desire to pick so old people as representatives?

New Trump indictment coming down the pipe any day now. — NOS4A2

Likely impeachments will be the new norm for US administrations. You already have the theater of the debt ceiling, hence what could be more useful than have impeachment hearings every then and now?

Likely impeachments will be the new norm for US administrations. You already have the theater of the debt ceiling, hence what could be more useful than have impeachment hearings every then and now? — ssu

Well, we do seem to be more and more a Banana Republic, like some of our fellow South American countries. So Trump could go briefly to prison then be elected president.

"best democracy in the world"

What's this peculiar desire to pick so old people as representatives? — ssu

At 70, Cornel West is practically a kid. He's also a brilliant Marxist scholar and the best candidate out there

best democracy in the world" — Benkei

Nowhere near. Westminster system is superior to presidential political systems. But a functioning American democracy is better than a MAGA fascist dictatorship, which are the two current alternatives.

We do not have a functioning American democracy and Biden has been as fascist, if not more fascist, than Trump

I think people are overusing the predicate "fascist" without really understanding what it is, with now both sides levelling the same accusation at each other. Very useful but demonstrative of political discourse in the US I suppose. The US has a major issue, as does the UK and to a lesser extent other "developed" nations, with thinking market efficiency equates fairness and that governments can only do harm. Both beliefs are patently absurd as historic facts have borne out.

True, I did use the word too loosely, but then, only one of the two parties has a standard bearer who has been indicted for interfering with the democratic process. But I’ll save any further comments on that for the Trump thread.

My view of Biden is that he’s old, but he’s tough, and he’s competent.

Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a degradation in the quality of younger generations and the politicians they produce. We're stuck with Biden, because what's the alternative? I like Andrew Yang, but I doubt many other Americans would go for him because he might be too ahead of his time and his ideas probably seem too radical to them. RFK Jr. sometimes sounds brilliant and knowledgeable, but then occasionally throws in a crackpot claim to ruin himself. I like Adam Kinzinger, but he isn't running for president. I'd say the best Republican candidate right now is Chris Christie, but he's not young at age 60... Still, compared to Biden and Trump, he's a spring chicken. Sadly, Christie isn't doing well with Republicans in spite of the fact -- or perhaps because of the fact -- that he's willing to go straight at Trump and tell the truth about him. The other Republican candidates all seem afraid to criticize Trump directly. It's a sad state the Republican party has fallen to, with the attention-grabbers and thought leaders being the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Ted Cruz and Jim Jordan. Ron DeSadness is an unlikeable dud who is all negative. J. D. Vance is highly intelligent, and in my opinion seems to be wearing the MAGA mantle to rise to power. Watch for him to become a future Republican presidential candidate, maybe in 2028 or 2032. As a Democrat, I feel like all Biden has to do is stay healthy and not screw up in the next year and couple months, and he should get re-elected, because Democrats and centrists will feel they don't have any other choice if he's up against Trump again who by then may be running his campaign in an orange jumpsuit in a prison cell ranting about he's going to pardon himself and bring retribution to everyone who wronged him.

No, I used fascist correctly: "an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization." This certainly applies to Biden and his government, and he's neither tough nor competent

He has:

Crushed a major strike
Increased the budget of our fascist, racist police force by billion
Increased the budget of our fascist, imperialist defense department by billions
Given over a hundred billion of our needed dollars to Ukraine, their Azov Nazis, and NATO and its war

We're stuck with Biden, because what's the alternative? — GRWelsh

The alternative is rejecting the Zionist, warmongering, anti-labor, pro-fascist police, and anti-environmentalism of Biden and the rest of the Duopoly and begin building a non-imperialist, compassionate, environmentalist third party conscious of the working class, and right now that best option is the Green party and Cornel West, who, unlike Biden an Trump, is a good, compassionate man against War and for all Americans, not just the rich

Yes, wonderful exaggeration and cherry-picked definition.

I don't disagree with everything you said but come election day I may not have a choice since not voting for Biden will be equivalent to handing the election to Trump which is the worst case scenario... Far, far worse then a second Biden term. Biden isn't authoritarian in the way that Trump and his co-conspirators are, by trying to re-write reality of a loss into a win, and take away your right to have your non-Trump vote be counted. That's authoritarianism of the worst kind: "Let's do away with this pesky democratic process since we know who the best leader is."

I don't disagree with everything you said but come election day I may not have a choice since not voting for Biden will be equivalent to handing the election to Trump which is the worst case scenario — GRWelsh

No, not voting for Biden and voting for Cornel West is voting for Cornel West, just like not voting for Cornel West is not the equivalent of not voting for Trump

Biden is a worse authoritarian than Trump. Biden wrote and pushed a racist fascist crime bill; Trump didn't. Biden greatly backed the fascist Iraq War; Trump didn't. Biden literally broke a strike--a foundation of Democracy; Trump didn't. Biden has wasted billions on authoritarian NATO's fascist war and Ukraine's fascist Azov Nazis; Trump said he wants to end the war. Trump is terrible, but he certainly isn't more authoritarian than Biden

Yes, wonderful exaggeration and cherry-picked definition. — Benkei

No, it was neither, but that was a wonderfully, and entirely, supported assertion by you

By all means, investigate the Bidens. If they're guilty of any crimes, let the evidence come out. Unlike many Trump supporters, I'm not going to deny Joe Biden is guilty of any wrongdoing without even looking at the evidence or reading the indictments. But the irony right now is that Republicans seems so concerned about family grift and Hunter allegedly making 5 million without a peep about Jared and Ivanka making 2 billion. Oh, grift and nepotism bothers you? Now, it bothers you a lot, but in 2016-2020 not so much.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_fascism

As I said, cherry-picked and exaggerated as a result.

LOL...you accuse me of cherrypicking my official definition of fascism by actually cherry-picking your own

Oh excellent, we have a poster who cannot read or count. First off, there's no such thing as an "official" definition of fascism, which you just made up to sound more stupid, I guess. Second, how many definitions did I just share? Hint: more than one.

I read and counted perfectly fine. And if there's no such thing as an official definition, then you have no place telling me my definition is incorrect, particularly by positing your incorrect one

And providing multiple definitions is not a good thing. It just shows you can't decide which one is correct and don't know what you are talking about. I suggest focusing on, and positing, the one you think is best

My claim was your definition was cherry-picked. Providing multiple definitions that all deviate from yours is ample proof yours is incorrect because not supported by any of the publicly available sources. I don't need to focus on the one I think is best as a result.

Yes, and your claim was wrong. And deviating defintions from one definition doesn't prove ti wrong. That's absurd. ALL definitions have competing ones. Using your bad logic, they all--including yours--must be wrong...again, that's absurd

Oh sorry, let me rephrase, they all include elements that are conveniently excluded from your definition.

And many definitions of "fascism" include elements conveniently excluded from yours...So, yours--according to you--must be cherrypicked and wrong

I haven't submitted a definition of "fascism" so you're falsely attributing a position to me I haven't taken. I just think your kindergarten outrage to qualify what Biden has done as fascist pathetic and false. You can perfectly destroy his abhorrent policy choices without resorting to distortions like this.

I haven't submitted a definition of "fascism" so you're falsely attributing a position to me I haven't taken. — Benkei

But you clearly have a definition of fascism or you have no place criticizing mine. So, you either use one--and we both know you do and are being disingenuous--or you don't and are just wasting time

The only kindergarten rage here you in your last post. You can't show where I showed any...and haven't yet

And I showed very well how his policies have been fascist. So, your denial of it, and rage over it, is just silly. Anyway, I have no time for your anger; I'm moving on. I hope you find calm today