NYT Opinion: There Is Still a Biden Scandal

www.nytimes.com Opinion | There Is Still a Biden Scandal

America could stand to learn a bit more about how the White House has been working recently.

One of the Biden White House’s greatest achievements, from the perspective of its staffers, if not necessarily the country, has been to deny the press the kind of juicy leaks that were constant under Donald Trump and frequent under his predecessors. Save for a very narrow period of time, that is, when there was a push to force an aging president toward the exits: Then and only then we got a drip-drip-drip of fascinating inside information.

For instance, we learned that Biden hadn’t held a full cabinet meeting since last October and that his handlers expected scripted questions from his cabinet officials. We learned that his capacities peak between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and diminish outside that six-hour window. We learned that congressional Democrats, liberal donors and some journalists all had exposure to Biden’s decline that they didn’t discuss publicly until the debacle of the June debate. We learned that none other than Hunter Biden was acting as a close adviser to his father in the crucial days after that debate.

We even learned that from early in his presidency, the first lady’s closest aides worked to shield her husband from the staff that serves the first family in its living quarters, even as the aides themselves were given unusual access to the residence — as though it were essential to create a cocoon of loyalty and silence around the nation’s chief executive even when he isn’t on the job.

These are all interesting and pertinent facts about the man who officially leads the United States in a time of global danger — and they have not ceased to be pertinent because that president is no longer running for re-election.

(...)

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/10/opinion/joe-biden-president.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CE4.0hyL.9CNFJAmhWmk2&smid=url-share

https://archive.is/u2JyP

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14th_cylon and return2ozma just need to hang out at this point. It's getting awkward.
- oh no, did someone touch your cult leader without your permission? outrageous...
  
  lol, 'cult'.
  
  how would you describe all the people in this thread, furiously downvoting article about real problem, just because the problem is, this time, on "your" side?
  
  Are you new here?
  Lemmy dogpiles by default. It's worse than reddit, by far.
  That would make your definition of cult apply to every single person with a pulse.
  The most eloquent post ever written would get dogpiled if its first vote was down because the floodgates have been opened.
  It could also be that the opinion piece is devoid of a single citation!
  You claim it's 'on the record'! I found an Axios 'report', also devoid of 'sources'.
  Perhaps you can provide a citation!
  eta - is it irony that my reply is immediately downvoted? I wonder who, since a downvote symptomizes a cult...?
  
  You claim it’s ‘on the record’! I found an Axios ‘report’, also devoid of ‘sources’.
  when i said on record, i meant the first debate, where his condition came out.
  you can imagine that getting direct quotes with names from these events is not easy for obvious reasons.
  that doesn't change the big picture - that people around him worked hard to hide his condition from the public and just the fact he dropped out of the race should not be the end of the story.
  That would make your definition of cult apply to every single person with a pulse.
  there was article about harris not having much about her policy out yesterday and the downvote brigade was similarly angry.
  it is not about first vote, it is the sad state of affairs that people just assume only two extreme positions of opposite sides of the scale are possibly and nothing in between.
  people are not only unable to read text about the position of the other side, they throw a tantrum when that text aligns with their own position only from ninety percent, not one hundred.
  it is possible not want the other side and still ask questions about your own. it is in fact how it should be, otherwise... you are in a cult 🤷‍♂️
  
  To be honest, all I really got from the debate was that Trump said the Dems were doing abortions after birth, and that was the mildest of the dozens of lies he told at that single debate.
  Not a single challenge by moderators or media, never mind that vessel called President.
  But Biden had a raspy voice!
  You know that 90 minute campaign speech broadcast for free last week? How could you possibly cringe that and not think Trump's condition is at least on par with my cult leader?
  Sorry, got sidetracked. Guess how many lies in that 90 minutes!
  162!!
  Anyway, if you believe I've just deflected, it's actually just some Tai Chi.
  Obsessing over Biden is the actual deflection, since it's moot.
  
  Obsessing over Biden is the actual deflection, since it’s moot.
  asking whether an office of the president is actually ran by group of non-elected advisors is valid question.
  trump's lies have nothing to do with that, that is just a deflection. i am glad you at least realize that.
  
  I'm glad you're glad.
  Keep cherry-picking - you've made your ignorance evident!
  
  Keep cherry-picking
  is that a complain that your whataboutism did not work?
  
  No.
  I elaborated my position.
  You ducked every question, cherry-picked, then carried on with your fiction.
  How's about responding to a SINGLE one of my FACTS, since all I've done so far is entertain your proven fantasies?
  
  People downvote for a variety of reasons. Some people do indeed look at a post with 31 downvotes and put their downvote in the manner mad_asshatter describes below. Others are so far into Democratic Party orthodoxy that anything that challenges that is immediately downvoted without thought. But I suspect that the majority of people downvote and upvote the way I do: By reading the message and deciding if it contributes or detracts from conversation.
  I strongly disagree with the assertion that Biden is washed up. Why? Because he's been a gaffe-machine for as long as I can remember. While every politician can have flaws found, I think, given the challenges Biden has faced and the unified disloyal opposition the GOP has presented itself as, he's done a damn good job with what he's been given. I would even have voted him for a second term, because I get gaffes and misspeaks, because even I have problems with that.
  I definitely like Harris even more because 1) she's only 9 years older than I am, 2) she's managed to put Trump on his heels out the gate, and 3) it defuses this 'old man' bomb the Press keeps wanting to wave around. A win-win-win, if you will, even if I think Biden was done dirty by the media and people like you. And we can't forget that now all of Trump's attack material now is useful to the Dems, and Team Red gets an object lesson of 'every time you point the finger at someone, three point back at you.'
  Even then, I'd not downvote NYT for this, nor would I have downvoted you for reposting it. I'd call it out as bullshit for sure, and say that continuing to harp on Biden's age plays into Trump's hands. Biden has 5 months left in office regardless of who wins in November. He's already in Transition Phase, making ready for whoever takes over. He's surrounded himself with good people, and I'm sure we're in good hands until transition in January. I'd like to make sure the transition moves it from one set of good hands into another, and NOT into the shitgibbon's hands, which is why I call this out. If you think there is a Biden problem, it'll solve itself in 5 months when Biden hands over the power to the next admin. Let's work on making sure that next admin is a Harris/Walz admin.
  But not even that gets you the downvotes here from me. What gets you the downvotes from me is that you called people that disagreed with you part of a cult. Listen up here, asshole. I'm trying to stop cults from taking office in January. I think that this bullshit you're posting increases the chance that the cult that wants to go up my Black, bisexual, pagan wife's privates while calling me a race traitor (I'm White) for marrying her will get into office. I'm trying to stop the cult led by Vladimir Putin, with a long and storied history of using 'useful idiot' patsies to amplify disinformation and outright lies, from poaching democracy from yet another Western country. I'm trying to ensure that come 20 January, the Orange Cult Leader himself is left ranting and raging on the sidelines as Kamala Harris is sworn in so we might keep our country from falling to Authoritarianism for another 4 years. And then you, you shithead, come in here and accuse me of being part of a cult because I dare disagree with your bullshit article saying Biden should still be an issue to harp on. No, motherfucker. You're not lumping me in with the actual cults. So if you don't want downvotes, maybe stop playing the fucking victim and realise that Biden is yesterday's news and we're focused on putting the Shitgibbon down. That get through your thick skull, you jerk?
  
  bullshit, asshole, bullshit, shithead, bullshit, motherfucker, fucking victim, jerk
  oh my, you tried so hard, explained you are 50, managed to wrote four paragraphs without insult to present yourself like mature person and still ended up looking like a raging lunatic 😂
  I strongly disagree with the assertion that Biden is washed up. Why? Because he’s been a gaffe-machine for as long as I can remember.
  just because something is happening for a long time doesn't mean it it is ok.
  on top of that, biden's condition clearly progresses and what we saw in the debate was quite sad. and keep in mind that what we saw in the debate was HIS BEST effort. he knew this debate was coming and he had all the time in the world to prepare for it, and it still ended up like that. if this was his best day, how does his average one look like? how does his worst? how often does someone bring him a memo and he says "huh... which one is iran again?"?
  I would even have voted him for a second term, because I get gaffes and misspeaks, because even I have problems with that.
  and would you be happy about it?
  forget about that "last barrier between us and hell" narrative. if there were fair democratic primaries, you had full knowledge of his condition and you had to chose between him and some other fine contenders, harris being one of them, would you still vote for him? would you really be happy to vote for someone who is in such deteriorated mental state that he doesn't recognize people he should be recognizing and who will most likely die in the office, if elected? does that sound like a person fit for that office?
  done dirty by the media and people like you.
  and that is where the cult thing starts.
  normal mature person has standards and holds everyone accountable. just because the other side are cheating bastards, doesn't mean that your side should be cheating bastards as well; because when that happens, is there really a difference between the two?
  if there is a problem on your side, that problem should be found, analyzed and dealt with. because dealing with problems on your side is not a sign of weakness, it is something that improves your long-term performance.
  if you are in a cult though, all you need is to attack the people who pointed the problem out, blame them for ruining your fantasy and insist everything is all right and it is just "media and people like you" who did dirty to our supreme leader 😆
  (I'd) say that continuing to harp on Biden’s age plays into Trump’s hands.
  biden is no longer the candidate and any discussion about age plays against trump at this moment. and talking about a problem will, ideally, lead to not repeating it.
  Biden has 5 months left in office regardless of who wins in November. He’s already in Transition Phase, making ready for whoever takes over.
  no, biden is not in a transition phase, he is full fledged president in a world where multiple military conflicts are in progress and threaten to escalate further and he is in a state where he confuses names of the leaders and countries. that doesn't really inspire confidence.
  If you think there is a Biden problem, it’ll solve itself in 5 months when Biden hands over the power to the next admin. Let’s work on making sure that next admin is a Harris/Walz admin.
  biden problem is that people around him purposefully hid the truth about his condition from public in order to try to usurp another four years in power and where it is unclear to what degree he actually exercises the power of the office personally and to what degree he is just puppeteered by others.
  the situation will technically go away when he leaves office, the problem will not. it should be investigated and someone held accountable.
  i am very aware they won't be, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be at least talked about and that it should be swept under the rug as a non-problem.
  that you called people that disagreed with you part of a cult. Listen up here, asshole. I’m trying to stop cults from taking office in January. (...) I’m trying to stop the cult led by Vladimir Putin
  whatever trump or putin did doesn't absolve biden or people around him from their potential guilt. that is not how it works.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
  I’m trying to ensure that come 20 January, the Orange Cult Leader himself is left ranting and raging on the sidelines as Kamala Harris is sworn in
  and i wish you good luck with that.
  And then you, you shithead, come in here and accuse me of being part of a cult because I dare disagree with your bullshit article saying Biden should still be an issue to harp on. No, motherfucker. You’re not lumping me in with the actual cults. So if you don’t want downvotes, maybe stop playing the fucking victim and realise that Biden is yesterday’s news and we’re focused on putting the Shitgibbon down. That get through your thick skull, you jerk?
  if you don't want to be called cult member, don't act like one. that get through your thick skull, you clown?

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