Biden: Not dead yet?

Following Biden's debate debacle last night, many people (me included) determined his election chances were dead in the water.

Not so fast.

Today, in Raleigh, NC, Biden pulled a Mark Twain--he delivered an incredibly coherent and powerful speech.

Biden's NC speech today shows he's
still in this thing

Unbelievable, in fact. 

I mean, WHERE WAS THIS GUY LAST NIGHT?! 

Biden said the things he should have said in a way that would have made him the frontrunner. 

Hands down.

Unbelievable.

If he can be more like today and less like he was last night, 

Biden's campaign is not dead yet.

Here's a short clip

Trump: Daily Despicability

Inmate #PO1135809

Donald Trump is despicable.

He doesn't care about the people.

He doesn't care about the law.

And he continues to prove it day after day.

Men wait outside a soup kitchen
 during the Great Depression

Yesterday, he said he hoped the US economy collapses in the next year (essentially so it wouldn't hurt him politically if he was elected President)--not taking into account the loss of businesses, the loss of jobs, the short- and long-term suffering and effects on our fellow citizens that MAGA insists Trump cares about so much. 

Nope. He hopes the economy crashes now so it won't affect his image.

And, just this morning, in his presidential immunity trial, Trump's team--defending the self-proclaimed "Law and Order" President--argued that a President couldn't be criminally charged with having his political rivals assassinated unless he had been first impeached and convicted of that in Congress.

Actual text from today's federal appeals court hearing:

Judge: Could a president who ordered SEAL team 6 to assassinate a political rival and is not impeached, would he be subject to criminal prosecution?

Trump lawyer: If he were impeached and convicted first.

Think about that. 

Trump's team is arguing that a US President could have his political rivals murdered, and if the Senate was spineless/immoral enough not to vote to convict the President in an impeachment trial (as happened in Trump's insurrection impeachment trial because Senators feared violence directed towards their families, or because some Senators clung to the weak argument that it wasn't proper to convict a, by then, former President), that the once-President would be able to walk away scot-free.

No one would be safe in Trump's America

That means if Biden ordered such assassinations now, he couldn't be charged unless he was convicted in the Democrat-controlled Senate. And if the Democratic Senator votes were affected by fear of violence or personal political repercussions or because of peer-pressure or lack of moral/ethical turpitude, Biden would happily railroad off into the sunset.

And that's what Trump thinks is acceptable?

My, God.

On second thought, despicable doesn't even begin to describe him.

The GOP goes "fact-free"

House Republicans have gone "fact-free."

The House GOP tries
its new "fact-free" diet

After more than a year of investigations into their fanciful allegations of Joe Biden malfeasance, they have formalized an impeachment inquiry of President Biden--only the sixth one in the history of our country--without the slightest evidence of any "high crimes or misdemeanors" that are required for an actual impeachment. 

Instead, they've uncovered evidence of a loan repayment from Biden's brother, and about $4000 in payments connected to his son Hunter's truck.

They've heard witnesses, under oath, declare they didn't think the President ever had anything to do with the financial business dealings of his son.

They've had their own members, such as earlier Senate Biden investigator co-chair Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, say there's no "hard proof" connecting Joe to any wrongdoing (Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland gave a thorough and scathing response to earlier GOP accusations here).

It's not the same as a previous formal inquiry when Trump was first investigated/impeached for (documented) withholding of Congressionally-approved aid to Ukraine, asking a foreign government for the "favor" of campaign assistance through announcing an investigation into his chief political opponent.

It's not even like when Bill Clinton was investigated/impeached for lying under oath about having an affair with a staffer.

Nope.

To be accurate, no evidence is required to launch an impeachment inquiry.

But it highlights some important GOP priorities--not for the country, but for itself.

Inmate #P01135809

It deflects the actual malfeasance (and two impeachments and 91 felony indictments and liability for sexual assault and defamation and business fraud) of the GOP's frontrunner (unbelievably so) for its 2024 presidential run, Donald Trump. 

And it should take their members' minds off pesky issues such as supporting allies around the world or funding the government before its January default date or having discussions about gun laws or immigration reform. 

So, a GOP-led House--that removed its own Speaker (for the first time in history) and expelled one of its own members (only previously done five times ever)--has now formalized an impeachment inquiry for only the sixth time in the history of our nation.

And this one is fact-free.

Stephen Colbert's take:

Throw Hunter From the Train

Is Hunter Biden being railroaded (with an assist from the GOP) for his tax crimes?

After all, evidence apparently points to his guilt of cheating the US of 1-2 million dollars in taxes.

The GOP's impeachment train
 is ramping up to leave the station

So, prosecution would be expected, with or without GOP pressure, right?

Not so fast.

Biden's attorney, says charges would not have been brought "if Hunter's last name was anything but Biden." 

To be honest, that's pretty hard to argue against.

Let's just look at numbers. In 2019, for example, 148,000,000 individuals filed tax returns. That same year, the IRS recommended tax crime prosecution for just 942 people, primarily for unpaid tens of millions or schemes to bilk other people (and Biden's was neither).

Even so, 942 people?

That's a "whopping" .0006%.

Point zero, zero, zero, six percent.

What are the odds?

Actually, you're ten times more likely than that to get hit by lightning.

A Vanderbilt University tax expert says in an AP article that "the average American has almost as good a chance of winning the lottery as being criminally prosecuted for tax fraud."

But, alas, Hunter Biden is not an "average" American (and he certainly is not winning the lottery). Instead, he's the son of a sitting US President for whom the GOP has a passion to bring down, in an attempt, it appears, as revenge for criminal indictments against their favorite despot, former President Trump. 

Make no mistake, though, this isn't a "witch hunt." There appears to be evidence of criminal activity (just as in Trump's indictments). However, the threat of 17 years of incarceration is unbelievable. Penalties for such tax crime convictions--such as in the cases of Willie Nelson and Nicolas Cage--are most often settled through payment of back taxes and penalties. 

But, um, Biden's already done that.

So, what about the DOJ plea deal with Biden that was reached this past summer?

Um, it was denied by a Trump-appointed judge, coincidentally(?) after the GOP raised a stench about Biden's "sweetheart" deal (although the deal seemed pretty consistent with others in his position). And, following the GOP hue and cry, the DOJ miraculously came up with additional charges without having even gathered more evidence.

So, is Hunter Biden being railroaded (with an assist from the GOP) for his tax crimes?

All a-BOARD!!

Here's a great take by former DOJ Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman (LA Times):

Litman: Hunter Biden isn't being accused of any new wrongdoing. So why was he just indicted again? (yahoo.com)

Can Biden Win?

Can Joe Biden win another term?

Um, maybe. Depends on a couple things: 1) Issue perception 2) Donald Trump

1) Biden will win no matter what if Democrats can change public perception on three big issues: a) inflation b) immigration c) Biden's age/competence.

a) Inflation is perceived as out-of-control, even though it's still largely a reaction to difficulties with supplies and the labor market (and the world response) thanks to Covid. Overall, inflation is expected to slow even more in the coming months. Most people don't realize that at the end of August, it was 3.7%, down from 7% two years prior (on its way, hopefully, to the "sweet spot" of 2% or so). 

Dems should continue to emphasize downward trends.

b) Perception also sees undocumented immigration as rampant. Just because the GOP hasn't been able to find evidence to back their impeachment threats against Homeland Security's Alejandro Mayorkas, doesn't mean it's not a problem. It's not because of fentanyl smuggling (the vast majority which comes via US citizen smugglers through ports of entry--not through migrants and illegal border crossings), and it's not because of the fictional "open border" nonsense Republicans decry, but numbers are up. 

Democrats need to frame it as a solution to our labor shortage--highlighting the noble immigrant plight of those coming to our country in decades past looking for a better life for their families. 

And Biden needs to embrace the immigration problem. He needs to visit the border. He needs to continually address it and present border policies, framing it as a problem squarely on the shoulders of Congress. 

c) Many people equate Biden's age with competence. Many perceive Biden as old and feeble. Well, he is the oldest President we've ever had (although, at 80, Biden now is exactly the age Trump would be if he were to start another term). And, yes, Biden has had more than his share of gaffes. Biden's lack of interviews and press conferences makes people think he's avoiding them because his responses (and response time) leave something to be desired. Although Trump's innumerable Twitter/X misspellings and recent admonitions about Biden leading us into World War 2 (um, which happened 79 years ago) aren't exactly impressive.

The best way to combat this is to get out there. Meet with the press. Have public rallies. Engage in difficult interviews. To be honest, with Biden the (as of yet) unchallenged incumbent, I don't envision Biden's team pushing for such measures because I don't think that THEY think he'd shine doing so.

There's one more factor to determine if Biden can win: Will Trump be his opponent?

2) If Trump is the GOP nominee--with his grievances, his baggage, and his criminal indictments--Biden WILL win. 

The challenge here, however, is that I don't think Trump will be the nominee. If someone else takes the GOP nomination, and the three issues mentioned here aren't adequately addressed, Biden will have a very difficult task.

But I don't think Biden will continue his run for the White House. I've believed for months that he won't be the nominee (my choice to win has been Gavin Newsom).

So, can Biden win another term? Absolutely. 

Unless he's NOT running against Donald Trump. 

Then, it's anyone's guess. 

ADDENDUM: This poll JUST came out (9/24) and highlights these same perceptions of Biden's shortcomings (and the Democrats better do something about it): Troubles for Biden not just his age in reelection campaign: POLL (yahoo.com) 

Um, U Can't Impeach w/o a Crime

Representative Jamie Raskin issued a press release today that absolutely eviscerates the GOP's Biden impeachment push (you can read his INCREDIBLE assessment here).

The main point: many of the GOP witnesses said they didn't see/think that President Biden had anything to do with Hunter's business dealings. 

And, hmmm, there are absolutely ZERO documents that connect those dealings to the current President.

Even my home state's Trump lap dog--and fake-elector go-between--Ron Johnson (who led a GOP investigative committee about Biden last year) has a couple lines devoted to him in Raskin's release: 

• Sen. Ron Johnson conceded that Republicans have not found any "direct evidence" or "hard proof" of wrongdoing by President Biden.

(you can read the 87-page report--with not one scintilla of Biden wrongdoing--here)

Boy, I bet Trump wishes HIS cases were as evidence-free as this.

And, still, the messed-up, morally-bankrupt, Trump-fearing GOP seems determined to push ahead with a sham impeachment. Unbelievable.

THIS is what the Grand Old Party is reduced to--continuing to do the twisted bidding of its dark overlord, Donald J. Trump.

2024, here we come!

ADDENDUM: Since this post, the intrepid-do-gooders of this committee have found what they claim is evidence of Biden receiving millions in bribes: documented loan paybacks from his brother, and three installments totaling less than $5000 connected to helping his son make payments on his truck.