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.

Uh-oh, Donald...

Proud Boys seditionist Enrique Tarrio was just sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6 plot to prevent the certification of the 2020 Presidential vote--AND HE WASN'T EVEN IN THE CAPITOL THAT DAY!

Which really has got to make Donald Trump think, as well. I mean, Trump probably hoped to use the "But I wasn't even in the Capitol that day!" defense (in addition to the "Free Speech/Presidential Immunity/I'm Great" defenses he's also trying to cook up).

But a jury found Tarrio guilty, and a judge sentenced him to more than two decades in prison.

And Tarrio wasn't even the mastermind of the plot.

Jack Smith has got to be licking his chops.

And Trump should be shaking in his boots.

Celebrate Labor (Day)

 Another Labor Day arrives--burgers on the grill, ice-cold beverages in hand, kids enjoying their last summer freedom before school.

And it's to celebrate labor and the contributions of countless laborers that built this country. And unions helped many of them receive fair pay, hours, benefits. I'm a proud union member, as is my wife, sibling, father, etc. Unions aren't just a "Democrat" thing, it's a nationwide thing, something that has provided fairness to those countless workers whether or not they were officially represented by a union. Many of the things we take for granted in the workplace were/are in place because of unions. 

So, this Labor Day Weekend, I'll take a moment to reflect on my gratitude for those who work to keep this country strong, and I'll consider my gratitude, as well, for the unions that helped us all.

Time to pop a cold one. I think your burger's done.

Happy Labor Day!

Trump's NEW NFT's

 Check out Trump's new NFT's in this edition of the "None-yun"

Trump's Army: Standing Back and Standing By

Just as in the days before January 6, 2021, when Trump told a despicable white supremacist group to "stand back and stand by," his MAGA army of extremists are ready to thwart justice in his criminal trials--just as they (thankfully) unsuccessfully tried to thwart democracy on January 6.

Trump has issued an all-caps warning that "If you go after me, I'm coming after you." 

And Trump has reason to believe his troglodytic supporters will do his bidding. They harassed poll workers. They threatened Georgia GOP officials. They illegally accessed voting machines. They lied and schemed in devious plans to overturn an election. After he told them to "fight like hell," they overran the Capitol in a scary and shameful act of cowardice and fealty.

Now that Trump has been criminally charged (after numerous grand juries found probable cause of criminal actions), his extremist MAGA army is at it again.

Word comes today that death threats have been made to judges overseeing Trump trials. Purported names and addresses of the brave Grand Jury members in Fulton County have been shared by Trump's minions--likely to change their lives forever. Trump's---yes--deplorable extremist backers (about whom disgraced AZ gubernatorial loser Kari Lake remarked all owned guns, btw) will undoubtedly try to do Trump's disgusting, twisted bidding in physical manisfestation.

Already, messages are shared (even on Trump's home for idiots, his TRUTH platform) talking about fighting for our country, which undoubtedly includes doing whatever it takes to protect "The Boss."

Let's hope the jury--or all FOUR juries, actually--are courageous enough to decide their verdicts on the basis of guilt or innocence, not on the fear of violence, once again, committed by Trump's extremist MAGA army.

The Straw that Breaks Trump's Back

As I read through Trump's Fani Willis indictments, my skepticism grew. 

Charge after charge assumed Trump pushed his election lies despite knowing otherwise. Almost halfway through the document's "Acts of Racketeering Activity" section, I still didn't see anything that could definitively pin something onto Donald J. Trump. Just more straw on a camel's back.

You see, Trump is essentially the poster child for plausible deniability. He would implore a mob, for example, to "fight" virtually dozens of times, but then say "peacefully and patriotically" once to cover his butt. And, to be honest, a jury might have a hard time believing Trump was smart enough to oversee a vast conspiracy. Additionally, Trump's law team (Eastman, in particular), would undoubtedly peddle the smoke and mirrors of the plot as simply exploiting ambiguity in the U.S. Constitution.

So, um, yeah, it didn't look promising for those seeking, finally, some accountability for Trump and his actions.

And then came "Act 108." That beautiful, wonderful, magical "Act 108."

"On or about the 31st day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP and JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN committed the felony offense of FILING FALSE DOCUMENTS..."

It seems that Donald John Trump signed a filed statement to Georgia containing some of his election lies--that poll personnel left their posts unattended, and that Georgia voters included felons, kids, those illegally/not registered, as well as thousands of the dead--after his attorney, Eastman, had emailed Trump's campaign that, um, he actually knew it contained falsehoods. 

Eastman knew. Trump's inner circle knew. Not a chance that Trump didn't. Not. A. Chance. And Trump signed the document anyway.

And, that, my friends, is a felony. 

And it also blows plausible deniably right out of the water.

Oh, it got better from there.

Trump's calls to pressure numerous Georgia officials to "find 11,780 votes," for example--repeating his lies that both his campaign and lawyer knew were false--added more charges. His actions to enlist Jeffrey Clark to draft a false letter to Georgia officials saying the DOJ found voting irregularities (EVEN if it wasn't sent), all constitute additional felonies in the Peach State. 

And they all can be pinned onto Donald John Trump. Not just one--but, like a zillion--straws on this particular camel.

It's still up to the Fulton County D.A.'s office to prove its case, of course, a case that looks as though it could bring some real accountability to Trump for his actions. A case  that, I believe, will finally break this camel's back.

And it's about time.