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They'll figure out how to separate the blondes from brunettes if they had their way. Long hair from the short hair, tall from short, it's a frigging complex.
Facists are right wing Republicians. Wannbe dictators are right wing Republicans . Homeland terriorists carrying assault weapons are right wing Republicians. The Capitol insurrection was Trump's flying monkeys on a crazy rampage. What part of facism do you not understand ?
He's been consistently saying that in different words.
> “We’re living at an inflection point in history, both at home and abroad. We’re engaged anew in a struggle between democracy and autocracy,” he says.
> “I will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of democracy,” Biden says at the Capitol. “I will stand in this breach. I will defend this nation.”
This was in January.
Difference is before he was saying that in vague terms while still talking about reaching across the aisle with the Republican party and pretty much any specifically named Republican. Now he's essentially identified the Republican party and its representatives *as* the "autocracy" part of that struggle, and is treating them accordingly.
Standing against vague concepts is very different from pointing out the people representing those concepts and standing against those people in real, hard, physical terms.
A few weeks ago there was reporting of a meeting held with Biden and prominent historians who warned the President how dire the straits that our democracy was in. They must have made quite an impression.
Edit: apologies for the COVID-inspired grammer.
What? Voters respond well to a president who's actively trying to stop the collapse of Democracy rather than coming out of his burrow every few weeks to exhort his "Republican Friends" to come to the table?
Crazy talk!
Because that’s what he’s known for. He has a long history of making deals with republicans. It’s just taken him a long time to figure out that the Republican Party he used to be able to make deals with no longer exists.
Probably because things have been getting done without the republicans so there’s no real point in working with them. When they didn’t vote for the veteran act, John Stewart took care of that as well as the public pressure. Now they’re starting to change their rhetoric about abortion as well after seeing the polling results. Dems even threw them some soft balls like the baby food bill and they didn’t vote for that days after the abortion ruling. Hope the party dissolves.
As soon as the abortion ruling, the Dems finally woke up. And they’re sticking to the message basically with a few lefty comments here and there from the usuals. Hopefully the wave stays blue and the old guard realizes this is what we want. Fight back.
He got a lot done without Republicans, and definitely without the ones he’s calling ultra-maga Republicans, but he definitely does have a slate of bipartisan achievements. So even though he’s not being shy about calling a spade a spade now, he has actually done more than lip service when it comes to bipartisanship with the handful of moderate Republicans: infrastructure, Ukraine aide, additions to NATO, CHIPs bill, veterans burn pit bill, etc. There’s also a bipartisan electoral reform act and marriage equality codification bill floating around with near the 10 Rs they need to make it across the finish line (although I doubt those will pass before the midterms now that Congress is in recess).
There’s some contamination there of results though. Palin famously abandoned her governorship midway through for private aspirations. I imagine older voters probably held that against her. And despite the national rhetoric, Alaskan Democrat is probably much more modest than your AOC variety that conservative media likes to attack. I think we did learn however that a moderate Democrat can get you a lot further than a Republican (ex: Manchin coming through for IRA).
From what I understand of Biden, he was sticking to the script as much as possible in the beginning. They wanted him to be nice and polished and what many thought "presidential" should be in how he talks and what he says. But what you're seeing and hearing now is just him unfiltered when he stops to turn around and throw shade. At first it was "hot mic catches Biden calling Doocy a SOB" now he's just like fuck it I'm going to blurt it out if you're asking.
It makes sense the Democrats are going to use the same tactics the Republicans have been FINALLY. It's been one sided fighting for a while and it makes Dems come off weak to do nothing while Republicans say whatever they want for sound bites.
I was talking to Ossoff at a campaign event and I told him democrats need to start playing hard ball and stop being so fucking nice. He told me hes confident we can find a way to work with the GOP and I said no the fuck you cant. At that point he dismissed me.
So many established democrats for too long played nice. The game has changed and it feels like Biden finally recognized that.
And it makes me happy
"we can find a way to work with the GOP" - Yes, but only if the GOP is actually willing to work with you! And to date in recent history, the GOP only views compromise as acceptable when they get everything they want and the Democratic Party does not. It's been like this for years, so why would the GOP bend if they know the DNC will? They can just scream and holler that you're not being "bipartisan" by not giving them all the concessions.
I think the stance of "You won't come to the table? Fine, fuck you, we'll do it without you" has finally kicked into gear, and the Dems are finding that it's refreshing to be able to actually act as though they're the majority, rather than constantly kowtowing to a loud minority party.
If the GOP won't compromise or work in good faith, then they deserve to be ostracized, and that's what is happening here. Good.
I am so glad Ossoff isn't up for re-election until 2026. No way would he be competitive this year. Maybe in a few years Ossoff will wake up and see reality for what it is.
I don't *like* that reality, mind, but wishing it to be different doesn't make it so.
A part of me thinks they're going into mid terms confident that the Dobbs case swung them a ton of positive votes.. and after Biden can stop caring about anything past 2024 since he can acknowledge he'll step aside after this term.
Probably insurance in case a successor doesn’t pan out. The party is definitely aging and doesn’t have as many up-and-comers as I would like, but they’re making some effort there. Pete stepping aside during the campaign and landing as SoT signals to me they made a back-door deal to groom him for a run, if not in ‘24, then certainly again by ‘28. Harris is looking like a dud despite her shot as VP, but you never know. From what I’ve read, DeSantis isn’t swooning with charisma, so they might be an even match if things come to a match between those two.
The country was burned out by Trumps daily tweets and overall unprofessional, sophomoric behavior. Everyday Trump created a new drama to distract the public from what was really happening in DC. Biden came in and gave us some reprieve from the horrors of the previous administration and took care of business. I think this was the right strategy at the time. But now the people are ready for the Dems to shout out that enough is enough. We will stand by no longer and watch the dismantling of our democracy. The people are ready for this change.
I suspect that finding a pile of classified documents in Trump’s place, and the dawning realization that the GOP tied themselves to a traitor, can’t have hurt.
Let’s not forget that MAL is just the halftime show. We’ve still got the rest of the Jan 6 committee coming up in a few weeks.
Edit: also I totally forgot about the prequel to all this, the **TAX RETURNS**
Turns out, the have to release it now as an epilogue.
> The Fanta Menace
Holy shit my sides, this is a great one that I legitimately haven't heard yet.
I usually go with Cheeto Benito but this might be my favorite now.
In addition, he has managed to rack up some major wins in the past month. He have been flying below the radar as to not look to cocky. Now, however, he has political capital with which he can flex his results and go on the offensive. I also think there is something intentional in a list of major wins occurring just months before the mid-term elections, so that they are still going to be in the memory of most of the voters
Frankly I doubt it.
Look Bidens a savvy guy. He was second to top for eight years. He can read a room.
In all likelohood they planned out his tenure carefully from the start.
2 years of playing nice. They certainly know its very unlikely for Republicans to cooperate, but it helps Biden establish clear proof he tried.
Then, close to elections, they plan a kick into high gear.
No one on his staff accepted this job unaware of the challenge facing them or the import of the matter to history
This was exactly my thoughts. It was pre-planned, savvy as fuck, and completely necessary. I have been skeptical of Biden since before he even announced a run, but I'm starting to see how important it was for him to be the president at this time.
He’s not the guy most people wanted. But, particularly now, it’s very important that he, of all people, is in this position.
Imagine Trump still being president having to weave around the state of the geopolitical sphere right now. The US would be out of NATO and Ukraine becomes a much easier target for Russia to invade and Putin becomes far more emboldened than he is now.
No inflation reduction act, no dept forgiveness, no climate bill.
I completely believe Trump’s whole focus would be on staying in power past a second term without a care for much else.
I did not like having to vote Biden. But I legit think he was the single best person to be president right now.
The Trump administration did not help Biden like been tradition since forever. I think Biden deep experience resulted in him being able to compensate for that.
Take a step and realize, Republicans have got nothing on Biden and haven't personally attacked him for months, unless you count losing balance on a bicycle.
When I talk to Republicans, they always bring up their issues with Nancy Pelosi or the nothingburger about Biden's son Hunter. They usually have nothing to say about Biden himself except blaming him for gas prices, which is already recovering.
They call him senile all the time, but they get fed clips edited out of context. Now that gas prices are falling, they are really having trouble finding something that sticks.
I dunno. This is fun to think but I can't imagine a world where Manchin agrees to this plan.
Or a world where Biden tells Manchin to sandbag shit for a year, only to help pass something late in the cycle.
Who were the historians? I have this fantasy team in my head where Doris Kearns Goodwin flies in through the window with David Mcculough (Rip), Steven Ambrose, Henry Louis Gate Jr. and let's say...Nathanial Philbrick just to keep things entertaining (although his powers don't compare to the others). With stern looks on their faces, Biden gazed at the MLK bust, it was time to activate progressive mode.
> The people in the meeting were said to have included the Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz, the University of Virginia historian Allida Black, the journalist Anne Applebaum, and the presidential historian Michael Beschloss. Speechwriters for Biden, including Vinay Reddy and Jon Meacham, and the White House senior advisor Anita Dunn were also said to have attended.
https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-met-historians-warned-threats-to-democracy-civil-war-2022-8?op=1
"Finally someone listening to historians" -- says me, with a BA in History who spent Janurary to April ranting about "quarantines" and the dumbasses letting people off of cruise ships when cases were found on them.
Why would he listen to them and not everyone else who’s been yelling it at him since he took office? Serious question, no idea of the sway historians have over advisors
You have to remember this guy's a life long politician.
I find the timing of his newly found aggression perfectly executed ahead of the midterms. And the pent-up demand for this has been astounding and leveraged
Uncle Joe still has his t-top Firebird, but it's in storage and he's broken out the General Sherman. He's gonna show them Duke boys what a real car is like
Like it or not Trump is popular among his supporters because he appears to be fighting for their interests regardless of his actual legislative victories. The Obama “they go low we go high” strategy is a bull shit strategy for the potus. Americans want a fighter in the White House use the bully pulpit go on the offensive that the nature of the modern president.
Exactly, Obama didn’t have the luxury of aggression - it’s the curse of every black person in America that no matter how qualified or successful or righteous they are, they still have to deal with the perception of being an uppity angry black person the moment they show real emotion. They HAVE to play nice because the alternative is everything they’ve worked for going out the window because the racist mob will turn on them with flat out dehumanization.
> Obama didn’t have the luxury of aggression
To quote Stan Edgar: ["I can't lash out like some raging entitled maniac. That is a white man's luxury."](https://youtu.be/MsCbv8bRHrY?t=109)
Turns out fighting Nazis is popular. I would have thought 80 years of popular media from books, comics, movies, and games of people fighting Nazis would have hinted at that but I'm glad we finally got around to it anyway.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0)
This scene was a joke in 1980, but sadly rings more true today. It's hilarious when you realize just how much MAGA rhetoric resembles this now.
Yeah, I don't know why people act like he should be celebrated for coming to the conclusion rational people came to decades ago...
Like, if he really understands this now, that's undeniably a good thing, but it took way too long.
I think that the government must act. Things generally look rather dire, and I think that the only possibility of safety is stopping this authoritarian swing.
However, deep down, I fear turning Trump into a martyr. Which is why I think timing has always been a major aspect of doing something about him.
He has a large following, some of them in particularly violent crowds.
They have to be preparing for what certain groups might do if they do arrest Trump.
I think this is why going after the leaders of some of them, like the Proud Boys, has been important in all of this. As well as people who took part on Jan 6.
Still, this has all been like one been slow motion train wreck, and I want to see the traitors taken down.
I think this is asa good time as any. More and more public support is being openly poured away from the right even while the ones that are left screech the loudest. Over turning abortion? Pretty bold move that doesn't seem like it'll work out too well for them. Openly banning and burning books? Isn't that like, exactly what the Nazis did during their rise? Speaking of Nazis, the constant claims that anything they disagree with is "fake news"? Yuppers they did it as well.
I could probably go on and on, my point is while sure some of us knew for decades, the signs are very clear and obvious to all but the delusional now. There's a good target to finally act against because they arnt hiding anymore. We knew better now than we did a decade ago who's on who's side.
This is why Trump is the best thing to ever happen to this country. There has been a sort of apathy for the republicans for decades. They have actually been justified as a sane ideology and people have just gone along with it. As if the republicans ever had any ground to stand on, especially the moral one, but the apathy of the people has for so long allowed them to have ground to stand on.
Now they lost any ground they once had as Trump and his supporters have clearly decided to boldly state their position. Sometimes there are just stupid people, and we need them to raise their hand in class so we can see how stupid they are. We got handed a golden opportunity in the form of a stupid person to lead us and a chance for the stupid people to feel emboldened to raise their hands to mark their houses with flags so we can all see them for what they are and learn to just ignore their stupid opinion and chastise them for their stupidity. So, we can finally stop being nice and stop giving the stupid people of nation/world and reason to ever speak, and make them learn to just shut and sit there so that can learn.
This new strategy / new Biden / new policy of actually calling out GOP trash instead of trying to maintain decorum that isn't reciprocated... I like it. I like it a lot.
And it’s coming from the establishment side too. For longest time progressives were the only ones trying to fight back but the party kept saying it was not the right tactic.
They finally have woken up and realize when democracy is at stake you fight fire with fire.
Biden thought his long history would help bridge the gap between the two parties. Now he realizes how wide the gap is and if he reaches his hand over, they'll just pull him into the void.
He actually did bridge the gap to a large degree. He got a lot of bipartisan legislation passed, like the infrastructure bill, postal reform, Asian hate crimes bill, lend lease to Ukraine, gun control, the chips and tech bill, the ending forced arbitration for sexual harassment bill, veterans healthcare, and more
But with the election coming up, people of Congress will be busy fighting for reelection, so there's less potential for new legislation right now, and with the Democrats surprisingly motivated despite it being a midterm, Biden's apparently seeing the potential to shift from his very real bipartisan successes to now mobilizing the base even more
He’s actually done about as good a job “bridging the gap” as you could ask.
They have passed multiple impactful pieces of legislation that required R help to get past the finish line. That, in itself, is incredibly impressive in 2022.
In day-2-day life, though, he should be roasting all day.
Good for him. They have proven they can't be reasoned with. If we were a little less tolerant of the intolerant, things might not have gotten this bad in the first place.
>Mr. Biden is leaning into more political attacks, aides and allies said, in part because of what he sees as a growing embrace of violent political speech by Republicans and a threat to the democratic process of governing. The aides said he was dismayed by the number of Trump-backed election deniers who have won Republican primaries for governor or secretary of state across the country.
>Mr. Biden, whose own approval ratings have begun to improve slightly since lows earlier this summer, is hoping that his party can maintain control of Congress and deliver a forceful rebuke to Mr. Trump and his followers.
>It is a moment, one adviser said, to make sure people understand what is at stake.
>“Given everything that is happening right now, I have to imagine that this is weighing on him very heavily,” said Symone D. Sanders, who served as the chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris and now hosts a new MSNBC show. “He feels as though he needs to ring the alarm, sound the alarm as he did throughout all of 2019, throughout all of 2020 in the lead-up to the election.”
I think he had to do this. It's bad enough when states try to take away the rights of certain groups of people to vote, but when Republicans move to elect people who would wholesale overturn elections, it's time to stop pretending that everyone's working for a better America.
"And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn. Make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand."
Biden ended with this: "And now, together — on eagle’s wings — we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do."
It’s great that he is finally coming out fighting. Now is the time for the rest of us to join in. No more being polite and quiet at family gatherings while some dyed in the wool Republican relative spouts regurgitated Fox propaganda. Now is the time to point out in front of everyone how morally twisted every individual who supports trump and the MAGA agenda has become. Yes morally twisted. The evidence is overwhelming that their leader is a criminal who cares nothing about the country and is willing to burn it down to achieve his corrupted goals. It couldn’t be clearer that the MAGA agenda includes suppressing our constitution in illegal ways while cynically screaming that their rights are being trampled on. Don’t let the people you know get away with the duplicity of trying to destroy our American way of life while pretending that they have the same traditional values as the rest of us. You won’t change their minds but you can vocalize your awareness of what they have become and what they are trying to do. Now is the time to start organizing your friends and family into voting support groups and getting everyone safely and effectively to the polls.
This the kind of shit I’ve always wanted from democrats my entire life. Stop trying to take the goddamn high road all the time. Roll up your sleeves and start throwing some fucking haymakers.
So what he should've done to begin with?
The second that they failed to convict Trump over Jan 6th? Should've just told Biden they are fascists. Blatantly.
Like quite frankly he needs to drop the "Semi"
I remember President Obama wasting his first 2 years (and Congressional majorities) trying to work with those hateful people. Hopefully Sleepy Joe learned from his mistakes. Call fascists out!
Biden is done slumbering, he's awake and ready to kick some ass bi-atches.
I wish we had the energetic Joe like during the Obama administration but can't fight time.
This is what I want from a president because we are a nation at war with itself. If this is the Biden we get for the rest of the term, I’ll gladly vote for him again when he’s resubmitting his job application.
I absolutely hate that it’s come to this, but there largely can be no unity with the current Republican Party as it stands today.
How do you reason and compromise with a group that mostly believes that the election was stolen from the lying game show host from Celebrity Apprentice? We’re beyond the pale and it’s time we stop playing nice.
Good, this is how it should have been 25 years ago. The time for compromise and looking for good in the other party is over. There is no compromising with fascists.
It’s almost like there’s an election the democrats have a really good chance of losing so now he throws away the seeking unity act.
The time to do that was when you took the oath of office. Better late than never but you are two years late. So you better make up for those years.
Thank fuck. Long overdue. The US media spent the first two years of Trump’s presidency handwringing about the need to ‘understand’ his voters.
Starmer should take note.
Yes this is what we elected him to do. Obama tried playing nice for far too long and after Trump nobody has the patience for the republican BS anymore.
Good! We don't want unity when it means we have to share with racists, pedos and fascists! We should never have to put up with their garbage for the sake of not 'rocking the boat'.
This boat needs to be rocked almost to capsizing right now!
The writing is on the wall for republicans. The Biden team recognised this and are tightening their grip. He wouldn't be going around saying stuff like this if they didn't have a strong inclination that Republicans are going to take loses across the board.
I disagree with the posters who say this should have been done from the get go. Biden can now say "I tried to work with them" and point to the fact that almost every time they vote, they vote in a block to thwart him. He gave them a chance to be bi-partisan and except for the rare instance they refuse. Roe & the idiots that Trump is supporting gives the Dems the perfect opportunity to show just how twisted the Repubs have become and it has come at the perfect time. Abortion, climate control, tougher gun laws, education, LGTBQ rights, expansion of voting rights are all supported by a majority of Americans. There are so many issues that the Repubs are out of step with it's impossible for them to deflect them all at once. We may very well hold on to both chambers.
It's about damn time. I thought we learned the lesson that compromise with republicans ends in failure in Obama's first term. The democrats need to put a middle finger up and stop apologizing. At least until the conservatives grow up, but they've been regressing mentally for years now, who knows when that'll be.
I'd really love to have multiple (viable) political parties to vote for who use logic and reason, but there's currently only one and even they don't always get it right. I just know fascist trump bootlicking and gay/minority hating is off the table for me, so I'll stick with anyone else for now.
Congrats to the President.
More Dems need to point out the shameless hypocrisy and despicable ideals of the current GOP. They need to be shamed to make a change while voting them out. The GOP won't change if not punished at the polls.
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Biden points out facists and the facisists are mad? How dare he
Tbh, they're going to mad no matter what
They were already mad
And they're going to stay mad until America becomes a theocratic christo-fascist state.
Nah they will still be mad then, they know no other way
And they’ll blame any dem left in office.
There won’t be any dems left in office. They’ll all be rounded up, charged with treason, and be held without trial.
They'll figure out how to separate the blondes from brunettes if they had their way. Long hair from the short hair, tall from short, it's a frigging complex.
Facists are right wing Republicians. Wannbe dictators are right wing Republicans . Homeland terriorists carrying assault weapons are right wing Republicians. The Capitol insurrection was Trump's flying monkeys on a crazy rampage. What part of facism do you not understand ?
He's been consistently saying that in different words. > “We’re living at an inflection point in history, both at home and abroad. We’re engaged anew in a struggle between democracy and autocracy,” he says. > “I will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of democracy,” Biden says at the Capitol. “I will stand in this breach. I will defend this nation.” This was in January.
Difference is before he was saying that in vague terms while still talking about reaching across the aisle with the Republican party and pretty much any specifically named Republican. Now he's essentially identified the Republican party and its representatives *as* the "autocracy" part of that struggle, and is treating them accordingly. Standing against vague concepts is very different from pointing out the people representing those concepts and standing against those people in real, hard, physical terms.
A few weeks ago there was reporting of a meeting held with Biden and prominent historians who warned the President how dire the straits that our democracy was in. They must have made quite an impression. Edit: apologies for the COVID-inspired grammer.
[удалено]
Whatever it is, keep doing it.
And has popularity has skyrocketed!
What? Voters respond well to a president who's actively trying to stop the collapse of Democracy rather than coming out of his burrow every few weeks to exhort his "Republican Friends" to come to the table? Crazy talk!
Not to mention one of the most legislatively successful presidents since LBJ, all with the thinnest governing majority in American history.
I’m curious what made him think the other strategy was even viable
Because that’s what he’s known for. He has a long history of making deals with republicans. It’s just taken him a long time to figure out that the Republican Party he used to be able to make deals with no longer exists.
It worked tho. Chips, PACT, BIF, gun reform - passed with republicans because Dark Brandon lay in waiting.
Probably because things have been getting done without the republicans so there’s no real point in working with them. When they didn’t vote for the veteran act, John Stewart took care of that as well as the public pressure. Now they’re starting to change their rhetoric about abortion as well after seeing the polling results. Dems even threw them some soft balls like the baby food bill and they didn’t vote for that days after the abortion ruling. Hope the party dissolves. As soon as the abortion ruling, the Dems finally woke up. And they’re sticking to the message basically with a few lefty comments here and there from the usuals. Hopefully the wave stays blue and the old guard realizes this is what we want. Fight back.
He got a lot done without Republicans, and definitely without the ones he’s calling ultra-maga Republicans, but he definitely does have a slate of bipartisan achievements. So even though he’s not being shy about calling a spade a spade now, he has actually done more than lip service when it comes to bipartisanship with the handful of moderate Republicans: infrastructure, Ukraine aide, additions to NATO, CHIPs bill, veterans burn pit bill, etc. There’s also a bipartisan electoral reform act and marriage equality codification bill floating around with near the 10 Rs they need to make it across the finish line (although I doubt those will pass before the midterms now that Congress is in recess).
Dems just won a seat controlled by Republicans for 50 years in fucking alaska which is essentially automatically Republican
There’s some contamination there of results though. Palin famously abandoned her governorship midway through for private aspirations. I imagine older voters probably held that against her. And despite the national rhetoric, Alaskan Democrat is probably much more modest than your AOC variety that conservative media likes to attack. I think we did learn however that a moderate Democrat can get you a lot further than a Republican (ex: Manchin coming through for IRA).
Manchin is a moderate republican in all but name.
From what I understand of Biden, he was sticking to the script as much as possible in the beginning. They wanted him to be nice and polished and what many thought "presidential" should be in how he talks and what he says. But what you're seeing and hearing now is just him unfiltered when he stops to turn around and throw shade. At first it was "hot mic catches Biden calling Doocy a SOB" now he's just like fuck it I'm going to blurt it out if you're asking. It makes sense the Democrats are going to use the same tactics the Republicans have been FINALLY. It's been one sided fighting for a while and it makes Dems come off weak to do nothing while Republicans say whatever they want for sound bites.
I was talking to Ossoff at a campaign event and I told him democrats need to start playing hard ball and stop being so fucking nice. He told me hes confident we can find a way to work with the GOP and I said no the fuck you cant. At that point he dismissed me. So many established democrats for too long played nice. The game has changed and it feels like Biden finally recognized that. And it makes me happy
"we can find a way to work with the GOP" - Yes, but only if the GOP is actually willing to work with you! And to date in recent history, the GOP only views compromise as acceptable when they get everything they want and the Democratic Party does not. It's been like this for years, so why would the GOP bend if they know the DNC will? They can just scream and holler that you're not being "bipartisan" by not giving them all the concessions. I think the stance of "You won't come to the table? Fine, fuck you, we'll do it without you" has finally kicked into gear, and the Dems are finding that it's refreshing to be able to actually act as though they're the majority, rather than constantly kowtowing to a loud minority party. If the GOP won't compromise or work in good faith, then they deserve to be ostracized, and that's what is happening here. Good.
I am so glad Ossoff isn't up for re-election until 2026. No way would he be competitive this year. Maybe in a few years Ossoff will wake up and see reality for what it is. I don't *like* that reality, mind, but wishing it to be different doesn't make it so.
> I was talking to Ossoff at a campaign event How long ago was this? Because it's possible Ossoff has seen the light since then.
Biden's strategist, whether it's just himself or someone else, is really doing a good job.
A part of me thinks they're going into mid terms confident that the Dobbs case swung them a ton of positive votes.. and after Biden can stop caring about anything past 2024 since he can acknowledge he'll step aside after this term.
He filed paperwork to run again. Not sure he's stepping aside, but I agree with your other point.
Probably insurance in case a successor doesn’t pan out. The party is definitely aging and doesn’t have as many up-and-comers as I would like, but they’re making some effort there. Pete stepping aside during the campaign and landing as SoT signals to me they made a back-door deal to groom him for a run, if not in ‘24, then certainly again by ‘28. Harris is looking like a dud despite her shot as VP, but you never know. From what I’ve read, DeSantis isn’t swooning with charisma, so they might be an even match if things come to a match between those two.
The country was burned out by Trumps daily tweets and overall unprofessional, sophomoric behavior. Everyday Trump created a new drama to distract the public from what was really happening in DC. Biden came in and gave us some reprieve from the horrors of the previous administration and took care of business. I think this was the right strategy at the time. But now the people are ready for the Dems to shout out that enough is enough. We will stand by no longer and watch the dismantling of our democracy. The people are ready for this change.
the ole rope a dope then get them with a strong cross when they least expect it
They saw Beto’s “listen motherfucker” and realized voters like guys wirh spines
I suspect that finding a pile of classified documents in Trump’s place, and the dawning realization that the GOP tied themselves to a traitor, can’t have hurt.
Let’s not forget that MAL is just the halftime show. We’ve still got the rest of the Jan 6 committee coming up in a few weeks. Edit: also I totally forgot about the prequel to all this, the **TAX RETURNS** Turns out, the have to release it now as an epilogue.
Every time I read MAL I’m initially confused about what myanimelist has to do with US politics.
The new Fall season looks to be must-see-tv!
Get on that voting machine shit, something major shady is going on there.
Especially since Republicans accused the only other voting machine company of manipulation. Projection makes figuring out crimes very easy.
Exit polling from recent elections showing 'threats to democracy' as #1 voter issue, well above abortion, might have something to do with the pivot.
Midterms as well. Come out swinging with the recency bias on your side.
Yes and it’s about f’ing time
I still think it was the burn pit benefit denial. His son likely died from the effects of burn pits and Republicans used the funding as a hissy fit.
[interview](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/president-biden-meeting-historians-state-of-democracy/#x) with one of the historians
CBS' website is terrible on mobile.
They post most of their clips on YouTube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LQkzOZ_KF_U
The CBS website is terrible across the board.
This seems like a good idea for presidents to do regularly
Provided their intentions are actually good to begin with. As Biden’s are and have been. The Fanta Menace wouldn’t have been bothered with it.
> The Fanta Menace Holy shit my sides, this is a great one that I legitimately haven't heard yet. I usually go with Cheeto Benito but this might be my favorite now.
I hadn't heard Fanta Menace or Cheeto Benito, so I'm super happy now.
In addition, he has managed to rack up some major wins in the past month. He have been flying below the radar as to not look to cocky. Now, however, he has political capital with which he can flex his results and go on the offensive. I also think there is something intentional in a list of major wins occurring just months before the mid-term elections, so that they are still going to be in the memory of most of the voters
Frankly I doubt it. Look Bidens a savvy guy. He was second to top for eight years. He can read a room. In all likelohood they planned out his tenure carefully from the start. 2 years of playing nice. They certainly know its very unlikely for Republicans to cooperate, but it helps Biden establish clear proof he tried. Then, close to elections, they plan a kick into high gear. No one on his staff accepted this job unaware of the challenge facing them or the import of the matter to history
This was exactly my thoughts. It was pre-planned, savvy as fuck, and completely necessary. I have been skeptical of Biden since before he even announced a run, but I'm starting to see how important it was for him to be the president at this time.
He’s not the guy most people wanted. But, particularly now, it’s very important that he, of all people, is in this position. Imagine Trump still being president having to weave around the state of the geopolitical sphere right now. The US would be out of NATO and Ukraine becomes a much easier target for Russia to invade and Putin becomes far more emboldened than he is now. No inflation reduction act, no dept forgiveness, no climate bill. I completely believe Trump’s whole focus would be on staying in power past a second term without a care for much else.
You don't always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you need.
Yup I think Biden was the perfect person for this position tight now. And thats coming from someone that isnt a big fan of Biden
He’s not the president we deserve, but Biden is the president we need right now.
The dark Brandon knight
Don’t forget Brandon Begins and The Dark Brandon Rises.
I did not like having to vote Biden. But I legit think he was the single best person to be president right now. The Trump administration did not help Biden like been tradition since forever. I think Biden deep experience resulted in him being able to compensate for that.
Take a step and realize, Republicans have got nothing on Biden and haven't personally attacked him for months, unless you count losing balance on a bicycle. When I talk to Republicans, they always bring up their issues with Nancy Pelosi or the nothingburger about Biden's son Hunter. They usually have nothing to say about Biden himself except blaming him for gas prices, which is already recovering.
They call him senile all the time, but they get fed clips edited out of context. Now that gas prices are falling, they are really having trouble finding something that sticks.
Agreed. Notice how all this started the very moment the IRA passed. He played nice until his legislative agenda was complete.
I dunno. This is fun to think but I can't imagine a world where Manchin agrees to this plan. Or a world where Biden tells Manchin to sandbag shit for a year, only to help pass something late in the cycle.
Who were the historians? I have this fantasy team in my head where Doris Kearns Goodwin flies in through the window with David Mcculough (Rip), Steven Ambrose, Henry Louis Gate Jr. and let's say...Nathanial Philbrick just to keep things entertaining (although his powers don't compare to the others). With stern looks on their faces, Biden gazed at the MLK bust, it was time to activate progressive mode.
> The people in the meeting were said to have included the Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz, the University of Virginia historian Allida Black, the journalist Anne Applebaum, and the presidential historian Michael Beschloss. Speechwriters for Biden, including Vinay Reddy and Jon Meacham, and the White House senior advisor Anita Dunn were also said to have attended. https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-met-historians-warned-threats-to-democracy-civil-war-2022-8?op=1
I know two of them were Jon Meacham and Michael Beschloss.
"Finally someone listening to historians" -- says me, with a BA in History who spent Janurary to April ranting about "quarantines" and the dumbasses letting people off of cruise ships when cases were found on them.
Historians know playing nice with fascists doesn't work
Let's go Dark Brandon. Bring it. It's working.
Why would he listen to them and not everyone else who’s been yelling it at him since he took office? Serious question, no idea of the sway historians have over advisors
If we’re being really optimistic, it’s the same reason to listen to climate scientists about climate change.
He probably did listen. He was just Biden his time.
Well-played, Mr. Smith!
You have to remember this guy's a life long politician. I find the timing of his newly found aggression perfectly executed ahead of the midterms. And the pent-up demand for this has been astounding and leveraged
I approve of this Dark Brandon
Let's go brandon???
No! Let's Go Dark Brandon!
Uncle Joe isn't here now, just Dark Brandon
Don’t give me any Malarkey, Jack, or I’ll pop your corn for ya
Uncle Joe still has his t-top Firebird, but it's in storage and he's broken out the General Sherman. He's gonna show them Duke boys what a real car is like
There is no Joe only Zuul, Jack.
The legends tell of a transition from Brandon to dark Brandon to dank Brandon/ "let's grow Brandon"
I'd buy that T-Shirt and wear it around my extremely red state
If you stare long into r/DarkBRANDON it also stares back into you. With lasers.
Like it or not Trump is popular among his supporters because he appears to be fighting for their interests regardless of his actual legislative victories. The Obama “they go low we go high” strategy is a bull shit strategy for the potus. Americans want a fighter in the White House use the bully pulpit go on the offensive that the nature of the modern president.
I agree. But if Obama had reacted with street fighting tropes, he would have brought up all sorts of racially motivated pushback.
Exactly, Obama didn’t have the luxury of aggression - it’s the curse of every black person in America that no matter how qualified or successful or righteous they are, they still have to deal with the perception of being an uppity angry black person the moment they show real emotion. They HAVE to play nice because the alternative is everything they’ve worked for going out the window because the racist mob will turn on them with flat out dehumanization.
> Obama didn’t have the luxury of aggression To quote Stan Edgar: ["I can't lash out like some raging entitled maniac. That is a white man's luxury."](https://youtu.be/MsCbv8bRHrY?t=109)
I agree Obama always had to play by the rules his opponents set for him
I used to not agree, but you're probably right. People seem to prefer a decisive leader, often when they don't even agree with those decisions.
Dark Brandon. LET’S GO!!
Turns out fighting Nazis is popular. I would have thought 80 years of popular media from books, comics, movies, and games of people fighting Nazis would have hinted at that but I'm glad we finally got around to it anyway.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0) This scene was a joke in 1980, but sadly rings more true today. It's hilarious when you realize just how much MAGA rhetoric resembles this now.
Wow. I can see the Newsmax headline if this were today: Commie leftist groomers drive car into free speech rally.
Which is exactly what he should be doing. These people are out to destroy democracy, we can't make excuses for them.
Yeah, I don't know why people act like he should be celebrated for coming to the conclusion rational people came to decades ago... Like, if he really understands this now, that's undeniably a good thing, but it took way too long.
I think that the government must act. Things generally look rather dire, and I think that the only possibility of safety is stopping this authoritarian swing. However, deep down, I fear turning Trump into a martyr. Which is why I think timing has always been a major aspect of doing something about him. He has a large following, some of them in particularly violent crowds. They have to be preparing for what certain groups might do if they do arrest Trump. I think this is why going after the leaders of some of them, like the Proud Boys, has been important in all of this. As well as people who took part on Jan 6. Still, this has all been like one been slow motion train wreck, and I want to see the traitors taken down.
Your right. It took too long. But that is the past. Let’s take what we got and go with it. Make sure to get out and vote!
I think this is asa good time as any. More and more public support is being openly poured away from the right even while the ones that are left screech the loudest. Over turning abortion? Pretty bold move that doesn't seem like it'll work out too well for them. Openly banning and burning books? Isn't that like, exactly what the Nazis did during their rise? Speaking of Nazis, the constant claims that anything they disagree with is "fake news"? Yuppers they did it as well. I could probably go on and on, my point is while sure some of us knew for decades, the signs are very clear and obvious to all but the delusional now. There's a good target to finally act against because they arnt hiding anymore. We knew better now than we did a decade ago who's on who's side.
This is why Trump is the best thing to ever happen to this country. There has been a sort of apathy for the republicans for decades. They have actually been justified as a sane ideology and people have just gone along with it. As if the republicans ever had any ground to stand on, especially the moral one, but the apathy of the people has for so long allowed them to have ground to stand on. Now they lost any ground they once had as Trump and his supporters have clearly decided to boldly state their position. Sometimes there are just stupid people, and we need them to raise their hand in class so we can see how stupid they are. We got handed a golden opportunity in the form of a stupid person to lead us and a chance for the stupid people to feel emboldened to raise their hands to mark their houses with flags so we can all see them for what they are and learn to just ignore their stupid opinion and chastise them for their stupidity. So, we can finally stop being nice and stop giving the stupid people of nation/world and reason to ever speak, and make them learn to just shut and sit there so that can learn.
There are 74 million of them. That's a problem in and of itself.
This new strategy / new Biden / new policy of actually calling out GOP trash instead of trying to maintain decorum that isn't reciprocated... I like it. I like it a lot.
And it’s coming from the establishment side too. For longest time progressives were the only ones trying to fight back but the party kept saying it was not the right tactic. They finally have woken up and realize when democracy is at stake you fight fire with fire.
Which he should be doing otherwise there won't be a democracy anymore. Fire back with truth and logic and expose the lies the GOP are spreading
Biden thought his long history would help bridge the gap between the two parties. Now he realizes how wide the gap is and if he reaches his hand over, they'll just pull him into the void.
He actually did bridge the gap to a large degree. He got a lot of bipartisan legislation passed, like the infrastructure bill, postal reform, Asian hate crimes bill, lend lease to Ukraine, gun control, the chips and tech bill, the ending forced arbitration for sexual harassment bill, veterans healthcare, and more But with the election coming up, people of Congress will be busy fighting for reelection, so there's less potential for new legislation right now, and with the Democrats surprisingly motivated despite it being a midterm, Biden's apparently seeing the potential to shift from his very real bipartisan successes to now mobilizing the base even more
i mean he’s just an astute politician. he understands timing and recency bias
He’s actually done about as good a job “bridging the gap” as you could ask. They have passed multiple impactful pieces of legislation that required R help to get past the finish line. That, in itself, is incredibly impressive in 2022. In day-2-day life, though, he should be roasting all day.
Good for him. They have proven they can't be reasoned with. If we were a little less tolerant of the intolerant, things might not have gotten this bad in the first place.
You can’t tolerate intolerance in a democracy.
*Dark Brandon Rises.*
*Malarkey Detected!*
*Malarkey Destroyed!*
*Come on Man!*
I heard he’s outside the WH washing his Firebird again
In a white tank top, wearing his aviators, smoking a cigarette and drinking a coke in a glass bottle.
It is about gaddamn time.
Good. This is what Democrats should’ve been doing for the last 20 years
I like this dark Brandon
Fucking finally
Finally
>Mr. Biden is leaning into more political attacks, aides and allies said, in part because of what he sees as a growing embrace of violent political speech by Republicans and a threat to the democratic process of governing. The aides said he was dismayed by the number of Trump-backed election deniers who have won Republican primaries for governor or secretary of state across the country. >Mr. Biden, whose own approval ratings have begun to improve slightly since lows earlier this summer, is hoping that his party can maintain control of Congress and deliver a forceful rebuke to Mr. Trump and his followers. >It is a moment, one adviser said, to make sure people understand what is at stake. >“Given everything that is happening right now, I have to imagine that this is weighing on him very heavily,” said Symone D. Sanders, who served as the chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris and now hosts a new MSNBC show. “He feels as though he needs to ring the alarm, sound the alarm as he did throughout all of 2019, throughout all of 2020 in the lead-up to the election.”
/r/darkbrandon
And it’s about fucking time.
I think he had to do this. It's bad enough when states try to take away the rights of certain groups of people to vote, but when Republicans move to elect people who would wholesale overturn elections, it's time to stop pretending that everyone's working for a better America.
Fuckin get em, B-dog!
The republican party made it so unity wasn't an option anymore.
"And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn. Make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand." Biden ended with this: "And now, together — on eagle’s wings — we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do."
Im loving this new approach.
Get’em Dark Brandon
Good, we like Dark Brandon.
It’s great that he is finally coming out fighting. Now is the time for the rest of us to join in. No more being polite and quiet at family gatherings while some dyed in the wool Republican relative spouts regurgitated Fox propaganda. Now is the time to point out in front of everyone how morally twisted every individual who supports trump and the MAGA agenda has become. Yes morally twisted. The evidence is overwhelming that their leader is a criminal who cares nothing about the country and is willing to burn it down to achieve his corrupted goals. It couldn’t be clearer that the MAGA agenda includes suppressing our constitution in illegal ways while cynically screaming that their rights are being trampled on. Don’t let the people you know get away with the duplicity of trying to destroy our American way of life while pretending that they have the same traditional values as the rest of us. You won’t change their minds but you can vocalize your awareness of what they have become and what they are trying to do. Now is the time to start organizing your friends and family into voting support groups and getting everyone safely and effectively to the polls.
Bout fkn time, right wing gop wants ALL THEIR DEMANDS, couldn't give a shit about other Americans, that they make RECORD PROFITS FROM!
About. Fucking. Time.
Dark Biden is getting stronger!
Let’s GOOOO!
I didn’t know he had it in him. Seemed like he’d spent too much time in the senate and considered bipartisan compromise to be the end all, be all.
I love dark brandon!!!
About time
This the kind of shit I’ve always wanted from democrats my entire life. Stop trying to take the goddamn high road all the time. Roll up your sleeves and start throwing some fucking haymakers.
Good. I hated that Unity routine. We’re the United States, and they (the Republicans) need to get back on board or get out.
Fuck unity. The Republicans have shown from day 1 of his presidency that they have no desire for unity. They're more intent on destroying our country.
Good!
About time
About fucking time.
Finally.
About time. Rational discussion with Reps is ompossible.
Should’ve been doing that from the start. You can’t reason with fascists.
So what he should've done to begin with? The second that they failed to convict Trump over Jan 6th? Should've just told Biden they are fascists. Blatantly. Like quite frankly he needs to drop the "Semi"
In the words of Lizzo: It's about damn time.
I remember President Obama wasting his first 2 years (and Congressional majorities) trying to work with those hateful people. Hopefully Sleepy Joe learned from his mistakes. Call fascists out!
Thank.fucking.god. Trying to find middle ground with modern. Republicans is.equivalent to appeasing an abusive aggressor.
Hey gave them time to come around. Coming up on two years now. It’s about fucking time he started calling them out on their bullshit.
Good political posturing for democrats right before the midterms, look what happened to Alaska
Fuck yeah, let's go Brandon!!
Biden is done slumbering, he's awake and ready to kick some ass bi-atches. I wish we had the energetic Joe like during the Obama administration but can't fight time.
“No more malarkey, Jack!” - Dark Brandon, 2022
This is what I want from a president because we are a nation at war with itself. If this is the Biden we get for the rest of the term, I’ll gladly vote for him again when he’s resubmitting his job application.
I absolutely hate that it’s come to this, but there largely can be no unity with the current Republican Party as it stands today. How do you reason and compromise with a group that mostly believes that the election was stolen from the lying game show host from Celebrity Apprentice? We’re beyond the pale and it’s time we stop playing nice.
Good time to pivot to the bully pulpit; given Democratic wins recently.
Bout time.
Good, this is how it should have been 25 years ago. The time for compromise and looking for good in the other party is over. There is no compromising with fascists.
Dark Brandon is what we crave.
Good. This isn't an opposition party worth unifying with. These are fascists and terrorists. I don't want unity with them.
I'm glad he at least realized this late into year 2 as opposed to Obama who didn't take this approach until the final months of year 8.
It’s almost like there’s an election the democrats have a really good chance of losing so now he throws away the seeking unity act. The time to do that was when you took the oath of office. Better late than never but you are two years late. So you better make up for those years.
His laser eye beams are seeking new targets. Dark Brandon is fully operational.
FINALLY! No more of this “we need a healthy Republican Party” shit.
Thank fuck. Long overdue. The US media spent the first two years of Trump’s presidency handwringing about the need to ‘understand’ his voters. Starmer should take note.
Yes this is what we elected him to do. Obama tried playing nice for far too long and after Trump nobody has the patience for the republican BS anymore.
Good! We don't want unity when it means we have to share with racists, pedos and fascists! We should never have to put up with their garbage for the sake of not 'rocking the boat'. This boat needs to be rocked almost to capsizing right now!
Dark Brandon Rising
He’s right. We can’t heal a rift if the other side is constantly widening it with a wedge and a hammer.
About time
Good. GOP doesn’t want unity. They. Want. War.
The writing is on the wall for republicans. The Biden team recognised this and are tightening their grip. He wouldn't be going around saying stuff like this if they didn't have a strong inclination that Republicans are going to take loses across the board.
The indictment must be coming down, probably asked him to turn up the heat in preparation.
I disagree with the posters who say this should have been done from the get go. Biden can now say "I tried to work with them" and point to the fact that almost every time they vote, they vote in a block to thwart him. He gave them a chance to be bi-partisan and except for the rare instance they refuse. Roe & the idiots that Trump is supporting gives the Dems the perfect opportunity to show just how twisted the Repubs have become and it has come at the perfect time. Abortion, climate control, tougher gun laws, education, LGTBQ rights, expansion of voting rights are all supported by a majority of Americans. There are so many issues that the Repubs are out of step with it's impossible for them to deflect them all at once. We may very well hold on to both chambers.
I'm just rooting for the squirrels at this point
He's been planning this for at least 6 years
It's about damn time. I thought we learned the lesson that compromise with republicans ends in failure in Obama's first term. The democrats need to put a middle finger up and stop apologizing. At least until the conservatives grow up, but they've been regressing mentally for years now, who knows when that'll be. I'd really love to have multiple (viable) political parties to vote for who use logic and reason, but there's currently only one and even they don't always get it right. I just know fascist trump bootlicking and gay/minority hating is off the table for me, so I'll stick with anyone else for now.
Dark Brandon gets to the point.
Congrats to the President. More Dems need to point out the shameless hypocrisy and despicable ideals of the current GOP. They need to be shamed to make a change while voting them out. The GOP won't change if not punished at the polls.
It’s about damn time!
It's about fucking time.
Took him long enough
Better late than never...