Melissa DeRosa’s Post

Adroit opinion (excerpts) from Peggy Noonan of The WSJ: "In a way, both parties are being held hostage, the Democrats by the needs of an old man who wants to stay, the Republicans by an old man who wants back in. "And both parties are at the mercy of cults, the Republicans’ one of personality and the Democrats’ of policy. They can’t free themselves from unpopular stands on such issues as illegal immigration. Both cults are self-limiting. This is why the majority of the American people when polled, admit a second Trump-Biden race leaves them depressed. "Joe Biden’s main problem, the perception that he is too old for the job, is guaranteed to get worse each day. "This makes his vice president more important than vice presidents ever have been. When people consider voting for Mr. Biden for the presidency they’ll know it is likely they’re really voting for Kamala Harris. This will only hurt Democratic fortunes because she is uniquely unpopular. "The practical path would be to make a change that reassures, to a veteran, highly regarded figure in whom people might feel confidence. This wouldn’t be easy and would give the president a black eye with some portion of his base, but black eyes heal in a year, and none of those angered will be voting for Mr. Trump. "I have been fascinated by Ms. Harris’s lack of success in her role considering the impressiveness of her previous résumé—district attorney, California attorney general, U.S. senator. I think she didn’t fully understand the nature of the vice presidency and thought she did. "I think she let her political ego dictate her calculations. She was surrounded by friends and staff who had made a study of her but not the job and who assumed that by virtue of her first-ever status—first-ever woman to hold the role, first-ever black and Indian-American—she should be bold, remake the position, make her special significance and importance clear, be less an understudy than a co-star. "But you can’t effectively change a thing unless you understand it first."

Asking some questions on my blog today about Trump and his hold over the GOP. Would love some answers as to why he wields such power in the party and influences so many people. If you care to join in the discussion and offer an opinion, please do. #mondaythoughts #mondayblogs #Trump #politics #commentary

Summary: Democrats rallied to defend President Joe Biden's mental acuity following a special counsel report that questioned his memory. They emphasized his sharpness and criticized the report's mention of Biden's late son as unnecessary and inaccurate. Takeaway: Despite the special counsel's remarks, Democratic leaders and supporters stood by President Biden, highlighting his mental sharpness and criticizing the politicization of personal matters. Hashtags: #JoeBiden #Democrats #MentalAcuity #SpecialCounselReport #DefendBiden #PoliticalNews

I'll be on the road and likely miss watching the scheduled presidential debacle on June 27th; then again, it's clearly bound to be mostly a circus, not a genuine debate. No adult Democrat can say truthfully with a straight face that Joe Biden is physically capable of standing up in a 90-minute argument with Donald Trump without notes or teleprompter and remain coherent, no matter what substances he snorts, shoots or swallows in advance. He hasn't done a 90-minute stint on his own steam for ages. The question is whether something happens before or shortly after June 27th to sideline Joe and trigger the 25th Amendment. Article Two, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution reads: "In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected." Drugs might perk up Biden a smidge, but that's not going to rescue the country. The 25th Amendment puts Kamala Harris in charge. That's another reason why the real urgency is not the scheduled debate. Vladimir Putin is also spoiling to demonstrate his might while Joe is still a president who zones out and who is regularly, visibly, lost in the fog. A major disruption at home or abroad may upend everything. Chaos may be just what some democrats and America's enemies are counting on. Let's hope more reasonable minds prevail within the Establishment, if there are any of those left, and intervening options are pursued before it's too late, without anyone getting hurt.

Become the Best Version of Yourself June 24, 2024   The Biden / Trump Showdown #1   Some believe the Thursday debate is a big thing. Some think it’s an event to be missed. Right now Biden is deep into his preparation efforts while Trump is galivanting around speaking before thousands in various states. He will take a short period to prepare. Confidence does that.   Any honest observer of the two presidential candidates would say, there is no comparison in the alertness and ability to rouse a crowd. Trump is the winner. Expect a hyper-Biden to show up for the debate. He must be super alert to compare to the high-energy Trump. Anything less appears to be a loss for Biden. I hesitate to pick a winner with CNN folks moderating and manipulating the debate focus. But, such is life in today’s political environment. As one who served in elected office, I can only imagine the scrutiny of every word and action each candidate faces. It’s an important moment for both. Much is at stake.   It’s only one of several events that will tilt opinions in the direction of either candidate. My instincts today reveal a discontentment for Biden. I’m leaning toward Biden being dumped by Democrats because they are beginning to be concerned that he can’t win. An honest assessment of reality leads to this being the only choice left for Democrats unless they feel they can manipulate the votes in their favor. Right now, that’s a long-shot gamble.   Stay tuned to the events surrounding the race. Make your decision based upon facts, not political hyperbole or solely along party lines. The most important step you must take is to vote. Make it an informed decision because your vote will shape the future of this country. We are in enough trouble now with increasing debt and a blanket of socialism covering daily governmental decisions. Your vote is the stimulus to bring good things to the forefront. The survival of this country hinges on the accuracy of your vote. It’s a privilege like no other you have. As Larry the Cable Guy says, “Get ‘er done.”    #election #president #debate #winner #Trump #Biden #democrat #republican #democracy #republic

Silence is complicity, folks. You do, in fact, have to be the change. "Nothing else matters today — nothing, nothing, nothing." What is that something? "the Democratic Party . . . must urgently produce a presidential candidate with the wits, vitality and appeal to independents to build an electoral majority to preserve our constitutional order." -- Thomas L. Friedman piece in The New York Times today. (link follows my post) And this candidate with "the wits, vitality and appeal to independents" is not Joe Biden. But the Democratic Party, writ large, decides nothing. It's a collective. And a collective that has devolved decision-making authority to a set of internal party processes and procedures. It is individual Democratic leaders--including many who would agree that nothing less than the future of our democracy is at stake in the next election-- who need to decide, to speak, and to act. Currently, they are deflecting responsibility to party processes--asking if the "good conscience" clause allows electors to choose someone else if Joe refuses to withdraw--and they are deflecting responsibility to Joe himself, who as Friedman says is "a good man in obvious cognitive and physical decline." Unwavering fidelity to an internal party process--we're not talking about the Bill of Rights, folks--however well-intentioned and carefully designed, however important to you, personally--will not matter on Nov. 6. Will you say some version of what Joe did in a recent interview, that 'you did your best'? And what if you didn't, really? What if you stayed silent and did not act? So to these leaders, I say, No, you are not the president, but you are still responsible. We elected you to be responsible and to make decisions on our behalf. We elected you to speak and to act. Stop passing the buck. Silence is complicity, folks. Change happens, yes. The change you want, won't without you. You do, in fact, have to be the change. #democracy #bethechange #changemanagementgetsreal

#politics #unitedstates #nobelprize House speaker Mike Johnson posts on X: “It was an honor to host President Trump this morning with our House Republican Conference. Something is happening across America: People recognize this will be the most consequential election of our lifetimes. Everything is at stake. With President Trump, we are going to win back the White House, win the Senate, and grow the House majority. When we do that, we will not waste a moment to fix all the great problems facing our country right now.” I am deeply concerned about @realDonaldTrump’s erratic behavior and unpredictable and undemocratic ‘my way or the highway’ conduct as president and given his statements inciting an unconstitutional insurrection on 01/06/2021 and calls for violence after that. If Trump is the nominee I will not vote in the election. If @POTUS Joe Biden The White House is the nominee I will not vote either because of the wars. Both candidates and the state of nation’s politics is unacceptable. Washington needs the Supreme Court to issue an open ended restraining order on it to keep the American people safe from their unhinged paranoid schizophrenic and hopelessly broken government, which has neither insight nor judgment about its behavior, in urgent need of involuntary mental health care from the days of Bill Clinton to Donald Trump once again embracing brazen, in your face, mendacity to accumulate and perpetuate absolute power. United States of America has become a danger to itself and the world.

While I have my opinions, I won't weigh in publicly on social media as to whether President Biden should withdraw or press on as the Democratic party's nominee, but this NY Times op-ed piece by Adam Grant is quite illuminating. Yes, that Adam Grant. It is definitely worth a read, IMO. The print edition titled this same op-ed "The Reason It's So Hard for Powerful People to Walk Away." It will resonate with anyone who reads it. At least it did for me. It explains why it is so hard for us all to walk away, and why we often double-down regardless of the odds. He opens with: "After his shockingly poor performance in last week’s debate, President Biden is facing mounting pressure to drop out of the 2024 election. Influential voices in his own party have called for him to step aside. Polls indicate that many voters hope he will. Yet so far, he is staying the course. "𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽: 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. In the face of impending failure, extensive evidence shows, instead of rethinking our plans, we often double down on our decisions. It feels better to be a fighter than a quitter. "𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀. 𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀." (emphasis added) https://lnkd.in/eYbZJFwC

I spent the past week polling my source base, both Democrats and Republicans, for their predictions, assessments, and expectations. Notably, a number of them suggested that each candidate could win by not losing—a strategy perhaps best described as showing enough restraint to let the opposition self-immolate and thereby define the choice in a voter’s mind. “It’s a 90-minute debate. If Donald Trump talked for 20 minutes, he would win the debate,” one G.O.P. operative told me. “Trump just can’t be an asshole the way he was last time. If he can by some miracle do that, we’ll be looking good.” A Democratic operative agreed with this cynical advice. “Both camps have this insane mentality that they will make the other side look terrible,” this person told me. “Most candidates in most campaigns walk in saying, I want to be viewed as the best candidate and I want to look presidential on TV. Now it’s just, I just need to make the other one look crazy or dumb.” One Democrat who advises the White House suggested that Biden would win the debate if he simply impressed upon voters, one way or another, that he and Trump were the only candidates running—that neither Gavin Newsom nor Michelle Obama nor Oprah or The Rock were going to descend from the heavens at the last minute. Indeed, on some level, this comports with the White House’s overarching strategy of portraying this election as not simply a referendum on Biden, but on his opponent as well—a sticky wicket for a sitting president, but one that has been made more achievable given Trump’s repeated comments about running the government like a dictatorship (at least on Day One). “I’m sure Biden will be fine, like the State of the Union. As long as he’s cogent and speaks well, he’ll pass his test,” a G.O.P. operative said. “As for Trump, he has to be smart, a little charming, responsible, and if he can, act like a grown-up.” #debate #politics #news https://lnkd.in/ebx3wNNG