[NY Times] ‘My Memory Is Fine,’ a Defiant Biden Declares After Special Counsel Report

He won't be dictator for life. But he will bring an end to America's dominance. America was slipping as it lost its competitive edge - political infighting being probably one of the biggest drivers of that. Trump is just the acceleration of that process.

Our gov't is unable to solve our problems from the deficit, to affordable housing, to leadership across many areas.

Probably is that the interests of the rich and powerful do not align with the interests of the masses. The rich and powerful won. Shocking!

 

Trump is not the only one going to bring the end to American dominance as we have been on this path for a couple decades. Blaming Trump for everything is counter productive and only further illustrates your point that government can't solve serious problems .... because the voters are stupidly voting in these bad candidates. Mainstream America needs to take responsibility for their voting actions. Voting for the 'lesser of two evils' is the fast path to the bottom. Trump/Harris/Walz affirms this.

I do agree Trump is accelerating the progress. If there was a silver lining, I would be upset. But there is no silver lining. Vance is big tech's next ticket in 2028 and he will be riding on the Republican party. Democrats still have nothing and there has been no indication of reform. Instead, its more of the same, attacking Trump and his allies at every turn instead of working to rebuilt the party. The message is clear - America is still willing to go through more serious pain before capitulating and taking responsibility. So I have no problem with Trump accelerating the issue.

 

Again it goes beyond politics - Trump is merely a tool and he is accelerating it. But ultimate you can blame whom you like - there are plenty - but it is not a Democratic or Republican thing. It is a rich and indifference thing.

Fundamentally the rich want to do what's good for them which is to hold on to and accomulate as much wealth as possible. The middle class want what's in their best interests but they really don't have a lot of power anymore because they are not able to effectively realize what is best for them.

The country has an unsustainable debt. And cutting entitlement programs isn't going to solve the problem as it doesn't address what is inherently broken about our system. The cold hard truth is that the rich need to pay higher taxes, but they have way too much power for that to ever happen. So the only course that can happen is decline until the system collapses and the middle class force reform or you end up with an authoritarian rule whether it's a right wing Trump who turns the US into a Russia or it swings the other way and you end up with a Communist Party.

But the real solution isn't palatable - which is balancing higher taxes against the right amount of social support - a balance between socialism and capitalism. That balance is lost is extreme partisanism now.

 

I do not have all that much different to say that has not been said, other than to say it would be disgusting for anyone to buy
"Original Sin" co written by Jake Tapper.
He was the biggest cover provider for the former President in the media. Calling out anyone who raised an eyebrow at the Presidents decline.

And now he wants us to buy his book. C'mon man.

 

@SuraGotMadHops
@Salvy

the democrats promoted candidates who were clearly not healthy
Remember Sheila Jackson Lee died after running for mayor.

 

Agreed on Tapper being a snake oil salesman. But the co-author, from what I've read, works at Axios and was one of the few people to question Biden's fitness while he was running for reelection. Strange that they'd put their names together on this book.

All reports suggest this is the book that Biden's camp is most afraid of so it isn't surprising that they'd release the cancer news yesterday before the book comes out this week. Suddenly it's a lot more gauche to tar-and-feather Biden, whose own staff was planning on him using a wheelchair if he'd won a second term, for his hubris. As my future governor Abigail Spanberger said, "Nobody elected him to be FDR" and that includes the wheelchair.

 

I'm in the waiting room getting my car serviced. they've got The View on, and man, the Biden hagiography is off the charts.

 

Yup - and this is the problem with "it is just politics".

Joe Biden was fine to run for his first term, and I am sure that a decline over four years isn't as obvious to those that saw Biden every day and also wanted to believe that he was fine. However, that excuse cannot extent to everyone because that small group of like 5 people did everything possible to limit his exposure because they knew over time he was less and less "the good Joe Biden".

Biden's wife knew better - and the hope would be that she would step forward and stop her husband but not encourage him. However, I also know that she may have been too close. However, those that were his manager and worked with him every day should have been more transparent with the right people and should have prevented him from running for another term.

There are a few people that were politically aligned with Biden that do deserve some degree of credit for being honest and straight forward. George Clooney had made comments and voiced concerns about Biden. Obama did as well.

Still - the majority of Democrats in public office fell behind Biden until the disaster of a debate.

I remember watching the debate and being irate at those around President Biden for not stopping him from running for a second term.

To be clear - this isn't limited to Democrats, as the Republicans have bent over backwards to excuse Trump -- but when the Democrats are complaining about the mockery that this country has become, they need to remember that their leaders on the Democrat side also played a part in getting us where we are.

 

Sure - there have been others that have had cognitive decline on the way to accumulating absolute power.

Donald Trump isn't nearly as energetic or quick as he was 5-6 years ago, and that shouldn't be a shock because he is an old man.

It is hard to know where he is mentally though - because he is very good at performance at times.

At this point I think it is foolish to even argue over - he is the President for 3.5 years, and short of needing to be hospitalized, he will remain the President.

The larger guiding principle in all of this is getting lost - both parties let down the American people, because both parties have leaders that are cowards, greedy and put their wealth and power above the country. The hope is that the American people decide integrity matters and more is expected from their parties - but I am not optimistic.

 

What kind of gay car shop has The View playing?

 

Ehh I don't agree with this.

Tapper numerous times questioned Biden and other prominent Democrats about the age, health and mental capacity of Joe Biden.

If you go back and look, you will see he questioned a number of people about it - including Joe Biden.

He never came out and said "Biden has cognitive decline" - but that really wasn't his job.

 

I'm not an X guy but I can post the times he was talking over folks that said there was a problem and he defended him quite vigorously.
I mean I was watching it in real time over many interviews.
I literally saw him raising his voice on air.
Yes I watch CNN.

 

I'd love to see the list of attributable sources in Tapper's book

As opposed to the off-the-record ones

 

I don't doubt you watch CNN - you seem pretty down the middle politically.

I also do not doubt that he has defended him before - but I know that Tapper was the only Presidential moderator that Trump praised in 2024, and I remember him also asking President Biden about the concerns - and asking him why he thinks he can run. He also pushed Clyburn on why he supported Biden at his age and with his difficulties.... there are other examples as well.

Also - there is no evidence that Tapper or anyone in the media was aware of the levels that 3-4 people around Biden went to, to cover his cognitive decline. Consider that Biden had bad days and good days - there were times that he gave interviews or spoke to people, including media members, and was outside of being old as dirt - cognitive and appeared fit.

I haven't read the book yet - but it appears that the real issue from the perspective of Tapper - was the level of protection that a small number of people went to keep the President's issues quiet and to push him to run in 2024. It isn't even an indictment of Biden or the media, or political people of the edges of political dealings with the President - it was those handful of people that did everything possible to cover and push Biden.

 

Not going to happen - he has made it very clear he will not say whom they are. That is a problem, but the fact that Tapper is nominally a Democrat - that will lend more credibility to his allegations to the general public. I will say that Jake Tapper has expressed his disagreement with the Democratic party the last 8-10 years. He is Jewish, and while not religious - he has commented on the Democrats near fanatical support of Palestine at all costs. He also has said that the Democrats are out of touch on a number of core issues.

 

Authors and media members asking how did this happen?

The answer is very simple.

Bidens inner circle and family knew their power/prestige/place/money was all tied to Joe Bidens political success.

People whose wagons were entirely hitched to Joe Bidens political outcomes.

No **** those people weren't willing to voluntarily give up jet setting around the world on Air Force 1, having dinner at the Elysee palace and being some of the most powerful/influential people in the world to going back to being anonymous nobodies flying in the middle seat of a Southwest flight and getting a sub at Jersey Mike's.

They all saw it but they were greedy and SELFISH. They weren't going to surrender that life for anything. They had to be ripped out of it by the Democrats staging a full on revolution.

 

And on Jake Tapper.

This idea that he was "as surprised as anyone" is just complete nonsense.

He is a Democrat who was simply running cover for Biden and the Democratic party. He wanted Biden to win. He wasn't going to do anything that could have been construed as helping Trump which undermining Biden in any way would have been construed as.

Spare me.

Tapper is an intelligent man. He lives politics. He saw what we ALL saw and knew calling out Biden would make enemies of the Democratic establishment, mainstream media establishment and be seen as helping Trump.

So he lied/was dishonest with the American people.