We talked about Hunter Biden a few weeks ago, when he seemed embroiled in an entirely new mess. Hunter Biden is the second son – and now only son – of Joe Biden, who is running to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Hunter abused drugs and alcohol for years, his first marriage ended in a mess of infidelity and alcoholism, and after his brother Beau passed away, Hunter dated Beau’s widow for several years. Hunter and Beau’s widow only broke up recently, a few months back, and Hunter up and married a woman he’s only known for a week. And soon after the elopement, he was served with papers to take a paternity test by some unknown Arkansas woman. It’s all very… Hunter Biden.
So the New Yorker has a lengthy, deep-dive read about whether Hunter Biden’s messy life will destroy his father’s candidacy. Personally, I think JOE BIDEN will ruin Joe Biden’s candidacy, but sure, Hunter Biden’s problems are absolutely going to be used on the campaign trail. You can read the full New Yorker piece here – I’ll admit it, it was so long-winded and complicated that I didn’t finish reading it. The point of the first part I read was about how Hunter’s years of lobbyist work will probably come back to haunt the campaign, to say nothing of his messy AF personal life. The point is that Donald Trump’s campaign is going to hit Joe Biden hard on Hunter’s work. Which is funny because the Trump family and the Trump administration have the most shady and unethical associates ever, in the history of the US.
Yet the family story that Joe Biden tells in “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose” largely glosses over a central character in Biden’s life. Biden writes, “I was pretty sure Beau could run for President some day, and, with his brother’s help, he could win.” Hunter Biden, who is forty-nine, is described as a supportive son and sibling. In speeches, Biden rarely talks about Hunter. But news outlets on the right and mainstream media organizations, including the Times, have homed in on him, reprising old controversies over Hunter’s work for a bank, for a lobbying firm, and for a hedge fund, and scrutinizing his business dealings in China and Ukraine.
There is little question that Hunter’s proximity to power shaped the arc of his career, and that, as the former aide told me, “Hunter is super rich terrain.” But Donald J. Trump and some of his allies, in their eagerness to undermine Biden’s candidacy, and possibly to deflect attention from their own ethical lapses, have gone to extreme lengths, promoting, without evidence, the dubious narrative that Biden used the office of the Vice-President to advance and protect his son’s interests.
At the same time, the gossip pages have seized on Hunter’s tumultuous private life. He has struggled for decades with alcohol addiction and drug abuse; he went through an acrimonious divorce from his first wife, Kathleen Buhle Biden; and he had a subsequent relationship with Beau’s widow, Hallie. He was recently sued for child support by an Arkansas woman, Lunden Alexis Roberts, who claims that he is the father of her child. (Hunter has denied having sexual relations with Roberts.)
He wanted to protect his father from a trickle of disclosures, and to share a personal narrative that he sees no reason to hide. “Look, everybody faces pain,” he said. “Everybody has trauma. There’s addiction in every family. I was in that darkness. I was in that tunnel—it’s a never-ending tunnel. You don’t get rid of it. You figure out how to deal with it.”
As you can see, Hunter spoke to the New Yorker at great length, probably at the behest of his father’s campaign, and likely in an attempt to “get ahead” of the stories before a narrative is promoted by Deplorables. I’m not going to die on any particular hill on this one – I think Hunter Biden is an utter mess, but I also don’t think his mess affects how Joe Biden would lead. Joe Biden will f–k up on his own, regardless of his only surviving son, you know? That being said, I’m not sure if Hunter Biden talking about smoking crack in The New Yorker really makes ANYONE a winner here.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I feel like the sexism, racism and desperation is going to hurt his campaign more. I’m genuinely fearful he’s going to win and secure Trump a second term.
This is the kind of sh*t that keeps me up at night.
I actually think Joe’s the only potential nominee who could depress voter turnout. I know that I certainly won’t be voting for him, although I would if I wasn’t in a deep blue state. Still, I’m not confident that progressives in purple states will turn out for this guy and that affects down-ticket races as well which would be disastrous.
Actually a lot of them could depress voter turnout.
This is my field so I can continue if you want. The DNC is rather horrified by polling at the moment because it doesn’t exactly makes Dems look like the “big tent” party. You have to divide the traditional demographics into newer ones because the old/young and college/no college demos have started splitting the traditional race-based demographics.
He supports all the same outdated warped views as Trump and has a voting history of supporting systemic exploitation and oppression and he did it with glee. Remove all the pictures and videos of him making visibly uncomfortable using his status to invade their space without consequences.
I live in a deep red state, it feels abusive to expect me as a black woman to vote for an old school segregationist Democrat who spent a lifetime making it his job to hold me back as a black person and normalize my exploitation and dehumanization as a woman.
I’m struggling.
So, for example – younger, college-educated black voters are likely to do whatever they can to get out to vote for whoever the Dem candidate is. But older black voters will have a greater tendency to stay home if they don’t like the candidate (like the did with Hillary) and unfortunately, the polls show that it’s candidates like Warren and Buttigieg who would lead to that.
For Latinx voters, Dems for a long time (outside of Florida for its own complicated reasons) have considered them a safe easy vote but internal polling shows that, for example, if the nominee was Elizabeth Warren, a lot of older Latino men would not only not vote for her, but would vote for Trump.
Also ummmm I have no idea why a photo is showing up next to my posts?
@kitten, I don’t believe joe will be the nominee. I don’t believe KH will be either. Her past is going to come back to bite her. I believe the dirty conman and his followers are going to lie, cheat and do anything and everything in their power to bring her down, I will not forget what they did to Hillary. 45 and his sheeps are devils. I have no idea who will be the nominee but of the top five only Elizabeth, IMO have a chance. I also have a feeling it’s going to be someone who is polling low at this time, we have a lot of time before someone else will step forward.
Shoutout to Charlotte NC I was in your state over the weekend and ❤️ it.
@Magritte, Where are you getting your information? Because it’s NOT TRUE. Older Black voters ALWAYS turn out. Probably because so many of them marched and suffered so they could vote in the first place. Older Black voters, especially BLACK WOMEN turned out for Hilary Clinton. You know who didn’t? White people, especially WHITE WOMEN. The White women who didn’t vote for Trump, just stayed home. The White supporters of Bernie Saunders? STAYED HOME. Young White people? STAYED HOME.
The reason that the Democrats have Congress and that a sexual predator isn’t in the Senate is because of BLACK WOMEN. You can thank them by not maligning them.
If Black people don’t vote this time around, it will be because the Supreme Court just said it was okay to disenfranchise Black people. And the Democratic Party…DID NOTHING.
If Biden is so electable, why is this his third primary?
@kerwood
I’m getting this from a mix of public and internal polling. Not everything is an attack. Some things are facts.
When we look at polling and want to understand what it could show us about the future, we use the numbers to tell us things. Those numbers don’t paint a whole picture – black voter turnout decline by about 765,000 votes, to 16.4 million in 2016, but we can’t tell precisely which votes were lost to to disenfranchisement of black voters, a growing issue thanks to (among other things) a rather revolting SCOTUS decision, and which were lost by voter apathy among blacks.
2016 did see the black voter turnout rate decline for the first time in 20 years (in a presidential election, that is), falling to 59.6% in 2016 after reaching a record-high 66.6% in 2012. That is a fact. I’m sorry you do not like it.
The amount of women voting in 2016 did slightly increase among white women. But, I’m sorry to tell you, it decreased among black women (64.1% in 2016 versus 70.7% in 2012). That is a large drop.
No one is blaming anyone. I mean, of course, if you ask me personally, I blame both the people who voted for Trump and the media who, in their efforts to seem unbiased, let his madness go unchecked.
I’m happy to answer further questions you have.
@ Meghan haha! That’s so spot on, I love it. His 1980s primary was so embarrassing too, plagiarizing away. Followed by his rather revolting “clean and articulate” remarks about Obama in 2008.
Wow: I’m sorry you’re struggling. My sister and I were discussing this exact problem this morning, and although the last thing I want to see is another term of Trump, I see where you’re coming from. The Democratic party has long taken black voters (in particular women) for granted, and it’s going to come back to bite them. I will admit (somewhat selfishly) that I’m hopeful it won’t be in 2020, but it’s been a long time where candidates have promised that once we just get through this problem, they will prioritize the most consistent voting bloc Dems have, and that can’t go on forever. I’m pretty progressive, I vote consistently for the Democratic candidate, but they have to start putting out a stronger message than, “Welp, at least we’re better for than the GOP.”
May I ask who you’re interested in? Right now, I really want KH; I know some people dislike her actions as a prosecutor, but her response to criticism has seemed appropriate to me. My dream ticket would be Harris/Warren, Harris/Abrams, or Harris/Castro, in part because the idea of watching Donald Trump have to sit through an inauguration that so clearly rebukes everything he stands for is what is keeping me going right now.
Also as a pro-Harris point, she is not flustered by Trump, and the idea of watching her calmly destroy him on stage during the debates makes me so happy. I think he’s a bit afraid of her.
@insertpunhere – I’m really interested in what Wow thinks about this as well.
So many of the terrible Republican policies will end up hurting black women in red states the most, and they are fighting against a system doing all it can to make their votes meaningless. It drove me crazy when the abortion ban stuff came up and rich people and celebrities were basically saying “yeah everyone should just move out of Alabama and Georgia” like it was just that simple.
@insertpunhere I am leaning Warren with a POC vice. Kamila Harris would be another struggle vote, because of her history upholding racist police and judicial practices. It would be no where near the level of the bile voting for Biden would cause.
Harris doesn’t have the triage mentally Warren does also. There are issues that are right now priorities and its important that my primary candidate doesn’t treat non emergent issues like they are on par with immigration reform or fixing educational funding.
Joe Biden was pro segregation, chummy with klan members and white supremacists, he fought FOR the war on “drugs” i.e. black communities and thinks Obama proves he isn’t racist. If Sarah Palin wasn’t such a moron I’m not positive Obama would have won and Biden was widely contained during the campaign because he is a racist, sexist moron who can’t hide what garbage he is when he speaks.
I think its asking too much to hold the black community responsible for voting for either a segregationist racist or Trump. I’m tired of having to vote for slave masters then be told “okay, keep voting blue and we’ll get to you soon.” Democrats never “get to” the black community.
And yes, boycotting Atlanta the deeply blue part of the south is moronic and no people living are gerrymandered to death. If I wanted to vote from where I work which is the black community I would have my designated polling center be 15 miles away. Where I live there are 15 churches as polling places all within walking distance of their voting area. Stop punishing black communities for white crimes. We are trying, but the game is literally rigged.
I’m sick of being used as a vote then whipped for the next 4 years by my new master. I’m sick of being beaten down by white progressives acting like I’m a monster if I’m not fully on board with whoever has a D next to their name. Add insult to injury, I’m also Jewish and the Democrats are treading a very dangerous line of anti semitism and it scares me because my local synagogue has already been vandalized 3 times this year so far. We have enough problems and we don’t need Democrats brushing it under the rug in the name of a united front.
Democrats as a party have problems. Its bigger than Trump and it terrifies me for the future because the next president will determine the supreme court. They need to clean up and do it immediately.
@ Magritte-Yeah, Warren isn’t polling well with the LatinX community in the latest Univision poll..I think it has her in fifth. I remember months ago I got a bit worried when I saw that while she employs the most people of color for her campaign, she also has the fewest LatinX hires. Kamala, on the other hand, has the most LatinX people working for her campaign and is polling at #1 after the debates. She also has an advantage in that her home state has a high population of LatinX people. I’m not sure if Warren’s candidacy would depress voter turnout or not. The only thing I DO know for sure is that her candidacy would be incredibly energizing to many progressives and that kind of grassroots enthusiasm is what helped to flip the House in 2018.
We have to think about the Senate and retaining the House, too. Take nothing for granted, guys.
@Wow – I’m with you in solidarity 100%. Your criticisms of the Dem party are spot-on.
@kitten Warren actually doesn’t poll well with the Democrats where I live because its reservation adjacent and much of the black population is also Cherokee. Kamila Harris is a black woman down here so CLEARLY unfit to tie her shoes *sarcasm*. Biden is the primary front runner here, but he appeals to the southern Democrats, anyone but Trump crowd and and anti semitic Republicans who for some reason feel like the Republican party is TOO pro Jewish community. Biden appeals to basically the worst of every demographic, because he’s boiling hot garbage water and everything south seems to be jammed packed with a lot of the worst with small pockets of decent folk who don’t get a properly represented voice.
I grew up in California, I live here to serve an under served community that my husband survived in the hopes the next generation doesn’t just survive it. Politically speaking, I was treated just as poorly in California as here on a policy level. There is one thing politics seems to unite over its how to best screw over black people without losing their vote.
Do you think we’ll see a break in the democratic party into a 3rd more progressive branch and the old school Democrats will merge with the more progressive side of the Republicans forming a do nothing line straddling “centrist” party?
I worry this election is going to bring a reckoning for the party, because they just aren’t on the same page at all anymore.
@ Wow-That sucks about Warren but I’m not entirely surprised. Sigh. She still has a LOT of work to do. I hope if she keeps plugging away with intersectional policies that effectively address economic and racial inequality that she can convince some of the people you describe. But I also fear that most of these voters view her policies as either not implementable/realistic, pandering or both.
I feel like we’re stuck with the two-party system for the rest of my lifetime, at least, and probably longer. I hope that the excitement generated by the newly-elected House members who are mostly women of color sends a strong message to Pelosi, Schumer and the rest of the Old Guard that people are sick of their shit.
Last night, my Bf and I cried like babies watching a video of Ayanna Pressley (our rep) at the border drowning out the hecklers with an icy and courageous stare. All the while, AOC rubbed her back. These women (along with Omar, Tlaib, Porter and others) are the future of the Dem party.
They are fearless, furious, powerful, and commanding.
They are whip smart and can take on any Republican, but they are also brimming with endless empathy and kindness.
They are a sisterhood.
They give me hope that the Dem party can change for the better. And honestly, if we didn’t have these women to look to right now I don’t think I’d be voting in the upcoming election. The utter abdication of duty from senior Dem leadership (IMPEACH FFS) would be enough to dissuade me.
So much anxiety about this election!
Weighing the pros and cons of each candidate, and trying to predict which one will win over our fellow citizens, is so exhausting. Part of the trouble is that Trump’s election made me see my fellow Americans in a different light. I just don’t understand how they can accept what they do. They have such low standards for some candidates, and impossible standards for other candidates (coughPOCandWomencough).
Wow: thank you for explaining your viewpoint. I get where you’re coming from on Harris; her history as a prosecutor is a definite problem for me as well, but I think her explanation that it was her job to uphold the laws as they were written is something that I can personally live with (although I understand why other people are not where I’m at with it).
I do love Warren. She was actually my top choice prior to the debate, but seeing Harris during the debate made me remember what a powerhouse she is. She’s got that Obama ability to pull people in, IMO, and I think that is going to be important in winning. I’d be happy with either one of them being president. I think the benefit of Warren is that she’s got the most solid plans out of any of the candidates, and I like that. I’m a planner, and I’m not a fan of politicians who just talk about how we’re going to fix it without something concrete.
It’s not a fair burden to place on any group that they should hold their noses and vote, and it’s particularly unfair when you’re talking about a group that is consistently ignored and forgotten 90% of the time then expected to show up just to vote. The Democrats should offer more than simply being better than the GOP, but then I think about the families at the border, and I know I’d vote for Biden (fists clenched and full of fury) if it meant that we’d close down the concentration camps.
I want a Democratic candidate that I love who supports what I support (comprehensive immigration reform, criminal justice reform, reproductive freedom, and a better social safety net), but I live in what is now a purple state (MI), and I’ll vote blue in the general because I can’t risk Trump winning another term, and geography has me trapped into holding my nose.
Again, thank you for explaining your thought processes to me. I think we have a handful of really good candidates available, and I just hope we get one of those instead of the same old/same old.
@Magritte, I’m going to need to know where you get your data from because ‘a mix of public and internal polling’ isn’t working for me.
I mean when you google those numbers stuff comes up right away:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/12/black-voter-turnout-fell-in-2016-even-as-a-record-number-of-americans-cast-ballots/
A drop of 780,000 votes out of 16.4 million didn’t make the difference in the 2016 election, especially when most of those votes were NOT caused by Black voters staying home but by voter suppression. Eighty percent of Black voters voted for Hilary Clinton which is extraordinary considering that Hilary Clinton has been no friend to Black people. ‘Super-predators’?
On the other hand, 58% of educated White women voted for Donald Trump. That’s extraordinary. I’ll be willing to bet that a large number of women who put on their pussy hats and marched in the Women’s March actually voted for Donald Trump.
It seems that some people want to blame Black voters for Donald Trump. I’m not surprised, since Black people have been America’s favourite scapegoat since America began.
Okay, I can see you’re not super interested in facts.
Joe Biden won’t win. Personally I’m an Elizabeth Warren fan. And yes, when I think of Hunter being anywhere near the White House, I just can’t. Cant bear another four years of shady kids of presidents in the public eye.
I hope you’re right.
I’m really starting to like her, too.
If you get the opportunity to go see Warren speak, take it and drag everyone you know with you. She’s fantastic in person, warm and humorous, caring and absolutely brilliant.
I’m so happy people are getting to know our senator. <3
LP, this is a terrible thing to say, but my sister and I were discussing how incredibly brilliant she is (arguably one of the most intelligent people to ever run for president), and I told my sister that that very characteristic will hurt her at the polls. It’s a sad testament to our society, but any woman in the workforce knows how threatened men are by a strong, smart woman.
@Agirlandherdog – you’re so right. I think the average American Trump supporter is actually afraid of a woman (gasp!) who is intelligent, articulate and experienced because they can’t and won’t research the issues in order to have an educated opinion. They let Trump and his deplorables make the decision for them because they are lazy. Look at how Sarah Palin managed to gather a tremendous number of followers, not because she knew the issues but because, like Trump, she’s a master at a catch-phrase. That she is as dumb as a rock mattered not, she knew how to fire up the unintelligentsia and make them feel relevant.
warren is great. I just noticed this year, the native American thing turned me off in the past but it was a little mistake and she apologized. follow her on Instagram she is doing everything right
I am hoping Warren can get white women to vote for her. Someone needs to put the fear of Trump in white women because if Trump locks other peoples’ kids in cages, what makes them think he won’t do the same to their kids?
White women put Trump into the White House so they BETTER do their part in tossing him out.
I think both Warren and Harris can energize white women. My stomach is hurting just thinking about another election where the majority of us vote for Trump.
In terms of white women, if the Dem can successfully make the race a referendum on Trump’s record (not just his gross behavior), I think our chances are better. You know, babies literally in cages, shunning of actual allies in favor of enemies, allowing industry to run roughshod on the environment, defunding public education, starting pointless trade wars, adding 2 trillion to the nation’s debt, etc., etc., etc.
White women who voted for Trump do not show any sign of changing that vote for any of the Dem candidates. The only thing that might change that is an enormous economic event.
Unless Joe Biden plans to install Hunter Biden as a “special adviser to the President” to enable him to annoy world leaders and spend millions of our tax dollars on personal business trips and vacations, then Hunter Biden should not be an issue.
With all due respect, that’s ridiculous. Hunter has an alcohol and drug dependency and has spend his professional career doing bad, dodgy business deals. He is an issue because he’s as blackmailable as any Trump child – more, probably, because nothing the Trumps do hurts their popularity.
Yes, Hunter is as sleazy as they come, but at least he doesn’t kill elephants and leopards.
Exactly. I have no idea if my president has children and what they do.
Absolutely. I can’t believe it’s even an issue.
Joe Biden has his own serious problems but the fact that he has a very sick son SHOULDN’T be one of them. Didn’t anybody see the video of Trump’s daughter at the G20?
Trump has publicly said he’d like to date his daughter. Hunter Biden is NOTHING.
GHW Bush had an alcoholic and drug-addicted son, no one cared. That dim-witted son even managed to become POTUS. So yeah, no, Biden’s son shouldn’t matter. Biden’s ability to stick his foot in his mouth however will be the reason he’ll lose the primary
Bingo.
Yikes. They are going to use Hunter to the best of their ability to destroy Joe, and Joe will just make it worse on his own. Lord have mercy.
I think you should have read the full piece because there were some…..wild things in there. Like how Hunter admitting to asking homeless people where he can find crack.
It is absolutely essential knowledge. Just like Trump and his children’s shady dealings have opened them up to blackmail, Biden’s messy son does the same for Joe. He’s been coddled his whole life with his father bailing him out. You don’t think Joe would do it again if Ukraine threatens to go public with stuff that isn’t out yet? And if this is the stuff they’re talking about, there is worse stuff they’re hiding.
Biden is an out-of-touch, racist dummy who’s squandered all the goodwill the association with Obama provided. He needs to move aside with some dignity left, where we ignore his racist sexist past.
The both-sides-ism in here is frightening view into what will win Trump a second term.
It’s not like Biden’s a prize pig anyway. He’s a sexist and a racist who doesn’t understand the issues, and on top of that his kid makes a potential administration vulnerable to blackmail. Is he as bad a human as Donald Trump Jr? Probably not, he’s a step or two less bad. It still matters. He’s still a risk.
Stop it with the “both sides aren’t equal” they are and stop advocating that bidens racism, sexism and long standing support of abusive policies. He’s been a garbage politician for 50 years. He IS as bad as Trump because he supports all the same stuff.
As a black woman I’d love people to stop throwing me under the back of the bus to get trump out. The same, but blue isn’t okay.
I’m not sure what you think I’m saying, or else I’m not parsing your post correctly?
My point in the post you replied to was both that Joe Biden is bad, but also that Joe Biden’s son Hunter may not be as objectively as Donald Trump Jr. but he’s still done dodgy things.
When you say “…stop advocating that bidens racism, sexism and long standing support of abusive policies. He’s been a garbage politician for 50 years.” I’m not sure if you mean to reply that to me, or what you think I’m advocating? Apologies but I may be misreading your post. All mine in this thread have been about what a bad politican Joe Biden has been for his entire career so if that is what you’re saying, we agree.
My post was in reply to a now deleted comment where someone was a vote blue or die advocate. I’m not sure why my reply got stuck here. Weird placement because you mentioned both siderism, but in a separate context.
@Wow – ah that makes sense! I re-read my post so many times after your comment wondering how I’d so badly misinterpreted my position. Thanks for letting me know, I was worried! Weirdness happens when posts get deleted.
Gah. All of this. Just SO. MUCH. BAGGAGE.
While I’m not interested in Joe Biden as a candidate at all, I think if Trump’s moronic kids didn’t hurt their father’s campaign then why the hell should Hunter’s issues be a factor in Joe’s campaign, & that’s what their defense should be.
The difference is that the Left actually considers the integrity, political record, and yes, even personal baggage that could be exploited, when evaluating a candidate. The Right doesn’t care about any of those things so of course, it won’t impact who they vote for.
Exactly, Kitten! I understand why people feel like despairing these days but you can’t just say “they’re, bad let’s be awful too”. It’s hard work being on the side of the good, but which side of history do you want to be on?
If Biden is the Dem’s answer to Trump then it’s clear to me that they don’t really care about being on the side of good as long as they can win, which is the same as the Republican mindset. They will lose independents like myself as well as many progressives just so they can appeal to centrists and moderates. Again, this is a very dangerous and risky game to play.
If Trumps kids don’t hurt his campaign, why should Biden’s?
Why doesn’t the New Yorker do a deep dive on all the nefarious stuff the Trump “children” are up too??
I am so sick of Democrats always having to explain every nuance of their life and getting relentlessly grilled on stupid shit like: “XYZ used to live next to a drug dealer. How is that going to effect their campaign????” “Will XYZ’s long lost never seen cousin 17 times removed jail stint ruin their chances at the presidency??????”
Meanwhile, Republicans are putting babies in cages and telling migrants to drink out of a toilet and get asked “What’s your favorite cheese on a hamburger?”
We are doomed.
I mean…I just feel that it’s a conversation to be had among the Left. I don’t GAF what Republicans think of Biden (plenty of the Never Trumpers love the guy) but absolutely DO care that the Left elect someone who is capable of saving this sinking ship of a country. That is not Biden IMO. He is NOT the anti-Trump. In fact, they share more qualities than I am comfortable with. And by that I mean tone deafness, cozying up to rich Wall St donors, and an inability to self-reflect and take ownership for their mistakes. He thinks he knows better than his own staff and that’s why the people on his campaign are going nuts trying to manage him.
I don’t think Biden is a terrible person. I think he’s generally well-meaning. But I think he would be an awful president. I mean, truly terrible. JMO.
I agree, I don’t GAF about what Republicans think of Biden or any of our candidates. Democrats need to focus on the Dem base, and quit worrying so much about swaying votes from the other side. Again, those people they are trying to court, will NEVER vote “D” no matter what.
I also don’t think Biden is the one. I think much of his popularity comes from the Obama years, and I think he’s “hella” problematic. I think we have better candidates, but will the establishment Dems let the better candidate be “the one?” Especially if it’s Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris? Or are they, once again, gonna try to play it safe and push for Biden? UGH.
Yes all of this. We shouldn’t be basing our decisions on what Trump voters want. We know what they want (Trump) and we know that they’re all terrible, soulless people who will never vote for the greater good.
I hope it’s Warren but I’d be happy with Harris, too.
Biden’s campaign has problems and it’s not because of Hunter.
This is true – and one of the biggest ones is that he refuses to listen to his own staff when they explain things to him.
It’s so bizarre. Obama turning him into Ol’ Uncle Joe could have saved his reputation. Instead he’s out there every day reminding us he’s the guy who f’d up the Anita Hill hearings in the worst possible way. Among other disasters.
He had so much goodwill at the end of the Obama presidency that that could have been his legacy. Sad to see him go down this path.
I don’t know. I live in a swing area and a lot of people like Biden here. I do think he’s the most electable candidate. He’s very popular with more moderate democrats and people who hate trump and wanted to vote blue. I know it’s not a popular opinion here and i agree he’s got issues but I don’t know. Worries me.
I agree with you. I’m in Ohio and Biden is the ONLY Dem that the rural communities would even consider bc he’s not tied to “socialism” like the further left candidates. The rednecks around here are terrified of anything even resembling socialism. I doubt any of them could define socialism if asked but it’s a big issue for them thanks in part to all of the misinformation coming from the right.
I’m sure you’re right but I wonder how much of a gamble it is to sacrifice progressive votes for the votes of people who would turn away from the Dem party in a heartbeat if the GOP offered up another Reagan-style candidate. Hell, they’d probably vote for Romney if he ran again. Is it worth alienating more reliable voters within the base for people who might end up voting red again in 2024?
Again, I have no answers as to what the best approach is and I share your concerns. We all know the importance of beating Trump. At this point, I’m just hoping that the other leading candidates will have a breakthrough moment that pulls those voters in. We’ll see….
I don’t know either. I can see both sides of the argument. I am just concerned about the actual voters versus the people who are the loudest voices. But i don’t know. It is true that it never seems to work to pick a candidate based on “electability.” I am hoping things become more clear as the primary unfolds too.
I agree with you Angie. I think a lot of people trust him because he’s been Vice President and is the only really completely known quality in the race.
if it stops biden’s campaign, good. biden is completely out of his depth as a presidential candidate in 2019.
Question about elections: since Trump is the incumbent and obviously going to run for re-election, does that mean he automatically gets the nomination? No other Republicans can mount a campaign because the default Republican Party nomination falls to Trump? I clearly have never paid attention to this before…
As for Hunter Biden, he’s shady as hell but I don’t think he dated Hallie Biden “for years.” Apparently they broke up quite a long time ago (over a year ago) and we’re only hearing about it now. That could be false of course but Hunter and Hallie kept their relationship on the downlow and we never saw them out together. Also another interesting detail is Hunter asked his father to put out the “I approve of Hunter and Hallie’s relationship” statement. I doubt Joe actually approved of it but probably did it to avoid questions about it. But it’s clear he probably would not have addressed it if Hunter had not asked him.
@Emily, as the incumbent, Trump is obviously the likely Republican candidate, but it’s not automatic. For example, say the Mueller report had come out and been utterly damning in a way even Republicans couldn’t ignore. Imagine his numbers start tanking below the 40% he’s managed to stay around – imagine they dropped to something as low as GWBush’s at the end of his last term, and R’s like McConnell started worrying that he may be very defeatable in the 2020 election. If some backroom deal happened, someone like, for example, a Never Trumper from early on could challenge Trump for the Republican nomination, and there could be primaries for the nomination like there will be for the non-incumbent party. I mean, if you want to go totally crazy, even WITHOUT primaries, it could (theoretically!) get to the Republican Convention and someone could challenge him from the floor and if they got more delegates, they’d be the nominee. But that’s so unlikely as to be science fiction, basically.
I can tell you now that unless something changes dramatically between now and summer of next year I can’t see any of that happening. But going back to what’s possible, it is theoretically possible for someone to launch a primary campaign against an incumbent. You don’t automatically end up the nominee just by virtue of being incumbent.
According to People, he and the new wife got matching tattoos too. It just keeps getting worse…
I read the article. I hope he gets better. But I don’t see this ending well. He recently married someone that he only knew for a few days. That doesn’t sound like someone whose thinking clearly.
We keep recycling the same people. Id rather see Biden help another candidate get votes and proper support than have him in the seat. His son shouldnt be a factor. He will be dragged for his behavior and his sons. Biden problematic on many fronts. I believe this upcoming election will end up being a circus. People need to vote. Also need to put pressue on the electorate to vote the right way. Thats how presidents get elected. Popular votes matter but take a back seat to the electorate.
I’m Kamala all the way. I think she is the strongest candidate (I know she has past issues but they all do). I think she can handle anything the Trump clan tries to throw her way. She’s already proven she can roast Biden in a debate.
If everyone looks different but thinks the same way that is not diversity.
I wish any candidate would come out and consistently state what problems and specific solutions they would work on. Just pick say, 3 huge problems, of the stunning amount of things that have turned to crap in the last 5 years, and their strategy to fix said issue.
Focus on the answers, not the cult of personality that politics have become.
I am actually, truly getting to the point that I think the fix is in. In every level of govt. and politics. Which is just completely disheartening and sad.
As a life long Democrat, I hate what politics have become/maybe always have been.
I agree Hunter Biden is not going to be the reason Joe Biden will not win election. Joe Biden is the reason, Joe should have retired at the end of his VP term.
Btw, how many more decades are we going to be faced with the choice of “Least Worst Candidate?”