Recently, I’ve been allowing myself some momentary fantasies about what it would be like to have a normal president again. I’m not crazy, I know we can’t have Barack Obama back again. But wouldn’t it be nice to just have a normal grandpa energy around the White House? Perhaps that’s what Joe Biden brings to the table: not crazy, not a Nazi, not looking to dismantle the country from within, not a treasonous a–hole, just kind of a dorky grandpa.
Biden brought his dorky grandpa vibe to Kissimmee, Florida yesterday. He was there to make some remarks about Hispanic Heritage Month. One of the youths on his campaign downloaded a song onto his phone and Biden dutifully played it, never having heard the song before (I am certain). The song? Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito.”
After being introduced by Luis Fonsi, Joe Biden pulled out his phone and started playing Despacito ahead of his remarks kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month in Kissimmee, FL. pic.twitter.com/7R6hUZgLW1
— Sarah Mucha (@sarahmucha) September 16, 2020
Completely dorky. God, I miss these kinds of minor cringe-moments in a presidency. I miss barely paying attention to the president on a daily level. Anyway, there’s a nice story behind this video – Luis Fonsi actually introduced Biden at this event, and Fonsi has endorsed Biden and he’s working on Hispanic outreach. Fonsi tweeted, in Spanish, “It was a real honor for me to introduce vice president Joe Biden tonight. A great leader who has shown his support and admiration for the Latin community and Puerto Rico for many years. It’s time for us to have a president who treats us with the dignity we deserve.”
Fue un verdadero honor para mi presentar al Vice Presidente Joe Biden esta noche. Un gran líder quien ha demostrado su respeto y admiración por la comunidad latina y por PR durante muchos años. Es hora que tengamos a un presidente que nos trate con la dignidad que nos merecemos! pic.twitter.com/RagJ1Cvy0K
— Luis Fonsi (@LuisFonsi) September 16, 2020
Meanwhile, a few new polls were released yesterday. The highlights: Biden is up 5 points on Trump in Florida, even though Trump is still winning white voters (although maybe not at the same rate as 2016). A CNN poll has Biden up 49% to Trump’s 46% in North Carolina. And Biden leads Trump by 10 points in Wisconsin. Whew.
Damn, Ricky Martin was at the Florida event too! Ricky looks great!
Photos courtesy of Getty.
My kingdom for a dorky grandpa in the WH!
Ricky is so hot.
Let’s not forget that Trump manipulated this same video to have Fuck Tha Police playing from Biden’s phone. And then of course Trump tweeted it to his millions of gullible followers.
There has never EVER been a president who has sunk this low. Trump actually re-tweeted an accusation that Biden is a pedophile! When asked by Wolf Blitzer why he would do such a disgusting thing, Jared said simply, “I haven’t seen that, because we’re focused on this historic peace deal where we accomplished a lot…” (Please note that this is, AGAIN, pure projection on Trump’s part, because HE is the one who said a 15-year-old was a “hot piece of ass.”)
I will take dorky grandpa over soul-less sadist (and his family) any day of the week.
I’m still in shock he accused Biden of being on drugs. I mean who in their right mind would say something like that out loud? Just insanity.
He’s projecting.
The peace deal for the zero days war? Sad PR stunt.
soul-less sadist: that truly is what Trump is. I have no time for anyone who gives him a pass on anything.
oh wow, I did not know he did this. how disgusting. how low.
The fake video is absurd, but lol at Trump and his people thinking that somehow, someway, listening to NWA instead of Justin Bieber… would make Biden look less cool.
I just want to go back to a time when I don’t worry every minute of every damn day what fresh hell is coming next. I just want capable, non-Nazi-esque people in charge. Is that too much to ask?
EXACTLY!!! I was actually up so late last night having an argument in my head with my maga parents and one of my points was that I’ve never ever in my adult life had to think about what horrifying, awful, illegal, sick thing will come from the president next on a daily basis. What awful person will he put in a place to destroy it? What good person will he fire? What lie is being perpetuated today? I don’t think I was thinking about President Obama even on a weekly basis because I didn’t have the fear for the future of this country or my children’s future when he was president. Even GWB wasn’t making headlines every single day in his eight years. I’m exhausted, truly mentally exhausted and there is no bottom to this guy or his sycophants.
Mel, I absolutely love this sentence:
“I was actually up so late last night having an argument in my head with my maga parents…”
If that’s not the trump years in a nutshell.
You can tell your parents that Trump will be going after their Social Security.
@Darla, truth. Lately I’m up every night laying in bed for hours and it’s no doubt because we are so close to the election, the crazy lies and new lows this guy is going to, and living in maga country and seeing the support everywhere. My anxiety is at an all time high it makes me physically ill. I’m going to be sobbing when this election is decided either way though and I pray every night that it will be because of relief I haven’t felt for four years.
@fyi, oh I can tell them that but like all magas they won’t believe it. If faux news says it’s not true then it’s not true. It kills me that people like my parents don’t how they are voting against their own interest in the near future and their own children’s and grandchildren’s future down the road. Like if their 401k is doing good then they will happily sacrifice the environment and have a direct negative impact on their grandchildren.
Exactly … I wake up every morning and immediately check the news, think “what the *** did HE do NOW?” although for the last year it’s been more like “what the **** did THEY do NOW?” And then when I see the news I think “Oh, Lord, it’s 10 times worse than I thought it could be!”
Performing forced hysterectomies on unlawfully incarcerated women?
Secret police kidnapping American citizens off the street?
Extrajudicial killings on American streets supported publicly by the President of the United States.
The White House – President, Advisors, Staff, heck most of Trump’s cabinet and senior officials – blatantly profiteering off a deadly pandemic, the somehow both methodical and chaotic dismantling of the Federal government, US foreign policy, undermining of public education, pillaging of national resources, etc etc?
The Attorney General of the US publicly proclaiming that US citizens protesting should be arrested for sedition?
POTUS taunting entire states of American voters while they are suffering due to devastating and deadly natural disasters, a deadly pandemic?
POTUS being asked if he wasn’t concerned about the safety of people who come to hear him speak, and POTUS responding basically, “It’s OK, **I’ll** be fine … I was far enough away from them”?
POTUS actively encouraging people planning to vote for him to break the law by voting twice?
Yep, all just another hour in the dumpster fire that is Trump’s “leadership”
I thought it was cute, I saw many latinx Tweeps thought it was cute but the Bernie bros had a field day demonizing him for it and I am ready to throw my phone out into the ocean.
I am praying those swing stares vote for Biden. Every time I drive through Pennsylvania I get angry because they went for Trump.
imagine living here – I was pleasantly surprised that most of the suburban counties around Philly actually went blue but Pennsyltucky is full of Christofascists who forget that this state was a proud part of the union and that the Confederate flag should be considered a huge insult here.
This is cute and endearing. I’ll take a dorky grandpa until 2024 and VP Kamala takes over.
Unpopular opinion, but I completely disagree. This wasn’t cute, and I don’t want any president to be a “dorky grandpa,” I want them to advance policies that actually help marginalized communities instead of just weakly pandering to them.
Obviously the other side is comprised of cult members and literal nazis, and obviously I’m voting for Biden. But at a time when a brave Black woman is blowing the whistle on MASS HYSTERECTOMIES at ICE facilities – which are almost entirely imprisoning Latinx people, having the Democratic nominee play a f*cking pop song instead of saying ICE is evil and I will abolish it is weak at best and exploitative at worst.
Latinx ppl are being subjected to actual sterilization and the best we get is bopping to a played out song? It’s just insulting on so many levels.
He is not going to come out less than six hours after that story hit and say, “ICE is evil, and I’m going to abolish it.” He has to learn about the charges, find out facts from an investigation, and respond in a sane, measured way. I DON’T want someone flying off the handle and sputtering out tweets like Trump. No thanks.
Playing a pop song is not “the best we get.” It took all of 30 seconds. Biden has a clear platform, with policies that are thoroughly explained. https://www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues/joe-biden/
Republicans opted to publish NO PLATFORM at all this year.
Plus, Biden absolutely has to project warmth and understanding to people who show up to see him. You may think he’s never heard the song, or whatever, but he is TRYING to connect, to unify. The effort counts, especially when compared to the Republican effort to destroy and lie.
I’m pretty sure that Biden called for the hysterectomies allegation to be investigated. And if you look at his website, see if he has policies that speak to your concerns. This thread is just one person, as she said, enjoying the fantasy of a normal world. We all know we don’t live in one.
I’m pretty sure they played Despacito because it’s the most well known of Fonsi’s songs. And Fonsi introduced Biden.
It doesn’t mean that they can’t multitask and focus on policies as well.
Please quit calling us Latinx. We don’t like it. On the other hand, we do like the song DESPACITO! I vote Biden. I’ll take a dork over a bigot.
@Marie – Thank you for explaining that for people. Idk where Latinx came from. Is it a plural form of Latina and Latino? (I have Latina friends who like that song, too.)
Is this the best we can do? Gross