Well, this is all going well. Though, somehow, today’s BradCast made me feel moderately better about it all for the moment. (See?! He’s a moderate!) Anyway, I’m hoping you’ll feel somehow marginally better as well after listening to today’s program. [Audio link to full show follows this brief summary.]
We begin with a few noteworthy news items for helpful, or at least interesting, context…
- A new survey from a Democratic pollster finds that while Donald Trump is currently beating Joe Biden nationally by one point in head-to-head polling, Kamala Harris is actually ahead of Trump by a point in the same poll. A different Dem, who nobody is talking about (for good reason?) also leads Trump in the same survey.
- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she stands behind the President, though offered a less than full-throated endorsement for his continuing candidacy on a cable new interview this morning, though she absolutely did not say that Biden should either “Reconsider Decision to Stay in the Race” or “consider dropping out” as New York Times falsely reported before correcting their headline, without explanation, after being called out (and after more than 200 articles focused on Biden’s performance in the two weeks since the debate.)
And then we’re joined for some much-needed common sense — and a few similarly much-needed belly laughs (between tears) — by two of our favorite roundtable guests: HEATHER DIGBY PARTON of Salon and Hullabaloo, and ‘DRIFTGLASS’ of The Professional Left Podcast.
You’ll never guess what we’re discussing today! But we’ve got a lot of it to talk about, and both Digby and Drifty are on their game.
“I will fight like hell for whoever is the top of the Democratic ticket come November,” Driftglass (occasionally known as Bill) tells us. “The threat from Donald Trump outweighs every other consideration. Thus far, for the last three and a half years, [Biden] has governed the country remarkably well, steered through many crises, and done right by me. I think it’s time we buckle down and say, ‘Look, whoever the Democratic nominee is, is better than Trump.’ Period. Full stop.”
For her part, Digby concurs with the sentiment, but notes that, although there is no indication yet he plans to do so — even with support on Capitol Hill for him to continue being lukewarm at best — if Biden does decide to drop out: “I think that I would really, really like him to do it on the night that Donald Trump is going to accept the nomination for his party, and just stab him as hard in the back on his way out as he can, because you know that Donald Trump would do the same to him.”
Now we’re talking. And there is much more both insight and snark where that came from today, including discussion of…
- Wildly unhelpful and misleading corporate media coverage.
- What we should learn from the election in France on Sunday.
- Whether he can serve four more years or not, can Biden still actually win in November?
- Would Harris have a better shot?
- The disconnect between elected officials, media “experts” and actual Democratic voters on the ground.
- If Biden were to step down, is there time and process for a reasonably non-chaotic way to transition to a new candidate?
- Would Digby and Driftglass vote for George W. Bush or even Dick Cheney if one them became the Democratic candidate to take on Donald Trump?
- And who is this “Johnny Unbeatable” guy? And where should Democrats find him?
All of that and much more on today’s unbeatable BradCast…
(Snail mail support to “Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028” always welcome too!)
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Call me a virtue signaler, but how is it that neither Digby nor Driftglass ever alludes to Biden’s contribution to arguably the crime of the century? Unable to stand up to Netanyahu, Biden has enabled the ongoing genocide in Gaza. That hurts him with enough voters to doom his bid, though I have no illusions that Trump would be better, and I will vote for Biden if that’s the final choice. I sure hope it isn’t.
Barbara @1:
Virtue signaler! 😉
Of course, I don’t speak for either Digby or Drifty, only for myself, but that issue did not come up in our conversation because it’s not really the issue at this point, IMO. The question — at least in this conversation — regarded who is the best to run against Trump.
As I see it, the ONLY feasible alternative at this late date would be Harris, who would be a part of the same issue you cite. And, of course, as you note, Trump would not only not “be better”, he would be far FAR worse. So I’m not altogether sure how that issue even comes into play at the moment.
(Also, though a separate matter, what is going on in Gaza is almost certainly war crimes and atrocities, not to mention appalling, even if not “genocide” which has a very specific legal meaning.)
Yes, Brad, Harris would be carrying some heavy baggage. I don’t automatically assume she has been on board with Biden’s approach. But we still disagree on whether she should get the nod without competing for it.
As a secular, social-democratic, American Jew who has been horrified by Netanyahu and the powerful Israeli rightwing’s iron grip on Israeli politics for nearly 2 decades, I have to say
I am saddened and angered by Biden’s weak-kneed aquiescence to Netanyahu on the horror of Gaza and related matters.
But what the hell would Trump do?
Probably bless Netanyahu and give him a blank check.
On this one issue, there seems to be no good choice.
But there are OTHER issues, like, oh, maybe tyranny, dictatorship, destruction of the Republic, and other
minor stuff like that.
The choice is still clear—-Biden or ANY frikkin’ Dem, Harris or whomever, over Trump.
Biggest no-brainer in the history of no-brainers.
On that we agree!