Is Biden Running Out of Gas?

Jay59 · Aug 20, 2019

Bernie Sanders has passed Biden in New Hampshire. That's no surprise since Bernie is from Vermont, but it's the first time Biden trailed in any serious poll, much less the first primary. The only August poll from Iowa shows Biden with a single digit lead. These two states dominate the news for a week before South Carolina. There Biden is up almost 20%.

Polling is thin, but these are very involved states and the results are much more predictive than national polls at this point. Is Biden's lead going to evaporate, or is he going to remain in front after the first couple weeks leading to Super Tuesday in March?

humbolt · Aug 20, 2019

Most elderly people have no shortage of gas. Bernie is probably eating boiled cabbage to outpace Joe. That's dedication, right there. Joe.might want to consider pinto beans and kale in response.

slick · Aug 20, 2019

Personally I figured Biden would be a slam dunk to win the nomination. He had the moderate lane to victory all too himself.
But he's been exposed big time in the debates he was stunned in the spotlight & on the campaign trail he was more than dismal.
I remember Biden toying with Paul Pyan in the 2008 VP debate that was a brutal takedown but that was Biden over a decade ago.
Biden ain't what he used to be, his performance to date has been as bad as Mueller's was in the congressional hearing & that
was embarrassing.

I think he's done. his braintrust has taken him off the campaign trail he's been so gaff prone. I like Bernie to wind up as
the nominee, his policies are terrible for the country but he means what he says & does not pander like all the rest of this
weak field and that counts for something.

Jay59 · Aug 20, 2019

humbolt said:
Most elderly people have no shortage of gas. Bernie is probably eating boiled cabbage to outpace Joe. That's dedication, right there. Joe.might want to consider pinto beans and kale in response.

Careful. Methane is a greenhouse gas.

Chomsky · Aug 20, 2019

I sure hope he's "running out of gas". I want a Dem win, and I don't think Biden is the guy to motivate the Dems to deliver.

But my girl Kamala seems to be faltering, so Ol' Joltin' Joe it may have to be ...

humbolt · Aug 20, 2019

Jay59 said:
Careful. Methane is a greenhouse gas.

Yeah. If you absolutely have to attend campaign events for these two, I'd advise staying on the extreme perimeter. One spark at an inopportune time could be devastating.

Chomsky · Aug 20, 2019

slick said:
Personally I figured Biden would be a slam dunk to win the nomination. He had the moderate lane to victory all too himself.
But he's been exposed big time in the debates he was stunned in the spotlight & on the campaign trail he was more than dismal.
I remember Biden toying with Paul Pyan in the 2008 VP debate that was a brutal takedown but that was Biden over a decade ago.
Biden ain't what he used to be, his performance to date has been as bad as Mueller's was in the congressional hearing & that
was embarrassing.

I think he's done. his braintrust has taken him off the campaign trail he's been so gaff prone. I like Bernie to wind up as
the nominee, his policies are terrible for the country but he means what he says & does not pander like all the rest of this
weak field and that counts for something.

To the bolded:

Yep. Biden there is the kind of candidate the Dems need, in order to take down Trump.

But Biden's past his prime, and needs to pass the torch. I think Kamala could easily go toe-to-toe with Trump, but it looks like the Dems don't want her like I do.

As we saw in the 2016 election, it's not going to be as much about policy, as it will be about personal charisma as expressed through public sparring. Honestly, I thought Oprah was the Dem's best bet against Trump. But it was not meant to be, it seems.

SkyChief · Aug 20, 2019

slick said:
. . . I like Bernie to wind up as
the nominee, his policies are terrible for the country but he means what he says & does not pander like all the rest of this
weak field and that counts for something.

Me too, but for a very different reason.

Comrade Bernies socialist policies ("free" stuff) will cost American Taxpayers an estimated $3.1 Trillion per year. It would crush our economy. People would have no money for discretionary spending.

The Independent voters I know are terrified of Comrade Bernie. They will vote for Trump - not because they like him - but because they fear the tax hikes.

Trump will have an easy win against Comrade Bernie. Sleepy Joe will be tougher to beat for Trump.

Perotista · Aug 20, 2019

Jay59 said:
Bernie Sanders has passed Biden in New Hampshire. That's no surprise since Bernie is from Vermont, but it's the first time Biden trailed in any serious poll, much less the first primary. The only August poll from Iowa shows Biden with a single digit lead. These two states dominate the news for a week before South Carolina. There Biden is up almost 20%.

Polling is thin, but these are very involved states and the results are much more predictive than national polls at this point. Is Biden's lead going to evaporate, or is he going to remain in front after the first couple weeks leading to Super Tuesday in March?

Biden has a good lead nationally, up by 14 points over Sanders and 15 over Warren in today's released CNN poll. Here's the RCP averages which includes CNN.

RealClearPolitics - Election 2020 - 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination

Nationally can give us an indication, but it is in the states that the nomination will be decided. I have always thought Biden led was mostly name recognition along with the fact Joe seems like a safe candidate to beat Trump. At least at this point in time.

Even so, I never thought Biden would win the Democratic nomination. I think Biden is too much the moderate and old fashioned Democrat who actually could work with Republicans to get things accomplished. I highly doubt that is what the progressive wing of the Democratic Party wants. It's the hard core progressives that flock to the polls during the primaries and caucuses. I think once the primaries get started, Biden fads into retirement.

ttwtt78640 · Aug 20, 2019

Perotista said:
Biden has a good lead nationally, up by 14 points over Sanders and 15 over Warren in today's released CNN poll. Here's the RCP averages which includes CNN.

RealClearPolitics - Election 2020 - 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination

Nationally can give us an indication, but it is in the states that the nomination will be decided. I have always thought Biden led was mostly name recognition along with the fact Joe seems like a safe candidate to beat Trump. At least at this point in time.

Even so, I never thought Biden would win the Democratic nomination. I think Biden is too much the moderate and old fashioned Democrat who actually could work with Republicans to get things accomplished. I highly doubt that is what the progressive wing of the Democratic Party wants. It's the hard core progressives that flock to the polls during the primaries and caucuses. I think once the primaries get started, Biden fads into retirement.

Yep, I have my bet on Warren, with a black or Hispanic VP, to spice up the (real) "people of color" vote. The leftist base is in no mood to run a moderate being totally convinced (after talking to everyone that they know or care to listen to) that Trump has no chance of being re-elected in 2020.

Surrealistik · Aug 20, 2019

Chomsky said:
I sure hope he's "running out of gas". I want a Dem win, and I don't think Biden is the guy to motivate the Dems to deliver.

But my girl Kamala seems to be faltering, so Ol' Joltin' Joe it may have to be ...

I think both of those are terrible options, and Kamala continues to fail to provide a response/mitigation for her horrid history as a prosecutor/AG I specifically told you would deal great damage to her campaign if it was ever brought up.

As to the question, yes, Biden is getting crispy, and Slick generally has the reasons why down.

Though I once thought he'd be among the best candidates to challenge Trump, I am legitimately concerned that he is entering early stage dementia, his debate performance ranges from mediocre to abysmal, he seems to suffer from Sundowning Syndrome per his handlers, and his gaffes are increasing in frequency and severity while his campaign staff is minimizing his public exposure to reduce the probability of more embarrassing interactions.

Jay59 · Aug 20, 2019

Perotista said:
Biden has a good lead nationally, up by 14 points over Sanders and 15 over Warren in today's released CNN poll. Here's the RCP averages which includes CNN.

RealClearPolitics - Election 2020 - 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination

Nationally can give us an indication, but it is in the states that the nomination will be decided. I have always thought Biden led was mostly name recognition along with the fact Joe seems like a safe candidate to beat Trump. At least at this point in time.

Even so, I never thought Biden would win the Democratic nomination. I think Biden is too much the moderate and old fashioned Democrat who actually could work with Republicans to get things accomplished. I highly doubt that is what the progressive wing of the Democratic Party wants. It's the hard core progressives that flock to the polls during the primaries and caucuses. I think once the primaries get started, Biden fads into retirement.

There is no safe candidate to beat Trump. That said, there was never anything safe about Biden. He was just the guy beside Obama.

Felis Leo · Aug 20, 2019

Chomsky said:
But Biden's past his prime, and needs to pass the torch. I think Kamala could easily go toe-to-toe with Trump, but it looks like the Dems don't want her like I do.

If we are simply looking at personality and personal grit, ignoring the politics, Kamala is not a fighter. She has never really faced an adversarial political opponent. She won an intra-political party contest for her Senate Seat in California in a contest against another Democrat. And even ignoring the fact that she was practically selected via co-optation, she shattered when Tulsi Gabbard made those idiotic attacks against her, and forced her back on her heels when she should have defended one of her few decent accomplishments, i.e., her prosecution record.

So a single direct hit with a cannonball from the piteous sloop that was the USS Gabbard and the powder magazine of the supposed Man O' War that was HMS Kamala's blew sky-high. Perhaps the only way she would win against Donald Trump is perhaps if she refused to countenance any debate with him.

Superfly · Aug 20, 2019

Chomsky said:
To the bolded:

Yep. Biden there is the kind of candidate the Dems need, in order to take down Trump.

But Biden's past his prime, and needs to pass the torch. I think Kamala could easily go toe-to-toe with Trump, but it looks like the Dems don't want her like I do.

As we saw in the 2016 election, it's not going to be as much about policy, as it will be about personal charisma as expressed through public sparring. Honestly, I thought Oprah was the Dem's best bet against Trump. But it was not meant to be, it seems.

I’ve been rooting for Kamala since before she threw her hat in the ring, but nobody is getting behind her.

Surrealistik · Aug 20, 2019

Felis Leo said:
If we are simply looking at personality and personal grit, ignoring the politics, Kamala is not a fighter. She has never really faced an adversarial political opponent. She won an intra-political party contest for her Senate Seat in California in a contest against another Democrat. And even ignoring the fact that she was practically selected via co-optation, she shattered like a greenhouse being struck by a runaway train when Tulsi Gabbard made those idiotic attacks against her, and forced her back on her heels when she should have defended one of her few decent accomplishments, i.e., her prosecution record. The only way she would win against Donald Trump is perhaps if she refused to countenance any debate against him.

I wouldn't call her history as a prosecutor/AG particularly good, nor those attacks 'idiotic', particularly when she went as far as failing to disclose the unreliability of a compromised drug lab technician for the sake of securing a prosecution; a classic case of justice taking a backseat to her personal career ambitions. She's blatantly a self-obsessed hack, and it speaks directly to her poor character, lack of ethics and naked egotism, particularly when you consider she first tried to shift the blame to the police and the judge, accusing the latter of bias because her husband was a defense lawyer (lol); unbelievable stuff. In the end, she only backed down when she had basically no choice.

Disgusting human being.

Felis Leo · Aug 20, 2019

Surrealistik said:
I wouldn't call her history as a prosecutor/AG particularly good, nor those attacks 'idiotic', particularly when she went as far as failing to disclose the unreliability of a compromised drug lab technician for the sake of securing a prosecution; a classic case of justice taking a backseat to her personal career ambitions. She's blatantly a self-obsessed hack, and it speaks directly to her poor character, lack of ethics and naked egotism, particularly when you consider she first tried to shift the blame to the police and the judge, accusing the latter of bias because her husband was a defense lawyer (lol); unbelievable stuff. In the end, she only backed down when she had basically no choice.

Well, I would not call her a particularly good Attorney General either, Surrealistik. She had very few decent accomplishments save getting a major settlement for wrongful bank foreclosures and prosecuting human trafficking, but that is a minimum I would expect from any halfway-decent Attorney General. But it's all she has. She cannot run on her non-existent accomplishments as Senator, certainly. If she cannot defend her record as a prosecutor, or worse yet, runs away from her record, that is a deadly weakness both personally and politically and she has no business running for President.

She isn't doing the cake walk that is running as a California Democrat for Senate. This is the big leagues, and while she may have succeeded for most of her political career being an odious little sneak being all things to all people, she does not have the chops for a bare-knuckle brawl with an animal like Trump.

Surrealistik said:
Disgusting human being.

Pretty much.

upsideguy · Aug 20, 2019

Chomsky said:
To the bolded:

Yep. Biden there is the kind of candidate the Dems need, in order to take down Trump.

But Biden's past his prime, and needs to pass the torch. I think Kamala could easily go toe-to-toe with Trump, but it looks like the Dems don't want her like I do.

As we saw in the 2016 election, it's not going to be as much about policy, as it will be about personal charisma as expressed through public sparring. Honestly, I thought Oprah was the Dem's best bet against Trump. But it was not meant to be, it seems.

Personally, I'm with a Biden/Harris ticket. She would be a pretty formidable #2 and could lead the ticket in 2024.

Drawdown · Aug 20, 2019

Perotista said:
Biden has a good lead nationally, up by 14 points over Sanders and 15 over Warren in today's released CNN poll. Here's the RCP averages which includes CNN.

RealClearPolitics - Election 2020 - 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination

Nationally can give us an indication, but it is in the states that the nomination will be decided. I have always thought Biden led was mostly name recognition along with the fact Joe seems like a safe candidate to beat Trump. At least at this point in time.

Even so, I never thought Biden would win the Democratic nomination. I think Biden is too much the moderate and old fashioned Democrat who actually could work with Republicans to get things accomplished. I highly doubt that is what the progressive wing of the Democratic Party wants. It's the hard core progressives that flock to the polls during the primaries and caucuses. I think once the primaries get started, Biden fads into retirement.

Warren and sanders are essentially the same candidate splitting the same demo. If one of them were to drop out, Biden would be behind. Bernie needs to exit stage left.

vesper · Aug 20, 2019

Ole Uncle Joe like anyone at his age has limited energy. He has to pace himself wisely to get through the primary which can be very grueling for even younger candidates. That isn't a cut but rather a fact of life.

Uncle Joe has another problem with embellishing his stories for example his involvement in civil rights and constantly making gaffs that make him look incompetent.

But Uncle Joe's biggest threat is ahead coming in September and that is all I will say about it at this time. I believe the party will be in search of a centrist/left candidate that has no ties to the Obama administration by the end of September. Maybe a Gabbard or a Delany because they know they will lose a national election with Sanders, Warren and pretty much most of the candidates in the top 7 at this time because of the far left progressive agenda they have aligned themselves with.

Perotista · Aug 20, 2019

ttwtt78640 said:
Yep, I have my bet on Warren, with a black or Hispanic VP, to spice up the (real) "people of color" vote. The leftist base is in no mood to run a moderate being totally convinced (after talking to everyone that they know or care to listen to) that Trump has no chance of being re-elected in 2020.

I've said this many times, 2020 all depends on whom the Democrats nominate. Sure, 2020 is an election for the Democrats to lose. So too was 2016 and we know what happen then. I'm keeping my eyes focused on the independent vote. How they vote will determine the election.

Surrealistik · Aug 20, 2019

vesper said:
Ole Uncle Joe like anyone at his age has limited energy. He has to pace himself wisely to get through the primary which can be very grueling for even younger candidates. That isn't a cut but rather a fact of life.

Uncle Joe has another problem with embellishing his stories for example his involvement in civil rights and constantly making gaffs that make him look incompetent.

But Uncle Joe's biggest threat is ahead coming in September and that is all I will say about it at this time. I believe the party will be in search of a centrist/left candidate that has no ties to the Obama administration by the end of September. Maybe a Gabbard or a Delany because they know they will lose a national election with Sanders, Warren and pretty much most of the candidates in the top 7 at this time because of the far left progressive agenda they have aligned themselves with.

Gabbard is about as left/progressive as Sanders/Warren in case that wasn't evident; she just has more of a foreign policy focus.

SDET · Aug 20, 2019

Jerry Brown was behind Horizontal Harris.

Superfly said:
I’ve been rooting for Kamala since before she threw her hat in the ring, but nobody is getting behind her.

Perotista · Aug 20, 2019

Jay59 said:
There is no safe candidate to beat Trump. That said, there was never anything safe about Biden. He was just the guy beside Obama.

Perceptions.

ttwtt78640 · Aug 20, 2019

Perotista said:
I've said this many times, 2020 all depends on whom the Democrats nominate. Sure, 2020 is an election for the Democrats to lose. So too was 2016 and we know what happen then. I'm keeping my eyes focused on the independent vote. How they vote will determine the election.

I see Biden's biggest asset (his "delectability" - currently having high polling numbers) as being his sure downfall. Once Biden loses that to anyone else (like Warren) who also polls ahead of Trump among "independents" then he is done for. The DNC base then has both a progressive and a candidate who beats Trump (based on polling data).

SDET · Aug 20, 2019

Uncle Joe could sniff her hair on the campaign bus. She wouldn't complain since Jerry Brown showed her that's how to get a head.

upsideguy said:
Personally, I'm with a Biden/Harris ticket. She would be a pretty formidable #2 and could lead the ticket in 2024.

Is Biden Running Out of Gas?

Is Biding Running Out of Gas?

Biden is Crispy Toast

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