{"id":81280,"date":"2024-06-28T18:16:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T18:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/28\/200pm-water-cooler-6-28-2024-biden-v-trump-post-match-analysis-and-commentary\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T18:16:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T18:16:53","slug":"200pm-water-cooler-6-28-2024-biden-v-trump-post-match-analysis-and-commentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/28\/200pm-water-cooler-6-28-2024-biden-v-trump-post-match-analysis-and-commentary\/","title":{"rendered":"2:00PM Water Cooler 6\/28\/2024: Biden v. Trump Post-Match Analysis and Commentary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>By Lambert Strether of Corrente<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Readers, today\u2019s Water Cooler is a post, but I included the bird song and the plant, because I knew you\u2019d ding me if I didn\u2019t! \u2013lambert<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/macaulaylibrary.org\/asset\/414872211\/embed\" height=\"300\" width=\"640\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Eastern Meadowlark, Brazoria NWR\u2013Auto Tour Loop and Discovery Center, Brazoria, Texas, United States.<br \/>.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s chaos in the Democrat party is perhaps best understood as a succession crisis, not merely personally, but generationally (Biden\u2019s replacement, if any, is unlikely to be 81, and even less likely to be a member of the Senate class of 1973).<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, it\u2019s a crisis that needs to be solved by deadline: The physical Chicago convention is August 19-22, but the Democrat National Committee (DNC) has decided to hold a virtual nomination on Zoom, because Republican Ohio required an August 7 filing date to get the Democrat nominee on their ballot. (Ohio has since moved the filing date to September 1, but Democrats don\u2019t trust them.) The date of the Zoom nomination is, however, as yet unrevealed. Let\u2019s say the date is August 6. This is June 28, making the deadline 39 days away. If the date turns out to be August 19 after all, the crisis must be resolved in 52 days. That\u2019s not a lot of time.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the Democrat succession crisis is of historical significance is as yet unknown (asked the same question of the French Revolution, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/article\/970657\/not-letting-facts-ruin-good-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Chou En-Lai is said to have said<\/a> \u201cIt\u2019s too early to say\u201d). Certainly it\u2019s significant in the history of the party, though it\u2019s hard to think of a precedent: When Democrats split <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Northern_Democratic_Party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">in 1860<\/a>, it was over an important principle \u2014 slavery \u2014 and not over the party\u2019s aging star and weak bench. Certainly the debate is significant, though whether on the order of Bush v. Gore 2000 (which Gore was thought to have won for a news cycle or so, until the press decided the debate was really about Gore sighing obnoxiously) or Kennedy v. Nixon 1960 (a poor analogy with no Camelot in the offing) is also unknown.<\/p>\n<p>I spent a few hours after the debate trawling the Twitter, and a few hours after that reading up on the bigfootery and hot-take-ish-ness, and in what follows I\u2019m going to empty out my haul into the following buckets, which correspond roughly to opinion-havers in the Democrat Party structure (ignoring the spooks, press assets, and NGOs):<\/p>\n<p>1) Tragedians<\/p>\n<p>2) The Wizard of Kalorama\u2122<\/p>\n<p>3) Party Grandees<\/p>\n<p>4) Bedwetters<\/p>\n<p>5) Non-Bedwetters<\/p>\n<p>6) Party Members and Activists<\/p>\n<p>7) Outsiders<\/p>\n<p>8) Fanciful Scenarists<\/p>\n<p>My object is not to predict the future \u2014 though I do recall asserting that \u201cvolatility\u201d was to be this year\u2019s theme \u2014 but to try to reduce the mass of material to some sort of order. (Readers will observe that there\u2019s one further category I\u2019ve left out: Funders. That\u2019s because squillionaires and even local gentry are few in number, have ideological crotchets, must be serviced, and cover their tracks, which is why Ferguson and his associates need to take time to figure out \u2014 in granular and not class terms \u2014 who the string-pullers really are (I say \u201cstring-pullers\u201d rather than \u201cpuppet masters\u201d because the members of every bucket have their own relative autonomy)).<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m going to structure the buckets rather like the club sandwich I had for lunch: The bacon, lettuce, and so forth will be the Tweets I collected; the slices of bread will be links to the opinion-havers. Because this is Water Cooler, the sandwich will be large at first, and assume Dagwoodian proportions once orts and scraps are added. (Adding, slices of bread to come shortly. There\u2019s a lot to process.)<\/p>\n<p>But before I start filling up buckets, let me have some fun and do a Wordle for each candidate. I\u2019m using <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/06\/27\/politics\/read-biden-trump-debate-rush-transcript\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the CNN transcript<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Biden:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Biden-Debate.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Biden-Debate.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Biden-Debate-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Trump:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Trump-Debate.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Trump-Debate.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Trump-Debate-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Make of them what you will. (These are simple frequency-based Wordles. I\u2019m frankly surprised \u201chorrible\u201d doesn\u2019t assume greater salience in Trump\u2019s Wordle; the way he pronounced it really sticks in the mind.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tragedians<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But still evoking pity and terror:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">this is the worst production of king lear i\u2019ve ever seen<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Erin Overbey (@erinoverbey) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/erinoverbey\/status\/1806508126755278916\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Time to take the car keys away (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Never thought thought that &#8220;because you&#8217;d be in jail&#8221; could be eclipsed but this just topped it. The most devastating 30 seconds in presidential debate history. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/W2HpKwPR2L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/W2HpKwPR2L<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HansMahncke\/status\/1806526336397132032\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump stays controlled, gives a slight shrug, and does what he has to do.<\/p>\n<p>Time to take the car keys away (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I\u2019ve been here a lot with my own parents and in-laws in their 80s. The aging and slipping happens real fast. It\u2019s like you blink and the walking and talking are slurred and tentative. I greet this with grace and a deep sadness and acceptance of the inevitable. That is what I feel\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 S. Mitra Kalita (@mitrakalita) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mitrakalita\/status\/1806519665616691328\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Time to take the car keys away (3):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is elder abuse. The Dem Party has fucked its base like no party in history. Unbelievable.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarkAmesExiled\/status\/1806498752372359436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Time to take the car keys away (4):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">All right I will say it: However exactly you characterize the interaction between Biden\u2019s age and his stuttering it is not a good combination for the job of presidential nominee and it would be better to have someone else in that role.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/brave?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#brave<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattyglesias\/status\/1806517765135544526\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The Democrats have form on elder abuse:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Now, surely the Democrats won&#8217;t continue this charade instead of taking action. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/T8aWnRxgS2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/T8aWnRxgS2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EoinHiggins_\/status\/1806502959225729455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Carefully uncommitted:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I love Joe Biden. I know he\u2019s a good man. I know his heart is good. I know he\u2019s dedicated to our country and is surrounded by good people. Tonight was heartbreaking in many ways. This is a big political moment. There\u2019s panic in the Democratic party. It\u2019s going to be a long night.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mariashriver\/status\/1806522821344154110\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The after-party, poor Jill (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Joe just told the \u201clying two faced pony soldier\u201d story again and the post-game speech to an Atlanta audience. Jill\u2019s jaw perceptibly tensed as he ramped up to it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briebriejoy\/status\/1806524218802106631\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Poor Jill (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Desperate message recorded on an old iPhone from a dingy backroom with poor lighting and sound. This is what panic looks like. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VUmEkT07Yn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/VUmEkT07Yn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HansMahncke\/status\/1806531640719548679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Wizard of Kalorama\u2122<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Obama\u2019s speechwriter (coined \u201cThe Blob\u201d) takes a view:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Telling people they didn&#8217;t see what they saw is not the way to respond to this.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/brhodes\/status\/1806531270295372236\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Party Grandees<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[to come]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bedwetters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That escalated quickly:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cOur only hope is that he bows out, we have a brokered convention, or dies,\u201d said an adviser to major Democratic party donors. \u201cOtherwise we are f-ing dead.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C65OXV31wE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/C65OXV31wE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 POLITICO (@politico) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/politico\/status\/1806548849273479326\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery aggressive panic\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CNN: &#8220;Right now, there is a deep, a wide, and a very aggressive panic in the Democratic Party. It started minutes into the debate, and it continues right now. It involves party strategists and involves elected officials. <\/p>\n<p>It involves fundraisers, and they&#8217;re having conversations\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0yaCJjFkpG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/0yaCJjFkpG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KanekoaTheGreat\/status\/1806520378518601855\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMultiple lists\u201d (flex nets)<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I am in multiple large group texts with Democratic operatives, elected officials, staffers, and donors. <\/p>\n<p>Not one of them feels good about Biden\u2019s performance tonight in terms of style, his voice etc. <\/p>\n<p>And these are people who aggressively defend him. <\/p>\n<p>And I know this is\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@yashar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yashar\/status\/1806504974798725518\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cZero constituency\u201d?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There is now basically zero constituency for the idea of Biden being on the ballot in November. Whether he stays on the ballot will say a lot about whether our country still has the kind of democratic veins that make a country a real democracy, or if we just have elections<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ryangrim\/status\/1806501308410515874\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>#brave:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">All right I will say it: However exactly you characterize the interaction between Biden\u2019s age and his stuttering it is not a good combination for the job of presidential nominee and it would be better to have someone else in that role.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/brave?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#brave<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattyglesias\/status\/1806517765135544526\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Non-Bedwetters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Saying what she has to say:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kamala: &#8220;It was a slow start but a strong finish.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zTcyZCbFqJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zTcyZCbFqJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/greg_price11\/status\/1806531423597371611\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Newsom selling hard (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If you watch and share one thing make it this. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mHRHH0TWuo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/mHRHH0TWuo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamParkhomenko\/status\/1806534564002607570\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Newsom selling hard (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Joe just told the \u201clying two faced pony soldier\u201d story again and the post-game speech to an Atlanta audience. Jill\u2019s jaw perceptibly tensed as he ramped up to it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briebriejoy\/status\/1806524218802106631\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Hillary Clinton\u2019s press secretary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Been getting readouts of focus groups of undecideds. Kind of status quo results \u2013 about 40 percent end with Biden, about 40 percent end up with Trump and 15 percent for third party. <\/p>\n<p>It may be that voters saw what they exepected to see tonight and doesn&#8217;t change race at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jennifer Palmieri (@jmpalmieri) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jmpalmieri\/status\/1806524763075932659\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>(She could be right, of course.)<\/p>\n<p>Former Biden Press Secretary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Desperate message recorded on an old iPhone from a dingy backroom with poor lighting and sound. This is what panic looks like. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VUmEkT07Yn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/VUmEkT07Yn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HansMahncke\/status\/1806531640719548679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Admirably committed to the bit, but still cope:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Donald Trump lied about January 6 and refused to commit to abide by the outcome of the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<p>That is my takeaway.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/marceelias\/status\/1806528533054763379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Elias is the Democrat go-to on election law, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2017\/10\/24\/trump-clinton-russia-dossier-bankroll-244131\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a conduit for Steele Dossier money<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>More cope, decoped:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That&#8217;s it! That&#8217;s it! The mistake we&#8217;ve all been making is trying to model Joe Biden as a classical system rather than a quantum one. <\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s only coherent until you take a measurement, at which point the wave function collapses into, you know, the thing. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qdU2Dar0FQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/qdU2Dar0FQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eric S. Raymond (@esrtweet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/esrtweet\/status\/1806523366683156919\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Party Members and Activists<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Refusual to cope:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">texting with a friend <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vFOnIX5oAp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/vFOnIX5oAp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 David Sirota (@davidsirota) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidsirota\/status\/1806521780451881085\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Replacing the votes of those who voted for Biden, too:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CNN literally went from crying that Donald Trump might not accept election results to immediately plotting how to overturn every single Democrat primary election result. Not sure I\u2019ve ever seen anything like it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NJO2ODdosT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/NJO2ODdosT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sean Davis (@seanmdav) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/seanmdav\/status\/1806522770689327602\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur democracy\u201d\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Outsiders<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thanks, Obama!<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Democratic donors, politicians, pundits &amp; operatives knowingly created the disaster you saw on TV tonight \u2013 they prevented a contested primary from their bench of elected officials, even though they knew that doing so would risk another Trump presidency. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZRB0Z7vWjw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZRB0Z7vWjw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 David Sirota (@davidsirota) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidsirota\/status\/1806546312327803267\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Silicon Valley, but not a tech bro, scam artist, or libertarian (sorry for the redundancy):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It pains me to say this, but <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDemocrats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@TheDemocrats<\/a> need a different candidate for President.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Grady Booch (@Grady_Booch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Grady_Booch\/status\/1806541002049556963\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Fanciful Scenarists<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I believe Biden could also release his delegate:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I think the only plausible scenario for Biden to withdraw is if the real big-wigs of the Democratic Party, probably led by Obama, stage some sort of intervention. Because as of now, 3,753 DNC delegates are bound to him and nothing changes that other than a voluntary withdrawal<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Michael Tracey (@mtracey) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mtracey\/status\/1806545442320068674\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>o<\/p>\n<p>Of the Trillbillies:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What\u2019ll happen is there will be an open convention and Biden will still win it. We are damned, we must all come to terms with thie. There is no way out, our souls are damned<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tarence Ray (@tarenceray) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tarenceray\/status\/1806524832286118258\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Memory hole? What memory hole?<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No one seems to be considering the possibility that biden wont step aside and tonight\u2019s debate gets quietly memory holed to save democracy<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarkAmesExiled\/status\/1806536133825703956\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Twenty Fifth Amendment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Democrats will use the 25th amendment if they can\u2019t get Biden to resign.<\/p>\n<p>Then they will nominate a Republican, \u201cso the great national healing can begin\u201d or something like that.<\/p>\n<p>Whoever it is, the candidate will be 100% certified genocidal.<\/p>\n<p>Progressives will fall in line.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dan Kervick (@DanMKervick) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DanMKervick\/status\/1806537541148877138\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Too many moving parts in Twenty Fifth Amendment, I think. <\/p>\n<p>A faithless elector:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">OK, here&#8217;s one. On Election Day, Biden loses the Sun Belt but sweeps the Upper Midwest to win 270-268 EVs. On 12\/12, an obscure VA Dem switches his vote to Trump, creating a tie \u2013 and the House elects Trump. On 1\/21, Tim Mellon gives the elector $10M<\/p>\n<p>SCOTUS just made that legal<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Will_Bunch\/status\/1806365073935307117\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 27, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>To Tim Mellon, $10M <em>is<\/em> a gratuity!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a set-up\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CNN assassinated Joe Biden\u2019s candidacy.<\/p>\n<p>This was a set up from the start.<\/p>\n<p>The Democrats were incapable of terminating Biden.<\/p>\n<p>CNN did the job for them.<\/p>\n<p>The elder abuse has come to an end.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe America can be saved from a commander in chief who long ago lost control of his\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Scott Ritter (@RealScottRitter) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealScottRitter\/status\/1806526232139272324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019ve said before, I think all parties thought an early debate would bring clarity.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>And about Biden\u2019s hoarseness:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 Biden has a cold, a person close to the president has confirmed to Axios. His voice was raspy as the debate started, but has strengthened as the night went on. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ITSc9ecSqi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/ITSc9ecSqi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Axios (@axios) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/axios\/status\/1806514229500850238\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>What nobody\u2019s saying:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2Y3chY4TCA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/2Y3chY4TCA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PM7GbRDmJ0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/PM7GbRDmJ0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 potatum\ud83e\udd54 (@pot8um) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pot8um\/status\/1806520057003999491\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If the Democrats are to replace Biden, they have 52 days to choose his successor, introduce them to the public, and turn the tanker of the campaign (besides replacing all of Biden\u2019s staff). That\u2019s a heavy lift.<\/p>\n<p>Introduced to the public and build campaign by deadline.<\/p>\n<p>So might Biden\u2019s successor be? We have two virtually useless data points as of this writing. First, prediction markets:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">quite the price swing <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XsszFjlJFJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/XsszFjlJFJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rory Johnston (@Rory_Johnston) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Rory_Johnston\/status\/1806529853765664919\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Quite the price swing. Second, this poll at Drudge:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/drudge_poll.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"1016\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/drudge_poll.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/drudge_poll-148x300.jpg 148w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Who the heck is \u201cOther\u201d? Oprah? Arnold? Michelle? Taylor Swift?<\/p>\n<p>Then of course there are larger crises that the Biden Administration has on its plate:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mearsheimer putting it very clearly for those in the back who didn&#8217;t listen: &#8220;we&#8217;re screwed&#8221;. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zveRC3Hy2V\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/zveRC3Hy2V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RnaudBertrand\/status\/1806484484948431344\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">June 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>(Note that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/06\/rob-urie-the-israel-lobby-works-for-the-us-military-industrial-complex.html\">one may regard the Israel Lobby as a proxy for the military-industrial complex<\/a> while still accepting Mearsheimer\u2019s bottom line.) Busy, busy, busy!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/06\/200pm-water-cooler-6-26-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From EM:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/poppy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/poppy.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/poppy-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/poppy-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>EM write: \u201cHow we doing? I can\u2019t wait to inject this into my arm.\u201d You and me both.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/06\/200pm-water-cooler-6-28-2024-biden-v-trump-post-match-analysis-and-commentary.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Readers, today\u2019s Water Cooler is a post, but I included the bird song and the plant, because I knew you\u2019d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}