….you have to worry about him in a TV debate with Trump.
Current Affairs 2024 POTUS race
- Thread starter Ruairi77
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….you have to worry about him in a TV debate with Trump.
Can't wait tbh - those 2016 ones vs Clinton were TV gold.
Martin Alvito
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Brown Jackson ran down similar lines. It seems clear enough the Court will hold that only Congress can make an eligibility finding under the 14th Amendment.
Which may be a good thing, in the sense that it might help them get to unanimity in the other direction when it comes to Trump's criminal liability.
That would require a constitutional amendment. The Court has been very clear over the years that the only allowable eligibility requirements for federal office are those explicitly listed in the Constitution.
This is more or less why the Court will come down where they do on Trump's eligibility. That case is a conflict between the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments on who has the right to determine eligibility. The Court is likely to hold that, in the absence of a criminal conviction, Congress has the sole power to pass legislation which disqualifies a category of people from office pursuant to the Fourteenth Amendment, and executive departments at the federal and state level can go hang in the absence of clear guidance.
Martin Alvito
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Biden's legal strategy there was sound. If it's not in your interest to demonstrate powerful memory, do the opposite, and do it consistently.
His line of attack in the media is equally solid. One, Bill Clinton conveniently couldn't remember much of anything, and no one questioned his faculties. Two, Biden has the best possible excuse. The interview took place one day after October 7. He can claim it was a distraction.
The whole thing comes off as sour grapes from a prosecutor who knows he was beaten, and has elected to get payback in the only available way. It's a cheap way to further his career, perhaps at the expense of the rule of law, by showing he can lose a battle but win the war.
tsubaki
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Both of them are in the unfortunate situation of thinking the car has better brakes than it does.
I think he’d be able to hold his own against Trump - old men do retain the ability to shout at each other after all - but it won’t be an edifying spectacle.
Martin Alvito
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The only one they have is Bernie, which doesn't solve the age problem. He may have pitched straight fire this week on the talk shows, but it isn't clear he still will four years from now. He also has many issue positions that are out of step with the mainstream of the Democratic Party, which is one reason he's an independent that caucuses with them.
Mrk
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Bernie? I said a serious figure lol - he shouldn't be anywhere near the presidency for a thousand reasons.
They should get a non-politician to run against Trump. Any more of the old guard or vacuous 'rising stars' within the party would just further play into Trumps hands.
Martin Alvito
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Politicians will never hijack a nomination process to install someone outside their own cohort, and remove a sitting president. Can you even imagine the lines of intraparty warfare that opens? Every member of Congress would then fear leadership or the state party pulling the same stunt if they step out of line, and sooner or later someone opens that front.
It would have to be a politician.
Bernie is one of very few American politicians with a positive net favorable. He can win a general election right now by luring working-class voters, he's vetted, and he's well-suited to bare-knuckles debates with Trump. If it weren't for his age, he's the answer.
In 2020, the numbers suggested Bernie loses the general. The situation has changed. He's our political big winner in the wake of October 7. He has never been afraid to take on Israel over the settlements, or a lack of commitment to a two-state solution. It's not like a presidential veto matters when Congress can't pass legislation, and we've seen senators like Manchin and Sinema wield as much if not more influence than Biden over legislative outputs. Bernie's ideology on domestic policy is a non-issue given the state of Congress.
Mrk
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This is what I mean though, they're putting their own interest and egos over the interest of the nation, which should be to prevent Trump winning again and, if possible, put in place a moderate democratic president who can win another 2 terms.
Bringing in a credible figure from outside of politics who has good standing would massively dent Trump's ability to play into the populist anti-political class feeling in the US.
He's net favourable because he's a benign old man who is very good at articulating populist positions but has barely any power or influence over anybody or anything. He's the US version of Tony Benn - loveable for his principled stance on some issues but would never withstand the scrutiny of an election. Trump would wipe the floor with him.
mightymoyes
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A lot of guesswork operating as absolute certainty in here based on very little other than headlines, especially from those of us not even in the country. I'd be interested to see what the data or credible strategists say on the possibilities.
Martin Alvito
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Would you take a step to advance your politics that would leave you beholden to upper management forever, and grant them the absolute ability to terminate your employment without cause or legal recourse at their discretion? I doubt it. Don't ask politicians to act that selflessly, then. It's not realistic.
As for Bernie, the ground shifted. He would have had a bad time in 2020 over his Israel position. His longstanding anti-China position came up smelling like roses, sentiment is broadly anti-corporate, and his populist approach to health care looks better with every passing year. People with insurance can't even get essential medications in this country, because the FDA and Congress are hopelessly incapable of ensuring those licensed to produce medications can maintain adequate supply. Insurers treat multi-billion-dollar fines as a cost of doing business, because they know they're bilking Medicare out of more.
I might not agree with all of Bernie's positions on healthcare, but it's clear radical change is needed.
Martin Alvito
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I think they would shut up, at least for right now. The structure of the problem in Britain is different. Grabbing as many seats as possible, then slow-walking change and exploiting incumbency advantage to retain the seats through the changes, is the time-tested play that worked well for the American left until Reagan and Gingrich altered the playing field.
In the US, we have a referendum on the rule of law. The line of attack on Bernie is the FBI investigation into his wife's dealings at Burlington College while its president that led to its collapse, and the sinecure positions handed to her kids by way of the college and the Sanders Institute. No charges were filed because no laws were broken, but it's all shady.
That attack plays well with (actual) centrists under normal circumstances. Here, we have the opponent doing the same things with his own kids, plus a whole bunch of far more concerning stuff. If tolerating legal nepotism and four years of populist rhetoric is the price to pay for trustworthy foreign policy and a commitment to the rule of law, the centrists in both parties pay it gladly.
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