Biden’s doing such a great job leaves the evil power-hungry “nabobs of negativity” no ammunition. They have only their lies and innuendos via sham investigations to use; the same old nasty games they’ve always played. Remember
This is the crucial year of all years. It's our only chance to let our voices be heard. Silence only rewards the other side. I don't intend to shut up. I have a feeling there are going to be a whole lot of us who understand the stakes and are going to get to work stopping the Trump Train.
Biden platform: strong economy, women's rights, affordable healthcare, infrastructure and environmental investments, preservation of democracy
Trump platform: dictator on day 1, jail political opponents, prison for abortion, concentration camps for migrants, drill baby drill, roll back environmental standards, abandon Ukraine, pardon convicted insurrectionists, white supremacist unleashed, tax cuts for the rich.
It seems so obvious, doesn't it? Yet the press falls all over itself to try to make them equals. Every time I see "Neither one of them is fit", I know I'm in the presence of a Trump supporter. Obfuscation. Projection. It's the only explanation for such a stupid statement.
Dismissing him solely on the basis of age is just intellectual laziness, an easy way to dismiss him that doesn't require us to look at deeper discomfort. So many of us want this era we're living through to come to an end. When Biden was elected, a good number of people thought it was the end of something. It hasn't been; in fact, the divisions among us and the power of the right have only increased. Now, we're back to an election that feels just like the last one, only maybe worse. We know, even more than we did then, how high the stakes are. We want a savior, and Biden hasn't been that in the way that people want him to be. Some other candidate (or pair of candidates) might allow us the fantasy that we've moved past and are going to get back elections that don't feel so fraught. Time for all of us to grow up.
The differences between Trump and Biden are so stark there should be no doubt--not even a smidgen--about who would make the better president. Still talking about lofty expectations for a Democratic president when Joe Biden is doing far better than most of us expected, and the country is decidedly better for it, is not only foolish it's dangerous. It casts doubt where it doesn't belong and it opens doors for third-party candidates.
I'll never understand the hesitation when it's either Biden or Trump. There is no other scenario, and there shouldn't be. Not at this late stage of the game. It has to be Biden. Biden has to win, and he has to win by a landslide.
If he wins by a landslide there's a good chance we'll take back Congress. And all we have to do it focus, vote Blue, and never look back.
I am not American but I know which one I would vote for and it wouldn’t be Trump. You make some fantastic points. One of my closest friend is 80. I am 65. She is smarter fitter and of course wiser which in turn makes for better decision making. She recently had a fall incurred a number of fractures. However she took the time to heal look after herself left things that didn’t need to be done e.g. housework. Guess what she is back to walking 5k writing doing everything she did before. I on the other hand didn’t still don’t hence why she is in better condition than me. Younger doesn’t always equal better. Enjoyed your post let’s hope for the sake of humanity everyone heeds your advice.
Your essay here, Ramona, is the most lucid, concise, and persuasive missive I’ve read about the “Joe too old” issue. I wish I had followers so I could share it to a wider audience. I’ll be 67 this year, and I have discovered that ageism really is the last acceptable prejudice, as I have seen people revel in practicing it. Biden has been an excellent president, one of the best of my lifetime, and he deserves better treatment than he had received. His competence and experience may have saved our country. He and his team undoubtedly got us out of the unmitigated death and disaster of Covid. And now, thanks to his leadership, we are the only G7 nation to have emerged from the pandemic with a booming economy. Thank you for saying this so clearly and so well.
otoh, the reason I quit going to church was because not only did they abandon me, but they encouraged life-long friends and family to abandon me when I came out as lesbian, 45 years ago. (and being "good" church-goers, they did.)
this one makes me happy that I can subscribe and hear more of your thoughtful words.
Those in the media, including some formerly Pulitzer winning newspapers, have taken to salacious, misleading (at best) headlines, front page, above the fold. Reporters tend to yell at Presidents and others too, asking only questions that might get said reporter a headline. Respectfully asking a relevant question is not in the games these days.
Most of the gaggle are under 40, so naturally they label anyone older that themselves as old....what the .... happened to the belief that old folk are wise, have real life experiences often times rendering them as people to respect and learn from.
Yes, we oldsters, including our President, are angry with the current mode by media and some citizens as well to seemingly discount, if not render us useless, no longer needed, people.
They go after Biden for every little thing, then pour salt on the wounds by letting Trump get by with lies and behavior so outrageous it's getting harder and harder for them to figure out ways to normalize him. So they just pretend he's not so bad.
Thank you, Ramona, for telling it like it is! Looking forward to my 79th birthday in July and quite frankly wiser about the ways of the world than my younger self.
Great and bracing perspective, Ramona, which I needed to read.
It's sometimes easy to fall in to the trap of being upset about a comment not because it's true or relevant, but because you think other people will think it's true or relevant, and then you yourself start wondering whether it's in fact true or relevant.
I have never questioned that I would vote against Trump. it's a question more of keeping my enthusiasm up for Biden, which means doing more than just voting for him. Some of the wind was taken out of my sails with all the recent coverage, but you put it back.
On the one hand, members of the press are singing lavish praises for the way Biden's been handling issues near and dear to our hearts, both economically and socially. He's being touted as the most successful president in decades.
And on the other hand we see pundits like Bob Costas and Bill Maher discussing (on Friday night) Joe's 'hubris' for staying in the race when they're sure he can't win. That's madness.
Biden has worked hard for his successes and he's not done yet. He has his cabinet in place and things are rolling along--or they would be if he didn't have to deal with Republicans in congress who refuse to give him an inch during an election year or any other year.
But why on earth would he drop out? They say he's unpopular. Well, no. He's not.
So why on earth would he drop out? What has he done that would disqualify him? The answer is, nothing. So why do these guys keep working that lie? That's the question. And I don't have an answer. I only know Biden is not going to drop out and most of us wouldn't want him to.
And these are the kinds of things that keep so many of us awake and alert. We're constantly having to fight against the incessant propaganda machines.
They should have learned their lesson in 2016, when the most unlikely, the least qualified candidate in all of U.S politics rose to the top and moved into the White House after a months-long smear campaign that ruined Hilary's chances and set us up for disaster
But no, they're doing it again. And if Trump wins, what they'll have done will again be unforgivable--and irreversible. We aren't going to let that happen.
(If you aren't reading Heather Cox Richardson, that might be a good place to start in order to see a clearer picture. She's brilliant, she's honest, and she writes about all of this in a way that's easy to understand.)
Because it can’t be said out loud the ageism argument plants a seed about Biden declining or dying in office, during a second term , and a Black Woman becoming President.
Ageism sucks.
Both ways. It is also ageism to assume a young president would be good for the country.
Sure. That was what people said about JFK when he ran in 1960.
I'd forgotten that! Yes they did.
Biden’s doing such a great job leaves the evil power-hungry “nabobs of negativity” no ammunition. They have only their lies and innuendos via sham investigations to use; the same old nasty games they’ve always played. Remember
This is the crucial year of all years. It's our only chance to let our voices be heard. Silence only rewards the other side. I don't intend to shut up. I have a feeling there are going to be a whole lot of us who understand the stakes and are going to get to work stopping the Trump Train.
Biden platform: strong economy, women's rights, affordable healthcare, infrastructure and environmental investments, preservation of democracy
Trump platform: dictator on day 1, jail political opponents, prison for abortion, concentration camps for migrants, drill baby drill, roll back environmental standards, abandon Ukraine, pardon convicted insurrectionists, white supremacist unleashed, tax cuts for the rich.
Their ages are irrelevant.
It seems so obvious, doesn't it? Yet the press falls all over itself to try to make them equals. Every time I see "Neither one of them is fit", I know I'm in the presence of a Trump supporter. Obfuscation. Projection. It's the only explanation for such a stupid statement.
Exactly, projection at it worst.
Any particular place you found all of this astounding information?
Your argument that Trump is more mentally fit than Biden is so out of line I have to assume you're just here for the giggles. I'm not playing.
Did you mean to respond to a different post? Otherwise; this is non sequitur, not your style.
Troll.
Thank you Mary. It is nice to know, early in a thread, those who will have trouble following a discussion.
Dismissing him solely on the basis of age is just intellectual laziness, an easy way to dismiss him that doesn't require us to look at deeper discomfort. So many of us want this era we're living through to come to an end. When Biden was elected, a good number of people thought it was the end of something. It hasn't been; in fact, the divisions among us and the power of the right have only increased. Now, we're back to an election that feels just like the last one, only maybe worse. We know, even more than we did then, how high the stakes are. We want a savior, and Biden hasn't been that in the way that people want him to be. Some other candidate (or pair of candidates) might allow us the fantasy that we've moved past and are going to get back elections that don't feel so fraught. Time for all of us to grow up.
The differences between Trump and Biden are so stark there should be no doubt--not even a smidgen--about who would make the better president. Still talking about lofty expectations for a Democratic president when Joe Biden is doing far better than most of us expected, and the country is decidedly better for it, is not only foolish it's dangerous. It casts doubt where it doesn't belong and it opens doors for third-party candidates.
I'll never understand the hesitation when it's either Biden or Trump. There is no other scenario, and there shouldn't be. Not at this late stage of the game. It has to be Biden. Biden has to win, and he has to win by a landslide.
If he wins by a landslide there's a good chance we'll take back Congress. And all we have to do it focus, vote Blue, and never look back.
I agree.
I am not American but I know which one I would vote for and it wouldn’t be Trump. You make some fantastic points. One of my closest friend is 80. I am 65. She is smarter fitter and of course wiser which in turn makes for better decision making. She recently had a fall incurred a number of fractures. However she took the time to heal look after herself left things that didn’t need to be done e.g. housework. Guess what she is back to walking 5k writing doing everything she did before. I on the other hand didn’t still don’t hence why she is in better condition than me. Younger doesn’t always equal better. Enjoyed your post let’s hope for the sake of humanity everyone heeds your advice.
Good for your friend! Another example that proves age has nothing to do with it. 💕
Your essay here, Ramona, is the most lucid, concise, and persuasive missive I’ve read about the “Joe too old” issue. I wish I had followers so I could share it to a wider audience. I’ll be 67 this year, and I have discovered that ageism really is the last acceptable prejudice, as I have seen people revel in practicing it. Biden has been an excellent president, one of the best of my lifetime, and he deserves better treatment than he had received. His competence and experience may have saved our country. He and his team undoubtedly got us out of the unmitigated death and disaster of Covid. And now, thanks to his leadership, we are the only G7 nation to have emerged from the pandemic with a booming economy. Thank you for saying this so clearly and so well.
Thank you for your thoughts here, Susan. It means a lot to know I'm not alone in thinking this. ❤️
Biden is my grandmother who was still sharp as a tack even though she had to go through every grandchild’s name before getting to the right one.
Trump is a delusional nativist authoritarian who tried to overturn an election.
It’s that simple.
Oh, yeah! Perfect! ❤️
I mean, but tbh, I only had one child and I would go through my brother's name and my dog & cat's names before I hit on his.
when I was 35.
I know! I did it with all three of my kids. Now I do it with all three of my grandkids!
We don’t respect our elders as many other countries do, to our detriment.
Respect has gone by the wayside here in the U.S. This is just one example. And it hurts.
Sermons this long is why I quit going to church.
Your presence isn't mandatory. Nobody is forcing you to read it.
otoh, the reason I quit going to church was because not only did they abandon me, but they encouraged life-long friends and family to abandon me when I came out as lesbian, 45 years ago. (and being "good" church-goers, they did.)
this one makes me happy that I can subscribe and hear more of your thoughtful words.
Hooray, Ramona! Spot on.
Those in the media, including some formerly Pulitzer winning newspapers, have taken to salacious, misleading (at best) headlines, front page, above the fold. Reporters tend to yell at Presidents and others too, asking only questions that might get said reporter a headline. Respectfully asking a relevant question is not in the games these days.
Most of the gaggle are under 40, so naturally they label anyone older that themselves as old....what the .... happened to the belief that old folk are wise, have real life experiences often times rendering them as people to respect and learn from.
Yes, we oldsters, including our President, are angry with the current mode by media and some citizens as well to seemingly discount, if not render us useless, no longer needed, people.
But we wizened old folk don't forget to vote.
Time to hold a rally maybe!
Bonnie
Thanks, Ramona
They go after Biden for every little thing, then pour salt on the wounds by letting Trump get by with lies and behavior so outrageous it's getting harder and harder for them to figure out ways to normalize him. So they just pretend he's not so bad.
But oh, that Biden!
👏👏👏 I endorse every word you said here. I’m a year from turning 80, and I’m so tired of all this ageism.
Thank you, Ramona, for telling it like it is! Looking forward to my 79th birthday in July and quite frankly wiser about the ways of the world than my younger self.
Great and bracing perspective, Ramona, which I needed to read.
It's sometimes easy to fall in to the trap of being upset about a comment not because it's true or relevant, but because you think other people will think it's true or relevant, and then you yourself start wondering whether it's in fact true or relevant.
Thanks, David. We live in an age of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, so it's a constant battle to look for the truth.
I didn't vote for Joe Biden in the primaries but I'm behind him 100 percent now. I haven't seen anything that would make me change my mind.
As for Trump, there are no gray areas. What you see is what you get.
Hear, hear!
Brilliant piece of writing.
❤️❤️❤️
I have never questioned that I would vote against Trump. it's a question more of keeping my enthusiasm up for Biden, which means doing more than just voting for him. Some of the wind was taken out of my sails with all the recent coverage, but you put it back.
On the one hand, members of the press are singing lavish praises for the way Biden's been handling issues near and dear to our hearts, both economically and socially. He's being touted as the most successful president in decades.
And on the other hand we see pundits like Bob Costas and Bill Maher discussing (on Friday night) Joe's 'hubris' for staying in the race when they're sure he can't win. That's madness.
Biden has worked hard for his successes and he's not done yet. He has his cabinet in place and things are rolling along--or they would be if he didn't have to deal with Republicans in congress who refuse to give him an inch during an election year or any other year.
But why on earth would he drop out? They say he's unpopular. Well, no. He's not.
So why on earth would he drop out? What has he done that would disqualify him? The answer is, nothing. So why do these guys keep working that lie? That's the question. And I don't have an answer. I only know Biden is not going to drop out and most of us wouldn't want him to.
And these are the kinds of things that keep so many of us awake and alert. We're constantly having to fight against the incessant propaganda machines.
They should have learned their lesson in 2016, when the most unlikely, the least qualified candidate in all of U.S politics rose to the top and moved into the White House after a months-long smear campaign that ruined Hilary's chances and set us up for disaster
But no, they're doing it again. And if Trump wins, what they'll have done will again be unforgivable--and irreversible. We aren't going to let that happen.
(If you aren't reading Heather Cox Richardson, that might be a good place to start in order to see a clearer picture. She's brilliant, she's honest, and she writes about all of this in a way that's easy to understand.)
Because it can’t be said out loud the ageism argument plants a seed about Biden declining or dying in office, during a second term , and a Black Woman becoming President.
Absolutely right! There is that aspect. Thank you for the reminder, Rich.