EA on Monocle Radio and BBC: #Biden v. #Trump --- A Campaign of Issues v. Insults
https://eaworldview.com/2024/03/biden-trump-campaign-issues-v-insults/
@ScottLucas really? No the huge reaction to the state of the Union address was so negative because Biden focused so much on insults and spectacle.
The guy couldn't stop hurling insults at political detractors and talking about Trump over and over instead of talking about the issues.
That's the whole problem with the guy.
@volkris --- I appreciate these talking points from Fox/Breitbart/Town Hall/etc.
They go to show that Biden was much stronger than they expected, so they couldn't trot out the "Sleepy/Senile Joe" white noise.
Instead, they complained that the State of the Union was "political" --- as if the SOTU was ever "apolitical".
@ScottLucas I have no idea what any of those outlets are saying.
However I do know what even left leaning discussions have been coming out on, and if you're telling me that Breitbart and Fox News and my left is friends are all in the same page that Biden was so unpresidential here, that really says something.
If Biden is able to unite people against himself from those far-flung corners of the population, well...
@volkris --- Sorry, there's absolutely no substance in that reply.
Apparently you missed all the issues in the SOTU: economy and infrastructure, immigration, women's rights, health care, Ukraine, and of course the Trump threat to the US system.
Let's discuss one of those rather than your ad hominems.
@ScottLucas but they weren't approached with substance.
Which was a shame, a missed opportunity, which is exactly what I am faulting Biden for
@volkris --- Really? Let's start with economy and infrastructure. Where do you find fault with both the Administration's record and the presentation in the SOTU? Be specific.
@ScottLucas I'm not talking about the administration's record, even though I have enormous issues with it and the harm that the administration has done particularly to things like science and the national labs.
The national labs are having tremendous problems operating under this administration because of their dictates. And I really want to bring more attention to that because this administration has been terrible for science.
But what I'm trying to highlight is how the SOTU stood up as a stump speech that failed to address the larger country as it must if Biden wants to actually implement any of his proposals.
You might love what the guy is pushing for, but that's even more reason to bash him for a speech that will make it even harder for him to gain support for his proposals.
Everything is falling apart under this guy. We need to highlight that and get a different nominee.
@volkris --- Sorry, what is your specific objection to the passage on the economy and infrastructure? Address the speech rather than making generalizations without substance.
@ScottLucas you asked about the administration's record. Well, the record is really pretty awful, an administration that is failing to accomplish the goals of the departments under its perview as it is, much less as it might be if we gave the president even more power.
So specifically, I was pointing out that the national labs have suffered tremendous degradation under this administration, with new rules coming down that interfere with the scientific missions.
And they want more power? After they're screwing up what they already have to do?
This is a pretty big deal.
We need to call out Biden for being a disaster and not give him the more power that he is requesting in his ridiculous State of the Union address.
That the address provoked chants of four more years just highlighted what a ridiculous campaign speech it was instead of a speech that could actually lead to consensus to drive his policies forward.
@volkris --- OK, you still can't/won't address any substance in the State of the Union address
(Your only point about the Admin's record is a vague and unsubstantiated claim about "national labs")
Will you be supporting Trump in November's election?
@ScottLucas I can try to rephrase: I have many criticisms of the SOTU presentation on infrastructure and the economy, but one of the core criticisms is that Biden's presentation didn't work toward consensus that would actually lead to the implementation of his proposals.
By sticking with positions that have already been long-rejected by groups outside his base, Biden's speed didn't work to bring over supporters that he'd need to actually do what he was proposing.
And that's regardless of whether they were good ideas or not--a much bigger question.
This is why it's so noteworthy that he delivered a stump speech at the SOTU address.
As for supporting Trump, no, I do everything I can to point out what a defective candidate he has been.
@volkris ---- Again, specifics needed. "Which "positions...have been long-rejected by groups outside his base?"
@ScottLucas well, skimming through the speech, the funny thing is how often Biden himself identifies his rhetoric as explicitly divisive.
Take, for example, "With a law I proposed and signed and not one Republican voted for we finally beat Big Pharma!"
You may very well be happy about the law, but that's not the point here.
The point is that this is no way to gain Republican support for the things he now needs their votes for going forward.
Not to mention, Republicans reject the idea--again, for better or worse--as shown by the lack of votes that Biden himself recognized for some reason.
This kind of thing is exactly why this speech was so counterproductive.
I think you're missing the forest for the trees.
The point is NOT whether some position of Biden's is good or bad. For the sake of argument let's say all of his positions are great, if that helps you.
Even in that case, with every one of his proposals excellent, his presentation was the issue, as they squandered his ability to make progress on his own policies.
So you see, IF all of the policies were great but the speech set up roadblocks to great policies, THAT's why the SOTU was itself the problem.
@volkris ---- The "roadblocks" are the Trumpists and hard-line Republicans.
You're burning down the house because you don't like the wallpaper.
Suggest, if you want to be constructive, that you focus on issues in chatting with folks --- especially the threat of a Trump term to the entire US system.
If you can't, please just stand aside and let us get on with that.
@ScottLucas you're getting the system backwards, though: it's not that disagreeing representatives are roadblocks as much as actors needed in our democratic system to get things done.
YES, I'm critical of representatives and I constantly tell voters to stop reelecting jerks. But so long as people reelect jerks, well, that's the Congress we have.
If the president wants to get things done then, well it's rough but he'll have to work with them. There's no way around that in the US system of representative government.
You're not going to get on with anything if you don't work with the people you need to work with. That's the whole point.
That approach will simply fail, and fail loudly.
@volkris ---- Sorry, I asked you to discuss a specific issue from SOTU speech, not to make generalizations.
I presume you did support the legislation over prescription drugs?