Wrong in every way possible to be wrong

[angrychair]

Biden at a fundraiser tonight, on his desire to work with the Republican Party post Trump.

“With Trump gone you’re going to begin to see things change. Because these folks know better. They know this isn’t what they’re supposed to be doing."

With all due respect, I honestly don't dislike Biden but this statement from a man that was friends and VP to Obama for 8 years seems tone deaf at best.
It implies "good 'ole days" mentality which begs the question, "good old days for who?"

There should be little doubt that Republicans are not our friends and have zero desire to be constructive or helpful to the American people. Their sole desire is more money and power and the only focus is who they can crush under their heels to get it.

Check out @samstein’s Tweet:

Link to tweet

?s=09

[HopeAgain]

1. Expecting people to act out of their better nature...

who have no better nature.

This next election has to be about outrage and this is not how to get us there.

[quickesst]

2. Any Democratic president....

.... Will have to try to some measure work with Republicans. They are not going to disappear with the election of a Democratic president. If by chance, you are inferring that Biden would simply fold under any pressure from these Republicans, then I believe you are sadly mistaken. It's one thing to give them the opportunity to work with a Biden White House, and it is a completely different thing to try and buck a Biden White House.

[stonecutter357]

3. let's go Joe !

[mtnsnake]

4. If Biden wins, Repubs will immediately sign another one of those idiotic, unconstitutional pledges

to obstruct Biden no matter what. Surely Biden knows this after what happened during 8 years of Obama where the Republicans obstructed him on every single measure possible. Hopefully Biden is just saying this for purely political purposes of going after the fence sitting moderates' vote.

[Ace Rothstein]

5. If they hold the Senate I can honestly see them not confirming any Cabinet heads.

[mtnsnake]

6. That is why we need to take over the entire Congress as well as winning the presidency.

The Republicans across the board all need to be given the boot.

[pangaia]

12. I would prefer he tell the truth about who and what republicans really are.

WAKE people up.

NOBODY with half a brain OR conscience OR personal integrity can support ANY republican !

[mtnsnake]

15. Yes. When you think about it, that might work even better

when it comes to looking for extra votes. You are right.

[pangaia]

18. I don;t know if I am right, but I sure wish ALL dems would do that.

Like AOC does !!!!

Smack 'em in the head with it until that get it.
No other way. We've tried that, for 40 years....

[George II]

44. You don't think they'll do that no matter which Democrat wins?

[mtnsnake]

48. Of course they'll do it no matter which Democrat wins.

I mentioned Biden because the thread is only about him. If it was Elizabeth Warren who said the same things about working with Republicans as what Biden said, then I would have referenced her, but it wasn't her, it was Biden.

[watoos]

7. No president tried harder than Obama

to work with Repukes, remind me again how many voted for the ACA?

[sop]

8. All the other candidates would say the same thing if asked

They can't say, "No, I'll never work with the other party." Only Republicans can promise that and get elected.

[Indygram]

10. Anyone will have to work with Republicans

But you can be willing to do that without flattering and slobbering all over them collectively.

Some Republicans can be worked with and some simply aren't. Acting like you can work with all Republicans and that will suddenly all see the light and change is foolish and unrealistic.

[sop]

21. The correct response would be

"We'll take back the Senate and increase our majority in the House, so Republicans will have to work with me when I am elected."

[marylandblue]

20. Yes, IF ASKED, they will provide the necessary platitudes.

But only Biden is making it a campaign theme. The question is: are there enough Democrats who believe that the other side will really come to their senses once Trump is gone?

[sop]

22. It seems Biden's given up on the far left vote and going early for the Trump voters

But, he's got to win the nomination first. If he stays with the old "I've got a lot of great Republican friends in the Senate, I can work with them to get things done" routine during the primaries, he's going to have problems.

[Indygram]

9. The more he opens his mouth the more people will be reminded

Why he never did well in his prior runs.

Not only is he out of step with the Democratic electorate...he's not even on the same path. Times have changed and left him behind. Democrats can do so much better.

[Wounded Bear]

11. Heinlein said: "Never depend on the other guy's better nature...

he may not have one."

The Repubs have been building up to Trump for decades. Expecting a swift turn to 'normalcy' is a fantasy.

[pangaia]

14. It is like our HOA management agency rep.

She is a completely ignorant, smoke blowing, lying, incompetent buffoon. She ain't going to get any better. But, I can not convince our HOA board to dump her. They just want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Well, folks. There IS NO doubt.

[LibFarmer]

13. No revolution....

that is heartbreaking to some

[angrychair]

24. I don't want a "revolution"

Not exactly sure what that even means in this context.

What is true is that Biden was Obama's VP for 8 yrs, before that he was in the Senate and House during ppl like Bush and Cheney and the Congress that tried to impeach Bill Clinton on thinner materialthan we have agains trump.

It is more than fair to make the generalization that all Republicans are filthy assholes just based on the 8 yrs of Obama's presidency alone. Not to mention Bush jr and Republicans in Congress. Or Bush Sr and Republicans in Congress. Or Reagan and Republicans in Congress. Or Nixon and Republicans in Congress.

Things did not become this way because of trump, trump was the logical result of Republican actions.

As someone smarter than me said:

I’m sorry, but this is fantasy. TheGOP didn’t know better with Gingrich, Bush/Cheney, Boehner/McConnell. This is not just about Trump. The GOP has been feeding this beast for decades. The only way to tame it, is to beat it badly at the polls. Not placate it.

Check out @jjz1600’s Tweet:

Link to tweet

?s=09

[LibFarmer]

25. So do you want

Republicans and Democrats at each other's throats and screaming at each other while nothing gets done?

Smell the coffee -- republicans are going to be around ... for a long time.

To pass anything at all, we will have to work with them - or at least some of them.

[angrychair]

29. Respectfully

You are missing the point being made by me and the thousands of people that have weighed in on his statement, including people like Stein or Zogby and others.
It's one thing to attempt to get something productive from them, to try and work with them, it is completely different than implying our current situation with trump and the Senate is because of trump, as Biden said, "They know this isn’t what they’re supposed to be doing."
By every indication, they know exactly what they are doing and have been doing it for decades before trump came on the scene.

More importantly, from a political messaging perspective, as a Democrat, especially those that lived through the Obama years, talking about Republicans in Congress as if they are wayward children that have been lead astray by trump comes across as tone deaf and very poor messaging.

[LibFarmer]

30. Common sense tells me

that he is driving a wedge between the stupid MAGA Trump voters and the rank and file traditional republicans. It is good politics.

[angrychair]

36. At the cost to who?

The mistake is to think there is such an animal as a "rank and file traditional Republican". Or to think that there is enough there to play the middle and shift Republican voters, who in survey after survey, support trump by margins as high as 98%.

Your "rank and file" Republican majorities in state legislatures like WI and IN are are trying to force women to have the baby of their rapist and have funerals for their miscarriages.

That "rank and file" voted to impeach Clinton but refuse to on trump.

Those "rank and file" Republicans called Obama an American hating Muslim extremist for 8 years and continue to this day to imply that Joe is a pedophile.

While it's one thing to try and work with Republicans, its completely another to absolve them of their sins and use make that an actual campaign strategy.

[LanternWaste]

38. To those who want to pretend he said something other than what he said.

"At the cost to who?"

To those who want to pretend he said something other than what he said. Biased hacks, in other words.

[angrychair]

40. Hardly biased in the context you mean

At the end of the day I want the winner of the GE to be a Democrat.

Despite my criticisms during these primaries, if Biden is our nominee I have always committed to tirelessly campaign for him in the GE to beat trump (or Pence if trump is ultimately impeached).

Nothing changes that.

I may not agree with a centrist campaign strategy or perspective that believes Republicans are or ever were anything other than exactly as they appear to be, I am unconditionally committed to electing our nominee.

Healthy criticism should not only be welcomed but encouraged. If my perspective is wrong or flawed make your case as to how instead of calling me a "biased hack" with little to no other commentary.

[melman]

41. Here's what he said

"Because these folks know better. They know this isn’t what they’re supposed to be doing"


Where's the evidence that this is in any way true?

[Skittles]

45. you are seriously running out of argument

[TheSocialDem]

34. Well put. Nt.

[Hortensis]

23. SO, Angrychair, let's look at the future:

Government split between warring Republicans and Democrats, most of what needs to be done undone. Whichever party has some power each 2- and 4-year period either builds or destroys according to its nature, which the other party then tries to reverse when in power. A continuing downhill slide of our broken government.

How long until our increasingly broken, UN-REPRESENTATIVE democracy collapses and is dragged into some degraded authoritarian form because both parties refuse to work together to REPRESENT and SERVE the people?

Imo, ewhat you imagine you want is wrong in every possible. If the cooperation and compromises necessary to democracy are so objectionable, you might try imagining life defined by knuckling under to a government that's now too dangerous to cross. No input of cooperation or compromise allowed, just obedience and avoiding the wrong attention. Better?

[angrychair]

32. Not sure we are talking about the same thing

President Obama bent over backwards trying to find a middle ground with Republicans, more so than any president in the modern era, and got nothing but racist nonsense and a complete lack of cooperation or compromise from them in 8 years.
Despite amazing achievements, he did it with Republicans doing everything they could to make him fail.

From a political messaging perspective, as a Democrat, especially those that lived through the Obama years, talking about Republicans in Congress as if they are wayward children that have been lead astray by trump comes across as tone deaf and becomes very poor messaging.

It's one thing to try and work with Republicans as honest brokers but completely another to placate them and absolve them when they have done nothing to earn that deference.

[qazplm135]

26. everyone knows he doesn't actually believe this

he's selling a vision to moderate voters.

Acting like he is delusional and believes this is based on not wanting him to win.
Heck, I don't want him to be the nominee either, but it's pretty clear to me this is Politics-speak 101.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

27. K & R

[guillaumeb]

28. My response is here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212180034

[SouthernProgressive]

31. This is what many people want to hear. It's good campaigning.

There is a small group that can't comprehend it. It's actually pretty simple.

[Tarheel_Dem]

33. What other choice would he have? What other choice would any of them have?

[corbettkroehler]

35. Recently, McConnell Expressed Zero Regret For Blocking Merrick Garland (n/t)

[LanternWaste]

37. You're confusing "imply" and "infer." Again.

And from there, your premise becomes both unsupported and flawed.

[angrychair]

39. This is the quote

As related by Stein's tweet:

With Trump gone you’re going to begin to see things change. Because these folks know better. They know this isn’t what they’re supposed to be doing."

The clear implication is that trump is making Republicans do bad things and that just is not true.

Just the 8 yrs of Obama makes that crystal clear.

Political messaging to some mythical center-right Republicans that want to return to the "good 'ole days of principled compromise with our brothers and sisters across the isle" is just that, a myth.

Are there such Republicans? Sure. But I would counter that placating that very small demo will turn off more Democrats than playing that middle is going to get you.

[GulfCoast66]

42. I think he is correct. If trump loses, and especially the senate and we keep the house,

There will be a schism in that party that will put anything we Have seen to shame.

The most rabid bunch will follow Trump into the wilderness as he tries to keep what power he can. And you just know he will. He cares fuck about the Republican Party. But once he is a loser he will never hold sway on all of them like now.

Senate Republicans from rapidly changing states like Florida, NC and Nevada will know their future does not lie where he wants to take them.

The house will still be full of the most extreme but until we get a handle on gerrymandering that won’t change.

And finally, what else is he going to say. Most voters and even most Democratic Voters are not on sites like DU getting angrier by the day, as I do. Even if Biden knows it bullshit he has to say it cause it is what many Americans want to hear.

And he will work with them. If they give us most of what we want. Which of course, few will do

[hughee99]

43. But if Biden wins, we're going to cure cancer.

Who doesn’t hate cancer?

[earthshine]

46. Not "good 'ole days." Good ole boys club.

We can do better than Biden.

He was actually quoted as saying, "Dick Cheney is a nice guy."

[Politicub]

47. This is my only gripe with Biden

After how McConnell and the GOP fucked-over President Obama by not holding a vote on his Supreme Court nominee, I don’t think they deserve any kind of understanding.

Most of the same crusty cronies who were in the senate in 2015/2016 are there now. Biden sounds naive when he says stuff like this.

They will roll over Biden as hard or harder than they did President Obama.