Joe Biden doesn’t like people talking about his age
Dark Brandon: A Meme of Joe Biden in a White House with a Hallucinogenic Ad Using a Young Voter Midterm
Anderson, a Republican strategist and pollster, is the author of the book “The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (and How Republicans Can Keep Up.)” The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more opinion articles on CNN.
For those who do not know – and my own polling suggests that is most everyone reading this – “Dark Brandon” is a meme of President Joe Biden, rendered as an all-powerful hero (or villain, depending on your perspective). It was appropriated by Democrats to praise the President, which began as a right-wing phrase.
The meme reached the height of its powers, whatever those may be, when the Democratic group Building Back Together released a hallucinogenic 30-second ad earlier this month featuring the meme of President Biden, lasers coming out of his eyes and all. What is the message? Biden is an exciting and successful hero on issues like student loan debt. Or rather, “if you’re unenthused about Biden and the Democratic Party, please don’t be.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/29/opinions/democrats-young-voters-midterms-anderson/index.html
Predictions for a Biden versus Trump Midterm in the 2022 Election: The Early Flavor Chase of a Young, Polarized, Democratic Party
There is a chance that young voters will stay home in order to save the Democratic Party from a red wave.
However, my own firm’s analysis suggests that voters under the age of 30 could fall to only 10% of the electorate in 2022 –a year where we expect overall turnout to be historic for a midterm at over 125 million votes.
When one generation takes over, voters are ready for the next presidential campaign. A Biden versus Trump race would raise questions over whether a bitterly polarized political system, where democracy itself is at stake, has lost the capacity for self-renewal that has always been an American strength. It suggests that the appeal of an outsider, which produced presidents in 1992, 2008 and 2016 has been kept at bay.
Democrats are in a difficult spot because of a backdrop of young Americans being more vocal about their politics. Companies are grappling with Gen Z and Millennial employees who seem keener than ever to work for employers that align with their political and cultural worldview. I regularly hear from business leaders who know that younger consumers are voting with their wallets and opting for products and services that match their values.
As the most turbulent White House race in modern history looms large, many voters are pining for a break from the past and present, even though former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden are both moving toward a rerun.
Trump was regularly winning big primaries in 2016 with between 30% and 40% of the vote in a large field. According to a CNN poll, 42% of Republican and Republican-leaning independents want Trump to be their nominee again. If he were the nominee, two-thirds of those said they would most likely support someone else.
It is early. And the 2022 midterms offer a still fresh reminder that in a volatile, partisan age shadowed by crises at home and abroad, logic, history, polls and pre-race predictions months ahead of time often don’t count for much.
But the race is on, whether voters want it or not. Early impressions of the contender’s strengths are important because they shape the decisions of potential rivals and donors in the early money chase. Biden is giving every indication that he will run in the New Year, and Trump is already a candidate, although he could use a refresh after a slow start.
The midterm elections, in which Democrats held the Senate and Republicans won a tiny House majority, help explain the poll’s findings. The voters hoping for a normal life after Biden promised a return to public health and inflation challenges weren’t enthusiastic about the president’s low approval numbers. But they didn’t trust a GOP still largely under Trump’s sway to fix things either.
One of the emerging paradoxes in the race is also revealed by the poll. Even though they are the most powerful figures in their parties, both Biden and Trump seem oddly vulnerable at the start of the two-year campaign, and could face complications from a shifting political environment, outside factors or age.
Another campaign will test whether there’s been any erosion in Trump’s base. Even though his connection to voters may not be enough to win him the presidency, it could still carry him to his third straight nomination. Republican lawmakers are not willing to repudiate Trump over his recent comments about the Constitution because he is supported by his supporters at home. Kevin McCarthy has found ways to avoid condemning Trump’s associations with extremists in order to win the speaker’s gavel next month.
But the president ends the year in better political shape than Trump, and appears to have stabilized his slump. This summer, only 25% of Democrat-aligned voters wanted him to be their nominee. Now that figure is 40%. The advantage of a sitting president with a primary challenger is further enhanced by the fact that almost all those who want someone else have no one particular in mind.
At a time of transition, Republican politics may or may not be there. How things go in the next few months will have an effect on the future of Trump. More and more Republicans are saying it is time to move on after many of their candidates lost the election.
And Trump’s dinner with extremists with a record of antisemitism like White supremacist Nick Fuentes and rapper Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago is bolstering their arguments that his general election viability is damaged beyond repair. Trump’s so-far lackluster campaign, which looks like it was declared to make it easier for him to portray criminal probes into his conduct as persecution, isn’t convincing anyone so far.
And yet, the former president’s allies, like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Jim Jordan of Ohio, will be hugely influential in the new GOP House majority. The failure of Republicans to do better in November will allow extremists to use a thinner majority as a weapon to harm Biden and help Trump in the future.
The lowest point in three CNN polls this year will be seen as an opening by GOP hopefuls for an anti-Trump candidate. But another big field could splinter opposition to the ex-president among untested potential foes.
Joe Biden at his 40th birthday: A new record for the oldest president in American history and a new challenge for his role in Congress
When President Joe Biden sets out for his annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday morning, he’ll be setting a new record – as he does every morning – as the oldest US president ever.
If there was a catastrophe at the capitol, the labor secretary, Marty Walsh, would stay away as a designated survivor, but he is expected to step down soon.
Mr. Biden called for Congress to raise the minimum wage, make premium savings on health plans permanent, impose a minimum tax on billionaires and triple the tax on corporate stock returns during his speech.
While those did not generate much applause from Republicans, Mr. Biden nonetheless put forward the latest elements of what aides call his “unity agenda,” a menu of policy proposals that presumably could attract bipartisan support. Initiatives to tackle the opiate epidemic, enhance cancer research and treatment, expand access to mental health services, and improve benefits for veterans appeared among them.
Ms. Sanders directly went after him over his age. “At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country. She said that he was the oldest president in American history. She didn’t say whether Mr. Trump should be nominated for a third time.
The Rise and Fall of Biden: A Prime-time Address to the American Parliament and the Challenge of Running in the Era of Election Day
Mr. Biden still did not shy from the fight. Even when he was promoting bipartisanship, he relished jabbing Republicans. Many Republicans voted against an infrastructure package yet still requested money from it for their districts, at one point.
Biden has said he intends to run again, though he hasn’t made a decision yet. Even though aides say the president has told them that his age will not be the determining factor in his final decision about running for reelection, conversations about it are shaping everything from planning anticipated campaign schedule logistics to calibrating Vice President Kamala Harris’ role as his running mate.
It is leading to a focus on events that attempt to play up the president’s vitality, while also trying to strike a balance in the schedule of a tired man.
It also underscored the importance of a State of the Union address advisers viewed as Biden at his best, from cadence and delivery to his off-script sparring with Republicans in the House chamber. In a prime-time speech to tens of millions of viewers, the president lay out his vision and accomplishments for the country, and gave a detailed account of what he had accomplished.
It also showed why his age shouldn’t be viewed as a problem for him to lead the country down that path.
The effect was immediate with Democratic officials watching. It was a night that some people acknowledged went a long way in ending their concerns regarding the leader of the party.
One of those Democrats said that Biden went back to the phrase “finish the job” roughly a dozen times.
Advisers to Biden are already looking for low impact ways to maximize the visibility of him, just as Obama did in 2011. It would add to the formula used in the lead up to the November elections, where Biden deviated from road warrior, rally heavy strategy and tailored and targeted events in favor of smaller crowds.
“Funny that we didn’t hear much from the critics about that strategy after November 8,” one adviser said sarcastically of the Democrats’ precedent-busting performance on Election Day last year.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/joe-biden-age-question/index.html
The case for the White House: Joe Biden’s age and what he’s been doing in Washington despite Covid-19 shots, as indicated by his advisers
They are hoping for the largest digital effort of a presidential campaign ever, and one of the possible strategies is to keep up the kind of news making appearances he has been doing in and around Washington.
It is certain that a group of young politicians would be on top of the list of surrogates, even as one pointed out that this is due to the age of Biden.
“People feel like it’s a turbulent world that we’re living in, and it is a strength for Joe Biden to be able to point to not just years of experience in government up to this point, but more immediately his last two years in the White House being able to get things done, despite the turbulence,” said a second Biden adviser. “And what we’re seeing from Republicans in the House in terms of chaos and extremism is an incredibly powerful contrast too, that underscores the idea that his experience – and yes, age – is a benefit.”
The adviser went on to say that Biden’s team has a theory of the case they think will make up for any concerns that may arise.
People are going to ask who is on my side at the end of the day. the adviser said. “‘Who’s fighting for me? Who is making a material difference in my life?
Landrieu made the case for the White House to the mayors in January at a hotel less than a mile from the White House.
The mayors looked around uncomfortably, according to two people in the room. They’d been thinking about Biden’s age themselves, constantly hearing doubts he could or would run constantly from back home. They were startled to hear it said out loud by a White House official.
There are a lot more important numbers out there as he started to tick through the Covid-19 shots.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/joe-biden-age-question/index.html
Why does President Biden appear so old when he appears in office? Activists and Democrat officials are concerned about the political legacy of Donald Trump
Still, voters bring Biden’s age up constantly in focus groups. One person who had observed multiple focus group sessions during campaigns last year was of the opinion that he should be presumed to be brain dead or malfunctioning.
More than a dozen Democratic operatives and officials told CNN that they are concerned that Donald Trump or someone similar could make a show of seeming more energetic just by being in charge of the party at a certain age. A number of prominent people within the Democratic Party are questioning the president’s ability to keep up an active travel schedule.
While top White House aides are not opposed to any suggestion that the president has a potential liability, others in the building are worried that this may be an attempt to downplay the concerns of their friends and family members.
The Democrats are concerned about letting suspicions persist and comparing them to the hidden conditions that caused Hillary Clinton’s downfall.
The president’s opponents are talking about it. The media coverage of the classified documents that were found in Biden’s former office and garage made him out to be senile because he couldn’t remember how he got rid of them, or because he felt that Democrats had made him into a scapegoat by trying to make it seem like he
“They attacked him over age before he beat them in 2020. They attacked him over age as he built the best legislative record in modern history,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates. They did it before he beat them. I’m not sure what they think they’re accomplishing. The trend is not good for them. Maybe they forgot?
The Biden advisers argue that most of the people making those types of comments are Republicans, and that it is just a symptom of a political hyperpolarization. They say that Biden has no mental or physical competency issues thanks to the assessments done by outside experts.
Sure, there has been a noticeably increased stiffness to his walk since he’s been in office, aides say, so much so that the White House physician, brought in a team to assess Biden’s gait during his last physical in 2021. He had normal wear and tear on his spine.
They acknowledge there are days where his energy levels at public events can appear less vigorous. They will not support or approve of another Biden run unless he thinks he can do it.
Those words and an emphasis on Biden as an embodiment of reassurance popped up repeatedly among aides who are starting to look ahead.
The most significant moment at the end of the 2020 primary campaign was when Biden was endorsed by Harris, Booker and Michigan Gov., and described himself as a bridge to the next generation.
Many at the time took that to mean a four-year bridge, an implicit one-term promise that acknowledged his age. Advisers point out he’d previously rejected a one-term pledge.
Biden advisers also argue that the president’s persona as an elder statesman could help Democrats hold onto voters who see the party as changing too quickly and veering too far left.
Although there are clear moments when Biden is visibly slower physically than he was, dozens of aides, administration officials and members of Congress who’ve actually spent time with him have relayed stories to CNN about how thorough and demanding he is in meeting after meeting.
“There’s a confidence that comes from knowing what you’re doing,” Ted Kaufman, one of Biden’s closest friends and advisers since his first campaign, told CNN late last year.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/joe-biden-age-question/index.html
When President Biden stayed on his teleprompter to avoid the international crisis, and when he left, he returned to his hotel
He often gets stuck on, orMispronounces, names on his teleprompter, but that is more related to a confluence of wanting to get the name correct while not facing a block tied to the childhood stutter he worked extensively to overcome, but still surfaces in certain moments.
They say he’s the one constantly adding to his schedule, pushing for photo lines with local politicians and extra time to greet crowds after his events, or making meetings run over by peppering policy aides with questions.
“The energy is higher now than maybe when I first met him, and I really believe that that’s inspired by the work,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who as a Delaware Democrat has known and worked with Biden much of her life.
The 15-hour stretch in Indonesia at the Group of 20 meeting last November is one of the best opportunities to convey public perception and private reality.
Nearing the end of a grueling six-day, three-country trip to Asia that also included his first face-to-face meeting as president with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Biden chose to skip the gala dinner and went back to his hotel. Biden was so tired that he could not keep going.
The Secretary of State and national security adviser Jake Sullivan sat across from him as he tried to put a halt to the international crisis.
The missile that killed two people in Poland was the subject of a phone call between Biden and the Polish president, who was wearing a gray T-shirt from a Delaware garden supply center.
There were calls with the NATO secretary general and constant communication with his military leadership. Aides discussed an emergency call with G7 and NATO leaders. Biden said that wasn’t enough.
An hour later, Biden himself walked the 10 leaders who came to the Grand Hyatt through early intelligence that the missile likely was not of Russian origin. Fears of dramatic escalation quickly dissipated. After 30 minutes, Biden was telling stories to the French President and other leaders.
When reporters ask why the president has a light public schedule on the days after overseas trips, they quickly shoot it down as a joke, like when they asked why the president has a light public schedule. They insist that his midterm travel schedule proves how robust a presence he can be on the road, even though Biden rarely appeared at more than a few events each week through the fall.
Aides laugh at how often his reaction to seeing news mentions of his age is to do a little jog in or out of his next public event. Friends say he’s taken to making sarcastic references to his age, even as he speaks proudly about all he’s been able to accomplish.
Or there was his move three weeks ago in the State Dining Room, when he pretended to wobble as he got back up from taking a knee for a photo with the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, taking a moment to make fun of the crowd’s shock.
Draymond Green said he didn’t want to get in trouble if he tried to help him up, so he just stood back. To see him at his age perform like that, was amazing.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/joe-biden-age-question/index.html
A visit from the president to Cincinnati to tell the mayor what a big deal infrastructure money could have given to the rebuilding of a local bridge
A visit from the president to Cincinnati a month ago left the mayor with the impression that Biden has enough left in the tank.
A man who laughed hard was the one that the mayor used a famous Biden swindling to describe what a big deal bipartisan infrastructure money was in helping rebuild the local bridge.
There were the fist bumps with the crowd at the barbecue spot in town they went to afterward. The way the president moved his hand to show how active he was when the young black man mentioned that he was a member of an organization is reminiscent of a scene from a movie.
“When you’re with him, age was never really on my mind. What was on my mind was the president provided the single biggest grant in our nation’s history to our bridge,” Pureval said.
