NYT Opinion | Donald Trump Is Unfit to Lead
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/11/opinion/editorials/donald-trump-2024-unfit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6U0.njGG.JLFePBTazDFn&smid=em-shareOpen linkView original on lemmy.ml639
Comments164https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/11/opinion/editorials/donald-trump-2024-unfit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6U0.njGG.JLFePBTazDFn&smid=em-shareOpen linkView original on lemmy.ml
Absolutely! This is the story the media should focussing on.
Yet, the next twenty weeks they will pivot back to a bad debate not his performance, not his many accomplishments 1 , 2. .
Yeah, I understand that people are frustrated with inflation and the status quo. Shit keeps getting more expensive and everyone feels like they're falling behind. It's easy to blame the current leadership and say Biden isn't doing enough.
The problem is, Trump and Republicans literally have no solution for this and will only make things exponentially worse. I have this sinking feeling that more and more people are willing to vote for Trump just because they want something different. But to me it feels like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
It's a thorough piece of opinion journalism that in 1960 would have helped end Trump's candidacy. But then, if it was 1960 and the country actually valued journalism, Trump would have been disqualified so long ago. In 2024, it probably won't be read by more than a handful of Trump followers, and even they will just sneer at it as confirming their biases about liberal elites.
I'm becoming more and more cynical about November. Swing states are polling way too heavily for Trump - he's leading in most and barely not in just a few. To me the NYT article seems obvious and impossible to dispute, but at this point we've fully partitioned ourselves as a country between those who can spot a con man and those who can't. To those who can't, we let Trump's nihilism metastasize and it's probably too late.
Too much of the country is in the throes of mass delusion, thank you Rupert Murdoch, and I'm pretty sure American democracy has only a few months left to live. I'd love to see a plan, any plan, that realistically leads to a different result. And I am going to vote in November for Biden, or whoever replaces him. But I no longer believe America's ability to do the right thing, even after it's tried everything else (as the saying goes). Now, we've tried Trump and somehow are choosing the vehemently, obviously wrong thing.
Until then, this piece is just a nice epitaph, a "we told you, you should have known" that will remind any MAGA recidivists who eventually experience leopards eating their faces after November, when Trump's next presidency inevitably reveals itself to be an autocratic destruction of American self-rule.
I find it amazing how short people's memories are.
Did everyone in the US forget COVID-19, and all of Trump's antics during it?
That's what's mind blowing to me! COVID was way worse than it had to be due to Trump's lack of leadership. Hell, people don't seem to remember that he cut pandemic early warning programs before COVID happened.
This is what infuriated me.
COVID spread is exponential growth, and his early misinformation, failure of leadership, refusal to believe in the danger, and continued botched response was responsible for likely hundreds of thousands of American deaths. Certainly his followers refused to mask and were aggressively in denial even when in hospitals on ventilators. We're at over 1.2 million deaths, and in my opinion even that attribution is conservative.
When even a single American is killed via incompetence by our government, it's congressional hearings and crucifixion. When we have an external force do it, like a certain event in 2001, no price is too high for retribution and deterrence. This man is responsible for 100x those American deaths? Let's make him the most powerful human on the planet.
Yet Hillary Clinton was investigated for years and judged “morally reprehensible” because of four deaths in a terror attack at an embassy where there was never any evidence she could have known or done anything.
You mean the embassy attack that occurred after House Republicans had voted for an embassy security funding package that was $459m (£286m) less than what the Obama administration had requested?
I'm sensing a pattern here. Democrats attempt to govern. Republicans obstruct and make dangerous cuts to programs, resulting in disaster. Republicans attempt to shift blame to Democrats. Just enough swing state voters fall for this shit over and over again, allowing the cycle to repeat indefinitely.
There are wayyyy too many magabrained that think covid was some kind of liberal hoax to make donnie look bad.
In spite of Donald Trumps own statements during the pandemic...
And that, you know, he got hospitalized with covid.
That practically broke the internet, and its like everyone forgot.
Well, the 60s didn't have a propaganda organization solely devoted to ensuring public opinion wouldn't turn against a criminal Republican president.
Much less, the global, state–sponsored social media and website propaganda presence we now enjoy.
The only state sponsored media propaganda we had in 1960 was CIA
In actuality, most would not care, even if they believed it. They have unshakable faith that their god-emperor will be coming again to save the country from woke and put us on the path of Christian righteousness.
Bold of you to assume they can read
If this were the 1960s neither candidate would have gotten this far and would have been shamed off the ballots before the primaries.
It took an investigative news team and one of the nation's top media organizations eight years to figure that out?
NYT has been covering for Trump this whole time. Go watch their recent video about Project 2025. It's the most watered down BS that tries to absolve the orange turd from being responsible for it.
IG link
No. As an Opinion column, it’s essentially invalid. They can have an opinion column to reinstate the monarchy. And doubtless have.
Yeah we know
The same New York Times that put up an Op ed from political expert George Clooney yesterday telling Biden to step down. Gotta get the outrage clicks from both sides I guess.
But he should.
Well, except that apparently the replacement the DNC has in mind is Kamala fucking Harris. I knew it'd be too much to expect them to grow any balls.
As bad as I think Biden's chances are, I wonder if Kamala's are not worse.
Harris has been an active and progressive VP. She has been better and more effective than every VP going back to Dan Quayle.
Her only problems are charisma, and right wing propaganda. Same as Hillary.
Hillary was uniquely hated though. She was a solid first lady and an OK senator and pretty good secretary of State. And the discourse around her was brain boilingly toxic. Obama was the only Democrat that experienced something similar, maybe Pelosi. Biden, Clinton, and Gore did not get that level of visceral hatred.
No shit.
Biden's mental state is a legitimate criticism but don't expect the DNC to suddenly be anything other than center-left. Whoever would replace Biden would run with essentially the same platform.
Center-left? DNC? On what planet? The DNC is a right-wing liberal party, it's no flavor of Socialist, or even Social Democrat. Perhaps when the largest alternative is the GOP, filled with fascists and far-right populists, but that doesn't change the views of the DNC, only their context.
My argument still stands. No one should expect the DNC to replace Biden with someone more left leaning than Biden regardless of how you put the DNC on the political spectrum.
Oh, sure. The DNC will only post right wing liberals, that's their deal.
I just hoped (stupid, I know) that SOMEONE would realize that salvaging the platform is the least of their worries.
They need someone who energizes the base. That's how they won in 2008. That's how they lost in 2016. And they only won in 2020 because Trump was such a tremendous fuck up and piece of shit. AND STILL ONLY BARELY.
God damn.
This is likely a response to criticism about their editorial saying Biden should step aside. There wasn't enough "Trump bad" in that one for people so they're making their position clear.
Biden should use the recent President is King supreme court ruling to declare both of them unfit to run again.
The new candidates would be roughly on a level playing field to start and hopefully it would open up a extensive conversation about that ruling.
Yeah I don't think it matters too much how he does it but he really needs to test that ruling because that's the only way it's going to get any restrictions put on it
The only restrictions are going to be based on which party the president is a member of.
We can dream.
The problem is Trump seems to run the Republican party whether he's in office or not.
Bold take, NYT.
We need this from the New York post or one of those sites.
But then I would be forced to doubt that Trump is unfit to rule. It would be painful but necessary for any "information" found on the NY Post.
The point is conservatives get their news from it. They would implode
At this point, NYT finally writing this column is like Ja Rule finally telling us what to think .
He wasn't fit to lead eight years ago either.
NO SHIT. jeezus h christ NY Times tell us something we don't know.
Having continuous pieces like this make a difference. Think of how many "Biden has to step aside!" pieces have been written in the past two weeks and how much a part of the political discussion that is. The more time the media takes up shouting from the rooftops that Trump is a threat to America, the more mainstream and central the discourse becomes.
if they don't publish this and just report on biden's gaffes:
"why is the media always talking about biden but not saying anything against the orange guy?"
Meanwhile, America ignores this obvious fact to instead focus on….
“BiDeN oLd!”
More news, as it develops.
You left out senile and aiding in genocide
And this differs from Trump how exactly?
And Biden being the only one of the two you are allowed to talk shit about doesn’t count as an answer.
Please, tell everyone- what about Trump makes him the better choice?
They never have response to this. It’s usually the easiest way to get them to stop trolling. That, or ask them who they’d run in Biden’s place that is currently running and could realistically win against Trump.
I'm still voting for Biden or whomever they put in but I'm super grumpy that these are our choices.
How...?
I’m in that boat with ya. The “how” is simple. We have FAR too many people that sit on their asses In-between elections and they don’t participate until it’s time to vote. And in most cases it’s usually too late to create any good or lasting change.
That's not the reason, the reason is because the US electoral system is dominated by the interests of those who pour the most money into it, not the will of the people. Voting harder won't fix it, the only thing that will is building up parallel structures and pressuring from outside, like what has happened for nearly every major improvement America has seen.
Trump straight up said he'd be way worse in the debate, but people were too busy complaining about Biden to listen to what Trump said. He literally said he wants Israel to go even further and finish the job! Anyone arguing to not vote for Biden because they're concerned for Palestinians is full of shit. Full stop.
At its core, I think it's basically just the Trolley Problem. Some people would rather passively support a worse situation rather than actively support a better but bad situation.
Those people are stupid and/or cowards.
Trump is not the better choice, they are equally incompetent and corrupt. You are implying people only have an issue with Biden because of age. There are a myriad of reasons why Biden isn't liked.
bOtH siDeS, amirite?
They are not equally incompetent and there are facts to prove it. But you don’t like facts, so I’ll not bother listing them. They’re out there though. It should take 30 seconds to find them.
Aside from that- who do you suggest to replace Biden that is running and capable of winning against your boy?
Trump is closer to being your boy than mine. I view them both with the same disgust as you view trump.
Run of the mill neolibs are fascist. Tolerating a little bit of fascism to prevent fascism is counterproductive, that's how we ended up with 2 pieces of shit being the only option on the ballot
Yeah bud, I think my comment history will show that’s a blatant lie. However, YOUR history is shows that you really shouldn’t be accusing the kettle here.
I’m near certain that most people know why you’re here and what you’re up to. Thais why your ratio is garbage every time you say something- while on a platform that learns VERY far left.
There is nothing remotely far left, much less left in here. It's chock full of Reagan Republicans
Oh my fucking god.
Can't see the forest for the trees
FUCK NYT. This opinion is like broken clock being right twice a day.
Is the broken clock analogy the new “we’re now in the find out phase” of the comment sections?
Is there a reason other than them criticizing Biden?
Edit:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_election_endorsements_made_by_The_New_York_Times
They've endorsed a Dem every election back to 1956...
But pointing out the obvious that 81 is old and Biden acts his age and suddenly it's all "FUCK NYT" because moderates act just like trumpets.
100% loyalty is permanently required, anything less and they never knew ya.
Fucking cultists really want to make the Dem party just like the Republican.
Pointing out the obvious is fine.
Repeating the same thing over and over while ignoring newer events is not fine. In fact it can be a sign of dementia.
They look like Republicans because they are.
You're reading a lot of oddly specific subtext from a single statement.
What?
I asked one question, which is literally "why"...
Which hasn't gotten any response...
Then I went back in edited in how long and steadfast the NYT's endorsement of Dems have been.
And commented on how concerning it was that all it took was recognizing reality for Biden supporters to start acting like trump supporters.
It's bad enough when 1 of 2 parties act like that. When they both do were all fucked.
Remember folks --- this is an opinion piece, it is not news.
The reason you may hear more news about Biden being unfit for office than Trump being unfit is in large part because many Dems are calling for Biden to step aside, and it is newsworthy that a candidate faces calls from his own party.
The GOP is not widely calling for Trump to step down.
And the reason many Dems are calling for him to step aside is because of the snowballing effort of the media to push this story.
I'm not going to argue he's not old, or too old to be president - I had that opinion four years ago. As is Trump too old to be president.
What's insane to me is that there's no counter argument. There are no stories about all the accomplishments his administration has had. How incredibly productive he's been and how much better off this country is today than it was four years ago. The News is not reporting the news - they're reporting speculation. All I see is people complaining about the economy and immigration while no one is pointing out what Biden has done, or has tried to do, to help these matters. The only image they have is of an old man stammering over the course of two hours out of three years.
It's reasonable to assume that most Americans have no clue what the Biden administration has accomplished because the news rarely reports it. And now, in a moment when a wave of opposition is building, you'd think someone - the media, members of congress, Harris, Obama - would make an effort to defend the guy and at least offer some tangible, verifiable actions taken in the past three years.
Here's a few of the first results I found...
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/02/joe-biden-30-policy-things-you-might-have-missed-00139046
https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-opinion-biden-accomplishment-data/
https://joebiden.com/accomplishments/
https://www.factcheck.org/2024/01/bidens-numbers-january-2024-update/
https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-biggest-achievements-first-year-president-1670763
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/04/07/introduction-who-got-more-done/
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/04/07/trump-vs-biden-who-got-more-done-for-families-and-workers/
https://www.politifact.com/personalities/joe-biden/
https://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/biden-promise-tracker/?ruling=true
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/trumpometer/?ruling=true
And frankly his antics have become normalized.
I read a few pieces saying some political journalists will retire if Trump becomes president, simply because covering him was so exhausting and stressful. I imagine many are still sick of it, and think covering him just gives him more attention anyway.
It's crazy that for something so important the dems are handling it as if they had no plan. Donald Trump should be the absolute easiest possible competition for their candidate to beat. It's like they learned nothing from 2008 and the energy around Obama. We need younger candidates who can communicate to the public well. Better policy means nothing to most swing voters if it can't be communicated effectively.
No shit
So much so he has the ability to get people to support Biden. Amazing stuff.
Both candidates are campaigning for the opposite party.
Water is wet.
That's just, like, your opinion man. (But fo real mine too)
Some one should tell his voters that.
Live
BREAKING NEWS!......
Him, along with the entire political class. Thanks, NYT.
No, that's lazy thinking.
That's been true since the dawn of donnie.
What is the counterpoint elsewhere on the page? "Donald Trump Must Be Allowed To Destroy Us All?"
People above the age of 60 shouldn't be allowed in political positions in general
I’m interested to learn why you feel this way.
In contrast, I believe it takes decades of learning the political and legislative process and establishing the trust of your constituents and colleagues and organizations operating in your state. It’s one thing to be a junior senator or member of the house but, as a senior member of government, a 40 or 50 year may not be as well equipped to be proficient at their responsibilities; especially given the mixed bag of people being elected as representatives lately. That’s not to say I believe it requires someone to be older but I do think there’s a decent argument opposing your perspective. Also, by capping a representatives age, you’re failing to fully represent all Americans.
We still have a system to get older or inefficient people out of office - it’s called an election. Sadly, not many people take our electoral process, or politics, too seriously so we’re more often choosing to stick with the status quo. Now you’ve got to debate if we’re too stupid to be allowed certain freedoms or if we should have the government step in to make choices for us.
I feel the issue is more the disproportionate representation of ages than the age itself. But there should be better mental fitness checks as well.
NYT hiding behind its “Opinion” section again.
Bullshit. Just like last time. And the time before that.
Yeah no shit. Either is the other guy.
I'm still not voting Biden
I hope you vote for the candidate whom you feel best represents you and the interests you prioritize. I hope your interests and your morals come from a place of clarity that isn't clouded by biased content designed to manipulate you.
Which would be neither party
It must be nice to be at such a level of privilege that you are able to withstand four years of a GOP government further restricting trans, queer and woman's rights and right to exist.
You mean all the things happening right now?
Using marginalized communities as human shields to defend shitty politicians is disgusting
Throwing them (including myself) to the wolves is worse.
Thanks. The president's genocide and lies, as well as liberal media's lies and genocide support, has given me moral clarity.
🤔 Trump sure won't do that
That's great to hear.
Doing everything you can to get more lies and more genocide will surely give you the moral high ground you're looking for.
The one positive of a Trump presidency is that liberals will be allowed to come out against the genocide.
Almost time to come back from brunch
"Every one who disagrees with me is getting paid for it."
Classic projection
hey lemmy.ml. Go figure.
Hasn't .world banned a bunch of left-wing hosts? Are you proud of that or something?
Trump thanks you for your service.
Oh? That's odd, I'm not voting for him either.
Not voting or voting third party for POTUS does nothing. It's just pure vanity. Do what you want, I'm not really trying to change your mind, but it's a virtually pointless move that doesnt make any sense under the current way we do things.
While that's a popular and oft-repeated opinion, it's heterodox among academic historians.
"Let a third party once demonstrate that votes are to be made by adopting a certain demand, then one of the other parties can be trusted to absorb it. Ultimately, if the demand has merit, it will probably be translated into law or practice by the major party that has taken it up…The chronic supporter of third party tickets need not worry, therefore, when he is told, as he surely will be told, that he is “throwing away his vote.” [A] glance through American history would seem to indicate that his kind of vote is after all probably he most powerful vote that has ever been cast."
Except we have 2 parties still. How did voting third party in the past solve that problem? Proof is in the pudding.
When one of the two major parties becomes tired of losing elections, they adopt policies from a third party to attract their voters.
So, it didn't solve the problem? I'm not sure what you're driving at here. I'm not saying there shouldn't be multiple parties, I'm saying the vote during our presidential election, under our current system, is a strategic one, not one to throw away on a third party.
Throwing your support behind the ‘teen wolf’ are ya?
Nope. No good options.
You may have done so already but you may want to see if the PSL is on the ballot where you are.
Yeah they're on but if I'm protest voting I'll be doing it in solidarity with Palestinian groups, which I'm assuming will be similar to primaries.
Unfortunately, a protest vote is a vote for Trump in our two party system. And Trump has said he wants Israel to be more aggressive and "end the war". And any Palestinian Americans should fear Project 2025 calls for rounding up anyone they think is an "illegal", or Muslim, or any non-white and wanting to put these people into death camps awaiting deportation. Although many on the right want to just execute everyone.
Anyways, you can hold your nose and vote for the Dem candidate, or you've voted for the death of those who you are trying to protect and so many more minorities.
Biden providing endless weapons and money is allowing Israel to 'end the war.' The marginalized are not afraid of P2025, most have had it their entire lives. So while liberals claimed to have the backs of the marginalized, they demanded a vote for the people keeping them marginalized
So you speak for all marginalized groups and think fascism is something they can just endure so that you can protest vote for a president that has vowed to do the thing you are protesting, only on a larger scale and against the majority of Americans. That is your stance? Don't be surprised when the leopard eats your face!
Believe it or not, I'm familiar with the most common liberal point of view, but thanks for summarizing. Would you also say this is the most important election of our lives?
How do you rationalize knowing the outcome you'd be voting for, and then staying that course? I understand taking a stand, and wanting change, but voting in a way counter to any of that becoming a possibility doesn't grok for me. Biden is 81 and is nearing the end of his time here on earth, so empowering the guy that is going to encourage more of the same abroad, and also open death camps for non-whites in the US isn't going to signal anything to him or the party.
Since I've been able to vote I've experienced 9 'most important elections of our lifetime,' and in the end nothing has improved.
How are protest votes counted?
Like any other vote, by machine or hand depending on where you live.
I think I'm a bit confused, is there a radio button to fill in on the ballot that says "protest " and then when all votes are counted, we can see a report that says x for dude, y for other dude, and z for protest?