Kinda sure that I cannot vote for Biden in '24

[ex-khobar Andy]

Mostly? Because my wife got nuked. She lost her GP, her orthopedist (the guy that fixed her knee) and her insurance premium tripled for worse coverage. Fortunately, I could add her to my insurance, though still paying more than she had been.

Jarl - I'm not disputing your numbers because although I disagree with you often, you do not come on here and lie to us. Your wife's premium tripled - and that is way outside the norm. There were two Brookings studies which conflicted. One (Adler and Ginsburg 2016) said that average premiums dropped after ACA, and another (Kowalski 2014) said that average premiums had gone up by 24% over what might be expected from run-of-the-mill inflation.

There could be a mathematical explanation for why an individual's premium might rise by a higher amount and I will use some made up numbers to illustrate my point. Suppose the actual premium used to be $1000 per month and it went up by 20% to $1200. Suppose your company paid $900 per month of the premium and you had to find the $100. And when the premium went up the company said - we're not paying that, we'll stick with the $900. Which leaves the insured having to find $300 a month, an apparent tripling of the premium.

I don't know why your wife lost her doctor. I know that as a result of routine every year changes in my company's healthcare option I had to change doctors I think maybe twice over the last 35 years or so - networks change, HMOs (remember them?) have different policies, and so on. And I certainly saw no changes in my and my wife's doctors (five or six in all) as a result of ACA. YMMV.

[rubato]

Meade--as someone who has voted for third party candidates (even for president) a number of times, I understand; but since the election appears to be fairly close, I think a vote of that kind could easily wind up as a vote for Trump. Face it, Biden doesn't have anywhere near the number of loyal (or rabid) supporters Trump does--people who will vote for Trump no matter what--and splitting the "no Trump" vote can easily result in Trump's victory. Personally, that compels me to vote for Biden, or pretty much whoever else the dems run, even though I do have my concerns. I don't love voting for the lesser of two evils, but when the alternative is Trump (or, even worse, DeSantis--Trump with some hint of a brain), I don't think I have any real choice. I don't think 4 more years of Biden will be great (and I hope he plays very close attention to his VP candidate as that person may be president for part of it), but a president Trump, or DeSantis (or pretty much whoever else the republicans are likely to run) would be a disaster. I strongly urge you to reconsider.

You were one of the fuckwits who helped elect Bush the stupider by voting for Nader. Hey thanks asshole!

[liberty]

When we have two old geezers running against one another, age cannot be disqualifying. Biden is vital and still capable of handling a huge workload.

How can you post that with a straight face? He was never the sharpest spoon in the drawer, and he is deteriorating by the week. He is a doddering old man in the throes of advancing senility.

Exhibit A the power of immersing oneself in right wing disinformation propaganda.

How many times has Biden fallen in public? He doesn't seem to be able to stay on his feet. I remember when some Republican politician tripped boarding a plane, and the left considered it a disqualifying disability.

[Big RR]

Meade--as someone who has voted for third party candidates (even for president) a number of times, I understand; but since the election appears to be fairly close, I think a vote of that kind could easily wind up as a vote for Trump. Face it, Biden doesn't have anywhere near the number of loyal (or rabid) supporters Trump does--people who will vote for Trump no matter what--and splitting the "no Trump" vote can easily result in Trump's victory. Personally, that compels me to vote for Biden, or pretty much whoever else the dems run, even though I do have my concerns. I don't love voting for the lesser of two evils, but when the alternative is Trump (or, even worse, DeSantis--Trump with some hint of a brain), I don't think I have any real choice. I don't think 4 more years of Biden will be great (and I hope he plays very close attention to his VP candidate as that person may be president for part of it), but a president Trump, or DeSantis (or pretty much whoever else the republicans are likely to run) would be a disaster. I strongly urge you to reconsider.

You were one of the fuckwits who helped elect Bush the stupider by voting for Nader. Hey thanks asshole!

Please--Gore handily won my state; my vote did not affect that. But it did send a message to the dems, and the party, that I was not satisfied with the same shit they have been giving us.

You do know we use the electoral college and not the popular vote to elect the president, don't you? Talk about fuckwits...

[BoSoxGal]

How can you post that with a straight face? He was never the sharpest spoon in the drawer, and he is deteriorating by the week. He is a doddering old man in the throes of advancing senility.

Exhibit A the power of immersing oneself in right wing disinformation propaganda.

How many times has Biden fallen in public? He doesn't seem to be able to stay on his feet. I remember when some Republican politician tripped boarding a plane, and the left considered it a disqualifying disability.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt guided this country through its darkest times IN A WHEELCHAIR.

Having a stiffening gate which is very typical of the aging body has no bearing on cognitive ability to do the job nor character required to uphold the oath of office.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Scooter's thinking about Biden's sexy stiffening gate

[BoSoxGal]

Ah yes damn you autocorrect made me look stupid but of course I meant to type gait not gate.

[MajGenl.Meade]

And I of course meant "stiffening" not "sexy"

[ex-khobar Andy]

I remember when some Republican politician tripped boarding a plane, and the left considered it a disqualifying disability.

Gerald Ford? Sure he was the non-Nixon; but I am not sure that his clumsiness boarding a plane was anywhere in the top 20 reasons for his unsuitability as a president.

[Big RR]

Indeed, it was generally seen of as comical; there were a lot of other reasons based on his policies to refrain from voting for him, I doubt many chose to not vote for him because he was clumsy.

[Sue U]

Honestly, Gerald Ford was the only Republican I ever seriously considered voting for (hey, I was young, it was my first presidential vote). I think he took public service seriously and was honorable, if not always right, in his approach to government and public policy. He took the ribbing from Saturday Night Live with apparent good humor, and I recall him commenting that he found Chevy Chase to be "a very funny suburb." Ultimately I voted for somebody else, but it had absolutely nothing to do with Ford's supposed clumsiness.

[Big RR]

I briefly considered him as well, but his pardon of Nixon pissed me off and I liked Jimmy Carter, especially his positions on human rights. I thought we might really get away from the "friend of my friend/enemy of my enemy" type of foreign policy we had since the 50s (and maybe before). That we didn't was a major disappointment.

[rubato]

Please--Gore handily won my state; my vote did not affect that. But it did send a message to the dems, and the party, that I was not satisfied with the same shit they have been giving us.

You do know we use the electoral college and not the popular vote to elect the president, don't you? Talk about fuckwits...
[/quote]

I’ll put you on speeddial for the next time that the obvious needs underlining.

[Big RR]

Please do; bt I won't expect any calls as you appear to be unable to grasp the obvious. Best of luck.

[Jarlaxle]

Nice to know that Rube never changes...often wrong but always certain, his very high opinion of himself is shared by none.

[Burning Petard]

Times are tough for every rational, civic-minded voter in the USofA. Now it is really tough for us yellow-dog democrats. I am an informed voter who has lived in Delaware for more than fifty years. Over all, I think Joe Biden has been a decent man and a good politician. He has a track record that includes just about every wrong move a politician can make. It is also a very long record with lots of different deeds going into the mix. Look at Trump--he has held only one elective office in his entire life and won only one general election. Back during the previous presidential primaries I looked to find another Dem I could support. They just were not there. It looks to be even worse in the next dem presidential primaries. I actually don't think Biden's age is a serious issue. But his cognitive abilities are; they should be considered for any presidential wannabe.

I will hold my nose and vote for anybody but a Trumper. But even with my nose pinched and my eyes closed, it is getting hard. What the hell are us anti-trumpers supposed to do with "God save the queen, man."? ? ?

snailgate.

[Jarlaxle]

Times are tough for every rational, civic-minded voter in the USofA. Now it is really tough for us yellow-dog democrats. I am an informed voter who has lived in Delaware for more than fifty years. Over all, I think Joe Biden has been a decent man and a good politician. He has a track record that includes just about every wrong move a politician can make. It is also a very long record with lots of different deeds going into the mix. Look at Trump--he has held only one elective office in his entire life and won only one general election. Back during the previous presidential primaries I looked to find another Dem I could support. They just were not there. It looks to be even worse in the next dem presidential primaries. I actually don't think Biden's age is a serious issue. But his cognitive abilities are; they should be considered for any presidential wannabe.

I will hold my nose and vote for anybody but a Trumper. But even with my nose pinched and my eyes closed, it is getting hard. What the hell are us anti-trumpers supposed to do with "God save the queen, man."? ? ?

snailgate.

Stay home, don't vote.

[Bicycle Bill]

Stay home, don't vote.

No way in hell.  Even though I recognize that my single vote may not change anything, I refuse to forfeit my opportunity to affect, even in a small way, the course of my country.

-"BB"-

[Big RR]

Especially given the alternative.

[Burning Petard]

Nice piece of word smithing by conservative Bret Stephens in the NY Times today, July 4 '23:

"But I find it really hard to feel any optimism when Donald Trump seems to be cruising to the Republican renomination and Joe Biden is generating excitement among Democrats the way a colonoscopy generates excitement among people turning 50: something your doctor says you must do but only because the potential alternative is lethal."

snailgate