Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
Joe BidenCongratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
 

wyldwolf

(43,867 posts)
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 06:23 PM Mar 2020

Choosing a president under a state of siege

... We are almost certainly facing a choice in November between Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden. So, it’s time to ask: Which of these men is more likely to approximate our greatest 20th-century crisis president?

Offering both faith and facts are essential. “The people of the United States have not failed,” Roosevelt said in his first inaugural address. “In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. ... They have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift I take it.”

He understood, too, that we need a leadership grounded in reality, especially in wartime. “Your Government has unmistakable confidence in your ability to hear the worst, without flinching or losing heart,” Roosevelt told the nation in 1942. That same winter, he leveled with us, saying, “The news is going to get worse and worse before it begins to get better. The American people must be prepared for it and they must get it straight from the shoulder.”

Presidents must give it to us straight. Those who get in trouble — Johnson and Vietnam, Nixon and Watergate — think they can sugarcoat the truth or deny reality outright. I fear Trump and the coronavirus pandemic have now joined that dispiriting list of presidential failures, and we are only beginning to count the wages of misleading the people.

... Biden is no Roosevelt — no one is or may ever fully be — but he can lead us in an ethos informed by the lessons of history and of hope. Trump has not and cannot.

In 1933, a friend told Roosevelt that he might well be remembered as the greatest of presidents if he succeeded in defeating the Depression, but that he would go down as the worst if he failed. “If I fail,” Roosevelt replied, “I shall be the last one.” Donald Trump won’t be the last American president. But history — ancient and recent — tells us that, come November, we ought to make Joe Biden the next one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/presidents-must-give-it-us-straight-thats-why-we-should-elect-joe-biden/

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Choosing a president under a state of siege (Original Post) wyldwolf Mar 2020 OP
high risk joe and donald have to get there first. and that's 8 months off. hopefully the virus issue msongs Mar 2020 #1
Since trump Directly helped exacerbate the CV Crisis with his Cha Mar 2020 #2
 

msongs

(67,395 posts)
1. high risk joe and donald have to get there first. and that's 8 months off. hopefully the virus issue
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 06:27 PM
Mar 2020

will be past is peak and winding down a lot

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(297,154 posts)
2. Since trump Directly helped exacerbate the CV Crisis with his
Sun Mar 22, 2020, 12:02 AM
Mar 2020

Firings and Lies.. I think we all know who to "choose".


If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»Democratic Primaries»Choosing a president unde...