You are a beautiful writer with extraordinary judgment. The past few days, as I read all of the other analysis, I kept thinking, I want to hear from Michael Moore. You are right, I hope Biden's family reads this and does the right thing.
Love you Michael ... yet oh so wrong. Do I start with the debate? Biden was a shocker. Trump didn't come to debate. He came to hold a ratings rally spewing his lies but media (including you, are focusing on Biden). Why? So let's move on. We are NOT voting FOR a Person and we weren't voting FOR a Person last election. We were and are voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists.
Say this (frame your conversation):
1. ‘I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists. That’s it. Full stop”
2. “Biden had a huge problem but I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists
3. “In this election, I’m not voting FOR a person, I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
4. “It doesn’t matter to me who runs against trump, I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
MICHAEL ... You should be organizing people to fight FOR our Constitutional Democratic Republic even if a bathtub with legs is running! It's that important. Stop the whine and whinge. BTW ... if Trump is president, he'll gladly let Israel do what they fucking want because his white evangelical backers are working to bring forth The End Times war in the ME.
Watch Alan Lichtman (the Keys). We are voting FOR by voting AGAINST!
There are so many angles to this and I agree we must vote Against Trump. I have personally stated my opposition to some of the stands MM has dug his feet into because of it being divisive at the collegiate level. (protests) have cut out a swath of young voters that will not vote for Biden-no matter what. That is not good.
Mike, I appreciate what you wrote --- you are in fact quite persuasive. But I'd like to ask you to use your bully pulpit for something else --- a call for a MIILLION defenders of democracy to come to Washington some designated Saturday in September (you and those making the "call" decide) to say NO to anointing Trump King, etc.
A few of us got tired of sitting around watching the Democrats figure out who they’ll nominate for President. Instead, we thought of a way we think will increase the odds of beating Trump no matter who the Democrats nominate. You're a key progressive leader. We’re writing you, Michael, because we believe you can help inspire hope and generate energy to make it happen. We’re proposing a march in DC-- a huge gathering of people who care about climate, women's rights, racial equality, labor rights, immigrant rights, and, of course, democracy. Something like that in late September would be a huge boost for whoever the Democratic candidate is. Given the current mess in the National Democratic Party, it would have to be (and should be) organized independently by national and local groups and individuals with influence --- all of whom want to stop Trump from turning the USA into Orban’s Hungary or worse. This march would demonstrate the deep commitment millions of us have to principles that go well beyond those of many professional politicians. If we started now, we're pretty sure we could make it happen by September – maybe the last Saturday in September to give us extra time.
We’re sending this to others like you. Please let the public know if you’re interested. We’ll keep you posted on the responses we get.
That's right. I'm a life-long Republican who has always been an Anti-Trumper. I am always voting AGAINST what he is and who he represents. I say it this way
Say this (frame your conversation):
1. ‘I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists. That’s it. Full stop”
2. “Biden had a huge problem but I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists
3. “In this election, I’m not voting FOR a person, I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
4. “It doesn’t matter to me who runs against trump, I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
I agree this would lift our morale but what we need to do is get every single swing state vote we can possibly get, to the polls. If one million of us put our energy there-- knocking doors, calling, texting, postcarding we might beat the numbers. Not against a march but I am for working as much as we can to actually win. AG of AZ Chris Mayes won by 280 votes. I campaigned for 2 days in AZ, knocked on maybe 300 doors. Maybe I got 2 people to vote who wouldn't have. That means myself and 140 other people, knocking doors for only TWO days ensured voting rights, standing up to the 1864 anti-abortion law and now, charging the fake electors, for Arizonans. Knocking doors is not very flashy but it is power. So I urge everyone who care to sign up to text, call, write or knock doors, whatever you feel is possible. Numbers count!
I think the country is too big to be trying to gin up a million-man march in DC over this. Going to a single physical spot and holding up signs and chanting is not enough to meet this moment, and it would require the expenditure of vast resources, financial and otherwise, that are better spent getting out the vote in swing states. It underrepresents the mass of people across the country who feel this way, and our signs/chants are insufficient to express our rage and disgust. This sort of thing is exhausting, not energizing. The women’s March on 1/21/2016 is probably what you’re trying to recapture, or maybe it’s the throngs of protesters in Hong Kong. But we’re in a different time, place, and circumstance now. Boil it down, (White) men have had their chance to govern this Democratic Republic and they’ve finally reached the end of that road. They have failed completely on every front. At least until we can figure out what the hell’s going on here, it’s time for a (Black) woman to take the reins. I’m with Michael Moore. This doesn’t need to be shameful for Biden. He can come out of this The Greatest American Hero.
Please don't pass this around. I saw an article is the Military Times a while back saying Maga's are on the terrorist list. I thought that was odd that it was published there, and nothing was being said in publica about it. I almost took it as they were letting the soldiers know to steer clear. And I see where 773 top government and military leaders that served under trump signed a letter warning that trump is a threat to this country. When you think of our 3 government bodies, the Judicial branch has been taken and the Legislative has been taken, the only thing left standing in between total collapse is the Executive branch who is Joe Biden and the military. The MAGA's tried every trick and delay they could come up with to keep our four top Generals from being appointed. If trump had his pick, he'd have that damn Michael Flynn and a few of his buddies in charge. I think they're getting ready to do a preemptive strike on that bunch of domestic terrorists. If our military knows anything, they know how to handle terrorist. What do you If Joe leads the attack, then he will be on the hook for it and he'll have to go into hiding. That would be the perfect time for Kamala to come out and put the country back together. She can elect new judges and expand the Supreme Court. Then all will be solved and live happily ever after. They wouldn't desert their country. The US military is on our SIDE!!
Thank you for standing up for Joe Biden. After all he has been standing up for all of US for the past 3 years. Democrats,,, sadly showed their true colors as they flip, flop, cave in and panic at the first sign of a challenge. Yes we are at war and Joe Biden took a bullet for the team and what do democrats do?? They want to leave him bleeding in the field. Now, Joe , get up and kick some ass!!! Use your new super power and expel those 6 justices! Throw treasonous Trump in jail until his documents trial is over. Send the fighter keys to Ukraine and kick Putin’s ass out of Ukraine. Then,,, watch republicans squirm like they did following 1/6
Michael Moore is arguing that it is elder abuse for people to be saying things to Joe Biden like “Now, Joe, get up and kick some ass!!! Use your new super power and expel those 6 justices! Throw treasonous Trump in jail until his documents trial is over. Send the fighter keys to Ukraine and kick Putin’s ass out of Ukraine.”
Moore’s point is that we should be immediately focusing on Joe’s health and get him to an independent neurologist for evaluation. Moore believes doctors will say that it is not in the best interest of Biden’s health for us to be shoving him back out in the field to do battle for us now. He needs rest and rehabilitation, not further stress and pressure. Just watch the ABC interview, read the transcript of it. He may appear a bit more alive physically, but he still is not answering the questions.
NEITHER IS TRUMP — this is true. That is beside the point. Democrats’ job between now and the convention is to scrupulously examine whether it is Joe or Kamala who is most likely to beat Trump this November. They have a tough job to do, there’s not an immediately obvious choice between the two. But whomever the party nominates, we will support them 1000% in the general.
Ok thanks. I didn’t catch that part😳 but my opinion is that the media is seeing Biden as weak and the democrats totally fragmented and immediately threw Biden under the bus. That one issue is what will give Trump the victory. Dems have no project 2025 or a plan to rally behind. NOTHING democrats aim to accomplish from this point on will become law without the risk of SCOTUS intervening and squelching their policy unless they are removed. And legal or not, Biden was granted immunity as he is the sitting president, not Trump. So he could expel them as an official act and according to their own ruling. Now, will he use this superpower? No, because democrats will find every excuse not to take the power they were granted and Roberts knows this. The democrats are like school kids on a runaway bus and at least one wheel is off the pavement and it will require complete focus and a leader to step up, grab the wheel and radically steer and at least get on solid pavement. Sadly, Putin and Trump aka the “PuTrumplikkkans” have been executing their plan since Putin came into power while democrats will deny and claim conspiracy theories. The only thing these people understand, respect and fear is strength. They saw their moment to strike during the debate and they took it.
Thank you, Michael. Your approach is the soundest so far. Although I don’t believe in dropping the captain in the middle of a storm, letting Biden rest, letting him campaign if he wants to and when he feels tired and ready to pass the reins to Harris then so be it.
At the same time everyone should be asking the emperor wannabe to step down as well, because along with being a convicted felon, a rapist, an insurrectionist twice impeached ex-president, he is definitely showing signs of dementia.
The people around him from his party need to calm down. As for the big media they need to be ignored as they are totally biased. Even here in Canada where I live and where I heard on the radio this morning outrageous comments condemning Biden but not a single one against his opponent.
Very savvy comment -- why should we push for Biden to end his campaign when Trump has committed so many verified crimes there is no way he should be anywhere but prison? And then there's his glaringly obvious dementia -- my mother had early-onset Alzheimer's and Trump is showing far too many of the same symptoms my mother had so I wouldn't even vote for him to be dogcatcher!
Yes, but SCOTUS principally ended democracy as we know it and we are all sitting around quoting legal precedence. Roberts has let him off and will continue to do so until they are radically removed from power in very short order! But Biden will most likely NOT use this power. He has a few weeks left to do it. Yes,,, it’s that serious. Putin is celebrating!!
I agree. Let Biden rest, for a couple of weeks. We have to give a little bit of time, to see what’s going on. If he was worn out from traveling, stressed and overwhelmed, plus having to debate a lying and abusive criminal. Or is it something more serious? Let’s not panic, give him the time he needs. At least, we owe him that.
Yes, the debate was very difficult to watch because Biden did not do well, which is an understatement. I think rather than stepping down, he continues to run until he wins and then step down. If he doesn't during the campaign, I do not believe that people will vote for Harris. We are still unfortunately not that evolved yet. So let him continue to run and then Harris will be president when he wins and steps down because of medical reasons. To me that makes a lot more sense as this country is so freaking racist and misogynist still! I know Hillary won the popular vote but she was a white woman. I just don't think given all the trumpets that the country is ready for a woman of color. I am!😊🦄
We WILL vote for Biden and/or Harris! It is not who we are voting for this time but who we are voting AGAINST!! We are voting AGAINST Trump, and I don't care who it is.
That is the strategy I would like to see also, but I am afraid that Biden descent is going to continue to be dramatic and if he stays in the presidency until November....or actually until January's inauguration - that it would be best to do it as Michael Moore suggests....
I think racism and misogyny are getting worse! People like to emulate Trump. I am turning off the TV and internet. The media are missing things or they're scared.
A second comment from me after reading some of the other anyone-but-Kamala opinions here: Picking a candidate without any national experience, without any exposure to foreign affairs, just because they have rising visibility and good state experience seems dumb to me. I think she's the readiest of all the candidates, with the possible exception of Newsom, who has run a state with an economy and immigration issues large enough to be its own country. I don't have to like Harris to realize she's the readiest to step into office.
Seems like there’s only one qualification that counts: the ability to win swing states. There are 3 states that are must-wins: MI, WI, PA.
There is one person—Whitmer— who has won a large swing state. By double digits. Twice.
That is all that counts.
Honestly I’m curious how you think Harris can win swing states? Here’s what I see: She’s blah/uninspiring, and shes from… CA. Swing voters in swing states despise CA, for so many reasons.
Michael, I’d really like to hear why you think Harris has better chance of winning MI, WI and PA than Whitmer?
Kamala Harris was born ready, and she has stayed ready. Everyone freaking out because they don’t think America is ready for her, needs to get out of the way. If YOU aren’t evolved enough to vote for Kamala, then you have a different issue to address within yourself.
Thank you I’ve Been trying to tell Michael this I’m still trying we need to give President Biden a fair chance the media is very unfair to him while they give Trump a pass I hope Michael listens to you
Michael, I’ve read many many many writings on this subject, but yours is the only one I thought was filled with compassion about and for the person. Thank you.
Michael Moore needs congratulating on this gentle thoughtful article.
I am in my 96th year and am still fine menaly. Not quite the same story physically .Most of my contemporaries are now dead but in past years almost all of the of them reaching their 80s would not have been able to do any better that Joe did . For his handlers and advisers to cause him to have to stand up to that pressure was indeed cruel . That these people are not taking the pressure off this frail old. man and allowing him to retire gracefully is actually beyond cruel .
I why doesn’t the media ask the convicted felon, the wife cheater and country traitor to withdraw! ?
You can’t replace a candidate like Biden who has been the best (best in terms of helping most people) President in ages. I disagree with the politics of violence (in white men’s language it’s called war!) but I will vote for Biden when the time comes, and by the way — the media is utterly and totally bloody corrupt.
I respect your views but I disagree. It too typical a knee jerk mostly caused by our culture of spectacle.
It was not a one-off. People were alarmed about Biden's cognitive decline four years ago. I certainly was. As for Trump, the media nor anyone else will ask him to withdraw because it is pointless. We have to be practical here. It's not like Biden just had a bad night because what he is suffering from will only get worse. No amount of preparation will reverse it. It's tragic and it's sad, but reading his "I will not step down" comments only makes him look foolish and selfish. I mean, his wife congratulating him for" answering every question!" was cringe worthy. This all has to stop. Far from this being a knee jerk reaction, it has actually been coming for years. It's beyond what Joe deserves. It's what will save the country. He must step aside and do it quickly as we offer our profound thanks, then get to work.
Well put Mary-Ann! US Republicans have demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are incapable of putting COUNTRY FIRST over a demagogue. The DNC needs to put COUNTRY FIRST and provide the American voters with a QUALIFIED choice. Geez, I remember when, years ago, South Carolina voters gave Strom Thurmond another term in his US Senate seat when he was 97 y/o - they claimed it (wait for it) "was out of respect that we let him die in office." 🤦🏻♀️ Respect for the gravitas of the office clearly wasn't part of their reasoning. I smugly wrote them off as a bunch of "Southern Inbreds" and now I see the DNC doing the same.
Obviously it takes a goddess like yourself to so succinctly say what took me many sentences. :) Yes, it's about COUNTRY FIRST. That's it. Period. Mike was able to express it all with great compassion and respect for Biden, while I, on the other hand, am a bit more blunt. I deeply feel those things too, but my eye is on the people still on the fence. I'm fully aware there aren't many of them, but there are enough to swing the vote by a single digit. That's how close this is.
Those who don't agree are feeling very emotional about Joe and what he deserves, and feel like they are betraying him by asking him to step down. Well, Biden from twenty years ago clearly would have seen that the debate changed everything. The fact that he DOESN'T see it is proof positive that he is not well.
If he wins, will the next four years be be great? Of course. He has a great administration. The issue is whether or not he can win, and he can't.
If you decide to comment, dear goddess, I'm sure you'll reiterate what I just said in about four words. :)
I have been wondering that myself and the only thing I can think of is that the media wants Biden out- not Trump in. Is this the way that the force behind the media is trying to get Biden replaced? If that is done will the media change directions? Will we ever know?
Hmmm, let's get you on a plane back and forth to Europe twice dealing with Ukraine and Nut&yahoo issues, give you bug to fight, and put you, live, in a ring with a garbage bag that just spews lies because it cannot engage like a real human being. The whole "debate" thing is stupid to start with. It's more closely related to a TV wrestling match than any real debate. It was designed as ONLY a ratings show for CNN. REAL debates are boring and do not increase TV ratings.
JRB has a very good, experienced team around him, like any modern day president MUST have.
Grandpa is still ON THE JOB. Yeah, he don't walk so good anymore. Stephen Hawkings was in a wheelchair and could "talk" only with a machine assist, but he was still doing inconceivably difficult science that most of us will never understand. We are still months out from the election. New evidentiary hearings will be up very soon for the convicted felon. The Stupreme Curt may have done us a favor, because now we get to hear the evidence before the actual trial....before the election.
PS - Randy Rainbow can run with the Stupremes as a gag line if he wants.
Sorry Michael, but I do not agree with you at all. You like some others are over-reacting and this is what is more damaging than one debate which did not go well for Biden, which has happened historically to many other incumbent presidents who went on to win. Biden has been flying to many different sites for meeting and to speak over the last few weeks and had a cold. People have his age would not be able to do well at a debate under those circumstances.
The simple truth is that Joe Biden is the only candidate who can beat Trump, and he will if folks like you would get off of his back for this one bad night at a debate. I'm not disappointed in Joe Biden and I know he will prove you wrong. But to be honest I am disappointed in you for this article for bailing on him , when has done such an incredible job as our president for the last four years. He got us through the pandemic, got the economy rolling again and the infrastructure improvements bill and CHIPS bill passed. Trump got nothing done but divide the country and spread bigotry and hatred.
Why aren't you focusing on all the lies that came out of Trump's mouth during the debate and how he did it answer one question? THAT'S what everyone should be focused on regarding the debate, and also how Trump will destroy this county if he gets back in.
Now's the time to stand up for Joe Biden, not bail on him. So let's please stop with the overblown reaction to one debate for God's sake, and let's get back on track to get Joe Biden re-elected.
There's no point in focusing on Trump's lies. But there Is a point in questioning if Joe can continue. Biden was in decline four years ago! Back then, I questioned how his family could let him continue when it was obvious he was not mentally strong. At the very least, they should not have let him debate! All the talk of how prepared he was made it all the more painful.
This was not just a bad night that he'll bounce back from. This is a progressive decline. As a result, there WILL be Democrats who won't vote because of this, or they'll vote for Kennedy or Stein.
Biden has done a fine job as president, but that debate destroyed his chances. In short, if Biden runs, Trump will win. It's that simple. And that can't happen.
We DO need to focus on Trump's lies and HIS mental issues and all of his hate and divisiveness. All of this over-reaction to one debate is exactly what Trump and his cronies want. So the best thing to do is to NOT be a part of it. Instead, everyone needs to not "take the bait" of what Trump wants, which is Trump knows he cannot beat Biden and he wants Biden out of the race. ONLY Biden can beat Trump, so now is when we all need to back up Joe Biden. Joe Biden has been there for us and done an incredible job as president, as he will continue to do. So, now it is our turn to be there for him, and we will win in November.
I do not disagree with a single word you say, except for you final words which is that "we will win in November." Because of this horrible debate (which reflects an issue that has been ongoing for Biden), there WILL be those who will not vote for him now. Should they? Of course. But all it takes is the slimmest of margins now for Trump to win. Certainly my vote will not change. I will support whoever the Democratic candidate is. My concern is not whether Joe would continue to be a good president...it's whether or not he can beat Trump now, the nightmare of all nightmares, and this is where we disagree. You say yes, and I say I'm not so sure, and I don't think we should take the chance as too much is as stake. The bottom line is that we're all terrified of a fallen democracy in America, and as we don't have a crystal ball to know for sure what to do, there will be debates like this. Dear God, I just hope Trump loses.
I am sorry but I don't agree that voters would not vote for Biden due to one debate that did not go well. In particular, given the choices of Trump or RFK Jr., both of whom are completely unsuitable for the office of the president. Any other candidates just don't have the support.
Joe Biden has the support needed, as long as people do not over react and bail for just one bad debate. Joe Biden needs us now and we need to stand up for him. The last thing we need is anyone helping Trump by buying into this attempt to push Joe Biden out of the race, because he is the only candidate who can beat Trump.
I'm a lifelong progressive. I'm not voting for Biden. It isn't just the cognitive decline, but that was the last straw. He also failed to deliver on many campaign promises. His foreign policy has been awful, especially his handling of Gaza. He lost the moral high ground against Trump when he decided to back Israel and fund a genocide. I'm sorry, but supporting genocide is a moral red line for me. Can't vote for him.
I know many who share your position. If the DNC were to announce a new candidate, that Scranton Joe believes it best for our country that we choose a younger candidate - would you vote for him/her? At least to block Trump and the "2025 Project"?
What do you think, if we even survive after November, if we dismantle these two parties and form a new coalition. The new coalition would have absolute laws against corruption, and require that the public needs come first.
No war
Absolute Environmental protection
Education the highest priority on all levels
Health and safety of all persons top priority
Crime treated as a mental health problem, and treated like such
I wish but it's not going to happen especially after the Supreme Court gave the president to the right to be king! I am so upset I cannot even express it.
As a US Navy Veteran, I got out after six because I couldn't justify, personally, continuing being part of machine whose purpose is mass murder. But along with that goes an awareness that sometimes in life you are not given a choice about what your response will be. There are too many instances where war is forced upon people and if they want to remain among the living and protect their wives and daughters from harm (I'm being gentle here considering what seems to be the real national sport in Russia), they will also do the unthinkable. I do agree with you in that we need to practice kindness until people forget how to be mean. We, as a species, are quite a distance away from there as of yet.
We’ve been taking Life Long Learning history courses now for a long time. What I have come to realize is that humans can be deeply flawed, repeating the very same patterns of aggression, cruelty, and lust for power since the beginning of time.
Religions have tried, but failed to rein these traits.
Even the Buddhists are not exempt, the most peaceful of all that I know of. Once, when the Dalai Lama was in Los Angeles, we went to see him and encountered Buddhist protestors ranting outside about a detail in his teachings they did not agree with. That was likely because they might have been from here, and inherited that combative trait from our Western culture.
And
For sure, the two party system is not serving the good people of our sad country.
Oh, yes! For more than the last 20 years (I've been voting for over 50 years), I've wanted THIS (actually from the age of 14, when I became politically aware). I feel like both parties only want to fatten their war chests and it's become all about winning as if it's only a game. The HAVE's have taken true Democracy away from the HAVE NOT's and they don't care what it costs to keep HAVING - money and power without compassion and true equality.
Thank you Michael for your compassionate and accurate description of Biden’s status, the selfishness and laziness of the Democratic Party in demanding he continue into what are likely his last days. I admit to great anger and hostility toward Biden over the past year, yet realize that he’s not the one that been calling the shots, he’s merely continued as a figurehead of our country. What will it take to wake up the leadership of the Democratic Party?
Actually that’s giving him too much credit. He and Jill are addicted to power. Always have been. Romney pointed out how this addiction is real and very hard to resist. Like a drug.
I'm sorry Micheal, but this is the first time I've disagreed with you. Why do you want to throw him under the bus if Biden is still in it to win it. He and apparently only he can beat Trump. Other successful predictors of elections have confirmed it. Almost everyone deeply dislikes Harris, including me. And if Biden is incapacitated in office now or with his next presidency, God willing, she will still take over. He promised his son on his death bed that he wouldn't quit because the US of A needs him so he won't quit.
Why do you want to keep throwing him under the proverbial bus before it's even been proven whether or not that was a one time thing. I agree that that one debate was a devastating nightmare that should never have taken place but if everyone in the media comes out in support of him and shows Trump for the liar he is Biden will win as he should. Kamla cannot win this alone and you're not helping by running him into the ground on one issue facing us. Surely he's a better choice still than Trump no matter what he does on the sidelines of a war he can't control. Bernie as usual had something intelligent to say about that that he should dole out the funding for Israel based on what they do with the humanitarian crisis at hand. Hopefully he will do just that but we democrats are ever the party of chickens. So it was just pointed out that Al Franken should have never left because he was the best at his job. But democratic leadership had asked him to because we are the party that shoots our own wounded. Biden's interview tonight proved as Peloci had asked that it was a one time glitch and not a general problem that he was having.
Look at how the Supreme Court just supported a convicted felon by throwing out the rule of law, so basically the constitution they swore to uphold. And there is absolutely no one else the polls say who can beat Trump at the moment, even Biden is falling short in that and needs your complete help and support because as Bernie said what are the options? Biden said it himself after this ruling especially that the character of the President is the most important thing of all and no one today can beat him in that regard.
You are a beautiful writer with extraordinary judgment. The past few days, as I read all of the other analysis, I kept thinking, I want to hear from Michael Moore. You are right, I hope Biden's family reads this and does the right thing.
Agreed
A beautiful writer with a displaced argument. ;-)
Love you Michael ... yet oh so wrong. Do I start with the debate? Biden was a shocker. Trump didn't come to debate. He came to hold a ratings rally spewing his lies but media (including you, are focusing on Biden). Why? So let's move on. We are NOT voting FOR a Person and we weren't voting FOR a Person last election. We were and are voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists.
Say this (frame your conversation):
1. ‘I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists. That’s it. Full stop”
2. “Biden had a huge problem but I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists
3. “In this election, I’m not voting FOR a person, I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
4. “It doesn’t matter to me who runs against trump, I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
MICHAEL ... You should be organizing people to fight FOR our Constitutional Democratic Republic even if a bathtub with legs is running! It's that important. Stop the whine and whinge. BTW ... if Trump is president, he'll gladly let Israel do what they fucking want because his white evangelical backers are working to bring forth The End Times war in the ME.
Watch Alan Lichtman (the Keys). We are voting FOR by voting AGAINST!
There are so many angles to this and I agree we must vote Against Trump. I have personally stated my opposition to some of the stands MM has dug his feet into because of it being divisive at the collegiate level. (protests) have cut out a swath of young voters that will not vote for Biden-no matter what. That is not good.
Mike, I appreciate what you wrote --- you are in fact quite persuasive. But I'd like to ask you to use your bully pulpit for something else --- a call for a MIILLION defenders of democracy to come to Washington some designated Saturday in September (you and those making the "call" decide) to say NO to anointing Trump King, etc.
A few of us got tired of sitting around watching the Democrats figure out who they’ll nominate for President. Instead, we thought of a way we think will increase the odds of beating Trump no matter who the Democrats nominate. You're a key progressive leader. We’re writing you, Michael, because we believe you can help inspire hope and generate energy to make it happen. We’re proposing a march in DC-- a huge gathering of people who care about climate, women's rights, racial equality, labor rights, immigrant rights, and, of course, democracy. Something like that in late September would be a huge boost for whoever the Democratic candidate is. Given the current mess in the National Democratic Party, it would have to be (and should be) organized independently by national and local groups and individuals with influence --- all of whom want to stop Trump from turning the USA into Orban’s Hungary or worse. This march would demonstrate the deep commitment millions of us have to principles that go well beyond those of many professional politicians. If we started now, we're pretty sure we could make it happen by September – maybe the last Saturday in September to give us extra time.
We’re sending this to others like you. Please let the public know if you’re interested. We’ll keep you posted on the responses we get.
That's right. I'm a life-long Republican who has always been an Anti-Trumper. I am always voting AGAINST what he is and who he represents. I say it this way
Say this (frame your conversation):
1. ‘I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists. That’s it. Full stop”
2. “Biden had a huge problem but I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists
3. “In this election, I’m not voting FOR a person, I am voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
4. “It doesn’t matter to me who runs against trump, I’m voting AGAINST trump/project 2025/agenda 47/maga/gop/white christian nationalism/corporatists”
I agree this would lift our morale but what we need to do is get every single swing state vote we can possibly get, to the polls. If one million of us put our energy there-- knocking doors, calling, texting, postcarding we might beat the numbers. Not against a march but I am for working as much as we can to actually win. AG of AZ Chris Mayes won by 280 votes. I campaigned for 2 days in AZ, knocked on maybe 300 doors. Maybe I got 2 people to vote who wouldn't have. That means myself and 140 other people, knocking doors for only TWO days ensured voting rights, standing up to the 1864 anti-abortion law and now, charging the fake electors, for Arizonans. Knocking doors is not very flashy but it is power. So I urge everyone who care to sign up to text, call, write or knock doors, whatever you feel is possible. Numbers count!
I think the country is too big to be trying to gin up a million-man march in DC over this. Going to a single physical spot and holding up signs and chanting is not enough to meet this moment, and it would require the expenditure of vast resources, financial and otherwise, that are better spent getting out the vote in swing states. It underrepresents the mass of people across the country who feel this way, and our signs/chants are insufficient to express our rage and disgust. This sort of thing is exhausting, not energizing. The women’s March on 1/21/2016 is probably what you’re trying to recapture, or maybe it’s the throngs of protesters in Hong Kong. But we’re in a different time, place, and circumstance now. Boil it down, (White) men have had their chance to govern this Democratic Republic and they’ve finally reached the end of that road. They have failed completely on every front. At least until we can figure out what the hell’s going on here, it’s time for a (Black) woman to take the reins. I’m with Michael Moore. This doesn’t need to be shameful for Biden. He can come out of this The Greatest American Hero.
Please don't pass this around. I saw an article is the Military Times a while back saying Maga's are on the terrorist list. I thought that was odd that it was published there, and nothing was being said in publica about it. I almost took it as they were letting the soldiers know to steer clear. And I see where 773 top government and military leaders that served under trump signed a letter warning that trump is a threat to this country. When you think of our 3 government bodies, the Judicial branch has been taken and the Legislative has been taken, the only thing left standing in between total collapse is the Executive branch who is Joe Biden and the military. The MAGA's tried every trick and delay they could come up with to keep our four top Generals from being appointed. If trump had his pick, he'd have that damn Michael Flynn and a few of his buddies in charge. I think they're getting ready to do a preemptive strike on that bunch of domestic terrorists. If our military knows anything, they know how to handle terrorist. What do you If Joe leads the attack, then he will be on the hook for it and he'll have to go into hiding. That would be the perfect time for Kamala to come out and put the country back together. She can elect new judges and expand the Supreme Court. Then all will be solved and live happily ever after. They wouldn't desert their country. The US military is on our SIDE!!
Thank you for standing up for Joe Biden. After all he has been standing up for all of US for the past 3 years. Democrats,,, sadly showed their true colors as they flip, flop, cave in and panic at the first sign of a challenge. Yes we are at war and Joe Biden took a bullet for the team and what do democrats do?? They want to leave him bleeding in the field. Now, Joe , get up and kick some ass!!! Use your new super power and expel those 6 justices! Throw treasonous Trump in jail until his documents trial is over. Send the fighter keys to Ukraine and kick Putin’s ass out of Ukraine. Then,,, watch republicans squirm like they did following 1/6
I think you have missed the point entirely. Unless this is sarcasm/irony.
Enlighten me! Perhaps I did miss the point 😧
Michael Moore is arguing that it is elder abuse for people to be saying things to Joe Biden like “Now, Joe, get up and kick some ass!!! Use your new super power and expel those 6 justices! Throw treasonous Trump in jail until his documents trial is over. Send the fighter keys to Ukraine and kick Putin’s ass out of Ukraine.”
Moore’s point is that we should be immediately focusing on Joe’s health and get him to an independent neurologist for evaluation. Moore believes doctors will say that it is not in the best interest of Biden’s health for us to be shoving him back out in the field to do battle for us now. He needs rest and rehabilitation, not further stress and pressure. Just watch the ABC interview, read the transcript of it. He may appear a bit more alive physically, but he still is not answering the questions.
NEITHER IS TRUMP — this is true. That is beside the point. Democrats’ job between now and the convention is to scrupulously examine whether it is Joe or Kamala who is most likely to beat Trump this November. They have a tough job to do, there’s not an immediately obvious choice between the two. But whomever the party nominates, we will support them 1000% in the general.
Ok thanks. I didn’t catch that part😳 but my opinion is that the media is seeing Biden as weak and the democrats totally fragmented and immediately threw Biden under the bus. That one issue is what will give Trump the victory. Dems have no project 2025 or a plan to rally behind. NOTHING democrats aim to accomplish from this point on will become law without the risk of SCOTUS intervening and squelching their policy unless they are removed. And legal or not, Biden was granted immunity as he is the sitting president, not Trump. So he could expel them as an official act and according to their own ruling. Now, will he use this superpower? No, because democrats will find every excuse not to take the power they were granted and Roberts knows this. The democrats are like school kids on a runaway bus and at least one wheel is off the pavement and it will require complete focus and a leader to step up, grab the wheel and radically steer and at least get on solid pavement. Sadly, Putin and Trump aka the “PuTrumplikkkans” have been executing their plan since Putin came into power while democrats will deny and claim conspiracy theories. The only thing these people understand, respect and fear is strength. They saw their moment to strike during the debate and they took it.
Thank you, Michael. Your approach is the soundest so far. Although I don’t believe in dropping the captain in the middle of a storm, letting Biden rest, letting him campaign if he wants to and when he feels tired and ready to pass the reins to Harris then so be it.
At the same time everyone should be asking the emperor wannabe to step down as well, because along with being a convicted felon, a rapist, an insurrectionist twice impeached ex-president, he is definitely showing signs of dementia.
The people around him from his party need to calm down. As for the big media they need to be ignored as they are totally biased. Even here in Canada where I live and where I heard on the radio this morning outrageous comments condemning Biden but not a single one against his opponent.
Very savvy comment -- why should we push for Biden to end his campaign when Trump has committed so many verified crimes there is no way he should be anywhere but prison? And then there's his glaringly obvious dementia -- my mother had early-onset Alzheimer's and Trump is showing far too many of the same symptoms my mother had so I wouldn't even vote for him to be dogcatcher!
Yes, but SCOTUS principally ended democracy as we know it and we are all sitting around quoting legal precedence. Roberts has let him off and will continue to do so until they are radically removed from power in very short order! But Biden will most likely NOT use this power. He has a few weeks left to do it. Yes,,, it’s that serious. Putin is celebrating!!
I agree. Let Biden rest, for a couple of weeks. We have to give a little bit of time, to see what’s going on. If he was worn out from traveling, stressed and overwhelmed, plus having to debate a lying and abusive criminal. Or is it something more serious? Let’s not panic, give him the time he needs. At least, we owe him that.
Yes!!
Biden, unfortunately does not delegate well. He needs to do nothing and work through is cabinet and other appointed support staff.
Yes, the debate was very difficult to watch because Biden did not do well, which is an understatement. I think rather than stepping down, he continues to run until he wins and then step down. If he doesn't during the campaign, I do not believe that people will vote for Harris. We are still unfortunately not that evolved yet. So let him continue to run and then Harris will be president when he wins and steps down because of medical reasons. To me that makes a lot more sense as this country is so freaking racist and misogynist still! I know Hillary won the popular vote but she was a white woman. I just don't think given all the trumpets that the country is ready for a woman of color. I am!😊🦄
We WILL vote for Biden and/or Harris! It is not who we are voting for this time but who we are voting AGAINST!! We are voting AGAINST Trump, and I don't care who it is.
Agreed!!! I’ll vote for whoever is running AGAINST Trump and republicans
That is the strategy I would like to see also, but I am afraid that Biden descent is going to continue to be dramatic and if he stays in the presidency until November....or actually until January's inauguration - that it would be best to do it as Michael Moore suggests....
I think racism and misogyny are getting worse! People like to emulate Trump. I am turning off the TV and internet. The media are missing things or they're scared.
A second comment from me after reading some of the other anyone-but-Kamala opinions here: Picking a candidate without any national experience, without any exposure to foreign affairs, just because they have rising visibility and good state experience seems dumb to me. I think she's the readiest of all the candidates, with the possible exception of Newsom, who has run a state with an economy and immigration issues large enough to be its own country. I don't have to like Harris to realize she's the readiest to step into office.
Seems like there’s only one qualification that counts: the ability to win swing states. There are 3 states that are must-wins: MI, WI, PA.
There is one person—Whitmer— who has won a large swing state. By double digits. Twice.
That is all that counts.
Honestly I’m curious how you think Harris can win swing states? Here’s what I see: She’s blah/uninspiring, and shes from… CA. Swing voters in swing states despise CA, for so many reasons.
Michael, I’d really like to hear why you think Harris has better chance of winning MI, WI and PA than Whitmer?
good points.
Kamala Harris was born ready, and she has stayed ready. Everyone freaking out because they don’t think America is ready for her, needs to get out of the way. If YOU aren’t evolved enough to vote for Kamala, then you have a different issue to address within yourself.
I've been anxiously waiting for your incite on this Michael. You're assessment is spot on and causes me great sadness.
Thank you I’ve Been trying to tell Michael this I’m still trying we need to give President Biden a fair chance the media is very unfair to him while they give Trump a pass I hope Michael listens to you
Insight
Michael, I’ve read many many many writings on this subject, but yours is the only one I thought was filled with compassion about and for the person. Thank you.
Michael Moore needs congratulating on this gentle thoughtful article.
I am in my 96th year and am still fine menaly. Not quite the same story physically .Most of my contemporaries are now dead but in past years almost all of the of them reaching their 80s would not have been able to do any better that Joe did . For his handlers and advisers to cause him to have to stand up to that pressure was indeed cruel . That these people are not taking the pressure off this frail old. man and allowing him to retire gracefully is actually beyond cruel .
I utterly and totally disagree!
I why doesn’t the media ask the convicted felon, the wife cheater and country traitor to withdraw! ?
You can’t replace a candidate like Biden who has been the best (best in terms of helping most people) President in ages. I disagree with the politics of violence (in white men’s language it’s called war!) but I will vote for Biden when the time comes, and by the way — the media is utterly and totally bloody corrupt.
I respect your views but I disagree. It too typical a knee jerk mostly caused by our culture of spectacle.
Look further than a one off tv “debate”!
It was not a one-off. People were alarmed about Biden's cognitive decline four years ago. I certainly was. As for Trump, the media nor anyone else will ask him to withdraw because it is pointless. We have to be practical here. It's not like Biden just had a bad night because what he is suffering from will only get worse. No amount of preparation will reverse it. It's tragic and it's sad, but reading his "I will not step down" comments only makes him look foolish and selfish. I mean, his wife congratulating him for" answering every question!" was cringe worthy. This all has to stop. Far from this being a knee jerk reaction, it has actually been coming for years. It's beyond what Joe deserves. It's what will save the country. He must step aside and do it quickly as we offer our profound thanks, then get to work.
Well put Mary-Ann! US Republicans have demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are incapable of putting COUNTRY FIRST over a demagogue. The DNC needs to put COUNTRY FIRST and provide the American voters with a QUALIFIED choice. Geez, I remember when, years ago, South Carolina voters gave Strom Thurmond another term in his US Senate seat when he was 97 y/o - they claimed it (wait for it) "was out of respect that we let him die in office." 🤦🏻♀️ Respect for the gravitas of the office clearly wasn't part of their reasoning. I smugly wrote them off as a bunch of "Southern Inbreds" and now I see the DNC doing the same.
Obviously it takes a goddess like yourself to so succinctly say what took me many sentences. :) Yes, it's about COUNTRY FIRST. That's it. Period. Mike was able to express it all with great compassion and respect for Biden, while I, on the other hand, am a bit more blunt. I deeply feel those things too, but my eye is on the people still on the fence. I'm fully aware there aren't many of them, but there are enough to swing the vote by a single digit. That's how close this is.
Those who don't agree are feeling very emotional about Joe and what he deserves, and feel like they are betraying him by asking him to step down. Well, Biden from twenty years ago clearly would have seen that the debate changed everything. The fact that he DOESN'T see it is proof positive that he is not well.
If he wins, will the next four years be be great? Of course. He has a great administration. The issue is whether or not he can win, and he can't.
If you decide to comment, dear goddess, I'm sure you'll reiterate what I just said in about four words. :)
Dare to have hope.
this is what I can not figure out. Why is it so tilted to slam Biden.
I have been wondering that myself and the only thing I can think of is that the media wants Biden out- not Trump in. Is this the way that the force behind the media is trying to get Biden replaced? If that is done will the media change directions? Will we ever know?
Hmmm, let's get you on a plane back and forth to Europe twice dealing with Ukraine and Nut&yahoo issues, give you bug to fight, and put you, live, in a ring with a garbage bag that just spews lies because it cannot engage like a real human being. The whole "debate" thing is stupid to start with. It's more closely related to a TV wrestling match than any real debate. It was designed as ONLY a ratings show for CNN. REAL debates are boring and do not increase TV ratings.
JRB has a very good, experienced team around him, like any modern day president MUST have.
Grandpa is still ON THE JOB. Yeah, he don't walk so good anymore. Stephen Hawkings was in a wheelchair and could "talk" only with a machine assist, but he was still doing inconceivably difficult science that most of us will never understand. We are still months out from the election. New evidentiary hearings will be up very soon for the convicted felon. The Stupreme Curt may have done us a favor, because now we get to hear the evidence before the actual trial....before the election.
PS - Randy Rainbow can run with the Stupremes as a gag line if he wants.
Totally agree with you!!!
Sorry Michael, but I do not agree with you at all. You like some others are over-reacting and this is what is more damaging than one debate which did not go well for Biden, which has happened historically to many other incumbent presidents who went on to win. Biden has been flying to many different sites for meeting and to speak over the last few weeks and had a cold. People have his age would not be able to do well at a debate under those circumstances.
The simple truth is that Joe Biden is the only candidate who can beat Trump, and he will if folks like you would get off of his back for this one bad night at a debate. I'm not disappointed in Joe Biden and I know he will prove you wrong. But to be honest I am disappointed in you for this article for bailing on him , when has done such an incredible job as our president for the last four years. He got us through the pandemic, got the economy rolling again and the infrastructure improvements bill and CHIPS bill passed. Trump got nothing done but divide the country and spread bigotry and hatred.
Why aren't you focusing on all the lies that came out of Trump's mouth during the debate and how he did it answer one question? THAT'S what everyone should be focused on regarding the debate, and also how Trump will destroy this county if he gets back in.
Now's the time to stand up for Joe Biden, not bail on him. So let's please stop with the overblown reaction to one debate for God's sake, and let's get back on track to get Joe Biden re-elected.
There's no point in focusing on Trump's lies. But there Is a point in questioning if Joe can continue. Biden was in decline four years ago! Back then, I questioned how his family could let him continue when it was obvious he was not mentally strong. At the very least, they should not have let him debate! All the talk of how prepared he was made it all the more painful.
This was not just a bad night that he'll bounce back from. This is a progressive decline. As a result, there WILL be Democrats who won't vote because of this, or they'll vote for Kennedy or Stein.
Biden has done a fine job as president, but that debate destroyed his chances. In short, if Biden runs, Trump will win. It's that simple. And that can't happen.
We DO need to focus on Trump's lies and HIS mental issues and all of his hate and divisiveness. All of this over-reaction to one debate is exactly what Trump and his cronies want. So the best thing to do is to NOT be a part of it. Instead, everyone needs to not "take the bait" of what Trump wants, which is Trump knows he cannot beat Biden and he wants Biden out of the race. ONLY Biden can beat Trump, so now is when we all need to back up Joe Biden. Joe Biden has been there for us and done an incredible job as president, as he will continue to do. So, now it is our turn to be there for him, and we will win in November.
I do not disagree with a single word you say, except for you final words which is that "we will win in November." Because of this horrible debate (which reflects an issue that has been ongoing for Biden), there WILL be those who will not vote for him now. Should they? Of course. But all it takes is the slimmest of margins now for Trump to win. Certainly my vote will not change. I will support whoever the Democratic candidate is. My concern is not whether Joe would continue to be a good president...it's whether or not he can beat Trump now, the nightmare of all nightmares, and this is where we disagree. You say yes, and I say I'm not so sure, and I don't think we should take the chance as too much is as stake. The bottom line is that we're all terrified of a fallen democracy in America, and as we don't have a crystal ball to know for sure what to do, there will be debates like this. Dear God, I just hope Trump loses.
I am sorry but I don't agree that voters would not vote for Biden due to one debate that did not go well. In particular, given the choices of Trump or RFK Jr., both of whom are completely unsuitable for the office of the president. Any other candidates just don't have the support.
Joe Biden has the support needed, as long as people do not over react and bail for just one bad debate. Joe Biden needs us now and we need to stand up for him. The last thing we need is anyone helping Trump by buying into this attempt to push Joe Biden out of the race, because he is the only candidate who can beat Trump.
I'm a lifelong progressive. I'm not voting for Biden. It isn't just the cognitive decline, but that was the last straw. He also failed to deliver on many campaign promises. His foreign policy has been awful, especially his handling of Gaza. He lost the moral high ground against Trump when he decided to back Israel and fund a genocide. I'm sorry, but supporting genocide is a moral red line for me. Can't vote for him.
I know many who share your position. If the DNC were to announce a new candidate, that Scranton Joe believes it best for our country that we choose a younger candidate - would you vote for him/her? At least to block Trump and the "2025 Project"?
Thank you Michael!
What do you think, if we even survive after November, if we dismantle these two parties and form a new coalition. The new coalition would have absolute laws against corruption, and require that the public needs come first.
No war
Absolute Environmental protection
Education the highest priority on all levels
Health and safety of all persons top priority
Crime treated as a mental health problem, and treated like such
No such thing as homelessness.
Teach kindness
I wish but it's not going to happen especially after the Supreme Court gave the president to the right to be king! I am so upset I cannot even express it.
As a US Navy Veteran, I got out after six because I couldn't justify, personally, continuing being part of machine whose purpose is mass murder. But along with that goes an awareness that sometimes in life you are not given a choice about what your response will be. There are too many instances where war is forced upon people and if they want to remain among the living and protect their wives and daughters from harm (I'm being gentle here considering what seems to be the real national sport in Russia), they will also do the unthinkable. I do agree with you in that we need to practice kindness until people forget how to be mean. We, as a species, are quite a distance away from there as of yet.
I know.
We’ve been taking Life Long Learning history courses now for a long time. What I have come to realize is that humans can be deeply flawed, repeating the very same patterns of aggression, cruelty, and lust for power since the beginning of time.
Religions have tried, but failed to rein these traits.
Even the Buddhists are not exempt, the most peaceful of all that I know of. Once, when the Dalai Lama was in Los Angeles, we went to see him and encountered Buddhist protestors ranting outside about a detail in his teachings they did not agree with. That was likely because they might have been from here, and inherited that combative trait from our Western culture.
And
For sure, the two party system is not serving the good people of our sad country.
Oh, yes! For more than the last 20 years (I've been voting for over 50 years), I've wanted THIS (actually from the age of 14, when I became politically aware). I feel like both parties only want to fatten their war chests and it's become all about winning as if it's only a game. The HAVE's have taken true Democracy away from the HAVE NOT's and they don't care what it costs to keep HAVING - money and power without compassion and true equality.
What a wonderful vision!!!
Thank you Michael for your compassionate and accurate description of Biden’s status, the selfishness and laziness of the Democratic Party in demanding he continue into what are likely his last days. I admit to great anger and hostility toward Biden over the past year, yet realize that he’s not the one that been calling the shots, he’s merely continued as a figurehead of our country. What will it take to wake up the leadership of the Democratic Party?
Actually that’s giving him too much credit. He and Jill are addicted to power. Always have been. Romney pointed out how this addiction is real and very hard to resist. Like a drug.
I'm sorry Micheal, but this is the first time I've disagreed with you. Why do you want to throw him under the bus if Biden is still in it to win it. He and apparently only he can beat Trump. Other successful predictors of elections have confirmed it. Almost everyone deeply dislikes Harris, including me. And if Biden is incapacitated in office now or with his next presidency, God willing, she will still take over. He promised his son on his death bed that he wouldn't quit because the US of A needs him so he won't quit.
Why do you want to keep throwing him under the proverbial bus before it's even been proven whether or not that was a one time thing. I agree that that one debate was a devastating nightmare that should never have taken place but if everyone in the media comes out in support of him and shows Trump for the liar he is Biden will win as he should. Kamla cannot win this alone and you're not helping by running him into the ground on one issue facing us. Surely he's a better choice still than Trump no matter what he does on the sidelines of a war he can't control. Bernie as usual had something intelligent to say about that that he should dole out the funding for Israel based on what they do with the humanitarian crisis at hand. Hopefully he will do just that but we democrats are ever the party of chickens. So it was just pointed out that Al Franken should have never left because he was the best at his job. But democratic leadership had asked him to because we are the party that shoots our own wounded. Biden's interview tonight proved as Peloci had asked that it was a one time glitch and not a general problem that he was having.
Look at how the Supreme Court just supported a convicted felon by throwing out the rule of law, so basically the constitution they swore to uphold. And there is absolutely no one else the polls say who can beat Trump at the moment, even Biden is falling short in that and needs your complete help and support because as Bernie said what are the options? Biden said it himself after this ruling especially that the character of the President is the most important thing of all and no one today can beat him in that regard.
First time I’ve disagreed w/ you, too!
Help us save this country & what’s left of democracy & GET RID OF TRUMP!!