Can I delete my account?

If not, can someone delete it for me? Thanks.

What DU thought in June

People might find it interesting. A pardon wasn't that popular back then.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219014397

I'm not celebrating the Hunter Biden pardon.

I'm guessing this is an unpopular opinion on DU, but I don't see President Biden pardoning Hunter Biden as something to celebrate. I think it's a complicated issue, with arguments to both support and oppose the pardon. In terms of fairness and justice, I can see the pardon as maybe a necessary if unpleasant act brought on by a politicized prosecution, but also a case of the privileged getting away with something. In terms of politics, for Democrats, the benefits are basically non-existent, and the costs could be fairly large.

A lot of things can be true at the same time:

* Yes, it is within a president's powers to pardon anyone for any federal crimes.

* Yes, Hunter Biden would very likely not have been prosecuted if he were not Joe Biden's son.

* Yes, Donald Trump has many worse things with regard to pardons, and will likely do many more worse things in the future.

* Yes-- and to me this is the strongest argument-- most parents would do whatever they can to protect their children.

So to leave Hunter Biden in jeopardy and the whims of the incoming Trump administration seems somehow inappropriate. But also...

* Hunter Biden did actually commit the crimes, and was convicted of them in a jury trial, even if they are rarely prosecuted to the extent that he was.

* He is hardly the only person who has been unfairly prosecuted by the federal government. There are almost certainly a fair number of people serving time who are actually innocent.

* President Biden promised multiple times, including after the election, that he would not pardon his son. When he did so, we pointed to that and argued that this made our party a better guardian of equal justice under law.

* Donald Trump's level of corruption should not be a standard for any acceptable behavior. Saying that this is okay because Trump does it too is a terrible justification for any behavior.

So a president pardoning his son of crimes for which he was found guilty isn't great either.

All of which makes me think there was no clear right or wrong answer here.

So it really surprises me to see such celebration. What did we really accomplish here? This is the kind of reaction I'd expect if we passed some major liberal legislation. Here, the only people really better off are Hunter Biden and those who love him, and I'm happy for them. It must be a big relief. But like it or not, a lot of people are going to look at this and say-- look, they're all the same. There's one standard for those with connections, and another for people like me. If we ever want to point out how corrupt Trump is, they'll point to this and say-- you do it too. So the party as a whole will take the hit.

NYT forecast state of the race at 8:37 pm ET

Chance of winning is 58% R, 42% D.

Basically, NYT thinks GA is going Rep (70%), and NC is trending that way too (58%).

If they're right, then Harris's only remaining path is winning the blue wall of WI, MI, PA. They have WI and MI at 52% D, and PA at 53% R.

So, basically, it comes down to PA.

Kamala Harris today

In a small way, I am at peace with this election.

In a larger way, I'm petrified at the prospect of another Trump term, of course.

But I am in peace in the sense that I know this election is now a test for the American public, and not of our candidate or our party. The public as a whole knows all the deep and serious flaws of Donald Trump. They know about his racism, his sexism, and his anti-LGBT bigotry. They know he sent his followers to attack the Capitol. They know he tried to overturn the last election. They know he's cognitively impaired, that he lies as easily as he breathes. They know that he ended the constitutional right to abortion. If people still vote for him after all that, whether because of it or in spite of it, then that is their responsibility entirely.

Obviously we need to work hard and get out every last vote we can. Our work may yet be the difference between winning and losing. But if the outcome is the wrong one, it won't be the fault of those who tried to stop it. It will be the fault of those who cause it, with eyes wide open.

Unpopular opinion: I thought CNN/Dana Bash did a fine job with the interview

I know bashing the media is popular here, but I honestly thought Dana Bash did a perfectly reasonable job with the interview. She asked a fair number of open-ended policy questions, some that were more adversarially framed but covered necessary ground, and a couple of softballs. The only questions I thought were silly gotcha politics was the stuff about Tim Walz's long-ago quotes. Once the questions were asked, Bash let Kamala Harris and Tim Walz answer at length without interrupting or talking over them.

I also thought that Harris did a really great job herself, of course. I think she should do a lot more interviews or town halls. They don't have to be with the big names-- it can be late night TV, magazines, daytime talk shows, and especially local news shows.

The Pete Buttigieg media strategy

As we all know, the 2020 Democratic presidential primary featured one of the largest and most talented fields in memory. There was a vice president, governors, senators, House members, and billionaires. Out of all of them, it was the unknown mayor of the nation's 316th most populous city who broke through, won the Iowa caucuses and came a close second in New Hampshire, before eventually dropping out after South Carolina.

How did Pete Buttigieg accomplish that, and in the process elevate his profile enough to become a Cabinet secretary and a national figure? Undoubtedly, much of it is because he's smart, skilled, and communicates extremely well. But a key part of it was that he was available-- really, really, available-- to the press. Buttigieg gave interviews to everyone who asked, big or small, urban or rural, print or TV. His campaign said he talked to nearly 300 separate media outlets. As a result, he got tons of press, and most of it was good press. You can go back and find all the positive portrayals of him from back then, from all kinds of different media outlets that each got their hour or more with him.

I think Buttigieg's example carries some lessons for the current presidential campaign. I think the Kamala Harris campaign should do more interviews-- not because the press deserves them, but because it's good for the candidate. The parallels aren't exact-- in 2020, Buttigieg was unknown and needed exposure to win, while in 2024, Kamala Harris is already well-known to voters, at least at a shallow level. But a lot of the benefits are the same-- your comments, not your opponent's, lead the news cycle, your words reach voters without having to spend advertising money. What's not to like?

CNN Poll: Harris improves on Biden's performance against Trump in early look at new matchup

Just in from CNN:

Mixed news: The topline number is +3 for Trump (49% for Trump and 46% for Harris), which is an improvement from the +6 in the Biden vs Trump matchup. Importantly, the poll was conducted by re-contacting people from previous polls, so it shows a "real" change in people's minds, as opposed to a different random sample.

Also of note: many more of Dem voters are now saying that their votes are affirmative support for the candidate, and not just votes against the opponent.

Some clips of Joe Biden through the years

I don't know what the near future holds for President Biden and the nomination. I'm on record here as wanting an open discussion about the future, based on what I think are facts, but I'm afraid that sometimes may come off as being against Biden. But, like everyone who wants him to be the nominee, and, yes, everyone who wants someone else, we all have a deep admiration for him, his lifetime in public service, and what he's accomplished during his presidency.

It's sad and heartbreaking what age does to all of us-- our grandparents, our parents, and eventually, us. Of course, even an older Joe Biden is incomparably better than Trump. I hope this argument about the nomination is resolved soon. But in the meantime, let's enjoy some of Biden's speech and debate highlights-- his wit, his empathy, his policy knowledge, and his optimism.

On Giuliani-- a noun, a verb, and 9/11-- still one of the best lines in a debate, from 2007: