President Joe Biden’s family used a Sunday gathering at Camp David to urge him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite his dreadful debate performance, and some members criticized how his staff prepared him for the faceoff, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Biden spent the day sequestered with first lady Jill Biden, his children and grandchildren. It was a previously scheduled trip to the presidential retreat in Maryland for a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

But the gathering was also an exercise in trying to figure out how to quell Democratic anxiety that has exploded following Thursday’s performance.

While his family was aware of how poorly he performed against Donald Trump, they also continue to think he’s the best person to beat the Republican presumptive nominee. They also believe he is capable of doing the job of president for another four years, according to the people who were not authorized to speak publicly about internal discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Yes. You should. Because the alternative is a dictator. So if he is the nominee, you should support him.

      • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 months ago

        I’m just wondering why they left the fate of the entire free world to…this guy? Seriously? A turtle would have been better. Why run him again when it was this obvious of a bad idea even back in the primaries? Anyone but Hillary would have been a shoe in, now we have to worry.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Who did you canvas for as an alternative? Anyone?

          That would be your answer.

          Edit: Interesting thing to get downvoted for- asking who someone canvassed for. Do you downvoters not know how political campaigns are supposed to work?

            • Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              You know registered Democratic voters pick the nominee, not the DNC, correct?

              If you want someone like Bernie to win, you have to fight with the establishment over the Democratic voterbase, and the Bernie campaign never succeeded in winning over the majority of the Democratic voterbase. You can argue this is because the majority of the endorsements and media were on Hillary’s side, but that was inevitable, you can’t just expect your internal Party opponent to roll over, you have to build up an opposing powerbase within the party and media.

              Seems like a lot of socialists and progressives got too disenchanted from Bernie losing to ever accept that, though.

              • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                4 months ago

                I still think it’s a ridiculous notion that I alone am responsible for the failures of the democrat party simply because I am unable to go door to door and say “Vote for Zippy,” regardless of who puts forth the candidate. Short of being the sole arbiter of ballots of course.

                • Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world
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                  4 months ago

                  regardless of who puts forth the candidate

                  That’s the thing, though, no one “puts forth” a candidate except the candidate themselves, parties will sometimes reach out to activists or local party officials for local or state office nominations, but Federal office candidates are almost always decided by candidates themselves getting signatures and putting their name forward.

                  You’re no more responsible for the failures of the party than party establishment officials at the DNC, and likely quite less responsible, but you are responsible for writing off the party as a whole, and thereby abandoning the about 50% of the party that wants to take it in a progressive/anti-capitalist direction.

                  • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                    4 months ago

                    You can blame me all you wish, if it makes you feel better to blame others who have absolutely no say in the matter instead of the party or their leaders for disenfranchising so many people.

                    Your continued support of the familiar means they’ll never change. Of course since I’m sure you, like the party leadership, like it that way, it shouldn’t be an issue for you.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              You expect others to canvas on your behalf? Campaigns are made up of people willing to go out and do things on behalf of the candidate. You wanted to know why not someone other than Biden wasn’t the nominee. The answer is because I didn’t canvas for anyone else and neither did you and neither did almost anyone else.

              Blaming everyone but yourself when you were just as complicit is just an excuse to get out of doing it the next time. If there’s going to be a next time.

              And before you point fingers at me, remember I’m not the one complaining about it.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      What is the downside of supporting him?

      We know he advances progressive policies that benefit hundreds of millions of people.

      Voting him in keeps a sane person in the White House.

      He’s already shown how active he is as president in his first term, regardless of his age.

      I don’t see the downside of voting for someone who has already proven themselves to be a good president.

      • Nutteman@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Because he was not a “good” president. He’s been mediocre to a complete disappointment for many of us who are actually progressive and want to see some change for the better.

        • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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          4 months ago

          Actual pogressives care about lgbtq+ rights, sustainable technology, investing in critical infrastructure, taxing billionaires and fixing the climate, all issues that the Biden administration has dedicated significant time and resources to.

          You don’t know who or what you’re talking about.

          • Nutteman@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I think you’re just upset that your geriatric genocide apologist candidate is disliked for very real reasons and is an active barrier to real change in this country. You’re not a progressive. You are a centrist. A coward. A bootlicker.

            • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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              4 months ago

              Haha, no.

              I’m sorry you’re having such difficulty with reality, but civil rights and green technology is the future.

              Must be difficult living in a progressive world leaving you behind.

              • Nutteman@lemmy.world
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                4 months ago

                You’re a silly little fella I’ll tell you what. I’m an actual leftist. You are a liberal with no real principles or ideology. You’re controlled opposition and a joke.

                edit: lol this fuckin nerd dm’d me to complain I’m insulting him for being a yellow-bellied centrist

      • Asifall@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        At this point the downside is that if that debate is the best he can do then he’s absolutely going to lose.

        If he does make it to Election Day without dropping out or dropping dead then yeah we may as well vote for him, but that seems like a terrible position to be in.