What are you seeing from people in your circle/IRL?

[DaleCooper]

Everyone is immensely depressed that the election is between Biden and Trump, so much so that I am convinced that simply changing the candidate would more or less erase this disaster from the equation. That may sound extreme, but don't forget that Trump admitted on tape that he likes to rape women. The American people are not going to the ballot box in four months to vote against a generic Democrat (even Harris) because they realized earlier in the year that Biden was in even worse shape than they thought. This is the first time since possibly the Clinton impeachment that Democrats can benefit from the voters' immaturity and goldfish attention span, but I don't think they'll do it.

[Spectator]

We had a large family party yesterday. Because my family is 50% Trump, 50% Biden in the last election, political discussions have officially been banned since 2020 to keep the peace.

Every single individual came up to me at the party to bring me aside for a sidebar over what a disgrace it is that he is allowed to run and that he can no longer be trusted to lead anything. They certainly won't be Trump voters, but they have become ubiquitously anti-Biden.

A few also said that Kamala is equally unacceptable.

The most consistently left wing family member specifically said the Joe Biden's dementia is clearly worse than their spouse and parent, who have diagnosed dementia. Given the trials of those experiences, there is no way to cast a vote for him. Any non-Trump Republican would get their vote for the first time ever.

I'm sorry but this extreme hysterics. You can disagree with Biden's performance all day long but he does not have dementia and anyone spewing those talking points is once again not acting in good faith. A rational person can say that he was way worse than they thought. A rational person would not say he has dementia and be serious about it.

Serious question: would you trust Joe Biden to turn the oven off in his house if he were the only one living in it?

Yes?

Hope you have good home and life insurance

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

No discussion. Atlas in the last 72 hours hasn’t been remotely reflective of the real world. Just the pundit class

Not a single person IRL that I know has claimed Biden should drop out. Good debate for Trump? Yeah. But that's about as unfavorable as it gets for Biden.

Everyone I've discussed the debate with has said Biden should drop out. This is a 100% Dem, 100% college educated group where something like the NYT editorial board has significant sway though.

The NYT editorial board could certainly have sway over such people.
But the most strongly anti-Trump people who fear him the most are probably also disproportionately represented in the "Biden should drop out" crowd.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

We had a large family party yesterday. Because my family is 50% Trump, 50% Biden in the last election, political discussions have officially been banned since 2020 to keep the peace.

Every single individual came up to me at the party to bring me aside for a sidebar over what a disgrace it is that he is allowed to run and that he can no longer be trusted to lead anything. They certainly won't be Trump voters, but they have become ubiquitously anti-Biden.

A few also said that Kamala is equally unacceptable.

The most consistently left wing family member specifically said the Joe Biden's dementia is clearly worse than their spouse and parent, who have diagnosed dementia. Given the trials of those experiences, there is no way to cast a vote for him. Any non-Trump Republican would get their vote for the first time ever.

I'm sorry but this extreme hysterics. You can disagree with Biden's performance all day long but he does not have dementia and anyone spewing those talking points is once again not acting in good faith. A rational person can say that he was way worse than they thought. A rational person would not say he has dementia and be serious about it.

Serious question: would you trust Joe Biden to turn the oven off in his house if he were the only one living in it?

Yes?

Biden is in above average state for a person his age.

[Progressive Pessimist]

The same person, a "double-hater," I spoke to who ended up sympathizing with Biden during the debate and found Trump an obnoxious liar, had a fairly interesting take on Biden being replaced. Also a frustrating one:

He said "who would replace Biden?" And went on about discomfort over him being replaced, even though he dislikes him. It's a weird paradox. People don't like Biden but also don't like the idea of him being replaced and having to become acquainted with a new candidate. I don't get it. Hopefully he isn't representative of the general public, because they don't seem to know what they want anymore.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

We had a large family party yesterday. Because my family is 50% Trump, 50% Biden in the last election, political discussions have officially been banned since 2020 to keep the peace.

Every single individual came up to me at the party to bring me aside for a sidebar over what a disgrace it is that he is allowed to run and that he can no longer be trusted to lead anything. They certainly won't be Trump voters, but they have become ubiquitously anti-Biden.

A few also said that Kamala is equally unacceptable.

The most consistently left wing family member specifically said the Joe Biden's dementia is clearly worse than their spouse and parent, who have diagnosed dementia. Given the trials of those experiences, there is no way to cast a vote for him. Any non-Trump Republican would get their vote for the first time ever.

I'm sorry but this extreme hysterics. You can disagree with Biden's performance all day long but he does not have dementia and anyone spewing those talking points is once again not acting in good faith. A rational person can say that he was way worse than they thought. A rational person would not say he has dementia and be serious about it.

Serious question: would you trust Joe Biden to turn the oven off in his house if he were the only one living in it?

Yes?

Hope you have good home and life insurance

You asked a question and I answered it.  Is that sort of crap necessary?  I mean, we disagree and that’s fine, but there’s no reason to be a jerk about it.  If you want to argue that Harris has a better chance than Biden, I’m all ears.  I’m happy to hear your argument.  However, this sort of thing simply suggests you’re not interested in good-faith discussion about this.  Shockingly enough, people can strongly disagree about high stakes issues without being obnoxious about it.

[axiomsofdominion]

The same person, a "double-hater," I spoke to who ended up sympathizing with Biden during the debate and found Trump an obnoxious liar, had a fairly interesting take on Biden being replaced. Also a frustrating one:

He said "who would replace Biden?" And went on about discomfort over him being replaced, even though he dislikes him. It's a weird paradox. People don't like Biden but also don't like the idea of him being replaced and having to become acquainted with a new candidate. I don't get it. Hopefully he isn't representative of the general public, because they don't seem to know what they want anymore.

There's simply not time to trot out a new candidate and get voters warmed up to them.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Friend 3 (white male, law student, progressive): "The fact that the demonrats are even considering subbing in a different candidate says enough about how it went."

"demonrats"...how progressive again?

[Progressive Pessimist]

The same person, a "double-hater," I spoke to who ended up sympathizing with Biden during the debate and found Trump an obnoxious liar, had a fairly interesting take on Biden being replaced. Also a frustrating one:

He said "who would replace Biden?" And went on about discomfort over him being replaced, even though he dislikes him. It's a weird paradox. People don't like Biden but also don't like the idea of him being replaced and having to become acquainted with a new candidate. I don't get it. Hopefully he isn't representative of the general public, because they don't seem to know what they want anymore.

There's simply not time to trot out a new candidate and get voters warmed up to them.

I think there is, personally. Most Americans in polls hate both options, by default why shouldn't someone new be more appealing?

[axiomsofdominion]

The same person, a "double-hater," I spoke to who ended up sympathizing with Biden during the debate and found Trump an obnoxious liar, had a fairly interesting take on Biden being replaced. Also a frustrating one:

He said "who would replace Biden?" And went on about discomfort over him being replaced, even though he dislikes him. It's a weird paradox. People don't like Biden but also don't like the idea of him being replaced and having to become acquainted with a new candidate. I don't get it. Hopefully he isn't representative of the general public, because they don't seem to know what they want anymore.

There's simply not time to trot out a new candidate and get voters warmed up to them.

I think there is, personally. Most Americans in polls hate both options, by default why shouldn't someone new be more appealing?

Better the devil you know.

The problem is that the democratic coalition, and especially combined with swing voters, is not a monolith. They are often quite disagreeable. Like why not just do Bernie? Well he has many issues that certain groups would be upset about. And his Israel position is not great.

It is just like how "generic R or D" often beats out any actual potential candidates. Each person who wants someone besides Trump and Biden has a different version of who that person would be.

[Progressive Pessimist]

The same person, a "double-hater," I spoke to who ended up sympathizing with Biden during the debate and found Trump an obnoxious liar, had a fairly interesting take on Biden being replaced. Also a frustrating one:

He said "who would replace Biden?" And went on about discomfort over him being replaced, even though he dislikes him. It's a weird paradox. People don't like Biden but also don't like the idea of him being replaced and having to become acquainted with a new candidate. I don't get it. Hopefully he isn't representative of the general public, because they don't seem to know what they want anymore.

There's simply not time to trot out a new candidate and get voters warmed up to them.

I think there is, personally. Most Americans in polls hate both options, by default why shouldn't someone new be more appealing?

Better the devil you know.

The problem is that the democratic coalition, and especially combined with swing voters, is not a monolith. They are often quite disagreeable. Like why not just do Bernie? Well he has many issues that certain groups would be upset about. And his Israel position is not great.

It is just like how "generic R or D" often beats out any actual potential candidates. Each person who wants someone besides Trump and Biden has a different version of who that person would be.

Or, better someone who isn't a devil at all who will not have anywhere near the baggage of either Biden or Trump.

[Alben Barkley]

Yeah I asked for things that actually happened IRL, not a bunch of quotes you just made up.

Can you read? I copied every single one of those verbatim from texts I've received over the past three days.

Yes, I completely believe that all 6 of your "friends" said the same exact thing just with different wording and none of them brought up Trump at all. Very believable!

Yes the vast majority of people thought Trump easily won the debate including democrats. This is despite Trump not having a single memorable line which means the reason for that is Biden did historically bad .

So it makes sense people would just bring up Biden here

For real; anyone who finds it implausible that Biden's display Thursday night overshadowed Trump's usual antics is a delusional moron. There's a reason why it's literally the only thing we've discussed on this forum for three days straight.

Furthermore the rules of the debate were set up to prevent Trump from his usual antics(by shutting of the mics) so all you got from Trump were a bunch  of prepared lines given to him by his campaign team . So Trump wasn’t really memorable at all in this debate as he didn’t have his usual antics, didn’t have a single memorable line , and had really no off the cuff moment too .

The fact is if Joe Biden was able to answer the questions in a semi coherent way , this debate would be remembered for how extremely boring it was . It would just be a two old men who are past their prime just getting their standard talking points in but really not landing a single punch on each other .

Its exactly why people are calling to replace Biden because this debate was not “ Trump destroys Biden” but rather “Biden destroys himself” as you can recover from the former but it’s extremely hard to recover from the latter .

I think “I really don’t know what he said. I don’t think he does either” was memorable. A knockout blow even, not that it was needed as Trump could have won by standing there. That combined with “We finally beat Medicare” defined the debate and will be remembered a long time.

[wnwnwn]

No discussion. Atlas in the last 72 hours hasn’t been remotely reflective of the real world. Just the pundit class

I think a lot of normie dem leaning americans are like
Maybe Biden is too old?... He isn´t the man of before...
Would they replace him?... With who? Kamala?....
Who know.... (moves to next thought)

I think those discussions are only relevant for polnerds and people who care about certain issues (some pro-choicers and maybe pro-Ukraine focused people if that exists).
Also those moderates who do some activism for something but are "undecided".

[John Dule]

Friend 3 (white male, law student, progressive): "The fact that the demonrats are even considering subbing in a different candidate says enough about how it went."

"demonrats"...how progressive again?

Enough to vote for Bernie in 2016?

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

I have a pretty anti-Trump social circle (family, friends, acquaintances), and the reaction was downright apoplectic. I think it's very concerning for Biden how quickly this made it even to the more nonpolitical types; the memes were everywhere.

Nobody said anything about the insane sh*t that Trump said or his constant lying; the spontaneous reactions are about Biden's bad performance and his brain being soup at this point. Plenty of people still saying they'll vote for him against Trump but there is a real sense of horror from the grassroots.

A lot of hatred towards both candidates ("This is the best we can do?" and "Two old men yelling at each other about golf"), but the real focus has been Biden


(I also agree that the double standard is frustrating, for what it's worth)

[super6646]

Mostly disappointment but not a big surprise. One of my Jewish friends gave out a LOL when I told him about the “bad Palestinian” comments that trump made. Interestingly, one of my friends thought Biden was BETTER than at any point in his last election campaign, but said trump being trump made it easy for him to win. Another person I know said Biden was a disaster, but he’s a trump supporter so that isn’t a surprize

In a way though, the most important thing was family bonding time. My papa, a Persian Trump lifer, had more laughs than I’ve ever seen in my life while we watched the debate. Even I couldn’t help it lol. And while the man is a malignant narcissist with no ends to his ego, I couldn’t disagree when he said he could’ve ran circles over Joe that night. Makes sense considering he’s about as cognizant as his hero on stage.


F*** lol. At least I convinced him to stay on the CNN feed instead of watching FOX. I think the tv would’ve been thrown out a window if it came to that.

[Alben Barkley]

Everyone is immensely depressed that the election is between Biden and Trump, so much so that I am convinced that simply changing the candidate would more or less erase this disaster from the equation. That may sound extreme, but don't forget that Trump admitted on tape that he likes to rape women. The American people are not going to the ballot box in four months to vote against a generic Democrat (even Harris) because they realized earlier in the year that Biden was in even worse shape than they thought. This is the first time since possibly the Clinton impeachment that Democrats can benefit from the voters' immaturity and goldfish attention span, but I don't think they'll do it.

Yeah, “I wish it was anyone but them” is probably the single most common refrain I’ve heard which is why I’m so convinced almost any replacement could work.

Honestly this site and other internet bubbles with an overabundance of nerdy/autistic young progressive gay men (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) like r/neoliberal are the only places in the world I know of where you can find bona fide Biden fans, and not people who are at most holding their noses for him and voting reluctantly because they hate Trump more.

[kyc0705]

I just had dinner with some family members, and basically everyone in my family is a Democrat, so the conversation was coming from the same overall place. There was general disappointment that Biden's performance and the subsequent fallout took attention away from all the lies Trump told.

When it came to whether Biden should keep running, opinion was more split, though most wanted him out. But nobody's mind had been changed by the debate. Everyone who wanted him to drop out never thought he should have run for re-election in the first place. There was no real confidence in Harris's ability to win if she replaced him.

[iceman]

people at my workplace (who are mostly not politically engaged) didn’t watch the debate at all but they have seen some of the clip in the reels and highlights on social media and their obvious reaction was Biden falling apart and definitely too old for the job. One even commented about the LA fundraiser wherein Obama escorted Biden as downright embarrassing (though she is not into politics and hasn’t voted in a long time)

i live in PBC, and it’s a diverse workplace too. i dont usually ask my colleagues about their political leanings though, but from what I hear from them from time to time, both Trump and Biden are not worth their votes.

[TodayJunior]

mostly sadness and anger, and folks are definitely moving toward Trump….like the conviction doesn’t matter at all. It’s like Trump has been normalized Now….granted I’m in Florida so the bar is low but Orlando is not. Around here it’s like “hold your nose and vote for Trump”. I’m utterly shocked at the normies I run into. Biden getting to 45% statewide here will be an upset. Pull the plug on everything out of Florida now.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Terror/panic/depressed reactions from older liberal family members (parents, grandmother, aunts and uncles) and family friends, mixed with anger that Trump’s lies and criminal conviction don’t seem to matter.

My own generation of friends and family, who are on the whole liberal-left but (unsurprisingly) aren’t fans of Biden or the Democrats in general, think…well, here are some quotes from a WhatsApp group chat that I’m in with some friends:


Friend 1: I’m scared for the future of this country after that debate

Friend 2: It's just...  Look, someone needs to be in charge but why are our only options these two?

Friend 1: All parties need to be represented in debates. Not just 2. Also,  one nomination from each party. Let the best person have a chance and give us more options. Generally more options for groceries and things make us crazy, but we have these 2 people as our only options? That’s crazy

Friend 3: This debate was the worst I've yet to see and that's saying something

Friend 3: Biden: the idea that..... Number one.... Stutters

Friend 3: Trump: let me just answer.

THE IMMIGRANTS
THE ILLEGALS

Friend 4: I just can’t believe what I watched tonight…this is what counts for a presidential debate in 2024 for arguably the most powerful nation on Earth.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

I've only talked to 2 people IRL about the debate: my mom and stepbrother. Neither of them watched the debate, but they saw clips and reactions online.

My mom is your typical older, loyal Democratic voter. She's embarrassed about Biden's performance and is very worried about Trump winning, but obviously she's still voting for Biden.

My stepbrother said that Biden looked like a "glitchy AI robot" and that Trump was "his usual lying self". My stepbro can't vote, though (he's a PR but not a citizen yet). Even if he could vote, I doubt he would, as he doesn't really believe in voting.

[Bush did 311]

The same person, a "double-hater," I spoke to who ended up sympathizing with Biden during the debate and found Trump an obnoxious liar, had a fairly interesting take on Biden being replaced. Also a frustrating one:

He said "who would replace Biden?" And went on about discomfort over him being replaced, even though he dislikes him. It's a weird paradox. People don't like Biden but also don't like the idea of him being replaced and having to become acquainted with a new candidate. I don't get it. Hopefully he isn't representative of the general public, because they don't seem to know what they want anymore.

There's simply not time to trot out a new candidate and get voters warmed up to them.

Most Americans want someone other than Joe Biden or Donald Trump. They will be receptive to a new candidate. It's unprecedented but the democrats can present it in a palatable way.

"We know many of our supporters are scared and uncertain about our historically unprecedented actions (to replace Joe Biden at the convention) but the situation our country is in is unprecedented. It is imperative that we prevent Trump from getting another term and this is the best chance. The danger to our Constitution and the future of our republic is too great to sit back. We need to have courage for these times. We thank Joe Biden for his service and wish him the best of luck with his health. The fight continues".... something like that.

Biden should withdraw. A swing state governor or senator should be chosen to replace him, with a VP from the Biden administration, possibly Harris carrying over, to create a sense of continuity.

[Fuzzy Bear]

We had a large family party yesterday. Because my family is 50% Trump, 50% Biden in the last election, political discussions have officially been banned since 2020 to keep the peace.

Every single individual came up to me at the party to bring me aside for a sidebar over what a disgrace it is that he is allowed to run and that he can no longer be trusted to lead anything. They certainly won't be Trump voters, but they have become ubiquitously anti-Biden.

A few also said that Kamala is equally unacceptable.

The most consistently left wing family member specifically said the Joe Biden's dementia is clearly worse than their spouse and parent, who have diagnosed dementia. Given the trials of those experiences, there is no way to cast a vote for him. Any non-Trump Republican would get their vote for the first time ever.

I'm sorry but this extreme hysterics. You can disagree with Biden's performance all day long but he does not have dementia and anyone spewing those talking points is once again not acting in good faith. A rational person can say that he was way worse than they thought. A rational person would not say he has dementia and be serious about it.

Here's Stage 5 of Dementia (7 stages in all)

Mid-Stage Dementia:

Stage 5: Moderately Severe Mental Decline/Moderate Dementia

Quality of life: Moderate impact

Your loved one will likely remember some of their past and still recognize loved ones. He or she may have trouble making healthcare decisions. You may need some care in the home for day-to-day activities. You may see your loved one:

*Experience personality changes and mood swings.
*Repeat the same questions over and over again.  
*Have gaps in memory and become confused about the date, where you are, or your address and phone number.
*Need help with eating or using the toilet.
*Have trouble choosing clothing, such as what kind of close to wear for the season.
*Have bladder problems.

How You Can Help:

If you haven’t already helped your loved one document his or her care wishes, talk with the health care team and the options for care.

If you have, help the health care team follow your loved one’s care preferences.

You can:

*Help with dressing, toileting, and other daily activities.
*Respond to repeated questions with patience.

Americans have seen this in Joe Biden in news clips that are NOT "cheap fakes" and are NOT "out of context".  Millions of Americans have also seen the 7 stages of Dementia play out in a loved one, and they know when they've seen something before.

There is only one thing for Joe Biden to do if he really wants to stay in the race and (more importantly) do right by the American people:

1.  He needs to undergo a full battery of physical and psychological testing by practitioners that are not affiliated with any political organization, and the full results need to be disclosed.

2.  The FULL video of Biden's interview with Robert Hur needs to be released in its entirety to the public IMMEDIATELY.

Testing talks.  The Hur video talks.  Everything else walks here.  Biden has to prove he DOESN'T have dementia, and he has to prove that his physical and cognitive abilities are up to the most demanding job in America.  He cannot possibly have the proper regard for the American electorate if he chooses to continue his campaign, yet refuse to submit to testing and to release the Hur Video.  Given the nature of his debate performance, this is not too much to ask.  If he refuses, he's not the "Good Man" people are saying he is.

[West_Midlander]

- "Trump and Biden are both senile" (paraphrasing).

- "Biden is trying to give all the money [for public ed] to private schools." ()

- A lot of uncertainty about support and also anti-abortion sentiments

- Solid Trumpist since at least 2015-16