Biden's Heatwave: Trying to Cool the Critics and it's not working

WEBVTT

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Calaruga Shark media from Washington, DC, where it's so hot that politicians are

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actually sweating the truth. This is
ballid. That's right. Everyone's done with

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Joe except Joe, well and me. I kind of like all the extra

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downloads the show is getting. Let's
hit this President. Joe Biden told congressional

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Democrats in a letter on Monday that
he's not stepping down from his reelection bid.

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Despite mounting concerns about his mental fitness
and the viability of his campaign,

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Biden decided to go all in,
channeling his inner Rocky Balboa. I want

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you to know that, despite all
the speculation in the press and elsewhere,

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I am firmly committed to staying in
this race, to running this race to

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the end, and to beating Donald
Trump, Biden wrote in the letter,

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obtained by CNN. Well, if
that doesn't sound like a pep talk from

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coach Taylor on Friday Night Lights,
I don't know what does. Biden's letter

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was all about putting those pesky doubts
to rest. It's not working, Joe.

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The question of how to move forward
has been well aired for over a

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week now, and it's time for
it to end. We have one job,

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and that is to beat Donald Trump. We have forty two days to

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the Democratic Convention and one hundred and
nineteen days to the general election. Any

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weakening of resolve or lack of clarity
about the task ahead only helps Trump and

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hurts us. Biden concluded, it
is time to come together, move forward

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as a unified party and defeat Donald
Trump. Is that a rallying cry?

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Or what? This week is make
or break for Biden's political future? As

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he tries to put out the fires
ignited by his less than stellar debate performance,

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top House Democrats are practically lighting torches
and sharpening pitchforks, telling Minority Leader

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Hakim Jeffries that it might be time
for Biden to step aside. Biden's strategy

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to quell the age concerns more off
the cuff engagements, because what could possibly

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go wrong there? Called into MSNBC's
Mourning Joe to show he still got it,

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but let's be honest, the appearance
was as smooth as a car ride

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with a learner's permit driver. Biden's
response to a question about unity was a

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bit like a jazz performance, improvisational
and occasionally off topic. He slammed Trump

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for being on the golf course post
debate. Well, look, Democrats,

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Joe, let me say it this
way. The reason I've been on the

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road so much all over the country
while Trump is riding around in a golf

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cart, filling out his golf cart
before golf cart before he even hits the

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ball. But anyway, he hasn't
been anywhere in ten days. I've been

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all over the country number one.
And the sad part is I didn't misread

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that. And in appointed rebuke to
his critics, Biden said, I'm getting

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so frustrated by the elites. Now
I'm not talking about you guys, but

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by the elites and the party.
They know so much more. But if

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any of these guys don't think I
should run, run against me, go

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ahead, announce for president. Challenge
me at the convention. Several House Democrats

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are already calling for Biden to bow
out, with Adam Smith being the latest

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to throw his hat into the please
step aside ring Well, look, I

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think he should step aside, he
told CNN's Jake Tapper. I think it's

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become clear that he's not the best
person to carry the Democratic message. And

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here's the thing. We have an
incredibly strong message and a record to run

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on, and all respect to the
president, he's done a great job.

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But Smith added, we've got a
good message. The president has shown he

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is not capable of delivering that message
in an effective way. Ouch. That's

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like a performance review where your boss
says you're great, but you should probably

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look for another job. On a
call with senior House Democrats, Smith and

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others voiced their concerns in what one
aid described as a pretty brutal conversation.

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Meanwhile, Biden's campaign official declined to
say whether the president had spoken directly with

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Senator Mark Warner, whose spearheading the
effort to let's say, nudge Biden towards

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the exit. Biden's campaign highlighted supportive
statements from Hill Democrats and hosted a donor

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call to reassure the moneymen. Biden
said he's not quitting and believes he's still

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the best candidate to beat Trump,
with one participant quoting him as saying he

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ain't budging an inch. Campaign chair
gen O Malley Dillon led the call,

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and Maryland Governor Wes Moore offered a
spirited defense of the president. Biden even

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fielded a question about his strategy for
the second debate, attack, attack,

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attack, Yeah, because that works
so well the first time. In short,

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Biden's channeling his inner underdog, determined
to stay in the ring despite the

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odds. Will his fighting spirit rally
the party or is it just a case

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of stubbornness. Meanwhile, here on
bizarro World, Trump has been calm,

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cool, and collected. Senior Democratic
strategist David Axelrod is questioning former President Trump's

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decision to remain uncharacteristically silent amidst rising
concerns over President Biden's health and candidacy.

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Yep, Trump, the guy who
can't resist a microphone, is suddenly as

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quiet as a mime at a library. Trump's not talking much about Biden's bad

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debate. Trump's campaign is not blitzing
ads about it, and Laura Trump said

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last week it would be an affront
to democracy if Biden were not the nominee.

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Axelrod wrote in a social media post, question, why do you think

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they are uncharacteristically holding fire? Good
question, Dave, Maybe Trump's just lost

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his Twitter password. Axelrod, who
used to whisper sweet political nothings into Obama's

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ear, has been giving Biden the
tough love treatment after Biden's debate performance,

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which was about as smooth as a
gravel driveway. Axelrod's been vocal about his

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concerns. A growing chorus of Democrats
are now suggesting Biden exit stage left to

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make way for a different candidate.
Meanwhile, former Representative Steve Stivers, a

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Republican from Ohio who's no stranger to
campaign strategies, seems to think Trump's doing

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the smart thing by staying quiet when
your opponent is blowing himself up. Don't

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interrupt. There's no reason to insert
yourself in that conversation. Stiver's told The

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Hill, the discipline is smart on
this topic, and he's done a good

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job at that. Sounds like Trump's
taking a page out of the never interrupt

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your enemy when he's making a mistake
playbook discipline from Trump, who knew twenty

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twenty four would have so many plot
twists. Axelrod isn't holding back on Biden

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either. He's dismissed the calls for
Biden to drop out as irrelevant, but

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also warned that the president is dangerously
out of touch on a social platform.

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Axelrod wrote, the president is rightfully
proud of his record, but he is

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dangerously out of touch with the concerns
people have about his capacities moving forward,

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and is standing in this race.
Rob Reiner, you know Meathead from the

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Archie Bunker show, tweeted, it's
time to stop messing around, except he

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spelled messing with an F and K
and some other letters that aren't in messing.

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If the convicted felon wins, we
lose our democracy. Joe Biden has

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effectively served us with honor, decency, and dignity. It's time for Joe

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Biden to step down. Things are
so crazy that I haven't even had time

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to tell you about the story circulating
about RFK eating a dog in Korea.

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In olden times, that would have
been news. Portions of today's program were

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made with the help of AI,
but not the Korean dog part. Support

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the show by becoming a paid subscriber
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unlike Joe Biden link in the show
notes, see you tomorrow.