George Clooney speculation US President

Emilymaria Clooney has stated clearly that he doesn't want to stand, if he did he would not have come out publicly to say that Biden should step down as the optics would have looked bad! There are a number of prominent and younger Democrats that are being named such as Gary Newsam and Gretchen Whitsam but there's no guarantee they would run and Kamala Harris would be the obvious choice as the money raised to support Biden could legally be used to support Harris but not other candidates. If Biden won't step down it's quite a complex procedure to get rid of him at the party convention but it would need around 4k delegates to support the move.

I think it was Arnold Swcharzeneger who was Governor of California.
I may have spelled his name wrong!

I’ve heard Clooney suggested as a replacement candidate. We should remember the power wielded by celebrity in the States. Added to this, Clooney has been a Democrat fundraiser for years, has always involved himself in politics. He is also a producer and director, and some of his movies have had a serious political message e.g. Syriana, George Clayton, Men Who Stare at Goats and The Ides of March. He is also married to a high profile human rights lawyer. (Ronald Reagan was a B movie actor who, ironically, was also mentally challenged towards the end of presidential office.) Add to this, the bravery and tenacity of President Zelenskiiy, an ex comedy actor, who has led Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, and the dismissal of Clooney as a mere ‘celebrity’ in the serious issue of the finding the next POTUS, seems unnecessarily pejorative.

Politics in the US is not like our here in the UK.

The system in the US is almost totally owned by big money. The party with the most money is usually the one that wins.

George Clooney is a massive donor and therefore withdrawing his money would make a huge difference, and demonstates how embedded this system is.

I feel more than a little sorry for Joe Biden. He is a man with an excellent track record especially in international diplomacy and is clearly able to still manage to be an effective president. He is all too aware of the delicate nature of the factions working to increase the global chaos, probably more than anyone.

But... who else will attract the funding needed if sponsors are starting to leak away? It is a very difficult question to answer.

What surprises and disturbs me is the level of ageism inherent in this media coverage, and on this forum which I suspect represents people of an age approaching Biden's?

I think it is for the American people, and especially the Democratic party, to now look for a candidate that will bring the money and the influence.

It will not be an easy decision. Despite what people say here, Biden will be especially difficult to replace.

Paperbackwriter

DrWatson, Clint Eastwood DID go into politics. He was Governor of California for quite some time!

A bit over the top! Clint was Mayor of Carmel for two years.

Sleepy Joe is now 81 so I can understand that he's getting confused at his delicate age, he appears to be suffering from dementia as a lot of people his age do, but making such gaffes ...but then as a white male he then said he's "proud to be the first vice president, first black woman"!

How did he, English/Irish originally get mixed with the VP Kamala Harris who is American/African/Tamil Indian?!

Sorry Joe, but you need to step down!

Clooney doesn't want to stand for President but Biden does, it's not those around Biden forcing him to continue! I fear this assassination attempt on Trump will make him more popular and Biden less so.

DrWatson, Clint Eastwood DID go into politics. He was Governor of California for quite some time!

Well, hmmmn, agreed of course that Clooney is a big donor and will have met Biden many times so is in a better position than most actors and celebs to pontificate on what’s what with Biden and his abilities.
I don’t think that anyone is serious about Clooney putting himself forward as a Presidential candidate, or at least I hope not.True, Reagan used to be an actor but he also had a lot of political experience as a Governor immediately before he became President.

Why on earth would anyone consider an actor as a potential POTUS candidate? Clooney has no political experience and lives in a world totally unrelated to those of normal people. I have nothing against him but just because he's famous and looks good is no reason for anyone to listen to what he says.

For Oreo and Eazy, Clooney raises gazillions of dollars for Dems, also has known Biden for ages. He recently said that Joe's recent decline is quite substantial, compared to a couple of years ago, so he has a perfectly valid opinion (as Vintage pointed out).

Sadly, at regular intervals, the USA political scene gives the public a choice of 2 lemons, as Pres, and they end up picking a lemon (albeit an orangey one in 2016). Given the popularity of a number of screen stars, sports stars, etc, why wouldn't they have a great chance if running for President?

Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Costner, Denzel Washington, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, (pick your own favs with some gravitas) -- all look good and sound good, it wouldn't matter much which party they stood for, would it? So much of modern-day politics relates to what people look like, and can they do an effective sound bite?

Imagine if, say, Steve McQueen had not got sick, but he'd gone into politics? Or Eastwood when he was maybe into his 60s? See some 'normal' political candidate trying to debate, or make competing commercials, against the looks those guys could do to camera?

And just because they're not experienced politicos, doesn't matter much. They are less gaga than Biden, and not repulsive pieces of filth like Chump. Reagan got into politics, did fine with his assorted advisors (as they all tend to do anyway).

He won’t step down, his wife wants to be first lady and his advisors keep their jobs. They don’t care about him! He is not just showing signs of dementia, he's well down the road and surrounded by yes men. Power is difficult to give up for such people. The alternative is Trump!

Biden is so evidently struggling. It seems cruel to me that he is allowed to continue on the world stage. There are some who laugh at his gaffes. I don't think it's funny. It is very distasteful. It is also very worrying as to what condition he will be in come four year's time. Someone is running the show and poor Joe is being manipulated. It's cruel.

Oh, has Biden been convicted of corruption? I hadn’t heard that.

Does Mr Clooney have any attributes to recommend him to this office? Political nous, economic awareness, legal background etc? An actual political agenda? Well he has not yet been proven to be corrupt, which is a start. He’s rich, which is essential for anyone in the US to run for President( (so much for ‘democracy’!) but he will need to attract some VERY wealthy and influential backers. He’s not Trump (really corrupt and rather horrid) or Biden ( only mildly corrupt but possibly not fully all there) so that’s good. And he’s astonishingly good looking (as was JFK but he wasn’t a particularly good or moral man). If this is the best the USA can do then heaven help them! Almost as lousy a choice as we had!

MayBee70

Trump has been shot at at a rally in Pennsylvania. Maybe he’ll change his mind about gun laws now….

I promise, it wasn’t me.


Shades of Bolsonaro though.

Strange, isn't it? Apparently not shot/injured but got some blood on his face.

Just watching it on Sky News…

Bizarre reports MayBee its not clear it was a shooting (depends who you read)

"Former President Donald Trump was rushed off the stage just minutes into his rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, after loud sounds were heard. Trump had blood on the side of his head and his ear.

Trump was speaking when he reached for the side of his face as popping sounds rang out over the rally. He then crouched down as Secret Service agents rushed the stage and surrounded him."

NBC news
www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/secret-service-rushes-trump-stage-shots-fired-pennsylvania-rally-rcna161735

Obviously, this is only my personal opinion, but I believe there should be an upper age limit for anyone becoming a president/head of state in any country.
In the case of the USA, my suggestion would be a max age of around 60 for a first term president and 65 for second term. Obviously, in the US, presidents are only permitted to do two terms, so they would be finished with their terms in office at the age of 70.
Granted, many people are still very active and mentally astute way beyond 70, but I think this should be plenty old enough for someone to be running the country. There's nothing to say that they couldn't still be in local/state politics beyond 70.
This would also, hopefully, encourage younger candidates to step up.

Trump has been shot at at a rally in Pennsylvania. Maybe he’ll change his mind about gun laws now….

Good post IceScream. I'be been watching more material as regards Trump and Biden cognitive issues and agree it's not as clear cut as it might seem about Biden.

This thread was the first thing I read this morning, and I have been very upset by it all day. So I will wade in.

I am American. I despise Trump, everything he stands for, and the threat he poses to us still.

I voted for Biden in 2020 and will vote for him again if he is on the ballot. I will vote for anyone other than Trump.

The United States has a democratic method of choosing candidates called the primary system. It isn’t perfect by any means, but that’s how it works. Presidential candidates—even incumbent officeholders—are voted for by millions of citizens like me; they are not overtly chosen by millionaires, handsome celebrities, or by direct birthright.

I won’t ignore Biden’s verbal stumbles; they are terrible. His debate performative was dire. But please don’t confuse a lack of articulation with cognitive decline. They are very different, as some of you may know first hand.

I think Kamala Harris would make a superb president, so my vote for Biden in the primary represented a vote for his backup, too. (People who voted to make Trump the GOP candidate will have to wait for the convention to see who their backup is, since he was willing to have his last one killed by the January 6 mob).

Harris isn’t popular in the US. You may have noticed she is not only a woman, but a nonwhite woman. That is going to trouble many Americans. What ought to reassure them are her credentials as a prosecutor, an attorney general, a US senator, and four tough years in the Executive Branch. That’s the kind of CV a presidential candidate ought to have, not mere celebrity, however handsome or repulsive.

If you recognize that many Americans are skeptical about Harris’s abilities, you might want to research what they said about Michelle Obama for simply being First Lady. The abuse she suffered was truly vile.

This is an incredible campaign for so many reasons, not least the ignorance and casual cruelty on which it has shown a spotlight. I wish I could go into suspended animation until after the election (once I have voted via early absentee ballot, that is).

If a change is going to be made, there are only a few avenues for doing so. George Clooney ain’t one of them.

62Granny

You do wonder that in a country as big as the USA that the best they can put up are Biden and Trump. I know it's all about the money but I am sure there are plenty who are richer and have at least one brain cell.

They pointed out on TRIP’s something that I hadn’t thought of before. That there are very few people that actually want to be president or, if they do want it don’t feel that they could possibly do the job.

Trump is dangerous, a product of a SM machine, the existence of far right gun lobby groups, and millions of desperate people wanting to believe in a strong rescue leader. Look at him, he is really off his trolley:
7 mins
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MyLwAokINc

he has the sort of grip on people characteristic of dictators.

Biden is a more conventional politician - but is too old and now making errors that dont bode well. I think I do see him like others above as a man who doesn't want to let go age and waning abilities wise. I don't however know the politics of the democrats and how they can best act.