THE ‘OLD’ JOE BIDEN BOTCHED THE DEBATE; A ‘NEW’ BIDEN IS MAKING THINGS WORSE FOR THE FIRST TIME this year, I think Donald Trump will probably win the election in November, turning America into a diabolical dictatorship. If so, it will be Joe Biden’s fault. Let’s put aside age, because that’s not the immediate issue. Instead of looking at Biden, 81, as an old person, let’s consider him simply as a man, whom we used to like. Biden, the man, put on a devastating performance June 27, at his “debate” with Donald Trump. He was frighteningly incoherent and failed to make a cogent, convincing case against Trump, which should have been an easy 90 minutes for an experienced politician. Since then, Biden, the man, has only made things worse by declaring a civil war within his own party, dismissing his baffled and alarmed critics with contempt and disrespect. By dividing, rather than unifying Democrats, Biden, the man, threatens the chances that Democrats will be able to control Congress, the only plausible defense during four years of terror promised by Trump. Here’s what Biden, the man, could be doing since the debate:
THE THEME underlying Biden's behavior since the debate is his suggestion that he’s the Indispensable Man. In this, he is imitating his opposite number, the most despicable man in American history. Donald Trump declared, after he was nominated in 2016 at the Republican National Convention: “Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.” Here’s what Joe Biden, wrote to members of Congress on July 8, responding to people questioning his ability to win: “... I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.” Nobody is the “only” or “best” man or woman who can do anything, including running the United States. It is absurd, as a matter of fact, and it’s a warning sign that the speaker has lost his objectivity. Does Biden, the man, honestly believe that the woman he chose as his vice president, Kamala Harris, is not capable of serving as his replacement or running successfully against Trump? LET’S LOOK MORE CLOSELY at what Joe Biden, a man, and a responsible one, could be doing. He could candidly confront what went wrong during the debate, and, if he doesn’t know, he should get to the bottom of it – then share his insights with the public. After all, it was Biden who challenged Trump to the debate and outlined the ground rules. The goal was to jump-start his stalled campaign. Biden did just the opposite. It was all Biden’s doing, not the people who have reacted to his failed performance. He was impaired that night; he should find out how and why, and outline a plan to how he can overcome it, or, if necessary, how he'll get out of the race. As to how he could respond to his fellow Democrats, who are as alarmed as Biden is about the consequences of a Trump presidency, he should embrace them, listen to them, work with them, rather than challenge their loyalty and character. Two reasons: One, is that he might learn something from them. They voted for him, supported him, trusted him, celebrated him. Now, their futures are imperiled. Two, the worst thing that can happen to the Democrats is to fight among themselves. A splintered party has zero chances of winning on Nov. 5. Instead, Biden is using his position as president, the leader of his party, the winner in the primary races, to divide people into enemies and allies. Echoes of Donald Trump, and Dick Nixon. FINALLY, BACK TO THE “TRUTH.” If Biden, the man, were being honest about a sincere exploration of what went wrong, and what the country can do about, I think he would have broad support. Instead, he’s given a number of questionable excuses for what went wrong and downplayed the seriousness of his disastrous appearance. On July 5, Biden sat down for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, which was supposed to show that the man we saw on June 27 was an aberration. Here’s some of the transcript:
Really?
Biden, the man, did not watch a replay of the debate, the event he planned would turn the race around, but which did the opposite? How could any man, woman, anyone, not watch the replay? And if not, why not? Joe Biden is now a shadow of the man who’s had an exemplary presidency. He’s emerged as a selfish, untruthful bully, who is dividing his party and country. This should be the old Joe Biden’s finest moment: a good man, leading the country to solve a catastrophic problem in an impossibly short length of time, listening, learning, healing and unifying. I’m dismayed by the new Joe Biden. Of course, I'll vote for him, if it comes to that. But I sure miss the old one.
3 Comments
Scottie
7/9/2024 02:40:31 pm
I am afraid I have to agree with you.
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Brian Jones
7/9/2024 11:58:10 pm
That's one of the dangers of Dangerous Times: agreement. But worry not, I'm wrong 93.3% of the time, and right 5%. Not sure of the rest.
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Jody M McPhillips
7/10/2024 08:26:52 am
You know I disagree with all of this. A "selfish, untruthful bully, who is dividing his party and country" -- really? How about a politician of his generation who is putting the best spin on things as he sees it, and who knows that *any* admission of weakness will be relentlessly, cruelly used against him? This blatant media pile-on breaks my heart. It is so outrageously unfair that we hear barely a whisper about Donald Trump's incessant, malicious lying and demagoguing during this travesty of a debate, while pundits can't shut up about ashen-faced Joe and his struggles to get words out. The guy was exhausted and sick. Bad judgment? sure. Deserving of all this contempt and anger? NO. I read a lot of public commentary, and I believe actual voters are with Joe, as opposed to the Beltway crowd. And I will keep working to get him elected a. because it's too late for any of the fanciful schemes being floated to work and b. because he has earned our support.
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BRIAN C. JONES
I'VE BEEN a reporter and writer for 60 years, long enough to have learned that journalists don't know very much, although I've met some smart ones.
Mainly, what reporters know comes from asking other people questions and fretting about their answers. This blog is a successor to one inspired by our dog, Phoebe, who was smart, sweet and the antithesis of Donald Trump. She died Feb. 3, 2022, and I don't see getting over that very soon. Occasionally, I think about trying to reach her via cell phone. |