When it’s just too damn obvious
Undoubtedly, the Biden family has endured a lot, yet many argue they haven't helped themselves either.
I was out walking, later than usual, it’s been so bloody hot here lately; the Presidential debate—if you could call it that—was 15 minutes from starting; it was time to pick up the pace, power-walk it had to be—I despise power-walking—I settled five minutes in and lasted another half-hour.
A week later, I'm driving West from Hartford, Connecticut, through New York, then into Pennsylvania and on and on, almost to Lake Erie. The final destination is Meadville, PA, founded in 1788 (it's not really charged forward), the birthplace of Sharon Stone! It's a July 4th wedding.
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En route, between pleasant conversations, I realise we are about to drive through (or past) Scranton, PA, the hometown of Joe Biden. It's an unremarkable half-urban, half-rural settlement in a sprawling valley, a place you would think twice about stopping. As with Sharon Stone—everybody is from somewhere.
For Biden, the debate was a disaster. Or, it might have been precisely what ordinary thinking folk expected. Perhaps it was just what the Republican party wanted: an early opportunity to sub a failing frontman out. Or is this giving them too much credit?
The president stumbled repeatedly, and the former president, Donald Trump, as you would expect, made false claims repeatedly. Or, as Mr Biden kept telling us, "You're lying." Never once did Biden share the context of Trump's repeated false claims—an abject failure on his part.
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Co-hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart offer listeners a balanced and often candid view of British politics and beyond, drawing on their extensive experience in government and contrasting political backgrounds.
It was Campbell who offered that the Republicans had a machiavellian at work by putting the President up for debate this far out from the election, knowing Joe Biden would stumble with only scripted responses to fall back on. Biden did give an upbeat State of the Union address in March. However, it failed to ease any critical concerns around his cognitive state. I read, "A scripted speech differs greatly from an open debate." I wonder who the Machiavellian is!
A deepening sense of compassion has replaced my initial feelings toward Joe Biden. It was terrible; you could not help feeling for him; it was just unfair; it was akin to Bill Gates getting in the ring with a 21-year-old, Mike Tyson. Take Donald Trump out of it; either the Democrats hung Biden out to dry, or they've made a grave miscalculation in listening to and believing Biden's wife, Jill. The First Lady encouraged her husband to continue in his role and convinced the party to back him in. Now, America and the rest of the world hope neither Biden nor Trump wins the 2024 election.
Undoubtedly, the Biden family has endured a lot, yet many argue they haven't helped themselves either. To an interloper, it feels like there is an undeniable sense of entitlement, in small part due to their losses that played out in the public eye. But more, to me anyway, that a lifetime in public service grants the President and those around him common-sense immunity. The fact that a week after a debate trashing still they stall such an obvious action points to the skewed realities surrounding Biden and his family. His wife needs to take a leave of absence. Not from him, just the office.
If the current commentary is actual, a decision is imminent. Kamala Harris waits in the wings. Yesterday, she finally scored some points as speculation grew further about the President's future after it was believed Biden had discussed stepping out with a close confidant. And there are other capable candidates to defeat Trump.
I mean, really, to the uneducated, it's so farking obvious, surely? But then, the obvious can easily get lost in the sleazy world of spin.
So, with that said, it's a wedding that will occupy my thoughts on the Fourth of July. I wish the bride and groom the best of luck and goodwill.
