October 4, 2024

"Biden hasn't scheduled public events in 43 of the 75 days since he dropped his re-election bid, a reflection of the 81-year-old president's unpopularity and age limitations...."

"Vice President Kamala Harris — who has praised Biden but doesn't routinely talk about him in her speeches — has had just one campaign event with him along with a few official events in Washington. First Lady Jill Biden also has largely withdrawn from campaign events, and Harris' team hasn't pushed for her to do them, people familiar with the matter told Axios.... Some Biden aides and close allies believe he's been aging more rapidly in recent months under the stress of the job and the legal troubles of his son, Hunter (the White House disputes this). Biden has sat for just two interviews since July 21, despite lingering questions about his mental fitness.... Behind closed doors, Biden has acknowledged to aides that he is unpopular and will do whatever Harris' team thinks will help her win — including not campaigning in certain states."


That piece is larded with statements that a President's work is mostly done behind closed doors, but that means that the President's work could be done without the President's conscious, competent participation. Aren't we Americans entitled to know if we have a President? This idea that he's fading out quietly is a distraction from the real question: Do we have a real President right now and for the next 4 1/2 months? It's a dangerous world.

57 comments:

tim in vermont said...

"That piece is larded with statements that a President's work is mostly done behind closed doors..."

With people whose names we don't know, who make decisions affecting all of us in which we have no input.

Leland said...

Aren't we the people supposed to know what the President is doing? Under Trump, we had insubordinate flacks sharing private conversations between the President and world leaders in authorized leaks to the media. The media thought we needed that kind of sunlight. Now, with two major regional conflicts and a botched humanitarian relief effort inside our own country; we are told to expect a President to lead us while keeping us in the dark.

Aggie said...

..."Do we have a real President right now and for the next 4 1/2 months? "

No, we don't; no, we won't; no, we haven't had one for some time now - almost a couple of years, from a mental competency standpoint - and almost 4 years, from a policy one.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aggie said...

Just remembering the last President, striding out and tangling with a hostile media almost every single day, on the White House lawn - answering their questions directly. And then on the campaign trail, rally after rally after rally. Quite a comparison, isn't it?

The Drill SGT said...

He's gonna resign vey soon

Ice Nine said...

Such a fitting end to his vulgar career. Ignominy becomes him.

The Drill SGT said...

and nobody will confront Kammie on it

D.D. Driver said...

Remember when they insisted that he was fit to serve until 2028?

Achilles said...

The people using Joe Biden as a puppet have turned the world into a dumpster fire.

I doubt Joe Biden is president to the end of his term.

I doubt the regime makes it to January.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne aka Doug Emhoff's Pimp Hand said...

I keep hearing that, but I don't know why he'd do that unless it was because of a health issue. It wouldn't do Kamala any good, but then, maybe that's the point.

n.n said...

Demos-cracy is aborted at the twilight fringe. Democracy dies in darkness. Life is lived between intermittent blackouts. Some, Select B Lives Matter. Ethnic Springs. The left is governing with wicked themes.

RideSpaceMountain said...

"First Lady Jill Biden also has largely withdrawn from campaign events"

She'd too busy leading Cabinet meetings.

n.n said...

Fiesta! Then siesta! h/t Karma-la?

Lazarus said...

Biden is aging rapidly. but it's not job stress and not Hunter's legal troubles that are wearing him down. His balloon broke: he had to give up his dream and has to live in a smaller world. Maybe one big reason Jill let him run in 2020 was that the pursuit of power was what kept him going. When Joe withdrew, all of the people who prepped him for his appearances and made him look in better shape than he was moved on too, maybe on their own, maybe because Joe locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out.

Wa St Blogger said...

Maybe we should just abandon this charade of voting for a President. Just for the party and they can put whichever figurehead they want in place.

Democratic Paychecks for Perks/ Dems for Demolition of Democracy/ fake-cares 4-U said...

Newsflash - Biden has not been in charge the entire time.

Kate said...

He reportedly worked hard to postpone the longshoreman's strike. Is that true?

RideSpaceMountain said...

This used to be tongue-in-cheek. It should be regarded as nothing less than highly probable now.

minnesota farm guy said...

Ann , you are being awfully hard on a decrepit old man. Unfortunately every point you make is right on the money. The truth is that the MSM and the Dems have been denying Biden's obviously failing abilities at least since 2021 while what's going on has been obvious to any honest observer particularly those who are not friendly to the US. The real question is the one Tim asks right at the beginning: who's running the show and how many votes did they get?

typingtalker said...

"The 25th Amendment’s Section 3 allowed the president to notify Congress that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and to designate the vice president to act as president until the president is able to resume work.

However, the Amendment’s Section 4 granted the vice president a pivotal role in a situation where a president may be determined as unable to discharge his official duties, and has not notified Congress of such.

In such a situation, the vice president in conjunction with a majority of the cabinet, or a previously appointed disability board, can notify Congress of the president’s inability to serve, and the vice president becomes acting president."

What is the Constitutional Role of the Vice President?

What does the continued presidency of Joe Biden tell us about our vice president? The one who hopes to be voted into the president's office.

tim in vermont said...

Not to mention how many working days per year he spent in Delaware, for which no logs have ever been made public.

Yancey Ward said...

Well, when you have your VP candidate claiming that we can't continue "the last 4 years" you don't want the present President campaigning with you.

Money Manger said...

In the the professional realm, it's called "Garden Leave". It's when you've quit your job, and no longer perform its functions, but are obligated to stay on the payroll for an additional 2-3 months.

who-knew said...

We have been led (into disaster) by a secret cabal that used Joe Biden as a figurehead. That cabal was probably led by Barack Obama, but who knows for sure since it's a secret cabal. And should Harris manage to win or cheat her way into the oval office, we will continue to be lead (into new and different, but joyful, disasters) by that same cabal

Steve said...

What should happen is that either Biden resigns or he 25th Amendment is triggered and Harris takes over, but then she would fully own what people don't like about the current administration and people would vote accordingly. I pray we don't get any 3am phone calls -- Iran and Israel in a direct throw-down, China attacks Taiwan, you name it -- until the new president is sworn in, whoever that may be.

Rory said...

"Biden has acknowledged to aides that he is unpopular and will do whatever Harris' team thinks will help her win — including not campaigning in certain states."

Unpopular with who? All he knows is what the people surrounding him tell him, and they're the ones who extorted him.

Christopher B said...

That piece is larded with statements that a President's work is mostly done behind closed doors, but that means that the President's work could be done without the President's conscious, competent participations.

I think this would be more properly phrased

That piece is larded with statements that a President's work is mostly done behind closed doors, but does that mean the President's work could be done without the President's conscious, competent participations?

tim in vermont said...

The only people with the power to remove him are having a bang up time playing with his powers. That's the fatal flaw in the 25th Amendment.

William said...

I expect the Democratic Party to pivot and to emphasize Biden's age and debility. They will then go on to point out that Trump will be older than Biden when he leaves office. Never underestimate the hypocrisy of Dem strategists. The party of Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton made an issue of Trump's womanizing.

Christopher B said...

I find that rather speculative since before the strike started he specifically declined to use his power under Taft-Hartley to postpone it.

On Sunday, Biden said he would not get involved.

"It's collective bargaining," he said. "I don't believe in Taft-Hartley."


And his commerce secretary confessed 'I have not been very focused on that,' Secretary Gina Raimondo said

Barry Dauphin said...

At some point in the future (after Biden is out of office), Dems will routinely talk about how Biden was clearly impaired and that's why we need some new form of extra-legal (AKA unconstitutional) control/oversight of the Executive Branch to prevent Trump from doing ..........

Temujin said...

Does any breathing adult still think Joe Biden is running anything? Does anyone out there think for a minute that Kamala Harris is conferred upon before any top level decisions are made? Please.
This country has been run over the last couple of months by the same people who have been running it for the last 3.5 years. Joe and/or Kamala are informed of what's about to happen just before it happens, and if one of them needs to sign, the paper is placed in front of their right hand.

No elected person is leading the United States at this time. And our vaunted media- so very full of themselves- seem to think this is AOK. If they thought otherwise, the story of the century wouldn't remain in a dark room, never spoken of, and barely thought about.

Earnest Prole said...

Who’s actually President? Politico:

Senior White House figures privately told Israel that the U.S. would support its decision to ramp up military pressure against Hezbollah — even as the Biden administration publicly urged the Israeli government in recent weeks to curtail its strikes, according to American and Israeli officials.

Presidential adviser Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East, told top Israeli officials in recent weeks that the U.S. agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s broad strategy to shift Israel’s military focus to the north against Hezbollah in order to convince the group to engage in diplomatic talks to end the conflict, the officials told POLITICO.

Not everyone in the administration was on board with Israel’s shift, despite support inside the White House, the officials said. The decision to focus on Hezbollah sparked division within the U.S. government, drawing opposition from people inside the Pentagon, State Department and intelligence community who believed Israel’s move against the Iran-backed militia could drag American forces into yet another Middle East conflict.

Kate said...

"Returning from a tour of hurricane damage, Biden told reporters his team had been working hard on the matter. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su traveled to ILA headquarters Thursday morning and stayed with the parties throughout the day, according to another person familiar with the issue."

It's from Politico, so YMMV.

Earnest Prole said...

When Biden was asked in a press conference Monday whether he was comfortable with Israel’s targeted ground raids in Lebanon, the president said: “I am comfortable with them stopping. We should have a cease-fire now.”

Skeptical Voter said...

Well truth to tell, Joe's "Sally Field Moment" --they like me, they really like me--never came. Joe is now really the crazy old uncle the Democrat party keeps in the attic and hopes he won't show up when guests arrive.

tim in vermont said...

Biden seems to almost always say the opposite of what he is thinking. Except when he makes one of his famous gaffes. It's actually pretty impressive, when you think about it.

narciso said...

pantsless mcguirk, oh we are in good hands, hochstein was doing his best to knee cap israel,

Iman said...

Casey Jones and Kamala… together again?

https://x.com/ZadeSmith4/status/1841946464177816015

Sebastian said...

"Aren't we Americans entitled to know if we have a President?" No.

"Do we have a real President right now and for the next 4 1/2 months?" No. And what difference, at this point, does it make?

"It's a dangerous world." So what? Domestic politics has primacy. Who cares about danger? Dems keep their eyes on the prize, and Dem voters are fine with it.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

"Sharp as a tack!" they all said in unison, just days before he was forced out of the race. Yesterday after returning from North Carolina and Georgia a reporter asked him about the storm damage. His response was "I don't know what storm you're talking about." YESTERDAY.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

It'd be funny if he waits so long to resign that he forgets to pardon Hunter.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

"What storm damage?"

Lazarus said...

Today's news. The strike is paused until January. Longshoremen are back at work.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Link to video of Biden saying "What storm?" yesterday: On X of course where news is presented.

Christopher B said...

I don't find whoever has their hand up Joetato's backside (and writes Kamala's talking points) freaking out when the top stories after the strike started were people panic-buying toilet paper and (per Jim Geraghty's Morning Jolt today) even commenters on a pro-union article at Slate were less than impressed with the strike to be an indication that he was personally 'working hard' to postpone the strike when he had the ability in hand to do it before it even started.

I also see now there are people pushing the talking point that the strike was the result of some nefarious collusion (is there any other kind?) between Dagget and Trump. I expect you're gonna believe that, too.

tommyesq said...

Biden has sat for just two interviews since July 21, despite lingering questions about his mental fitness....

"Despite???" Talk about missing cause and effect!

Zavier Onasses said...

Whatever else you say about Jimmy Carter, he had enough character to stay at the desk and not go FIGMO.

To hold onto the office, collect your pay, and do no work shows disrespect to so many things I place value in. Way to go, asshole.

Original Mike said...

This is one (of several) reasons to vote Trump over Harris. There can be zero doubt that Harris has lied to the American people regarding the condition of the President. This was not a one-time lie; it has been ongoing for years. It's disqualifying.

Dr Weevil said...

"Do we have a real President right now and for the next 4 1/2 months?" The good news is that it's only 3 1/2 months (3 months and 16 days) until Inauguration Day, January 20th. Still way too long in a world as dangerous as this one.

Aggie said...
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Aggie said...
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n.n said...

Less than viable. A Democratic Choice... uh, choice.

Deep State Reformer said...

In a mature, well-thought out (or a better thought out) parliamentary governed state PMs can step down, be it bc of a no-confidence vote, die, & etc and the nominal head of state can then appoint a placeholder until elections can be held. But of course America has nothing like this. Maybe the next depression, war, natural disaster, or revolution will provide impetus for reform, but I doubt it though. Just as with slavery, Americans do everything the hard way.

The Godfather said...

In other free political systems, like the Brits' for example, the voters elect a party, and the voters expect/demand that the identified party leader will be the PM. And that's what happens. But the party can, in due course, decide that the PM is no longer to be the leader and appoint a different PM.

That's NOT our system. We voted, in 2020, for Biden or Trump or some third-party candidate TO BE PRESIDENT, and the majority said Biden should be our leader. BUT HE'S NOT OUR LEADER! and he hasn't been for a long time. Who the Hell is making the important decisions for our government? It sure isn't Biden. Is it Harris? Who knows?

I'm no fan of Trump. but if he's elected President I'll know who to blame if the Government f*cks up. If Kamala is elected, who do we blame when the Government f*cks up? If we're honest, we blame ourselves, because we should have seen it coming.

Christopher B said...

Well guess what ... Biden called a press conference today.

Details from Legal Insurrection here

He started the press conference two minutes after Harris started speaking at a live rally in Detroit, MI. Of course all the networks cut from her speech to him fumbling and sputtering. He had this to say about Harris's role as VP

Well, I’m in constant contact with her. She’s aware. We’re singing from the same song sheet. She helped pass all the laws that are being employed now. She was a major player in everything we’ve done, including passage of legislation, which we were told we could never pass.

And so she’s been, and her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we’re doing.


Now maybe preempting her speech in a heavily pro-Hamas location was helpful but I don't think the above quote can really be characterized as doing anything including not campaigning with her to help her get elected.