Crimes Against Joe Biden
The President isn't competent — but his family and "friends" don't seem to care.
Anyone watching Thursday’s American presidential debate needed to be as cold as ice in order not to feel sorry for Joe Biden.
No doubt such compassionless people exist (in this bitter and hyper-polarized era, perhaps in greater numbers than ever before).
But I daresay that most of us taking in the debate moved past sympathy and on to pity by the public spectacle of an old man in obvious decline, a decline as obvious physically — evidenced by his Parkinsonian shuffle onto the debate platform and again when he was carefully ushered off of it — as it was mentally as he mumbled incoherent responses to questions from moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
His blowhard opponent, Donald Trump (at 78 just three years his junior), is hardly a master of oratory. But by comparison to Biden, Trump spoke in soaring soliloquies worthy of Cicero.
A great many people in the Democratic party have known for months that Biden isn’t in full control of his faculties. Some propped him up by making endless — and endlessly creative — excuses for his lapses; others simply turned a blind eye to the mounting evidence of his failing state. The impetus for their destructive enablement, without exception, has been pathological horror at the prospect of another Trump presidency.
But on Thursday night — as Biden alternated between hoarsely whispering gibberish and staring blankly and open-mouthed into space as Trump strung full sentences together — there could be no denying the truth: Biden has no business being president.
Biden’s struggles beg the question as to who has been piloting the American ship. It certainly hasn’t been him: it’s doubtful the man can run himself to the bathroom these days, let alone run the country.
There’s much talk, in the aftermath of Thursday’s debacle, that the hands of Democrats are tied; that unless Biden himself decides to bow out of the race, there’s nothing that can be done.
This isn’t, of course, how we generally handle the indignities of mental deterioration amongst the elderly. We can (and should), for instance, overlook occasional memory lapses in our aging parents, deficiencies that are usually offset by hard-won wisdom bestowed by advancing age. But we intervene when those memory lapses give way to lengthy periods of confusion and outright befuddlement. With the help of medical professionals, we officially certify them as incompetent to manage their own affairs, and we get them the care and support that they need.
That’s what some of us are forced to do with Mom or Pop. But Biden is the President of the United States: Given what’s at stake, and logistical challenges aside, the threshold for declaring him unfit is significantly lower — or at least it should be.
Most who’ve experienced the heartbreak of dealing with loved ones in cognitive decline can attest to the visceral reluctance — and anger — that comes with along with relinquishing autonomy; it’s rarely done willingly. But willingly or not, Biden must go. He’ll never decide on his own to relinquish control; yet relinquish it he must.
At times Biden is sharper; his speech to supporters post-debate, for example, was significantly punchier and more energetic. But that means little: most people sliding into the merciless jaws of dementia have lucid intervals, yet the downhill trajectory overall is inexorable, unstoppable.
The folks most intimately aware of Biden’s declining mental state, naturally, are his family members, including, most obviously, First Lady Jill Biden. Yet there she was post-debate, declaring loudly and shrilly, “You did great, Joe!”
By persistently thrusting him into the glare of the world’s harshest political spotlight, she and the rest of his “loved ones” have made Biden an object of growing ridicule. Their actions are despicable; what they’ve perpetrated is nothing less than a crime against Joe Biden’s humanity.
If they truly loved him, they would have ensured his withdrawal months ago in favour of a more suitable candidate. If they truly loved him, they would have ensured a quiet retirement with some shreds of dignity intact.
Instead they’ve set the man on a path to utter disgrace and complete belittlement. His long period of public service is almost certain to be buried beneath heaps of scorn and reams of reprobation.
Biden can’t be held accountable for his mental decline; nor by extension can he be held liable for his inability to grasp that he should stand down for the good of the country. One might as well blame a three-month-old for soiling his diaper.
But his family and his Democratic enablers deserve boatloads of blame. And their actions, in no small irony, have thrown the doors open wide for Trump to return to the Oval Office.
It’s clear that Americans would prefer to vote for neither of these men. Poll after poll has shown that most voters want neither of the two on November’s ballot.
After Thursday’s debacle, Biden may very well end up off that ballot. The knives are out for him like never before; he may be forced (or less likely convinced) to withdraw in favour of someone else.
His Republican opponent shan’t be stepping aside, to state the blindingly obvious. It’d take an “act of God” to move Trump off the ticket. As I watch the corpulent, fast-food-addicted ex-president on the hustings (his obesity disguised by bespoke suits), I doubt I’m alone in wondering if (when?) a major cardiac event will strike the man down. Perhaps it’ll happen before November. It's a terrible way to think, maybe; but what’s happening to the country is terrible for sure.
I’m typing these words high in the sky en route to Holland, the land of my parents’ birth. We just now flew past the southern reaches of Iceland — a fitting geographic complement to the conclusion of this essay, I suppose, given the deep freeze that has descended on Biden’s re-election prospects.
There’s a Dutch word, “verschrikkelijk”, that my parents tossed out from time to time to describe particularly crazy situations. It captures quite well the current zeitgeist of American political affairs. The closest English translation is “terrible”, but that rather understates the gist of it: mix together “ridiculous”, “abominable”, “appalling”, “dreadful”, and “frightful”, and you’ve gotten close to its meaning.
As for the behaviour of Jill Biden and the rest of Joe’s “loved ones”, another Dutch word comes to mind: schandalig. That one is both easier to say and easier to translate: “scandalous” — and it fits perfectly.
Jill Biden is like a diabolical cartoon villain in a blue pantsuit, her hysterical cackle in the aftermath of the debate signifying her intention to cling to power at any cost--to her husband, to her country, to the world. I loathe Joe Biden, but it's still hard to watch the blatant elder abuse this woman is perpetrating on her poor demented husband.
It's quite a mess for sure. It makes one wonder what is really the goal. In Canada, although Trudeau has cognitive ability it doesn't seem like he can read the writing on the wall. Our countries are begging for proper leadership. I am not sure if it isn't a well-planned operation. Oops, I have misplaced my tin hat. Enjoy your travels. :)