Monday, November 13, 2023

Dazed and Confused: How Much Longer Can Joe Biden Last?


Let's assume for a moment that you have a classic car you're very proud of. It's a rare model, one of the finest automobiles to ever roll off an American assembly line. But the car's motor is bad; the carburetor is shot, the block is cracked, there is water in the oil, and it's only a matter of time before it fails completely.

That car is the United States of America. The motor is the federal government. And atop that motor, that failing carburetor is President Biden. 

There can no longer be any discussion about Joe Biden's capabilities. He's failing, and day by day that becomes more and more apparent. It's very likely that he is, much of the time, non compos mentisand one suspects that there is a power behind the throne, someone who is playing Edith Wilson to Joe's Woodrow, someone who is enjoying the trappings of the presidency and who is in effect committing elder abuse by keeping befuddled old Joe in office.

This isn't a tenable situation. It can't go on. And if the Democrats stick behind baffled old Joe into the next election cycle, they may well be looking at a wipeout.

The political world was sent atwitter when the New York Times and Siena College released a series of polls from key swing states showing former President Donald Trump with a comfortable lead over President Joe Biden. The widely regarded poll confirmed what many others have shown so far this cycle — not only can Trump beat Biden, but at this point, and it is still early, he has to be counted as having at least even odds of victory.

Leading Democrats found themselves in a panic. David Axelrod, the operative who can be regarded as point man for former President Barack Obama, strongly implied Biden should rethink his reelection campaign. "Only [Biden] can make this decision," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it's in HIS best interest or the country's?" Donna Brazile was more sanguine about Biden's prospects but still dubbed the numbers a "wake-up call." Democratic strategists described the situation to NBC News as a "five-alarm fire."

In other words, Democrats are (finally) looking for a lifeline, a port in the storm to take on the GOP's candidate, who is looking more and more likely to be Donald Trump. And if the Democrats want to make a change, they are running out of time.

But, as bad as things have been, as bad as people's perception of the economy is, as bad as old Joe has borked up America's foreign policy, as bad as the open sore that is our southern border has become, things may be about to get a whole lot worse for the whole Biden "brand."

One of the clients, a Chinese energy conglomerate, sent $5 million to a joint account controlled by Hunter Biden and a Chinese national. The money arrived days after Hunter said on a 2017 WhatsApp message to a company leader that he was sitting beside his father and both would never forget a failure to send the money, which Hunter claimed was owed for previous work.

According to [House Oversight Committee James] Comer, soon after the $5 million landed, $400,000 was transferred to an account owned by Hunter.

He then wired $150,000 to another account controlled by Jim and Sara Biden.

She soon withdrew $50,000 in cash, deposited it into her and Jim’s personal checking account and days later, cut a check to Joe Biden for $40,000.

The amount, representing 10% of Hunter’s $400,000, matches the percentage of the deal Hunter was said to be secretly holding for the “big guy.”

This is serious. This, if established as fact - and Comer has the receipts - is a legitimate reason for impeachment and removal from office. This is influence-peddling, no less, and it's a damned serious business. Bear in mind that should this happen over the next few months, it would put the disastrous Kamala Harris behind the Resolute Desk, making her the 2024 incumbent, and pretty much guarantee a GOP victory in any honest election.

While I'm loathe to offer advice to the Democrats - and as Sun Tzu is reported to have said, when your opponent is making a mistake, you let him - Joe Biden is now well past his sell-by date. The more we see of him, the more we see of the very few times Jill lets him speak to the media, the more obvious it becomes that old Joe has very little idea of what’s going on. He never was very bright; now he’s just plain lost it. And the primary season is just about to kick off.

Sure, incumbents have a big electoral advantage. But Joe Biden's liabilities are legion, his corruption is now undeniable, and his administration is a failure. Honestly, this has gone on long enough. This is precisely the kind of thing the 25th Amendment was written for, but nobody in the Biden Administration can countenance the idea because the person sitting in the #2 chair is so much worse. Put her in the hot seat, and the GOP could run a stuffed monkey for the presidency and win. 

Time is running out to change the ticket. In November of 2024, the Democrats may be looking at a wipeout in the POTUS race. We can hope.