Be honest, that statement is true. Since elected there have been more than a few moments where he’s forgotten where he is, said something you can’t understand and even fallen over more than once.
That it wouldn’t surprise you exposes a very real problem in the functioning of society and western democracy.
We’ve heard and know how intelligence and law enforcement came together to deny Hunter Biden’s laptop legitimacy on the eve of the election. We’ve heard and know the thought process of how such deliberate deception and undermining of free and fair elections came to pass from Sam Harris. To paraphrase, the end justified the means. Trump had to be stopped ‘at all costs’ even if apparently one of the costs was actually functioning democracy. They had to manipulate the public for their own good.
I could happily spend more than one blog on that series of events and actions to examine just how dangerous they were. But I want Trump to not be part of the debate. Trump can be a bad man. Joe Biden can be unfit for office. Two things can be true at the same time. It is the latter which is the question at hand.
The idea of Biden stepping down would surprise no one. Leaving aside implications of admitting this, the vast majority wouldn’t deny this simple truth. He doesn’t seem up to the job. His faculties have declined and this isn’t a great anomaly. Most people his age struggle to not sleep through an afternoon and they awake several times in the night to empty their bladder. It comes to most of us. We see it in our parents. As they saw it in theirs. Old age and the effects are well known. There is no shame in that. That isn’t the critique.
The critique is that we find ourselves at a crucial time, when the stakes could not be higher, with a man unfit for office. The fact were he to step down would surprise no one is the admittance of that. There would be no mass movement demanding he reconsider his choice.
Despite this however he faces no public examination by the media for his shortcomings. He gets cover. As we are told we face the prospect of WW3 there is no discussion of the need to test his cognitive abilities unlike his predecessor who was regularly challenged and indeed underwent such a test.
A truth will not be admitted. A truth that a powerful office – the most powerful in the world – is occupied by someone not up to the task and at a time of great importance. Odd to say the least if we hope to have a good outcome.
It appears following his election and the presence of a Trump 2024 run the same people and supporters who looked past signs of Biden’s decline / corruption to help his campaign in 2020 are trapped and destined to repeat the act. One white lie is fast becoming a sea of outright collusion to cover for a reality they themselves created and once again no cost is too high to avoid admitting a simple truth. Except they were covering for a campaign then. Now they cover for the person in power and their abilities in the office of President today. The former is bad enough. The latter is insanely wrong. It shouldn’t need explaining why.
The American voter at best is left to hope someone they didn’t elect is competently acting behind the scenes. An unelected body or person secretly ensuring functioning government. Or at worse they are exposed to an incompetent elected President no one will call out or an incompetent and unelected body or person acting in their name to hell with the constitution.
All because for Biden to step down would be to admit he wasn’t fit to start with. Exposing the cover in the election and almost certainly providing Trump with a huge wave of support for re-election. So cover the media must. Cover must his supporters. Cover must his administration.
The world needs competent leaders for the challenges of today. The stakes couldn’t be greater. Democracy is under threat in Ukraine we are told. Huge sacrifice must be made by Americans and Europeans in this effort. Yet the deficit of Democracy at home is the real threat. Democrats and their allies in the media and big tech seem to think that’s a price to pay to ensure they stay in power.
This won’t end well.