The man in question is acting out of self-interest, prioritising his own needs above the nation’s welfare. He appears to be completely unaware of how he’s being manipulated by those around him who see him only as a means to an end. This individual has cultivated an alternate reality where people are discouraged from trusting their own observations. His overbearing confidence is increasingly irritating. Though he claims to be acting in the nation’s interest, it’s clear that his actions are self-serving.
We’re not discussing Donald Trump here. The reference is to another president.
In the political realm of Washington, it’s not uncommon for individuals to transform into the very archetypes they once despised. This transformation has become strikingly evident in Joe Biden. His ambition for a second term, which would see him in office until the age of 86, has led him to adopt tendencies reminiscent of Trump’s. His actions threaten the same democracy he claims to be protecting.
My first encounter with Biden was back in 1987 while he was campaigning for presidential election. He was, at the time, considered one of the Democratic Party’s most effective speakers, despite his tendency to ramble frequently. I was instrumental in ending his run for presidency after a piece I wrote exploring how he had appropriated the personal history of UK Labour leader Neil Kinnock, a renowned orator, and how his speeches appeared to incorporate elements from Robert F Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey, most likely inadvertently.
As European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected by EU leaders in a matter of hours instead of days.
I bumped into Biden in a Senate building stairwell once, where he was busily poring over his withdrawal speech. We both shared a solemn moment before proceeding to the same press conference.
From a young age, Biden was a positive, optimistic man who, since his successful Senate election at 29, had been urged to aim for the US presidency. He was not deterred by the plagiarism scandal or the subsequent health issues he faced. In 1988, he survived two aneurysms and later jokingly thanked me for saving his life, implying that his campaign life might have cost him if he had persisted. He refused to allow other personal afflictions to hinder his progress.
I was astounded when Biden bore no ill will towards me. He stipulated that maintaining amicable relations was ideal. He did not lash out even when I took the mickey out of his hair implants, jesting that they resembled an okra field during the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill court hearings. He called to admonish me in a good-natured manner, yet I managed to evade the conversation, fearing its repercussions.
I questioned his decisions as the Senate judiciary committee’s chair in the controversial hearings; in his quest to maintain equality, he permitted the Republicans to triumph against the odds, setting the stage for the installation of an unethical right-wing extremist (who had a fiercely partisan wife who later instigated Trump’s coup) to the Supreme Court for a lifetime tenure.
But Biden did not cast me aside. As Vice-President, he extended an invitation to his St Patrick’s Day bruches and Yuletide galas. He was so devoid of vengeance that his Irish lineage was doubtful to me.
Once Biden had ascended to greater heights than many believed possible, Obama’s pompous squad commenced to treat their Vice President with barely concealed contempt. Obama’s staff would disparage Biden to journalists, an affront that Hunter Biden furiously equated to “friend in the line of fire”.
Biden was an effective and steadfast Vice-President. I held that Obama’s preferential treatment of Hillary over him in 2016 was a tactical blunder. Hillary was the embodiment of elite, maintaining the status quo, whereas public sentiment was against both. Biden, with his working-class Joe appeal, had an advantage.
The Obama gang promoted the notion that Biden was too aggrieved over Beau’s demise to contend, yet Biden was the only person capable of harnessing his sorrow to fuel a compassionate campaign. Biden insisted that Beau had envisioned him in the White House, not a resurgence of the Clintons.
Had Biden secured the nomination, he would have triumphed over the unscrupulous Alley Cat, and he would presently be concluding his second term, preparing to comfortably retire in his favourite beach chair on his treasured Rehoboth Beach.
Regrettably, his presidential tenure commenced at a rather late stage. It’s evident that over the past couple of years, he’s been on a downward slope, a perilous situation in a combustible global scenario where AI is leading a groundbreaking revolution in our nation, and a supreme court brimming with religious zealots is redefining the American way of life.
Given these circumstances, nearly two years ago I penned a column titled, “Joe, Just Take the Praise,” urging him to enjoy the laurels of his achievements and grant the up-and-coming figures of the party their chance.
“Impact upon your resignation timing can shape how history views you”, I counselled.
Nevertheless, due to being sidelined by the upper class of Ivy League attendees, his traditional working-class challenges resurfaced. He felt an urgent need to establish that he could outshine the person who had diminished his role.
While Melania maintained a certain indifference towards the role, Jill Biden seems to relish the position of the first lady far more and has been unwaveringly supportive of her husband, shielding him even when it seems irrational. Post an unwarranted debate performance, she applauded and encouraged him much like a tutor supporting a top-notch student saying, “Fantastic work! You responded to every query! You were aware of all details!”. And this, meant for the man in charge of our nuclear arsenal.
The uneasy condition of the Democrats was reflected in the immense concern shown by not just typical admirers like the anchors of MSNBC but also by renowned figures such as Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn, Bill and Hillary, and Obama who rallied against the tide. Van Jones from CNN disclosed how he faced reprimand from an African-American leader for objectively critiquing the debacle.
The morale did appear to boost following a reassuring rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the crowd fervently raised chants of “Four More Years!” and “Lock Him Up!”. Biden was thereafter labelled as “the Rebound Kid” by the famed presidential historian Doug Brinkley on CNN.
“The first Democratic politician who asks Biden to withdraw will extinguish their political career”, Democratic strategist Paul Begala discerned on CNN when explaining his assessment of the debate as “disastrous”. Furthermore, he drew a parallel to an infamous historical event while saying, “None of them will volunteer, ‘Allow me to step forward and stab Julius Caesar.'” It was an assertion of Biden’s lionized status within the Democratic Party.
Given Biden’s adoration and impressive presidential legacy, it’s clear that his precarious and exasperating journey to the Oval Office needs to be called off.
There will be times when he displays vivacity, akin to Raleigh, but there will also be sombre instances, like in the debate labelled, “the Infirm vs the Unstable” by Audie Cornish of CNN.
This wasn’t just a disappointing evening like when Obama appeared irritable during his initial debate with Mitt Romney. Biden lurked in the shadows, with a wary stride; he was unable to recall his meticulously prepared lines or statistics. He was visibly struggling with issues associated with ageing, a one-way journey. It was painful to witness the stutter of his youth resurface.
In an attempt to safeguard him, his wife and team will keep fortifying their defensive barrier and deter journalists, consistently exuding ever more fervour in their combat against ageing. However, Biden, Jill and democratic leaders must acknowledge the perilous gamble they are entertaining, particularly when – as they emphasise – our democracy hangs in the balance.
Political consultant, James Carville, who previously suggested that the president should disclaim a second tenure, proposed to me that Biden should summon former presidents Clinton and Obama to the White House and select five democratic favourites to speak at their August convention.
“Can you imagine the viewership that would garner?” he queried. “The entire planet would be watching and viewers would exclaim, ‘Oh, my, they truly do have talent!'”
Carville proposed that the president should declare in a speech on July 4th that he will enable the growth and development of the next wave of Democratic leaders.
The astute 79-year-old strategist amusingly remarked that ageing is an opponent one cannot triumph over. “I exert all possible effort to stave off this inevitability,” he proclaimed. “It’s a futile endeavour”. Even a flight of stairs can spoil his day.
And what if Joe and Jill decide to cling on?
Responding to this, Carville cited Herb Stein, a senior economist during the tenures of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford: That which is unsustainable, will come to an end. – This article was initially published in The New York Times.