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President Biden Will Finish His Term, for Better or Worse
I think that President Biden’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia was a success. In fact, I suspect that it was scripted in advance and agreed on by both parties. Mr. Biden needed to be seen trying to increase the oil supply and reduce gas prices. And he needed Saudi Arabia to say no, publicly. Thus, Mr. Biden can blame Saudi Arabia for the high gas prices, just like he’s blaming Putin for inflation.
Mr. Biden has been in politics for 50 years. He understands that his job is not to fix a problem but to shift blame and capitalize politically on a problem.
But some thought that his visit to Saudi Arabia was simply another opportunity for Mr. Biden to demonstrate his weakness as a leader. In fact, there is more and more chatter about replacing him as President. So let’s break this down, from the standpoint of both Democrats and Republicans, in the two realms of domestic and foreign policy.
In terms of domestic policy, I get the impression that Democrats are frustrated with Mr. Biden. I don’t understand why. From my perspective, he has been successful at promoting Democrat policies. The abortion ruling was not his fault. But Democrats have gotten nearly everything else they could have hoped for in economic policies and social policies. A 50/50 Senate with two moderates means that they won’t win everything, no matter who’s in charge. But I think he’s been reasonably productive for them, all things considered. Still, many Democrats are starting to grumble about his uninspiring leadership.
In terms of foreign policy, surely even Democrats recognize the clear and present danger that Mr. Biden presents to world peace. Putin understands exactly what Biden is, as does Xi, Kim Jong-Un, and every other American enemy. Our allies also understand exactly what Biden is. A corrupt fool is in charge of the defense of Western countries, and that creates instability. I would presume that many who voted for Mr. Biden are starting to recognize that things could go horribly wrong, very quickly, with Mr. Biden at the helm.
So I think that when Democrats look at domestic policy, and at foreign policy, I suspect that they are looking for ways to ease Mr. Biden out. If they can find a way to do so gracefully without making the entire Democrat party look incompetent in the process. That may be tricky. But I’ll bet they’re talking about options.
What about Republicans?
In terms of domestic policy, I think that Republicans would be foolish to attempt to replace Mr. Biden. He is as good as it gets right now. His laziness and incompetence are what one hopes for in an adversary. Nearly any other Democrat would likely be more even more effective at enacting Democrat policies. So I say we do what we can to keep him in office.
Which makes a lot of sense, until we consider foreign policy. My God.
The catastrophe in Afghanistan did not have to happen. Neither did the daily catastrophes at our southern border. Neither did Ukraine. What’s next? I’m not sure that America has looked this weak and helpless in the past 100 years, which creates opportunities for common thugs like Afghan warlords and Vladimir Putin. It also creates opportunities for more sophisticated adversaries like Xi and others. And every time someone takes advantage of this unique historical opportunity, it can either go badly or very badly.
It cannot go well.
Ukraine could fall into Russian hands. Or, Russia could keep moving past Ukraine and attempt to take other parts of Europe. Who will stop him? If anyone tries, he could launch a World War. Next week.
Again, any one of these fiascoes could blow up in our face. Wars are unpredictable, particularly in this age of nuclear weapons, bioweapons, EMPs, hackers attacking computer-controlled infrastructure systems, etc. Very bad things could happen very quickly. Who will stop them?
So from a domestic policy standpoint, I think Republicans should try to keep Joe Biden in the Oval Office. But the risk he presents to foreign policy makes this approach too dangerous.
This means, I think, that Democrats and Republicans would both try to remove President Biden if possible.
But I just can’t imagine how that could possibly happen.
Regardless of how many Congressional seats the Republicans win in the fall, I just can’t imagine Joe Biden being removed from office via impeachment. Maybe, I guess.
But I just can’t imagine that.
I also can’t imagine anyone invoking the 25th amendment. It’s not like we elected a healthy man who had a stroke a year later and ended up in a coma. Mr. Biden is in very similar condition today as the day he was “elected.” Maybe somewhat worse. But he was like this during the election, which is why he didn’t campaign.
So the American people determined that he was sufficiently healthy to win the presidency, but then we decide that he’s not? That will be tricky.
Mr. Biden could step down, of course. Except that he won’t. For 50 years, he’s never expressed an interest in anything other than furthering the career of Joe Biden. Sacrificing for love of country is not his style. Just typing that made me chuckle.
The other problem, of course, is Kamala Harris. She may be less intelligent than Joe Biden (sit down and think about that for a minute…), but just as vicious, and just as incompetent. I don’t see how replacing Biden with Harris helps either the Democrats or Republicans, with either domestic or foreign policy.
So, yes, I suspect that the leaders of both parties would be happy if Mr. Biden were not president right now. But in the real world, I just don’t see how that can happen.
We’ll see. But I suspect that Mr. Biden will complete his term. He may even run for re-election. In fact, I presume that he will.
Even if he is replaced, I’m not sure how much it will matter. The Democrat who replaces him will enact Democrat policies, just like Mr. Biden. With similar results.
This is the problem with doing something profoundly stupid, like “electing” Joe Biden to be the leader of the free world. I think we’ve set a course that cannot easily be changed. I just don’t see a way out of this.
Well, except for the obvious, of course. The way out of this was to not elect Mr. Biden to begin with. None of this was difficult to foresee.
But it’s too late for that.
When someone really wants to commit suicide, it can be very difficult to stop them. This is true of individuals, but also of countries and even cultures.
The Democratic Party has sought to fundamentally transform The United States of America at least since President Wilson. It appears that, at long last, they’ve succeeded.
As usual, I really, really hope I’m wrong about all this…
Published in General
Après moi, le déluge.
Newsome-Buttigieg is a nonstarter. Two white guys on the Democratic ticket? Further exclusion of women visually because when spouses also take the stage, only one of the four will be a woman.
As a very privileged rich white guy, Newsome would need to go deep into the non-white, non-male roster for a running mate, ideally a lesbian of color with a criminal record.
You mean a trans lesbian.
Also, I think it’s Newsom with no e at the end.
Are you saying that Buttigieg’s wife can’t identify as a woman? Isn’t that somewhat transphobic?
Supposedly he has a husband, not a wife.
Is Newsom the trans-lesbian? ‘Cause I’ve heard rumors that he secretly likes women.
I’m sure “she” can adapt to the prevailing political winds.
Thank you for this excellent post but I must say you had me going after reading that first line and I should have realized it was just a lead in to some of your great parody work!
We are living in a day to day miracle in that none of these criminals and butchers have not done anything yet seeing, as you put it, what a clear and present danger this fool is to international (and, of course, domestic) peace and stability. Any minute now, Putin could make good on his threat to use nuclear weapons, especially with all these rumors floating around about how ill he is; who knows what he might do? Any minute now, Xi could mount the long expected invasion across the Taiwan Straits. And God only knows what The Little Rocketman will do from minute to minute. Our future longevity hangs by a thread at the mercy of warped tyrants like these, not to mention the Ayatollah and other nutcases around the world who would love to test the doddering idiot in the White House.
This is where we have a bit of a difference of opinion– until the incident in Israel in which he talked about preserving the honor of the Holocaust (and I don’t accept for one minute all the excuses that he is just an old dementia ridden fool and he didn’t mean to say it–he is, like it or not, President and he should realize every word he speaks have a great potential impact). That incident tipped me over to believing, as dangerous as the loon Kamala is, Biden, as you say, could at any minute precipitate an international incident with his stupid, careless, sloppy, treacherous lunacies he throws around all the time.
Thanks again for a great post, Jim
Thanks for your kind words!
Although my intro really wasn’t a parody:
I really do think that Mr. Biden got what he wanted out of that trip – someone else to blame for gas prices. I think that’s all he wanted, and I think it was agreed upon ahead of time.
I could easily be wrong, of course. But I suspect that, from Mr. Biden’s point of view, his trip was successful.
From America’s point of view, it was a disaster, of course. But that is not Mr. Biden’s concern.
Biden has actually been that way for at least a couple years now. Although it does seem to get worse by the day.
Gov. French Laundry does have a sneak around past.
You mean we could get a Biden – Trump rematch?
A Trump-Biden rematch would put about 40% of Americans on suicide watch.
There would also be a critical shortage of popcorn.
I’m OK with that as long as the 40% are Biden voters.
I would want popcorn for the suicide watch, too. Would it be pay-per-view on HBO?
That earned a big grin from me.
And maybe, just maybe, all those celebrities will actually emigrate to Canada.
Just yesterday, Biden said in a speech that he has cancer. There is a chance he was telling the truth.
A skin cancer he had removed. Despicable man seeking sympathy and to shut down oil and natural gas industry.
Yes… occasionally he does that. Most inclusive fraud organization comes to mind…
The White House already corrected him.
But he does have COVID. (Funny, remember a year ago when he was telling us that if you get vaccinated, you won’t get COVID? Ever? He’s been quadruple vaxxed.)
Saw a clip from the RNC where he used the same line in April, with asthma instead a cancer.
If you have dementia, it’s hard to remember what other maladies afflict you.
COVID is an out for him— and I don’t necessarily mean this time. But he’s in a vulnerable age group and can decide that he is unable to properly perform his duties without exposing himself to further, and potentially life threatening, infection. On the advice of doctors, of course.
It not a bad, face-saving way to turn things over to (yikes! ) Kamala.
Who is willing to be Kamala’s VP?
Stacy Abrams, but of course.
OK, sorry about that. They’ll find some elder statesman type like Gerry Ford did.
Or maybe governor HairGel? That way they’d have a male on the ticket, but without the toxic masculinity.