‘Alternate reality’ TV
GEORGE Stephanopoulos, former Bill Clinton adviser and the ultimate Democratic insider, held an intervention masquerading as an interview Friday night.
Rather than ask tough questions about President Biden’s mental deficiencies and the message it sends to our allies and enemies, he begged in a dozen different ways: Do you really think you can beat Donald Trump? Are you fooling yourself about how sharp you are? Please Grampa Joe, hand over the car keys!
“George, George, George, George,” Biden patronized with every question.
Nothing about Biden’s demeanor or his answers was reassuring. He refused to have a cognitive test or even an independent medical exam. He said the proof of his lack of dementia was that he “created” jobs, a lie that he can never let go. There was a bit about single-handedly rescuing the computer-chip industry and NATO, then trailing off into,
“Well . . .”
“Look.”
“C’mon.”
“George.” Stephanopoulos rightly pointed out that “exhaustion” was a weird excuse, considering he had more than a week of rest at Camp David (with 11 a.m. work calls and afternoon naps). No, he was sick, Biden claimed, bad cold. “Bad night,” he insisted, repeating a scripted talking point. Just an episode. He previously told a group of governors that the answer was simple: No more nights.
If you really wanted to comfort the American public, you would agree to more than a 22-minute interview with a friendly former Democratic operative, pretaped before your early bedtime. You would walk into the briefing room and take questions from all comers. But he won’t, because he can’t. The façade has been lifted, and trying to stitch it back together again with a series of early-afternoon, stage-managed teleprompter speeches ain’t going to cut it.
The pièce de résistance was when Biden was asked about his dismal poll numbers. He just pretended like they didn’t exist. “I don’t believe that’s my approval rating. That’s not what our polls show,” Biden said. Stephanopoulos was stunned, and with him every Democratic elite. Does Biden really think that?
Denial, or senile? Either way, Biden’s not fit for the office and has entered that stubborn stage of grumpy old man that wants you all off his lawn.
“If the Lord Almighty said get out of the race, I’d get out of the race,” he said. “The Lord Almighty’s not coming down.”
Maybe not, but the voters are going to come down hard in November. Democrats don’t have a prayer.
Lie 1
‘‘ I was havin’ a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering a question, even though they turned his mic off, he was still shouting. And I — I let it distract me.’’
TRUTH: The split-screen showed Donald Trump wasn’t talking, much less shouting, when Biden was speaking.
Lie 2
‘‘ [Mark Warner] tried to get the nomination, too. ’’
TRUTH: Warner was widely expected to run for president in 2008, but opted not to do so in favor of running for Senate.
Lie 3
‘‘ New York Times had me behind before, anything having to do with this race — had me hind — behind ten points. Ten points they had me behind. Nothing’s changed substantially since the debate in the New York Times poll.’’
TRUTH: He was down 3-4 points, which has gone up to a 6-point Trump lead after debate.