President Biden did his best to save his candidacy Monday morning, with a loquacious, pugnacious and mendacious letter to Democrats in Congress and a call-in to “Morning Joe,” all insisting he has no intention of leaving the 2024 presidential race — and implicitly threatening disaster if he’s forced out.
Notice, first, that once again the president wasn’t speaking live or off-the-cuff, though his inability to do that is the central issue worrying the nation.
A letter’s the opposite of spontaneous (did he even write it?), and the TV “appearance” had no video; he likely had a script there, too — just as we now know he’s been doing radio hits with the White House supplying the questions.
As for his substance:
Biden uses the letter’s opening graphs to whinge about democracy: “We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I received over 4 million votes, 87% of the votes cast,” all “making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin.”
OK, but these Democrats know perfectly well that process was fixed: His team got the rules changed so South Carolina’s primary would come first, not unpredictable New Hampshire’s; Michigan and Georgia’s also got bumped up to make him look unbeatable.
And don’t forget that all those votes came with cognitive decline under wraps.
His letter also brags about his accomplishments, like creating “over 15 million jobs.”
Another proven lie: The majority of job-number increases on his watch came simply from jobs lost to COVID returning.
He also claims that he and his administration “are the ones lowering costs for families.”
But as every family not earning a stratospheric household income (from, say, influence-peddling) can tell you, the literal opposite is the case: Prices are up close to a cumulative 20% under Biden, thanks to the inflation he long insisted was “transitory.”
That’s what he laughably refers to as “an economic vision to run on that soundly beats Trump.”
If that were true, why has he entirely quit using the word “Bidenomics”?
It’s one of the many reasons — along with his border disaster and Afghanistan bugout — that Biden is losing to Donald Trump on almost every issue.
Democrats may buy his claim of “an historic record of success to run on,” but they know the voters don’t buy it.
His piffle to the reliably sycophantic “Morning Joe” hosts was as bad.
“I’m getting so frustrated” by “the elites in the party” who (in Biden’s telling) want him out, unlike all the grassroots voters he says he’s spoken to these last 10 days. (When, exactly?)
In fact, the elites have been propping him up as increasing numbers of Americans soured on him — endorsing the ridiculous “don’t believe your lying eyes” talk of “cheap fakes.”
But after his terrible debate, and sad ABC interview on Friday, the media elite know their own credibility is at dire risk.
As for top Democrats: They can read the polls even if he simply denies them (or his handlers haven’t shared them).
So he’s also making veiled threats, writing, “We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election.” I.e. I can string this out and make a huge mess if you keep pushing me.
His related braggadocio on the call-in: If any Democrat doesn’t “think I should run,” he or she should “run against me . . . . Challenge me at the convention.”
Be careful what you wish for, Mr. President. With your record, you just might get it.
Never doubt, though, that the American people are behind you — and pushing you out the door as quickly as possible.