The discourse set around President Biden’s performance misses the point entirely. One hundred percent.
Now they’re not listening to what he says, but how he sounds and walks, and how many words and names he confuses or stutters! The Hollywood star, Mr. Clooney, a pronounced Democrat, seems to be very happy to finally get a role in this cheap reality show, gloating in a self-pitying, overacted “F-ing” stunt in The New York Times. What an act!
Democrats are committing a live-staged, pathetic suicide. Pathetic!
What a stupid play, like one written by a small-time provincial writer. This play unrolls the worst possible political sickness of immaturity and shortsightedness. And the numbed and stupefied TikTok world is watching with ludicrous amazement.
This is not, and probably has never been, a story solely about the age, physical, and mental capability of US President Joe Biden. This is a story about how democracy is being killed by stupidity, the urge for the spotlight, and shallow thinking. It looks almost like the assassination at the Curia Pompeia, though not literally, which in the end doesn’t make much difference.
The leaders of some of the most powerful democracies in the world who took part in the pivotal NATO summit in Washington, marking the 75th anniversary of the most powerful political and military alliance of all time, testify to what Mr. Biden’s own political allies at home don’t, or don’t want to, see.
As reported by the BBC, French President Macron said Mr. Biden was “in charge” and “clear on the issues he knows well,” while UK PM Starmer said he was “in good form.” “Slips of the tongue happen, and if you always monitor everyone, you will find enough of them,” German Chancellor Scholz said, quoted in the same BBC article.
But no, this wasn’t enough by far. After the press conference that finalized the pivotal NATO summit (LINK to transcript – read it for Christ’s sake!), another three Democrats joined the group of those who publicly and whiningly demand Mr. Biden’s resignation from the election ticket.
This mega distraction is so F-ing painfully evident in the events and media coverage of the recent NATO summit.
So, the conclusions and messages of NATO, with all those leaders on board and all the burning issues at stake, were simply overshadowed by the “big” question of Mr. Biden’s shape. Why won’t anyone listen to what he says (unscripted)? World media also play an important, more precisely, infamous role here. They seem to prefer running soap-opera-style reports instead of covering the real issues addressed at the summit. These are jolly good times for the infotainment industry.
Sadly, this political and media frenzy not only undermines Mr. Biden, but it reveals a much deeper issue affecting democracy in the USA and worldwide.
The trick is that now, regardless of how things play out, the damage has been done, stupidly so. If Mr. Biden stays in the election race, he will have to compete with a counter-candidate whose lies are amplified and unsanctioned by the public. He will need to counter the unnecessary damage caused by the despondent Democrats. And, of course, he will need to run the country for a few more months, a precarious period for the USA and the world.
It looks almost like a Kremlin playbook, but better, I would say.