You know, if anybody out there has any doubts about the quality of President Joe Biden’s mental faculties, those doubts should be answered by now. Because last night, he gave a masterclass on political one-upmanship that will go down for the ages.
Here’s how bad it got. Biden purposely went off script in several quick ripostes that he knew would enrage the Freedom Caucus. And McCarthy’s howler monkeys were more than happy to oblige, while McCarthy sat there wood faced, literally looking like the Howdy Doody Speaker. It got so bad that at four different points, McCarthy had to audibly make shushing noises at his imbecile toddlers.
That was bad enough, but then Biden moved in for the kill like a falcon. After publicly rubbing the GOP’s noses in their repeated statements to gut Social Security, drawing frenzied boos, catcalls, and screamed epithets of LIAR!, Biden smiled wickedly, and took the kill shot, Good. Then I guess we’re all agreeed that Social Security and Medicare are off the books in all future negotiations. GOTCHA! Even the GOP House had to stand next to the Democrats and cheer, finally forcing Squeaker Cavein McCarthy to stand and join in. In one master stroke, Biden just neutered McCarthy of his heaviest artillery for the debt ceiling negotiations. He can play the video, and show that even McCarthy’s own party doesn’t want to touch entitlements.
Today the GOP House is a hot mess. McCarthy himself has been largely MIA. But the main media outlets are happily showing clips from last night’s speech, drawing the contrast of the churlishness of the GOP House, and pointing out just how thoroughly Biden had schooled them. And then the media got a bonus when video emerged of Utah FOP Senator Mitt Romney stopped to take down George Santos, calling him an ass, telling him he had no place in congress, and telling him to sit in the back and be quiet. Romney repeated those statements to reporters this morning. Santos, every bit the ass, gave a whiny statement to the press this morning, failing in his pathetic attempt to slap Romney down.
And in the meantime, what was President doing? He hit the road to Wisconsin, where he reveled in the success of last night’s speech, touting the already visible, as well as soon to be visible benefits of his infrastructure and inflation reduction acts, and took the time to directly call out GOP WI Senator Ron Johnson for his spoken desires to ditch Social Security and Medicare. And tomorrow he pootles off to Florida, where he’ll certainly run FL GOP Senator Rick Scott through the blender for his 11 point program that basically doomed Social Security and Medicare.
And today, McCarthy notwithstanding, what was the GOP House’s official response? Oh, I don’t know. How about a House Oversight Committee hearing, where GOP whinerbags like Machine Gun Marjie and Bozo Boebert screaming at the former head of Twitter as to why Twitter had violated their First Amendment rights by shutting them down for peddling misinformation. And let’s not forget freshman GOP Rep Byron Donalds, who took Twitter over the falls about removing tweets with a link allegedly showing Hunter Biden’s junk.
My advice? Keep Biden on the road as long as possible, and in as many battleground states and districts they can find. And get Vice President Kamala Harris out there with him. She isn’t tethered to the Senate Presidents chair anymore to break ties. Let her start making a footprint. And get Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg out there too. And maybe a day trip or two for Jill.
Look, last nights SOTU was a populist speech, geared and aimed at blue collar and middle class workers, the very voters the Democrats need to break their way in 2024 to regain total control. Pump both the accomplishments, as well as the vision for the future. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Giden is riding a high. A PA split ticket voter today told MSNBC that the GOP House caucus last night had all the ambience of A Limp Bizkit crowd.
Don’t worry, the GOP House will be just fine, believe me. After all, the first full meeting of the Special House Committee on the Weaponization of the US Government is tomorrow, with the late addition on the GOP side of Sugar Daddy Matt Gaetz. After today’s Oversight Committee debacle, what could go wrong, media wise?
Get out on the hustings, get up on that soapbox, and spread the word. Right now Biden has the bully pulpit nationwide to brand the Democrats goals and ambitions for the next two years. Along with a vision as to why they deserve another four years. The House GOP is too lost in culture wars, gay bashing, and Hunter Biden’s laptop to pay any attention. Do the legwork, and let the people make up their own minds. 2024 is already upon us.
I’ve used the example of Lt. Columbo ad nauseam when it comes to Uncle Joe. But there’s another comparison I can think of from far more distant history, namely the Fourth Crusade.
The then-Doge of Venice (local ruler) had made it to the then-almost-unheard-of ripe old age of 70, crippled in both legs and nearly blind to boot. HOWEVER, he was still as sharp as ever, enough to put the Crusaders over a barrel when it came to getting them ships. When it turned out the Crusaders overpromised what they could pay, he had them torch the city of Zara, a mercantile rival that also happened to be full of Christian crusaders in their leadership. Then, after besieging the Christian city of Constantinople rather than Cairo as planned (don’t ask), the Doge and his forces had to bail his Crusader clients out of a rout that nearly ended the siege.
So old age is like anything else, all in how you use it.
“How about a House Oversight Committee hearing, where GOP whinerbags like Machine Gun Marjie and Bozo Boebert screaming at the former head of Twitter as to why Twitter had violated their First Amendment rights by shutting them down for peddling misinformation.”
I hope the former head of Twitter reminded these morons that Twitter is a PRIVATE business which is not beholden to the First Amendment which begins with “CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW” but says absolutely nothing about private businesses. And, that all these morons and their allies AGREED to abide by Twitter’s “Terms of Service” when they joined; I doubt Twitter held guns to their heads and forced them to agree to those terms.
Ageism is a real thing in a culture that knows no real history and doesn’t READ. That being said, the antidote is exactly what Biden is doing. The rest of the party needs to follow the leader and call these cockroaches out into the light from now on in every race. Practice makes perfect.