Perhaps because they feel guilty and want to feel better, or perhaps because of whatever loyalty they have left to Joe Biden (if any left), the Democrats’ arguments about his withdrawal from the presidential race have gone from the comical to the obscenely absurd.
From former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is considered a key figure in Biden’s assassination, to Representative Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and members of the Biden administration, the message has been that the only way to portray this whole sordid saga is to describe Biden as “selfless” and bizarrely compare him to America’s first president, George Washington.
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Here is some from what they said:
Biden “will go down in history as one of the best presidents America has ever had,” House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu told reporters on Tuesday – a piercing reversal from party rhetoric against the president just days earlier.
“His selfless act this weekend reminds me of what George Washington did when he voluntarily gave up his re-election bid and put the country first,” the California congressman continued.
House Democratic Caucus Leader Pete Aguilar argued at the press conference: “Future generations, men and women, will remember that Joseph Robinette Biden served as a beacon of hope around the world, ensuring that we put patriotism first.”
Breaking news: California delegates just voted unanimously in a Zoom call to endorse Harris as candidate
Nancy Pelosi made the motion, noting how much Harris had given the party recent energy: “Thanks to the selflessness of Joe Biden and the excellence of Kamala Harris, everything is different now.” pic.twitter.com/VDaHk6wqfz
— Dustin Gardiner (@dustingardiner) July 23, 2024
Karine Jean-Pierre: “What we have seen from this president in recent days has been human decency, a good man, someone who has decided not to put himself first, as we have seen before, but the American people.” pic.twitter.com/7kdxEeM6Ra
— CatchUpFeed (@CatchUpFeed) July 23, 2024
Except… no, as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis correctly noted in a Fox News segment, Biden was pressured to resign by the corporate media, major Democratic donors, and top politicians in his own party:
“This idea that the media is trying to spread [Biden] is like George Washington, who refused power for the good of the country – he had no choice! They stabbed him in the back! The New York Times was after him, the gigantic donors were after him… [L]Look at the Democrats this way; the commercial media is a gigantic part of their party. If you lose the media, you’re basically a dead candidate. He had no choice. That’s not George Washington.”
Regard:
.@GovRonDeSantis it’s right, @JoeBiden did not retire out of selflessness… he was forced to do so!
“This idea that the media is trying to spread [Biden] is like George Washington, who refused power for the good of the country – he had no choice! They stabbed him in the back! … pic.twitter.com/s3Vr7HCXMd
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) July 23, 2024
DeSantis’ remarks echo what other leading Republicans have said about the Democrats’ behind-the-scenes machinations to oust Biden from the race. Some have either strongly implied or stated outright that it was essentially a palace revolt.
Presumably the comparison to George Washington is being made to preserve Biden’s legacy or whatever. If true, it would fit with reports that a sticking point for First Lady Jill Biden in the exit question is that she did not want the “defining image” of Biden’s presidency to be his disastrous performance in the debate against Donald Trump.
The problem for them, however, is that far worse images of Joe Biden have emerged since then, particularly those showing how infirm and generally ailing he looked in the few video clips we have seen of him since the debate.
In her attempt to keep Biden’s supposedly “patriotic” political legacy in good esteem among Democratic voters, Jill Biden has actually exacerbated the problem. This is fitting, given how much she has portrayed him – Edith Wilson-style – as mentally fit and ready to lead, even though she of all people must have known the opposite.
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