It's not funny; it's scary for him and for our country.
It's not a strategic political move; it's heartless, cruel, and exploitative.
The continued professional elder abuse that is being committed against Joseph R. Biden is too much, and people of conscience (left or right) should have the moral courage to say so.
After the recent debacle at the G7 summit where President Biden became enthralled with an open field and had to be gently coaxed back to where all the other world leaders were congregating, it happened again. Here's President Biden appearing at a fundraiser alongside former President Obama. It's tough to watch.
Watch that through dispassionate eyes. Watch it through eyes that are not political. That is, if you're a conservative don't point and laugh at the fact this is the left's standard bearer. Realize this is our president. If you're a liberal, don't excuse it and pretend that it's not a big deal. If you're on the Right, don't think about the implications of Biden being replaced on the Democrat ticket. If you're on the Left, don't think about who is best suited to beat Trump.
How about we all take a minute to think about the well-being of a man obviously suffering from rapidly deteriorating brain and cognitive function? Instead of half of us pretending that there isn't an issue (see MSNBC's Joe Scarborough's disgraceful performance in acting like the G7 embarrassment was a "strong" performance for Biden) and the other half of us using a doddering old man's descent into the devastation of dementia as comedy fodder, let this be a moment where we all do the right thing.
The right thing for our country: The world is always an incredibly dangerous and volatile place. Russia is at war with Ukraine; Israel is at war with Hamas (the proxy of Iran). China is ascendant, our own country's debt is spiraling out of control, and our people have perhaps never been more divided culturally. The perception of weak, clumsy leadership is not acceptable in such a moment. Others have called this an "Emperor's New Clothes" in real life. But this isn't a children's story. It's gravely serious.
The right thing for him: Go back and watch the video again. First, Barack Obama did Joe Biden no favors here. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but Obama knows stagecraft better than anyone. His presidency revolved around it. He knows how to downplay Joe's cognitive issues, but he didn't. He dressed them up, walking to his inside, hand on his back, portraying himself as the kindly nursing home attendant. Is he setting up a Democrat Party move to boot Joe? I don't know. But I do know Biden needs better friends.
Beyond that, look at the red arrows on the floor as they're exiting. Those were set up in advance to show the president how to walk off the stage. That isn't normal. The man is clearly incapacitated and deserves the dignity we would afford to anyone else in his condition - out of the spotlight, permitted to age with grace, treated with decency, surrounded by loved ones and a life of memories.
The 25th amendment was written for this moment. Let Kamala Harris assume the office for the next few months. Replace Biden on the ticket with Newsom, Hillary, or even Michelle Obama. But replace him.
