President Biden’s resolution on Sunday afternoon to withdraw from the 2024 race ought to have turned the web page on his presidency with out a lot ambiguity.
As an alternative, it has revealed in broad daylight the central themes of this presidential election.
First theme: Energy versus weak point.
AP
Former President Donald Trump is shot within the ear and comes inside a millimeter of shedding his life to an murderer; arrives on the Republican Nationwide Conference to thunderous applause two days later. In the meantime, Biden assessments constructive for COVID; disappears solely for practically every week as he stays in isolation.
Second theme: Transparency versus secrecy and incompetence.
The Biden administration has been something however clear. Or truthful. Or reassuring that they’re working the nation competently.
Give it some thought: Right here we have now the sitting president and commander-in-chief of our armed forces doing one thing that no president has executed in 55 years since Lyndon Baines Johnson, asserting that he won’t search a second time period.
However Biden’s announcement is finished on social media — issued solely in writing. There’s no video or audio. And the assertion isn’t even printed on White Home stationery.
This was on Sunday. And as of late Monday afternoon, we had but to see or hear from the president instantly.
The president did name in to Kamala Harris’ go to to marketing campaign headquarters in Delaware on Monday, however didn’t seem on video — and took no questions from reporters or anybody else.
And he has but to elucidate precisely why he all of the sudden determined to step down.
Is it a psychological subject? Does he have Parkinson’s? Is it another situation we’re not conscious of?
Biden was set to return to the White Home Tuesday afternoon, however had no public appearances — no press convention or any occasion — scheduled, till phrase got here down that he’ll lastly tackle the nation Wednesday night time.
With zero transparency, all we’re left with is theory and a lengthening listing of questions.
In the meantime, Harris attended two official occasions on Monday.
The primary honored NCAA championship groups on the White Home, at which the VP — after all — couldn’t be bothered to reply any questions from reporters.
Afterward, she was off to Delaware to go to marketing campaign staffers in Wilmington.
Once more, she took zero questions at a time when the American individuals deserve to listen to from the freshly anointed Democratic candidate-to-be.
In a associated story, by no means as soon as has Harris held a press convention on home soil as a presidential candidate or as vice chairman. For context, Mike Pence held a number of press conferences throughout his time as VP.
Therein lies the rub: Harris has nearly no expertise dealing with questions exterior of handpicked, pleasant reporters, on the uncommon instances she responds to any questions in any respect.
What to find out about President Biden’s resolution to drop out of the 2024 presidential race:
Everyone knows why: Like Biden, her mind usually malfunctions when a script in a teleprompter is just not obtainable.
Instance: When requested why she hadn’t visited the US southern border, right here’s how that went.
“You haven’t been to the border,” NBC’s Lester Holt mentioned in a 2021 interview.
“And I haven’t been to Europe,” she shot again. “And I imply, I don’t … perceive the purpose that you simply’re making.”
Whereas addressing reporters in August 2023, right here’s what she needed to say concerning the significance of investing in neighborhood banks.
“And so for years we have now labored to develop funding in neighborhood banks as a result of, you see, neighborhood banks specialise in offering loans and monetary help to small enterprise house owners, particularly these in neglected and underserved communities,” she mentioned. “And because the identify suggests, neighborhood banks are in the neighborhood.”
Oh boy …
To that finish, anticipate the precise technique Biden’s handlers utilized to Joe for Kamala: a homogenized, choreographed pseudo-campaign with nearly zero media accessibility, aside from to “reporters” who will play ball beforehand.
Once more, it’s about energy versus weak point. If Harris finally ends up being largely hidden from the press, that appears decidedly weak.
Given all of this in combination, the plain query that the press ought to be asking is that this: If Biden, supposedly by his personal admission, is incapable of serving the subsequent 4 years from January 2025 to January 2029, how does anybody suppose he ought to be in workplace for the subsequent 180-plus days till Inauguration Day?
One other apparent query: How may Democrats ever presumably say that they’re the protectors of democracy when the get together’s powerbrokers simply compelled a sitting president to drop out of his re-election race purely as a result of they suppose he can’t win?
Right here’s a stat: Regardless of now being a presidential candidate twice, Kamala Harris has but to obtain one vote from any Democratic voter in a presidential major.
But right here she is because the get together’s possible nominee.
That’s democracy for you.
It’s trying just like the 2024 election will come right down to Trump versus Harris.
Democrats hope this Hail Mary might be caught for the game-winning rating.
However the end result may find yourself being worse than if Biden had stayed within the race. A lot worse.
Joe Concha is a Fox Information contributor and bestselling creator.
