I wish I were better versed in literature. I’m sure there are some relevant examples of dysfunctional families.
But alas, I just live in this generation, and the Biden family is among the most dysfunctional ever.
So it is not surprising that “Dr.” Jill reportedly is heavily involved in controlling what cognitively compromised Joe does. An article about her in Vogue just dropped, complete with the cover photo:
But there is also reporting from multiple mainstream Democrat media that Hunter is the key. From NY Times:
President Biden’s family is urging him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite last week’s disastrous debate performance, even as some members of his clan privately expressed exasperation at how he was prepared for the event by his staff, people close to the situation said on Sunday.
Mr. Biden huddled with his wife, children and grandchildren at Camp David while he tried to figure out how to tamp down Democratic anxiety. While his relatives were acutely aware of how poorly he did against former President Donald J. Trump, they argued that he could still show the country that he remains capable of serving for another four years….
One of the strongest voices imploring Mr. Biden to resist pressure to drop out was his son Hunter Biden, whom the president has long leaned on for advice, said one of the people informed about the discussions, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations. Hunter Biden wants Americans to see the version of his father that he knows — scrappy and in command of the facts — rather than the stumbling, aging president Americans saw on Thursday night.
Politico reported something similar:
Members of Joe Biden’s family privately trashed his top campaign advisers at Camp David this weekend, blaming them for the president’s flop in Thursday’s debate and urging Biden to fire or demote people in his political high command….The blame was cast widely on staffers, including: Anita Dunn, the senior adviser who frequently has the president’s ear; her husband, Bob Bauer, the president’s attorney who played Trump in rehearsals at Camp David; and Ron Klain, the former chief of staff who ran point on the debate prep and previous cycles’ sessions….These people said the Biden family wanted the president to continue in the campaign rather than end his career with a calamitous debate performance against Trump, whom they all loathe. First lady Jill Biden and his son Hunter Biden were the loudest voices urging the president to stay in the 2024 contest.
I’m not a fan of Cenk Uyger, but like the proverbial broken clock, he’s right about the absurdity of this situation:
The Biden family is furiously trying to salvage his campaign, per CNN:
President Joe Biden waged an intense weekend battle to save his reelection bid following his disastrous debate performance but has been unable to dismiss existential questions about his candidacy that are more glaring than ever….Biden’s allies spent the weekend lashing out at critics in the media calling for him to step aside and insisting that early data showed that Biden’s calamitous showing had not altered the fundamental shape of the race. Democratic Party grandees, meanwhile, crowded onto Sunday talk shows to try to put the spotlight back on Trump….Since the debate, Biden’s family has publicly and privately rallied behind him. Granddaughters Finnegan and Natalie Biden traveled with the president and first lady for a slate of fundraising events on Saturday in New York and New Jersey. Although the family had long planned to spend this weekend together at Camp David to take a family portrait with photographer Annie Leibovitz, the gathering offered an opportunity for them to sit down together in the days following what is shaping up to be a low point in the president’s decades-long political career.
Per Axios, this will be the Biden playbook to pretent that what happened didn’t happen, what we saw we didn’t see, and the hope that Joe can exploit the impossible position he has put Democrats in where keeping him is the best bad option:
Based on our weekend conversations with top officials and advisers, here’s the Biden survival strategy:
- Dismiss “bedwetting.” The official White House and campaign line is this is much ado about nothing — that Biden works so hard it drains his young staff. This attitude is driving elected officials and donors — basically any top Democrat not on the Biden payroll — nuts. They feel it’s delusional. Nonetheless, Biden allies are cranking out data and pushing out surrogates to insist he had one bad night, mostly because of a scratchy voice and over-preparation.
- Squeeze polls for juice. Biden allies are circulating polls and focus group results showing the debate did little to change the dynamics of the race. They’re ignoring contrarian results — like a CBS/YouGov poll out Sunday that shows a surge in voters who think Biden is not up for the job. If you’re to believe the polls: Voters thought Biden lost the debate and seemed too old. But there’s little evidence they’re moving fast to Trump. Both seem true.
- Warn of chaos. Biden allies are making plain in private conversations the perils of an open convention — and the risk of picking a Democrat even more unpopular than Biden, namely Vice President Kamala Harris. They know Biden just needs to make it to the Democratic convention in Chicago, which opens eight weeks from today. After that, unity is the only choice.
- Limit dissent. Biden allies helped orchestrate the supportive tweets by former Presidents Clinton and Obama. Those happened after furious back-channeling by allies. Truth is, that was the easy part.
- Keep elected leaders close. The White House knows Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are deeply concerned that an unpopular Biden could cost them seats on Election Day. Their members in tough races are scared, and several plan to run away from Biden. Former Sen. Tom Harkin, who served with Biden in the Senate for 20+ years, said in an email to supporters that the debate was “a disaster from which Biden cannot recover.”
- Get the donor class to chill. Jeffery Katzenberg and other top Biden backers are working the phones to reassure the deep pockets, while the campaign and DNC keep turning out fundraising appeals and highlighting successes. Some donors are blaming the staff — not the man on stage. John Morgan, a Florida personal-injury-law magnate who’s a top Democratic donor, tweeted Sunday that Biden’s debate-prep team is guilty of political malpractice: “Format was a disaster for him and a plus for Trump. He over practiced and was drained.”
- Prove vitality. Words can’t capture how elated top officials were that Biden was as vigorous as he was at a rally in North Carolina the day after the debate. They’re looking for as many opportunities as possible to show that he’s still on his game and not too old for the gig. They know words are useless — they need vitality in action.
- Ignore/engage the media. On the one hand, Biden allies want everyone to ignore the prominent columnists who loved Biden and are now calling for his resignation. On the other, the campaign and White House are deeply engaged with reporters (like us) writing about presidential fitness.
I’m also feeling this is a time warp, with Democrats/Hollywood/Media melting down:
A debate watch party in Los Angeles on Thursday night happened to feature Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, Pritzker, Whitmer and Beshear. There were other high-profile attendees – by a few answers in, Rob Reiner was screaming about losing and Jane Fonda had tears in her eyes, according to people in the room.
You know what Democrats/Hollywood/Media are not talking about or concerned about? The fact that we have a Commander in Chief whose cognitive infirmity puts the nation as severe national security risk, a point I made in my call days ago to invoke the 25th Amendment,Biden’s Cognitive Decline Is A National Security Threat – Invoke The 25th Amendment NOW.
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