Politics Waiting in the Wings
As Joe Biden turns 80 this month, these restless Democrats are ready to replace him.
E BY JOHN FUND
very time well-connect- ed Washington Beltway residents get together, the No. 1 topic of conversation
after they ritually deplore Donald Trump is: Will Joe Biden run for reelection in 2024? No one knows for sure. That
includes Joe Biden, who roiled the political waters during a 60 Minutes interview in September by imitating the enigmatic Oracle of Delphi from Greek mythology: “My intention is that I would run
again. But it’s just an intention. But is it a fi rm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen.” Just a few days later, one of the
reasons why the president’s inten- tions may be so unclear surfaced again.
Although it received almost no mainstream coverage from an over- ly charitable press corps, a video of Biden appearing to get lost on stage after a speech in New York raced through social media, garnering over 6.4 million views. Biden, who turns 80 on Nov. 20,
had fi nished speaking at the Global Fund conference, a group convened to fi ght AIDS. When he stepped away from the podium he awkward- ly lingered on the stage before sud- denly turning around after hearing his name mentioned by the following speaker.
Comedian Terrence K. Williams
posted the clip, saying, “What in the Lost and Found is going on with Joe
Biden. Lord Jesus help us all.” The White House insists Biden remained onstage after leaving the podium because he was told he would be needed for a picture there with other world leaders. Just a week later Biden mistaken-
ly asked whether the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, who died in a car accident in August, was in the audience at a White House event.
The 60 Minutes sit-down in September was Biden’s fi rst one-on- one interview with a reporter in some seven months — a record.
Biden made the gaff e as he deliv-
ered remarks at the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, where he publicly acknowledged elected offi cials like Walorski, R-Ind., who helped orga- nize the gathering. At one point Biden asked, “Jackie,
are you here? Where’s Jackie?” as he looked out and scanned the audi- ence. He did not correct his remarks. The problem for the White House
is how frequently it has had to issue such “explanations” in recent months. It’s clear that Biden has lost a step, visibly shuffl es from place to
place, and that his own aides don’t trust him to answer questions for fear of what he will say. The 60 Minutes sit-down in Sep-
tember was the fi rst one-on-one interview he’d had with a reporter in some seven months — a record. Biden himself dismisses concerns
about his fi tness. “Watch me,” he told CBS. He
added that he hasn’t observed any- thing in terms of “things I don’t do now that I did before, whether it’s physical, or mental, or anything else.” A former Democratic House
member who is worried about Biden scoff s at that defense: “The person who has lost a step is always the last to know or admit that they have.” While many Democrats are pri-
vately hoping behind the scenes that Biden will choose not to run, offi - cially the party is gearing up as if he’s running. NBC News reports that Biden
aides are discussing who would staff a reelection campaign, and even debating an overall theme. “Promises Made, Promises Kept”
is the current favorite — admittedly a possible two-edged sword given the impact of Biden’s legislative accom- plishments on the economy. “Some Democrats are uncon-
vinced he will ultimately run,” NBC reports. “The DNC campaign dynamic suggests an approach of going through the motions to a Biden 2024 bid in that it sets up a politi- cal operation that could instantly mobilize if he runs or could transfer to a diff erent nominee if he stands down.”
Continued on page 46
44 NEWSMAX | NOVEMBER 2022
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