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Is it bye bye Biden Time?

Is it bye bye Biden Time?

Just two weeks ago, I penned a commentary with this headline. “It is increasingly obvious … Biden is losing it.”  Many disagreed – accusing me of peddling political propaganda.  Today, the truth is known – and Biden is further down the path of physical and mental decline than even I imagined.

President Biden’s abysmal –but revealing – performance on the debate stage is a game changer far beyond any pre-event observations.  Stories about Biden’s declining physical and mental health have hitherto been ignored or dismissed as partisan chatter.  They have been met with harsh pushback and assurances that Biden was not only well, but in exceptionally good conditions – “better than ever.”  They knew better.  For months, they lied … and lied … and lied.  Hiding Biden’s condition from the public has been a grand political conspiracy – a disinformation campaign conspiratorially carried out by both politicians and the press.  The cover-up has, ironically,  now put the Democratic Party in a political pickle.

While we still do not know the extent of his disability, we do know it is significant.  Both his current condition, the rapidity of his decline and his ability to serve four more years in the Oval Office all point to an obvious incapacity.  As I have predicted in the past, if elected, Biden will not complete a second term whether or not he physically survives.

Currently, the BIG question is whether he will withdraw from the race – when and how. All indications at this moment are that he, First Lady Jill and his White House handlers are intent on digging in and carrying on.  To do that, they will have to resist the enormous pressure coming from his side of the political divide. 

Biden’s performance on the debate stage has created a major fault line in the Democratic Party – from high-level operatives … to the hitherto crony media … all the way down to the grassroots.

It was shocking to see Biden’s enfeebled performance in the debate – and also shocking to see the uncharacteristically harsh response from his loyalists on the left.  You now have the hardest of the hardcore Biden sycophants on MSNBC calling for him to step down after spending months lying about his condition to the public. 

The pressure seems overwhelming.  But is it enough to overcome the dug-in heels of Biden himself … his wife … and the cadre of officials whose power, prominence and even profit are hitched to a political wagon with two wheels over the edge of a cliff?

To understand the “stay the course” side of the national debate, you need to understand motivation.  The power of the presidency is like a strong magnet.  The closer you stand to the center of power, the more difficult it is to escape – for any reason.

It starts with the President himself.  They never want to give it up. President Franklin Roosevelt proved that – and Congress, recognizing the problem, passed the Twenty-Second Amendment to limit presidents to two terms. 

You see that phenomenon in the fact that prior to 2020, Biden said he intended to only serve one term.   He would be a transitional President.  When it came to keeping his commitment, he went for the second term – and continues to maintain that position even in the face of disqualifying disability.

The next most important person in the decision-making process is First Lady Jill Biden.  In a normal situation, one would expect a loving wife to encourage retirement, to escape the unbearable and punishing rigors of public office – and to spend his “long good-by” in the loving embrace of family and care of doctors – real doctors.

But Jill Biden also appears to be trapped by the trappings of power.   Even if old Joe has to be wheeled in and out of the Oval Office for staged photo ops, she can still retain her exalted position of First Lady – with even more power.  She becomes the power behind the throne much as was Mrs. Wilson after her husband suffered a debilitating stroke – and refused to resign.

The same attraction to status and political power keeps the Biden White House team fighting to keep their game going as long as possible.  You have both press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Vice President Harris making absurd statements about Biden’s condition, abilities and future prospects.

Harris needs to keep Biden folks happy by playing the loyalist in the hope that Biden will not only drop out of the race but resign before the convention – elevating her to the presidency.  Biden should be wary of any Harris request to meet her … at the top of the stairs.

Among the outer ring of Democrat operatives and supporters, you have those who truly believe that Biden – even a compromised Biden – is the only Democrat who can beat Trump.  They believe that Biden is still the strongest candidate to oppose the deeply hated President Trump.  Much of the polling at this point suggests that they may be correct.  One of my Democrat friends said he would vote for Biden even if he arrived at the Democrat convention in a hearse. 

There is another consideration that plays against withdrawal.  It is very late in the campaign season and an open convention would put ambitious Democrats in a free-for-all fight with chaos reigning.  It would fracture the party even more than it is at this moment.  And none of the potential contenders are assured of beating Trump.

Everything above explains WHY there is enormous resistance to withdrawing from the race.  But all those rational reasons – at least rational in terms of political realities – are now countered by unprecedented pressure to step down.

The bible of Democrat left-wing progressivism, the New York Times, has had their top columnists — including Biden’s favorite, Tom Friedman — call for the President to withdraw.  The old “grey lady,” itself, has put its full influence behind the withdrawal movement with a painful editorial.

Among the more serious and pragmatic blows to any plan to carry on are the reports of donor concern.  With the prospect of a Biden victory ebbing, betting on Biden is moved from a reasonable risk to money down the drain.

Still … at the time of this writing, it appears that Biden intends to carry on.  That will be the case until it isn’t.  Despite of – or in view of – the strong positions staked out on both sides, at this moment, the pundits and odds-makers are betting Biden stays.  But that requires Biden to avoid any future demonstrations of disability.  That requires keeping close to Trump in the polls.  Preventing more debate night disasters is virtually impossible unless Biden is locked down in the White House basement and the visible campaign is handled by surrogates and virtual reality statements and videos.

But … every day Biden does not withdraw, and the message is that he will not withdraw, the prospect of replacement diminishes.  There is no way to even speculate the final outcome of this political soap opera because the decision to stay or not to stay is teetering precariously at 50/50.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

6 Comments

  1. frank stetson

    “don’t get cocky, Luke” but spot on again. I may get banned, but from the everly brothers and I will say: no more.

    NO MORE.

    “Bye-bye love
    Bye-bye happiness
    Hello loneliness
    I think I’m gonna cry
    Bye-bye love
    Bye-bye sweet caress
    Hello emptiness
    I feel like I could die
    Bye-bye my love, goodbye”

    Oh my.

  2. Andrew Gutterman

    I wish the media would talk about Trump’s oncoming Alzheimer’s.

    “Not enough people are sounding the alarm that based on his behavior, and in my opinion, Donald Trump is dangerously demented. In fact, we are seeing the opposite among too many in the news media, the political leaders and among the public. There is also this focus on Biden’s gaffes or other things that are well within the normal limits of aging. By comparison, Trump appears to be showing gross signs of dementia. This is a tale of two brains. Biden’s brain is aging. Trump’s brain is dementing.”

    What evidence do you have for that conclusion?

    “Phonemic paraphasias” —the substitution of non-words for words that sound similar—are not normally seen until a patient enters the moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer’s.

    Some examples of Trump’s non-words: Beneficiaries becomes “benefishes.” Renovations become “renoversh.” Pivotal became “pivobal.” Obama became “obamna.” Missiles became “mishiz.” Christmas became “Crissus.” Bipartisan became “bipars.”

    This is a fundamental breakdown in the ability to use language. If you were talking to your father on the phone and he did this, you would think he is having a stroke. There is no healthy older person who speaks that way.

    Trump also engages in what we call “tangential speech.” He just becomes incomprehensible when he engages in free association word salad speech that is all over the place. Again, that’s a sign of real brain damage, not being old, not being slow, not losing a step not being, but of severe cognitive deterioration. What I don’t understand is why those clips aren’t replayed over and over in the mainstream media. Isn’t Trump babbling incoherently the most newsworthy part of his rally? You can be sure it would be if it were Biden.

    Biden has been excoriated for forgetting names, which can be a normal part of aging. But Trump isn’t just forgetting names, he’s forgetting and combining people. Trump believes Nikki Haley is Nancy Pelosi. He has said repeatedly that Obama is still president. He said his father was born in Germany when that was his grandfather.”

    • larry Horist

      Andrew Gutterman … You are taking whataboutism to the extreme. If you have had any experience with people suffering from any form of aging dementia, you would see the difference. Biden is in the early stage of serious dementia. There are several forms, but he shows all the signs. We saw it on the stage during the debate. We have seen it in past appearances. And now many reporters and people who have interacted with Biden — including leaders at foreign conferences — have opened up about his cognitive issues. On the other hand, Trump speaks extemporaneously a thousand times more than Biden … he will have normal gaffes. We all do. Whatever your opinion of Trump, trying to peddle a narrative the he is also suffering serious cognitive issues is ridiculous. There is a reason that Biden’s staff has kept him under wraps and lied about his medical condition. There is a reason that he will not take a cognitive test that doctors routinely give to patience over a certain age. There is a reason Jean-Pierre lied about his seeing a doctor after the debate. You are really off the beam on this one.

  3. AC

    Larry, so Trump gets a pass on all his lies that permeated his rhetoric during the debate. His 10’s in thousands lies told by him throughout his campaign for president first and second term, and after his loss to Biden. His untruthful comprehension of reality at any other time in American history would exclude him from consideration as a candidate for elected office anywhere in America. How Trump came to be in the political realm at the presidential level defies logic if not plain common sense. He himself was surprised when he found himself the nominee of the GOP. And, why do you think he was surprised? I think he never believed that of all the cons he had run until then and this one being the grandest and most audacious one yet. This one appeared to have worked. He had managed fooling enough delegates at that time and enough voters in 2016 to win by a technicality and not outright in the popular vote.
    His one term as president was chaotic and constantly under change as appointees came and left after quitting or were fired. Trump demand loyalty to himself above honesty in their job.
    Imagine the amount of duress White House appointees were forced to endure. Their jobs were on the condition of loyalty to the POTUS and he changed his mind’s direction on impulse. Truth was immaterial and facts were non debatable. The world is as he sees it, his word is the law, things must go to his benefit
    Don’t we all want to be the boss and master over every detail in our life and world? Those of us being sane and of the right mind are practical realists and understand what are the uncontrollable facts and the consequences that come when facts are denied, bent, ignored, and tried to be covered up.
    Trump thinks no consequences are due him.
    Like the fable story of the Emperor’s new suit of clothing depicts the Emperor trying a con on the people his subjects. If loyalty demands following the lie, unless shown otherwise, the Emperors lie is a fact because he said he was wearing the new clothes.
    Truth be told by a child free of guile saying that in fact the Emperor was parading around unclothed.
    The American people believe themselves to be smart, intelligent, educated, and capable to defend themselves. Then Trump arrives on the political scene spouting lies and deceptions of conservatism and nationalism. His words are what he has been told is milk and honey promises that draw loyalty from among the Republican tribe.
    Although, Trump in reality of fact from investigation finding and historical record has dug for himself a ditch of moral complicity. He seems to have survived and convinced conservatives that he is the one and only savior for America.
    When will the conservative minded realize that Trump was a Democrat loyalist and thinks like a Democrat. He changed the color of his false flag to red when he saw opportunity ( money and importance) in the other party.
    Trump maybe is managing some what better than Biden optics wise with his age appropriate debilitating aspects with much help demanded from his entourage of hangers on. Trump has had time out of office responsibilities for the practice needed speaking. In his case message is unimportant with quantity of words spoken being the point.
    Biden does not have the luxury of time off from day to day responsibilities of the Presidency.
    Trump after being President for a term shows he has no understanding of what an effective President’s responsibilities amount to. He will do worse if given the monumental opportunity for another term. Whoa, to America and the World.

    • Robert Richey

      Have you seen a doctor lately?

  4. frank stetson

    A true sign of the pugnacious prick is the old “humble in victory, gracious in defeat.” Like his King, Horist kicks the dog when it’s down, and when it rolls on its back, legs up in defeat, he curb stomps it. Too bad there’s a fair amount of that exhibited here.

    The man stumbled, the man had a bad night, the man is old. There is no need for wild conjectures about health, home, and his family. Biden must act. He has a few choices: stay the course and get out there in public, do nothing, drop, change VPs (my choice), something else. He will do something.

    “Today, the truth is known – and Biden is further down the path of physical and mental decline than even I imagined.” Well, now that we know the imaginings of the Horist, we know all that we see that he fabricates in his own old, decrepit, delusional 80+ year old mind. “the truth is known:” yeah, Biden duffed a 90-minute debate. MTGreene does worse every day. Old JJordan can’t even find a long-sleeved shirt. But MGaetz has found a way to stay young…… Rocket scientists all.

    “While we still do not know the extent of his disability, we do know it is significant.” Thank you, Dr. Horist. All I can say is heed your own words, Dr. Maybe Tom is right about your mental state, maybe he reads you as well as you read Joe; like a book. Not your book, that’s still in the works :>) Should any 80+ year old pen a book? For who? His peers are mostly dead. But let me ask you, if you don’t know the extent, how do you conclude he is significantly disabled? How can you talk out both sides of mouth and keep a straight face. Botox is proven for Horist, I guess. Maybe. He has not denied it.

    “Both his current condition, (one 90-minute debate) the rapidity of his decline (according to Horist) and his ability to serve four more years in the Oval Office (pure Horist guess) all point to an obvious incapacity (as well as Horist’s, hey why not if we’re guessing anyways.)

    “As I have predicted in the past, if elected, Biden will not complete a second term whether or not he physically survives.” Is that a threat? FBI to Miami, FBI to Miami….. :>) “ Biden should be wary of any Harris request to meet her … at the top of the stairs.” Yup, PP is suggesting violence all around, as is the way of All The Kings Men.

    “Hiding Biden’s condition from the public has been a grand political conspiracy –“ Yeah, all those public appearances to hide….. “ a disinformation campaign conspiratorially carried out by both politicians and the press.” Really? Your Felon King has RICO conspiracies, election rigging conspiracies, business fraud conspiracies, and much, much more.

    “But Jill Biden also appears to be trapped by the trappings of power. Even if old Joe has to be wheeled in and out of the Oval Office for staged photo ops, she can still retain her exalted position of First Lady – with even more power. She becomes the power behind the throne much as was Mrs. Wilson after her husband suffered a debilitating stroke – and refused to resign.” Now Psyche-Ward Horist goes into the mind of Jill Biden in a fabrication of epic proportions “hitherto” unseen (old Horist uses hitherto twice in this article proving ‘oldtimers” disease has struck.) Well, guess Melania, being raised a communists, will not be compared there. She’s just a gold digging whore.

    “One of my Democrat friends said he would vote for Biden even if he arrived at the Democrat convention in a hearse.” How about digital rapist defamer business felon, felon, port star, playboy model fucking felon who steals from his university students, steals from his charity foundation, takes 9/11 recovery money with no physical damages, a guy with 3 more indictments and a zillion felony charges whose own lawyers stood up and said “Yup, we did it and we will tell you what he did?” Would that be OK?

    Here’ the thing about Joe. I may think the man is old. I may think he gaps a lot. But I love the polices. Works for old man Horist. Works for old man Stetson too.

    Joe is down, he is really down. Calling for a gut check is fair; this crap from either side is not.

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