By Dr. Bruce Smith ——Bio and Archives--July 10, 2023
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There is lots of talk these days about the state of the nation, and especially about the state of the president. There’s enough talk, in fact, that even Democrats are beginning to make sympathetic noises about whether the incumbent president should run for another term next year.
They worry about his terrible poll numbers, even though they’re propped up and made bearable by a sympathetic (or is it pathetic?) press. Week by week the polls are lower than anybody can remember back to President Fillmore. It’s not right that he isn’t getting credit for all the good things he’s done, they whine. If he could just get the message out better, well, folks would start to understand! In the next sentence, the press flack says the polls don’t matter. That’s when we get closer to the truth.
They worry about his stumbles and jumbled sentences. Yes, he’s older, but he’s plenty spry, they assert, for most of four hours three or four days a week. It’s that teleprompter thingy that’s hard to see in the bright light. Sure, he stumbles pretty often, but he’s gotten right back up every time so far, and sometimes without any help! Mighty spry!
They restrict his movements as much as possible and limit his time in front of anyone who might ask a real question. Think you haven’t seen him take questions when you can hear the answers for a few months? Call that brunette over at the, you know, the network thing, over there and let’s talk sometime for my birthday golf date on Suddenday. God save the Queen, and let’s hope they have another album out soon! Whew! Call a lid! Nobody messes with a, you know, weekenderlingen.
But Don’t be fooled. There are lots of talking heads who worry that the president isn’t up to the job. Even Democrats have begun to question his abilities. I’ve noticed, however, that none of the Democrats who are wringing their hands have said anything about his policies. That’s because they’re fine with what he’s doing, just not so fine with his appearances.
Think about it. They don’t criticize his wide open border policy and they don’t talk about the shameful departure from Afghanistan. They don’t talk about the inflation that’s playing havoc with everyone’s budget. They don’t talk about destroying our mighty energy sector in favor of iffy solar panels from China. They don’t talk about the weekly disasters delivered via one or the other cabinet secretaries in energy, transportation, education, defense, interior, homeland security, or state.
From the other side of the aisle I don’t hear worries about debt and ruinous spending, about drugs pouring in or the thousands of deaths we hear about each month. They don’t seem to worry about clobbering free speech or Second Amendment rights. They support subversion of conservative or centrist candidates in other countries, but claim that it’s Russia who does the election interference here.
Most of all, they don’t talk about how he’s creating these disasters on purpose. That’s because they’re fine with all of these policies. After all, the radicals in the party are getting what they’ve always wanted, so they’re fine with it.
They don’t like the fact that he’s not polling well. He’s making them look bad.
He’s giving the opposition hope they might have a chance. That won’t do!
It’s interesting that the candidates pushing to be first in line of succession are from states of disaster like California and Michigan. That seems a little odd. Somebody in charge of the mess that California has become likes to take the coat off and roll up sleeves and walk around the West Wing office verandahs to preen for the cameras when the big guy is away. And I don’t hear that person saying he’d do anything differently from what the present resident would do, but look, he’s got much better hair and way more chutzpah.
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That one from Michigan who ran barbers into bankruptcy and told people they couldn’t buy seeds or go to their lake houses and who basked in the warm glow of a strange abduction plot would like to show us all how she’d destroy the energy sector way faster than the present bunch with their hands on the levers.
It looks to this observer like the contenders don’t want to do anything differently, they just want to be in charge. There’s plenty of motivation to draw a hungry crowd. The benefits are really sweet, they say, and you can even collect swank beach property without fear of rising sea levels. Socialists can get rich and environmentalists can live where there are no windmills to block the view or solar farms to provide juice on sunny days. Second Amendment critics can lounge with plenty of well-armed security types around. It’s paradise on earth for the lucky ones, just like they’ve been promising for the masses since 1848.
So they’re murmuring and tut-tutting about Biden, but I don’t hear them saying they’d do anything different. Strange, isn’t it? What would you bet there’s another election year coming up soon? Don’t be fooled. They’re enjoying this, and they think they can do it even better.
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Dr. Bruce Smith (Inkwell, Hearth and Plow) is a retired professor of history and a lifelong observer of politics and world events. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. In addition to writing, he works as a caretaker and handyman. His non-fiction book The War Comes to Plum Street, about daily life in the 1930s and during World War II, may be ordered from Indiana University Press.