Biden’s speech last night: we had to destroy democracy to save it
Or some such gobbledygook.
This quote is almost humorous:
America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy? In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. Can we do that? Does character in public life still matter?
Of course, Biden has spent his entire presidency labeling the opposition as not only enemies of his own party, but enemies of those very principles: “honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice, and democracy.” And it is Biden and his own party who are more of a threat to those very things than the Republicans are. As for character in public life – wow. Biden is one of the most corrupt presidents ever – perhaps the most corrupt. And his campaign from the very start was built on a lie: the Charlottesville hoax, which he keeps hammering home.
It is here that Biden supposedly gave his reason for quitting the race:
When you elected me to this office, I promised to always level with you, to tell you the truth. And the truth, the sacred cause of this country, is larger than any one of us, and those of us who cherish that cause cherish it so much, a cause of American democracy itself must unite to protect it.
You know, in recent weeks it’s become clear to me that I needed to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term, but nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy, and that includes personal ambition.
So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation. I know there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, but there’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now.
That first paragraph – Biden the liar’s paean to truth – is actually somewhat difficult to understand. This was not an extemporaneous speech, so someone (whether Biden or another person or persons) wrote those words. But what does it even mean to say that democracy itself must unite to protect truth? How can “democracy” unite, when people are at odds about whom they wish to elect? And what is this truth he’s talking about?
That second paragraph says that it’s the Democrats who must unite in the “critical endeavor” of protecting truth. Ah, so it’s not democracy that must unite, it’s the Democrats. Apparently “democracy” equals “Democrats.” As Erdogan of Turkey once said: “Democracy is like a tram. You ride it until you arrive at your destination, then you step off.”
Biden goes on to say that he’s proud of his record and deserved a second term, but he can’t let that come in the way of “saving our democracy.” That makes no sense either, except as code – which is what it actually is. “Our democracy” is Democrats’ code phrase for Democrat victory. Why Democrat victory is the only path to “democracy” is never really explained; we are supposed to understand that it just is. Is it the threat of Russiagate he’s talking about, or the idea that TrumpHitler will put the left in prison camps if he’s elected, or that Republicans will ban birth control if they get power, or whatever zany lie the Democrats are telling about Trump and the GOP now?
At any rate, apparently Joe himself – despite his self-touted wonderful record as president – cannot protect and preserve Truth and Our Democracy. He must, according to that third paragraph, cede the task to the youthful vigor of a new generation – in other words, to Kamala Harris.
Did Joe just learn that he’s 81 years old, soon to be 82? Because strangely enough, until just a few days ago, he didn’t think he needed to pass the torch to the next generation at all. Now he sees the light – the light of that torch he’s passing. And somehow this will not just unite the Democratic Party but the nation itself. How passing the torch to Kamala Harris, or even her election as president or some other Democrat’s election as president, will unite the nation is anyone’s guess. But it’s just a speech and just words, a mindless blah-blah that is nevertheless intended to touch some mystic chord within his Democrat listeners and have them nodding yes, yes.
I don’t think it convinced anyone, although the MSM and the Democrats will pretend it did. What a guy! What a selfless patriot!
Violence in Washington DC from the pro-Hamas crowd
Will they pay any price? I doubt it.
Here are some details of their destructive rage, which included burning American flags and hoisting Palestinian ones, threats, and defacing of monuments.
More here, as well as the fact that the charming Hamas-lovers did the following and are proud of it:
Video posted on Wednesday showed a large number of maggots, crickets and other bugs crawling around the Watergate] hotel, which is where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is staying during his contentious visit to Washington, D.C.
The Palestinian Youth Movement, a grassroots advocacy group, posted an Instagram video of the critters, claiming they were let loose in protest of Israel’s deadly war against Hamas, which has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza officials.
And then there’s this:
We just did an overlay after cross pollination of each device overnight, of the 274 ‘rally goers’ 152 are today involved in groups committing acts of vandalism and protesting their support for Hamas. Makes total sense. Kamala Harris supports Hamas. https://t.co/issD9dlbTB pic.twitter.com/49k0f5Bwb6
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) July 24, 2024
Harris has been doing a delicate balancing act. She made sure she would not be presiding over Congress during Netanyahu’s speech; that simply wouldn’t do because it would anger the all-important far left and pro-Hamas wing of the party. But she threw a fish to the more moderate wing today by condemning the violent demonstrations.
I believe that the demonstrators are pretty sure they won’t suffer any serious consequences. After all, it’s DC, and it’s only the right that gets in trouble there for any sort of riot – or even trespassing. The pro-Hamas crowd is well-funded and well-defended, too. They feel immune and they feel powerful.
Today they’re doing their thing in front of the White House.
Kamala and incumbency
Commenter “Jimmy” has a question and answers it:
I don’t understand why the Dems aren’t pressuring Biden to resign, as it would elevate Kamala to the presidency, “making history” and giving her the power of incumbency. There’s the argument that it would draw time from her campaign, but incumbents have never had trouble running for reelection, and if she has less time for actively campaigning, that lost time would be spent appearing “presidential.” But maybe that last part is the problem, as she would likely come off as very unpresidential.
I think that’s on the right track, but there’s even more. One of the most important aspects of the conundrum the Democrats have been facing regarding Biden is that not only does he not want to leave office but he also clearly wanted to run in 2024. I believe the bargain they made with him was that if he gave up on his 2024 aspirations they wouldn’t force him out, but would let him finish his term of office in relative peace. To remove him against his will would require activating an approach everyone in the party would rather avoid.
Plus, as “Jimmy” observes, watching Kamala Harris in action as president wouldn’t necessarily enhance her chances of winning at all. It would open the door to errors and gaffes, as well as exposure to her rather strange personality. No, better for the party to do a modified Biden/2020 and keep her appearances very controlled, as well as minimizing her actual power and therefore her ability to muck up the job of the presidency. Because – as with Joe in 2020 – the issue is not whether Kamala would be a good president or good for the country. It’s whether Trump and the Republicans can be defeated, so that the Democrats can continue on with their leftist agenda – an agenda with which Harris is fully onboard.
And don’t think Harris can’t win. I don’t care what the polls say, one way or the other. There’s the possibility of fraud, there’s the possibility of “rigging,” but there’s also the certainty of MSM propaganda. From now till Election Day we will hear what a wonderful candidate she is, and what a wonderful VP she’s been to the wonderful Joe Biden. We will also hear how every single word to the contrary is an example of the toxic sexism and racism for which the GOP is famous.
And of course, we will hear how Trump and Vance are fascist dictatorial slimebags.
NOTE: Oh, and by the way, reports are that Obama will be endorsing Kamala soon.
Open thread 7/25/24
Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office tonight at 8 PM Eastern Time
I’ll be busy with some family stuff and won’t be watching.
But here’s a thread to discuss the speech.
Will he merely repeat the message that he won’t be a candidate for re-election, and that he backs Kamala? Or might he quit the presidency now? I think the former but not the latter, but nothing would surprise me at this point.
The MSM and the Democrats remind us that 2 plus 2 equals 5, Kamala Harris was never a border czar, and we have always been at war with Eastasia
[NOTE: Please see my 2009 post on the phenomenon of the leftist revision of history.]
It’s not okay to remember when the left would have you forget:
On Wednesday, Axios released an article about how Harris’s failure at the border is weighing her campaign down. In the article, Axios defends Harris, stating that she was never actually the “border czar” despite Republicans calling her that on multiple occasions. It ends the article by saying that Biden took harsher actions recently to cut off asylum access for illegal aliens, and his actions have worked temporarily as June saw the lowest number of illegal border crossings since January 2021.
“This administration’s executive actions have brought unauthorized crossings to a lower level than when Trump left office. President Biden and Vice President Harris are leading on border security, while congressional Republicans sabotage it,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, according to Axios.
Axios posted a tweet to X repeating the claim that Harris was never given the title of “border czar,” doubling down on the point. …
Oh, but she was, and to prove that we’ll refer to… Axios.
As The Federalist’s Sean Davis pointed out, Axios itself reported that Biden had appointed Harris as the border czar in 2021.
Oopsies!
More here, including CNN’s role.
This is classic stuff for the left, as the post I linked in my “NOTE” makes clear. They are relying on low information voters and the fog of forgetfulness, as well as party loyalists who will parrot whatever benefits the party at the moment and change on a dime when and if necessary.
Netanyahu addresses Congress minus many boycotting Democrats and Republican Thomas Massie
Here’s the video:
Some details: Senator Fetterman wore a suit, rescued hostage Noa Argamani was present as well as some IDF soldiers, and Squad member Tlaib didn’t boycott but decided to attend and hold up a “war criminal” sign and wear a keffiyah.
The boycotters numbered about eighty, and included our newly crowned Democratic leader Kamala Harris (who is being touted by the MSM as a great friend of Israel), Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and the rest of the Squad, as well as many others. This is more than the number of Democrats who boycotted Netanyahu’s Congressional speech in 2015, representing the further leftward and anti-Israel movement of the Democrats.
The sole Republican who boycotted was House member Thomas Massie, who stated:
“The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel and to quell int’l opposition to his war.”
“I don’t feel like being a prop so I won’t be attending.”
I hate to clue you, Massie, but by not attending you’re a “prop” for those who would destroy Israel, Jews, the US, and Western civilization.
Nor was this a one-off by Massie. He has a history:
Massie joined eight Democratic representatives in 2021 in voting against $1 billion in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, saying that he opposed all foreign aid out of concern about the national debt. In 2019, he was the only Republican House member to vote against condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Among other reasons that he cited for voting against the resolution, Massie stated that he does not support “federal efforts to condemn any type of private boycott, regardless of whether or not a boycott is based upon bad motives” and that “these are matters that Congress should properly leave to the States and to the people to decide”. In October 2023, Massie was the only Republican to vote against a House resolution guaranteeing U.S. support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The resolution passed 412–10. In November 2023, he was the only member of Congress to oppose a resolution affirming Israel’s right to exist and equating anti-Zionism to antisemitism.
Massie has been outspoken against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its influence on American politics, and in December 2023 tweeted out a meme appearing to contrast Zionism with American patriotism. In May 2024, AIPAC and allied groups announced a $300,000 ad campaign targeting Massie for perceived “anti-Israel views” while not officially endorsing any primary challenger. Massie responded by posting a poll on X asking his followers whether AIPAC should be forced to register as a foreign agent. In a June 2024 interview, he claimed that each Republican member of Congress besides himself has an “AIPAC person” that directs them to vote in line with the positions of the organization. …
Massie voted “present” on the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, the only member of the House to do so and the only Republican not to vote against it. Massie was the only member of the House to vote against extending sanctions on Iran in 2016. He was also one of only three House members to vote against a 2017 bill to impose new sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea.
Elon Musk attended the speech as a guest of Netanyahu.
Open thread 7/24/24
This is the sort of thing that reminds me how very very happy I am that I learned English as a native speaker.
All hail Kamala the Great!
Joe Biden was nobody’s favorite candidate (except maybe Jill’s and Hunter’s). He was chosen in 2020 not by popular demand, but by the powers that be convincing all the other candidates to drop out and leave Biden as the last man standing. This was because he was considered the best candidate to beat Donald Trump, not for any other reason.
And Kamala Harris was markedly unpopular also and has remained so. She was chosen for her demographics.
But ultimately it became clear that Joe couldn’t win in 2024, so he had to go. Kamala has become the replacement for the simple reason that getting rid of her would require alienating much of the Democrats’ base, as well as for financial/legal reasons. She also seems to be polling somewhat better than Joe right now.
So here we are and Kamala Harris is the anointed successor.
The Democrats and the MSM have figured out a way to handle all of this. It involves three steps. The first is to re-invent Kamala as the ENERGIZED! EXCITING! FRESH! candidate, as though she just dropped in from planet Xenon and has no history. Her remarkably undistinguished record (and that’s being kind) as part of the Biden administration’s failures will be ignored, in hopes of Kamala 2.0 catching on with the public. Step 2 will be to hammer home the idea that Republicans threaten women’s “reproductive rights” and Kamala and the Democrats will protect them. Step 3 involves choosing a more moderate running mate in order to preserve the fiction that Kamala will not govern from the far left.
Menendez will be resigning August 20
Commenter “Nonapod” writes:
Bob Menendez is resigning from the Senate. So now we know there is an upper threshold for how much brazen venality a powerful Democrat politician is permitted, but it involves literal bars of gold being found.
That seem reasonable on the surface, but I don’t think it’s the case. Menendez was targeted, IMHO, because he strongly opposed the administration’s foreign policy – and by “the administration,” I mean both the Obama administration and the Biden administration. Otherwise I believe he would have gotten away with whatever he was doing.
I first noticed that the Obama DOJ was out to get Menendez in 2015 when Menendez opposed the Iran deal – see this, this, and this. They tried to convict him back then, unsuccessfully, but now they’ve caught their prey.
I just now noticed that Alan Dershowitz was in agreement with me back in 2015. It seems that Dershowitz also has had some questions about the current case:
Many Democrats are claiming that the recent indictment of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., proves that the current Justice Department provides equal justice to Democrats and Republicans.
Although it’s necessary to wait for the evidence to emerge before judgment is passed on this most recent indictment, what appears so far may be closer to equal injustice.
In both the Menendez and Trump cases, prosecutors are engaging in the questionable tactic of seeking to influence the jury before trial.
The photographic display of gold bars and cash in the Menendez case is an image that will remain with everyone who saw it.
The same is true of the contrived photographic display by the Justice Department (DOJ) of allegedly classified documents spread on the floor.
This “show and tell “was produced by the DOJ and published in virtually every media outlet in the country.
Both show and tells are wrong.
Both are intended to prejudice potential jurors and witnesses and to try the case in the court of public opinion before it is subject to the adversarial process to the courts of law.
Both come close to ethically impermissible lines. And both should be opposed by all Americans who care about impartial justice for all defendants.
I haven’t followed the Menendez trial closely enough to have an opinion on his guilt or innocence. But I strongly believe that had he not been in opposition to the Democrats on foreign policy, he’d still be an unindicted senator. He will be replaced by someone more tractable, so the Democrats will lose nothing, and they get to pretend they care about ethics. Win/win for the Democrats.
Cheatle quits, having outlasted her usefulness to the Democrats
Cheatle dodged questions yesterday as she was attacked by both sides. The dodging was irrelevant to the question of whether she would be allowed to stay in her position; plenty of our public servants on the left have done exactly that and kept their jobs. However, the bipartisan nature of the attacks made it clear that her days as head of the Secret Service were already numbered, because the Democrats wanted her to go. I strongly suspect that was decided before her testimony.
And so she has resigned. What took her so long? Was it just a question of the time it took for the Democrats to decide she had to go?
More importantly, will anything really change? And we will ever find out the truth about what happened in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, and how purposeful the Secret Service’s neglect of Trump’s security was?
I think the answer to both of those questions is “no.”