đşđ¸ The Democratsâ Belated Realization: Magical Thinking or Manipulation of Public Opinion?
(Swedish version below. )
STOCKHOLM REPORT/NEW YORK. The confrontation occurred unusually early. Neither Democrats nor Republicans have held their conventions yet, and subsequently the two presidential candidates are not officially nominated.
The timing was perhaps not coincidental. Speculations abounded on whether Thursdayâs televised and historically painful debate served as a Democratic test balloon.
Put Joe Biden on stage and see how it goes.
It would not have mattered if you had your heart to the right or the left â you felt sympathy for the president. A friend called it elder abuse.
Comedian and Trump critic Bill Maher compared Bidenâs default expression during the debate to the moment you doubt whether you turned off the stove. That frozen shock when you get stuck in the thought.
Bidenâs mix-ups, slips of the tongue, and problems with memorising are well-documented. In February, special counsel Robert Hur chose not to charge the president with mishandling classified documents, calling him âa well-meaning elderly man with a poor memoryâ.Â
A description few Democrats have been interested in acknowledging. A common claim from Biden supporters has been that the presidentâs inner cognitive capacity surpasses his rivalâs outer verbal.
When the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) examined whether the president is in good enough shape for his officeâand even more so for another four yearsâthe White House sought to amend that reporting.
Among other things, five participants from a White House meeting on funding for Ukraine reported that Biden did not appear to be in his right mind. They described Biden speaking so quietly that he was hard to hear, how he read from notes while making simple points, and how he closed his eyes so long that some wondered if he was still present.
It was primarily Republicansâbut also Democratsâwho were critical. Some Democrats who expressed doubts returned with additional statements and assurances about the presidentâs strengths, after having been in contact with the White House One explicitly mentioned having been told to give the WSJ a call back.
Before publication, a White House spokesperson contacted the newspapers to correct âfalse and politically motivated claims.â
Maybe it's wishful thinking, maybe it's a desire for power, maybe it's fear of Donald Trump. Maybe it's genuine optimism.
A few hours before the debate, I attended a cocktail party hosted by a liberal-minded global consulting firm.
A representative said he had been in contact with the president's staff, who explained that the nationâs leader was well-prepared after his days at Camp David.
âAs long as he makes it through heâs doing greatâ, said the staff member.
Scattered laughter in the room.
Two hours later, I sit down to watch the debate with two friends on the Upper East Side. Sheâs a Democrat, heâs a Republican.
It takes less than a minute before all she and I can say is âOh my God, OH MY GOD.â
The husband is silent, then says:
âWhat did you guys expect?â
Bidenâs incoherent answers, mix-ups of facts and questions, mumbling, and confused facial expressions need no further explanation.
The performance signals not only something about Biden as the Democratsâ candidate in this fallâs presidential election. It also raises questions about his suitability as the U.S. president and leader of the free world right now.
Many have pointed to security policy implications. What will China, Russia, and Iran think when they see a weak leader and commander at the helm of the worldâs most powerful nation?
Hedge fund billionaire and former Democrat Bill Ackman writes on X:
âSome of a presidentâs most important decisions must come when he is awakened at 3am when disaster or a threat emerges suddenly. Our enemies will strike when we are most vulnerable.â
Over the weekend, an Axios report came out stating that Bidenâs capability is at a functioning level between 10 AM and 4 PM.
Not so reassuring.
Halfway through Thursdayâs debate, though, something interesting happens to both me and my female friend. Our opinion of Bidenâs performance starts to change. Itâs not that bad, after all, we suddenly think.
Biden stumbles, and is hard to hear, but he does seem to have memorized some facts. He does provide answers on a range of topics.Â
Our reaction is a bit like his wifeâs, First Lady Jill Bidenâs:
âJoe, you did such a great job! You answered every question, you knew all the facts!â
(Regarding facts, Iâll get back to both Bidenâs and Trumpâs claims in another letter.)
This is precisely the psychological reaction the Democrats had hoped for. That Biden would benefit from the American voters' low expectations.
My friend and I can not look away from the disaster unfolding before us on TV, but we get so used to Bidenâs slurring and half-finished reasoning that we are positively surprised when he occasionally retorts to Trump and seems to have some idea of what heâs talking about.
Neither my friendâs Republican husband next to me on the couch, nor CNNâs commentators, are as forgiving. Immediately after the debate, the latter refer to âpanic in the Democratic Party.â Donors are about to pull out. Leading Democrats are terrified of losing their re-elections if Biden is not replaced. Alternatives presidential candidates will be scouted. An entire generation of Democratic political operatives find their careers being at risk.
Suddenly, we hear leading Democrats and leftist pundits acknowledge what they previously denied. At least publicly.
Namely, that Biden's visible signs of age may in fact actually correlate with his ability to perform the job as presidentânow and four years aheadâand as the leader of the free world.
Is this a sudden wake-up call?
Was it the televised debate that sowed doubts among Democrats, who work closely with Biden, about the presidentâs abilities? Or was it the televised debate that made Democrats, who work closely with Biden, realize that the American voters now doubt his ability?
The White Houseâs ad hoc fumbling with WSJâs investigation into Bidenâs mental state may give a hint to the answer.
MALIN EKMAN
I have to tell you, I'm still rather shocked that a Swedish journalist has this much objectivity regarding American politics. As an American who's lived in Sweden for quite some time, it's almost like spotting a unicorn.
That said, I'm guessing you'll have plenty to write about in the future. That debate likely caught everyone off guard with the exception of folks like your male Republican friend and myself (another male Republican). We've seen the same President Biden that his supporters/sympathizers have ignored. And we can only partially blame you for not seeing what we've seen. Specifically, because you likely fell for what the American press was feeding you. As I think you know (based on what I've read of your work thus far), criticism of things not from the left have a difficult way of rising to the surface. And, forgive me, but I need to point one more thing out.
I'm a bit older than you. Old enough to recognize that what might be the usual "red meat" for one generation is a huge turn off for another. I sincerely believe Gen X'ers and older from the right were more obnoxious than they should've been in the past, and the left knew this. So, when we started pointing out what we saw in President Biden, the left simply used that against us. Folks simply ignored us. Well played by the left. Nevertheless, as I believe a lot of folks are seeing, while the left scores the win in their tactics, the U.S. and possibly the world loses in confidence in the Whitehouse. Thatâs huge strategic blow for many.
So, I hope at least journalism outside of the U.S. finds the courage to be honest enough to say what's true. It obviously needs saying. And just to be clear, I mean for both the left and right side of American politics. The American press on the right has LONG way to go before most Democrat and Independent voters start fairly considering their criticism as legitimate. And the left wonât just allow to happen either. I hope folks like you can help out in the meantime.
Lastly, truth be told, I think journalism took quite the blow with this. Itâs a story that shouldnât have been missed. People know this. Nevertheless, I just donât think itâs wise to criticize someone providing a glimmer of hope for an industry in desperate need of it.
Anyway.
Please forgive my rambling, and keep up the good work.
Great to have a translation. Will recommend you to americans I jaw with.