By Ray Cardello for May 22, 2023, Season 19 / Post 37

Joe Biden has been in the political game for so long, he knows no way of handling an issue than making it a political football. The debt ceiling is looming, and rather than sit down with leadership and work on the problem, he goes to the microphone and blames the MAGA Republicans. That is Joe’s solution to every challenge.

The President took questions for nearly forty-five minutes in a rare press conference today from Japan, where the G7 had just ended. I watched the entire session, and my takeaway is that Joe Biden does not convey an aura of leadership. His answers are vague, his focus is not present, and there is no conviction in his delivery. Powerful charisma is not essential, but we need positive, defined leadership, and we will not get that from Biden.

Biden took questions on many topics, from the Debt Ceiling, our relationship with China, and the war in Ukraine. I felt Biden was disingenuous in many of his answers. One example is his claims of talks with Xi of China when we know there has been no communication at any level with China since the Chinese surveillance balloon traversed the lower 48.

Another stretch of the truth is his claim that he can use the 14th Amendment to circumvent Congress on an economic policy decision. He also uses his coined comment that a failure to approve the Debt-Ceiling will result in the loss of 100,000 teaching jobs. That is not true and is said to stoke emotions.

The President has yet to answer any questions or comment about his role in the bogus Russian conspiracy theory concocted by Democrats and the FBI to disparage and harm Donald Trump’s quest for the Presidency. The Durham report clearly implicates Biden, Clinton, and Obama, and the President must answer questions about his role. It is inadequate for Karine Jean-Pierre to deflect questions to the Justice Department. Joe Biden has to clear himself of culpability before he can ask for a single vote to re-elect him.

Leadership is not about pointing fingers and assigning blame. The debt ceiling does need to be addressed, but it is not existential. If allowed to lapse, there is still enough tax revenue to service our debt payments. There may have to be specific departments cut back or shut down temporarily. That would be a perfect time to see if the world still spins without a Department of Education. The bottom line is that this President has to put his ego aside, remember what he said and did as a Senator, and sit down with Speaker McCarthy to get the job done. A plethora of expenditures can be cut in government spending, and we will still exist as a powerful country.

Finally, I think the President is very happy to let the debt ceiling drama play out as long as possible. The issue is a distraction and keeps the White House press corps from asking about corruption, payoffs, and why Hunter can travel to court in a private jet and cry poverty simultaneously.