President Joe Biden, center, with First Lady Jill Biden (White House photo)
Democrats are going passive aggressive on President Joe Biden as he refuses to budge in the face of a rising discordant chorus for him to step aside. The prime example of this passive aggression is none other than the grandee of the party, Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi.
“He’s beloved, he is respected, and people want him to make that decision, not me,” Pelosi said on “Morning Joe, adding, “I want him to do whatever he decides to do, and that’s the way it is.”
What he decides to do? Really? He has already said that he has decided to stay, short of the almighty telling him not to. As we all know, the almighty is not known to be so hands-on. Ask Sahir Ludhianvi. He would tell you "Aasman pe hai khuda, Aur zameen pe hum. Aaj kal woh is taraf, Dekhta hai kum." (God is in the heaves and I on Earth. These days he does not pay much attention to us.)
In case her passive aggression was lost on Biden, Pelosi said "time is running short" for him to decide. Decide what, Madam Speaker? That is her way of saying that even though he has decided already, he needs to decide some more, meaning decide of his own volition to quit the race.
Another lifelong democrat going passive aggressive on the president is the actor, director and eternal handsomeness George Clooney. In an op-ed in The New York Times, Clooney writes, "I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced. But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can."
"This is about age. Nothing more. But also nothing that can be reversed. We are not going to win in November with this president," Clooney, who is among the biggest fundraisers for the Biden campaign said.
Across the board, Democrats are saying things by not saying much. As John Lennon said memorably, "Everybody is talking but no one says a word."
Right now Biden is the president of the United State of Denial. It is clear that age-related vagaries have gripped him. Even his address at the 75th summit of the NATO, which was supposed to reestablish him as the vigorous leader of the free world, was woefully short of that. Ageing is not a crime, it is an inconvenience.
The 84-year-old Pelosi is essentially telling the 81-year-old Biden, "I am glad you think have decided but really, decide now."
Objectively, Biden is a depleted figure after decades in public service. He has much to be very proud of but stands to tarnish his legacy permanently if he chooses to stay on despite such overwhelming rejection. As a last ditch attempt to convince America that he has what it takes, he was set to hold a rare solo news conference today. As of writing this post, he was scheduled to do it at 6.30 p.m. EST at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center near the White House.
Irrespective of how he performs one good news conference is not evidence of anything in the face of such recognizable decline.