Democrats keep trying to move past the cover up around Biden's decline. It's not helping their credibility
Democrats are not doing themselves any favors with their reactions to the new book on Joe Biden coming out from Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper.
The two reporters are due to release Original Sin, a collection of their reporting on the cover up around Biden's mental and physical decline, on May 20. The book's excerpts are already causing a ruckus, as they detail startling instances of Biden's gaps in mental acuity that were reportedly hidden from the public through 2024.
Biden, whom aides reportedly considered putting in a wheelchair at points, reportedly did not recognize Hollywood megastar George Clooney at an event the president had flown in to Los Angeles specifically for Clooney to host on his behalf. Other excerpts claimed he forgot the names of longtime aides, including that of his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
The top quote of the week: 'It's all Biden. He totally f***ed us.'
David Plouffe's declaration in Original Sin gives voice to the party's furious silent undercurrent of supporters, many of whom did vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 but still watched helplessly on election night as she underperformed nationally and lost ground to Republicans even in deep blue states. The architect of Barack Obama 's 2008 campaign juggernaut, Plouffe's complaint followed an evisceration of the Biden administration policy on Israel / Gaza by the Obamaworld hosts of Pod Save the World.
The right, meanwhile, keeps hammering the two reporters and the Washington media at large for the so-called revelations. Arguing that reporters (including from Tapper's network, CNN) led the charge to hide Biden's deficiencies, Republicans argued this week that the two are attempting to cash in on their own failures.
They are correct to do so. Democrats (led by Biden's inner circle and a defiant president himself) willingly undermined their own credibility by getting the party into this mess, and should show some capacity for self-reflection — not more breathless attacks on the press — to overcome it.
'I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest,' said Tapper on Wednesday.
Inside Washington claims at least partial innocence here; in February of 2024, we wrote that Biden's age provoked real questions for voters, and that his team 'risk[ed] being seen as trying to conceal something' by ignoring those concerns. But with the imminent release of Tapper and Thompson's book, questions are likely to be raised about just how far back the former president's decline really went.
Many Bidenworld loyalists continue to circle the wagons, in true Trumpian fashion. Whether denying the book's revelations outright or chastising reporters falsely for 'focusing' on the issue, the former president and his loyalists continue to insist that they are beyond reproach.
"The only reason I got out of the race was because I didn't want to have a divided Democratic Party," he told the hosts of The View this month.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, interviewed this week by CNN 's Kasie Hunt, dodged questions on the issue entirely.
MSNBC 's Chuck Todd, who called the criticism of the media a 'right-wing manufactured' narrative, tore into Schumer on a CNN panel.
'He's as responsible as anybody else,' said Todd. 'He was a leader in the party. He could've said something sooner, and he didn't.'
The defenses are beginning to become grating to hear even for Democrats, who believe that Biden is doing himself no favors.
Steve Schale, who ran the 'Draft Biden' PAC ahead of the 2016 primary, said: 'There is a way for President Biden to build his post-presidency, but this isn't it.
'I really wish he'd embrace the thing that's been his calling card for 50 years: his humanity.'
Most importantly: the president's defenders give voters the impression that Democrats are still engaged in deception — at a time when the party's supposed advantages include Donald Trumps' low marks for honesty and integrity.
The ex-president was underwater on this issue through the entirety of 2024. The release of Original Sin is going to be the last nail in the coffin, not the first.
No one is going to believe the denials now — especially when many of the people making them insisted that there were no problems and that the president wouldn't even consider withdrawing from the race.
It's time for Joe to ride off into the sunset. His defenders need to stop lashing out at everyone around them and get back to rebuilding voter trust ahead of the next election cycle.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Chile hit by major 6.7 magnitude earthquake
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. Your support makes all the difference.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Indiana teacher resigns in disgrace over 'dangerous' t-shirt she wore to White House on class trip
An Indiana teacher is under fire after she wore a t-shirt calling for Donald Trump's assassination on a school trip to the White House. Tonja Luken posted a now deleted Facebook photo of her and a colleague smiling in front of the Washington DC landmark while on a trip with Middlebury Community Schools. At first glance, the photo is seemingly innocent. However, eagle-eyed social media stalkers noticed the number '8647' printed on Luken's flowery blue t-shirt. To '86' something means to eject, stop or kill it. The term originated in the restaurant scene of New York in the 1930s, according to The Independent. In this context, many people believe the number '47' refers to the United States' 47th president, Trump. The number '8647' is being used on social media by far left leaning individuals who are unhappy with the country's current administration. Protestors also carried signs reading '8645' during Trump's previous term. Most recently, Former FBI Chief James Comey found himself in hot water after posting a photo on Instagram of seashells arranged in the numerical code. Comey was then reprimanded by conservatives and the Secret Service. Luken was placed under an investigation by the school district following the June 4 stunt, but resigned in disgrace before its conclusion. In a statement, Middlebury Community Schools publicly condemned Luken's decision to openly express her political affiliation at a school event Luken (pictured) was placed under an investigation by the school district following the June 4 stunt, but resigned in disgrace before its conclusion In a statement, Middlebury Community Schools publicly condemned Luken's decision to openly express her political affiliation at a school event. 'Middlebury Community Schools owns policies that require teachers to refrain from using their position to promote partisan political views. 'This prohibition applies to all teachers regardless of their political leanings, and to every political message regardless of its content,' they wrote. 'Earlier this week, Middlebury Community Schools' administration learned of a social media post made by a teacher while serving as a chaperone on a student trip to our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. In the posted photograph, the teacher is wearing a T-shirt possessing a partisan political message while supervising students.' 'School administrators are actively investigating the situation. 'The student trip only returned to Middlebury on Wednesday, June 4, which unfortunately slowed the investigation process.' But just a day later, the district announced Luken's departure. 'Earlier today, Middlebury Community Schools completed its investigation into circumstances surrounding a teacher's social media post. 'After the conclusion of the school corporation's interview, when informed the school corporation would be commencing the cancellation of her contract, the teacher submitted her immediate resignation,' they said. 'The teacher is no longer employed by the school corporation' Luken, who is a married mother of five, has since archived all public social media profiles and has made no public statement about the incident or her exit.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Points of Light, founded by the Bush family, aims to double American volunteerism by 2035
The Bush family's nonprofit Points of Light will lead an effort to double the number of people who volunteer with U.S. charitable organizations from 75 million annually to 150 million in 10 years. The ambitious goal, announced in New Orleans at the foundation's annual conference, which concluded Friday, would represent a major change in the way Americans spend their time and interact with nonprofits. It aspires to mobilize people to volunteer with nonprofits in the U.S. at a scale that only federal programs like AmeriCorps have in the past. It also coincides with deep federal funding cuts that threaten the financial stability of many nonprofits and with an effort to gut AmeriCorps programs, which sent 200,000 volunteers all over the country. A judge on Wednesday paused those cuts in some states, which had sued the Trump administration. Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of Points of Light, said that while the campaign has been in development well before the federal cuts, the nonprofit's board members recently met and decided to move forward. 'What our board said was, 'We have to do it now. We have to put the stake in the ground now. It's more important than it was before the disruption of AmeriCorps,'' she said in an interview with The Associated Press. She said the nonprofit aims to raise and spend $100 million over the next three years to support the goal. Points of Light, which is based in Atlanta, was founded by President George H.W. Bush to champion his vision of volunteerism. It has carried on his tradition of giving out a daily award to a volunteer around the country, built a global network of volunteer organizations and cultivated corporate volunteer programs. Speaking Wednesday in New Orleans, Points of Light's board chair Neil Bush told the organization's annual conference that the capacity volunteers add to nonprofits will have a huge impact on communities. 'Our mission is to make volunteering and service easier, more impactful, more sustained," Bush said. "Because, let's be honest, the problems in our communities aren't going to fix themselves.' According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, the rate of participation has plateaued since 2002, with a noticeable dip during the pandemic. Susan M. Chambré, professor emerita at Baruch College who studied volunteering for decades, said Points of Light's goal of doubling the number of volunteers was admirable but unrealistic, given that volunteer rates have not varied significantly over time. But she said more research is needed into what motivates volunteers, which would give insight into how to recruit people. She also said volunteering has become more transactional over time, directed by staff as opposed to organized by volunteers themselves. In making its case for increasing volunteer participation in a recent report, Points of Light drew on research from nonprofits like Independent Sector, the National Alliance for Volunteer Engagement and the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland. Sirangelo said they want to better measure the impact volunteers make, not just the hours they put in, for example. They also see a major role for technology to better connect potential volunteers to opportunities, though they acknowledge that many have tried to do that through apps and online platforms. Reaching young people will also be a major part of accomplishing this increase in volunteer participation. Sirangelo said she's observed that many young people who do want to participate are founding their own nonprofits rather than joining an existing one. 'We're not welcoming them to our institutions, so they have to go found something,' she said. 'That dynamic has to change.' As the board was considering this new goal, they reached out for advice to Alex Edgar, who is now the youth engagement manager at Made By Us. They ultimately invited him to join the board as a full voting member and agreed to bring on a second young person as well. 'I think for volunteering and the incredible work that Points of Light is leading to really have a deeper connection with my generation, it needs to be done in a way that isn't just talking to or at young people, but really co-created across generations,' said Edgar, who is 21. Karmit Bulman, who has researched and supported volunteer engagement for many years, said she was very pleased to see Points of Light make this commitment. 'They are probably the most well known volunteerism organization in the country and I really appreciate their leadership,' said Bulman, who is currently the executive director of East Side Learning Center, a nonprofit in St. Paul. Bulman said there are many people willing to help out in their communities but who are not willing to jump through hoops to volunteer with a nonprofit. 'We also need to recognize that it's a pretty darn stressful time in people's lives right now,' she said. "There's a lot of uncertainty personally and professionally and financially for a lot of people. So we need to be really, really flexible in how we engage volunteers." ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
