What You See Is What You Get

I dipped in and out of Biden's press conference yesterday. As of this morning, there are many takes on it, but what struck me in particular was this sequence, in response to a question from (I think) Peter Doocy:

Why are you trying so hard in your first year to pull the country so far to the left?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m not. I don’t know what you consider to be too far to the left if, in fact, we’re talking about making sure that we had the money for COVID, making sure we had the money to put together the Bipartisan Infrastructure, and making sure we were able to provide for those things that, in fact, would significantly reduce the burden on the working-class people but make them — they have to continue to work hard. I don’t know how that is pointed to the left.

If you may recall, I — you guys have been trying to convince me that I am Bernie Sanders. I’m not. I like him, but I’m not Bernie Sanders. I’m not a socialist. I’m a mainstream Democrat, and I have been. And mainstream Democrats have overwhelmingly — if you notice, the 48 of the 50 Republi- — Democrats supported me in the Senate on virtually everything I’ve asked.

This is remarkably disingenuous. He cites primarily the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill. but he omits Build Back Better, which was his 2020 campaign theme, and on which he was at length defeated in the senate. Build Back Better was so important to the House Progressive Caucus that they held the bipartisan bill hostage to it, insisting they be passed together. Speaker Pelosi did all she could to enable this, and Biden certainly appears to have been on board as well. Eventually, neither the Squad nor Speaker Pelosi nor Biden could prevent the two bills being separated and BBB's eventual defeat.

He then says he isn't Bernie Sanders, but in saying that, I think he unintentionally reveals the basic deal that got him the 2020 nomination: although early in the primary contest, it seemed like Sanders would get the nomination, the lizard people decided he couldn't beat Trump, but Biden could. However, at the core of the deal I'm pretty sure was an agreement that in return for the nomination and the support of the party left, Biden would support an essentially Sanders style platform, and that's what he's done over the past year. His real agenda was set by Speaker Pelosi, Sen Sanders, and the Squad.

The analysis I've seen this morning basically mentions nothing new -- the press conference was full of the usual stumbles, misspeaks, gaffes, insults, and outbursts. The conclusion was essentially unanimous, pro or con, Biden will make no course corrections. This isn't reassuring. Bill Clinton, faced with losses in the 1994 midterms, recalibrated and changed course in 1995 and pivoted off the Oklahoma City bombing to become a triangulator. He was able to use charm and flexibility to stay in office, first against Dole in 1996, and then against impeachment in 1998.

Biden clearly has neither charm nor flexibility. I still think he's not impaired or mentally unfit, at least insofar as he is thought to have a medical problem related to dementia. His ability, systematically if unconvincingly, to deny and deflect even the mildest criticisms of his performance yesterday reflects this. He is, though, shallow and obtuse.

Insofar as he has a plan, it sounds like he'll attack the anticipated results of the November midterms by calling them illegitimate. I'm not sure if it was wise for him to telegraph this now, as it gives the Republicans time to plan a counter strategy and work on other issues like Hunter's business deals and whether Joe profited from them, as he certainly must have done.

Biden's basic problem is that the Götterdämmerung strategy, the overall Democrat plan to implement a great reset by 2022 and not worry about the post-midterm consequences, has failed. The main takeaway from yesterday's press conference is that there's no Plan B, while Speaker Pelosi, the main architect of Plan A, is heading toward political limbo. Biden himself, while not senile, doesn't have the capacity to come up with a viable new plan himself.