We’ve all seen them. Video clips that seemingly crop up daily. President Biden, stumbling over his words, caught in another story that rings untrue, or even physically struggling to get around.
Watching it unfold is no doubt entertaining. Point and laugh as the leader of the free world embarrasses the nation on the world stage.
Focusing on the incompetence, however, and assuming it is a good election strategy, could be a big mistake.
No matter how many times Republicans point out his declining cognitive abilities, none of it will derail the President in 2024. One could argue that the image of good ol’ Uncle Joe as a doddering but well-meaning old man has been a benefit to his 51+ year career in politics.
It has allowed him to escape a rich history of racially charged comments for decades. It has allowed him to escape actions toward, and allegations by, women that would have canceled the average man.
Hell, it even recently allowed him (practically verbatim) to escape prosecution for the mishandling of classified documents. Special Counsel Robert Hur allowed Biden to skate on his actions because Biden, in his estimation, is a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
But in many facets of the game, President Biden, or the handlers who craft his message, knows exactly what he’s doing.
He lies. He lies with impunity. And he lies with frequency.