IT’S OVER: ONLY THE WHEN AND HOW TO BE DETERMINED

 Well, Biden says he’s not going anywhere. He’s reached the “I am not a crook” and “Let others wallow in Watergate” stage of this saga:

Some observations:

• It takes longer for the usual media/political-class-axis playbook to work on a president, but it will happen. Nate Silver beat me to it:

• Speaking of the 25th Amendment, the media and the left never shut up about the 25th when Trump was in office, but there’s a complete silence about it right now. One reason: aside from Vice President Harris conflicted by her Gollum-like desire for the Oval Office, at least two other cabinet members (Buttigieg & Raimundo) think they are contenders, which is also awkward.

• Nixon was ultimately undone by his tapes. So—when are the Hur tapes going to be leaked? I’m sure they are under secure lock and key at the Justice Department, but if they leak you’ll know Democrat Party insiders are serious about pushing Joe out.

• Initially I had theorized that the media had turned on Biden because he embarrassed them. One bit of evidence is this from CNN’s Jill Filipovic:

But I think the real reason is worse than gullibility and deception. The media is totally in the tank for Democrats, which is why they were so easily manipulated by the White House. They realized on debate night that Biden is going to take down the Democratic Party and usher Trump back into office, and so they turned on a dime to prevent this. And my witness is—Jill Filipovic:

There you have it—a direct acknowledgment of partisan motivation. The media hate to look like fools, but they really hate being made to look like losers, too.

• Here’s one obvious way the media is turning up the screws. From the Wall Street Journal’s news pages:

Jill Biden’s Dilemma: Is Pressing Ahead Still the Loving Thing to Do?

The monumental question before Jill Biden is: What is the loving thing to do when the president’s decline is unfolding in front of America and he is up against the toughest opponent he has ever faced—time? . . .

Not in question is the unfortunate timing of Jill Biden’s appearance this week on the cover of Vogue, showing her dressed glamorously in a white Ralph Lauren dress. The August cover, headlined “We Will Decide Our Future,” irked lawmakers and donors already worried that the Bidens’ insular decision-making risks putting the presidency back in Trump’s hands. . .

This isn’t a news story. It is what is known in the trade as a “thumb-sucker.” And they usually have an agenda. The agenda here is transparent.

• Anyone think Axelrod wrote this before checking with Obama?

Biden’s eventual departure from the ticket rates an 11 on John McLaughlin’s old ten-point scale of metaphysical certitude.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/07/its-over-only-the-when-and-how-to-be-determined.php