Sabotage or Senility?

Is Joe trying to tank Kamala’s campaign, or does he think he’s helping?

Joe Biden made an unannounced appearance at the White House daily press briefing yesterday, where he once again assured reporters that there is no daylight between the actions of his administration and Vice President Kamala Harris.

When asked what role Kamala played in dealing with the multiple crises that have hit over the past week, old Joe said:

Well, she’s — I’m in constant contact with her. She’s aware of where — we all — we’re singing from the same song sheet. We — she helped pass the l- — all the laws that are being employed now. She was a major player in everything we’ve done, including passage of legislation, which we were told we could never pass. And so, she’s been — and her — her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we’re doing. [bold emphasis Dianny’s]

“I’m Donald Trump, and I approve this message.”

Most people on Twitter suggested that Joe Biden was attempting to sabotage Kamala’s chances out of revenge for getting forced out of the race by wrapping his administration’s failures around her neck like a millstone.

I understand why they think that. Joe Biden is and has always been an asshole. Getting payback over being unceremoniously ejected from the 2024 race is entirely plausible from someone as vindictive and mean-spirited as Joe.

At the same time, I’m not sure that’s what he’s trying to do here.

I think Joe believes he’s helping Kamala.

The senile old man is convinced his presidency has been a roaring success. He truly believes that he saved the country from economic ruin and reasserted America’s standing on the world stage.

When Nancy Pelosi or some other Democrat describes Joe as the “most consequential president” in a generation, Joe believes they mean it.

Joe Biden is convinced of his greatness. He cannot conceive of a scenario in which Kamala would want to distance herself from the last four years. Why would she? Joe Biden is the most consequential president in a generation.

If anything, Joe probably thinks wrapping his legacy around Kamala like a Mexican serape will ensure her victory in November.

That isn’t to say that Joe harbors no resentment over being forced out of the race. I’m sure he does. Joe is a deeply vain man. Dropping out would bruise the ego of even the humblest among us. For Joe Biden, it must have cut deep.

But Joe’s mind is gone. Dementia has robbed Joe Biden of his ability to plot and scheme on such a grand scale.

For heaven’s sake. Just hours after visiting hurricane-ravaged North Carolina, Joe didn’t know what storm zone the reporter was asking him about. This is not someone who could secretly plot to bring down his vice president’s campaign by undermining her efforts to distance herself from his failures, especially since he doesn’t believe he is a failure.

No. Joe thinks he’s helping Kamala.

Joe believes the American people love him. He remains convinced that he could have easily defeated Donald Trump if the Democrats hadn’t forced him out of the race.

Before telling reporters that he and Kamala have been singing from the same song sheet, Biden spent several minutes of the press briefing boasting about everything he supposedly did to save the country.

This isn’t a man who views himself as a failure. In Joe Biden’s mind, the past four years have been the best years of our lives, and Kamala would be a fool not to ride on his coattails.

So, no. This isn’t a deliberate attempt to scuttle Kamala’s chances. Joe genuinely believes he is helping her win.

The question is, will Team Kamala see it that way?

On a side note:

It’s good to be back. The Lupus flare that had me in a death grip for weeks has finally eased off, thank God. I never thought I would be grateful for my sallow complexion. But after several weeks with jaundice, I’ve decided fish-belly white is preferable to Simpsons yellow.

I still have a way to go before I am my usual slightly sickly self, but I’m getting there.