In my opinion, currently, there is another media conspiracy underway, the protection and nurturing of Joe Biden. The media has encased him in a protective bubble in order to hide his flaws, primarily his declining mental acuity and his penchant for inappropriate behavior toward women, from the public. It has been more subtle than the various ongoing overt and covert criticisms of President Trump over the last 3 1/2 years, but it is just as insidious. Furthermore, to date, I believe it has been quite effective. Why else would Joe Biden, with all his baggage, be leading in the 2020 presidential election polls?

For example:

1. Biden has rarely given interviews, and the ones he has given have been highly controlled. No open Q & A’s with reporters for him, even with social distancing. Regardless, many of the interviews he has given have been somewhat problematic. I recall one he gave from his home office, where he failed to shelter his cough. When the interviewer reminded him that mitigation guidelines required him to do so, he replied it was all right as he was in a room by himself. Apparently, he had just forgotten to shelter his cough, and he had forgotten that there was a cameraman present and possibly others as well. In various other interviews he has stumbled over his words. This seems to be more the rule than the exception.

2. The mainstream media has tried to ignore or sugarcoat his many faux pas, or what I have characterized (with apologizes to NY Knicks’ announcer, Walt Frazier) as his “fumbling, bumbling and stumbling. In a recent blog I compared the situation to the children’s fable, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

3. The mainstream media has been largely ignoring Biden’s and his son’s relationship with both Ukraine and China. Many people believe them to be prime examples of corruption and bribery and worthy of further investigation.

4. Perhaps, most obvious and egregious has been the media’s treatment of the Tara Reade sexual harassment accusation, particularly when contrasted with its coverage of the Christine Ford accusations against Brett Kavanaugh. In my view, Reade’s account is far more credible. She has been able to recall specific details about the time, place and nature of Biden’s attack; she promptly told friends and family who have said they believe her; and she filed a complaint with the Senate promptly. On the other hand, Ford has been hazy, to say the least, as to the time, place and nature of the attack; she didn’t tell anyone in the immediate aftermath; and several of her friends whom she said were present either don’t recall the incident or don’t support her account of it. Yet, the various female politicians and women’s groups who jumped to support Ford have been strangely silent about Reade’s claims. Where is the outrage from “Me Too,” “Planned Parenthood,” the Women’s ACLU,” and others? Where is Hawaii Congresswoman, Mazie Horono, who, in support of Ford, inanely opined that “men need to shut up and step up,” and “Women need to be believed” in any “he said-she said” situation. All that said, most of the media found Ford’s accusations credible, but has largely ignored Reade’s. Why? In my opinion, politics. Ford was accusing a Republican; Reade is accusing a Dem.

Biden’s next big challenge will be to pick the right VP running mate. Historically, the vp choice has been largely insignificant. Conventional wisdom has always held that people vote based on the presidential candidate, not the vp. That was even true in 1944 when due to ill health it was likely that FDR would not be able to complete the upcoming term. Harry Truman was basically an experienced, relatively unknown candidate, but FDR still won easily.

This year, however, I have a feeling that the vp choice will have a significant impact on the election. There is a very real chance that the vp could accede to the presidency. Already, it has been speculated that, if elected, at some point Biden would step aside in favor of his vp during his first term.

Biden has announced publicly his intention of choosing a woman as his running mate, which is fine. Who will it be? Kamala Harris? Elizabeth Warren? Gretchen Whitmer? Amy Klobuchar? Someone else? Whoever it is, however, should be someone who is qualified, not just a sop to satisfy the pc crowd. According to a recent poll by Politico, about 2/3/ of all voters and 4/5 of Dem voters felt it was more important to pick an experienced candidate, rather than just a female or a person of color. Yes, Biden’s choice of running mate will likely have a significant impact on the election.

Of the above group, based on what I have seen during the campaign among the female possibilities I prefer Klobuchar. I don’t think the others are suitable for various reasons. Harris and Warren have a lot of baggage, which I have outlined in previous blogs, and time and space do not permit me to repeat here. I think Whitmer has damaged her chances by her recent executive overreach wherein she has been enforcing arbitrary, heavy handed rules regarding dealing with the CV. Many people believe she has exceeded her authority under the Constitution and “trampled” on the Bill of Rights. There have been demonstrations and at least one civil lawsuit is pending. We will let the courts sort it all out, but in any event the optics have been really bad for her.

CONCLUSION

In my opinion, Biden’s handlers have done a masterful job in protecting him from himself. But, eventually, he will have to come out and play. At some point, the CV will have been removed as a threat and communication lines will open up. He will no longer have an excuse to avoid the public. He will have to commence active campaigning. He will have to face reporters in an uncontrolled setting. He will have to speak at the Dem convention. He will have to debate President Trump. At that point, his flaws will be on open display for all to see. He will no longer be able to hide. Then we will see if the emperor truly has any clothes.