Joe & Jill: One Litmus Test
"The cat and mouse game of trying to set up little events for the President to amble his way through has become nothing less than embarrassing. It is way past time for him to face the music."
The Biden White House is playing a terribly pathetic game right now — and it’s not fooling anyone. Even in the face of scathing criticism over last week’s shockingly poor debate performance, President Biden, and his closest adviser, Dr. Jill Biden, will not acquiesce to the one litmus test that matters:
Standing in front of the media in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in the White House — and take journalists’ questions for an hour.
This afternoon, for the second day in a row, the White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, was asked if the President would come to the microphone and face the music. For the second day in a row, she would not agree to it, and immediately pivoted into gobbledygook about other planned appearances.
At this point, I believe that it will be very hard for the President to stay in this race. However, as of this writing, six days following the debate, Joe Biden and his campaign have insisted that he is in it through November 5.
Assuming that the President and his advisors are dead set on that path, they should well understand that these limited appearances — rallies, a few one-on-one interviews, scripted press avails — are not going to satisfy anyone. Not the voters, and certainly not the press.
And if you can’t convince the White House press corps, they will hound you over and over until you do what they want and what the American people deserve: Stand up and answer live questions. No teleprompters, no glib cross-talk, no softball questions or lame “malarkey” evasions.
To half the country, Joe Biden is a hero. He is a man who’s given a lifetime of public service in electoral politics, and had the mettle to eliminate a president considered a clear and present danger to tens of millions of Americans.
Whether Biden steps down and solidifies his place in history as that hero in the eyes of many is up to him, the First Lady, and others whom he trusts most. Jill Biden has a great deal of influence in this decision-making process.
But the cat and mouse game of trying to set up little events for the President to amble his way through has become nothing less than embarrassing. It is way past time for him to face the music. If a president of the United States cannot stand in front of reporters to both manage their questions and answer them in real time — then he or she is not equipped to lead the country. Much less run for another term.
The press room podium awaits.
MICHAEL GOLDEN is a recovering political strategist, national award-winning journalist and the bestselling author of Unlock Congress and Write Or Die.
