A few days ago, #whereisjoe started trending on Twitter after the presumptive Democratic nominee had gone unseen for some time in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. But after Joe Biden’s public address on Monday, his supporters might want him to go back into hiding.
“Biden seeks to offer a possible presidency preview.” That’s how ABC News promoted the former vice president’s speech, which streamed live from his home in Delaware. By that measure, Biden’s 15-minute talk about the coronavirus was an unmitigated disaster.
Biden’s delivery was leaden. He seemed tired. He slurred his words.
Worse, he repeatedly stumbled in his remarks, despite reading them from a teleprompter.
At one point, Biden said this: “And uh, in addition to that, in addition to that, we have to make sure that we, uh, are in a position, that we are, we. Let me go to the second thing.”
At another, he said: “And we need to build an arsenal of democracy and, as we did in 1940, we can take, we we we we make personal productive equipment. Look, here’s the deal, we have to do what we did in the ‘40s and ‘20s in the 2020s, and we can do that.”
One comment on YouTube aptly summed up what must have been the reaction of many Democrats.
yo…..he’s looking HELLA tired. and is that a green screen? and teleprompter?? we waited a week for can-do teleprompter speak? We’re so screwed.
The contents of Biden’s remarks weren’t any better than his delivery.
He started by calling for unity and inviting President Donald Trump to refrain from attacking his political opponents, saying the president’s daily briefings “are not a place for political attacks.” Then Biden proceeded to preview a lengthy political attack on Trump that he plans to use in the presidential campaign, accusing his likely opponent of worsening the crisis with a slow response.
Biden has been caught repeatedly lying about the administration’s response. He falsely claimed that Trump cut the budgets at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Health. He lied when he said the World Health Organization “offered the testing kits that they have available” but “we refused them.” He used a doctored clip to make the deceptive claim that Trump had called the outbreak a hoax.
So much for his promise to deliver the “unvarnished truth.”
Biden later claimed he knew way back in late January how terrible the coronavirus outbreak was going to be, but he didn’t put out his own response plan until March 12 and many of the items on his list were already being undertaken by the Trump administration.
In his remarks, Biden repeatedly stressed the importance of urgency, not only in the public health response but in protecting people from the economic fallout. “We need to move,” he said, “and we need to move fast.”
Yet his own party is filibustering a massive economic stimulus package because liberals want things such as fuel economy mandates for airlines, tax deductions for solar and wind energy companies, pro-union workplace rules, and other goodies unrelated to the crisis.
How’s that for leadership?
Biden also spent a large chunk of his remarks defending Obamacare. Really? This is how he’s showing leadership? By complaining that a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the law is still making its way through the courts?
Biden then concluded with an attempt at lofty rhetoric that fell horribly flat.
“Deep in the heart of every American I think there burns a flame,” he said. “It’s an inheritance from every generation of Americans that has come before us. That’s why we have overcome every crisis we’ve ever faced before. You know, it’s what makes this nation so special, why we stand apart. That flame is not going to be extinguished in this moment.”
What that flame represents, Biden never said. If there is such a flame, we doubt it burns for expanding Obamacare and giveaways to wind farms.
Biden says he wants a more public profile during this crisis. After seeing his first attempt, we wonder if anyone else does.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
Using these vague “policy violations,” Google is now threatening to demonetize us. It’s part of Big Tech’s effort to silence conservative voices.
Let’s put it this way – I don’t think Mark Levin has anything to worry about!
Yes, Biden was so convinced in January that disaster was coming, he denounced Trump’s travel restriction as xenophobic and hysterical. It is hard to know if he is just lying or he really cannot remember reality. So much of what Biden thinks he remembers is wrong that when he writes his memoirs, they should be in the fiction section.
He will probably just plagiarize again. Joe is not big on original thought
“I’m Joe Biden. Please tell me who I am. Thank You in advance”
Like Hillary’s Re-writing History?!
https://youtu.be/L4VH2JjWDnk
The show continues… “Not enough popcorn in the world”
Biden’s dementia must be more contagious than the COVID 19. His entire staff seems to have caught it.
this is his third attempt…poor ole joe
this is his third attempt…
Trump will mop the floor with Biden in a debate.
America – leftists … is Biden the best you can do. Seriously? You deserve no power, and you should be forced to stand in the corner until you say you are sorry.
We know Biden’s campaign will never again do a live stream. This was an unforced error and makes for a wonderful future Trump campaign ad. Those opposed to Biden laugh and those who support him are saddened to see their man has aged past the point of competency. All should be amazed that his family is allowing this candidacy to go forward.
In the interview I saw, he admitted that he did not take the virus test because he did not show the symptoms. He then proceeded to cough several times, using his hand to cover his mouth. When the interviewee told him that he should cough in his elbow, he sheepishly smiled and said he did not need to because he was at home. I hope the Democrats will seriously try to broker another candidate.
I hope he is the nominee, really, really hope. He represents the party very well, clean and well spoken…
Joe is suffering from dementia.
He will steadily get worse.
I have a feeling the Democrats will use that to get a brokered convention.
IF they don’t I cannot envision Biden beating Trump in the key states needed to win 270.
I’m Joe Biden and I forgot this message.
“Gropin” Joe Biden appears to be the only Presidential Candidate that could hide his own Easter eggs.
Is there a video link?
Joe reminds many Baby Boomers of “Aunt Clara” from the 60’s sitcom, Bewitched….
I can’t imagine that you hear much criticism for the journalism you do, based on the comments below. But how is this any better than the Huffington Post? You part and parcel words to fit your narrative and refuse to acknowledge the glaring contradiction in the main point of your article. Is Biden having a hard time articulating thoughts for 15 minutes straight? Obviously. Has President Trump done the same thing for the last 3 years? Yes. At least Biden kept it to 15 minutes instead of 2 hours. This thing where criticism of our President is avoided like, excuse my language, the plague is, in itself, a scourge on this nation. The events you alude to here, while not factually incorrect, are entirely misleading to your readers. Trump may not have refused the test kits, but he knew they existed and decided to go with our own. I’m assuming out of his own nationalist desire to keep things made in the US. Which would be fine and ideal…if the tests we had worked. And once they worked, we had all the reagents to make them work. And once we had all the reagents to make them work, they didn’t take 5 days to get results from as opposed to 24-48 hours for the WHO tests. That’s 3 extra days of people walking around without knowing if they’re infected. As for the “hoax” statement. I listened to his whole speech. He did not call the virus a hoax as some people have claimed. But he said people who were bringing attention were using it as a hoax. He also called it a Democratic hoax, when the truth is people of all stripes were trying to get him to take it more seriously, including Tucker Carlson. He then made the speech about the virus, comparing it to the flu and bragging about how few infections there were. That was 50,000 infections ago and we’re still going. So the point is, he does everyone, including you and all of your readers, when he distorts reality like this. Based on this and a couple other articles, you obviously have no interest in being taken seriously as a real journalistic publication. You’re a part of the problem with the divide in this country and it’s a shame. Money isn’t going to mean a whole lot when we collectively crash our country into the ground. Blame it on whomever you want. Nobody is more divisive than this President. To any one person that may happen to read this comment…we’re better than this. Read the other comments below and see what thoughts and feelings this “journalism” encourages. Plus these ads are stupid ridiculous.
Well to be honest I do not listen to Trump anymore than any other President, and he is no more divisive than Obama, Clinton, Bush etc. I have to see any message of unity from the Democrats, I did see the results of President Trumps economics, until the virus hit.
I would like to see an example of “better'” because I have yet to see it from any Democrat.
Never ever forget that Good Old Joe lied about his first wife’s fatal car accident and blamed it horribly and falsely on the truck-driver when it was she who drove into his lane and hit him head-on. He claimed the truck-driver was drunk and kept it up and caused that man much pain through his life and it was totally and completely false, made up by Joe. The State Police did not suspect him of being intoxicated, he was trying to help when they arrived and they never tested or charged. Joe also claimed that he was magnanimous in not pursuing the issue or suing. There was no issue, the guy was not at all at fault. So why did Joe make this up and then twist to look like the good guy? He was a senator, she was the wife of a senator, the truck driver was a nobody and if he had been the least suspicious the cops would’ve been all over him; and yet Joe lied over and over and ruined that man’s reputation and life. Why?