Jill Biden with husband. She is playing a central role in propping him up.

Who knows? Maybe Team Biden can actually pull it off. After all, Trump is really a very vulnerable candidate. But the developing conflict between the mainstream media and the Democrats is significant. The latter are claiming that all the questioning of Biden’s age related problems is just them – the media – stirring the pot, that Biden had “one bad night” and nothing more. To review:

Biden and the Democrats
Democrats all up and down the line were in anguish immediately after the Biden disaster in the debate. Biden and a close circle of advisors around him – apparently first and foremost Biden’s wife Jill – were determined to press ahead. Nevertheless, with Biden’s clear mental decline, the Democrats started to panic. Ten of them called on him to withdraw, but the entire leadership stood firm.

One Democratic senator, Mark Warner of Virginia, was reportedly  trying to organize other senators to ask Biden to withdraw. Then, within a few days, Warner backed off. The “progressive” wing of the Democrats

“the squad” members Ilhan Omar, Alexandra Ocasio Cortez and Iana Pressley. They all fell in line.

never wavered from staying in the Biden camp. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez said “He made clear then, and he has made clear since, that he is in this race. The matter is closed.” Ilhan Omar said, “he’s been the best president of my lifetime, so we have his back.” Iana Pressley: “Biden is the nominee.” Rashida Tlaib, who is under tremendous pressure from her large Muslim constituency, has been silent. Bernie Sanders said that Biden can beat Trump.

They all succumbed to a full court press from the leadership. CNN’s Abby Phillips interviewed Steven Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. They had exchanges like the following:
Phillips: “Do you think that President Biden should take a neurological exam, if only to address these concerns, not just of members on Capitol Hill or donors, but concerns that actual voters have?”
Horsford: “I’ve not actually heard that concern from voters. What I’ve heard is their concern about the affordability of housing and the fact that landlords are…”

Phillips cut in to cite the polls: 70% of voters and 50% of Democratic voters think Biden is not fit for office, to which Horsford responded: “What I find interesting is the issue is more around ageism and ableism. And not what this president, President Biden, has done. His age didn’t keep him from lifting 50% of children out of poverty. His age did not prevent him from passing a bipartisan infrastructure law…” Blah, blah, blah. He simply refused to deal with the fact that the majority of voters perceive Biden as being out of it mentally.

They are also tending to blame the press for voters’ concerns. This is the same strategy that Nixon used when he tried to avoid being forced from office. The real state of affairs, however, was revealed in a Wall St. Journal article. They described how the Biden White House has functioned for at least the last year:
“Senior White House advisers for more than a year have aggressively stage-managed President Biden’s schedule, movements and personal interactions, as they sought to minimize signs of how age has taken a toll on the oldest president in U.S. history.

“The White House has limited Biden’s daily itinerary and shielded him from impromptu exchanges. Advisers have restricted news conferences and media appearances, twice declining Super Bowl halftime interviews—an easy way to reach millions of voters—and sought to make sure meetings with donors stuck to scripted pleasantries. 

“Senior aides dismissed travel suggestions over worries the president didn’t have the stamina for them, including an idea for Biden to make weekly cross-country trips in 2022 to tout the benefits of his infrastructure law. 

“All of this unfolded as Biden’s slips became increasingly obvious, and his top advisers were assuring everyone the president was fine. 

“When the 81-year-old president took the stage at last month’s debate, his abysmal performance in the 90-minute event stunned members of his party, including some White House staffers who rarely spend one-on-one time with Biden….

“Biden’s team feels Washington is out to get him, and this us-versus-them worldview has led to what some Democrats describe as a bunker mentality, blinding the president and his aides to Biden’s political liabilities….

Biden with part of closed circle Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal. Can they prop him up for the next 4 months?

“Biden allies outside the White House also pointed to lesser-known aides who have served as gatekeepers for the president, including Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal, close confidants of Biden and first lady Jill Biden, respectively. The White House didn’t make Tomasini, Bernal, Dunn, Ricchetti or Donilon available for comment….”

In other words, a small group of aides have been propping up a president who is in mental decline. They, and in fact the entire Democratic Party, are simply concerned for their own careers. They have rightly denounced the Republicans for falling in line behind a would-be dictator in order to advance their own careers, but how are the Democrats any different in this dynamic?

Democrats argue that Biden was the popular choice among Democratic voters and, anyway, it is too late to pick an alternative, but they have only themselves to blame. On July 8, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” interviewed the President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Affairs, Richard Haass. Haass explained: “The idea that somehow the people have spoken? Let’s be real about the (Biden] campaign: There was tremendous pressure from the White House pressuring other Democrats not to get into the race…”

So now Biden is forced to step up his activities. He’s going around the country giving rip-roaring speeches… reading from a teleprompter. He is capitalizing on Trump’s unpopularity among the majority of voters. Meanwhile, Trump is trying to hide what he really stands for. He is denying his connection with the most detailed version of his dictatorial plans – Project 2025. He is denying the fact that his party will try to outlaw abortion entirely. He hasn’t repeated his call to round up “millions” of undocumented immigrants. But ultimately, if Biden can keep up the pace, it may be difficult for Trump to hide it all.

And that is the question: Whether Biden can keep up the pace for four months. And how will Biden fare in the next debate with Trump, scheduled for Sept. 10. Another disaster like the previous one will sink the Biden ship and may carry the Democrats down with him. Also, some sort of health crisis, or some serious new slip up or a series of slip-ups is entirely possible. Then the Democrats might be forced to choose a replacement. The longer they wait, the more Kamala Harris would be the only alternative. But imagine the scenario: Biden collapses or has a complete melt-down a month from now and has to withdraw. At that point, Harris is the only alternative. Trump & Co. would set up a clamor, denouncing the Democrats for covering up for this shell of a man for months. And who would be pictured as the ringleader of this coverup? Kamala Harris!

It’s not ruled out that Biden and Co. can pull it off, but they are playing with fire.

Jill Biden with husband. She is playing a central role in propping him up.