Just what kind of cynical game are Democrats playing in keeping Joe Biden on their presidential ticket when everyone can see he is slipping? How long can this ruse continue?
The real news is not that Biden is failing. It's the Democrats' fraud in pretending otherwise. They know he is not mentally up to the job and they're trying to ride it out, using the coronavirus as a cover to keep him hidden in the basement and exercising damage control each time he is flushed out.
It's undeniable, as shown by his angrily asking a black interviewer if he is a junkie when the interviewer questioned whether he'd ever taken a cognitive test. Then there was his assertion that Latinos are more diverse in their attitudes than blacks. That alone would have ended any Republican candidate. To quote Joe back to himself, "Come on, man!"
These regrettable remarks are part of Biden's long history of racially tinged comments, such as his quip that you can't go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have an Indian accent or that any African Americans who don't support him aren't black. Anyone paying attention has to know something is seriously wrong.
Ironically, Biden benefits somewhat from his reputation as a gaffer. It allows his protectors to claim that what we're seeing now is just the same old avuncular Joe occasionally mixing up his words or saying ridiculous things he doesn't really mean.
But do you think Biden would have a chance at remaining on the ticket if the liberal media weren't actively concealing his decline? Just imagine if President Donald Trump were displaying such obvious signs of mental confusion. It would be headline news all day every day until he was forced out of his bunker and his mettle could be tested.
Seriously, folks. This is no laughing matter. The coronavirus is no excuse for Biden not to personally campaign and show himself to the people. Any other presidential candidate would be clamoring for face time to present his case to the American people. Actually, any other Democratic presidential candidate wouldn't have to demand media attention, because they would give the candidate wall-to-wall coverage to increase his exposure. But Biden remains in the shadows.
This is rich, considering that the Democrats and the media have been railing about the integrity of “our democracy” for the last four years. Their shameless scheme to shield Biden from the public eye puts the lie to their professed concern for the integrity of our system. The media used to boast of their essential function of informing the electorate, but now they conspire to prevent the public from being informed.
This level of deceit should horrify people. It should also make us wonder what the Democrats and the media establishment know that we don't about their future plans for control of the presidency should Biden win. He simply is not fit for the job and will be progressively less so with each passing day. This is shaping up to be one of the biggest scandals of our time.
What's equally bizarre is that Biden's handlers are hiding him in plain sight. That is, everyone knows they are doing it and few are talking about it — publicly, at least.
By contrast, everyone knows where Trump stands on everything. He's the most transparent public figure in our lifetime. He speaks off the cuff and lets the chips fall. Like him or not, he's front and center — the exact opposite of Biden.
We are led to believe that Trump is exceedingly unpopular and that political conservatism is on the decline. Indeed, the oppressively monolithic leftist message from the media and our culture create the impression that progressivism is the majority view today, so shouldn't Democrats jump at any chance to distinguish their candidate from Trump and their policies from those of the Republicans?
Don't be too sure. Do you really think that most people — even most African Americans — support the lawlessness of Black Lives Matter and Antifa? I don't, because I believe the overwhelming majority of Americans are law-abiding and are probably alarmed, even appalled, at this level of unrest.
The left has gone too far. Americans fear for their safety and their country. And the left owns the Democrats. Democrats know they must not be seen as too closely aligned with this madness we're seeing every day. Otherwise, they will lose any chance of presenting themselves as the sober alternative to a supposedly unstable President Trump.
Democrats must walk a fine line between now and November, showing just enough support for the America-hating anarchists to keep their base onboard without tainting themselves as anti-American cheerleaders.
Presently, COVID-19 is playing into the Democrats' hands by harming Trump's boom economy, reducing Biden's displays of incompetence and taking the spotlight off of Democrats' association with violent mobs. But time is running out on them.
They can run (and Biden is supposedly running), but they can't hide forever, not if Donald Trump and the Republicans demand that Biden emerge from his shelter. So what are they waiting for? They must smoke Biden out and force the public to see the stark differences between him and Donald Trump. Then we'll see how long he stays ahead in the polls.
Enough of this nonsense. It is disgraceful and dangerous. Americans deserve better.
David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book is "Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Why the Democrats Must Not Win." Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.