Thursday morning on the Fox Business Network’s Varney & Co., the Media Research Center’s Founder and President Brent Bozell mocked the liberal media for having received marching orders on the Biden impeachment inquiry from the White House itself as well as their latest act of election interference by only, at best, gingerly wading into the mammoth question of President Joe Biden’s age.
Host Stuart Varney queued up a random act of reasonable analysis from MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who said on Wednesday’s Morning Joe that Democrats largely want to talk about Trump, but whenever the subject turns to Biden, “people say, man, he’s too old to run, isn’t he” and “Democrats off the air will say Joe Biden’s too old” and question why he’s running in 2024.
Citing additional examples of The Washington Post’s David Ignatius and The New York Times’s Ross Douthat, he asked Bozell something he’s often asked: “[I]s the media beginning to turn — just a little — against Joe Biden because they know he can’t win?”
Bozell replied by first commenting on Scarborough’s truth serum stupor: “First of all, it’s been many, many years since I’ve been able to say Joe Scarborough was right and he’s — he’s — he’s absolutely right about this one.”
The MRC President continued, citing the recent CNN poll saying nearly three-quarters of Americans think Biden is too old to be President and is backed up by what we see with our own eyes:
The — CNN, to its credit, took a poll and found that 73 percent of Americans believe that Joe — that Joe Biden is too old. The — the evidence is there for anyone to see. Of course, everyone is talking about it. Any speech he gives, he stumbles, he fumbles, he falls asleep, he speaks incoherently, he lies about nothing in particular, he turns, he doesn’t know where he’s going. It’s pretty pathetic and everybody knows, it’s going to get nothing but worse every day from here on out. So, yeah, they’re talking about it, but Joe Scarborough is absolutely right.
After Bozell argued it hasn’t been a focus of the liberal media (when it should), the rest of the country’s “conversing about this on social media” with clips of Biden telling the tale.
“Now, it’s entering into conversations. Mitt Romney says he’s retiring. He says both the candidates are too hold and they bring it up at that point. But they still have yet to say a story that OMG, the leader of the free world, the man with his thumb on the pulse — on the nuclear trigger is — has dementia,” he exclaimed.
Varney pivoted with the time remaining to the memo, leading Bozell to give viewers a history lesson, noting this is “the old playbook for the Democratic Party”:
Bill Clinton did it, Hillary Clinton did it, Barack Obama did it, anytime there was any suggestion that the media might get negative, they jumped all over the media, they castigated them, and the media would back off. But this is a new one. They’re not castigating the media. They’re instructing the media. This is a memo as it — to your staff, you should do this, you need to do the other. So, when people say that the media are nothing but an arm of the Democratic Party, there you go. Here it is. A memo to the media telling them what to do.
“Yeah. Priceless, isn’t it, Brent? Priceless,” a chuckling Varney said.
To see the relevant transcript from September 14, click “expand.”
FBN’s Varney & Co.
September 13, 2023
11:51 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Scarborough: Dems Privately Say Biden Is Too Old]
STUART VARNEY: MSNBC host Joe Scarborough says Democrats privately think Biden is too old to run in ‘24. Roll tape.
JOE SCARBOROUGH [on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, 09/13/23]: Everybody we talk to, every political discussion all it — it talks a lot about Trump, but when it comes to Joe Biden people say, man, he’s too old to run, isn’t he? I mean, he’s not going to — he’s not really going to run? [SCREEN WIPE] Democrats off the air will say Joe Biden’s too old. Why is he running? On the air, they won’t say that.
VARNEY: That’s true. Scarborough’s not alone by the way. David Ignatius in The Washington Post, Ross Douthat in The New York Times both say Biden’s too old to run again. Brent Bozell studies these things and he joins me now. Question, Brent, is the media beginning to turn — just a little — against Joe Biden because they know he can’t win?
BRENT BOZELL: First of all, it’s been many, many years since I’ve been able to say Joe Scarborough was right and he’s — he’s — he’s absolutely right about this one. The — CNN, to its credit, took a poll and found that 73 percent of Americans believe that Joe — that Joe Biden is too old. The — the evidence is there for anyone to see. Of course, everyone is talking about it. Any speech he gives, he stumbles, he fumbles, he falls asleep, he speaks incoherently, he lies about nothing in particular, he turns, he doesn’t know where he’s going. It’s pretty pathetic and everybody knows, it’s going to get nothing but worse every day from here on out. So, yeah, they’re talking about it, but Joe Scarborough is absolutely right. Do you know that there hasn’t been a single network news story about this yet. [sic]
VARNEY: Yeah, I saw that. I saw that. But maybe —
BOZELL: Not one. [sic]
VARNEY: — soon they will because it’s becoming more and more and more obvious.
BOZELL: And — and this is what’s happening, this is what’s happening, everyone’s conversing about this on social media.
VARNEY: Yeah.
BOZELL: If you watch a network news story about Joe Biden doing something else, you see with your own eyes, so it’s inescapable at this point. Now, it’s entering into conversations. Mitt Romney says he’s retiring. He says both the candidates are too hold and they bring it up at that point. But they still have yet to say a story that OMG, the leader of the free world, the man with his thumb on the pulse — on the nuclear trigger is — has dementia.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: WH to Media: Scrutinize GOP Impeachment Inquiry]
VARNEY: Yeah. Did you see this, I’m sure you did. The White House sent a letter to media organizations demanding scrutiny of Republicans for the impeachment inquiry. You know, Brent, that is truly rich, isn’t it?
BOZELL: It’s — it’s — it’s a new one. It’s a new one. Look, the old playbook for the Democratic Party, Bill Clinton did it, Hillary Clinton did it, Barack Obama did it, anytime there was any suggestion that the media might get negative, they jumped all over the media, they castigated them, and the media would back off. But this is a new one. They’re not castigating the media. They’re instructing the media. This is a memo as it — to your staff, you should do this, you need to do the other. So, when people say that the media are nothing but an arm of the Democratic Party, there you go. Here it is. A memo to the media telling them what to do.
VARNEY: Yeah. Priceless, isn’t it, Brent? Priceless. Hope you can come back soon, Brent. It’s always good to see you. Thanks a lot, man. Thank you.
BOZELL: Thank you, Stuart.
