On today's Morning Joe, there wasn't much of interest in any of the panel's jabber about next week's presidential debate, until . . . Jonathan Lemire said this:
"Some Democrats have said privately, that if Biden has a very bad night, there'll be real worries about whether he can continue forward with his campaign. "
Whoa!
Democrats and their journalistic helpers usually suppress all their pessimism in public about how Biden or the party is going to perform in November. (They specialize in cheap-fake optimism.) This is why the stakes of this debate seem huge. This debate could be....one and Done.
Translation: Biden launches into 10 seconds of unintelligible gibberish, freezes, stares into the camera, hands hanging limply at his sides, and it's . . .
And now, let's welcome to our Democratic National Convention, the next President of the United States, our candidate [fill in the blank! ]
As a certified member of MSM's Team Biden, when Lemire says Democrats are making this warning "privately," it's a good bet that more than one has voiced the concern directly to him.
This will be the real focus of the debate. Seriously political people will care about the policy issues and zingers, but they will worry that "low-information voters" will focus on less substantive matters (like the fly on Mike Pence's head).
Everyone's first interest will be whether Biden can keep it together for 90 minutes. Lemire mangled the facts a little by suggesting the incumbent president's usually considered to be at a disadvantage because he "did not go through the primary process" and "didn't have to debate opponents in his own party." Lemire and everyone else in the pro-Biden media never even slightly protested Biden facing no primary debates, or having "opponents," since they mostly ignored Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson.
Lemire then said Trump could be at a disadvantge because he "sat out all the Republican debates this time around," so he could be rusty. He said "the Biden team is betting that when Americans hear him again, they will be reminded of the chaos of his four years, but also recognize he's even gotten worse," mentally.
Lemire claimed that Biden passed his yelling State of the Union test with "flying colors." But he was the only speaker. How will he do without a teleprompter, and with Trump flinging barbs his way? Will he snap at questions from CNN that he doesn't like, and insult the questioner? (Like he called Peter Doocy a "stupid SOB." That would be spicy.)
So, no pressure, Joe! Not only will Republicans be hoping for you to fail, there will be lean and hungry looks on the faces of your potential replacements! Et tu, Hillary?
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
6/21/24
6:24 am EDTKATTY KAY: Jonny, what are you going to be watching for?
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Yeah, I think there are a number of things. We should remember, there have been other tests of Joe Biden's vitality, and ability to do the office, State of the Union most notably. And he passed that with flying colors and put those questions to rest, for a time.
I do think, some Democrats have said privately, that if Biden has a very bad night, there'll be real worries about whether he continue forward with his campaign.
But his team feels confident. They think he'll do well. And we should note. Usually in these debates, the incumbent president is at a disadvantage, right? That incumbent president not usually challenged in the Oval Office. Did not go through the primary process so, therefore, didn't have to debate opponents in his own party. And that's true. Biden hasn't done a debate in a long time.
But neither has Trump, because he sat out all the Republican debates this time around. There's a chance he'll be equally as rusty. And the Biden team is betting that when Americans hear him again, they will be reminded of the chaos of his four years, but also recognize he's even gotten worse.
