“When you’re down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, oh, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest nights”
You may recognize the legendary lyrics of the great James Taylor, but his message from decades ago now strikes close to the heart of what Joe Biden may well require to stop his descent into political quicksand. This president clearly needs a new look, a fresh brand — and an angel, a successful and highly popular public figure ready, willing, and able to step up and vouch for him. It should be someone with the credibility to drive home the message that, while the 46th president may appear long past his prime with dismal poll numbers that suggest he is becoming unelectable, he’s got things completely under control. He needs something, anything other than abortion and Trump derangement on which to hang his hat.
Most of all, since the man ideally suited for the job, Barack Obama, remains silent, Biden needs a friend.
Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
So, of course, the obvious choice would be — wait for it, and don’t look back at the headline — Hillary Clinton! Wow, why didn’t we think of that before? So let’s see. The author of the most ignominious defeat in American political history who herself was beaten by the man whose cult followers must now be deprogrammed, she says, is going to be a primary face of the Biden re-election campaign. She will evidently deliver a ton of her famously inspirational speeches and coach the president on how to do something she famously failed to do despite overwhelming odds in her favor, namely win.
You can’t make this stuff up, even in the most irreverent dreams of conservative political junkies.
Thus, here’s a question: If you asked 100 random Republicans whom they would select to be Biden’s point man, the person they believe would damage Biden the most and cast him in the worst possible light, how many of them would pick Hillary Clinton? You can be certain Biden and Clinton would not want to hear the answer. Perhaps an even more cogent question to the Biden campaign is: Are you serious about this Hillary thing, or are you just trolling us?
A Match Made in Heaven or Hell?
What can we expect from Clinton on the campaign trail? As with doctors, the first imperative in politics is to do no harm. Does Biden believe Hillary campaigning over the next year will not continue to open mouth, insert foot, and remind everyone how awful her campaign was in 2016? That would defy history.
Will she lower her estimate of 50% of Trump supporters who are deplorable and irredeemable to, say, 33% in hopes that Trump voters will say sure, that sounds better, and now we will stop making fun of your ineptitude and corruption?
Maybe casting Hillary aside or refusing her offer to help would be more trouble than it’s worth. Perhaps they will take any port in a storm and accept assistance from anyone at this point. But for Hillary, her latest effort to rebuild a legacy defined by her loss to the man Biden now seeks to beat for a second time likely provides a vicarious experience. Everyone knows she edged Biden out of the nomination in 2016, and that the two are not exactly BFFs. Maybe this is the only way to get Hillary’s far more well-liked husband aboard the Biden train to oblivion.
Of course, one way or another, this is nothing but great for Hillary’s dormant career because the media will cover her again. She conceded to Trump on Election Night 2016 but has since famously retracted her concession — too little, too late — claiming on multiple occasions in multiple ways that Trump’s election was illegitimate. Has it even occurred to the Biden campaign that agreeing to let the election-denying Clinton speak on its behalf as a high-profile surrogate at the same time they accuse Trump and his supporters of election denialism renders one of their most persuasive issues virtually moot?
Hillary and Other Democratic Losers
What is it about Democratic presidential losers that causes them to go off the deep end? Al Gore singlehandedly generated phony environmental hysteria after his loss to George W. Bush, as did John Kerry, who now makes Gore look almost reasonable with his call for coal plants to be permanently banned across the globe. Hillary has been on a denial tour for about seven years, blaming everyone but herself for the loss heard ‘round the world and now effectively equating Trump supporters to those of the Reverend Jim Jones. And with Hillary in a position of high visibility, Biden may soon join the bunch.
Democrats who have spent years trying to forget the nightmare of 2016 appear to understand just how toxic Hillary is, though they are couching their words so as not to say what they really mean between the lines. Clinton is “stepping into a role as one of the most prominent and influential surrogates in Biden’s re-election effort — and her role is only expected to grow in the new year,” according to hard-left MSNBC, which then swiftly lamented:
“[T]his isn’t exactly promising news for Biden’s already-troubling re-election prospects … [Hillary] has a track record of alienating progressives and swing voters in a contest against the very person Biden is likely to face in November — former President Donald Trump … Clinton embodies the Democratic establishment that angers and repels progressives needed to win the election.”
Indeed, given the number of concessions Biden has made to his left flank, it is hard to understand why he would join forces with someone progressives severely dislike.
Maybe the answer is that Hillary just wants Biden to go down to defeat to make herself feel better, so that at least she’s not the only one to get blamed for losing to the dictator wannabe. Unfortunately, this might be the only argument that seems to make sense — except for one other: Allowing one of the most unlikable and disgraced politicians in our lifetime to serve as a prominent face of his presidential campaign actually has to make you stop and wonder if Biden actually wants to lose.
