Column By Mike Bibb
With President Biden’s popularity continuing to track downward and son, Hunter, withdrawing his request for a new trial following his conviction on firearms violations, it appears the two are not having a very joyous end of spring.
The Summer Solstice doesn’t look like it will improve things for the dynamic duo.
Hunter is facing another courtroom clash with the IRS in a couple of months, while Joe and his handlers are desperately trying to figure out how to stymie Trump.
Hunter’s predicament is fairly cut and dry: He allegedly owes the Internal Revenue Service a big chunk of money in unpaid taxes on millions of dollars dating back several years.
Not counting fines and penalties.
He previously avoided a similar prosecution for tax evasion efforts on millions of other dollars but was not indicted or prosecuted because the IRS/DOJ neglected to bring a case in sufficient time to avoid the expiration of the statute of limitations. A mandatory time limit to file and present a lawsuit.
Joe’s dilemma is probably more troubling for several reasons. While there’s concern his mental abilities are declining about as rapidly as his poll numbers, and there are rumors of replacing him if he fumbles the CNN presidential debate on June 27, his biggest problem might be he has no one to pardon him if he’s eventually indicted for a myriad of schemes being revealed by the House of Representatives and information contained within Hunter’s laptop.
First, he would have to be impeached or removed from office by some kind of Constitutional process before being criminally indicted. A Democratically controlled Senate would likely prevent that from happening.
Vice President Kamala Harris would, normally, be the person to step up to the plate and assume presidential responsibilities if Joe can no longer handle the job.
However, she’s as popular as hemorrhoids. Equally discomforting, her skills and knowledge of handling high government affairs are completely beyond her capabilities. An assignment as “Border Czar” was a catastrophe.
Being the current Vice President does not necessarily mean she will automatically be the Democrat’s future VP. If Biden wins, he will no longer require her services, but rather someone more compatible with his and the party’s ambitions.
But, what if Joe loses the election and the protection of his own DOJ?
Needless to say, Democrats have backed themselves into a corner, and info contained within Hunter’s computer promises to add to their worries.
The laptop – in possession of Joe’s FBI since 2019 – was originally connected to a bogus scam engineered by Democrats against Trump and, supposedly, promoting Russian disinformation pushed by U.S. intelligence officials and an assortment of lesser players, whose primary objective was to devise a plot preventing Trump from being reelected in 2020.
Sort of a replay of their 2016 “Steele Dossier” efforts with a Russian influence theme in which Trump was – allegedly – involved.
It didn’t succeed, neither did two impeachments the Dems brought against Trump.
As a result, Democrats have nearly lost their minds. They’ve gone way past Trump Derangement Syndrome into some kind of brain disorder-defying description. Venturing as far as indicting, trying, and convicting Trump on a slew of spurious charges – a political trick never before attempted by a current president against his opponent.
Reminiscent of Third World politics – “If ya can’t beat ’em, toss ’em in jail.”
For the past four years, the laptop was largely ignored, despite attempts by various individuals to make its presence more public.
Then, for some reason not yet known, the DOJ suddenly decided to permit the computer to be used as evidence in Hunter’s recent gun trial, knowing full well such a maneuver could reveal other incriminating evidence in future cases involving the Biden’s.
I’m sure there is some kind of strategy the Democratic National Committee and its minions have factored into this scenario, but the logic of it is elusive. Or appears to be.
With Joe facing serious legal issues of his own, Dems are in urgent need of a backup quarterback to lead them through the next several months if President Joe fails to make it until the November election.
Campaigning as a “convicted felon facing 700 years in jail,” Trump is steadily pulling away from Joe. Republicans, and others, have seen the unjustness of the stunts Democrats are pulling and they don’t like it.
They look into their empty wallets, see prices continuing to rise, and try to make the connection between Joe telling them everything is getting better and actual economic reality.
To Joe’s credit, he probably really doesn’t know what goods and services cost – he’s lived in a Washington bubble nearly his entire life.
Adding to the confusion, Joe’s public appearances haven’t been inspiring. It’s one thing to hobnob and raise money from wealthy liberal Hollywood and media elites – quite another to inspire folks living in the Hood who have been waiting for Dems to lift their lifestyle for over sixty years.
While Joe attempts to placate inner-city Democrats, in between court appearances Trump is actually going into these areas and holding campaign rallies.
Big difference.
What should Dems do, replace or reboot? If all else fails, behind-the-scenes Democratic power brokers could always dust off 76-year-old Hillary Clinton. She’s been patiently waiting in the wings for a final curtain call and one more encore presentation.
Hillary has a ton of political baggage to drag along, but not any more than Joe. As Kamala’s replacement – and an icon of the Left – she’d only be a heartbeat, a brain malfunction, or a 25th Amendment Presidential resignation or Congressional vote away from sitting in the Oval Office.
Finally, after years of anticipation, oppressed peasants could bask in the glowing radiance of Her Majesty. Nirvana would have finally arrived with Queen Hillary permanently sitting atop the throne.
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author.
