Column By Mike Bibb
“I think it’s – you could argue that we should have known a year ago, six months ago, two months, a month ago. I wish I had thought about ordering 500 million at-home tests two months ago.”
President Joe Biden, Vanity Fair, Dec. 24, 2021
There’s a current insurance TV ad mocking those who “coulda, shoulda, woulda” have already purchased insurance when promoting their $9.95 a-month product to hesitant customers. President Joe Biden seems to suffer the same procrastination problem when dealing with COVID.
He admits to it, just as the commercial’s actors do.
For a guy who said he was “going to shut down the virus” over a year ago, his hesitancy in implementing certain recommended procedures seems to conflict with his own public broadcasts.
Actually, he’s recently made the startling pronouncement, “There’s no federal solution” to the COVID problem, completely contradicting his campaign pledge.
At issue was a proposed COVID home testing program in which several hundred million test kits per month would be distributed prior to the Christmas Holidays to help relieve overburdened testing sites and – ostensibly – avoid spreading the disease when traveling and at large gatherings, including family get-togethers.
The people could test at home rather than commuting to a public location and then wait for the results. Since many airlines and bus companies require a negative COVID test report to be presented prior to travel, the idea was to shift some of the testings to an individual’s home, permitting a person to self-test shortly before departure or enjoying a turkey dinner with relatives and friends.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are normally the busiest travel times of the year.
A reasonable plan, but for whatever reasons Joe refused the suggestion in October. Now, he’s singing a different tune.
Realizing he messed up, Joe unexpectedly announced his administration would be providing 500 million at-home test kits, “to anyone who wants them.” All they have to do is go online and order one – when they become available.
Manufacturers of the test kits were caught off guard. Joe’s prior decision indicating he wasn’t interested in October, then abruptly changing his mind in late December, created a production and supply problem. Kit makers advised, “We did not have (the) capacity to manufacture over-the-counter tests at that scale” on such short notice.
The test kits were originally discussed in the spring, prior to Biden declining them in October, as he alluded in his remarks. Obviously, he should have been aware of their existence in October, November, and early December.
This is just the latest example of Joe’s continuing bewilderment. His entire first year in office has produced an unprecedented series of blunders and bloopers not previously seen in an American presidency. There isn’t a month that goes by when something of notable importance is not mishandled, ignored, or stuccoed over by a White House press team that acts equally incompetent.
It’s beginning to appear Joe is the last person in Washington to get the memo on just about any issue. He doesn’t seem to comprehend current events or understand the significance of various matters affecting our country. His advisers and handlers probably filter what they believe he needs to know, which may account for his often-perplexed facial expressions.
As an example, during a Christmas phone call, he was personally exposed to the “Let’s go, Brandon!” chant, to which Joe eagerly replied “Let’s go, Brandon. I agree.” The caller was an individual in Oregon participating in the annual NORAD Santa Clause tracking spoof.
I don’t know if he made the connection between himself and the anti-Biden phrase, or if anyone’s had the courage to tell him what it really means in popular culture. Maybe, some things are best left unsaid.
The frequency of Joe’s errors is becoming so common even the liberal mainstream media can no longer provide camouflage. As news organizations, they are actually beginning to ask questions of the Biden Administration they were previously hesitant to investigate.
Apparently, the honeymoon is winding down. Even with their pro-Joe influence, could it be some supersmart news directors are finally realizing decreasing numbers of viewers and readers are swallowing the malarky oozing from the White House?
Or, they suddenly decided to glance at Joe’s tanking poll numbers and took the corporate gamble to report not only his follies but at least some of the facts.
Perhaps the most obvious is while Joe has been a professional politician for nearly two-thirds of his life, his failure to grasp the knowledge and management skills necessary to successfully lead our nation has evaded him.
Or, he’s intentionally ignored them.
Regrettably, ordinary political operatives are a dime a dozen. They’re everywhere, in all shapes, sizes, sexes, and mental abilities. Having a patriotic statesman/woman with good judgment, learning, patience, resolve, and wisdom as a nation’s leader is a rare occurrence.
The opinions expressed in this editorial are that of the author.
