A MOMENT SQUANDERED
A Fire Unquenched
In less than 24 hours following the attempted assassination of President Trump, Joe Biden’s call to “lower the temperature” was replaced with his denial of his statement to a group of donors and bundlers who were participating in a phone meeting of his National Finance Committee just three days before that attempt:
“I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump. I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”
When confronted by Lester Holt about that statement this is what Joe Biden had to offer:
LESTER HOLT: Well, let’s talk about the conversation this has started. And it’s really about language, what we say out loud and the consequences of those. You called your opponent an existential threat. On a call a week ago you said, “It’s time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye.” There’s some dispute about the — the context, but I think you appreciate that words matter —
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I didn’t say cross-hairs. I was talking about focus on. Look, the truth of the matter was what I guess I was talking about at the time was there was very little focus on Trump’s — agenda.
LESTER HOLT: Yeah, the term was “bull’s-eye.”
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: It was — it was a mistake to use the word. I didn’t mean — I didn’t say “cross-hairs.” I meant “bull’s-eye” I meant focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on — on his — on his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told in the debate.
Focus on — I mean, there’s — there’s a whole range of things. Look, I’m not the guy that said (CLEARS THROAT) I want to be a dictator on day one. I’m not the guy that refused to accept the outcome of the election. I’m not the guy who said that wouldn’t accept the outcome of this election automatically. You can’t only love your country when you win. And so the focus was on what he’s saying and, I mean, the idea.
When Lester Holt gave Joe Biden the perfect opportunity to “lower the temperature” he denied he had raised it and immediately turned it up even more when he asserted that President Trump said that he wanted to be a “dictator on day one” and that he “wouldn’t accept the outcome of this election automatically”.
The proper response from Joe Biden on a day when the family of the hero, Corey Comperatore, was mourning his murder by the hate fueled assassin who had “put a bulls-eye” on Trump would have been: ‘Well, Lester I see now how those words were inappropriate and I wish I wouldn’t have used them and I promise the American people that you will never again hear language like that from me or my staff in the future.’ But instead Joe Biden chose to attack President Trump yet again with dangerous mischaracterizations of his positions and statements.
To his credit Lester Holt gave Joe Biden a second chance to find the moral high ground:
LESTER HOLT: But have — have you s — taken a step back and done a little soul searching on things that you may have said that could incite — people who are not balanced?
And THIS is what Joe Biden did with that opportunity:
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I — I don’t think — look, how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything ’cause it may incite somebody? Look, I — I — I — I have not engaged in that rhetoric.
Now, my — my — my opponent has engaged in that rhetoric. Talks about there’d be a bloodbath if he loses. Talking about how he’s gonna forgive all the — actually, I guess, suspend the sentences of all those who were arrested and sentenced to go to jail because of what happened on — in the Capitol. I’m not out there making fun of — like, re — remember the picture of Donald Trump when Nancy Pelosi’s husband was hit with the hammer, going — talking about — joking about it.
I can only imagine the frustration felt by Lester Holt when he once again tried to hold Joe Biden accountable for his words:
LESTER HOLT: This doesn’t sound like you’re — you’re — you’re turning down the heat, though.
THREE TIMES Lester Holt gave Joe Biden a national forum to show that he was a man of his word and that he had the interest of the nation at heart and three times Joe Biden failed. You can read Joe Biden’s response to Lester Holt’s statement for yourselves. I found it to be far from apologetic, bearing no semblance of fact, self serving, and in the end it provided more than a suggestion that President Trump was responsible for his own assassination attempt.
You can read the rest of Joe Biden’s interview with Lester Holt if you wish. Here is the link again.
In an interview with Axios Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who ran a primary campaign against Joe Biden offered this:
"An American is dead, a former President and others are wounded, and a shell-shocked country is left wondering how to restore reason and respect," Phillips told Axios in a statement.
"It would be unpatriotic and unprincipled to direct energy to anything other than yesterday's national tragedy over the coming days. The only conversation about President Biden should be about how he can console our country, address the anger, and meet the moment."
Representative Phillips no knows what that conversation will be like.
Joe Biden has no words of consolation, no words that address the anger. And given multiple opportunities to “meet the moment” Joe Biden failed miserably.
Father, we give our thanks for the protection you afforded President Trump and we ask that you wrap your arms around the family of Corey Compratore who’s life was given to give life to them.
Union, Kentucky
16 July 2024