Poking Joe
This bit of fun comes to us from those tireless reporters practicing journalism at The Washington Free Beacon. What can I say? This is what foreign leaders also see. Still: it’s an improvement over what came immediately before. But it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. It doesn’t cause hostile governments to treat us with greater respect, I’m sure.
The cleaned up, less hostile portrayal of Biden our media present to us is not the same as the one other governments analyze extensively to try to figure us out. The question foreign leaders ask themselves is, what does Biden’s public presentation tell us about how to get what we want from him? Is he a person we can trust? Is he someone we should fear? Is he someone we can intimidate?
For what it’s worth, I think Trump looked like someone who could be bought. But that may just be me assuming what I already believed anyway. And I think even hostile analysts had some fear of Trump’s erratic tendencies, of his chaotic nature and unpredictability. They thought he was someone who could be bought—but also someone who could be dangerous.
We just have to hope for now that foreign governments don’t perceive Biden (or his administration) as too weak or incompetent based on his public face.
Wanted to offer a shout-out to an article that was mentioned on the Mothership:
https://michaelignatieff.ca/article/2023/epistemological-panic-or-thinking-for-yourself/
DEFINITELY worth your time!
As to the topic: I like Biden ok, and don't think he is evil incarnate. He is obviously human and not without flaws...but, I can't think of what a better choice would be, would have been. And aside from his ego, which all politicians have, especially presidents, I think he is basically a good guy and means well, unlike others on the Hill.