{"id":99419,"date":"2022-01-23T16:56:14","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T21:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=99419"},"modified":"2022-01-23T16:56:22","modified_gmt":"2022-01-23T21:56:22","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-friday-january-21st-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=99419","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Friday, January 21st, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Friday, January 21st, 2022…and though we’ll cover 46*’s catastrophic press conference in gory detail, our initial impression can be neatly summed up by borrowing from Cordell Hull’s response<\/em><\/span><\/a> to the emperor’s envoys’ belated offer immediately following Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In all our 66 years of life, we’ve never heard statements more crowded with infamous falsehoods and distortions – on a scale so huge that we never imagined until today that any politician on this planet was capable of uttering them<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Which says it all about Joe Biden.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, here’s The Gouge<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up, NRO<\/em>‘s Charlie Cooke records Wednesday evening’s press conference-version of the Afghanistan disgrace<\/em><\/span><\/a> simply capped off…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s Year of Failure<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

On beating Covid, on restoring unity, on repairing the economy, Biden in fact \u2018overpromised\u2019 \u2014 and underperformed, woefully<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

O<\/strong><\/span><\/span>f<\/span>\u00a0all the many unbidden iniquities that have dogged President Biden since he took office, perhaps the most unjust of all is that<\/span>\u00a0bad things<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0keep happening to the man after he has done something stupid<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> The phenomenon has been near Newtonian in its consistency.<\/span> The president blows<\/span><\/em> the Afghanistan withdrawal; his poll numbers crater<\/span><\/em> in response. The president chases an agenda that he knows<\/span><\/em> lacks the requisite votes; that agenda goes down in flames<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> The president issues an order that he\u2019s acknowledged<\/span><\/em> as a violation of the law; that order is nixed<\/span><\/em> by the Supreme Court. The president terrifies<\/span><\/em> a close ally; that ally\u00a0expresses its disgust<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>.<\/span> And on and on it goes<\/em><\/span>, as if gravity itself were in play. Action, meet reaction, meet the falling of the sword of Damocles.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s apologists like to excuse their charge\u2019s shortcomings by pointing to the poisoned chalice he was handed. And, sure enough, this president did inherit an unenviable landscape.<\/span> On the day that Biden became president, Covid was still raging, inflation was beginning to materialize, the global supply chain was showing signs of interruption, crime was on the rise, and the debt had hit record levels. The trouble is, Biden has been president for a full year and Covid is still<\/span><\/em> raging, inflation is now at its highest level since 1982<\/span><\/em>, the global supply chain remains interrupted<\/span><\/em>, and crime, somehow<\/em>, has worsened<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> As for the national debt? We are worse off than ever before.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When he asked<\/span><\/em> for the job, Biden vowed<\/span><\/em> that, by electing him, Americans would be reversing<\/span><\/em> those trends. But that has not come <\/span>c<\/em>lose<\/span><\/em> to being true.<\/span> During his campaign, Biden vowed that he would \u201cshut down the virus\u201d and \u201cgrow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out.\u201d He hasn\u2019t<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> In a million radio and TV ads, he guaranteed that he would \u201crestore honor\u201d to the White House. He hasn\u2019t<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> In his inaugural address, he vowed that he would \u201cstop the shouting, and lower the temperature\u201d and \u201cfight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.\u201d He hasn\u2019t<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Instead<\/span><\/em>, he has proven himself to be every bit the vicious partisan that his critics expected<\/span><\/em>. Instead<\/span><\/em>, he has pursued a preposterously<\/span><\/em> ambitious agenda \u2014 as if his party had 70 seats<\/span><\/em> in the Senate, rather than 50<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> Instead<\/em><\/span>, he has abandoned all talk of being an \u201cinstitutionalist\u201d and endorsed the wholesale destruction of the very norms he swore<\/span><\/em> to uphold. Instead<\/em><\/span>, he has started to sound like his predecessor, by\u00a0questioning the integrity<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0of American elections, dismissing polling\u00a0out of hand<\/a><\/em><\/span>, and refusing to draw\u00a0bright lines<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0with figures such as Vladimir Putin.<\/span> I will grant that being a \u201ccaretaker\u201d president is not the most exciting of prospects, even for a man as dull as Joe Biden. And yet that<\/span><\/em> \u2014 and not<\/span><\/em> indulging absurd<\/span><\/em>, FDR-esque fantasies \u2014 is what the voters requested of both him and the closely balanced Congress that they returned to D.C.<\/span> Competence, moderation, humility, experience, mindfulness \u2014 these<\/span><\/em> were the qualities Biden promised<\/span><\/em> the country. In his first year, he has exhibited none<\/em><\/span> of them.<\/span> Under President Biden, America has not<\/span><\/em> returned to normal but become stranger than ever before<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0Why<\/span><\/em> is his approval rating\u00a0in the basement<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>?<\/span> How could it not be<\/span><\/em>?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday\u2019s\u00a0press conference<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0was Biden\u2019s first in a couple of months, and, frankly, he would have been better off skipping it. The White House promised<\/em><\/span> a \u201creset\u201d but provided no evidence of any such thing.<\/span> From start to finish, the president came across as an unfocused, unprepared, unserious, ill-tempered mess<\/em><\/span>. He suggested that it would be fine if Russia invaded Ukraine<\/em><\/span> so long as the move represented a \u201cminor incursion.\u201d<\/span> He proposed that the 2022 midterms would be illegitimate<\/em><\/span> if his coveted \u201cvoting rights\u201d bills do not pass. He defended<\/em><\/span> his handling of Afghanistan, despite the bipartisan condemnation of that affair.<\/span> He attempted to sell his spending agenda as deflationary, though it was written before inflation took hold. He slammed Senator McConnell as an obstructionist who will do anything to make him look bad, forgetting<\/em><\/span> that McConnell signed on to the same trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that Biden proclaimed as a victory in November.<\/span> And he insisted<\/em><\/span>, in defiance of all evidence to the contrary<\/em><\/span>, that he did not<\/span><\/em> \u201coverpromise\u201d and has \u201coutperformed\u201d as president. The affair was an abject disaster<\/em><\/span>, but it was also par for the course<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> And that<\/em><\/span>, ultimately, is the problem<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In other words…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In a related item at the WSJ<\/em>, Ronald Reagan’s former chief wordsmith\u00a0Ken Khachigian notes…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biden Is Flailing, Literally and Figuratively<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

The opposite, in both style and substance, of Reagan\u2019s calmly and confidently delivered message of unity<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“After\u00a0Joe Biden\u00a0bitterly attacked\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0only days before the inauguration, I urged the president-elect\u00a0on these pages<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0to follow Ronald Reagan\u2019s model by rising above<\/span><\/em> intemperate remarks. Mr. Biden could \u201cbe the one who isn\u2019t petty, small and spiteful.<\/span> He can stay out of squabbles, be a statesman, show honor, demonstrate how someone truly worthy of the office behaves.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A year later, he has failed<\/em><\/span> to meet that standard.<\/span> (In fact, failed MISERABLY!!!<\/em>)<\/span>\u00a0Worse<\/em><\/span>, President Biden appears bizarrely determined<\/em><\/span>\u2014as he did in Georgia last week\u2014to rupture goodwill among his fellow citizens by descending to lower levels of anger and deceit<\/em><\/span>. He apparently doesn\u2019t see that his embrace of rancor and division has contributed to the 30-point collapse<\/em><\/span> in his approval ratings.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/span>Americans are asking themselves: Are we better off than we were a year ago? Mr. Biden should ask himself: How is it possible that the Democratic Party, which offered the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier and the Great Society, can\u2019t come up with anything less dopey than Build Back Better?<\/span> A president who has barely<\/em><\/span> 4 out of 10 Americans approving his job performance, and hovers on the brink of the collapse of his congressional support, should give all of the above serious thought<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

We’ll leave the last word on what ails the Biden clown car to the Journal<\/em>‘s Kim Strassel, who accurately assesses t<\/strong>he problem isn\u2019t<\/em><\/span> bad “messaging”, the WuFlu or inflation. It\u2019s the Democrats\u2019 bad ideas<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then again…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s the juice: If Russia invades Ukraine, be their incursion large or small<\/span>, as the Morning Jolt records<\/em><\/span><\/a>, Hunter’s daddy will have no one to blame but himself<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 Which will of course be small consolation to the good citizens of Ukraine, who, despite yearning to breath free, awake one morning to find themselves under the boot heel of Biden’s best buddy Vlad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a column written in anticipation of 46*’s self-inflicted fiasco, NRO’s Kevin Williamson<\/em><\/span><\/a> made an observation which deserves repeating:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“…I do sometimes wonder why presidents, especially Republicans, speak to the press at all<\/em><\/span>. I suppose I am glad that they do, to the modest extent that this contributes to transparency and accountability.<\/span> But if I were<\/em><\/span> \u2014 angels and ministers of grace defend us! \u2014 advising a President DeSantis or a President Ponnuru, I would advise them never<\/em><\/span> to speak to the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0or<\/em><\/span> the\u00a0Washington Post<\/em>, to CNN or<\/em><\/span> NPR or<\/em><\/span> the\u00a0CBS Evening News<\/em>\u00a0with Whoever the Hell It Is These Days. What good could we expect to come of it?<\/span> Everybody<\/em><\/span>, including professional politicians, makes mistakes when speaking extemporaneously, even with the Wagnerian predictability of the typical American presidential interview. Everybody<\/span><\/em> forgets things.<\/span> Everybody<\/span><\/em> has dull moments: It took me five guesses to solve a Wordle one day last week, and\u00a0I misspelled Neiman Marcus in my newsletter<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0\u2014 nobody<\/em><\/span> is proud of that sort of thing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Trump liked to talk to the Fox News gang quite a bit and to call into talk-radio shows, but, of course, his favorite medium was Twitter.<\/span> For a more disciplined sort of president, that wouldn\u2019t be a bad way to communicate at all: directly to the people, in your own words or those of some highly paid professional (the Peggy Noonan of the 21st century will be an author of tweets or something like that, not speeches) who can make sure<\/em><\/span> that you say just what you want to say<\/em> and nothing else<\/em><\/span>. Of course, what most presidents<\/em><\/span> want to say most of the time<\/em><\/span> is approximately nothing<\/em><\/span>, and a really good<\/em><\/span> communications professional can help them do that effectively<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> There is an art to saying nothing \u2014 and if you are no good at it, you end up\u00a0speaking like Kamala Harris and sounding ridiculous<\/a><\/em><\/span>: \u201cIt is time for us to do what we have been doing. And that time is every day.\u201d<\/span> Hit the return key every seven words and that\u2019d be postmodernist poetry<\/strong><\/span>…”<\/p>\n

Which begs the question why Republican presidential candidates agree to debates with MSM moderators.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next up, we offer another octet of specially selected items certain to pique the interest of inquiring Conservative minds:<\/strong><\/p>\n

(1). Courtesy of The Epoch Times<\/em>, Jeffrey Tucker reminisces about what might have been had the WuFlu been approached with calm, protection and care<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 You know…like every other virus outbreak in world history<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(2). As contributor Speed noted, if you can cut through the need to take digs at Trump, it\u2019s surprising the following was featured on CNN:\u00a0Fact check: A look at Biden’s first year in false claims<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(3). Sorry, but as this forward from the New York Post<\/em> via George Lawlor correctly concludes, who else but a complete narcissist has an over-sized portrait of themself<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

…hanging over the desk in their office?!?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(4). Despite all three<\/em><\/span>…count ’em, ALL THREE<\/span><\/em>…SCOTUS justices involved specifically denying<\/em><\/span> Nina Totenberg’s report Neil Gorsuch refused to mask up despite Sonia Sotomayor being a diabetic, NPR stands by its story<\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 If anyone ever needed a reason to defund this haven of Socialist sympathizers, this<\/em><\/span> is it<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(5). In a definite sign the Pentagon needs to be overhauled from top to bottom (or, perhaps more appropriately, keelhauled<\/em><\/span>!!!), courtesy of Breeze Gould, Military.com<\/em> reports the Defense Department has quietly begun looking into how it can allow troops whose gender identity is nonbinary to serve openly in the military<\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Yeah, THAT oughta have America’s enemies shaking in their boots…with laughter<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about it: Russia, with the permission of a sitting, albeit illegitimate U.S. President, is set to attack Ukraine, the ChiComs are poised to invade Taiwan, and the Mad Mullahs are on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons.\u00a0 Meanwhile, America’s top brass is preoccupied with providing opportunities for the mentally ill.\u00a0 Is it any wonder the great VDH sees the United States joining Rome on the ash heap of history<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(6). At the request of the Daily Mail<\/em>, Jim Geraghty details the contents of the so-called “voting rights” bill Progressives have deliberately failed to mention<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 This bill is as much about voting rights as the government response to the WuFlu has been about controlling the virus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(7). Proving even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut,\u00a0Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, the man who until quite recently<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a> ignored the massive 2020 electoral fraud which occurred under his very nose, expressed his dismay with President Joe Biden\u2019s recent rhetoric surrounding the 2022 midterms and election integrity<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cBetween his speech last week here in Georgia, and his remarks last night, President Biden has surrendered any credibility he had on the integrity of America\u2019s elections,\u201d Raffensperger stated.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0