The last 24 hours have been incredible. The last 24 hours have been historic. The last 24 hours have the legacy media doing handsprings trying to make Kamala Harris look like she is in possession of something approximating capability, while the alternative media are just trying to figure out what's really going on.
These are historic moments that will be in textbooks 50 years from now (assuming American children are still being taught history 50 years from now), but for now, all it seems like we're doing is drinking from a fire hose and trying to discern a little bit of flavor from that rush of high-pressure water along the way.
But one thing is clear: Something happened between these two tweets.
President Biden’s doctor says his COVID symptoms have “improved meaningfully.” Here’s a new note: pic.twitter.com/wfCLUrpDgz
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) July 19, 2024
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
As the old song goes, "Somethin's happenin' here, what it is ain't exactly clear." We can, of course, imagine how part of the conversation may have gone:
JILL BIDEN: "I tell you, I'm not going to let them shove us out of this. We are the president!"
HUNTER BIDEN: "You aren't the president. Dad's the president. At least he thinks he is."
JOE BIDEN: "I'm still the president! That other guy, the orange one, I beat him! I'll beat him again! Bring him on, I'll debate him any time."
HUNTER: "Dad, relax. You're not running for president."
JOE: "I'm not?"
HUNTER: "No, Dad. It's 2028. You're just finishing your second term."
JOE: "Oh, OK then." (Nods off to sleep)
All kidding aside - as much fun as that is, all of this - Joe Biden's sudden change of heart and his obvious deterioration, Kamala Harris scrambling to take over the campaign apparatus and make sure all the campaign apparatchiks are indeed her creatures - it begs the question, who's really in charge in the White House?
It can't be Kamala Harris. As noted, she has her hands full; and she's not all that capable. Of course, the same White House apparatus that managed to make Joe Biden look like he was, well, functional for the last few years may be able to do a lateral arabesque to making Kamala Harris look like she's functional, but that's not the kind of thing that happens overnight. The question the American people are surely asking, along with Tsar Vladimir the First and Chairman Xi, is who's in charge now?
Previously on RedState: The Party of ‘Saving Democracy’ Sure Does Like Removing Presidential Candidates From the Ballot
The 'Biggest Question' Kamala Harris Faces Going Forward That May Very Well Be Her Undoing
I've long posited the theory that Jill Biden is serving as the Edith Wilson to Joe Biden's Woodrow, and there may still be something to that. I've long thought that her Brobdingnagian ego, evidenced by her insistence on being addressed as "Dr. Biden" despite being in possession of an unimpressive Ed.D, would make her inclined to cling to that access to power. I still think that this is more than likely the case, and between her and the sadly declining old Joe Biden, I'm not sure which alternative is more unsettling.
Hunter Biden is right out. Nobody, not even Jill, is going to let Hunter anywhere near any real responsibility. He's handy for being a bag-man in the Biden money-laundering operation, but as for any real authority? Jill Biden is probably as horrified by that idea as the rest of us.
Barack Obama, of course, seems like an obvious alternative, and once again, this is a person with a massive ego, and such people aren't immune to the calls to power. On the other hand, former President Obama is enjoying the lifestyles of the rich and famous, with his jet-setting habits and his multiple palatial homes; one wonders why he would give up even five minutes of that to pull Joe Biden's strings.
Nancy Pelosi? She sure seems to still wield some influence despite not officially being part of the Democratic party leadership. But she was at the forefront of high-profile Democrats urging old Joe to step away. Is that because she realized that Joe was certain to be utterly crushed by the Trump/Vance steamroller? Or was it because she saw an opportunity to expand her grasp on power and influence?
Or is it the most obvious person imaginable? The one whose hunger for power outmatches anyone else in politics today? She of the notorious pantsuits, that twice-failed presidential candidate, Hillary I, First of that Name, the Dowager-Empress of Chappaqua? Now that is a truly horrifying proposition.
One thing is for sure and for certain: The Democrats have shown they will bend the rules to install a new presidential candidate if the one they currently have isn't cutting the mustard. If Kamala Harris starts imitating her boss and floundering in the polls between now and the Democratic convention - well, it wouldn't be at all surprising for her to suddenly feel Hillary Clinton's claw-like nails seizing her from behind.
Whoever may be actually running things now, what all this makes undeniable is this: Joe Biden was never more than a grotesque mediocrity and is now, by his own tacit admission in abandoning his quest for a second term, incapable. He should resign immediately. That, unfortunately, will place Kamala Harris in the driver's seat.
There are no good options - not until November. We have officially gone from tragedy to farce.
