By Mark Finkelstein
On Monday’s CNN This Morning, the panel from Kate Bedingfield to Bakari Sellers, to Shermichael Singleton, to host Kasie Hunt herself, all praised Joe Biden for being “selfless” in stepping aside.
It’s all a tired repeat of fervent over-praise of the president after he was dragged kicking and screaming to the door, with Nancy Pelosi threatening to publicly humiliate him if he refused to go. As the New York Post reported [emphasis added]:
“Pelosi reportedly threatened to publicly trash her longtime friend and political ally if he continued to ignore thunderous calls to drop out of the 2024 election over fears for his cognitive abilities, four sources close to the campaign told the outlet. Pelosi threatened to go public with her belief that her fellow Democrat wouldn’t beat the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, in a rematch — and threatened to release humiliating polling data to back it up, the sources alleged.”
The two Republican-ish people on the panel were of the Trump-critic variety. Shermichael Singleton, who joined in the praise of Biden’s supposed selflessness, was fired as a Trump administration aide when his writings deeply critical of Trump came to light. He subsequently quit the GOP.
And then there was Alyssa Farah Griffin. This New York Times article about her says it all: “A Former Trump Aide Becomes a Liberal Favorite.” Just weeks ago, our Nicholas Fondacaro caught Farah Griffin on The View claiming that Kamala Harris is no longer a leftist, but is advancing a “centrist-Democratic message.” Because nothing says centrist like proposing price controls over a huge portion of the economy!
So there was nothing “selfless” in Biden’s decision to step aside. Nor, contrary to Beningfield’s claim, did he “put his ego aside.” He quit to salvage whatever legacy he might have, and to avoid a very public humiliation. Imagine the funereal atmosphere at the DNC if he had stubbornly decided to tough it out!
Editor’s note. This appeared at Newsbusters and republished with permission.