Jill to Joe Biden: It’s over

OPINION:

When your wife suggests you have failed at your job, it’s probably time to retire or see if there is an opening as a Walmart greeter.

That appears to be what the first lady Jill Biden suggested during a speech to a Democratic fundraiser in ultra-liberal Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Speaking of the president, she said: “He’s just had so many things thrown his way. Who would have ever thought about what happened (with the Supreme Court overturning) Roe v. Wade? Well, maybe we saw it coming, but still, we didn’t believe it. The gun violence in this country is absolutely appalling. We didn’t see the war in Ukraine coming.”  

Notice the use of the past tense, which is telling.

All of this is false. Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled his intention to invade Ukraine far in advance; the decision on Roe was leaked weeks before the formal announcement; gun violence in major cities preceded the Biden administration.

The problem that is only now speaking its name is that the president of the United States appears to have dropped the ball and is a little too slow off the mark in dealing with the challenges of the presidency.

Such comments are not only coming from right-wing opponents of the president and his policies but are now appearing in mainstream newspapers like The New York Times and Washington Post and among some columnists who endorsed Mr. Biden’s election, despite his age. Leading Democrats are now questioning whether Mr. Biden should run for a second term. A recent New York Times-Siena College poll found that 64% of Democrats surveyed would prefer another nominee in 2024. Mr. Biden has served his purpose by keeping former President Donald Trump from winning a second term, and now many Democrats want to discard him like an empty paper bag. At least a paper bag can be recycled. Mr. Biden can’t.

After what former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others forecast as the coming “wipeout” of the Democrats’ congressional majority in November (almost certainly the House and possibly the Senate), Mr. Biden will become an instant lame duck and can expect several much younger Democrats to seek the 2024 nomination. This will afford the president a credible exit strategy.

If Mr. Biden was surprised by events that occurred on his watch, what does that say about his leadership? The unexpected should be expected or at least anticipated when one is president. Perhaps he should listen to his wife and start planning for a dignified departure.

• Readers may email Cal Thomas at [email protected] Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the Future of the United States” (HarperCollins/Zondervan.