JOE STUMBLES — The Weekly Opine

In the blink of an eye

Observing as someone made unforced, avoidable errors that ruined a hot streak, my dad used to say, “He can’t stand prosperity.” Or, as the actor Hal Holbrook said in the movie Wall Street, “You’re on a roll kid. Enjoy it while it lasts because it never does.”

Both sentiments are applicable to our recently humming along president, Joe Biden. Just when a path was clearing for hot Biden to stake his claim to running again, presumably unopposed in 2024, his “thermometer” fell faster than the temperature after sunset on a Midwest winter day.

Biden’s string of accomplishments, which we’ll highlight momentarily, now seem like the distant past as the president fumbles his response to classified documents found at his former Washington, D.C., office, and Delaware home. Now, both the current president and immediate former president are under criminal investigation.

He was on a roll

Biden has been kicking you-know-what and taking names. From the jump, Biden inherited a Covid-19 mess from the Trump administration and its incoherent, ineffective Coronavirus Task Force, chaired by Trump’s wimpy, fake Christian vice president, Mike Pence.

Biden, recognizing the sanity of science over the insanity of QAnon and Fox Lies conspiracy pushers, rolled out vaccines as part of the American Rescue Plan and brought America back from the brink. For many of the 68% of Americans who’ve been fully vaccinated, Biden’s actions were lifesaving. For the 32% who believe nonsense emanating from the anti-vax conspiracy crowd, well, they are beyond help.

Among other accomplishments, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act which has helped America’s economy show signs of improving while lowering costs, e.g., prescription drug costs. Oh, and the deficit is being reduced. (The economic good news will be catastrophically wiped out if stupid House Republicans do not raise the debt ceiling).

Biden also took steps to improve health care for veterans. He signed the CHIPS and Science Act which will increase semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. and provide good-paying jobs. Biden signed tougher gun violence legislation, unlike anything seen in America in decades.

Side-by-side comparison clears up any confusion regarding criminal intent regarding classified documents. (Photo credit CNN)

Thankfully, Biden has restored America’s leadership position globally. How? For starters, by simply not being named Trump. Biden rallied NATO allies to come to Ukraine’s aid. He also, albeit somewhat ham-handedly, put an end to America’s longest-running war in Afghanistan.

The president spearheaded one of the biggest years of job growth in American history. And he passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Law which will make overdue repairs to America’s seriously ailing roads, bridges, underground pipes, ports and airports. (Note, after much posturing and boasting, the Trump administration couldn’t even build a wall along the southern border)

Biden has taken decisive action to combat the indisputable climate crisis. Again, the simple fact he is not Trump helps America – and nations across the globe – return to a more serious path re: addressing climate change.

Biden expanded the Affordable Care Act so more Americans are eligible. This year, nearly 6 million more Americans enrolled in this landmark program that has undeniably benefitted millions of people.

And Biden nominated the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, with Ketanji Brown Jackson taking her spot on the nation’s highest court in 2022. Unlike her recently appointed predecessors, Brown Jackson brings the highest integrity and intelligence to a court reeling from scandal and political subterfuge.

High but not mighty

But now things have – at least temporarily – caved in on Biden due to apparently inadvertent (and very sloppy) handling of classified documents.

Just over a week ago, on Monday, January 9, media reports confirmed a number of classified documents were discovered by Biden’s attorneys in a D.C. office Biden used after he left the vice presidency. The problem, optically, is the classified documents were found last year on November 2, nearly two months prior to Biden’s lawyers disclosing the information.

Predictably, Republicans, especially of the MAGA variety, went all high and mighty spewing indignation and condemnation. This would be tolerable if the Mar-a-Lago classified documents saga had been met with the same outcry from GOPers. But in all too familiar, typical hypocrisy, GOPers continue to maintain silence regarding Trump’s obvious stealing of top secret documents.

After standing quiet for two years, while evidence piles up that Trump likely committed seditious conspiracy planning the January 6 insurrection, GOPers suddenly located their vocal cords to rail about Biden. After making excuses for Trump, following news that it took the power of subpoenas to retrieve top secret classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, GOPers degraded mental capacity renders them incapable of discerning that the Biden classified case differs from Trump.

Republicans employ “hear no, see no, speak no evil” when it comes to proven liar and fraudster George Santos. (Photo credit MSNBC)

The only similarity is that Trump, and now Biden, have a special prosecutor looking at their handling of classified documents. Already, it has been proven that Trump committed crimes taking classified documents. He was asked politely to return them and refused. He was subpoenaed and, after giving up documents, lied and said there were no more. Then more were found.

Biden, on the other hand, is guilty of not being transparent. The drips and drabs of information, with more documents turning up seemingly every few days, is beneath the president and makes Biden and his lawyers look sloppy at best and, for now, incompetent at worst. But not criminal. Unlike Trump, Biden is fully cooperating with authorities.

For those struggling to understand how the two classified documents cases are not the same, I offer this example of how things can look very similar yet not be the same.

Let’s say a basketball player, Player A, misses four dunk shots during a game, shooting 0-4 in field goal attempts. Let’s say a player on the opposing team, Player B, also shoots 0-4. However, Player B’s shots were not attempted from right under the basket. Player B had the ball at the end of each quarter, 70 feet from the basket, and heaved desperation shots as time expired at the end of each quarter. Player B missed all four court-length shots.

Some would argue that because the results were the same, i.e., both players shot 0-4, then they are equally poor shooters. Nevertheless, astute observers understand that Player A, who missed four dunk shots, is much worse than Player B, who missed four 70-foot attempts.

Now, don’t get me started on Republicans embrace of another loser, George Santos.