The GOP invents phony issues to attack Biden

Boy, did I get that one wrong.

Last night I opined Republicans would have to attack Biden’s programs and plans, because “they lost the narrative that Biden is an incompetent shell.” I said that because the speech was delivered with lust, power, passion, and harsh political intent.

After posting my column, I switched over to the Fox News Channel for analysis, because CNN was too balanced. At Fox I heard that the speech I had just heard was “bizarre,” and was delivered by an angry, shouting man.

Wow! What a strange world we live in when supporters of Donald J. Trump have the chutzpah to call another candidate “angry.” Trump’s entire persona is built on anger, grievance, and distrust.

Republicans must have the ears of their party’s symbol, the elephant, when they claimed they were nearly deafened by the volume of Biden’s words, which did rise to occasional crescendos — as they should when making a point. The volume gave the speech a greater power, and you know if he had been conversational, the GOP stooges would be pointing to a lack of energy. Perhaps everyone in the front ranks of Republicans wear hearing aids.

Let’s go crazy here and give the tender-eared Republicans the benefit of the doubt. Many studies have proven that eyewitnesses to crimes are often unreliable. It could be they were so conditioned to the idea of seeing a man waving a cane and shouting at the clouds, that their minds created one, even if it went against their usual narrative — that the man can’t string together two coherent sentences, which Biden clearly did, and ad-libbed, too. Remaining cogent and clear-eyed for more than an hour was most of the game plan, and he pulled it off.

I write this as an objective observer of Biden, a man I barely like, and for whom I did not vote in 2020. I see his mountains and valleys. His critics see only the valleys.

The GOP instant attack team came up with two buzzwords — “loud” and “bizarre,” the latter being so subjective as to practically defy honest definition.

One example of “bizarre” was Biden’s plan to create a port in Gaza to pour in relief aid to avoid mass starvation. That is “bizarre?” The only “bizarre” part to me is that is will take 4-6 weeks. Under pressure and with American ingenuity, I believe the Army Corps of Engineers could do it in less than a week, assuming we did not want to use Higgins Boats, such as were used to supply Normandy in World War II.

Back to the “Loud” issue, Sen. Marco Rubio managed the astonishing trick of claiming Biden shouted his own speech and yet mumbled at the same time. The definition of “mumble” is something said quietly. Marco ought to lay off the mai tais while doing analysis.

The volume claims will only convince those willing to ignore what their own eyes see, and their ears hear. Biden did not stumble on the blue carpet, nor on the stage and delivered a strong, coherent speech, fighting hard without losing energy at the end. That would have enough to “win” the night, but he was better than just the delivery. Most of the pitches were strikes.

One commentator talked about Biden’s constant coughing. Well, it was not constant, and his doctor says it is a combination of seasonal allergies, and acid reflux.

The more the Republicans howled, the more effective the speech seemed to me.

When they booed Biden’s claim that Republican’s wanted to cut Social Security to fund a $2 trillion tax cut, he feigned surprise and said, “I kind of thought that’s what your plan was.” He said he was happy the GOP would not cut benefits. He pulled the same stunt successfully last year. Grandpa made a fool of those booing.

He tweaked Republicans who opposed the recent bi-partisan border bill, written by a conservative, and endorsed by the Border Patrol union. “Oh, you don’t like that bill, huh?,” he teased, with a big smile on his face. “What are you against?”

For me, the most satisfying moment was when Biden responded to a shouted challenge to “say the name” of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student allegedly killed by an illegal. Biden was prepared, pulling out a Laken Rikey button from beneath the lectern and saying her name, although mispronouncing her first name.

”Lincoln Riley,” he said, holding the button up to the camera, “killed by an illegal.”

Wow! I’ve been admonished for decades by Open Border groups saying, “No person is illegal.” I’ve been called a racist, too. Biden admitted if the illegals get in, they know it would take 6-8 years to get a hearing and by then there’s little chance they would be deported. He did not say that is his fault because he invited them to come here.

I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead.