President Biden’s catastrophic debate performance revealed to the world the sorry state of his cognitive decline, putting Democrats and their media sock puppets in a jam.
Some of them are now forced to admit what they’ve long denied about his mental condition; others are still gaslighting about it.
And some still feel the need to defend him, since he’s continuing his bid for reelection, even though they now privately believe he should quit.
The result: a pattern of absurd and contradictory statements that show the left’s pretzel-twisting contortions as they try to bend with the political realities of the day.
Here’s a small sample:
“The president’s very sharp. . . . He’s on top of everything.”
— MSNBC’S Joe Scarborough, pre-debate
vs.
“He spent much of the night with his mouth agape and his eyes darting back and forth . . . . Democrats [must] decide whether this man . . . is up to the task of running for president.”
— Scarborough, post-debate
vs.
“I’ve learned that counting him out is always a mistake and doing that now could be catastrophic for our country.”
— Scarborough’s wife, MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, the next Monday, after a campaign spokesperson insisted Biden would not drop out of the race
“Memory Loss Requires Diagnosis, Scientists Say”
— New York Times news story, pre-debate
and:
“Then there is the distorted, online version of [Biden], a product of often misleading videos that play into and reinforce voters’ longstanding concerns about his age and abilities.”
— New York Times news story, pre-debate
vs.
“To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave Race”
— New York Times editorial, post-debate
“I haven’t heard a single person express anything negative.”
— Rep. Jim Clyburn, Biden campaign co-chairman, on the post-debate response from “people on the ground”
“[Biden is as] sharp as a tack.”
— Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, pre-debate
vs.
“Biden’s 2024 survival requires a lot more than hope.”
— Robinson, post-debate
“All the other elected officials I’ve talked to . . . have confidence in Joe Biden. They think he’s our strongest candidate.”
— Biden campaign co-chairman Sen. Chris Coons, post-debate
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“Seeing is believing? Not necessarily when it comes to video clips of Biden and Trump”
— Washington Post headline, June 21
vs.
“Why Biden didn’t accept the truth that was there for all to see”
— Washington Post’s David Ignatius, Friday
“The reality is the race has not fundamentally changed.”
— Former Biden flack Kate Bedingfield
“[Biden is] very lucid . . . well-informed.”
— NY Times columnist Paul Krugman, pre-debate
vs.
“[Biden] needs to withdraw.”
— Krugman, post-debate.
“[Biden] has the stamina . . . There are health-care professionals who think that Trump has dementia.”
— Rep. Nancy Pelosi, post-debate
“Watch me.”
— Biden, pre-debate, responding to those questioning his fitness for reelection.
vs.
“I don’t debate as well as I used to.”
— Biden, post-debate
Compiled by The Post Editorial Board