Joe Biden’s decision to leave the Democratic National Convention immediately after it opened is understandable. Being president is a full-time job, and he must return to office.
But the more intriguing story is that Biden’s decision not to stay reflects bitterness over how party officials pressured him to drop out of the race. That he would not be there to hear Barack Obama’s speech at the convention, the Daily Beast writes, “fuels speculation that the president ‘harbours some resentment’ because Obama did not campaign for him” when he tried to hold out.
If Biden is still very angry, he is not showing it. There is certainly not enough evidence of such anger to justify the fiery headline, “Resentful Joe Biden seeks to snub Barack Obama and Kamala Harris speeches at DNC.” Like similar articles, it does not cite any sources, but links madly to Politico articles that also do not name names.
And Politico insists Biden is still frustrated with party members who didn’t help him follow through. How does Politico know? “Three people familiar with Biden’s thinking who were not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations” said.
This particular Politico article is headlined “Biden harbors lingering frustration with Pelosi, Obama, Schumer.” It also reads, “A senior White House official, also granted anonymity to describe private conversations, said Biden views Pelosi as ‘ruthless.'” The official added, “She’s always been that way.”
Do you get the impression that this person doesn’t like Nancy Pelosi? There could be many reasons for this. One possible explanation is the “private irritation” expressed by “senior White House aides” over a recent New Yorker article in which Pelosi said she was not impressed with Biden’s policy approach in 2020.
Politico reports that some unnamed Democrats are “privately musing” that Pelosi was working behind the scenes to get Biden to resign. Oddly, this came after she dodged a question on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” about whether she still supported Biden for a second term. “Morning Joe” is not exactly the place to hide your thoughts.
So much anonymity. So much privacy. What a great deal for the palace schemers, the best of all, actually. They can air their anger at Pelosi or others while hiding their identities under a cloak of secrecy, thus preserving their employability, even to some of the politicians they vilify.
The Daily Beast concludes that Biden can talk about unity as much as he wants at the convention, “but if he skips key speeches by Obama and Harris in the days that follow, questions will continue to arise about how united the Democratic Party really is after a historically turbulent summer.”
Chances are Biden will not miss these speeches. He will watch them on television, like the rest of America. After that, he will return to the pressing business of the Oval Office. The man has a lot to do, such as sorting out America’s role in two major wars.
If political journalists want to attack us psychologically, they should at least reveal who the “senior government officials” are who whisper the president’s inner thoughts into their ears. With such information, the public could guess the possible motives behind their statements. Who knows? Perhaps the motives are even honorable.
We assume that the journalists did not invent the quotes. But we know that it happened, and since the source is not named, no one can complain: “I never said that.”
One thing we can be sure of is that questions will continue to be asked” in the passive voice about the true feelings of politicians. And these questions will be asked by who the hell knows who.
Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. You can reach her at [email protected].
