House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed a spending bill to keep the government open—and conservatives rebelled. It was scuttled for another version, essentially a clean continuing resolution that provides disaster relief aid, extends the farm bill, and increases the debt ceiling by two years. Conservatives are still not happy, and Democrats lambasted the bill as MAGA extremism before going on unhinged diatribes against Elon Musk. Thirty-eight Republicans voted with Democrats to kill the bill, which places DC on shutdown watch. The government closes at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, which means Congress, known for screwing things up, has a day to pass something to avert disaster. It likely won’t happen as the blame game has begun.
So, with chaos engulfing Congress, where’s Joe Biden? Where’s the president who could use the bully pulpit to get something done? I'm not rooting for this, but it again shows how the ousted president has zero grasp of his office. He was never meant to be president. Nancy Pelosi, who isn’t even in leadership, easily outmaneuvered the president’s political team, whom she trashed this summer for being weak, and forced Biden out of the 2024 race. The man may be the leader of the Democratic Party, but that’s in name only now. As Congress scrambles to avert a shutdown, Democrats are wondering where the hell is Joe after the man vowed to keep on fighting [emphasis mine]:
Joe Biden may still occupy the Oval Office, but it’s clearer than ever that he’s no longer in charge of Washington.
More than a half-dozen House Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that the conference had yet to hear from the president, even as Congress scrambled to salvage a funding deal and avoid shutting down the government.
In the 24 hours since President-elect Donald Trump and close ally Elon Musk abruptly derailed the bipartisan agreement, Biden has remained conspicuously absent outside a brief statement issued by his press secretary — and for now, Democrats said there was little clamor for him to return.
“I haven’t gotten any message from President Biden, or heard of anything that he’s saying,” said Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.). “Elon’s the shot-caller, it’s pretty clear to me.”
As Republicans now try to sell a revamped bill before funding runs out Friday night, the eleventh-hour debacle threatens to swamp the last days of Biden’s term, while costing the administration some final policy priorities that it had hoped to cement as part of the year-end agreement.
But as lawmakers searched for a way forward, no one seemed to be looking to Biden for answers — and the lame-duck president gave no indication he had any desire to provide them.
“I haven’t spoken to him,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Democrats’ top appropriator, said of Biden, adding that she didn’t expect to in the near future. “I’ve spoken to the White House. I think their view is, ‘we had a deal.”
Biden aides and allies cast the president’s silence over the last day-and-a-half as a strategic decision. Trump is now poised to take the blame for any shutdown, they argued, damaging him politically even before he takes office. (via Politico)
Oh please, this is the same aides and political team who again got taken to the woodshed by Nancy Pelosi. It’s not a “strategic decision”—Joe Biden can’t process what’s happening because he’s too weak. He can’t use the bully pulpit because voters see nothing but frailty behind the seal. Say what you want about Obama, and there’s plenty, but he knew how to use the office and kick the GOP off their perch during the 2013 shutdown.
Democrats must argue why they’re shutting down the government over disaster relief, a farm bill extension, and a two-year delay on the debt ceiling. I don’t see any good arguments not soaked in Trump derangement syndrome.
Yes, this man, who everyone knew was mentally cooked on day one, is strategically sitting this out.
Sure, Jan. Sure, he is.