Who is running the United States?

By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press

Well, I told myself not to watch the prime-time train wreck. I clearly had better things to do. There were two books on the kitchen table to wrap up, Pete Hegseth's "The War on Warriors" and Keith O'Brien's "Charlie Hustle." (Yes, I often read two or three books in the same time frame.) 

I could have just turned in early at 9 p.m. Thursday, June 27 and called it a day after five fun hours with my 3-year-old grandson.

But, no. Not me. I tuned in. I watched the train wreck that passed for this year's first – and almost assuredly only – debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. 

There is no conceivable way the Biden handlers will let that happen again. It was nothing short of a disaster, and even prompted many liberal Democrats to look to the bullpen and see who the DNC has warming up. 

Could it be the goofy governor from California? Maybe a third try for Hillary Rodham? Cacklin' Kamala? Michelle O? 

Hello, DNC? Please tell me you're not pinning your party's hope and future on Joe Biden. 

Actually, please do pin your hopes on Biden. That might be the best thing for this country. Our economy was a heckuva lot better during Trump's four years than Biden's. The world was a lot more peaceful, too. It's the old peace through strength policy. In a rematch, Trump wins easily.

Watching the train wreck, er, debate, I couldn't help but at some point hope one of the debate moderators would borrow a line from "Billy Madison:" Mr. Biden, At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul. 

When Biden wasn't outright lying, his sentences trailed off into no man's land. Mumbling, stumbling, bumbling Biden.

During the debate, Biden made many dubious claims, but the granddaddy (great-great-granddaddy?) of them all was when he claimed that the U.S. Border Patrol endorsed him. 

Isn't this the same Border Patrol that Biden falsely vilified three years ago for allegedly "whipping" illegal immigrants?

Naturally, the Border Patrol union wasted no time in denying the alleged endorsement.

The Border Patrol Union, the official union of those employees, posted on social media to the contrary. “To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden,” the Border Patrol Union posted on X on Thursday night.

No kidding.

Biden also said that no troops died during his presidency. Guess old Joe forgot about his Afghanistan travesty and the loss of 13 U.S. service members. How sad for their families.

On Friday, June 28, the Biden campaign insisted he will not drop out of the 2024 race, but there are obvious fractures in the Democrat Party. With less than five months until the general election, many Dems are clamoring for a last-minute change on the ticket after Biden’s disastrous debate performance.

“There is a sense of shock at how he came out at the beginning of this debate. How his voice sounded. He seemed a little disoriented. There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue,” David Axelrod, a top adviser to former President Barack Obama, said.

NBC News reported: "This was like a champion boxer who gets in the ring past his prime and needs his corner to throw in the towel," said a Democratic lawmaker, adding that he meant Biden should exit the race.

Biden acknowledged his poor performance in a speech in North Carolina on Friday, saying, “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth."

(See Border Patrol and Afghanistan, above.)

Erstwhile "conspiracy" theorists have speculated that the country is being managed by the unholy trinity of Barack Obama, Ron Klein and Susan Rice through "Dr." Jill. After the June 27 debate, however, there's no longer any conspiracy theory. It's clear as crystal that Joe Biden is not in charge of anything.

The GOP would be wise to move up its nominating convention prior to Trump's sentencing in July. Other than a new presidential candidate, the last best hope for the Democrats is for Judge Juan Merchan to send Trump to prison. And he likely will.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press, Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper for the last 25 years.

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