Deflection

The current resident of the White House may really be a genius when it comes to getting his true believers to look the other way. However, the more he points his finger at his perceived enemies, the more the thinking public knows he’s trying to divert our attention.

Remember the attacks on Hunter? So, it was wrong for the Biden boy to benefit from his father’s name, but it’s just fine for the Trump kids to cash in. The president himself is using his office to amass wealth in ways that trample on the Constitution. His sons are building a nightclub to sell access to the president, and there’s his cryptocurrency, business deals in the Middle East, and gifts from fellow autocrats. Not to worry! He has a new target toward which to point everyone’s attention. Well, it’s not really a new target, but it will do.

Jake Tapper’s book on the Biden administration couldn’t have come at a better time for the president. Prices are going up. Tariff warnings are a daily news item. The wars he vowed to end are still going on. As Trump stumbles through the economy, knocking over blocks and creating chaos, the gullible will follow where his finger points.

Is Biden old? Yes, but so is our president. Has Biden’s brain functions slowed down. That’s a given with age, but it doesn’t mean one is senile. Despite his slower gate, and despite the gaff that took him down, Biden makes more sense when he speaks than does the man who replaced him as the leader of the free world, a world that is swiftly becoming less free.

Of course, we need to know the truth, and no journalist should be censored. Perhaps Biden should have dropped out sooner. Perhaps we should have known that too many in the U.S. aren’t ready for a female president, no matter how capable the candidate or incapable her opponent. This country has problems, sexism and racism among them.

Some voters are coming to their senses about their choices in 2024, while others continue to gaze where the president’s finger points. Here's a little perspective for those in the latter group:

Glenn Kessler reminds us that “the month before the November election, the Economist newspaper published a cover story declaring the U.S. economy was “the envy of the world.”

This week, Andy Borowitz posted, “Biden covered up health woes with four years of booming economy.”

And remember, when someone is pointing a finger, three fingers are pointing back at the one who’s doing the pointing.