As if they did not already have enough problems trying to put the Joe Biden era behind them, Democrats are now being forced to respond to the latest ill-timed volume of revisionist history that somehow manages to make the 46th president look even worse. And this time it comes from the hand of Jill Biden, whom many on the left blame for allowing Donald Trump back in the White House. Indeed, her soon-to-be-released book, View From the East Wing, represents the third leg of a trifecta of writings about the 2024 presidential race that have reopened wounds that remain fresh for a party that saw its worst nightmare come true. And like the other two volumes, the timing is awful for Democrats attempting to polish their brand as midterm elections approach.
A Trifecta of Awful
First came Kamala Harris and her book 107 Days, in which she threw top Biden officials and other allies under the bus while claiming, against all evidence, that she would have beaten Trump if she had had more time. Then came the inexplicable release by the head of the Democratic Party of an embarrassing, unedited autopsy about the 2024 election, replete with errors, which dodged the principal reasons for the former VP’s one-sided defeat. And now, the ex-first lady appears intent on exacting revenge against those who forced her husband out of the presidential race, spinning her own revisionist tales about his condition. To say top Democrats are upset about it would be an understatement. They are furious.
During her book tour, Dr. Jill claims she has yet to figure out why Joe Biden lost his grip in that infamous debate against Trump, after which he was hectored out of the race by Democratic heavyweights, led by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama. That might be believable if Jill Biden hadn’t then asserted that she had never seen him in such bad shape before and hasn’t since. To say that beggars belief is obvious to anyone who didn’t spend the four years of her husband’s presidency in a coma or under a rock. This is the definition of gaslighting, claiming what hundreds of millions saw clearly with their own eyes was a mirage or a concoction of his enemies.
Jill Biden, Turncoat?
The Guardian epitomized the left’s reaction to the first lady’s book in an article entitled, “Jill Biden’s book is the last thing we need right now.” In addition to piling on about the timing of it, writer Arwa Mahdawi added, “It doesn’t help that Jill Biden has made some very dubious claims in her memoir.” She wrote, for example, that if Joe Biden had exhibited cognitive impairment, neither she nor her staff would have hesitated to do something about it: “But he was nowhere near that point in the summer of 2024.” Of all people, Jake Tapper, co-host of Biden’s debate from hell, responded: “All of that is very difficult to believe, if not just downright false.” But Dr. Jill went on to protect her flank, writing, “Had he grown too old for the job and I hadn’t noticed? I didn’t think so, but could I be objective enough to be sure?”
At the same time, the former first lady shockingly admits that she thought her husband was having a stroke during the debate with Trump, and that she was “scared to death.” A curious statement, considering that she then proceeded to drag her addled husband to a Waffle House and host an after-party in which she spoke to the president like he was a small child in one of her classes: “Joe, you did such a great job. You answered all the questions. You knew all the facts.”
Rob Flaherty, a top aide to Biden during his re-election campaign and in the White House, posted on X, “Just a whole lot I could say about this but I will leave it at being so, unbelievably disappointed.” Another former Biden official told Axios, “The throughline between her book and Harris’ is that they blame everyone but themselves for the loss.” Another ex-Biden campaign aide said: “It’s just so selfish. The Bidens preached selflessness and service above all — and every decision they’ve made since he decided to run for reelection has been about themselves. It’s also ironic — the only people undermining President Biden’s legacy are the people closest to him.”
It is curious to note that some, including this writer, took particular note of how Dr. Jill wore a red dress to the voting booth on Election Day. Given that she had not been seen wearing red previously, it led to speculation in some circles that she either voted for Trump out of spite or perhaps wanted people to think she had. Whatever she had in mind that day, you would think a very prominent Democrat loyal to her party and distraught by the outcome of the 2024 presidential race would not have written this book in the run-up to critical midterm elections. But then we can be sure that Dr. Jill hardly feels the Democratic Party was loyal to her husband, who, in turn, can himself be legitimately accused of disloyalty to his party for his insistence on seeking a second term when he was in no way equal to the challenge.
This is yet another out-picturing of a party in utter disarray, boosting the likes of scandal-scarred Graham Platner, “Low-T” James Talarico, and Islamist-adjacent Abdul El-Sayed for seats in the Senate, where their chances of regaining power are diminishing by the day. That is about the future, but now the past has become equally problematic. After Harris’ self-serving memoir, the release of a ridiculous, ill-conceived autopsy unnecessarily reopening old wounds, and now the first lady’s evidently dubious and delusional volume, the Democrats are tanking their own rebuild, while Republicans are undoubtedly standing by and enjoying the show.
