Is Jill Biden "pushing" her husband to run again?

It’s going to be a while before the fallout and the negative effect of the recent Presidential debate finds itself out of the trending news cycle. It was assumed by now that with all the other stuff that’s taking place around the world, talks about President Joe Biden’s performance at the debate should have washed out by now. But it hasn’t.

Almost a week later and the talk is persistent.

Now, the narrative has switched to First Lady Jill Biden.  Social media is abuzz as podcasters, newscasters and even everyday “average joe” give their two cents on what they think was behind the President’s poor performance last Thursday night.

And unfortunately, most of the comments are not pretty. Some are downright ugly and mean. This is where I think that the right to the freedom of speech is being abused. For me, I believe that some things should not become public fodder.

In any event, initially, my take on all the talk about Jill Biden was over-reach and just a means for some people (Republicans, no doubt) to air their contempt for their political rivals. But an article in the New York Times this morning gave me pause and caused me to consider what was being said out there in public.

Under the headline “Biden’s family tells him to keep fighting as they huddle at Camp David” information reveals how family members, including Biden’s wife Jill, his children and grandchildren are encouraging President Biden to stay in the Presidential race, despite a “disastrous” performance at last week’s debate against Donald Trump.

It was said that Jill Biden and Hunter Biden (his son) voices rang the loudest in the “egging” on of President Biden to fight to become the Democratic Candidate for the upcoming Presidential race.

At first glance, it appears to just be a family encouraging another family member to get back up and go back at it, after being defeated in a game or a contest. But dig a little deeper and one will have to conclude that this is more than just that.

Firstly, and most importantly, we’re talking about the President of the United States of America – the most important job in the world, for the number one Superpower of the world. This is no spelling bee we’re talking about. This is not Joey’s little league baseball game.

After what we saw last week, one can only wonder why they had pushed the President to go out there on the stage to debate against Trump. There were no rules that suggest that this debate had to happen this early in the game. Normally, we see debates taking place in September or October, close to nomination time in November. Why so early?

But then again, that’s water under the bridge.

I think the bigger question is, after what the world witnessed at that debate, and given what they know is the truth behind closed doors, why would President Biden’s family persist in pushing him to go on and seek another term in office? Why would children and grandchildren think it’s okay to subject their father and grandfather to such humiliation? Why would a wife ask her husband to go out there in the public’s eye and know he’s not well?

That’s why so many people have turned their hurtful remarks towards Dr Jill Biden. They believe she’s the engine that moves the President Biden train. Many are convinced that she’s pushing the one “running things”. When she should be the one protecting him, it seems as if she’s behind the pushing.

According to an article in Time Magazine, it was Jill Biden who met with financial donors in private to assure them that “Joe was ready to go”, just before the debate. The New York Times on Monday said that after the debate, Jill scrambled around to call donors to reassure them that nothing had changed, that it was just a bad night because the President had the flu and that it was a one off.

In fact, it was Dr. Jill Biden who kicked off the rally in Raleigh, North Carolina the day after last Thursday’s debate, where President Biden was a different person, reading from the teleprompter with ease and sounding more confident. The night after the debate, at a rally, it was a cringe sight where Jill looked like she was speaking to a five-year-old who had just did well in a school project, when she said on stage “you did a great job Joe. You answered all the questions correctly, you were coherent and smart”. All the while President Biden just stood there with what looked like a smile on his face, unsure of what to say, or unsure of what was going on.

But some Democrats were not fooled and are still questioning the President’s ability to not only run in the upcoming election, but his ability to win and then hold office for another four years.

Billionaire Investor and hedge fund manager, Bill Ackman wrote on X, formerly twitter “I no longer blame POTUS for not stepping aside. He no longer has the mental acuity to make important judgments about himself. It is becoming increasingly clear however that the fault lies with FLOTUS Jill Biden. FL Jill Biden becomes irrelevant the moment her husband is no longer president. No more Air Force One. No more glamorous life. No more While House dinners for dignitaries. No more being treated like a queen when travelling the world.”

Ackman’s words seem to echo the voices of so many others on social media since last week’s debate. Ackman said he didn’t mean to come across as harsh, but added, “what has become entirely clear is that the First Lady values what is best for herself over her husband’s health and the safety and security of the country at large.”

It’s becoming much clearer now why people are pointing an accusing finger at Jill Biden, some going as far as to accuse her of “abusing the elderly”.  If Jill Biden, Hunter Biden and the rest of the kids and grand children are pushing President Biden to stick it out, you must understand their reasoning. They all benefit if Biden remains president. They all have personal skin in the game and none of them are ready for the “gravy train” to end.

At the same time, let’s consider the possibility that President Biden himself does not want to drop out of the Presidential race. Think about it; Joe Biden is one who is used to having to fight for what he wanted politically to get where he’s gotten. He’s endured a lot and one of his selling points is his ability to fight from the bottom all the way to the top. Staffers have been known to say that Biden is a very “stubborn man”, does not like to be criticized and does not back down.

So, is it possible that Biden himself is digging his heels in and saying he’s not going to quit? That’s possible. However, many people feel that given his alleged mental decline over the years, he’s not able to even make that decision.

In any event, it makes you wonder if love plays any role in this saga. Where is the love these people supposed to have for their husband, father and grandfather? I mean, if it were me, on some level I may be able to understand my kids being selfish and wanting me to stay in such a powerful position, because it benefits them and maybe their friends. But I would expect my wife – who is my best friend and partner in life - to make decisions based on what’s best for me, not only as her husband, but as someone whom she claims to love.

I would expect her love for me to take precedence over the benefits she gains from me holding on to a position that may be killing me at the same time. But then again, I’m not the President of the United States, my wife is not the First Lady, and my kids don’t have access to the White House. So, I’m just an outsider looking in. And I speak from that point of view.

But it does make me wonder where self-satisfaction stops and love for the other person kicks in.

I would like to think that my wife would put my best interest at the forefront and would do whatever she can or needs to do to protect me from myself and to prevent me from being embarrassed. And if the shoe is on the other foot, I would do the same for her, because I love her and I want the best for her. Even if that means saving her from herself.