Another Column from Jennifer Rubin

 From the Washington Post Jan 19, 2024

by Jennifer Rubin

What caught my eye

In response to endless carping about his age, Biden cannot change his birthdate, but he can project an image of vitality and vigor. Indeed, alert voters should have noticed by now the contrast between his cogent, policy-laden speeches and the increasingly unhinged, rambling screeds we get from the GOP front-runner. The contrast might sharpen as four-time-indicted former president Donald Trump launches more rants on more courthouse steps in the coming months. In the new year, Biden already has made headway in blowing away the right-wing canard that he is enfeebled and out to lunch. The president’s strength and decisiveness in support of U.S. interests stand in stark contrast with Trump, who cozied up to dictators, undermined NATO and allegedly purloined national security secrets at the end of his presidency. In the foreign policy realm, Biden answered the Houthis’ Red Sea attacks with military strikes. Decisive action and tough rhetoric undercut the claim that he is feeble. “The operation, short and limited to military targets, and in a nation that cannot control the piratical acts of an unwelcome group, falls well within the legal as well as the traditional requirements for the use of force by members of the international community,” military expert Tom Nichols wrote for the Atlantic. “So far, both American political parties, even with a bit of GOP grumbling, have made the right call to support action against the Houthis.” It didn’t hurt Biden that hysterical voices on his left flankmade constitutionally unsupportable demands that he seek permission from Congress before acting. Also, expect to see Biden’s whirlwind visits to war zones in Israel and Ukraine featured in more campaign ads and speeches. “Twice now President Joe Biden made the decision to visit active war zones not under U.S. military command,” professor and journalist Steven Beschloss wrote on Substack. “These trips, to Kyiv in February and to Tel Aviv … are without precedent in modern American history.” Beschloss added that voters can appreciate the “vigor and guts — and principle — it took to meet American allies in person to demonstrate American support, despite genuine danger.” Punchy speeches with sharp barbs aimed at Trump also show the sort of instinct for the jugular rarely seen during Biden’s first three years in office. Delighting in calling Trump a loser, Biden no longer hides his contempt for his likely November opponent. During his speech last week at Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, S.C., Biden declared, “Let me say what others cannot: We must reject political violence in America. Always, not sometimes. Always. It’s never appropriate.” He added about Trump, “Losers are taught to concede when they lose. And he’s a loser.”

The Biden campaign has also embraced the “Brandon” meme, transforming an obscene chant into a winking affirmation of Biden’s strength. As Axios reported, “‘Dark Brandon’ — an online meme that portrays the 80-year-old president as a two-steps-ahead Machiavelli — is driving the Biden campaign’s merchandise sales.” Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign now openly mocks Trump for “confused,” rambling utterances. And when late-night comics pick up the refrain, news outlets and voters alike begin to look for more instances of unhinged, incoherent tirades. Collectively, the predominant “narrative” might shift to match reality. Biden is old but sharp; Trump is out of shape and out to lunch.