Hello and welcome. Today we’re looking at a New York Times opinion exploring how the Democratic Party turned a blind eye to President Biden’s decline. In 2022, after columnist Bret Stephens argued Joe Biden was too old to run again, Democrats insisted his legislative wins proved he was still up to the job. Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson call this widespread refusal to admit his frailty a “cover-up.”

Behind the scenes, Biden’s inner circle—dubbed “the Politburo”—shielded him from staff to obscure his worsening condition. Meanwhile, voters kept telling pollsters he was too old to serve another term. As Tapper and Thompson write, “covering for an aging politician is commonplace in modern Washington.”

After Biden’s calamitous debate, party leaders had a chance to stage a mini-primary or consult voters, but inertia won out. Less than a week later, House caucus chair Pete Aguilar noted that “the overwhelming majority of House Democrats wanted Biden to step down, but most were keeping quiet out of respect.”

The lesson? To restore credibility, Democrats must admit their missteps, learn hard lessons, and summon the courage they once lacked.
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