Executing the 180 Degree Turn

The unaddressed crisis of Biden’s mental infirmity and its political fallout is a turning point for American politics.

The conversation surrounding President Joe Biden’s mental infirmity has reached a critical juncture, one where the evidence of his cognitive decline can no longer be dismissed as inconsequential.

Victor Davis Hanson just excoriated Jake Tapper as executing “one of the greatest acts of moral duplicity I’ve seen in my lifetime."

For years, whispers about Biden’s mental state were met with deflection or outright denial by his administration, the media, and Democratic loyalists. Yet, as reports and public appearances piled up—marked by verbal gaffes, disorientation, and moments of apparent confusion—it became undeniable that Biden’s condition was a serious issue. What’s indefensible is not just that this was known, but that nothing was done. The 25th Amendment, designed for such scenarios, was never invoked, nor was Biden quietly pressured to resign “to spend more time with his family.” This failure to act has exposed a dangerous blind spot in our political system, and now, predictably, the narrative is shifting to avoid accountability.

As the reality of Biden’s incapacity becomes impossible to ignore, those who shielded him are pivoting. Unable to argue that his condition was of no concern, they’re resorting to a familiar tactic: redirecting the conversation to the future. “The past is past,” they’ll say. “There’s nothing we can do about it now—but there is something we can do going forward to preserve the Republic!” This sleight of hand is already taking shape, with calls for sweeping reforms aimed not at reckoning with their own negligence but at constraining the incoming Trump administration. Proposals like mandatory competency testing, frequent medical checkups with public disclosures, stricter requirements for signing legislation, and expanded judicial review of executive actions are gaining traction among Democrats.

These measures, cloaked in the guise of protecting democracy, are less about safeguarding the nation and more about weaponizing their own failures to hamstring their political opponents.

The hypocrisy is glaring. Democrats, masters at turning their missteps into leverage, are poised to escape accountability for allowing an unfit president to remain in office. By framing Biden’s infirmity as a systemic issue requiring new checks on the executive branch, they deflect blame from their inaction. The argument will be that “the executive branch is one person,” and thus, that person must face intense scrutiny to prevent unilateral actions the opposition might dislike. This rhetoric conveniently ignores the fact that Biden’s administration operated with near-total control, with Congress and the judiciary often acting as rubber stamps for Democratic policies. The very checks and balances they now claim to champion were conspicuously absent when it suited their agenda.

This push for reform under the banner of “never again” is neither logical nor workable. It assumes that piling on bureaucratic oversight will prevent future crises, but it risks paralyzing the executive branch while creating tools for partisan overreach. The irony is that the same party that allowed an incapacitated leader to govern unchecked now seeks to impose restrictions on a successor they oppose ideologically.

Do not be fooled, this isn’t about protecting the Republic; it’s about power. By reframing their negligence as a call for reform, Democrats aim to constrain Trump’s administration while sidestepping responsibility for their own failures. The public must see through this maneuver and demand accountability, not just for Biden’s infirmity, but for the system that enabled it to persist unchecked. Only then can we address the real vulnerabilities in our governance without falling prey to partisan opportunism.