I admire Biden for his “blind spot.” I think he should own it. Why not say out loud, “Hunter has his problems, but not one of them has negatively affected the country or me as the Vice President or President of the United States. Can my opponent say the same? No, he cannot. My opponent barely acknowledges his male children, except when he can use them to do his dirty work or grease the skids for the disaster bus. My opponent wants to bed his daughter. My opponent appointed his son in law to conduct Middle East peace negotiations and voila - he got billions of dollars out of it after he left the government. When you naysayers can tell me how my loving my son, or my son’s addictions, dealmaking, and philandering - however shady you find them - has negatively affected this country in any meaningful way, I’ll step up with criticism and appropriate action. In the meantime, please leave him alone. The DOJ will address his law breaking. I’m going to stick by him as a father. The end.”
Are you suggesting that Joe Biden should disown his son, Hunter? I’m not sure what you are asking. There are great parents out there that have troubled children and it is very difficult for them. I read some of Hunter Biden’s texts that were published and it appears that he may have been (or maybe still) suicidal. Joe Biden has already lost 2 children and he does not want to lose a third. I know people that have suffered from clinical depression and other mental health issues and that is extremely difficult. I can’t imagine what a parent goes through. There are no simple solutions. If Joe Biden decided to keep a long distance from his son for political reasons, I would think much less of him.
Not disown, no. But understand the very real political reality that Hunter is a liability -- plain and simple. I am not suggesting he run away from Hunter but rather that he acknowledge the problem and figure out ways to mitigate it.
Ms Boyer-Lehnert is correct in saying there are no simple solutions. And there are no complete solutions. But Hunter could have helped Joe mitigate the problem by accepting the plea on the gun/tax charges without pushing for blanket immunity from other potential crimes. That would fair. He could have lowered the heat on the issue had he done that at the last hearing, and he still can.
If you are a parent and you don't have empathy for Joe Biden then that's your problem. Personally, I'd think less of the man if he abandoned his son because of politics.
Hunter is a troubled son. He’s not the story republicans make it to be. What the Democrats want to do is compare Hunter’s relationship with his father to Donald Trump‘s sons. They are furthering their fathers criminal enterprise, hunter on the other hand, while troubled is not furthering his father’s criminal enterprise bottom line: Hunter is just like a lot of other troubled. Children were trumps children ought to be highlighted as enabler’s of a psycho pathic criminal.
Agree, generally. I think the issue is that Joe Biden can't see the trouble that Hunter is and will cause him. Which would worry me if I was a Democrat.
But at the end of the day, I think Joe Biden would rather be a good father who is there for his son rather than president for another term and that's admirable.
Unless there's hard data that shows Hunter is hurting him, I don't see why. He's the father of a child struggling with addiction, which is all too universal in 2023.
Yes, and I admire Joe's compassion for his son. But, with the assured disaster of a second Trump term looming, President Biden has an obligation to "preserve, protect, and defend" our constitutional republic. He is increasingly thwarted in trying to meet his obligation to us by his trying to meet his obligation to his son. Just search "Hunter Biden effect on 2024 presidential election" and you'll find a lot of concern. I rate Biden as a successful president, but the vagaries of his aging are sufficient cause to question the wisdom of his seeking a second term; he can't afford more strikes against him. And the GOP will use the Biden Crime Family trope against him, even though there's no equivalence between the corruption of the Trumps and the errors of the Bidens.
What exactly are you suggesting here Chris? Democrats aren't bothered because a father loves his son. That sounds like something only a magasshole would be bothered by. Not calling you names, but you're implying that Dems should dis Biden unless he publicly trashes his child? WTF? I'm so confused by your weird complaint.
Not that he "trash" him. But it is a fact that Hunter is an issue for Joe Biden. A very serious one. And political campaigns are about mitigating problems, not making them worse.
What Joe can do is urge his son to accept a plea deal on the gun and tax charges without holding out for immunity from other potential crimes. He should have done that back at the hearing. Had he done so, there would be some hope of moving on.
You (and I) have no idea at all what conversations the President has had with his family members.
Also, you don't seem to grasp who Joe Biden is. He has already said he won't give legal advice, or interfere in Hunter's case.
He won't ask his son to go against his conscience simply to serve his father's politics. You are confusing him with TFG...
Also, I really was asking Chris to answer wtf he is suggesting Biden do? And why? Not a generalized "better for politics", but why and what specifically, and how to do it on moral grounds?
Or does CC just feel like torpedoing Joe for fun? I saw not one helpful suggestion... just a giant dis. Words always matter, and some words are just destructive with no redeeming value.
Mr. Cillizza, I think that unfortunately, President Biden has a blind spot for this and the other issue on which Republicans are harping incessantly, which is his age. That could be a huge liability in the upcoming election campaign.
Both of the following things can be (and are, in my opinion) true:
1) What Hunter Biden did and didn't do has absolutely NOTHING to do with President Biden's running of the country, and whether or not he has done a good job.
2) A HUGE chunk of the country disagrees with me and thanks to the laser focus on Hunter Biden by the MAGA party, has determined that it reflects on President Biden.
It’s such a complicated situation. From a political perspective, the challenges are three fold: what Hunter did (or didn’t do), what Joe knew (or didn’t) and what Joe’s response should be (or shouldn’t). The only thing we know for sure is related to the third one: nature abhors a vacuum, and to the extent that Joe isn’t responding, he’s letting the GOP craft the narrative. M
There is no question of how tight the bond is between father and son. Pres Biden would not be who he is if he allowed political expediency to define his relationship with Hunter (even temporarily), he is who he is and he remains true to those he loves -- no matter the potential consequences.
That said, if Hunter has any consideration for the spot Biden the Elder is in because of his devotion, he would put on a pair of big boy pants and make every attempt to blend into the background or to save himself. Biden the Younger's continuing to try and hide behind his dad's shadow is damaging to the reelection campaign, and the only person who can correct this problem is Hunter himself.
This is about the teaching, not the president and his son. I never commented on your first column about teaching. My husband had some suggestions, but I never got to it. Reading those comments now, you did not need his. That said, if Syracuse did not think you could do this, they would not have asked you to begin with! Glad the first day went well.
If you’ve ever been the parent of a troubled child (no matter their age) you would understand the need to keep them close, the prayerful thought that if I keep them close I can save them. It’s not always in either parent or child’s best interest but your heart doesn’t want to hear it.
Chris - please step back for a minute, and think of a scenario, like this: You or your spouse receives a call from the Police indicating one of your sons has been arrested for shoplifting. Let's say at the same time, you are working to be hired by someone, and the news of your son's arrest/potential conviction could derail your new opportunity, for whatever reason. What do you do? Do you disown your son? My sense is you would not in a million years.
My sense is you love your children unconditionally, and as such, just like I tell my children (and now grandchildren), "I may not like what you do, however, I will always love you." Even if my children did terrible things - I would not necessarily condone the things they might have done, however, I will still love them.
Joe loves his children unconditionally, and as such, is not going to abandon Hunter, especially after all of the loss Joe Biden has lived through, including his first wife, his daughter, and most recently, his other son Beau. Joe is not going to "lose" another son, whether through death, or by disavowing him because it is not a good look for his campaign. Joe will live with the political reality Hunter's actions may be a slight drag. Why did Joe agree to make the telephone calls into Hunter's meetings - because despite the risk, he was trying to help his son, out of love. This is why Joe always kept the topics he talked about to the weather or sports, and never something of substance - Joe was trying to help in the only way he could, because his son asked him for help.
Truth be told, why do you think Hunter is spending so much time at the White House and at White House events with his Father? Because they are trying to help him to continue recovering, and have people around him who love him, which should help keep his out of any more trouble.
I do not see this as a weakness - I see it as a huge strength. And so will many others...
Do you get the sense, at all, his likely Republican opponent for the Presidency in 2024 would do the same for his children? In fact, DJT has already partially thrown his son, Eric, under the bus in the State of New York Civil suit brought by Letitia James, indicating Eric was most likely approving/submitting some of the real estate valuations to various parties and for the tax preparers, since DJT was so busy with other stuff. And the way he has talked about his daughter at times, like she is a piece of meat - does not sound like unconditional love to me.
I understand some of Hunter's actions are going to bring negatives to Joe Biden's candidacy, yet, my sense is this is just something Joe Biden will live with, since loving his child and keeping him close is so more more important than almost anything else.
Congrats on your first class--teaching can be a real challenge!
The article had some real insights--not just about the Joe/Hunter relationship, but about how Hunter has financed his life lately, and how Abbe Lowell entered the picture.
Congratulations on your first class as a Professor. Did you assign your subscribers as well as your students the same assignment of reading and commenting upon the NYT article about the relationship between Joe and Hunter Biden? That was my first reaction. It would be a way of intimidating your students with comparisons and first impressions.
My father certainly had a blind spot for me when I was a younger man and made my own string of bad decisions. He advised and supported me even when, I imagine, some of his friends and colleagues were whispering behind his back. If, God forbid, Joe Biden should fall from grace with politics because of Hunter's actions and his continued support of his son, I would respect him all the more. That's a father I would want in my corner.
I admire Biden for his “blind spot.” I think he should own it. Why not say out loud, “Hunter has his problems, but not one of them has negatively affected the country or me as the Vice President or President of the United States. Can my opponent say the same? No, he cannot. My opponent barely acknowledges his male children, except when he can use them to do his dirty work or grease the skids for the disaster bus. My opponent wants to bed his daughter. My opponent appointed his son in law to conduct Middle East peace negotiations and voila - he got billions of dollars out of it after he left the government. When you naysayers can tell me how my loving my son, or my son’s addictions, dealmaking, and philandering - however shady you find them - has negatively affected this country in any meaningful way, I’ll step up with criticism and appropriate action. In the meantime, please leave him alone. The DOJ will address his law breaking. I’m going to stick by him as a father. The end.”
Well stated!
Are you suggesting that Joe Biden should disown his son, Hunter? I’m not sure what you are asking. There are great parents out there that have troubled children and it is very difficult for them. I read some of Hunter Biden’s texts that were published and it appears that he may have been (or maybe still) suicidal. Joe Biden has already lost 2 children and he does not want to lose a third. I know people that have suffered from clinical depression and other mental health issues and that is extremely difficult. I can’t imagine what a parent goes through. There are no simple solutions. If Joe Biden decided to keep a long distance from his son for political reasons, I would think much less of him.
Not disown, no. But understand the very real political reality that Hunter is a liability -- plain and simple. I am not suggesting he run away from Hunter but rather that he acknowledge the problem and figure out ways to mitigate it.
Ms Boyer-Lehnert is correct in saying there are no simple solutions. And there are no complete solutions. But Hunter could have helped Joe mitigate the problem by accepting the plea on the gun/tax charges without pushing for blanket immunity from other potential crimes. That would fair. He could have lowered the heat on the issue had he done that at the last hearing, and he still can.
That was a really sad story. I feel for President Biden, trying to be the best dad he can be, even if it costs him politically.
If you are a parent and you don't have empathy for Joe Biden then that's your problem. Personally, I'd think less of the man if he abandoned his son because of politics.
Hunter is a troubled son. He’s not the story republicans make it to be. What the Democrats want to do is compare Hunter’s relationship with his father to Donald Trump‘s sons. They are furthering their fathers criminal enterprise, hunter on the other hand, while troubled is not furthering his father’s criminal enterprise bottom line: Hunter is just like a lot of other troubled. Children were trumps children ought to be highlighted as enabler’s of a psycho pathic criminal.
Agree, generally. I think the issue is that Joe Biden can't see the trouble that Hunter is and will cause him. Which would worry me if I was a Democrat.
But at the end of the day, I think Joe Biden would rather be a good father who is there for his son rather than president for another term and that's admirable.
Okay, but then he should drop out of the campaign. Unconditional love is good; but risking Trump 2.0? Not so much.
Oh right... Biden should drop out of the race. Because THAT'S how the dems can win? Good Lord... Poor logic methinks.
Unless there's hard data that shows Hunter is hurting him, I don't see why. He's the father of a child struggling with addiction, which is all too universal in 2023.
Yes, and I admire Joe's compassion for his son. But, with the assured disaster of a second Trump term looming, President Biden has an obligation to "preserve, protect, and defend" our constitutional republic. He is increasingly thwarted in trying to meet his obligation to us by his trying to meet his obligation to his son. Just search "Hunter Biden effect on 2024 presidential election" and you'll find a lot of concern. I rate Biden as a successful president, but the vagaries of his aging are sufficient cause to question the wisdom of his seeking a second term; he can't afford more strikes against him. And the GOP will use the Biden Crime Family trope against him, even though there's no equivalence between the corruption of the Trumps and the errors of the Bidens.
I think Biden generally ignores the thinking about hunters danger to his campaign, because he is still grieving over the loss of his other son beau
What exactly are you suggesting here Chris? Democrats aren't bothered because a father loves his son. That sounds like something only a magasshole would be bothered by. Not calling you names, but you're implying that Dems should dis Biden unless he publicly trashes his child? WTF? I'm so confused by your weird complaint.
Not that he "trash" him. But it is a fact that Hunter is an issue for Joe Biden. A very serious one. And political campaigns are about mitigating problems, not making them worse.
Chris, I respect the heck out of you and enjoy your work but I'll be voting for Joe, not Hunter. I don't see Hunter as an issue.
What exactly would you prefer to see him do?
And if you're not a Democrat now, then what are you?
What Joe can do is urge his son to accept a plea deal on the gun and tax charges without holding out for immunity from other potential crimes. He should have done that back at the hearing. Had he done so, there would be some hope of moving on.
You (and I) have no idea at all what conversations the President has had with his family members.
Also, you don't seem to grasp who Joe Biden is. He has already said he won't give legal advice, or interfere in Hunter's case.
He won't ask his son to go against his conscience simply to serve his father's politics. You are confusing him with TFG...
Also, I really was asking Chris to answer wtf he is suggesting Biden do? And why? Not a generalized "better for politics", but why and what specifically, and how to do it on moral grounds?
Or does CC just feel like torpedoing Joe for fun? I saw not one helpful suggestion... just a giant dis. Words always matter, and some words are just destructive with no redeeming value.
Mr. Cillizza, I think that unfortunately, President Biden has a blind spot for this and the other issue on which Republicans are harping incessantly, which is his age. That could be a huge liability in the upcoming election campaign.
Both of the following things can be (and are, in my opinion) true:
1) What Hunter Biden did and didn't do has absolutely NOTHING to do with President Biden's running of the country, and whether or not he has done a good job.
2) A HUGE chunk of the country disagrees with me and thanks to the laser focus on Hunter Biden by the MAGA party, has determined that it reflects on President Biden.
It’s such a complicated situation. From a political perspective, the challenges are three fold: what Hunter did (or didn’t do), what Joe knew (or didn’t) and what Joe’s response should be (or shouldn’t). The only thing we know for sure is related to the third one: nature abhors a vacuum, and to the extent that Joe isn’t responding, he’s letting the GOP craft the narrative. M
I think this is exactly right, Jocelyn.
American people can see through the smoke and vote for Joe Biden even if Hunter Biden is in jail (which is not going to happen anyways)
I wish I were that confident in the “American people.”
There is no question of how tight the bond is between father and son. Pres Biden would not be who he is if he allowed political expediency to define his relationship with Hunter (even temporarily), he is who he is and he remains true to those he loves -- no matter the potential consequences.
That said, if Hunter has any consideration for the spot Biden the Elder is in because of his devotion, he would put on a pair of big boy pants and make every attempt to blend into the background or to save himself. Biden the Younger's continuing to try and hide behind his dad's shadow is damaging to the reelection campaign, and the only person who can correct this problem is Hunter himself.
fnord
That would be so cool to take a course you are teaching. Lucky students & lucky you !
This is about the teaching, not the president and his son. I never commented on your first column about teaching. My husband had some suggestions, but I never got to it. Reading those comments now, you did not need his. That said, if Syracuse did not think you could do this, they would not have asked you to begin with! Glad the first day went well.
If you’ve ever been the parent of a troubled child (no matter their age) you would understand the need to keep them close, the prayerful thought that if I keep them close I can save them. It’s not always in either parent or child’s best interest but your heart doesn’t want to hear it.
Chris - please step back for a minute, and think of a scenario, like this: You or your spouse receives a call from the Police indicating one of your sons has been arrested for shoplifting. Let's say at the same time, you are working to be hired by someone, and the news of your son's arrest/potential conviction could derail your new opportunity, for whatever reason. What do you do? Do you disown your son? My sense is you would not in a million years.
My sense is you love your children unconditionally, and as such, just like I tell my children (and now grandchildren), "I may not like what you do, however, I will always love you." Even if my children did terrible things - I would not necessarily condone the things they might have done, however, I will still love them.
Joe loves his children unconditionally, and as such, is not going to abandon Hunter, especially after all of the loss Joe Biden has lived through, including his first wife, his daughter, and most recently, his other son Beau. Joe is not going to "lose" another son, whether through death, or by disavowing him because it is not a good look for his campaign. Joe will live with the political reality Hunter's actions may be a slight drag. Why did Joe agree to make the telephone calls into Hunter's meetings - because despite the risk, he was trying to help his son, out of love. This is why Joe always kept the topics he talked about to the weather or sports, and never something of substance - Joe was trying to help in the only way he could, because his son asked him for help.
Truth be told, why do you think Hunter is spending so much time at the White House and at White House events with his Father? Because they are trying to help him to continue recovering, and have people around him who love him, which should help keep his out of any more trouble.
I do not see this as a weakness - I see it as a huge strength. And so will many others...
Do you get the sense, at all, his likely Republican opponent for the Presidency in 2024 would do the same for his children? In fact, DJT has already partially thrown his son, Eric, under the bus in the State of New York Civil suit brought by Letitia James, indicating Eric was most likely approving/submitting some of the real estate valuations to various parties and for the tax preparers, since DJT was so busy with other stuff. And the way he has talked about his daughter at times, like she is a piece of meat - does not sound like unconditional love to me.
I understand some of Hunter's actions are going to bring negatives to Joe Biden's candidacy, yet, my sense is this is just something Joe Biden will live with, since loving his child and keeping him close is so more more important than almost anything else.
Congrats on your first class--teaching can be a real challenge!
The article had some real insights--not just about the Joe/Hunter relationship, but about how Hunter has financed his life lately, and how Abbe Lowell entered the picture.
Congratulations on your first class as a Professor. Did you assign your subscribers as well as your students the same assignment of reading and commenting upon the NYT article about the relationship between Joe and Hunter Biden? That was my first reaction. It would be a way of intimidating your students with comparisons and first impressions.
Well done, professor!
Thanks!
My father certainly had a blind spot for me when I was a younger man and made my own string of bad decisions. He advised and supported me even when, I imagine, some of his friends and colleagues were whispering behind his back. If, God forbid, Joe Biden should fall from grace with politics because of Hunter's actions and his continued support of his son, I would respect him all the more. That's a father I would want in my corner.