OF THE
TIMES
Wow: Joe Biden's staff won't even let him do a "spontaneous" Q&A session without a script. Is he really that far gone?
Obsessive scripting is the only explanation for what happened at last week's Biden question-and-answer session with AFL-CIO union members, when the candidate responded to a young barista's query with the non sequitur, "Move it up here" โ then paused.
Anyone who's been following Biden's travails recognizes those words as a cue to his aides to jog the teleprompter, as he's done time and again in recent weeks. (Why an experienced politician with a top-notch staff keeps having this trouble is also worrisome.)
Anyway, after the pause, Joe launched into his "off the cuff" response โ which was utter boilerplate: "You know, there used to be a basic bargain in this country, that workers shared in the wealth they helped create." It's beyond appalling that Biden would need reminding of that trope.
His aides won't even discuss the elephant in the room.
After the AFL-CIO footage made the rounds, Fox News' Bret Baier put the obvious question to TJ Ducklo, the campaign's national press secretary:
"Has Joe Biden ever used a teleprompter during local interviews or to answer Q&As with supporters?"
Ducklo ducked the question โ repeatedly, before finally saying, "I am not going to allow the Trump campaign to funnel their questions through Fox News and get me to respond to that."
There's your answer.
Time and again, teleprompter troubles have exposed the fact that Biden is just reading his lines in what his campaign pretends are real conversations with supporters, like Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.
He's not even answering reporters' questions off the cuff: "Look, Venezuela topline message is . . ." he told an NBC Miami reporter โ obviously just reading the talking points he was handed in advance. He's also given multiple interviews with his eyes down, clearly relying on prepared notes in his lap.
This simply is not the Joe Biden of decades past, who might put his foot in his mouth but never needed a script to say what he thinks. If he can no longer answer even softball questions without the aid of his overseers, who will really be calling the shots if he wins the White House?
, because of its popularity in North America, baseball has given English many popular expressions. Letโs take a look at some of the most common English idioms that have come to us from baseball. 1. H it a home run: to succeed at something EX: I think I really hit a home run on my math test yesterday. 2. A ball park figure: an estimate or guess EX: How many people were at the concert? Give me a ball park figure. 3. S trike out: to fail while giving your best effort EX: He struck out on his graduate school applications. So heโll try again next year. 4 . Throw a curve ball: to surprise someone with something thatโs unpleasant to deal with EX: She really threw me a curve ball when she told me last minute that she couldnโt drive me home. 5. T ouch base: to talk briefly to someone. EX: I have to go to an appointment, but letโs touch base tomorrow. 6. O n the ball: attentive and knowledgeable. EX: Daniel is really on the ball today. He hasnโt made any mistakes. 7. P lay hardball: to act aggressively and ruthlessly. EX: The tenants are playing hardball with their landlord, holding back on payments they owe until the heating issue is fixed. 8. S tep up to the plate: to take responsibility for doing something EX: The company president stepped up to the plate and reimbursed the workers for the accounting mismanagement. 9. O ut of left field: suddenly from an unexpected source or direction EX: Out of left field he just announced he was making a career change. 10. R ight off the bat: instantly, immediately. EX: I could tell they liked each other right off the bat.Those seem rather obvious. How about a frozen rope (a line drive as I recall); super lots more.
They would probably get Killary stuffed when she kicks the bucket and have her at the main entrance at the DNC 'greeting' all visitors on arrival. To them, that would be cool.
Bunch of ghouls!