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ANNOUNCER: From the Nation’s Capital, the McLaughlin Group….an unrehearsed program presenting inside opinions and forecasts on major issues of the day….sponsored in part by Edison Electric Institute…the association of electric companies…and by Northrup Corporation…Northrup, making advanced technology work….
Here’s the moderator, John McLaughlin, Washington executive editor of the National Review.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Issue One – Joe and Kamala’s excellent – really? – adventure.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN ON TAPE:
Item: In a video announcement, President Biden asked Americans to let him, quote, finish the job…emphasizing social and cultural issues…and Donald Trump….more than voter concerns such as inflation and a potential recession…..
Item: At 80 years young, Biden is seeking to extend his record as the nation’s most EXPERIENCED president….an issue top of mind for many voters…
Item: Standing side by side with Mr. Biden is his loyal number two…Vice President Harris….who spent announcement day honing her foreign policy chops…and speaking about abortion rights at her alma mater, Howard University….
So… I ask you, Pat Buchanan – Is Joe Biden the frontrunner for 2024, an underdog, or in a pick-‘em situation?
MR. BUCHANAN, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: John – I’m 84 and I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, the president’s youth and inexperience.
ALL: (LAUGHTER)
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Very clever, quoting the Gipper there, Pat!
MR. BUCHANAN: That is an oldie and goodie, John. Look, there are going to be a lot of issues and surprising moments in this marathon contest, but one thing is certain: Joe Biden ain’t getting any younger. It’s like Jeb Bush’s 2016 campaign. For voters there was ONE issue, the poor guy’s last name. He was a “Bush” and that was that. There are pros and cons for Biden’s chances of winning, but, in the end, America is not going to let Grandpa keep the car keys until he’s 86. It’s just not going to happen. His press secretary for Pete’s sake wouldn’t even commit to his serving out his full term.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Eleanor???!!!
ELEANOR CLIFT, NEWSWEEK: John, for the record, Pat is a very sprightly 84.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Noted, noted….
ELEANOR CLIFT, NEWSWEEK: Is Joe Biden’s age an advantage? Of course not. But he has the whole Democratic Party behind him. On the day he announced, Barack Obama,Hillary Clinton, and Gavin Newsom all endorsed him – and they all linked to the campaign’s online fundraising account. It’s called ActBlue, John. That was no accident. Even Bernie Sanders got right on board. This announcement is about getting a start on raising two billion dollars and hiring a staff. Don’t expect to see Joe Biden on a rope line anytime soon. This was intended to be a low-key announcement, and it was. The day after the video came out, I heard a CBS News Radio newscast that included items about, I kid you not, melting snow and teacher pay – and no mention of Joe Biden.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Interesting! Robert Novak, I bring you back to my original question: Is Joe Biden the favorite to win another term?
MR. NOVAK, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: He is NOT the favorite. Even the New York Times’ so-called polling “expert” admits that. And ultra liberals, like the Times columnist Tom Friedman, are open in their dread that voter concerns about the combination of Biden’s age and the lack of confidence in Vice President Harris could cost them the White House. Biden needs 2024 to be a straight-up replay of 2020’s Trump referendum. He needs Trumpian controversies to take center stage first to secure for Mr. Trump the Republican nomination and then to assure for Mr. Biden the loyalty of Democrats and independents
MR. MCLAUGHLIN [POINTING]: Quickly, quickly.
JACK GERMOND, BALTIMORE SUN: Here’s what’s happening. It’s actually pretty simple. Conservatives like Bob here who don’t want to denigrate Trump openly know that they need to start signaling to voters that Biden’s ONLY chance to win is if he is lucky enough to face Trump again. The Wall Street Journal ed board is in on this, as are many of the conservative columnists. I’m not sure about that strategy. I have my doubts. Trump looks like he will in fact be the nominee, but I think Biden’s folks can beat anyone who emerges from the Republican clown car. Mike Donilon has had a beer or two at the Wayfarer bar. He knows how to do politics. So does Biden. Even now.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Exit question, on a scale of 0 to 10…with 0 meaning zero probability and 10 meaning metaphysical certitude….What are the chances that Joseph Robinette Biden and Kamala Devi Harris will retake their oaths of office on the west front of the Capitol building on January 20, 2025?
MR. BUCHANAN: 3 1/2, John, and not a smidge higher.
MS. CLIFT: 10 if Trump is the nominee, 7 if it’s someone else.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Brilliant hedge, Eleanor. Novak?!
MR. NOVAK: Biden isn’t going to be the nominee, so zero.
MR. GERMOND: This is a stupid question at this point, but, sure, I will say 8.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: WRONG!!! The answer is…….if Dan Balz doesn’t know, no one knows! Germond lurched uncontrollably into the truth – the answer is, it’s too soon to say.
We’ll be right back, with Trump versus DeSantis, a/k/a, King Kong versus Godzilla.
****
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Issue Two – Republican battle royale!
MR. MCLAUGHLIN ON TAPE:
Item: Donald Trump is on a mission. Almost a year before the first ballots are cast in the GOP nomination fight, the former president and his team are going full throttle to try to destroy Trump’s chief rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis…with a show-no-mercy barrage of videos, social media posts, endorsements, press releases, and psyops intended to unsettle the main competition and scare off support for the Sunshine State topper, ending his campaign before he even officially gets in the race…
Item: As DeSantis traveled overseas, poll after poll shows Trump romping to an enormous lead…leading some of the governor’s former financial backers to back off…
Item: Trump is so far turning his legal troubles…he stood accused of rape in a Manhattan courtroom this week…into political gold….
So…, I ask you, Pat Buchanan…Is DeSantis done – or poised for a comeback?
MR. BUCHANAN, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: John, keeping restaurants open during a pandemic and taking on Mickey Mouse is not the same as speaking to the hearts and minds of the American people and inspiring them. I have been, shall I say, underwhelmed by DeSantis’ campaign skills so far. When I ran for president, I would get up in the morning in the Days Inn in Manchester, kiss Shelley goodbye, meet Greg Mueller and the press pack in the lobby, and then head to the nearest Cumberland Farms for coffee and donuts. Greg and I would scan the front pages of the local papers, come up with a message of the day, and we would be off to the races. DeSantis has millions of dollars at his disposal, but the lad can’t seem to get out of his own way. The Trump folks have the media and the voters and donors who are paying attention laughing at DeSantis now, even as he’s overseas. That is not a good look if you want to be president.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Eleanor Clift, what say you?
ELEANOR CLIFT, NEWSWEEK: I hate to admit this on TV, but Pat is for once right. DeSantis in Tokyo talking to the press looked like a bobble head, which could turn out to be his version of the Dean Scream. The word is out there now…this guy is amateur hour. Can he up his game? Sure, I guess he could. But the Trump folks know DeSantis very well, and I think they might be right. With this guy, what you see is what you get.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Robert?
MR. NOVAK, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: DeSantis could use the steady hand of Jack Kemp on his shoulder right now. The Republicans’ 2022 nominee for governor in New York, Lee Zeldin, is very close to DeSantis, and he endorsed Trump this week. Painful. DeSantis and his Super PAC have hired a lot of very good people. They are a confident group. They say there is plenty of time to take down Trump. Mrs. DeSantis is being called the “Queen of Camelot 2.0.” Given that she is by all accounts her husband’s top adviser, he better hope she has at least as much Lee Atwater in her as Jackie O. He’s going to need it.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Jack?
JACK GERMOND, BALTIMORE SUN: Watch the debates…if there are debates. Trump is making noise about skipping the RNC debates. And at this point, I doubt he would pay a price for ducking out. The Republican National Committee’s effort to put these events together is as organized as Pat’s presidential campaigns were. Sorry, Pat. Trump always operates under the saying, “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours we will negotiate over.” His rising poll numbers are giving him his mojo back in a big way. DeSantis needs the debates way more than Trump does at this point.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Exit question, and we need to go quickly – what is DeSantis’ best strategy for getting back in this. Pat??!!
MR. BUCHANAN: Run to Trump’s right.
MS. CLIFT: Run as a competent chief executive on bread and butter issues and drop the culture war stuff.
MR. NOVAK: Come out with a major tax cut…corporate and individual rates, and, of course, capital gains.
MR. GERMOND: John, the guy is toast.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: WRONG!!! …The correct answer is….electability! Back with predictions!
****
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Predictions. Pat?
MR. BUCHANAN: Watch Bobby Kennedy running against Joe Biden. Political reporters, like nature, abhor a vacuum. They want a race. And ol’ RFK has some surprises in his bag of tricks. No need to curb the enthusiasm of the good people of New Hampshire, John.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Very clever, Saint Patrick. Eleanor?
MS. CLIFT: All this talk about what person is going to replace Tucker Carlson on Fox. The reality is it is going to be “people” not a person. Get ready for “The Five at 8” – allowing Rupert to showcase a bunch of different of his stars, including a lot of women. Oh, and 8pm is 5pm on the West Coast, giving Fox another version of what is its most inexpensive and top rated program.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Novackio?
MR. NOVAK: Speaker Kevin McCarthy is going to get the 218 votes he needs to move his debt ceiling bill through. It won’t be easy, but his lieutenants are telling the stragglers that they don’t want to be the ones to bring down the ship of his speakership. And that will get it over the finish line. What happens after that is another story.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Jack, quickly!
MR. GERMOND: With DeSantis having all his problems, the Republican Establishment that rejects Trump is still on the search for a savior. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin doesn’t look like he’s the answer now, so other options are being considered for a late entry, especially if DeSantis utterly collapses. Watch Sea Island, Georgia the weekend of May 6. There is a big, secret political meeting then, with a number of sessions, one of which includes a “Cocktails and Convo” with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in discussion with former Speaker John Boehner, who likes the cut of Kemp’s jib. Could be interesting.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Hunter Biden is going to get a declination letter from the Department of Justice. But House Republicans are then going to show that his father…the president of these United States….benefited from Chinese money. There is going to be a surprise whistleblower. Watch and see.
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Bye-bye!!!
****
ESSENTIAL VIEWING
* I’ve watched a lot of Bruce Springsteen clips in my life, but this one, well, this one made me both smile and cry:
* The First Lady of Florida reads golf news: