The Stream

Al’s Afternoon Tea: ‘Cheap Fakes,’ a ‘Speechless’ CNN, and the Secret Plot to Replace Biden

Is that the real Joe Biden standing between George Clooney and Julia Roberts or a cardboard cutout?

By Al Perrotta Published on June 18, 2024 •

Al Perrotta

Welcome back in for Al’s Afternoon Tea! 

White House Calls Videos of Biden Looking Lost and Feeble “Cheap Fakes”

Why did Barack Obama feel compelled to grab Joe Biden by the arm and lead him off the stage at their Hollywood fundraiser Saturday night?

According to the White House, it’s because “they’re friends. They are like family.” And to suggest anything more — for example, that Biden had another embarrassing freeze in front of a live audience (his third in a week) is just a “cheap fake” and “deep fake.” 

Said Karine Jean-Pierre, “This did not happen in the sense of what people were saying they were seeing or what was being falsely reported. President Obama and President Biden have a relationship. They are friends. They are like family to each other.”

During her press briefing Monday, the White House press secretary claimed the recent videos — shot at a Juneteenth celebration, D-Day commemorations, and the Hollywood fundraiser — that observers say indicate Biden is experiencing mental distress are “cheap fakes.” Manipulations. (Yes, somehow raw news video is not real.)

Miranda Devine of the New York Post is having none of it.  “If the White House doesn’t like this video,” she wrote on X, “then they should have asked Obama not to treat the president like a helpless dementia patient in public.”

Media Gaslighting. Will It Backfire?

If you think the White House spin is dizzying, try this: An MSNBC guest trying to convince you up is down and down is up; that Donald Trump is the one who has trouble talking and standing.

How can someone say that with a straight face? Trump just spoke for 90 minutes in 100-degree heat at a Las Vegas rally. Biden couldn’t manage a quick photo with G7 leaders without drifting off into his own world. 

Meanwhile, NBC’s Nicole Wallace was singing the White House’s song, note for note.

Does Wallace not see the danger in going all-in with the “cheap fakes” party line? In nine days, Joe Biden is going to be live on TV for 90 minutes, with much of the nation and a good chunk of the world looking on. If he is a mumbling, stumbling, incoherent mess, there’s no room to claim the tape was manipulated or selectively edited to make Biden look bad. It’s going to be hosted by none other than CNN, after all. She and the others who are insisting the freezes we’ve seen over the past week are not legit are going to look thoroughly dishonest.

I don’t suspect any in the media to feel shame and remorse for being so deceptive. But you’d think they’d at least be a little interested in self-preservation.

Daily Mail: Dems Plotting How to Replace Biden

If Biden is a disaster in the debate or his numbers continue to plummet, the Democratic Party will reportedly send in heavy hitters to convince him to throw in the towel,  according to the Daily Mail. As they tell it, the plan would require Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer to do an intervention with Biden together. (Hillary might also be thinking, “I can take care of this. I know a guy.”)

Then they can all get together to anoint the new nominee. Odds seem to be leaning toward California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Good luck dumping the black woman for a rich white guy — but if anyone can find a way to contradict their own narrative whenever it suits them, it’s the folks on the left.)

Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.

A curious thing about the Daily Mail article: It doesn’t mention the one person who may actually be able to get Biden to drop out: Dr. Jill Biden. As I’ve mentioned before, you don’t argue to Jill that it’s better for the party and the nation. You convince her that letting Biden embarrass himself on a daily basis makes her look guilty of elder abuse, makes her look awful in the public eye. That’s the way to get at the woman who insists on boosting her public status by being called “Doctor,” even though her degree is in education. (The Wall Street Journal pointed out how fraudulent this feels four years ago.)

Democrats, you want Biden gone as your nominee? Convince Jill she’s not only turning her husband into an international joke, she’s turning into a movie villain.

CNN “Speechless” Over Trump Gains Among Black Voters

“Holy cow! Holy cow! Look at this!” exclaimed CNN data geek Henry Enton. New polling shows Joe Biden’s support among black voters under the age of 50 has declined from 80% in 2020 to 37% today. “That lead has dropped by more than half,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m like, speechless!”

Not just speechless, but like speechless. That’s how big a deal it is.

Trump has jumped from 7% black support in 2020 to 21% now. Enton says if the polling is anywhere near correct, “We are careening towards a historic performance for a Republican presidential candidate, the likes of which we have not seen in SIX DECADES!”

Say What? Where’s Israel on That List?

The concerns about Biden aren’t just about the Big Guy being frail and appearing to be a few cookies short of a tray. It’s policy. Take for example, his treatment of Israel. In an effort to shore up support among Muslims in Michigan and to sooth the savages that show up everywhere he goes, he undercuts our closest friend in the Middle East, sometimes in cruel ways. 

David Friedman spotted this one. The White House on Tuesday put out a fact sheet titled “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” in conjunction with an event hosted by Kamala Harris. The fact sheet mentions violence committed against women in Ukraine, Haiti, Congo, South Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Sri Lanka … but astonishingly, not Israel. Video footage of Hamas raping, sexually assaulting, torturing, maiming, and abusing Israeli women on October 7 and beyond – as a weapon of war — has been seen all over the world. It’s kind of hard to miss unless you are deliberately blinding yourself.

It’s also about competence.

HHS Inspector General: Government Worsens Baby Formula Crisis

Through mismanagement, dysfunction, and delay, the FDA made the 2022 nationwide baby formula crisis worse, the HHS Inspector General has concluded. Health Care and Financial Services Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) revealed the report in a statement Monday, saying, “This audit confirms testimony by multiple former FDA officials before the subcommittee that the FDA’s failure to heed whistleblower warnings, failure to conduct adequate inspections, and slow responsiveness had serious implications.”

McClain vowed the House Oversight Committee would ensure the FDA shaped up.

Kudos to Morgan Freeman

Oscar winner Morgan Freeman has no use for Black History Month. He recently told Variety, “I detest it. The mere idea of it. You are going to give me the shortest month in a year? And you are going to celebrate ‘my’ history?! This whole idea makes my teeth itch. It’s not right.

“My history is American history. It’s the one thing in this world I am interested in, beyond making money, having a good time, and getting enough sleep.”

Timely words from Mr. Freeman. 

In 1990, Freeman gave a stunning performance in the Civil War drama Glory. He played Sgt. Major John Rawlins, a member of the 54th Massachusetts, the first black regiment to see action in the Civil War.

Will anyone who has ever seen the film forget Rawlins and other soldiers sharing their hearts on the eve of the ill-fated Battle of Fort Wagner while singing “Oh, My Lord”?

Tomorrow is Juneteenth, the commemoration of the day in 1865 when the final slaves in the American South learned they were free — thanks, in part, to the efforts of black soldiers like those in the 54th Massachusetts.

To commemorate that event, Al’s Afternoon Tea will be going to the tiny town of Benedict, Maryland, which played a major role in training “colored troops” to fight on the Union side. I hope you’ll join me for that.

On the Stream Menu

Another treat for you tomorrow: John Zmirak takes over barista duties on The Brew!

Meanwhile, he’s dropped a mind-blower this afternoon: “Preborn Is the New Black, and In Vitro Fertilization Is the New Atlantic Slave Trade.”

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Like the article? Share it with your friends! And use our social media pages to join or start the conversation! Find us on Facebook, X, Instagram, MeWe and Gab.

Inspiration
The Good Life
Katherine Wolf
More from The Stream
Recommended
More

Equipping Christians to Engage Culture

Connect with Us