President Barack Obama gestures during a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, Aug. 27, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Exactly who is Joe Biden? Kimberley Strassel argues in the WSJ that Biden’s bunker strategy and the media’s Wiffleball queries have left voters clueless as to where Biden stands. Furthermore, Biden, who so far has avoided answering basic questions, merely has to remain upright for the media to declare that JB “won” the debate.
The former vice president was long known as a capable debater, and he’s supposedly spent much of the past month prepping. Americans deserve to know exactly what they are signing up for in this election. And these questions are the bare minimum of understanding what a Biden presidency would be like.
- Hunter Biden. Joe Biden wants this election to be about character. Fair enough, but that requires addressing the ethical swamp that was his son’s business during the Biden vice presidency. As a new Senate report makes clear, the candidate’s son was cashing in. The vice president was warned and did nothing about it. Will this kind of influence-peddling be the norm in a Biden presidency?
- The Supreme Court. Biden in June said he was compiling a shortlist of black women for the high court, and that he’d release it after further “vetting.” He now refuses, saying such a list could subject his picks to “attacks.” Mr. Trump has been entirely open about his vision for the court, and the names on his list have withstood scrutiny. Doesn’t Mr. Biden have a similar obligation to transparency, especially as he says the 2020 winner should fill the seat vacated by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI spent 2016-17 investigating a GOP political campaign, using tactics that were condemned by the Justice Department inspector general and are now the subject of a U.S. attorney’s investigation. How briefed was Vice President Biden on this probe? Why did he personally unmask Mike Flynn? Does he agree with the inspector general that these tactics were wrong? Should the public fear a Biden FBI will also investigate Mr. Biden’s political opponents?
- Political Norms. Biden talks about Mr. Trump’s norm-breaking, and he has a point. Will he call out his own party’s norm-breaking? Will he oppose abolishing the Senate filibuster? Will he oppose court-packing? Will he acknowledge the damage of politicized impeachment proceedings?
- The Economy, Spending. By one count, Mr. Biden has pledged some $11 trillion in new spending over a decade. Yet his tax proposal will raise only one-third this amount. Where’s the rest, and does he truly propose adding further to a spiraling deficit? Meanwhile, his tax proposal (the largest permanent increase since World War II) and the regulatory regime would impose new costs on companies and families reeling from shutdowns. Spending doesn’t equal jobs. So how, specifically, does Joe intend to revive the economy?
- Energy. Biden insists his fracking ban would apply solely to public lands. How does he reconcile that with past promises to get rid of all fracking? Where does he stand on coal? Does he acknowledge that his plan for net-zero carbon emissions, by necessity, requires the elimination of most fracking and coal jobs?
- Administration. Biden ran as a moderate but has made significant concessions to retain progressive support. What will his cabinet look like? Will he return to Obama-era familiars? Or will we see Secretaries Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Ilhan Omar?
- Religious Liberty. Biden speaks often of his Catholic faith, attempting outreach to religious voters. How does he square this pitch with his promises to roll back religious freedoms, like ending conscience protections for nuns and other religious employers?
- Health. Biden would be the oldest president ever, and even some Democrats express concern about his mental acuity. Will he provide comprehensive medical records to assure voters of his fitness for office?
