Biden Won't Relent on Afghanistan, But Media Wants Him To
The David Pakman Show - September 1, 2021
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War-Thirsty Media Almost Demanding Another War
The United States has officially ended the longest war in its history with the final troops clearing out of Afghanistan yesterday. President Biden addressed the nation to explain his decision to end the war and posed the following question to his critics: “to those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, ‘What is the vital national interest?’” Even though polling data has shown for a long time that it’s time for America to get out of the Middle East, members of the media haven’t seemed so pleased with Biden’s decision. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a press conference yesterday and one reporter asked her, “does the president envision any situation in which he might deploy a large amount of US troops abroad under his presidency?” The fact that the default solution to conflict for this reporter is extensive military presence goes to show there needs to be a paradigm shift when it comes to US foreign policy. Another reporter told Psaki that Biden seemed angry in his speech to the American public, asking “who’s he mad at?” This pushback from the media was predictable, as conflicts tend to drive ratings. Now, we’re witnessing the media try to get the last play it can out of the twenty-year war in Afghanistan before having to move on to the next topic.
Trump Softball Fox Interview STILL Goes Horribly Wrong
Donald Trump did an interview with Stuart Varney on Fox Business and came across as clueless as ever speaking on the big issues of the day. The two spoke about Afghanistan, as yesterday Biden announced the end of the twenty-year conflict in the region. Trump attempted to blame the Taliban’s takeover on Joe Biden, even though the same result would almost certainly have happened if Trump pulled out US troops in May under his timeline. The former president knew the withdrawal could get dicey and that’s why he avoided doing it during his first term and chose instead to wait until after the 2020 election to make any moves. Trump then went on to disparage some military members, saying “we have great generals but they’re not the television generals . . . who I think have made fools out of themselves and out of our country.” Trump then called on Biden to apologize for the tumultuous withdrawal and for looking at his watch while receiving caskets of Marines killed in the Kabul airport attack last week. The ex-president can nitpick all he wants, but ultimately he lost to Biden because people trusted the direction in which the new president promised to take the country. Finally getting the US out of Afghanistan was a crucial step forward and a promise fulfilled by President Biden.
From yesterday’s show:
Why Joe Biden's Approval Rating is ACTUALLY Collapsing
Joe Biden’s approval rating has been dipping lately and many people argue it’s because of the US’s tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan. While we may see his number dwindle even more in the coming days and weeks, so far the decline cannot be attributed to the situation in Afghanistan because the timeline doesn’t square up. According to FiveThirtyEight, Biden’s job approval rating currently sits at 47.3%, with 46.9% disapproving. This is down from an approval rating in the mid-50s during much of his first six months in office. The decline began for Biden in late July, and because polling data takes a couple of weeks to get released, this means his numbers started to trend downwards in mid-July. At that point in time, the situation in Afghanistan had not flared up yet. Biden’s lower approval rating could, at this point, be more easily attributed to this rise in COVID cases across the country in what has become a fourth wave of the virus in the United States. Another reason Biden’s approval rating is down now from the start of his presidency, is the “honeymoon” period presidents tend to enjoy at the beginning of their term has now ended for Biden. There is often a sentiment of giving the new person a fair shot, but people become less charitable as time goes on. This is all important context to consider when people argue that Biden’s numbers are down simply because of the drawdown in Afghanistan.
From yesterday’s show:
OOPS: Jim Jordan Suddenly Remembers Another Call with Trump
Republican Congressman Jim Jordan suddenly remembers another phone call he had with Donald Trump on January 6th. Back in July, Jordan admitted he did have a phone call with Trump on the day of the riots, but he couldn’t remember whether it happened before, during, or after the Capitol insurrection. We now have a new declaration from Jordan who told Politico, “look, I definitely spoke to the president that day. I don’t recall — I know it was more than once, I just don’t recall the times.” It took a while to get Jordan to admit to having just one phone call and now the total is up to two, making the situation sound even more suspicious. In the talk with Politico, Jordan was asked about Matt Gaetz and whether he was on the call as well. Jordan didn’t answer yes or no, claiming January 6th was a hectic day so he can’t remember whether or not Gaetz was on the call. All of this wreaks of someone trying to get their story straight ahead of an investigation. While it’s unlikely that Jordan would ever be implicated as a conspirator in the riots, the more connected to the events he sounds, the worse he’s going to look.
More on the show:
--President Joe Biden confirms, in no uncertain terms, that we are out of Afghanistan, period, full stop
--Florida's bogus "decline" in COVID deaths explained
--Radical Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn threatens "bloodshed" if elections remain "rigged"
--More anti-maskers and antivaxxers humiliate themselves at school board and municipal meetings around the country
--An anti-mask fight breaks out on live television outside a school board meeting
--Anti-vaccine "influencer" Jasmine Clifford has been charged with selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards on Instagram
--The Eggman leaves a voicemail challenging David's empathy for the children of antivaxxers who die of COVID, asking whether we should feel bad for Hitler's kids, even though Hitler did not have kids
--On the Bonus Show: German Chancellor Angela Merkel stepping down, court backs teacher's refusal to use transgender pronouns, Idaho activates National Guard over COVID surge, much more...
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