Clearing the Air

In at least one respect, the Ukraine flap has put former Vice President Joe Biden in a pretty good position politically: he gets to play the “victim” in an effort by the President to sully his name in connection with the business Biden and his son Hunter had in that country, including Hunter Biden’s taking a board position in a gas company that was reportedly paying him $50,000 a month. On the campaign trail, his dad hasn’t had too much to say about it, but when he is questioned, he gets a little testy and throws the “corruption” label back on Mr. Trump. But that has its limits, even though it’s generally accepted that the Bidens have done nothing wrong.

Personally, I think it would be tactically useful, and refreshing, for Joe Biden – maybe even both Bidens - to call a nationally televised news conference, telling reporters, “OK, I’m here for an hour. Ask me anything you want about my involvement in Ukraine, and China too. There may be some limits on what I can say legally, but I’ll do my best.”

After this, of course, the fact-checkers would go to work, but at least the Bidens could say they welcomed questions about their activities. Then, they can move on. Joe Biden might have to respond to specific attacks from the Trump camp going forward, but at least he’d be able to say he didn’t deflect.

Some of what’s happening is just judgmental stuff, people saying, “Why does the younger Biden (who’s an attorney, by the way) get paid so much for a business in which he has no experience? He just has a famous last name!”  It’s partly the bias I call “wealthism.” People who aren’t making much money don’t usually like to see others making a lot, for what to the former looks like little effort. If some of Hunter Biden’s critics could find such a job, they would take it in a heartbeat. I would.

Shifting gears for a moment to the impeachment inquiry, I agree with some who say that the Democrats should consider more than one article of impeachment against Mr. Trump. Putting all their eggs in the Ukraine basket may fail. Certainly one might think there is plenty of other material available for additional articles.

As for those who say that impeachment is wasteful and that it will suck time and attention away from getting anything useful done in Washington for the next year, I’d say, get over it, it’s life in the big city with an election so close, and we might as well see the current melodrama play out. There will no doubt be big surprises along the way.