October 3rd 2022
Biden’s Biggest Gaffe Yet // Kamala Harris in Hot Water // Kiwifarms back online
Biden’s Biggest Gaffe Yet
Political gaffes are such a strange phenomenon. Flubbed lines, publicity stunts gone wrong, or just random happenstance provide pundits with apparent evidence that some universal power is trying to reveal a breakdown in the political machine. In 1990, British Agriculture Minister, John Gummer, tried to reassure the public that British Beef was not tainted with Mad Cow Disease by feeding a burger to his young daughter. At the photo op, the young girl turned her head away from the burger being brandished by her father. For the British press, this innocent act acquired greater meaning - a sign that not even a child was buying the government’s assurances that British Beef was “Safe”. In 2016, the US Libertarian Party presidential nominee, Gary Johnson, appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. In the Interview, Johnson was asked what he would do, if elected president, about Aleppo - the city centred by US Media coverage of the Syrian war. Johnson infamously responded with, “What is Aleppo?”. Johnson’s gaffe made it appear that Libertarians, in general, were stupid and completely out of touch with modern political issues. Furthermore, Johnson’s gaffe made being a Libertarian really uncool - at a time when the alt-right was gaining popularity, and people were earnestly exploring Objectivism and debating the merits of privately owned roads.
Last week, President Joe Biden seemingly forgot that Indiana Congresswoman, Jackie Walorski, died in August following a car crash. During a speech at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, Biden asked, "Jackie, are you here? Where's Jackie?", apparently looking to compliment the Congresswoman for being one of a handful of Republicans to sign a bill which funded the event. White House Press Security, Karine Jean-Pierre, did little to positively spin the gaffe, repeatedly claiming that Congresswoman Walorski was “top of mind” for the President, prompting at least one exacerbated sigh from the gathered press. Online pundits have flocked around Biden’s gaffe as further confirmation of the President’s cognitive frailty, with some even suggesting that midterm election victory for the Republicans could see the 25th Amendment being invoked. Going beyond party politics, many of the narratives typically revolve around the apparent juxtaposition between 2020, where Biden was portrayed as a stable, smart and secure political leader and 2022, where Biden is seen to be trying to communicate with dead politicians.
Kamala Harris in Hot Water
Vice President Kamala Harris also has also sparked controversy this weekend by suggesting that responses to natural disasters should prioritise communities of colour and include the equitable distribution of resources. This has largely been interpreted as: federal funds to support those impacted by Hurricane Ian will overlook white people. Such an interpretation has not been helped by reports which seemingly take Harris’