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JANUARY 12, 2023
Meyerson on TAP
The Biden Documents 'Scandal'
There's no equivalence between l'affaire Biden documents and
l'affaire Trump
****documents-but politically, that may not matter so much.
The main difference between the Biden and Trump document discoveries, of
course, is that the Biden documents were discovered and reported to the
Justice Department by Biden's own lawyers, while the Trump documents
were requested by the National Archives, and after Trump's refusal to
produce them, found by the FBI over the objections of Trump and his
lawyers.
That's obviously a huge difference, but how much of a difference that
will make in the politics of the next six months-or, alas,
longer-remains to be seen.
The Biden discoveries come at the very moment that House Republicans are
gearing up for their public inquisitions of Hunter Biden and whoever and
whatever else they think can enable them to make hay. One potential
saving grace is that if they decide to request or even subpoena
testimony from Biden for his unknowing possession of these documents,
they'll be obliged by public opinion to do the same for Trump, whose
possession may not have been quite so unknowing. Regardless, the Biden
document "scandal" will likely top Fox News for many months-and if
Biden chooses to run for re-election, as he has reportedly decided to
do, perhaps every night between now and Election Day 2024.
The question isn't whether it will further enrage the Republican
enragees-and, lest there be any doubt, you really can't be a
Republican today unless you're an enragee-but whether swing voters
will downgrade their already dubious assessment of the current
president. Even if they don't believe there was anything nefarious in
Biden's unknowing possession of these documents, it may confirm their
perception of Biden as an aged duffer who isn't in control of things
he should be in control of. Count on the smarter Republicans to make
that argument, too, since it would help them even if swing voters
don't believe, as the MAGA base does, that Biden's document
possession was part of a satanic plot. Democrats will have to work very
hard to lift whatever veil of suspicion hangs over Biden's intentions
**and** his capabilities.
In sum, the odds on Biden's re-election have just gotten a little
steeper, which may cause Democrats who've decided not to seek the
presidency in 2024-that's pretty much everyone but Biden-to hold
open the possibility of running in the unlikely event that Biden decides
not to give it a go. Since today's news is unlikely to deter him,
however, this means that there's yet another hill he'll have to
climb to continue his White House tenure.
So: Not good news.
~ HAROLD MEYERSON
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Inflation in an Unequal World Economy
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How the Fed's policies are doubly perverse for the Global South BY
C.P. CHANDRASEKHAR & JAYATI GHOSH
John Deere Says Farmers Can Fix Their Own Tractors-Sometimes
<[link removed]>
It cuts a deal with a farmers' group to forestall legislation
requiring it to stop compelling farmers to come to Deere for all their
repairs. BY LUKE GOLDSTEIN
States Should Celebrate the FTC's Noncompete Ban ... and Then Pass
Their Own
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To guard against a Republican rollback, states can act to protect worker
freedoms. BY MICHAEL SWERDLOW
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