Opinion: The elite code of silence around Biden has hamstrung Harris

If elected, Kamala Harris won’t be the first woman president — at least not according to some historians. That honor goes to Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson and de facto president for the final 17 months of his term.

Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke in early October 1919 and was incapacitated through the rest of his presidency. During that time, Bolling and Wilson’s physician, Dr. Cary Grayson, conspired to withhold the true state of the president’s health from Congress and the public. Bolling blocked access to the president by both staff and elected officials, deciding which papers Wilson would see. Although Mrs. Wilson denied that she was making decisions, only Bolling and the incapacitated Wilson were in the room with her.

President Joe Biden is not quite in Wilson’s condition. But the historic parallels are curious. Biden has appeared befuddled and hesitant, directed by aides, with Jill Biden speaking for him, prodding and prompting him in public. Interestingly, both Bolling and Jill Biden are second wives to widowers.

Given the history, one would think the doyens of American presidential history — people like Michael Beschloss, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Larry Sabato — would be omnipresent in the media on this topic. After all, none of them have ever been reticent about appearing on camera.

But no, just crickets.

It’s not that surprising. As part of the informal Washington political and media elite, Beschloss, Kearns Goodwin or Sabato are not going to put that membership at risk. And for the last four years, saying anything even remotely critical of Biden and the Democratic Party — anything that might possibly help former President Donald Trump — is a mortal sin.

Note that, despite claims by Biden partisans , the medical profession and the White House physician are not paragons of ethics and professionalism. Beginning with Wilson’s Dr. Grayson, there is an unsettling tradition of hiding the true health of the president. The tradition continued through the presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and now (probably) Biden — yet another piece of American history that Beschloss, Kearns Goodwin and Sabato have conveniently ignored.

Across the entire elitist establishment, a mafia-like “omerta” has prevailed. Trump is the enemy. Aside from Voldemort, Beelzebub or Roseanne Barr, Trump is the most toxic evil. As a result, Biden has enjoyed a free pass.

But that free pass did not extend to the voting public. Biden’s approval sank to negative territory in the wake of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Since then, it has been a bad news buffet for most voters. Inflation wrecked finances , raising home finance costs by as much as 80 percent, Russia invaded Ukraine and illegal immigration surged.

In the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel, it seems voters had had enough of Biden chaos and moved toward Trump, particularly in key swing states. Voters were reluctant to support Trump given his serial foolishness and inept messaging, but they were clearly rejecting Biden.

Instead of recognizing political reality along with the incompetence of the Biden administration, the D.C. elites doubled down on Biden, absurdly praising his wobbling presidency and maligning all critics. As for the clear signs of his mental deterioration, the elites angrily called out “ageism,” furiously attacking any criticism as bigotry.

The establishment media, the various establishment experts, wise men and women or exalted commentariat — none would dare call out Biden’s blunders, much less his falling polling numbers. And when polling guru Nate Silver (perhaps a probationary member of the elite) had the temerity to speak the truth, a virtual jihad was conducted against him and he was drummed out of the club.

After all those years of working the Washington party circuit, I guess Beschloss, Kearns Goodwin and Sabato were not about let that happen to them.

In the end it was all for nothing. Even worse, Biden’s free pass is likely to put Trump back in the White House.

Consider what could have happened if Biden had been subject to real scrutiny and fair criticism from the totems of the establishment. What if Biden had been pushed to drop out — or, better yet, resign in January?

Elevating Harris would have allowed her to be president in her own right. It’s unlikely she could have fixed much of anything the Biden administration screwed up, but it would have at least allowed her to engage in a profitable bit of scapegoating.

She could have blamed the border crisis on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — and fired him. Likewise for the incompetent Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan. She could have let them take the rap for the surprise attack on Israel and the mess in Ukraine. Harris could have played for time, fixing these very difficult problems.

After all, a round of firings and tough talk looks like leadership to the public — and that’s always a good thing.

The problem of not really being in charge is illustrated by Harris’s snit over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) not taking her phone calls about the approaching Hurricane Milton. Why should he take her calls? She’s not the president and hardly has standing to insert herself. She has no role, and never has in any previous hurricane. What does she have to offer?

Even worse, when Harris complained, trying to turn this into some kind of political gain, Biden (the actual president) contradicted her .

And that is just one example. Biden’s job approval remains underwater by more than 13 points. Harris has to tiptoe around his record. She cannot make a complete break, lest he or his staff stab her in the back. In contrast, on her own as president, she would be in a much better position to pick and choose what to own and what to disavow.

Further, Harris as president starting in January would have gained democratic legitimacy by winning the primaries, as opposed to the last-minute switcheroo that took place in July. She also would have had more practice with the press. Her months of hiding from the media, likely due to (reasonable) concern over her poor stage performance, have been a drag on her candidacy.

All the above is speculative counterfactual. Harris might have failed the test or not been resolute enough. But anything would have been better than propping up the decaying Biden.

If Trump does win, the failure to hold Biden accountable, expose his infirmities and inaugurate the first official woman president could prove to be a great historic counterfactual. Just don’t expect Beschloss, Kearns Goodwin or Sabato to write it. After all, nobody wants to be the villain of their own story.

Keith Naughton is co-founder of Silent Majority Strategies, a public and regulatory affairs consulting firm, and a former Pennsylvania political campaign consultant.

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