There is no doubt something utterly final and declarative about what is chiseled on a tombstone, particularly if there is a quotation and especially if it is original. Presidents share the experience of speaking and writing millions of words so it is always interesting to see what it is that they ultimately choose to be final, declarative and enduring. I don’t know if I believe the words below are true. They are an expression of belief, faith, optimism and conviction, but not fact. Certainly the man who spoke them believed them true. Yet, his life’s experience was not representative of every life experienced.
I'll start off simply by saying that Hunter Biden has had a very tough life. Lost his mother and sister in a car accident. Then lost his brother to illness. Did that bring on drug addiction? Maybe. Probably. Did that drug addiction bring on further issues like a gun and not paying his taxes. Yes, is the only answer to that. He recovered from addiction, paid his taxes with interest and penalties and got rid of the gun. His legal penalty I believe, like Steve was way over the top for this or these crimes. The republicans who have gone after him in order to stain his father have no morals, but we all know that already. After months of trying to tie Joe Biden to his son and then to criminal activity has come to nothing after all these months. Do they stop? No, they continue not because they think there is something there anymore because they have found nothing, it is to continue to pump money. Continue to try to take down Joe Biden with no facts. At this point I would usually just say "sad" but not this time. This really pisses me off. A year or so ago I decided I have to do something more than just donate to the cause, so I joined my town's review board then recently joined the town's Democratic committee to try to help in a more intellectual and physical way. It's made me feel better, and I suggest to all to do the same. Try it, you will not be disappointed.
Agreed. As someone who is adopted, I can vouch that DNA does not a family make. Biden does not know this child, and we don’t know the reasons behind it. Leave it alone.
Some time back you discussed how DJT can locate and exploit any psychological vulnerabilities. In this case Biden’s supposed weakness is his family. So we whack at the most vulnerable member, Hunter. Recovering addicts, be they drugs, alcohol, gambling, whatever, need support. On some occasions they need to be close to the family. In others it may be a support group. The goal is a caring community to be with the recovering addict they can draw on for support
The grandchild is a family dynamic that is not ours to opine. There may be decisions to which we are not privy.
You had me until you started opining on the 4 yo child. This is HER story, and her story alone, to tell when she gets older, should she chose. The fact her name is invoked in a political game is disgusting. No one has any idea what the Biden's have done or plan to do for her. Publicly acknowledging her now, when the vultures are attacking, would only open her up for further exploitation and potential harassment. I just do not understand why you went there..
Had to read that sentence three times. Not only uncharacteristic for Steve to call out a little girl but to insinuate that she is “unfinished business”. Huh?
The vile, greedy, attention-seeking mother of Navy Biden has thrust her into this narrative. This is the mother who thought she needed - and received - $30,000 a month in child support. She now gets $20,000 a MONTH, for God's sake, and $500,000 in art to compensate for the reduced child support; this is the mother who posed her child in front of the Lincoln Memorial for publicity. Of course she wants her daughter to carry the Biden name; there's a president attached to it. She is a despicable woman, IMHO. The maternal grandparents (Trump supporters, and apparently hunting buddies with Trump,Jr., for what it's worth) state that Navy is a well-loved happy child. Why is her mother creating this shit show for her? Her mother certainly shares equal responsibility for the creation of this little person, and she did it knowing she would raise her as a single parent. She made that choice. I think it's asking a lot, especially for the senior Biden family, to now embrace Navy as a grandchild. They know the score obviously. What they choose to do is none of our business, and whatever Hunter decides to do, and for whatever reasons, is not for us to judge.
Interesting that jr. has an interest in this woman and the child. Feels like the Rittenhouse op. Most importantly this whole thing is designed to have us attacking each other as well.
I doubt the President denies he has seven grandkids as opposed to six. Family dynamics are the most personal and confusing of all, and it's no ones place to discuss any publicly except their own.
I didn’t see the part where he only mentioned six grandkids, did I miss it? And I don’t see how any if this is our business, and making it so only makes us more like the MAGA cretins doing the same thing. And whatever Biden says will be twisted and mocked by them. It’s a private family matter and neither Hunter nor the little girl is a public figure.
You write beautifully about the grace we should be extending to Hunter Biden rather than the disgusting vitriol and judgement constantly spewed at him by his father’s political opponents. It’s indeed shameful and repugnant. That said, WE cannot, in turn, judge a situation we only understand at face value. With everything we know about Joe Biden’s enormous love and support for his family, we also know that there must be enormous heartbreak for him regarding Hunter’s daughter. We have absolutely no idea what’s going on behind closed doors. Let’s not judge what we don’t understand.
I sat with this a bit. I am a strong advocate of being pro-it is none of your business. Millions of people deal with addiction and life choices of their own, parents, siblings and children. It is not always a pretty picture, I would say rarely is it. But, people do strive to carry on, to make corrections, to try. That is what we should celebrate. Through the process decisions are made that are for the best at that time. We need too honor this by letting it be. We have enough to do just focusing on ourselves and our own families.
The Bidens are not a 2-dimensional family. We will never be privy to the layers of stories that make up the Bidens' lives. Unfortunately, gop only wants the 2-dimensional image , cause it's all about the image, the appearance, the sound byte. All families and their relationships are multifaceted and complex. A 4 year old girl's life is being used as a game piece. That is wrong. It's the only judgment I'm ok with.
Soon we will surely see Navy Joan, her immediate family, family friends, fellow church goers, et al brought to D.C. to testify before God only knows how many House Committee hearings. Certainly, Jordan and Comer are looking to exploit them to further their Biden “investigations” Considering the twisted priorities in the House of Representatives, it may require whole new sets of hearings. These private matters need not be opined upon by Steve, Maureen Dowd (who devoted her whole Sunday column to it) or any of us. Too late now, this ship has sailed.
Maureen Dowd's piece appalled and angered me. She had absolutely no business writing it.... And to top it off it was meant to be sensationalized and filled with her self- righteous condemnation. Disgusting and harmful to all parties.
Likewise. I was gobsmacked. It was the first I’d read anything about it: no context, no background, zilch from Ms. Dowd. And, I still haven’t found any reporting on this from a reliable source. Of course, many Maga and right wing have weighed in with the predictable outrage and righteousness.
And yes MAGA's will be all over this with their phony outrage. The one I feel sorriest for is that little girl. Proof it pays to know with whom you are creating a new life.
I was also appalled that Maureen Dowd wrote this opinion. It is absolutely none of her business. My guess is that there is much more of a back story than is known.
One of the best lessons for any parent to teach their children is: The consequences of your decisions are yours. Your parents will not save you from them, but you will never go it alone. We will stand behind, support and guide you. Our job is to help you learn from your mistakes.
I was totally with you until you got to the part about the little girl. It is none of our business how the Biden family handles its private matters, and because it's a private matter we don't have all the facts.
I had a different reply all ready to go..then I read several replies from others.. I remembered how Jeff Tiedrich remarked about this in his post from yesterday and I thought..not my place, none of my business..Enough said..
Thank you Steve for this post. It rang true in my ears because Hunter Biden's story with drugs and alcohol is my story. I see the connective tissue of his struggles and family turmoil and feel the anguish It caused. It is not easy recovering from addiction but it is a hell of a lot simpler than being actively addicted. When you are in the throws of addiction you can see no way out. There are no solutions when the drug or alcohol courses through your veins. It is only after putting down your drug of choice and getting supervised help through AA can you truly start to put your life back together. It is a slow process and a growing experience rebuilding a life. There are many people who you have harmed. Some will forgive you out of love and some will never forgive you. Those are the ones who fill my nightmares during sleepless nights. Everyone makes mistakes but when you make mistakes while under the influence, it complicates your troubles 10 fold.
As you so eloquently put it, it's none of our business. The people who seek to paint Hunter Biden as some grifting, low life drug addict only serve to show their pettiness. Because they support trump, who is the true grifter, they must have someone who they can bring down to trump's level. This is nothing more than a tit-for-tat attempt to equate Hunter with trump.
I'll start off simply by saying that Hunter Biden has had a very tough life. Lost his mother and sister in a car accident. Then lost his brother to illness. Did that bring on drug addiction? Maybe. Probably. Did that drug addiction bring on further issues like a gun and not paying his taxes. Yes, is the only answer to that. He recovered from addiction, paid his taxes with interest and penalties and got rid of the gun. His legal penalty I believe, like Steve was way over the top for this or these crimes. The republicans who have gone after him in order to stain his father have no morals, but we all know that already. After months of trying to tie Joe Biden to his son and then to criminal activity has come to nothing after all these months. Do they stop? No, they continue not because they think there is something there anymore because they have found nothing, it is to continue to pump money. Continue to try to take down Joe Biden with no facts. At this point I would usually just say "sad" but not this time. This really pisses me off. A year or so ago I decided I have to do something more than just donate to the cause, so I joined my town's review board then recently joined the town's Democratic committee to try to help in a more intellectual and physical way. It's made me feel better, and I suggest to all to do the same. Try it, you will not be disappointed.
Beautifully written! Until Navy Joan. You JUST wrote, “who am I to judge”. This is a very private family issue. Leave it.
Agreed. As someone who is adopted, I can vouch that DNA does not a family make. Biden does not know this child, and we don’t know the reasons behind it. Leave it alone.
Thank you. Not our call
Exactly what I was going to say; it’s a personal family matter. End of story.
Some time back you discussed how DJT can locate and exploit any psychological vulnerabilities. In this case Biden’s supposed weakness is his family. So we whack at the most vulnerable member, Hunter. Recovering addicts, be they drugs, alcohol, gambling, whatever, need support. On some occasions they need to be close to the family. In others it may be a support group. The goal is a caring community to be with the recovering addict they can draw on for support
The grandchild is a family dynamic that is not ours to opine. There may be decisions to which we are not privy.
This exactly!
You had me until you started opining on the 4 yo child. This is HER story, and her story alone, to tell when she gets older, should she chose. The fact her name is invoked in a political game is disgusting. No one has any idea what the Biden's have done or plan to do for her. Publicly acknowledging her now, when the vultures are attacking, would only open her up for further exploitation and potential harassment. I just do not understand why you went there..
Had to read that sentence three times. Not only uncharacteristic for Steve to call out a little girl but to insinuate that she is “unfinished business”. Huh?
The vile, greedy, attention-seeking mother of Navy Biden has thrust her into this narrative. This is the mother who thought she needed - and received - $30,000 a month in child support. She now gets $20,000 a MONTH, for God's sake, and $500,000 in art to compensate for the reduced child support; this is the mother who posed her child in front of the Lincoln Memorial for publicity. Of course she wants her daughter to carry the Biden name; there's a president attached to it. She is a despicable woman, IMHO. The maternal grandparents (Trump supporters, and apparently hunting buddies with Trump,Jr., for what it's worth) state that Navy is a well-loved happy child. Why is her mother creating this shit show for her? Her mother certainly shares equal responsibility for the creation of this little person, and she did it knowing she would raise her as a single parent. She made that choice. I think it's asking a lot, especially for the senior Biden family, to now embrace Navy as a grandchild. They know the score obviously. What they choose to do is none of our business, and whatever Hunter decides to do, and for whatever reasons, is not for us to judge.
Interesting that jr. has an interest in this woman and the child. Feels like the Rittenhouse op. Most importantly this whole thing is designed to have us attacking each other as well.
Oh, btw, where did you see or hear that Don jr is maternal grandparents hunting buddies? I haven’t seen such detailed information. Thanks.
Meant to show the link to the article thy posted. But inadvertently put it in the wrong spot.
So easy to do. These threads are a little messy. Where might it be?
Check the thread because you can see it there.
I doubt the President denies he has seven grandkids as opposed to six. Family dynamics are the most personal and confusing of all, and it's no ones place to discuss any publicly except their own.
I didn’t see the part where he only mentioned six grandkids, did I miss it? And I don’t see how any if this is our business, and making it so only makes us more like the MAGA cretins doing the same thing. And whatever Biden says will be twisted and mocked by them. It’s a private family matter and neither Hunter nor the little girl is a public figure.
Thanks. I thought it was me - I missed it too.
You write beautifully about the grace we should be extending to Hunter Biden rather than the disgusting vitriol and judgement constantly spewed at him by his father’s political opponents. It’s indeed shameful and repugnant. That said, WE cannot, in turn, judge a situation we only understand at face value. With everything we know about Joe Biden’s enormous love and support for his family, we also know that there must be enormous heartbreak for him regarding Hunter’s daughter. We have absolutely no idea what’s going on behind closed doors. Let’s not judge what we don’t understand.
I sat with this a bit. I am a strong advocate of being pro-it is none of your business. Millions of people deal with addiction and life choices of their own, parents, siblings and children. It is not always a pretty picture, I would say rarely is it. But, people do strive to carry on, to make corrections, to try. That is what we should celebrate. Through the process decisions are made that are for the best at that time. We need too honor this by letting it be. We have enough to do just focusing on ourselves and our own families.
Wise words, imho.
The Bidens are not a 2-dimensional family. We will never be privy to the layers of stories that make up the Bidens' lives. Unfortunately, gop only wants the 2-dimensional image , cause it's all about the image, the appearance, the sound byte. All families and their relationships are multifaceted and complex. A 4 year old girl's life is being used as a game piece. That is wrong. It's the only judgment I'm ok with.
Soon we will surely see Navy Joan, her immediate family, family friends, fellow church goers, et al brought to D.C. to testify before God only knows how many House Committee hearings. Certainly, Jordan and Comer are looking to exploit them to further their Biden “investigations” Considering the twisted priorities in the House of Representatives, it may require whole new sets of hearings. These private matters need not be opined upon by Steve, Maureen Dowd (who devoted her whole Sunday column to it) or any of us. Too late now, this ship has sailed.
Maureen Dowd's piece appalled and angered me. She had absolutely no business writing it.... And to top it off it was meant to be sensationalized and filled with her self- righteous condemnation. Disgusting and harmful to all parties.
It enraged me when I saw it.
Likewise. I was gobsmacked. It was the first I’d read anything about it: no context, no background, zilch from Ms. Dowd. And, I still haven’t found any reporting on this from a reliable source. Of course, many Maga and right wing have weighed in with the predictable outrage and righteousness.
Here is one link
And yes MAGA's will be all over this with their phony outrage. The one I feel sorriest for is that little girl. Proof it pays to know with whom you are creating a new life.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/05/01/hunter-biden-paternity-case-arkansas-judge-orders-presidents-son-to-answer-questions-about-finances/
Second Story
https://nyti.ms/3JEg2fE
I was also appalled that Maureen Dowd wrote this opinion. It is absolutely none of her business. My guess is that there is much more of a back story than is known.
One of the best lessons for any parent to teach their children is: The consequences of your decisions are yours. Your parents will not save you from them, but you will never go it alone. We will stand behind, support and guide you. Our job is to help you learn from your mistakes.
I was totally with you until you got to the part about the little girl. It is none of our business how the Biden family handles its private matters, and because it's a private matter we don't have all the facts.
Leave it alone.
I had a different reply all ready to go..then I read several replies from others.. I remembered how Jeff Tiedrich remarked about this in his post from yesterday and I thought..not my place, none of my business..Enough said..
Thank you Steve for this post. It rang true in my ears because Hunter Biden's story with drugs and alcohol is my story. I see the connective tissue of his struggles and family turmoil and feel the anguish It caused. It is not easy recovering from addiction but it is a hell of a lot simpler than being actively addicted. When you are in the throws of addiction you can see no way out. There are no solutions when the drug or alcohol courses through your veins. It is only after putting down your drug of choice and getting supervised help through AA can you truly start to put your life back together. It is a slow process and a growing experience rebuilding a life. There are many people who you have harmed. Some will forgive you out of love and some will never forgive you. Those are the ones who fill my nightmares during sleepless nights. Everyone makes mistakes but when you make mistakes while under the influence, it complicates your troubles 10 fold.
As you so eloquently put it, it's none of our business. The people who seek to paint Hunter Biden as some grifting, low life drug addict only serve to show their pettiness. Because they support trump, who is the true grifter, they must have someone who they can bring down to trump's level. This is nothing more than a tit-for-tat attempt to equate Hunter with trump.