Biden Asserts He’s “Not Going Anywhere” Amidst Doubts About His Fitness for Office

In a defiant message delivered at a Fourth of July event at the White House, President Joe Biden declared, “I’m not going anywhere,” amidst growing concerns regarding his fitness to lead the nation. The statement, made while surrounded by thousands of American soldiers and their families, came as Biden faces mounting pressure from within his own party following a widely criticized performance in a recent debate.

Biden’s Fitness Under Scrutiny

Biden’s physical and mental fitness have been the subject of intense scrutiny since his faltering performance during the debate once morest his Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump. The debate, which saw Biden stumble over words and struggle to maintain his composure, reignited concerns regarding his age and his ability to handle the demands of the presidency.

Biden’s Public Assertions and Interviews

In an effort to quell these concerns, Biden has been making a concerted effort to appear in public and give interviews, aiming to signal to the public, Democrats, and financial backers that he remains fit to lead if he wins the upcoming election. He acknowledged his performance in the debate, stating to WAUK radio in Wisconsin, “It was a bad night for me… I know I messed up, I made mistakes, but I learned from my dad that when you get knocked down, you have to get back up once more.”

Concerns Within the Democratic Party

Though Biden has publicly asserted his commitment to the race, concerns within the Democratic Party have reached a fever pitch. Several prominent Democrats, including members of Congress and state governors, have raised questions regarding Biden’s ability to lead effectively, with some openly urging him to step down from the race.

Support for Biden from Key Democrats

However, despite the growing unease, Biden has received support from key Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his unwavering support, declaring, “I’m with Joe Biden,” and emphasizing Biden’s readiness to be president.

Polls Show Tight Race and Trump’s Popularity Surge

Multiple national and state polls have indicated a tightening race, with Trump’s popularity surging following the debate. The results suggest that the contest between Trump and Biden remains extremely close. These polls have further fueled the anxiety within the Democratic party, raising concerns regarding Biden’s ability to maintain his lead in the remaining months before the election.

Open Question: Biden’s Debate Performance

Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Democrat, acknowledged the legitimacy of the question as to whether Biden’s debate performance was an isolated incident or a reflection of something deeper. She shared that she has heard mixed reactions from Democratic donors regarding Biden’s ability to run for another term.

Political Analysts and the Close Race

ABC News, in an analysis of a national poll, recognized that while Biden’s approval ratings declined somewhat following the debate, the race remains extremely tight with four months to go until the election.

Moving Forward: Biden’s Campaign Strategy

Despite the mounting pressure and concerns, Biden’s campaign is pressing forward, aiming to counter the negative perceptions and maintain his momentum. Whether the party will remain united behind him as the election approaches remains to be seen. The next few weeks will likely be critical in determining the course of the campaign and Biden’s ability to overcome the doubts regarding his fitness to lead.

Thursday, 04/07/2024

The writer Sergio del Molino received today, Thursday, the medal of Santa Isabel de Portugal, the highest distinction awarded by the Provincial Council of Zaragoza. It was awarded to him by the president of the institution, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, in a solemn institutional ceremony in which the new Alfaguara novel prize winner claimed “respectful and intellectual curiosity regarding the lives of others.”

“There can be no literature, no public debate, no politics, no thought, and certainly no journalism, if we do not strive to understand others, no matter how different and strange they may appear to us, no matter how far removed we may be from their feelings and reasons,” said del Molino, who insisted on the need to “know what it feels like to be someone else in order to be able to speak better and be better understood.” “If there is anything in my work that is worth reading and appreciating, I owe it to my stubborn and obsessive drive to understand others. As a journalist, as a novelist and as an essayist, I have dedicated myself to nothing else,” he said.

Elaborating on this, del Molino explained that “the first mystery” he set out to clarify was his paternal grandfather’s “radical fondness” for Bubierca, the small municipality in the Community of Calatayud where he was born, from which he emigrated to Madrid and to which he returned whenever he might.

“If I am here today thanking for this medal, it is largely thanks to my grandfather,” explained the award winner. “In my effort to understand his attachment to Bubierca, I wrote one of my best books, ‘Lo que a nadie le importa’, and when I thought I understood his feeling towards the landscape, I began to write ‘La España vacía’, which is a tribute to all the Spaniards who lived discreetly and quietly, like the Jalón river as it passes through Bubierca, and whose lives seem to get lost in the circular time of eternal return. Literature has the power to rescue them, and I came to their rescue with my weapons as a writer.”

Furthermore, del Molino thanked the Provincial Council of Zaragoza for granting him the medal of Saint Elizabeth, which was approved unanimously by all political groups. “For someone of my ilk, so detached from homelands, both small and large, it is an honour as immense as it is unexpected to see himself recognised in his homeland”, he stressed. “Although I insist on feeling like a foreigner and taking distance, you have reminded me today that I am part of this land as my grandfather was in Bubierca. With the same stoic gesture and the same sly smile that we here call somarda. Therefore, allow me once once more to thank you for the compliment you give me with the greatest of gratitude”.

Regarding the figure of his grandfather, the writer has evoked him as “a man of roots, like so many Spaniards of his generation, that of rural exoduses.” “My grandfather lived almost all his life in the heart of Madrid without ever losing sight of the emptiness of his town. The two voids: those left in the countryside by the peasants who left, and the void that opened up in the souls of those peasants when they emigrated,” recalled del Molino.

“My grandfather was a man of roots, but I am not. My natural condition is to be a stranger. I feel like a foreigner and an intruder almost always. Here, now, speaking before you and receiving the generosity of the province in which I live, I also feel like a foreigner. That is why I was so interested in the figure of my grandfather, because it seemed strange to me that he had such a different temperament from my own. I wanted to understand the reasons for his attachment and the thousand-year-old attraction that Bubierca exerted on his children, because I have never felt anything like that for any place,” explained the award-winner, thus recounting the origin of his books ‘Lo que a nadie le importa’ and ‘La España vacía’.

40 years of Saint Elizabeth medals

As is tradition, the award ceremony for the medal of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal was held on July 4, the day of Saint Elizabeth, patron saint of the province of Zaragoza and the Provincial Council of Zaragoza. This award was created in 1984 under the presidency of Florencio Repollés Julve and is now 40 years old.

Sergio del Molino joins the list of writers and journalists who have received this award: Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, Jesús Moncada, Ildefonso Manuel Gil, José Luis Melero, Gervasio Sánchez, Alfonso Zapater, Miguel Mena… Among the personalities from the field of culture who have been awarded the medal are also names such as Joan Manuel Serrat, José Antonio Labordeta, Fernando Lázaro Carreter, Carlos Saura, Antonio Saura, Santiago Auserón, Guillermo Fatás, Agustín Sánchez Vidal and José Carlos Mainer.