Joe Battenfeld: Democrats fall for Biden's non-pardon promise, and other whoppers of 2024

Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald on Dec 4, 2024

Published in Op Eds

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Donald Trump’s remarkable return to the White House tops the list of major stories of 2024 but what about all those hyped non-stories that fell with a thud?

Like Joe Biden promising not to pardon his son Hunter.

Did anyone really believe the enfeebled Biden would send Hunter to jail? The self-righteous mainstream media and gullible Democrats swallowed this whopper all year, calling it a testament to the president’s belief in the justice system.

“Joe Biden’s character as a public servant is what drove him to make clear that the law applies to everyone,” former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki gushed in June. “Because the justice system that convicted his only surviving son is the same justice system he vowed to protect. If that doesn’t tell you who Joe Biden is, I don’t really know what does.”

Turns out Biden not only pardoned Hunter for gun and tax convictions, but also for any other crimes he may have committed in the last decade, including corruption allegations like his Ukraine dealings that Republicans planned to investigate.

Biden is truly a disgrace. Hunter’s blanket pardon is his lasting legacy.

But what do you expect from a man who vowed repeatedly to stay on the ticket, only to reverse course when threatened by Nancy Pelosi?

Biden’s pardon “shocker” only confirms what everyone knows: that the Justice Department, as Trump says, has become completely weaponized and politicized.

Here’s another 2024 whopper: Vice President Kamala Harris making another bid for president in 2028.

Yes, believe it or not, some clueless Democratic strategists are already touting Harris as the leading contender in four years despite her embarrassing electoral landslide defeat in November.

Harris herself has been behind this ridiculous effort, telling advisers to “keep her options open” to run for the White House again or even for California governor in two years, according to Politico.

“I am staying in the fight,” Harris has been telling people in phone calls from her “vacation,” in Hawaii.

The only thing Harris will be doing over the next few months is certifying that Trump won the election. If she gets over that humiliating task, she will likely fade from view as soon as possible.

But not according to her deluded supporters.

“There will be a desire to hear her voice, and there won’t be a vacuum for long,” a person close to Harris told Politico.

What nonsense. Four years after America soundly rejected her, she’s going to be the nominee again? If that’s true, Democrats are in worse shape than we thought.

Another non-story of the year: Josh Kraft running for mayor.

The son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been getting a lot of ink lately from some salivating media supporters telling us he is seriously considering challenging Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in 2025.

We’re still waiting for his announcement.

That’s because Kraft, who is trying to position himself as a progressive, does not stand a chance of beating liberal hero Wu and if Wu doesn’t run next year, he would likely face City Councilors Ed Flynn and Ruthzee Louijeune, among others.

Kraft would likely be the perfect rich white carpetbagger for Ruthzee to trounce. Even Ed Flynn, who is appealing to moderates and conservatives, would be a formidable opponent for Kraft, a political novice. Perhaps he should aim lower, like for a seat on the City Council clown show, before he runs for mayor.

Yet another hyped story we’ve heard about all year is Diana DiZoglio and her quest to audit the Legislature.

Yes, the voters approved the referendum but it’s also never going to happen. Legislative leaders have vowed to go to court to block it, and they seem to have a decent chance of winning.

All DiZoglio is doing is building a campaign for governor. The Legislature is a perfect foil for her but also do not underestimate Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano. They are preparing to thwart the voters’ will once again and will succeed.

A few other nonsense stories of 2024: The abortion issue winning the election for Democrats, and locking up Donald Trump in prison.

None of that happened, of course, despite the media spending months telling everyone that Democrats would win the election on the backs of abortion rights and lawfare.

Both of those strategies failed miserably, and now Trump is on the way to the White House.

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