WEBVTT - The secrets of Joe Biden’s rapid decline

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<v Speaker 1>From the Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey.

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<v Speaker 1>It's Thursday May twenty twenty five. One of Australia's most

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<v Speaker 1>experienced Indigenous leaders says people who self identify as Aboriginal

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<v Speaker 1>are undermining First Nations leaders who work with established land councils.

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<v Speaker 1>Roy RC, a Morajuri man from New South Wales, says

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<v Speaker 1>some activists are determined to block resources and development projects

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<v Speaker 1>and are willing to displace genuine elders. High end family

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<v Speaker 1>cars could get cheaper as part of the Albanese government's

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<v Speaker 1>efforts to negotiate a trade deal with the European Union,

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<v Speaker 1>the government is examining lowering the luxury car tax, which

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<v Speaker 1>kicks in on new cars worth over about eighty thousand

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<v Speaker 1>dollars and raises more than a billion dollars a year.

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<v Speaker 1>Those stories alive now at the Australian dot com dot au.

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Biden has advanced prostate cancer, a diagnosis only revealed

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<v Speaker 1>after he unsuccessfully sought another four years as US president.

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<v Speaker 1>As revelations pour out about Biden's rapid cognitive decline while

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<v Speaker 1>in office, We're joined today by Foreign editor Greg Sheridan,

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<v Speaker 1>to ask, why are we only hearing the truth now?

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<v Speaker 1>Greg Sheridan is The Australian's Foreign editor and we're talking

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<v Speaker 1>today about Joe Biden's diagnosis of cancer. Of Course, as

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<v Speaker 1>is always the case in American politics, what seems at

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<v Speaker 1>first like a fairly simple story an old man is

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<v Speaker 1>diagnosed with cancer has sprouted all sorts of theories, from

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<v Speaker 1>conspiracies to blame shifting.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm surprised that the public wasn't notified a long time ago.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that if you take a look, it's the

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<v Speaker 2>same doctor that said that Joe was cognitively fine, there

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<v Speaker 2>was nothing wrong with him. Somebody is not telling the facts.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a big problem.

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<v Speaker 1>Greg, what was your reaction when you heard that Joe

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<v Speaker 1>Biden had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, of course, at the personal level, you would wish

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<v Speaker 3>mister Biden, well, you know, he's been a distinguished servant

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<v Speaker 3>of his nation. However, the American president is a human

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<v Speaker 3>being who has to be medically fit to serve, and

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<v Speaker 3>we're seeing now a whole plethora of books revealing the

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<v Speaker 3>fact that Biden was plainly unfit to serve. I mean

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<v Speaker 3>that was obvious to everyone who saw his debate with

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<v Speaker 3>Donald Trump. He was unfit across a whole range of

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<v Speaker 3>physical capabilities. There are stories that his doctors told him

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<v Speaker 3>his crippling arthritis of the spine would mean he'd spend

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<v Speaker 3>his second term in a wheelchair. He refused to take

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<v Speaker 3>any kind of cognitive test, but his cognitive decline was obvious.

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<v Speaker 3>There were stories he wouldn't have a cabinet meeting for

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<v Speaker 3>twelve months because he couldn't bear to face the cabinet secretaries.

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<v Speaker 3>And of course the special prosecutor found that you couldn't

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<v Speaker 3>prosecute him for mishandling government documents, which he did after

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<v Speaker 3>he was vice president, because he would present in the

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<v Speaker 3>court as an old man with a very feeble memory.

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<v Speaker 3>So now you have an advanced cancer diagnosis. On its face,

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<v Speaker 3>it looks as though this couldn't have just developed five

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<v Speaker 3>minutes ago, that there must have been some knowledge about

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<v Speaker 3>it earlier than the election. And by insisting on remaining

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<v Speaker 3>the candidate, he destroyed the Democrats chances in the presidential

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<v Speaker 3>election that was held last November.

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<v Speaker 1>Presidents have regular physical examinations and they always come out

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<v Speaker 1>with hilariously glowing reports. Greg, you know, Donald Trump is

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<v Speaker 1>the fittest seventy eight year old man in the world,

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<v Speaker 1>apparently according to his doctors. But Joe Biden, as you say,

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't have a cognitive test, and his pre secretary at

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<v Speaker 1>the time said that every day was a cognitive test

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<v Speaker 1>when you are the president of the United States, looking

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<v Speaker 1>back and knowing that it is difficult to tell when

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<v Speaker 1>you are close to someone whether what you're seeing is

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<v Speaker 1>just aging or whether it might actually be dementia. How

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<v Speaker 1>critical do you think we can be of the Biden

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<v Speaker 1>team and of the Democrats in general, for failing to

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<v Speaker 1>see the signs of advancing decline.

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<v Speaker 3>Claire, I think it's actually much worse than that. I

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<v Speaker 3>think they were absolutely aware of the decline but wanted to,

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<v Speaker 3>as it were, fraudulently I don't mean that in the

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<v Speaker 3>legal sense, but in a moral and political sense, fraudulently

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<v Speaker 3>hang on to the presidency and all the perks and

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<v Speaker 3>patronage that go with it. We've had this before in

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<v Speaker 3>American politics, you know. Woodrow Wilson had a stroke, and

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<v Speaker 3>really the White House was run by his wife and

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<v Speaker 3>his chief of staff for a long time, and his

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<v Speaker 3>condition was kept from the public. Franklin Roosevelt's physical condition

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<v Speaker 3>was kept from the public for a long time, but

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<v Speaker 3>he certainly was mentally acute and well and capable of

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<v Speaker 3>being president. Even in distant Australia, it was abundantly obvious

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<v Speaker 3>that the man was just not fit to be president,

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<v Speaker 3>even the articles that I wrote, because they bore on orcus.

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<v Speaker 3>I had a phone call from a friend in the

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<v Speaker 3>Biden administration saying, don't you dare write those articles. The

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<v Speaker 3>president is fit well. Now, that just shows how paranoid

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<v Speaker 3>they were about this. Now, Donald Trump looks extremely unhealthy,

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<v Speaker 3>so overweight, and so forth, But no one could doubt

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<v Speaker 3>that Donald Trump is on top of the job. I mean,

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<v Speaker 3>he may be doing a terrible job, but he's certainly

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<v Speaker 3>on top of the job. He knows who he is,

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<v Speaker 3>where he is, what he's doing, and can reason things

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<v Speaker 3>and so forth, Whereas it was abundantly obvious that Biden

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<v Speaker 3>was incapable of the job, I think for probably twelve

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<v Speaker 3>or eighteen months before the election.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a lot to expect that any of us in

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<v Speaker 1>our ninth decade would be capable of the kind of

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<v Speaker 1>high level decision making that's required of a president. But

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<v Speaker 1>there's a real difficulty in letting go of something that's

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<v Speaker 1>been your lifelong dream, isn't there An example of that

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<v Speaker 1>is Ruth Bade Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice who stayed

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<v Speaker 1>in the job until her death at the age of

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<v Speaker 1>eighty seven, despite her supporters begging her to step down

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<v Speaker 1>so that ben President Barack Obama could appoint another liberal judge.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it understandable that Biden himself, as a human being

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<v Speaker 1>didn't want to let go.

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<v Speaker 3>It's understandable, but it's not forgivable. There are some jobs

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<v Speaker 3>where you're meant to just carry on until you die. Basically,

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<v Speaker 3>in particular the papacy. Benedict was the big exception, the

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<v Speaker 3>first pope in hundreds and hundreds of years to actually

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<v Speaker 3>resign because he felt he was too frail. A lot

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<v Speaker 3>of people in their eighties, even before modern medicine, have

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<v Speaker 3>been perfectly good prime minister's national leaders doctor mahatire In,

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<v Speaker 3>Conrad Adenauer, Winston Churchill. There have been a lot of

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<v Speaker 3>effective national leaders in their eighties. But sure, you can

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<v Speaker 3>understand Biden's insane ambition. Almost anybody who becomes president or

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<v Speaker 3>who runs for president is defined by insane ambition and

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<v Speaker 3>a kind of crazy narcissism. You know, Biden has not

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<v Speaker 3>been a politician who has stood steadfastly for any particular

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<v Speaker 3>set of policies. Biden, many decades ago, was against bussing

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<v Speaker 3>to end desegregation, and he cooperated closely with segregationists. And

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<v Speaker 3>he was an orthodox handy abortion Catholic until he became

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<v Speaker 3>a pro abortion Catholic, and so on. He is the

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<v Speaker 3>very definition of the machine politician. His life has certainly

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<v Speaker 3>had tragedy in it, the death of his first wife

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<v Speaker 3>and daughter many years ago in a car accident, the

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<v Speaker 3>death of his son from brain cancer, and his whole

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<v Speaker 3>existence has been towards political office. He's a very young senator,

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<v Speaker 3>a very old president, but none of that really counts

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<v Speaker 3>for a hill of beans. What he did was to

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<v Speaker 3>deprive the American people of a proper choice for the presidency.

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<v Speaker 3>If he had said, two years into his term, guess what,

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<v Speaker 3>I'm thrilled to be your president for one term, but

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<v Speaker 3>it's plain to me that I wouldn't be fit for

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<v Speaker 3>a second term. So I'm going to have this fantastic

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<v Speaker 3>first term, and I'm going to open the doors wide

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<v Speaker 3>open for my successor. On the Democratic side, the Democrats

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<v Speaker 3>would have had a proper primary process. They had some

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<v Speaker 3>terrific candidates on offer, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro. They could

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<v Speaker 3>have had a proper primary, worked out the best candidate,

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<v Speaker 3>and they would have been in a good possession to

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<v Speaker 3>confront Donald Trump. Instead of which by indulging himself in

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<v Speaker 3>this self indulgent fantasy that he could hang on, Biden

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<v Speaker 3>was brutally exposed in that presidential bait that he had

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<v Speaker 3>with the Trump When I'm in to.

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<v Speaker 4>Fix the taxis, for example, we had one thousand billionaires

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<v Speaker 4>in America, I mean billionaires in America. If they just

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<v Speaker 4>paid twenty four twenty five percent, either one of those

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<v Speaker 4>numbers in need raised five hundred million dollars, billion dollars.

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<v Speaker 3>It was a humiliating, desperate and terrible event. It was

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<v Speaker 3>almost painful to watch it. You felt sick and sorry

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<v Speaker 3>for the guy. But this is no way for anybody

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<v Speaker 3>to feel about an American president that even then Biden

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<v Speaker 3>wouldn't give UPI hung on and hang on and hang

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<v Speaker 3>on until virtually all the Democratic congressional leadership told him

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<v Speaker 3>he had to leave, and then he left. Kamala Harris

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<v Speaker 3>with a very short period of time no chance for

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<v Speaker 3>a proper Democratic primary and a really dysfunctional American election,

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<v Speaker 3>and the American people were deprived of a proper choice.

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<v Speaker 3>So I had to kind of even here in Australia

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<v Speaker 3>to beat up on the guy when he's just had

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<v Speaker 3>a terr diagnosis of cancer. You feel very sorry for

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<v Speaker 3>him at the personal level. But this was a story

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<v Speaker 3>of hubris, vanity and ego quite as bad as anything

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<v Speaker 3>which Donald Trump has shown us.

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<v Speaker 1>Coming up. Why do the Democrats keep getting it wrong?

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<v Speaker 1>And what happens at the next election? Greg? Why do

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<v Speaker 1>the Democrats keep getting it so wrong? If Biden was

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<v Speaker 1>the wrong choice to begin with, and if they looked

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<v Speaker 1>at him more clearly when he first stood for the presidency,

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<v Speaker 1>it would have been obvious that he was not going

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<v Speaker 1>to last the eight years that they would have hoped.

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<v Speaker 1>They then chose the wrong candidate in Kamala Harris. They

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<v Speaker 1>had previously chosen the wrong candidate in Hillary Clinton.

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<v Speaker 5>You could put half of Trump' supporters into what I

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<v Speaker 5>call the basket of deplorables right, the racist, sexies, homophobic x.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you have any hope that the Democrats might actually

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<v Speaker 1>put up someone next time around who will make it

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<v Speaker 1>a proper contest.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, Claire, that's a fascinating question, really complex one. So

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<v Speaker 3>I think Hillary Clinton was quite a good candidate. Remember

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<v Speaker 3>that she won the popular vote by three million against

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<v Speaker 3>Trump and just lost by a sliver a couple of

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<v Speaker 3>those battleground stage which meant that she lost the electoral College.

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<v Speaker 3>And until she got in the ring with Trump, she

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<v Speaker 3>was the most admired woman in America. Trump, even if

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<v Speaker 3>people don't like him, he has a tremendous distractive capacity,

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<v Speaker 3>and he beats up on someone and they bear a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of scars at the end of that process. Then

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<v Speaker 3>the primary process which selected Biden to beat Trump was

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<v Speaker 3>itself very flaw Do you remember that Pete Bootajige won

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<v Speaker 3>the first primary and the Democrats miscounted the votes or something,

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<v Speaker 3>and Bootajidge didn't get that momentum. Then the primary process

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<v Speaker 3>was interrupted by COVID, and the establishment became very worried

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<v Speaker 3>that Bernie Sanders was going to win the primary.

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<v Speaker 6>Thank you, no, hamsure, and let me say tonight that

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<v Speaker 6>this victory here is the beginning of the end for

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<v Speaker 6>Donald Trump.

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<v Speaker 3>So they threw all their weight behind Biden. Now, remember

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<v Speaker 3>Biden had failed dismally at two previous presidential attempts. But

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<v Speaker 3>then Biden was successful against Trump, and he won the

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<v Speaker 3>popular vote I think by eight million. If at that

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<v Speaker 3>time he had committed to one term, then the Democrats

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<v Speaker 3>would have had a good primary season and would have

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<v Speaker 3>chosen their best candidate. I think they probably would have

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<v Speaker 3>chosen Gretchen Whitmer, and she would have been a much

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<v Speaker 3>stronger candidate than Kamala Harris was. But Kamala Harris I

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<v Speaker 3>think she was a poor candidate, but she also came close.

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<v Speaker 3>She only lost to Trump by about I think one

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<v Speaker 3>percent or maybe one and a half percent in the

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<v Speaker 3>popular vote, and she lost all seven swing states, but

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<v Speaker 3>by quite narrow margin, certainly one hundred and fifty thousand

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<v Speaker 3>votes in the right states, and she would have been president. Now,

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<v Speaker 3>the Democrats next time will have a proper contested primary.

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<v Speaker 3>They'll have strong candidates from the left, maybe from the

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<v Speaker 3>so called squad I think Bernie Sanders is now too old.

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<v Speaker 3>They'll have strong candidates from the center, state governors like

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<v Speaker 3>Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom in California, and

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<v Speaker 3>the Republicans will also have a primary process, probably dominated

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<v Speaker 3>by Trump but Trump picked candidates when he's not on

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<v Speaker 3>the ballot himself. Don't have a history of doing that. Well. Oh,

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<v Speaker 3>I think the next presidential election, it's a long way away,

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<v Speaker 3>but it's absolutely wide open. Trump is doing poorly in

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<v Speaker 3>the polls at the moment, so he's likely to lose

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<v Speaker 3>the House of Representatives next November. The American system is

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<v Speaker 3>full of checks and balances and normally works things out.

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<v Speaker 3>I think the Biden episode in particular was a very

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<v Speaker 3>rare example of a president who became manifestly unfit while

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<v Speaker 3>in office. Barack Obahama and George W. Bush were both

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<v Speaker 3>as fit as fleas, and Trump seems to have an

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<v Speaker 3>unbelievable life force. Gosh, I've never known anyone with his

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<v Speaker 3>body shape and his sort of agitated emotional intensity and

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<v Speaker 3>such a high stress job who just seems to thrive

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<v Speaker 3>on it. Big Max, no sleep, tweeting at three.

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<v Speaker 1>Am, rening bid.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, all of that, getting mad with everybody all the time.

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<v Speaker 3>It seems to keep him alive. So, you know, different

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<v Speaker 3>strokes for different folks, I guess.

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<v Speaker 1>Greg Sheridan is The Australian's foreign editor. You can read

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<v Speaker 1>Greg's reporting on everything from Ukraine to Taiwan anytime at

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<v Speaker 1>the Australian dot com dot au