Joe Biden is on vacation. Again. After a week in Santa Ynez at the home of billionaire backer Joe Kiani, Biden is going to his Rehoboth Beach getaway home for another week. As reported by the New York Post, Kiani has received at least $3 milion in federal contracts since Biden took office.
Biden has spent roughly 40% of his time in office on vacation. Further, he has never given a one-on-one interview to a newspaper reporter, opting instead for morning news talk show formats with friendly hosts like Robert Costa that are heavily edited for TV.
While there has never been a sense that Biden is calling the shots in the Oval Office, at least his presence provided the traditional optics of a country being led by an elected official. Adding insult to injury, Biden is often photographed at the beach looking every bit the 81 year-old, asleep, mouth agape.
The look is far from impressive or powerful.
What about Biden's promise to stay busy and finish his term in strong fashion? “I’m going to be campaigning in other states as well. I’m going to do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help most,” Biden claimed in August.
It looks like what Kamala thought would help most is Biden disappearing.