The parade of people who are openly discussing the physical and mental decline of the nation's oldest-ever president continues to grow. And those voices are not all coming from the Fox News Channel or other conservative outlets. This week their ranks were joined by two former aides to President Barack Obama who worked directly with Joe Biden when he was the veep. Appearing on the "Pod Save America" podcast, Jon Favreau, Obama's chief speechwriter, expressed concern and exasperation over Biden's recent appearances. Favreau called Biden's age "a very real issue." He referred to him as "frail" and "mumbly" while also referencing the way Biden "shuffles" around and is unsteady on his feet. These people are coming out of the woodwork at this point and there is almost certainly a reason for that. (NY Post)

Former aides who worked directly with then-Vice President Joe Biden in the Obama administration have called current fears over his age “a very real issue” — with some alarmed at how he has become more “frail” and “mumbly.”

“If you watch Joe Biden speak, oftentimes he sounds frail and he sounds more frail than he used to, even in 2019 and 2020,” Jon Favreau, the chief speechwriter for Obama when Biden was vice president, said in a recent episode of the “Pod Save America” podcast.

“The voice sounds frail, and he shuffles more because of the arthritis in his back,” Favreau said, adding that the oldest-ever president also appears “mumbly.”

He noted polls showing as many as 80% of Americans have expressed concern about the president being 81 — saying it needs to be tackled head-on because voters can see his clear decline.

Jon Lovett, another Obama speechwriter, is a cohost of the podcast and took part in the discussion. Rather than going to bat for Biden, Lovett jumped on the bandwagon and agreed with Favreau. But he wasn't calling for someone to remove Biden... or at least not yet. He suggested that Biden's staff needs to put him out on the campaign trail more often even if that means a risk or more gaffes or another stumble and fall. He apparently believes that if Biden has the strength and mental dexterity to do the job, he needs to prove that to the public on a regular basis in order to regain support.

But what if he can't? For anyone who might disagree, Lovett said, "If you don’t view Biden being out there as a net positive, then the argument he shouldn’t be running is right.” Ouch. That's going to leave a mark.

You can argue that both Favreau and Lovett have moved on and they don't need to worry about a career in politics anymore. To a certain extent, that's probably true. But they also rely on audiences that still support the liberal agenda, the Obamas, and Democrats in general. There are risks associated with going out in public and saying the quiet part out loud, particularly for liberals. The long knives can come out remarkably quickly and we've seen that many times in the past.

These two are breaking all of the normal rules of engagement among those on the progressive left. You never talk trash about those in your own party, particularly those at the very top of the food chain. The Democrats may have never had an official 11th Commandment like Ronald Regan publicly espoused, but they take that concept even more seriously. It doesn't matter how many times Joe Biden slips and falls. Pay no attention to his mumbling meanderings and conversations with dead people. Do not bring up the disastrous results his policies have brought down upon the heads of American voters. Everything is fine and the only threat to this nation is the Bad Orange Man.

Or at least those were the rules until recently. We've often wondered if the Obamas are still pulling the strings behind the scenes and there are valid arguments in favor of that theory. But now even some of the older foot soldiers from the Obama team are breaking ranks and refusing to believe someone who is urinating on their leg when they tell them it's raining. The bulwarks seem to be cracking and reality finally may be sinking in on both sides of the aisle. Let's all pray that this is the case.