Every once in a while, President Joe Biden has a habit of lowering his voice to a whisper when he's saying something he wants to emphasize. It's clearly a style thing and might not be all that notable—except that Biden's right-wing detractors, still searching for something that sticks to Teflon Joe, have labeled it "creepy" and "weird," according to the AP. So much so that in the midst of a deadly slow news cycle, the AP decided on Monday to write up a Biden whisper that took place fully two weeks ago.
The whisper moment in question took place on July 29 during a Biden visit to La Crosse, Wisconsin, to sell his economic plans. At one point in his press conference, Biden decided to lean into the microphone to address critics who have panned his child tax credit as a "giveaway."
“Hey, guys, I think it’s time to give ordinary people a tax break,” he said, almost at a whisper. “The wealthy are doing fine.”
As the AP wrote two weeks later, "It was the latest instance of Biden speaking volumes by whispering."
Not exactly "breaking news," per se, but frankly, we'll take it. Here's the moment that was apparently worth revisiting a couple weeks later. It's also not exactly the stuff of scandal; it wasn't really even a whisper.
But hey, if the Fox News geniuses want to tee up Biden's assertions that "it’s time to give ordinary people a tax break" and sell it as a moment of ignominy—and if mainstream media wants to jump on board—more power to 'em.
It's the perfect opportunity for Biden to get a little extra milage out of anything and everything that he wants to make certain voters internalize on the way to 2022. And the message of, "Hey, Democrats want to give hard-working Americans a break," is just exactly the type of thing that bears repeating.
Here are a couple other whisper moments heard ‘round the world:
- Standing in the East Room, explaining the timeline for direct payments shortly after passage of the American Rescue Plan: “I got them $1.9 trillion in relief so far. They’re going to be getting checks in the mail that are consequential.”
- Same press conference, Biden offered his solution for those employers having difficulty finding workers: "Pay them more."
So please, the next time Biden ‘whispers’ something, package it up, call it a scandal, and blast it far and wide. Be our guest.