Jill Biden: The Enabler-In-Chief

Jill Biden has a lot to answer for. The video moment of the night was of her escorting Joe Biden off the CNN Debate stage while refusing to escort him off the world stage. Yet, following a train wreck so bad that Pete Buttigieg took another paternity leave to avoid it, the First Lady doubled down by excitingly telling the President, “You answered every question!”

There’s no deception like self-deception, and Jill Biden remains at the top of the spear of the lies spread by the White House, DNC, and most of the media regarding Joe Biden’s abilities.

Enabling happens when caregivers are not in a good place — they can’t or won’t make the hard call.

At a Washington DC reception years ago, the late Strom Thurmond (R-SC) happily pocketed Buffalo wings —  leaving the sauce dripping from his suit jacket pocket. Aides quickly rushed to his side to remove him from the buffet and clean up the mess. At the time, Senator Strom Thurmond was in his nineties, President and pro-tempore of the United States Senate and fourth in line to the presidency. (READ MORE: Ageless Senator Strom)

In 2010, Rep. Hank Johnson (D- GA) became a punchline when expressing his concern that overpopulation on the island of Guam would cause it to “tip over and capsize.” While bizarre statements and actions by elected officials remain too lengthy to record, some behaviors can indicate a more significant problem. What about when an entire political party and agenda hangs on the tenure of an impaired government official? Who dims the spotlight?

First Ladies Before Jill Biden

America’s political history remains filled with elected officials demonstrating questionable abilities while holding office. Jill Biden echoes another first lady, Edith Wilson, who covered extensively for her husband, Woodrow Wilson, following his stroke. In her autobiography, My Memoir, the former first lady stated,

So began my stewardship, I studied every paper, sent from the different Secretaries or Senators, and tried to digest and present in tabloid form the things that, despite my vigilance, had to go to the President. I, myself, never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs. The only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very important decision of when to present matters to my husband.

While Edith Wilson declared that she never made a “single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs,” she failed to see that she was indeed making decisions by selecting “what was important and what was not.” She also disregarded the fact that the American people elected Woodrow Wilson, not Edith Wilson.

To be fair, Edith Wilson and Jill Biden are not the only First Ladies who have enabled or choreographed a sitting U.S. President. Nor are spouses the only culprits. Famous and influential people often fuel an industry around them of individuals with financial and political stakes in the celebrity or politician remaining on stage. While every caregiver — without exception — will find themselves disoriented in the “Caregiver FOG” (Fear, Obligation, Guilt) many become enablers by not only getting lost in the “Caregiver FOG” but also due to greed.

Celebrities Too

Some celebrities and their families, such as superstar musician Glen Campbell, use their diagnosis and infirmities as a platform to say goodbye. Honest about his struggle with Alzheimer’s, Campbell launched a farewell tour where audiences knew of his disease. The documentary I’ll Be Me reveals the story and challenges faced by the family, musicians, and others who worked on Campbell’s team. The tour and documentary honored his legacy, bid a final goodbye to his fans, and spotlighted the difficulties of families coping with Alzheimer’s disease.

Bruce Willis’ family escorted the movie star off the stage in a heartwarming — and heartbreaking — goodbye. In 1994, Ronald Reagan signed off from public life until his death ten years later — but signs were evident long before. Billy Graham left the pulpit following his decline due to Parkinson’s and age.  My father also left the pulpit due to challenges brought on by Parkinson’s disease.

From movie stars to U.S. Presidents to world-renowned evangelists, virtually every family in America struggles at some point with taking the keys away, prohibiting unsupervised access to cooking devices and bathtubs, and even confiscating a mobile phone from a family member with cognitive impairments.

While impairments come in many forms, such as aging, disease, injury, alcohol, or drugs, enabling also manifests itself in numerous ways.

He’s just tired; She’s got a lot on her; He’s in a lot of pain; She’s just eccentric; Oh, he’s always been that way.

The 2024 CNN Debate prompted another: “He’s got a cold.”

All those phrases and more reflect the human condition — we’re prone to deceive others and ourselves. Without objective and established safeguards, the addiction to power, fame, and money can quickly blind any of us — even to propping up someone beyond our capabilities.

How many musicians careened onto stages while filled with drugs and alcohol? How many elected officials stayed in power too long?

Without exception, caregivers of impaired loved ones will find themselves in the predicament of enabling. In those moments, clarity, objectivity, honesty, and courage remain essential for making healthy decisions for the caregiver, the loved one, and all who stand in the path of that loved one’s impairment.

Because millions remain vulnerable due to Joe Biden’s obvious impairment, the pressure on Jill Biden only intensifies. Helping her husband off the stage following the debate may serve as metaphor of a near-future event. Refusal to make the hard call may put his and other lives at risk. (READ MORE: The Trump-Biden Debate Changed Everything, or Did It?)

Protection of an impaired loved one and all in their path is the number one task of being a caregiver. Caregiving is often heartbreaking. Enabling makes it even more painful.

Peter Rosenberger has served as a family caregiver for four decades. He hosts the nationally syndicated radio program, Hope for the Caregiver. PeterRosenberger.com.

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