CNN’s resident conservative commentator Scott Jennings heartily dismissed rosy predictions from his liberal colleagues about President Biden’s legacy, contending the 82-year-old will end his presidency “in disgrace,” during a lively panel debate.
Fellow panelist, Democrat Karen Finney, got Jennings going on Sunday by positing that Biden’s record and accomplishments will “stand the test of time,” despite legitimate issues with his mental acuity.
“It was very disturbing to learn late in the year about just how bad, how poor his health has become. And like many, I did not realize that it had gotten to that point,” Finney insisted on a CNN “State of the Union” panel Sunday.
“That being said, I think he showed up for the job. He got the work done. I think some of the accomplishments also in the Middle East and foreign policy will also stand the test of time.”
Finney was seemingly alluding to a recent Wall Street Journal piece and other recent reporting that portrayed Biden in a diminished cognitive state during his first term.
She also cited Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and signing of the CHIPS and Science ACT to bolster domestic semiconductor production, as key bright spots for his legacy.
Jennings wasn’t having it.
“You think the Middle East is in better shape today than when he took office?” he interjected.
“I think he’s going to leave office in disgrace! The Hunter Biden pardon was disgraceful. He’s going to be remembered largely for inflation and for the disastrous Afghanistan pullout,” he added.
The Republican strategist, who helped advise Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), also argued that the cover-up of Biden’s mental acuity will overshadow his legacy.
“We still don’t know the full extent of what they did to try to hide what they have been doing over in the West Wing,” he said.
Former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers (D) insinuated that President-elect Donald Trump will be the one to leave behind a legacy of disgrace.
“Being impeached twice is leaving in disgrace. So that’s a difference. I think Joe Biden’s going to be remembered in the short term for what you were talking about, whether or not he had the capacity to lead,” he said.
“Over the long term, this is somebody a lot like Mitch McConnell. You don’t necessarily have to agree with everything they stood for. You don’t have to agree with every vote. But you always knew they put the American people first.”
Republican pollster and fellow panelist Kristen Soltis Anderson surmised that “in the short term, he will be remembered in part by the sense of buyer’s remorse.”
“A lot of voters feel like they did not come away from these four years with a world that feels more stable, an economy that feels better,” she posited. “That’s why we have Donald Trump coming back, which leads into this longer-term legacy.”
She argued that Biden’s decision not to hand over the baton sooner would be a blemish on his legacy.
Biden, 82, is the oldest sitting president in US history. However, Trump, 78, will top that by several months if he serves out a full term.
