Hidden dangers, divisions seen in Biden walking-on-water "stunt"

Dems in disarray

Washington, March 16 — At least in public, Democrats are saying President Biden’s stroll across the surface of Potomac River on Monday is a sign that his Administration, having recently passed a major COVID relief bill, might be able to force still more of his ambitious agenda through a recalcitrant Congress in short order.

But like the marine life under Biden’s feet, Republicans and even many Democrats had a different angle on things.

“I suppose he thinks it’s quite an achievement,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. “I’ve never tried it myself, never seen the need, I like a nice drive on the Key Bridge when I want to get over the Potomac.”

Biden has not commented on the incident beyond his offhand “How about that” directly after his walk. But, expectedly, Biden’s staff sought to place the event in the best possible light, even calling it “a miracle.”

“I think it’s appropriate to call a human being, any human being walking on the water miraculous, yes,” said an embattled White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “Can you walk on water? I've never seen anyone else do it. I don’t understand how some of you guys are actually downplaying a guy walking on water.”

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel jumped on Psaki’s statement at an RNC press conference, calling it “a slur on all who worship Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior,” because “Jesus walked on water several times.” (The Bible shows Jesus Christ walking on water only once; see Fact Checker.) McDaniel also accused Biden of sacrilege, saying his “stunt” was “an obvious, intentional mockery of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” and suggested that he had not actually walked on water at all despite many eyewitness accounts and extensive film footage of the event.

“You people in the liberal media have all kinds of CGI tricks you can pull to make things look any way you want,” said McDaniel. “No wonder nobody believes anything you say.” She then doused the journalists in the front row with a vase of warm water, crying “walk on that, I’d like to see Sleepy Joe walk on that.”

Requesting anonymity due to fear of reprisal, a prominent centrist Democratic strategist complained that Biden was “getting over his skis, or should I say his shoes since I guess he wouldn’t need skis.” The strategist said blue-dog Democrats saw Biden’s walk on water as a “power move” meant to show the sometimes troublesome moderates who’s boss, and noted that on his walk Biden “veered to the left, which is typical of him these days. Voters didn’t narrowly elect Joe Biden to do radical things like walk on the water or raise the minimum wage. They elected him to bring down the deficit, cut entitlements, and reach across the aisle.”

Though polls show Democrats and Independents have generally positive feelings about Biden’s walk on water, there are those who see a downside.

“I think one thing is pretty clear,” says John Barron, a hotel executive in Palm Beach, Florida; “Joe Biden can’t swim.”