St. Patrick's Day is the day we all get to wear green. It's also the day we see politicians pretend to be Irish a bit, even if they aren't.
President Joe Biden’s take on the special day must be included because he is of Irish descent. And you know it's going to be unique. He didn't disappoint.
“I may be Irish, but I'm not stupid,” Biden began.
Now, that sure sounds like he's calling Irish people stupid there, despite the fact he considers himself Irish. Probably not the best comment to make, especially on St. Patrick's Day. But that's Joe Biden.
He followed that with “I married Dominic Giacoppa's daughter.” Giacoppa was actually Jill Biden's grandfather’s last name. Her father was Donald Jacobs–Jacobs becoming the family name after he changed it.
Commentator Tom Elliott had possibly the best response to the second part of Biden's comment claiming that “I'm not stupid,” flagging up the CNN and Washington Post fact-checkers.
Unfortunately, we've seen repeatedly that Biden is desperately incoherent much of the time. But Biden thinks it's the American people who are stupid and just don't get his greatness.
But it’s not clear that Biden's comment wins on the weird and cringeworthy meter for the day. That award should probably go to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D'oh-CA). Pelosi was at the same event as Biden, the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon, and she read a poem from U2 singer Bono about Ukraine and St. Patrick.
From the Washington Examiner:
“Oh Saint Patrick he drove out the snakes,” Pelosi read at the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill, “with his prayers but that's not all it takes / for the snake symbolizes / an evil that rises / and hides in your heart / as it breaks / and the evil has risen my friends / from the darkness that lives in some men / but in sorrow and fear / that's when saints can appear / to drive out those old snakes once again / and they struggle for us to be free / from the psycho in this human family / Ireland's sorrow and pain / is now the Ukraine / and Saint Patrick's name now Zelensky.”
One has to wonder how these two ever got elected to office, and then why they are still there when they should have long since been retired. Maybe it was not the day to replace St. Patrick with the Ukrainian president? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a lot of things, including a big advocate for his country, but that doesn't make him a saint. And these are supposed to be the “adults” in charge?
It didn't go over well.
One wrote, “There goes the Irish vote. Imagine the reaction if Trump had called the Irish stupid? The guy's an embarrassment.” Another added, “Biden just implied all Irish are stupid.” While someone else said, “So according to Joe Biden today the Irish are stupid then Nancy Pelosi reads out a poem written by Bono saying Zelensky is now St Patrick… I don't think we Irish are that impressed tbh [to be honest]; thanks for insulting us today of all days.”
