I reported on Wednesday about a fascinating conversation that was observed between Barack Obama and Joe Biden at Ethel Kennedy’s memorial service in Washington, D.C.
Advertisement
It was easy to see why it went viral, with many speculating on what was said and what appeared to be the tension in the conversation.
The service also had bizarre remarks from Bill Clinton and Biden looking ticked off at Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
READ MORE: WATCH: Fascinating Exchange Between Obama and Biden at Ethel Kennedy Memorial Goes Viral
So the NY Post actually engaged a lip reader to figure out what they were saying.
The dialogue was translated for The Post by Jeremy Freeman, a London-based forensic lip reader who was born deaf and for 16 years has served as a University College London-certified expert witness for litigants, the police and journalists.
Here’s some of what they said during that conversation, according to the lip reader.
“She’s not as strong as me,” said Biden, 81, according to the translation, which was produced by analyzing the on-video lip movements during the discussion.
“I know … that’s true,” the popular former president agreed, adding, “We have time.”
“Yeah, we’ll get it in time,” said Biden, who was forced by fellow Democrats torelinquish the party’s nomination in favor of Harris on July 21in a mutiny that Obama was believed to support.
Moments earlier, Obama said, “it’s important that we have some time together” ina possible reference to campaigning alongside Harris.
Advertisement
That would explain the look on his face, if he’s upset that after he agreed to step aside, now he’s petrified she’s going to lose, which would mean they hosed him and lost anyway. There are other words in there, I assume the lip reader wasn’t able to pick them all up.
But they in fact don’t have a lot of time left, so what do they intend to do? Sounds like Obama had something in mind if he was suggesting they have further discussion — “have some time together.”
The Post asked for reaction on it from Democrats as well as the Obama and Biden people.
“From the outset, there has been widespread concern that Harris was not a strong alternative to Biden, who clearly was a sinking ship. So much so [that] multiple House members floated the idea of an open convention or removing Harris from the ticket along with Biden,” said one Democratic source.
But as one might expect, the Obama/Biden folks tried to put down the translation. They don’t want anyone thinking that’s correct, because both Biden and Obama are recognizing the problem with Kamala Harris in that conversation.
Biden spokesman Andrew Bates scoffed: “A ‘lip reading expert’? Did your usual right-wing soothsayer have their out-of-office up? Only President Biden and President Obama know what they discussed, but this certainly wasn’t it.”
A source close to Obama didn’t deny the translation but said, “Only President Obama and President Biden know what they discussed yesterday. Any assertion otherwise is ridiculous.” [….]
Two former Biden White House officials who are working to support Harris’ candidacy, meanwhile, told The Post that they were stunned by the translation and doubted that it could be accurate — with one urging “a new lip reader” and the other saying it’s “not even like [Biden] to say that.”
Advertisement
Sure sounds like they doth protest too much.
In the wake of the disastrous interview, Joe Biden has to be losing his mind that he gave up is reelection effort only to watch Kamala’s implode.