Of everything that’s been aired about Hunter Biden, this photo breaks my heart the most. It accompanies a recent New York Times article, “President Biden Keeps Hunter Close Despite Political Peril.” Of course he does. What I find so heartbreaking is the haunted look on Hunter’s face.
From the beginning of learning about Hunter’s history and struggles, I’ve been worried that the witch hunt against him–yes, let’s call it what it is–will break his sobriety, break him. The gun at the center of his indictment ended up in the dumpster because his brother’s widow, with whom Hunter had an affair, threw it there, worried that Hunter would use it to kill himself. I worry about that, too. It’s hard enough to face one’s demons without being the subject of a political party hellbent on destroying you in the most publicly humiliatingly way possible to get at your father.
Yes, Hunter’s done awful stuff. He used his family name to make a lot of money (unlike anyone named Trump or everyone in the history of nepotism). I’m okay with Hunter facing legal consequences, although it’s obvious that he’s been relentlessly investigated and now charged far more heavily than typically happens because Republicans want to create a shitstorm for the President.
I also wish that Joe Biden had told Hunter to stay away from any business opportunities remotely connected with President Obama’s and his own administrations–and certainly to stay away from the state dinner for Prime Minister Modi at the White House this summer.
It’s tough to be a parent of an adult child. It’s even tougher when there’s a history of trauma and addiction. I’ve not dealt personally with addiction in my family, but as a therapist I’ve seen lots of it in my practice. It is one of the most destructive forces I’ve witnessed, and nearly impossible for any parent to know how to respond. Being able to kick addiction–or be the parent of an addict–are two of the hardest and most courageous things I can think of. As a parent myself, I’ve never quite been sure if what I’m doing is helpful or harmful, and my kids haven’t had to deal with any major problems. I can only imagine what it’s been like for Joe Biden and his family.
When I first saw the aforementioned article, I thought, “Here goes, another hit piece.” What emerged instead is a portrait of anguish and an unshakeable loving bond. Hunter is lucky to have such a dad. My most fervent hope is that he has the strength to come through all this without self-destructing.
I also hope that Joe Biden and the country survive the mind-boggling behavior of the Republicans in their quest to hang onto power. After exhaustive investigations, there has been zero evidence of any wrong-doing by the President. Nonetheless, the far-right Freedom Caucus, which holds the U.S. House and its cowardly Speaker hostage, plans to shut down the government and impeach Joe Biden, apparently, as some wag said, for the crime of being a father.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has admitted that the aim of this gambit is to make sure Republicans win big in 2024. She told Donald Trump that she wants the impeachment inquiry to be “long and excruciatingly painful for Joe Biden.”
As Adam Serwer says, “The cruelty is the point.”