It isn’t only in rock music that time tells the difference between genuine rebels and poseurs working a shtick. Back in the 1990s, shock jock Howard Stern monetized being an obnoxious jerk by presenting himself as a fearless confronter of the establishment. But passing years soon wore away the facade, revealing the sycophant beneath.

Looks like the cowering Covid kook is no longer hiding in his mansion lest he come down with the sniffles. He has crept out to fulfill his duty as a Democrat apparatchik by conducting a softball interview with the figurehead of the liberal establishment, Creepy Joe Biden. Joe Concha sums up the farce:

In what can only be described as the best PR any person in power could possibly ask for, the host went out of his way to repeatedly praise Biden for things like “getting the vaccine out” after COVID hit (that was Trump). Stern also claimed that Biden has “cut emissions in half” (no, he hasn’t). The former shock jock-turned-Democratic activist also falsely accused Republicans of being “pro-Putin” simply because some wanted U.S. border funding to accompany Ukraine aid. And when Biden (again) claimed he was arrested standing alongside a Black family on their porch when he was a youth, a claim that had been thoroughly debunked, Stern stayed silent. …

Overall, both men got exactly what they wanted: Stern proved he can kiss butt on a Colbert/Kimmel/Meyers-like level while impressing his A-list celebrity friends in the Hamptons, while Biden came across as a sympathetic figure who loves his family.

But the interview was live, so Biden managed to make a mistake, even with the obsequious suck-up Stern:

“I don’t know if you’re going to debate your opponent,” Stern said.

That was Biden’s cue to proclaim that he would be happy to debate Trump but regrettably he cannot due to unspecified unacceptable behavior on the part of our 45th (and hopefully 47th) president. But as his handlers no doubt groaned, Biden mumbled,

“I am, somewhere, I don’t know when. I’m happy to debate him.”

Trump’s response was immediate:

“Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, an old expression used by Fighters.”

Will not happen. If the bumbling Biden can’t even get through an interview with a lackey like Howard Stern without screwing up, imagine what Trump would do to him on a debate stage, regardless of how many drugs his handlers pump into Creepy Joe.

On a tip from Varla.