Baby boomers and Gen-Xers are likely to remember the extremely ridiculous stories of “Commander McBragg” from the short cartoons that first debuted on the animated series “Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales.” In each episode, the retired British officer would share some outlandish account with a hapless member of his gentleman’s club. McBragg was a flying ace, a daring explorer, and a racecar driver.
“When on the hill the Marines plant a flag, they may be led by Commander McBragg … Shipping and sailing and great harpoon whaling, there’s nothing McBragg can’t do. Hunting and trapping and gold miner mapping, and flying to Timbuktu … He can do anything. In his world he’s a king. Or so says the brag of McBragg,” are just a sampling of the lyrics that introduce the episodes.
Though not the most politically correct cartoon today, they’re still quite fun – or would be if modern politicians haven’t begun to sound a bit too “McBraggy.” It wouldn’t be hard to suggest that President Joe Biden has become a real-life version of Commander McBragg, as in giving every speech he spins a tall tale typically only reserved for a cartoon character!
Joe Biden McBraggs!
Biden is of course, not the only such politician to tell such tall tales – and Rep. George Santos of New York can only be described as an outright liar – but the president weaves these stories with such conviction that one has to wonder if he actually believes what he is saying!
Over the years, Biden has claimed to have many jobs – much like McBragg – having said he was a long-haul truck driver, law professor, lifeguard, and almost worked for a lumber company in Idaho!
An International Man of Fantasy
Last week, Joe Biden made the claim that he was “raised in the synagogues,” even as past claims suggested he regularly attended an African-American church; while he also laid claim to be raised in the Puerto Rican community.
“I, you might say, was raised in the synagogues of my state. You think I’m kidding, I’m not,” Biden told a group of rabbis during a call Thursday ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year holiday that began Friday, Fox News first reported.
It was not the first time that the president, who has described himself as a devout Catholic, has made the claim that he had deep roots in the Jewish community.
“I probably went to shul more than many of you did,” Biden said last year during a speech marking Rosh Hashanah. “You all think I’m kidding … I’m not. I’m not.”
However, those statements contradict claims Biden made that he attended a Black church as a teenager even as longtime congregants had insisted that they never saw him.
“Let’s lay one thing to rest. I may be a practicing Catholic, but [I] used to go to 7:30 Mass every morning in high school and then in college before I went to the Black church,” Biden said on another occasion. “Not a joke.”
The president also has made dubious claims of having ties to the Polish, Italian, and Puerto Rican communities in his native Delaware – a state that by Biden’s claim must be the most diverse in the nation despite being the second smallest! The Washington Post even described Biden as believing himself to be as “Greek as Poseidon,” while The New York Post also suggested, “He’s the political equivalent of Zelig, Woody Allen’s famous shape-shifting character who transformed into whatever ethnic group he happened to stand next to.”
Biden may claim repeatedly that he’s not joking, but his stories are sometimes as funny – and uncomfortable – as those of Commander McBragg.
Let’s just hope everyone else is laughing along.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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