Progressives who appear to be sticking with President Joe Biden as the nominee of the Democrat party (at least for now) have a new theory/excuse on why Biden failed so spectacularly in Thursday's debate.

It's an obvious attempt to change the narrative from anything other than what's cascading across all social media and news platforms for the third straight day in a row: Joe Biden is not suited to another four years in the Oval Office. But let's take a look at what they're throwing out there, just for our own amusement.

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There are a few theories, all of which are like spokes on a wheel you might call "CNN's malfeasance." Here's Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman (NY), who cried to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday because--he claims--the cable network's moderators failed to fact-check former President Donald Trump during the live event. And what was his excuse for Biden's collapse? Just an "off night":

Despite Democrats’ rising concerns and calls for the incumbent to resign following the shaky performance, Goldman encouraged Biden to show up to the second debate. He called Thursday an “off night,” and said he wants to see if the former president continues to lie.

“Let’s have another debate where actually the moderators will push back on Donald Trump’s lies,” Goldman told Cooper. “He intimidated your network, unfortunately, and there was no pushback.”

“He was given free rein to just lie as much as he wants and that’s not helpful to the American public either,” he continued.

He went on, doubling down on the attacks on Trump:

He is blatantly mischaracterizing the disaster that was his presidency. And that got a lot of attention, it didn’t get a lot of pushback.

As I mentioned, Goldman's wasn't the only voice on the far-left sharing wacky excuses. Actress Ellen Barkin arrogantly stated that it was "obvious" what CNN was trying to do to the president on Thursday:

I thought it was obvious to anyone watching that Biden was thrown by @CNN ‘s shockingly biased attack/approach to the evening . Right at the top the first question was slanted to put Biden on the defensive. If you didn’t before now you know where @CNN stands

— Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) June 28, 2024

If you aren't able to read the post, it says:

I thought it was obvious to anyone watching that Biden was thrown by @CNN‘s shockingly biased attack/approach to the evening . Right at the top the first question was slanted to put Biden on the defensive.  If you didn’t before now you know where @CNN stands

While it's unlikely that someone of Barkin's stature as one of our betters in Hollywood would lower herself to respond to someone like me, I made an effort to hand her a tiny sliver of reality anyway:

We live in two different realities. Ms . Barkin, whom I remember as a good actress, lives in one where CNN is biased against Democrats. https://t.co/jlEHFO9x2r

— Becca Lower (@BeccaJLower) June 29, 2024

Ms. Barkin wasn't finished embarrassing herself with a display of her ignorance about the media landscape, though, agreeing with a commenter who wrote this absurd post:

CNN admitted the debate was there to revitalize their ratings. They blindsided Joe. It's almost as if they sacrificed Biden to the ratings gods.

— Lee Goff (@LeeGoffIII) June 28, 2024

CNN wanted to get high ratings. What a sleuth!

I've saved the best/worst one for last, which I think you'll get as much of a kick out of as I did. Remember the White House advisor/"friend" to former first lady Melania Trump who secretly recorded telephone calls with her, only to give them to CNN in 2020, and then write a book about her nothingburger claims? Here she is again! (A big hat tip to Calvin at our sister site Twitchy for pointing out her post.)

Read related:

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In this fever dream, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff finds that CNN's positioning of the cameras, the studio lighting, and even how the candidates were shown in the frame were a nefarious plan to make Biden look bad:

NO ONE HAD TO SAY A WORD.

CNN’s carefully considered FRAMING & LIGHTING design effectively conveyed the intended perceptions of fragility vs. dominance in visual composition.

Biden was filmed in profile, looking pale as a ghost.

Trump was filmed straight on, not looking his… pic.twitter.com/MpVAQO4kkS

— Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (@SWinstonWolkoff) June 28, 2024

The full post reads: 

NO ONE HAD TO SAY A WORD.

CNN’s carefully considered FRAMING & LIGHTING design effectively conveyed the intended perceptions of fragility vs. dominance in visual composition. 

Biden was filmed in profile, looking pale as a ghost.

Trump was filmed straight on, not looking his usual shade of tangerine, but more like marmalade.

Biden is a man of honor, integrity, resilience, and resolve. 

A Trump is a Trump is a Trump.

I have no words. This will have to cover it: