We're about a year removed from the next Democratic and Republican presidential primaries kicking off in earnest. For now, we're in the shadow primary where everyone is jockeying for position. Democrats are falling headfirst into the biggest question of all: what did they know and believe about Biden's health cover-up?

To a rational person, like you or me, the answer to this question is obvious: it's patently clear Biden couldn't do the job. It was less a question about age than it is he's clearly suffering from issues relating to ill health - the cancer diagnosis plays into this knowledge.

However, for the two biggest names in Democratic politics—Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom—it's an impossible question. And we know this because both of them made the interview rounds this week, and neither could answer it.

The funniest version of this came from Gavin Newsom, who unironically told NBC's Meet the Press, "There's nothing I dislike more than a politician who sits there and lies to you."

Kristen Welker's question, dear reader, was, "Why do you want to be president?" His answer: "I don't."

He then went off on this line about politicians lying—a clip that will be used against him relentlessly. Not only do I not believe this line, but no one in California has believed it since 2022. If you think that, I have some fine, tropical beachfront property for sale just for you in the Tennessee area. Great price.

Newsom didn't stop there. Welker then asked him about the thing every Democrat is getting asked about: What did he know about Joe Biden?

Welker asked, "Governor, did you legitimately believe that he was capable of serving as president until January of 2029?"To which Newsom dodged, saying he wasn't close enough to know anything. After getting pressed on Democrats misleading the public, he added, "There was nothing to suggest what you just said or others have suggested in terms of my interaction. That's all I can be accountable for."

In short, Newsom refuses to tell you the thing you know just with your eyes. It's a careful dodge, to be sure, saying he wasn't close enough to know anything. But he's also not going to acknowledge basic facts.

Kamala Harris isn't much better. She got popped with the question twice while on her book tour.

An Australian journalist asked her point-blank about Biden's health. And Harris went off on a random, nonsensical answer about Donald Trump. The interviewer told her that it was a "world-class pivot," and re-asked the question, flustering Harris and making her visibly angry.

The tense moment got worse when the interviewer pointed Harris back to the disastrous debate. Harris rejected any notion that Biden was frail or would have had issues performing the job. At the same time, Harris suggested Biden couldn't keep up with the pace of an election—the remaining 107 days she writes about in her book.

It's the sort of answer that's come to define Harris: someone shocked and knocked off balance by even the slightest pushback. These aren't hard questions, and she's unprepared for the most basic thing when someone suggests she hasn't answered a simple question.

That got worse when she did the same thing with comedian Jon Stewart on his podcast. She told him Biden was "fully competent" to serve another term, and Stewart could barely conceal his shock at the answer.

Newsom's dodges are at least quasi-believable. He's the governor of a state, and not in D.C. all the time dealing with Biden. Harris was the sitting Vice President. Neither of them wants to admit the obvious: Biden couldn't do the job, and all the exposes we've seen since he left office have expressed this main point.

The Congressional report on Biden's autopen decisions relates the same thing. Biden's staff either dodges questions or pleads the Fifth, refusing to answer anything. No one wants to discuss what everyone knows.

The topics of 2028 will differ from what we're talking about now. But that Democratic Primary will get partially defined by the Biden cover-up. In an actual primary, other candidates will be incentivized to strike where it counts on these points, as will interviewers wanting to help winnow the field.

Neither Harris nor Newsom knows how to answer basic questions about the Biden administration. They want to claim he had a successful administration. Still, they can't point to any achievements or explain why Biden suddenly had to step aside. And in Harris's case, she can't explain her role in pushing Biden aside.

In my view, Harris is nuking her presidential chances with this book tour. There's a slight chance she makes it to the primaries. But every time she opens her mouth, it's clear why she couldn't win a primary in 2020, and why she failed in 2024.

Newsom wants to be that Trump-like straight-shooter, but he's struggling with the basics. And he's going to have to answer for why his state can't even do something basic like fight a fire.

It's easy to see how the two of them lose a primary. But then you take one glance at the rest of the field and realize really quickly: this is actually the best Democrats can do right now.

The GOP side is set. It's going to be Vance and whoever he picks as his running mate. And unlike Harris and Newsom, Vance is getting in a lot of hard reps, taking hostile interviews on everything. He will be ready for primetime.

There's nothing similar on the Democrat side. How, at this point, at the end of 2025 is no Democrat prepared for questions about Joe Biden? It's unbelievable.