Okay, I will have my cranky outburst right now, at the beginning, and then return to the wise, benign Olympian detachment that I am of course known for. I am increasingly impatient with the dismissal of Joe Biden as “too old.” What is this based on? Half of it is based on Republican lies, an orchestrated campaign to characterize Biden as "sleepy Joe," a campaign that has no qualms about outright deception. Photos of Biden with a vacant look on his face, taken at a moment when he is not posing for the cameras, maybe listening to someone or just thinking, are circulated as “evidence” that he is clearly half senile, out of it. Moments when he is speaking when Biden pauses a moment to get control of his speech impediment are likewise taken as “evidence” that Biden is suffering from dementia. Never mind the fact that Trump, who is only three years younger than Biden’s 80, is increasingly incoherent and unhinged. Yes, there are photos that clearly show: Biden has aged. But one of the many advantages of old age is perspective. If you have been around long enough, you know that all presidents visibly age. That’s what the presidency does to people. I remember an article showing before and after photos of every president in my lifetime, showing how the intense workload and pressures of the office aged them over four or eight years—including even Ronald Reagan.
September 29, 2023
September 29, 2023
September 29, 2023
Okay, I will have my cranky outburst right now, at the beginning, and then return to the wise, benign Olympian detachment that I am of course known for. I am increasingly impatient with the dismissal of Joe Biden as “too old.” What is this based on? Half of it is based on Republican lies, an orchestrated campaign to characterize Biden as "sleepy Joe," a campaign that has no qualms about outright deception. Photos of Biden with a vacant look on his face, taken at a moment when he is not posing for the cameras, maybe listening to someone or just thinking, are circulated as “evidence” that he is clearly half senile, out of it. Moments when he is speaking when Biden pauses a moment to get control of his speech impediment are likewise taken as “evidence” that Biden is suffering from dementia. Never mind the fact that Trump, who is only three years younger than Biden’s 80, is increasingly incoherent and unhinged. Yes, there are photos that clearly show: Biden has aged. But one of the many advantages of old age is perspective. If you have been around long enough, you know that all presidents visibly age. That’s what the presidency does to people. I remember an article showing before and after photos of every president in my lifetime, showing how the intense workload and pressures of the office aged them over four or eight years—including even Ronald Reagan.