OPINION
Social Links forDavid Harsanyi
Published June 14, 2024, 5:57 p.m. ET
940 Comments
Every day, it seems, the president of the United States wanders off during a photo shoot or tries to shake hands with an imaginary person or garbles his way through another speech, and the rest of us are expected to go on with our day as if everything is just fine.
It’s not fine.
He’s not fine.
President Biden boards Air Force One at Brindisi International Airport, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Brindisi, Italy.AP
And, no, this isn’t about Joe Biden’s longtime propensity to lose his temper or his alleged lifelong stutter or his habit of inventing fairy tales about his past.
It’s about the doddering and scatterbrained behavior that’s familiar to anyone who’s ever dealt with an aging relative.
The 81-year-old president, according to one diplomatic insider attending this week’s G7, is “the worst he has ever been.”
Last week, The Wall Street Journal detailed the numerous ways in which the president has been slipping behind closed doors.
We didn’t really need to peek behind any doors to see Biden wobbling on stairs and teetering off stage.
Joe Scarborough, one of the president’s Praetorian Guard, contends that clips of Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni corralling a confused Biden at the G-7 meeting this week were “cheap fakes” and “vicious lies.”
If only that were true. Anyone who’s watched the fuller video of that day, knows Scarborough is wrong.
Indeed, Biden’s confusion and weird behavior at a recent D-Day remembrance and a Juneteenth celebration are only accentuated with context.
Sure, at times Biden can pull it together for a speech or when delivering talking points to the media — though, even those are becoming increasingly incomprehensible and gaffe-laden.
But the fact that Biden isn’t always struggling doesn’t prove he is usually OK.
Old people have good days and bad ones.
We all know that.
Of course, it’s also important to remember that Biden’s mental and physical decline isn’t his fault.
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It’s completely expected for an octogenarian to begin struggling with mobility and memory.
We all age differently, but the decline is inevitable.
The difference is, most Americans lucky enough to survive into their 80s, have long retired.
They’re not making momentous, daily, decisions that impact the lives of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people.
Which is to say, it is catastrophically irresponsible of Biden — with the help of his handlers and the Democratic Party — to run for the presidency when he struggles to accomplish even the daily responsibilities of the job.
The president’s age has become a legitimate campaign issue.
Yes, he’s the incumbent, and the incumbency comes with political perks, but it’s not as if Biden is a generational talent that America can’t live without.
This isn’t Churchill.
No doubt, there are numerous Democrats who would gladly take his spot at the top of the ticket.
Some of them more popular.
940
What do you think? Post a comment.
Now, you can detest Donald Trump all you like — he’s no spring chicken, either — but it won’t change the reality of Biden’s decline.
If the president’s mental alertness and physical state are concerning now, what do voters think the situation will be in four years?
Because one thing is certain, the president isn’t going to miraculously become sharper as time goes on.
It’s utterly cruel to America — and to Joe Biden — to let him run in this state
BySocial Links forDavid Harsanyi
Published June 14, 2024, 5:57 p.m. ET
940 Comments
Every day, it seems, the president of the United States wanders off during a photo shoot or tries to shake hands with an imaginary person or garbles his way through another speech, and the rest of us are expected to go on with our day as if everything is just fine.
It’s not fine.
He’s not fine.
And, no, this isn’t about Joe Biden’s longtime propensity to lose his temper or his alleged lifelong stutter or his habit of inventing fairy tales about his past.
It’s about the doddering and scatterbrained behavior that’s familiar to anyone who’s ever dealt with an aging relative.
The 81-year-old president, according to one diplomatic insider attending this week’s G7, is “the worst he has ever been.”
Last week, The Wall Street Journal detailed the numerous ways in which the president has been slipping behind closed doors.
We didn’t really need to peek behind any doors to see Biden wobbling on stairs and teetering off stage.
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Biden’s defenders allege that embarrassing videos of the president were edited to make him look bad.Joe Scarborough, one of the president’s Praetorian Guard, contends that clips of Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni corralling a confused Biden at the G-7 meeting this week were “cheap fakes” and “vicious lies.”
If only that were true. Anyone who’s watched the fuller video of that day, knows Scarborough is wrong.
Indeed, Biden’s confusion and weird behavior at a recent D-Day remembrance and a Juneteenth celebration are only accentuated with context.
Sure, at times Biden can pull it together for a speech or when delivering talking points to the media — though, even those are becoming increasingly incomprehensible and gaffe-laden.
But the fact that Biden isn’t always struggling doesn’t prove he is usually OK.
Old people have good days and bad ones.
We all know that.
Of course, it’s also important to remember that Biden’s mental and physical decline isn’t his fault.
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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
It’s completely expected for an octogenarian to begin struggling with mobility and memory.
We all age differently, but the decline is inevitable.
The difference is, most Americans lucky enough to survive into their 80s, have long retired.
They’re not making momentous, daily, decisions that impact the lives of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people.
Which is to say, it is catastrophically irresponsible of Biden — with the help of his handlers and the Democratic Party — to run for the presidency when he struggles to accomplish even the daily responsibilities of the job.
The president’s age has become a legitimate campaign issue.
Yes, he’s the incumbent, and the incumbency comes with political perks, but it’s not as if Biden is a generational talent that America can’t live without.
This isn’t Churchill.
No doubt, there are numerous Democrats who would gladly take his spot at the top of the ticket.
Some of them more popular.
940
What do you think? Post a comment.
Now, you can detest Donald Trump all you like — he’s no spring chicken, either — but it won’t change the reality of Biden’s decline.
If the president’s mental alertness and physical state are concerning now, what do voters think the situation will be in four years?
Because one thing is certain, the president isn’t going to miraculously become sharper as time goes on.
