"For a while now, I have been convinced that Biden's age is such an electoral handicap that he should bow out in favor or a younger, more dynamic Democrat. That appears impossible at this point. If Biden remains the candidate, he will likely commit more gaffes and stumbles during the course of a grueling campaign and the Republicans will have a field day exploiting the age issue. Some seem to think the brouhaha over Special Counsel Robert Hur's politically-motivated characterization of Biden as a doddering old codger will fade by election day. I disagree. I think Hur has killed him. (But I pray I'm wrong!)"Tom Sancton
Nothing I write in this blog makes commenters angrier than words like these.
I agree with Tom Sancton's sentiments.
The complaint isn't that I am wrong in acknowledging Biden's vulnerability. It is that the vulnerability is so great that Democrats must pretend we don't see it. Critics say I am being disloyal, and am failing to recognize Biden’s many accomplishments. There is a reason voters aren’t crediting Biden’s accomplishments. They can’t get Biden’s feebleness out of their minds.
Sancton is a college classmate, a former Rhodes Scholar, an author, a former bureau chief for Time Magazine, and an accomplished jazz clarinetist. His most current book is The Last Baron. On January 6 he posted here about plagiarism and his book The Bettencourt Affair, which deals with the issue of the diminished mental capacity of an elderly heiress.
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| Published by Dutton |
Yesterday I wrote that old farmers and old politicians don't know when to let go. Old farmers get backaches and it gets harder to climb up and down into the tractor seat. Politicians don’t get those signals. Indeed, the seniority system makes their jobs better as they age in place.
Old politicians use their incumbency to entrench themselves. Trump did it very successfully. He used his control of the RNC and the Republican nominating process to make almost all Republican primaries winner-take-all. He turned a plurality into a majority. Trump was helped by a successful with-me-or-you-are-a-RINO approach that silenced dissent. A great many Republicans see Trump's manifest flaws, but they dare not speak up. Trump has one other asset in dominating his party: A significant number of GOP voters are thrilled by him.
Biden also had control of the nominating process. Democrats arranged to forbid an Iowa caucus and to disempower the New Hampshire primary. Those would have allowed members of the Democratic bench to test the water. The Democratic Party sent out a warning to those potential rivals: It is Biden and no one else, period. Support the president. Support the party. Any Democrat who challenged Biden is an enemy and will be held responsible if Biden loses. Potential candidates heeded the warning.
Democrats were given a "party line" message that Biden is not infirm, forgetful, or tongue-tied. He is 100% up to the job of being president. If you have doubts, keep them to yourself.
Biden's candidacy does not have majority Democratic voter support. Most Democrats tell pollsters they are uncomfortable with Biden and are eager -- even desperate -- for an alternative. That is why Biden and the DNC were adamant that there be no alternative. It was a dangerous, irresponsible, and undemocratic policy. I am disappointed that Biden arranged this and that the Democratic bench fell into line. Biden badly mistook his place in history.
The stakes have grown higher. Trump is getting more manic, more sloppy, more contemptuous of the rule of law and the justice system. He is increasingly open about his authoritarian plans domestically and his support for Russia's designs on Ukraine and NATO. Trump is deteriorating faster than Biden, but his unfitness for office is better disguised. Trump "reads" as stronger and more alert.
Democrats are hoping nothing happens to pierce the curtain of denial. It is too late. It was pierced long ago and the Hur comments were just another iteration. Democrats are fielding a weak candidate -- and they know it. They act resigned to a dismal fate. They act stuck. Biden would consider an insurgent revolt against him this spring or at the Democratic convention to be disloyal. I am OK with that revolt if it comes. It would press reset. It would be better sooner than later, so that Democrats can get comfortable with a new leader and spokesperson. As Macbeth said:
If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly.
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27 comments:
Most Americans agree that Biden and Trump are both undesirable candidates for president, but somehow we wound up with them anyway. It’s true that Biden makes plenty of gaffes, but so does Trump. Perhaps Biden is given less slack because he’s the current president, or maybe MAGA media is just better at snark.
Assuming they are the choice we’re given, there shouldn’t really be any question. It’s like being given the choice between a benign tumor or one that’s malignant. Get a clue, folks.
I don't have a crystal ball, but I hope you will be eating crow after the 2024 election. I support Biden because I think he is doing a good job. That isn't "denial." We also live in an ageist society and and you are part of the problem. I have very little respect for you. You are the one who should get off the stage and go away.
For a completely different and sane point of view, readers can visit the website and Facebook page of The Lincoln Project. You also can follow The Lincoln Project on Twitter (X).
Lincolnproject.us
It isn't about how good a job he is doing. It's the perception of how he will do in the future as his health declines. That's what bothers people.
I agree with Tom Sancton's sentiments, too.
I repeat, this election is currently about never-Trump vs never-Biden. "None of the above" doesn't solve anything.
The likely decider will be the more aware middle. Perhaps The Lincoln Project might make so headway. Perhaps No-Labels.
Until the media starts educating voters about the issues, and what needs to be done, there won't be any progress.
I'm sure a majority of voters would like to se a good summary of local, state, federal, and worldwide issues facing the US, along with summaries of what could/should be pursued. Then list the potential top leaders, and what their position is on those solutions and possible actions.
Unfortunately, that is a pipe dream.
Focusing on Trump and Biden alone won't get us anywhere.
Do we want voters to show up and vote?
I'm neither pro-Trump, nor pro-Biden, so it's my own research that will guide my vote. I won't be staying home, and I won't vote for anyone on popularity alone.
The parties aren't going to decide who the next president will be; it will be the voters, educated or not, and we will be stuck with that outcome unless the adults in the room and the media start educating the voters.
ABC/Ipsos poll:
73% of Democrats think Biden is too old to serve another term.
91% of Independents feel that way.
The Democratic Party is bullying Americans to vote for the person they don't want, telling them that the alternative is even worse. It is a kind of extortion.
I want the Democratic Party to be better and smarter than that. The GOP has gone crazy in accepting Trump. Republican voters want Trump, so they will get him. Democratic voters are getting what they don't want. This won't end well for America.
https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/majority-americans-think-both-biden-and-trump-are-too-old-serve-second-terms
Peter Sage
A one wag put it after yet another major Biden brainfade, "Denial is not just a river in Mexico". Diehard apologists like Joe Scarborough still refer to Biden's stutter, but no stutter changes the president of Egypt into the president of Mexico in a response about Gaza. Not does it insert the names of long-dead French and German leaders into Biden accounts of his recent high-end policy conversations. And all that was just last week alone.
Watching Biden from the 2020 presidential debates is pretty shocking, the decline even from then to now is so clear. It's not his fault--the presidency turned Barack Obama's hair white in a term or so--but Democrats' wishful pretense that this is not an objectively valid issue won't fly this time through. Biden would have better folks around him than Trump, yes--but what about the proverbial four a.m. phone call? Neither man, please.
These comments about President Biden's age are ageism and ageism compounded. If any of us are going to write about a person's age they should use a scientific approach, rather than operating from homespun, uninformed ideas. This article from this morning's New York Times is helpful.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/opinion/neuroscientist-on-biden-age-memory.html
I still recall an incident when I looked up at a person I had known for many years and couldn't recall his name. I was relatively young at the time. We all have done it. We have confused names and dates in our middle aged and, even younger years. At age 20 my granddaughter couldn't remember a name and told me she wasn't good with names. That wasn't true; She just hadn't learned enough memory techniques to help her remember names.
For an adult who still has to focus on not stuttering and who deals with border issues in multiple countries to conflate two different borders while speaking is normal at any age. Younger people misspeak, but when an older person does it, we call it forgetfulness or worse.
To say that many people have the same ageist prejudice is not a reason to adopt that prejudice, but it is a reason to try to correct the perception.
And, as the writer of the article points out, "Memory is surely relevant, but other characteristics, such as knowledge of the relevant facts and emotion regulation — both of which are relatively preserved and might even improve with age — are likely to be of equal or greater importance."
Peter, you don't think the republican party isn't extorting America?
I’m afraid Peter and the poll he cites are too right. Biden has done OK, all things considered, but people have good cause for concern about another term. He’s already passed the average life expectancy for men in the U.S. Of course, so has Trump.
The choice between an elderly statesman vs. an elderly psychopath should be a no-brainer. God only knows what it is about a narcissistic pathological liar with 91 felony counts against him that Republicans find so appealing.
Thank you, Peter for opening this important topic up, as I think it is overdue. Those Ipsos poll numbers are extremely concerning to me, as I can see too many otherwise concerned people just staying home, and not filling out a ballot at all, which could create problems all the way down the ballot, even right here in River City.
At this point, President Biden reminds me of my late Mother at nearly his age, when I had to take away her car keys, and the bitter stubbornness she exhibited over that period of time. And I don't have an answer as to who might replace him on yhe ticket, best able to resoundingly thump The "man" who would be King".
It would not matter one bit if some renowned neurologist testified that Biden was perfectly sound and quick witted and 100% competent. People see what they see. They remember grandma.The look and see and judge.
The only thing that would matter is that if that scientific expert saw both Trump and Biden and opined with some evidence that Trump was more forgetful and mentally unstable than Biden. Then it might assure Democrats and Independents that Biden is relatively better. That might sway some votes. But not Republican votes. Even if the neurologist was a confirmed Republican, it would not change Republican voters' minds. He would be termed a lying RINO.
Bottom line: people see what they see.
I hope the people who say I hate Biden would send me a copy of the checks they have written to support his campaign. If they have donated more than I have I will thank them and send another $1,000 to Biden. It is a challenge. Put up.
Peter Sage
“People see what they see.”
Interesting concept. Trump is as confused as Biden in addition to being a malicious criminal, but Republicans find him irresistible. It must be a case of like attracting like.
First of all, let’s admit that we have a gerontocracy. Mitch McConnell, Diane Feinstein, Biden, and Trump are (were) all old and feeble. No wonder the younger generations feel disenfranchised.
Second of all, Peter has written many times that politics is about image not ideas. Neither Biden nor Trump have the vigor that, for example, JFK embodied. There is a candidate with that image, RFK, Jr. perhaps it would be better to have a president who talks funny than one who just talks nonsense?
If we wanted a candidate who didn't talk nonsense, it sure wouldn't be the anti-vaxxer RFK, Jr.
I think it’s worth noting that “ageism” doesn’t signify simply “reference to” or “reliance upon” age. It means the pretextual, gratuitous or otherwise unfair reference to or reliance upon age. Likewise, Black History Month for instance is not “racist”.
Also, the “partisan” reflex cuts both directions. Trump’s partisan harangues against various prosecutors were decried by Democrats as injurious to democracy, to our very system. Yet dismissing “No Charges” Hur as party-driven IS acceptable?
Peter: “I want the Democratic Party to be better and smarter than that.“
And I want perfect health, eternal youth, and immortality. I don’t think either one of us is going to get our wish.
Acknowledging the effects of advancing age on the mind and body isn’t “ageism” any more than acknowledging the disparities that persist after centuries of racial oppression is “reverse racism.”
JFK is the perfect example of image vs reality. The above comment about "the vigor...JFK embodied" was belied by his chronic illness (Crone's Disease) and nearly crippling back injuries and deterioration. It was the steroids, administered by his on-hand witch doctor, that ginned up the vigor that entranced us.
Acknowledging ongoing effects of past discrimination is not reverse racism. But when you implement policies that discriminate in favor of certain racial groups and against other racial groups, you are practicing racism in the other direction.
When you deny some white or Asian person a position in a college or a job because of the color of their skin because you currently like a different skin color better, even though that person never owned a slave or burned a cross anywhere, you are judging them by the color of their skin, not the content of their character.
Perhaps the point of these reverse racist policies is to get MLK spinning so fast in his grave that you could hook a generator up to him and have a new source of green energy.
Steroids! Finally an electoral strategy that will allow Joe Biden to match the image projected by his Dark Brandon meme.
I can’t wait to see a hulking, massive Joe Biden stomp out onto the debate stage in a ‘roid rage, let out a mighty roar, and demolish the Orange Offender. It could be the first time in history that a presidential debate scores a higher rating than professional wrestling. The moment when Biden hit Trump in the head with a folding chair will make the highlight reel go viral! 😱😀
See Hamilton's Federalist Papers 70 for his belief that strong government requires a strong executive.
A summary translation of that 1788 English of Hamiltons first paragraph:
"There are some people who believe that
strong executive is not necessary in a
republican government. This understanding
of a republican government has no basis. A
strong executive is necessary in order to
create a good government. It provides
protection against foreign attacks; it is
essential for implementing law; it helps
protect private property; it secures liberty. In
fact, Rome would often turn power over to a
single ruler in order to protect the state."
https://www.phoenix.k12.or.us/cms/lib/OR50000021/Centricity/Domain/1172/APGovRFD%201788%20Federalist%2070.pdf
To point out the obvious: Trying to correct racial disparities that are the result of centuries of oppression is not racism of any kind.
Racial discrimination is unacceptable in any direction. That should be obvious.
Yes, we all know that the myth of White victimhood is increasingly central to the debate over affirmative action, but that doesn't make it any more real.
The recent Supreme Court decision was actually more about discrimination against Asians. But I guess that doesn’t fit the woke antiwhite narrative.
As I said, the effects of aging are real; “reverse racism” isn’t. Party-line decisions by SCOTUS gutting affirmative action and the voting rights act don’t change that.
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