Update
Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

Biden gaffes

I'm surprised that none of you right-wing folks are posting more about the more recent Biden gaffes. Sure, stress is probably a factor here, but I am someone on the left and starting to feel concerned. The man is approaching 80. I've lost grandparents to dementia, have parents approaching 80, and have seen colleagues decline. The reality is few people maintain their full mental capacities after that age. It was obvious with Reagan, is obvious with Trump, and obvious with Joe Biden. It's sad to watch.

I'm actually expecting Biden to step down sometime in the next 6 months. My guess is the democrat leadership already has a plan.
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
dancingtongue · 80-89, M
Biden's gaffes are at least partially due to his life-long battle against his stuttering -- a search for the word he wants to use. Yes, most of us my age have some level of diminished cognitive abilities, but the more universal issue is lack of stamina even under normal conditions. I cannot imagine how he could cope with the long-hours and multiple demands put upon that office -- particularly when traveling across multiple time zones -- without having handlers trying to triage demands upon him, and remind him what to do next. Even young executives need those type of handlers. Doesn't make him incapable as long as he has good staff. The old West Wing TV series comes to mind, where President Bartlett was battling MS (and his wife was an MD rather than a PhD).

To me it is more a question of the quality of the Cabinet officials who have the power to remove him, either through persuasion or using the 25th Amendment. Trump's tended to be sycophants, who now keep testifying they were sounding the alarms and trying to hold him accountable but only in 20-20 hindsight when their necks are on the line as well. Nancy appears to have shielded and protected Reagan so Cabinet officials would not see how bad his Alzheimer's had progressed. While Biden's Cabinet is far from Lincoln's Team Of Rivals, I have more confidence that they will step up if necessary.

And part of that confidence is that I think Dr. Jill Biden -- rather than being the shield Nancy was, or actual go-between that Mrs. Woodrow Wilson was -- would be one of the first to advise him that he might need to step down, or at least back for a bit -- another option under the 25th Amendment. Allegedly Joe was encouraged by her to run for President to fulfill the death bed wishes of his late son, Beau. If she sees that it is overwhelming him, I think she would be counseling him to do what is best for himself and the country.
trollslayer · 46-50, M
@dancingtongue Good post. I agree that some of what we see are due to the stuttering. I once had a boss that battled the same issue - he sometimes came across as confused - but the man was brilliant. I also had another elderly boss that got to the point where he had to have a handler to help show him where the restroom was. I'm saying that some of what I see as of late with Biden is concerning, because it is more than just fumbling for words. I'm not saying it is dementia - it may be just an 80 year old not able to keep up with a busy schedule. Most 80 year olds have been retired for 15 years - and there is a reason people retire. And I agree - I have MUCH more confidence in Biden's cabinet, and also agree that Biden would know to step down rather than needing the 25th.