[September 19, 2020] With the U.S. Presidential election less than two months away, the rhetoric between the candidates and political organizations are reaching a crescendo. Hopefully, by discussing candidate Joe Biden, we can move a little away from the hyperbole.
Leaders are judged not so much by what they have done than by what they can do. This is never more important than describing Joe Biden. He spent 47 years in public office, one of the longest-serving Congressmen on record and recently the Vice President of the United States. Such a long history means that we can judge for ourselves what he has done and, with some confidence, predict what he may do in the future.
I’ll cut to the chase here. There is a real problem with Joe Biden, and it has little to do with his political traits (those things we use to judge whether that person is worthy of our vote). Many Americans believe that Biden has dementia and that it is getting worse. His history in political office means little; if he has this serious mental condition. Denying his declining mental state, however, is to lie to one’s self.
Some will immediately think I’m biased against Joe Biden and that I must be trying to downplay all his good qualities (which there are many). Yet, this much is obvious. Over the past several months, Joe Biden has gone far beyond his previous gaffe-prone speeches. He now occasionally speaks, without making any sense and always uses a teleprompter. Sometimes he is lucid; other times, he seems lost.
Laying out the characteristics of such a well-known politician would typically be a relatively easy task. People could argue whether I put enough emphasis on one trait or another, or perhaps whether I accurately or inaccurately described Biden’s service record. I won’t ignore his past accomplishments; he is what he is.
“Just talk to me as a father – not what the Constitution says. What do you feel?” – Joe Biden
This quote goes to the heart of what Joe Biden is about. He’s a “good ole boy” who has a remarkable ability to connect with people. What I like about him is that he goes out of his way to speak to anyone, not just important folks but also to the guy in the elevator carrying a mop and bucket. He is genuinely good. This does not make him a good candidate; it takes more.
Unless Biden suddenly changes how we perceive him, he will lose this upcoming election. His ability to focus, stay unemotional, and speak clearly and precisely is what we all need in a senior
Required reading about Joe Biden.
“The Weak Leading the Woke: What we ask about when we ask about Joe.” by William Voegeli
https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/the-weak-leading-the-woke/
Ouch!
Like to many others here, I see Joe Biden’s decline each time I see him. He is squinting his eyes to read the teleprompter. I don’t think he can hold out to election day. What I do look forward to is the debates. The first one is Sep 29. Be there with popcorn.
I’ll surely watch and I think most of the nation will be watching. The only thing I don’t like is the anti-Trump Chris Wallace from FoxNews will host the show. Wallace has shown a strong bias against Trump and seems to love Obama and Biden as well.
What amazes me is – putting politics aside – the number of people who outright deny that Joe Biden has progressive dementia. They can’t “see” what their own senses tell them. Read what Gen. Satterfield wrote in this article “Missing the Obvious & the Invisible Gorilla”
https://www.theleadermaker.com/missing-the-obvious-the-invisible-gorilla/
I’m new to this leader website. So HI everyone. Mr. Omerrod, I know what I see and that is Mr. Biden has some mental problem. It’s is undeniable. I have friends who say otherwise but I don’t try to correct them because it is no use to try. So I allow them to be ignorant. I should adopt responsibility but am too afraid.
How sad it is to see with my own eyes the dementia of Joe Biden. He is such a good man and helps people. But I find myself looking away each time I see him on television. Please Joe, please get out of the race and do your family a favor. It’s too late to be president. Retire with honor. We won’t demean you for it.
Sadly, every day that Joe Biden speaks, the more we realize he is not up to the task of being President of the US. No one should even try with a condition(s) like he has. It’s sad to watch the man in his decline. Please Joe, go home.
This could all easily have been avoided six months ago but too many folks had their heads up their rear. The Dems needed to field a quality candidate. They failed in 2016 and now they are failing in 2020.
Is Joe Biden a smart idiot or what ?????
One of many examples, “We have 120 million dead from COVID!” he informed Americans last month
The real story is that Biden has not always spoken with such jumbled sentences. He was once a talented orator who spoke smoothly and emanated confidence. Yes, he made gaffes and shot himself in the foot with concerning statements, but that was far outweighed by his expressiveness and ability to connect with audiences.
… & now BIden is underwater with Hispanics. What’s up with that? a question his staff is asking. They can’t figure it out. Maybe Hispanics understand that you can be very successful if you work hard & make a few sacrifices along the way. Or, maybe people just have common sense and Slow Joe is walking in molasses (like my dreams were as a child). 😊
I disagree with what people here are writing about Pres candidate Joe Biden. He is just being Joe. He is a good man with a long history of doing good for his state of Delaware. I’m from there and know it. So don’t try to push the dementia false narrative on me or anyone else. You folks should be ashamed for trying.
Sean, thanks for jumping into the fray and, yes, we mostly think that Biden has some serious neurological impairments that should be addressed. But running in a presidential campaign is bad for the country when your health is obviously in decline.
It’s not a product of age; it’s just who he is.
Hmmmm, Democrats usually exploit this flaw to explain away their presidential candidate’s confused speech, claiming his lackluster abilities are evidence of a life-long quirk rather than a sign of cognitive decline. Sean, convince me otherwise.
Good points made here so far today. I will add that Biden’s wife Jill should do the family and the nation a favor and convince Joe to drop out. I cannot imagine why she hasn’t done so.
You are correct, Lady Hawk. Why? I will not project what I think she is thinking but she has a familial duty to help her husband.
I’ve been asking myself this very question for weeks now. The other problem I have with this whole situation is that Kamala Harris is gearing up to be president (note Freudian slip the other day about a Harris Administration). I fear her more than Joe.
Good point, Danny. Harris is really whacko with her ideas. No surprise that she finished so low in the democrat debates that she dropped out. Remember also that she accused Joe Biden of rape and racism. And … he picked her as his VP choice?
Let’s all be clear. Joe Biden’s health is in decline and seriously so. The American people want a healthy, mentally stable president. It matters not so much who it is, than whether they can make good, timely decisions. Joe Biden cannot do it. At least that is what I see and many others agree. Denying it is a form of self delusion.
Is this elder abuse?
I’m not kidding with this question.
This whole situation of a presidential election and the violence across big cities in the US is a real problem that will take real leadership. Joe Biden is clearly not up to the task. That is not a political judgment but a common sense judgment.
The conventional wisdom is that Biden needs to pretend to be running a “real” campaign by going around the country and not a “virtual” campaign from his basement. That gives the media shills a chance to cover for him.
As others have pointed our the death of a supreme court justice that was a liberal will add a new dimension to this upcoming election. What to do? Much of that will be played out over the next few days.
Trump’s job is to make a nomination, the Senates job is to confirm or deny.
Great analysis Gen. Satterfield. Maybe soon you can give a profile on some other candidate like Kamala Harris. Since she is the VP pick up for election and given Joe Biden’s mental issues, I think it would be very useful. Thanks.😊
In my experience, which is limited, I’ve seen many great men who have fallen to the ravages of dementia. Joe Biden is one of them. The right thing to do is to relax and get plenty of rest, be around family members, and exercise. This will slow the progression of dementia. I’m afraid to say that most doctors that I know are convinced of his fast-paced mental decline.
Only those in denial cannot see what is before them. The short-term problem for the country is what will happen if Joe Biden drops out.
To make the presidential game more complex and unpredictable is yesterday’s death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth B. Ginsburg.
JT, good point and one I believe will be addressed soon by the Democratic Party.
Gen. Satterfield, I’m not so sure the DNC has sufficient leadership to do the responsible thing and convince Biden to get out of the race. Biden never was the best candidate. Bernie Sanders is better and there were many who dropped early because they were not “liberal” enough. The DNC should revisit them quickly. Every day a decision is not made, the harder it will become.
Let’s hope for the man that he does not have dementia but what would be the explanation? Clearly his behavior has changed.
No one should be surprised by this.
Serious problems should never be overlooked.
IMHO, it is a disgrace that someone doesn’t do something about Joe Biden’s cognitive problems; options are few. 1. quit the race or 2. continue and get slammed. His family will take a beating because of the guilt of letting him continue and then he dies later. It is well known that stress makes dementia worse, not better. And a presidential campaign is one of the greatest stressors.
So true. I never really liked Joe Biden, mostly because I thought he was a faker (fake ranking in his law class, fake degrees, plagiarism, etc.). But he could get people to like him; those that came face to face with him.
Well said, Janna. This is not going to turn out well. It appears to me that he has gotten worse since January. Am I imagining it?
Joe Biden should gracefully exit the presidential race. Continuing to go on is bad for him and for the country.