Sorting it all out

It was not a good time to have a bad day. Although Joe Biden is deeply appreciated for what he’s done as president, his major responsibility now is to win reelection in November. His performance during the debate didn’t help.

But, abandoning an incumbent president who has done great things for America, seems a bridge too far - although many Democrats have been thinking about it.

It’s really not fair to question the mental acuity of one candidate, and not question the mental acuity of his opponent. Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are old men, beyond the average life span of males. Questions about their ability to serve four years as president concern them both.

Democrats intend to win in November and believe failure to do so is a threat to American democracy. They are not worried about Biden having the ability to “be” president; they’re worried about his ability to “become” president.

Members of the Washington political class and mainstream media appear to be most in doubt about Biden’s future. Discussion of his physical and mental fitness has received wall-to-wall coverage since the debate. The momentum shifts almost daily between predictions Biden will step down, and he’s not going to step down.

Perhaps these “experts” should listen more carefully to ordinary people. They may be overestimating the fallout from Biden’s poor performance at the debate and underestimating the loyalty Democrats have for him. The base - millions of Democrats who went to the primary polls to cast their vote for Biden - is becoming quite resentful of the constant barrage of complaints against their nominee.

There are a lot of people, especially seniors, miffed at the pundits’ overreaction to Joe’s gaffes. You would have thought Biden created a major international crisis when he called Ukraine President Zelensky President Putin. Biden immediately corrected himself and Zelensky smiled good-naturedly.

Surely there is no one who has never inadvertently called someone by the wrong name – including their own children. I’ve even called my children by my dog’s name before. The truth is, Biden was known for his verbal gaffes long before he even thought about running for president. It was never thought to be related to mental acuity - until he got old.

The debate was damaging. It was a huge disappointment from the start as Biden appeared pale, confused, forgetful and weak. Democrats were devastated to see their standard bearer humiliated. For several days afterward, anxiety ran rampant, and some Democrats and political analysts began to call for him to step down.

In response to heavy criticism of him and calls for him to drop out of the race, Biden came out swinging, defiant and in denial, making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere. He explained he was exhausted from heavy travel during the last month and was sick with a cold during the debate.

Since then, he has been campaigning frequently and has been vigorous and confident speaking to large crowds.

Biden’s physician has tested him neurologically during each of his three annual exams. The latest was in February of this year and the physician reports, “there were no findings consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s.” Biden says if his doctors think he needs another evaluation, he’ll have one.

As painful as it was, Democrats were wise to question their nominee’s fitness to be president. It was important to analyze Biden’s ability to run the country. Republicans should also question the fitness of their nominee. It would be prudent to have neurological examinations of both candidates by a neutral, jointly-selected physician, with the results made public to everyone.

The debate did reveal Biden was no match for his bombastic opponent who has a habit of telling numerous falsehoods and exaggerations in a very short time. Unfortunately, the debate format didn’t allow for thoughtful responses to important questions. At a later news conference, however, Biden proved he can clearly articulate in great detail on extremely complex issues. No one believes his opponent has that ability.

Biden is aging; it was fair to question his cognitive ability. But Trump is aging, too. It’s only fair to question his cognitive ability, as well.

Democrats are concerned about Biden, but Republicans should also be concerned about Trump.