Read the Times story about Biden. They say he seems more visibly exhausted and physically frail than years ago, confuses names more. No real accusation of mental problems. Includes an anecdote of Biden yelling at Netanyahu. Sources speculate his schedule is too demanding relative to his age.
Barack Obama entered the White House as a young-looking 48 year-old and had a head of gray hair and some notable new wrinkles by the end of his first term, that job just ages the shit out of you.
Everything somebody starts worrying about Joe Biden's ability to do the job, I want to print out all 1,400+ President's Daily Schedules from the Trump Administration and hit them over the head with it.
What no one seems to want to talk about is the toll Covid infections have taken on folks—all of us, really, but observably in older parts of our population. Research is still pending as to whether Covid infection causes dementia and Parkinsonism, but it’s pretty clear now that it accelerates it.
FT and NYT are up with stories about how those close to Biden have recognized a noticeable cognitive decline in the past weeks.
Notably, there are security and intel sources who question his capacity to carry out his duties as President. This is not a joke.
That’s the problem with incumbents at debates. The President has a really difficult job and schedule, and he’s 81.
Add to the fact that most of what he said at the debate was perfectly fine, where Trump lied repeatedly and said horrendous shit.
Would be nice if it was reported accurately.
I watched the debate and was horrified - but I also thought there must be additional reasons for his faltering performance beyond just his age.
Context matters
That's where it gets so hard to talk about things on Bluesky specifically, because questions of capability quickly get confused with questions of moral rectitude
The question is whether his campaign is capable of getting the message through. And I don't know the answer. They were in 2020, but 2024 is a different scenario.
Yeah - like, he's not senile. He's aging and has more struggles now than he had six months ago, and a year ago, etc. This would be true for basically anyone in their 80s.
Does that mean he can still lead? Probably, I think. Less directly.
There seems to be some struggle here in deciding if the standard is "has capacity and does not need a durable POA" or if it's "time to retire from the NFL because you're not as fast as the younger guys"
And the presidency is something that really does seem like it requires the kind of acuity that most people NEVER have, at any point in their life. But also, plenty of presidents have been less than peak.
Everyone wants JFK without the painkillers, Clinton without the philandering, Reagan without the actual dementia, Nixon without the paranoia, FDR without the debilitating health issues, etc., etc. If anything it validates the Supremes' logic in granting the president divine powers; we ask for angels
No, I don't think so. Definitely grasping at straws for incapacity to do the job. Basically says job is incredibly draining. Certainly more than it would be for a 50 year-old.
Yeah that's always been the case with that job. And of course they don't seem to have any concerns with Trump's ability to do the job although he's shown plenty of signs of cognitive decline
