The Tragic Conundrum of Joe Biden
If twelve years ago I had been offered a million dollars to run a 5K race under twenty-four minutes, I would have taken the bet. If I had the same offer today, I would pass. Why? I know my limitations. I am not as fast as I once was, and I will never again be that fast. Whether I like it or not, I am aging. We all are.
Sadly, I don’t think Joe Biden understands this most fundamental reality of being human. I tuned in to the Biden/Trump debate for only five minutes and was horrified. Biden had asked for the debate, had set the conditions for the debate, and knew the stakes were incredibly high. And he had days and days of debate preparation. Yet, when the event unfolded, he was not able to come close to giving the kind of sharp performance needed to assure the American people about his capabilities to continue as President. Instead, he mumbled incoherently, looked shell-shocked, and bragged about his golf handicap.
My first response was anger. With so much on the line, how could he not have been ready?
Then I watched his interview with George Stephanopoulos, and I grew sad. Yes, Biden was more coherent than during the debate, but I was left with a devastating feeling of déjà vu. I have helped care for loved ones suffering from cognitive decline in their later years. I’ve seen people unable to recognize their own decline, and grow defiant when confronted with the frightening truth.
Apparently, the President believes he is the most qualified person to defeat Trump in November. He brushed off his debate performance as an “off night” as if it were not a big deal. He refused to believe the poll numbers which show his campaign tanking, and he bristled at the suggestion that he was putting himself above his country. In short, he did not seem to recognize the political peril he faces.
To be honest, I am not qualified to diagnose the President. I only know what I saw. The only conclusions I can draw from this debacle include cognitive decline and stubborn pride. No matter what I think, the entire affair smells like a Shakespearean tragedy. And even if Biden is sharp as a tack, the perception of his decline is baked and most likely cannot be undone.
In 2020, Joe Biden slew the dragon, and people poured out into the streets to celebrate. He inherited a nation reeling from the COVID pandemic and stunned by the insurrection led by his corrupt predecessor. Still, he used his considerable powers of persuasion to push Congress to pass significant infrastructure funding and the largest bill in history to combat climate change. He also rallied NATO support and finagled billions of dollars out of Congress to help Ukraine hold off the Russian invasion. There is little doubt in my mind that Joe Biden has had a very successful and influential presidency.
And that is the rub. Should voters support him based on his enviable policy successes? Historically, the answer would be yes and Joe Biden believes he has earned a second term. But no president has ever served in office while in their ninth decade. Father time does not run backward and whatever physical and cognitive challenges Biden faces will only worsen. A bigger problem concerns the dragon he had cast down in 2020. The monster has climbed out of his lair and once again threatens our democracy. Can Biden effectively counter this threat and win one more round against Trump? If poll numbers or his recent debate are accurate indicators, the answer is “no”.
My hope is that Joe Biden will take a bow and accept the accolades he deserves. He should step down and allow another standard bearer to pick up the torch he lit. My fear is that Biden will cling to the illusion of his younger self and lead our country to disaster. But who knows? Maybe Joe Biden can defeat Donald Trump a second time, and if he does, then I just might try to run a 5K in twenty-three minutes.