Until this year, I could never understand why President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was so determined to hide the true extent of his paralysis from polio. When he made public speeches, he would typically lean heavily on the arm of one of his strong sons, usually James, as he “walked” to the podium. The audience noticed his slow, swinging gait but didn’t know that the whole ruse was made possible by FDR’s determined practice and heavy metal leg braces underneath his pants. He loathed the appearance of vulnerability, and photographs of FDR in a wheelchair, or being helped in and out of a car, were rarely published during his administration. His jaunty smile and booming voice hid how exhausting the effort was.
The need for such elaborate deception is hard for anyone to understand who has been raised in our modern - dare I say more enlightened? - era.
But that was before the presidential race and the current cable and network news obsession with whether or not Joe Biden, at 81, is too old to be president.
The lion’s share of the focus has been on Biden’s age, even though his likely opponent, Donald Trump, is just a sweet, young thing of 77.
The implicit demand here is that Biden, separate from explaining his policies or his record, should somehow do something. Like, he should just get younger.
Which is, of course, impossible.
The underlying fear, if not obsession, is that Biden has dementia or will develop it during a second term. Yet a search on “Does Joe Biden have dementia” turns up articles mostly written by conservatives going back years asserting that Biden is not only in the throes of dementia, but in the late stages, which would be pretty hard for anyone to miss. (Those symptoms include being unable to sit up, eat, swallow, drink or talk).
Somehow while under deep suspicion of being nearly catatonic, Biden has managed to pass a wide-ranging $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the CHIPS Act, which invests billions to manufacture semiconductor chips in America instead of China, rallied international support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, passed more than $300 billion to fight climate change, passed a minimum corporate tax increase that has been needed for decades…
I don’t know, it just doesn’t sound to me like someone who is in the throes of senility.
But do I know for certain? Hell, no. I’ve never met Joe Biden, and more to the point, I’m not a doctor. It should be noted here that there has been commentary on the other side, from people who are MDs and who say that, in all likelihood, Biden is fine, notably this article in Psychology Today.
But here’s what I do know. Even if the prospect of advanced age in the Oval Office makes people nervous, the likely matchup in 2024 will be between two people born during and immediately after World War II - Biden vs. Donald Trump.
Trump is a serial liar facing 91 indictments, who tried to nullify the 2020 election and keep himself in power, who has been found liable for sexual assault, and who is openly promising, should he regain power, to persecute the “vermin” – anyone he doesn’t like – who he says are trying to destroy the country. Although he has always encouraged violence against those who oppose him, his speeches are getting more extreme.
As I finished writing this, the January/February issue of The Atlantic came out, featuring 24 articles on the dangers to democracy of a second Trump term, when he would be free to follow his darkest authoritarian instincts. Who knew that my substack would be so timely?
It is clear that the stakes couldn’t be higher, which makes this debate over whether Biden is too old sound like the ridiculous media obsession with Hillary Clinton’s state department emails that helped elect Trump in the first place.
Which brings me back to FDR. He knew that a large part of being president is the appearance of vitality, and during the 1930s and 1940s there was no wide acceptance of physical disability, certainly not in leadership. Now, of course, that attitude seems ridiculous.
Someday, I predict, this obsession over age above any other factor will be seen as equally specious. I only hope it doesn’t help Trump get elected first.
Great writing again! Thank you for being a voice and rallying call to many!
I’m not as worried about the polls as I am about Bobby, Jill and Cornel.