Biden is Still Old

But I still trust him more than anyone else to guide America through a crisis

President Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Photo: Mandel Ngan - Pool/Getty Images

As I watched Joe Biden’s farewell address on Wednesday, January 15 I was struck by how he seems to have declined rather quickly since even the summer of 2024, when calls for his removal as the Democratic presidential candidate were at their fever pitch.

Yes, he’s a stutterer, but he is obviously having a much harder time overcoming that these days. It was a fine speech, but with a delivery that diminished its potential resonance with the intended audience.

There were a lot of verbal missteps and mangled phrases, from which his recoveries made portions of the speech incoherent. It was rough and I felt pretty intense second-hand embarrassment for him.

The thing is, I don’t care.

Does this change any of my previous statements in defense of Biden? No.

I still would trust him more than any other person alive to lead America and guide it through tough times.

This is a man who’s done and seen almost everything possible while in public service. The fact that with each passing day he looks and sounds older and appears feebler doesn’t mean he can’t draw on that extensive experience and make decisions when presented with facts.

That’s basically the job of president, to make decisions. To guide staff and subordinates on what policies to implement.

If Joe Biden was confined to a bed during a second term, and needed help being fed, I would still trust him to make the best, right choices for our country.

Because he can think. And can comprehend the issues at hand.

If you are skeptical of that, then I invite you to watch or listen to his interview with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Thursday evening. He still seemed old and feeble, but the free-flowing one-on-one setting was much a much more comfortable environment for him. His answers to questions were thoughtful and sometimes quite complex. And there were few verbal missteps and almost no awkward recoveries. You can tell he has a command of facts and unparalleled instincts, both in domestic and foreign politics.

The fact is, he can still think, assess, and decide in a way that will put America and its most vulnerable citizens first when faced with tough issues or crises.

America first? Or last?

Contrast that with the unstable genius who just got elected that constantly says he’ll put America first.

What would Donald Trump do in the face of a crisis? Well, we unluckily have the misfortune of already seeing what he would do, as he had to deal with the Covid crisis. But this playbook generally transfers over to any unfavorable event:

1. Deny there’s a crisis

2. Deny there’s that much of a crisis

3. Acknowledge people are worried about a crisis

4. Downplay and try to hide evidence of a crisis

5. Acknowledge there is a crisis

6. Suggest the crisis will just go away

7. Ignore and downplay the crisis some more

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 ad infinitum until time in power is over

In addition, Trump seems determined to create crises out of thin air. He was elected on lowering prices and easing the burden on less fortunate citizens. What he’s actually doing is threatening to bring us into unnecessary global conflict (Panama, Greenland, etc.), create high inflation and a recession (through massive tariffs and mass deportations), and use the military against its own citizens.

Trump is loud and at the moment seems younger than he is. Compared to Biden, he appears strong and vigorous. But—and I could be wrong here—a strong and vigorous insane person is probably not the best thing for our country.

Farewell, Biden…..and farewell to an era

I don’t mean to regurgitate election arguments again, but I just thought this was worth revisiting, since many will point to his farewell speech as proof that Biden’s lost it and is not capable of another four years as president. As I mentioned above, I, too, was struck by how much weaker and incoherent he seemed in that speech.

But does this mean that he can’t make tough decisions, when presented with a set of facts? Absolutely not.

I, for one, would have slept much more soundly with Biden in office until age 86 were we blessed with that opportunity.

I know this isn’t actually marketable for the general public. I understand this is a losing argument in our current political environment. And that politicians nowadays are highly rewarded for being the loudest and rudest person in the room. I am learning to accept this new reality and roll with it.

Biden is the antithesis of that, always has been. In fact, he is probably the last of the courteous, thoughtful politicians.

So it’s an end of an era. And a new beginning.

I hope and pray we’re ready for what’s coming.