Over the last few years, it’s become blatantly obvious that Democratic President Joe Biden is not exactly in the right frame of mind. But, according to leftist-backed media outlets like The New York Times, it’s no different than employing presidents like Ronald Reagan or Franklin Roosevelt, both of whom had considerable health issues while in office.
As The Times reporter David Leonhardt explained in a piece recently published, there is no question as to whether or not Biden, at age 80, is slipping in his mental capacity. At this point, pretty much everyone knows it.
The only real question is whether or not his mental state will prevent him from getting reelected or not.
Leonhardt claims that due to Biden’s age and current mindset, he’s engaging in a “quiet” reelection campaign. Basically, this means there will be fewer public events and media presence, as each of those offers another opportunity in which his age will be shown.
But that doesn’t mean that he can’t do his job, Leonhardt says. And even if he can’t, it doesn’t mean the nation won’t be able to function properly.
He wrote, “Strange as it may sound, the American government can function without a healthy president.”
He then tried to explain this by bringing up Franklin Roosevelt, America’s 32nd president. If you weren’t aware, Roosevelt died while in office, having been reelected in 1944. But due to a series of serious health issues, he died in 1945.
Leonhardt claims that despite Roosevelt’s failing health and eventual death, the nation still performed well, even during a time of war. In fact, FDR is still regarded as one of the greatest US presidents of all time.
The Times’ reporter also brought up former President Ronald Reagan, who was the oldest man to serve as commander-in-chief before Biden. He was 77 when he left office in 1989.
Like Roosevelt, Reagan is also considered one of the greats, having made serious gains to the US economy and expert handling of a contentious relationship with the Soviet Union.
And yet, by the time he ended his second term, it was noted that his age was showing quite a bit. In fact, not long after he left the Oval Office, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Leonhardt, of course, tried to compare Reagan and Biden, insinuating that they were similar.
He wrote, “In each case, White House aides, Cabinet secretaries and military leaders performed well despite the lack of a fully engaged leader.”
And to some degree, he is correct. The nation still managed to function as usual for the most part and get through those times.
But does that mean we should knowingly put someone in the White House who can’t do the job, expecting and hoping that his staff will pick up the slack?
Absolutely not.
Besides, there is the fact that Reagan was nothing like Biden, even during the end of his second term.
As proof, I offer one of his very last interviews as President of the United States.
Just three days before Reagan left the Oval Office for good in 1989, he sat down with then-NBC anchor Tom Brokaw to discuss his soon-to-be departure and how he believed he was leaving things. What can be seen throughout the entire 30 minutes plus video is a president who is still very much in his right mind and very aware of what is happening around him.
It’s also nothing like Biden, not even how Biden was before entering the White House over two years ago.
For starters, Reagan isn’t stumbling over his words. He’s not forgetting the names of the people he works with daily. And he’s not making a slew of false claims about what he’s done while in office or things that have happened in his past.
Instead, he and Brokaw discuss a vast array of subjects, from his top achievements to his personal faith and upbringing. And he does it all without a teleprompter, notes, or someone helping him finish his sentences.
The same can be said of his farewell address, given just a week prior to this interview.
This was a president, who, yes, might have been slipping a wee bit, but he was still very much “fully engaged.”
I don’t think anyone of us can say the same about Biden.
