I have now watched the Biden press conference, and it is not as bad as some people suggest. It is true that Biden said "Mexico" when he meant Egypt. The remark took place in the context of a perfectly coherent discussion of the Gaza war, specifically the subject of Egypt closing its border, to keep out refugees and stop the influx of humanitarian aid. Guess what other border closure has been getting a lot of discussion lately.
Nonetheless, there is no dodging the age issue. And yes, that is unfair. Donald Trump can spew any gibberish he wants, but so long as he does so in a loud, aggressive tone, his fitness to hold office is not called into doubt. So what can Biden do to push back on the age issue? Here is my suggestion.
- Get out in the public eye more. Speeches are all fine and good, but they can be dismissed as reading off the teleprompter. Do press conferences, town halls, and especially one-on-one interviews. The interviews seem to be his strongest suit.
- Do what Donald Trump did. Take the dementia test, humiliating though that may be. Have the White House doctor announce the results, just like Trump did. And yes, I understand that passing a dementia test will stop being a big deal when anyone but Trump does it. But it gives you something to push back when Trump treats his own successful dementia test as a big deal.
- Argue that advantage of experience. Tell people what you are doing all day. Have other people who were involved vouch for you.
- Promise to submit to regular medical evaluations and step down if your doctor certified you as unfit.
- And -- most controversial here -- that means finding a Vice President who people are confident is up to the job.
And, yes, it is my view that no matter who the Democratic candidate is, he or she will become the target for massive Republican vilification. That is the main reason I saw no reason to run an alternate candidate for President. But sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. So pick someone who is well qualified and not too controversial. Even if that means another white male.
I will admit to not knowing of any white males off the top of my head who are are obviously qualified. Governor Jay Pritikin of Illinois or Jared Polis of Colorado have been mentioned. Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan also gets mentioned. I would be fine with any of them in normal times, but times are not normal. We are dealing with wars in Ukraine and Gaza and potential wars in Korea and even a possible future Chinese invasion of Taiwan, so I believe we need someone with more national security experience.
Garry Kasparov has recommended Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. And not so long ago, I would have been open to that if Austin has been willing to make the sacrifice. But Austin's recent cancer diagnosis and alarming secrecy about it seem disqualifying. My recommendation -- Tammy Duckworth, Senator from Illinois. Her advantages include that anyone who insists on a woman, person of color, or both, can have their way. Tammy Duckworth is half Thai, but has never felt the need to wear her race on her sleeve. She is a military veteran, a helicopter pilot who lost two legs in Iraq, a champion of veteran's issues, and a mother of two, including one child born when she was serving in the Senate. She has served four years in the House and seven in the Senate, including on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees. She has executive experience as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. And comes from a solidly blue state, so there is little danger that she would be replaced by a Republican. Her main disadvantage -- there is no evidence Duckworth is crazy enough to want to be Vice President.
But I am open to other nominees as well, including white male ones. The point is, concerns about Biden's age are legitimate. Even if he is completely sharp at 81, that is no guarantee he will still be sharp in 2028 at 86. Americans' fears have to be assuaged. Otherwise we will end up with Donald Trump as President.
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