(The) president frequently showed limitations with his memory and recall...The special counsel at one point in the report wrote that Biden “did not remember when he was vice president,” forgetting when his term ended, and in another instance forgot when his term began. Hur reported Biden did not remember when his son Beau had died, and his memory “appeared hazy” when speaking about a debate over Afghanistan that was critical to his memoirs.
Summarizing Hur said that Biden was ‘elderly man with a poor memory’.
At the time, the president, vice president, cabinet members, and Democratic members of Congress pushed back. All saying that this description did not fit the man that they knew. That in private meetings where it mattered, he was on top of his game. And that his record proves it.
Whether one agrees with the president’s polices or not, one would be hard pressed to believe that Biden is on top of his game after last night. Which begs the question, What will he be like going forward?
There are reports that even during the debate itself congressional Democrats who support his candidacy have done a 180 and now believe he should step aside. I think they’re right. Who would take his place is a good question. But it appears that just about any mainstream Democrat with name recognition would be a better choice right now as far as they are concerned
Unlike many of his detractors, I believe that Joe Biden is a decent and honorable man even though I do not agree with many of his policies. But being decent and honorable is not enough. One must be of sound mind and body as well. I’m not sure he is either of those. Nor will he likely improve going forward.
Then there is the former president. He showed no signs of mental decline. His problems lay elsewhere. To cite just a few of the more obvious ones: there is his immoral character; his extraordinary talent of lying as though it was gospel; his megalomaniacal and vengeful style of governance; his prioritizing loyalty over truth from his advisers; and his carefully crafted dog whistles that gains him support from racists, bigots and antisemites (even though he is not any of those).
But even those failings pale in comparison to what happened after he lost the 2020 election. Long story short his denial of the election results inspired many of his more radical supporters to storm the Capital on January 6th of 2021. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that he incited the January 6th insurrection. He did not plan it or order it. But he surely inspired it. And referred to them all as patriots even after they had been convicted and sent to prison. He has said that he plans to pardon these ‘patriots’ when he gets re-elected.
Even so, the former president came off better than the current president. While he did lie and distort a lot of his answers, it did not sound like his mind was in decline. And on 2 of the most important issues to voters - the economy and the border crisis - Trump has the edge Those are wining issues for him and losing issues for Biden.
I would add that Trump’s policy of bringing Iran to its knees was a far better policy than Biden’s policy of playing ball with them and releasing funds for them to use in spreading terror. (Some of which surely ended up in Hamas hands) and seeking to restore that awful nuclear agreement with Iran that would have expired in a year anyway. Trump gets points for that in my book.
Trump came out on top yesterday. If for no other reason than he did not sound like he was in mental decline the way Biden did
Still, nothing has changed for me. These are the 2 worst candidates for president in modern history. I would have a hard time voting for either of them. Based on last night’s debate, the thought of either of them getting a second term scares me. I just don’t know which one is worse.