Concern Regarding Elderly Statesmen

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

There are news reports out this morning stating that some prominent Democratic  backers of Joe Biden are pushing the idea of slowing down his campaign schedule in an effort to limit the political gaffes that he has been generating of late.    They feel that the candidate would be better served if he were to “pace” himself between strenuous campaign events.

Biden recently made unwanted headlines when he told a group of Asian and Hispanic voters that “poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids,” and though he obviously meant to compare “poor kids” to “wealthy” kids, what he actually said served to remind many Americans that Biden was not a product of their generation.  

Later that same day he told a public gathering at the Iowa Stat Fair :  “We choose science over fiction.  We choose truth over facts.”  Ouch!

But his gaffes aren’t just semantic bloopers, a few days ago the former Vice President also mangled a fact in relation to his own personal history.  He told a group of anti-gun activists that, as Vice President, he had met with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.  In reality, the Parkland massacre occurred during the Trump administration – over a full year after Joe Biden had left the vice-presidency.

Some see Biden’s continuing stream of gaffes and factual errors as the result of old age.  He will be seventy-seven this November – and seventy-eight just two weeks after the 2020 election.  Biden’s potential opponent in 2020 is Donald Trump who turned seventy-three earlier this summer.  In addition to being more than three full years younger than Biden, Trump also considers himself to be more mentally fit than the former Vice President, a fact he is not shy about touting.  Trump recently tweeted:

“Does anyone really believe he (Biden) is fit to be President.  We are ‘playing’ in a very big and complicated world.  Joe doesn’t have a clue.”

While it is easy for many of us to argue that Donald Trump has proven himself not “fit” to be President as well as someone who doesn’t have a clue, it would be so much easier to sell that argument if the Democratic nominee was someone who was younger and far more vibrant than Trump.  With Biden – and even Bernie - we give up those advantages.

And if a candidate has to “pace” himself in the primaries, can we really expect him to transform into a dynamo for the general election?

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are both good Americans who have served their country well.   Give the elder statesmen their due – and then move on into the future with a new generation of political leaders. 

It’s time for change – not creative recycling – and change demands fresh voices and new ideas.  Get out of the way, Joe.  Stand aside, Bernie.    You guys have had your time, it’s come and gone, and now it’s someone else’s turn.  Let it happen!