I wish this were the last thing I'd have to write about Biden's age
Unfortunately, our corporate media has baked in the narrative. And Democratic bed-wetters also can't seem to shut up.
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Over the weekend, at the evangelical Pray Vote Stand Summit, Donald Trump said in a speech that Joe Biden would bring us into "World War II"—which occurred more than 70 years ago—during a rant in which he was actually claiming Biden is "cognitively impaired."
You can’t make this up!
Trump also identified his 2016 opponent and his 2024 opponent as "Obama":
We have a man who is totally corrupt and the worst president in the history of our country, who is cognitively impaired, in no condition to lead, and is now in charge of dealing with Russia and possible nuclear war…We would be in World War II"…
The radical left thugs have weaponized law enforcement to arrest their leading political opponent [who is] leading by a lot, including Obama. I'll tell you what, you take a look at Obama and you look at some of the things that he's done, this is the same thing, the country was very divided and we did with Obama, we won an election they said that couldn't be won.
There was lots of social media mockery as well MSNBC TV pundits zeroing in on Trump’s mental state, including how he looked haggard and seemed befuddled. But there were no headlines from the corporate media’s political reporters pointing to "cognitive decline" or Trump being "too old."
In fact, this was one of dozens of gaffes, flubs, and brain fogs we’ve witnessed Trump experiencing—for years. But the coverage we see from news reporters about it hasn’t been anywhere near the coverage that Joe Biden’s age has received—even though Biden, who is 80, is only 2.5 years (30 months) older than Trump.
More annoying is that too many Democratic leaders and operatives give the media red meat to work with, often anonymously. You rarely read about Republican leaders concerned about Trump’s ridiculous gaffes—like what happened over the weekend—even though you know they are privately talking about them, laughing or fretting or both.
But here was yet another story about Biden’s age in the Washington Post just yesterday, just when you think there can’t be another story because it's been focused on for weeks.
Yet, the new angle is the "anxiety" of Democratic leaders—"Anxiety ripples through the Democratic Party over Biden"—which allows them to continue the narrative and also allows them to do a "both sides": Trump’s criminality vs. Biden’s age.
Supporters and critics alike suggested that Biden’s prospects may hinge on whether he can find a way to overcome a persistent and growing feeling in the electorate that his advanced age is his defining characteristic.
Let me repeat myself. The other candidate is only 30 months younger and just called his opponent "Obama," whom he said would lead us into "World War II." And he’s a fascist. As I pointed out on Friday, the election is between Joe Biden and fascism. End of story.
And none of these articles and media stories focus on whether or not concerns about age would actually prevent people from voting for Biden. The Washington Post article, like many others, quotes people saying they hear concerns from voters—mirroring polls showing people think Biden is too old—but they don’t report that those expressing the concerns are voting for Trump instead because of it.
"He is in a period of his life where passing and death is imminent," said Sharon Sweda, the leader of the Democratic Party in Lorain County in Ohio, who said she often hears from voters worried about the president’s potential frailty.
I hear this concern myself and get questions from people in my life about the issue all the time. But their concern is either genuinely about Biden, whom they like, or about how some other people will vote. These are people who are very worried about democracy and Donald Trump, and who wouldn’t dream of voting for him. They’re asking about Biden’s age either because they like what he’s done and want it to continue, or they’re swept up in the media hype and worry there are other people out there who support Biden but will vote for Trump because of Biden’s age.
When I ask them if they’re not voting for Biden because of his age or have met anyone else who says they’re not voting for Biden because of his age, they emphatically say no. I haven’t met anyone who voted for Biden who now says they’re not voting for Biden because of his age—no matter how concerned about it they are. I don’t think any of you have either.
So these stories are meaningless, but they give the media another narrative to push, both for clicks and ratings but also so they can, in their warped estimation, say they are treating "both sides" equally, focusing on Biden’s supposed liabilities.
And Democratic officials who fuel it, speaking to the media about it, are "bed-wetting" Democrats, as Jim Messina, who ran Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election camapign—in which Obama’s numbers were exactly where Biden’s are right now—told the Post. This one passage from the Post really pissed me off:
One Democratic lawmaker, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, raised the prospect that Biden could secure the nomination and then have to drop out for health reasons. "The worst-case scenario is that we get past the nominating process with President Biden as the nominee, and then he’s no longer able to continue on as the nominee," the lawmaker said. "That’s the nightmare scenario for Democrats."
Why the hell is someone in the Democratic Party even speculating about this sensational scenario in the media and fueling these stories? And doing so anonymously is both gossipy and cowardly—and it’s irresponsible of the newspaper, as we don’t know if this is someone who’s a true supporter or a Biden antagonist or critic who’s just trying to cause some chaos.
I wish I didn’t have to address this issue again or point out the media deception. Unfortunately, this is now yet another baked-in narrative—like when they told us abortion wouldn’t be a big issue in the 2022 mid-term elections after Roe was overturned—and the only way to explode it is to keep pointing out the contradictions and pointing to why it’s just plain wrong.
I am so tired of the bs from the media! They blew it in 2020 and 2022 ( the scary Red Wave) by predicting NONSENSE. I agree that nobody who voted for Biden in 2020 is going to vote for Trump in 2024 or not vote. Do I wish Biden was younger, sure, but just as in 2020 there is no choice here. Trump can never be president again if we want to stay a Democracy. Great article , thank you Michelangelo ❤️
I'm so glad you wrote this Michelangelo! I was going to call in today because the WPost article infuriated me so much- but as usual you have the pulse of us all. I get why Republicans focus on Biden's age- a year ago it was all inflation and impending recession, but now they cant talk about that. And even they know Hunter Biden is an awful angle, trying to exploit a very sad story and it wont garner them a single additional vote while further turning off many voters. So all they have is age and whatever latent racism and misogyny they can tie that into via Harris.
The corporate media tho- there is no excuse for this! They simply refuse to cover Trump as the fascist facing 91 felonies and Biden as one of the most successful Presidents in anyone's lifetime. It's disgusting.