Joe Biden's Mental State

[Alex_Krycek]

There have been numerous cases of Joe Biden showing signs of cognitive decline.  The compilation video below (courtesy of Walker Bragman) shows recent examples of this.  It's a troubling thought considering that Trump has already shown ample evidence of cognitive impairment and early dementia.  Having a President of sound mind should not be a question of politics, and considering that Biden is the establishment's choice for the Democratic nominee, there is little chance that the mainstream press will draw attention to it.  Fox has already begun their attacks, however, and surely these attacks will intensify if Biden becomes the nominee.  

https://twitter.com/WalkerBragman/status/1234604568316665856?s=20

Edited March 5, 2020 by Alex_Krycek

[iNow]

2 hours ago, Alex_Krycek said:

surely these attacks will intensify if Biden becomes the nominee

As will suggestions of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden at Ukrainian company Burisma (the one that went remarkably silent while Bernie was ahead). 

 

2 hours ago, Alex_Krycek said:

Having a President of sound mind should not be a question of politics, and considering that Biden is the establishment's choice for the Democratic nominee...

The best argument against democracy is a 5-minute conversation with the average voter. 

[Sensei]

42 minutes ago, iNow said:

The best argument against democracy is a 5-minute conversation with the average voter. 

...you are not helpful....

 

[J.C.MacSwell]

It's widely suspected that Ronald Reagan was suffering from dementia while still in office.

 

[Curious layman]

I'm not convinced. I don't think being forgetful whilst talking, especially in public, is a definite sign of cognitive decline. That video is nothing more than a blooper reel.

And Walker Bragman is a journalist and cartoonist not a neurologist. Not what I would call a credible source of information.

 

[John Cuthber]

When a young man forgets his hat he says "I have forgotten my hat"

When an old man forgets his hat he says "I am getting old".

A set of pictures of someone fluffing their lines proves nothing (except that someone chose to put it together).

 

What are Walker Bragman's political leanings?

[iNow]

Reminds me of the suggestions Hillary was sick by stringing together pictures of her coughing, or suggestions Pelosi is drunk by doctoring videos to slow her speech. 

[Phi for All]

Wow, video cherry-picking, pretty dishonest if you ask me. I thought this thread was about how crazy it is that Delaware has more businesses incorporated there than people living there.

[Sensei]

2 hours ago, Curious layman said:

I don't think being forgetful whilst talking, especially in public, is a definite sign of cognitive decline.

Over drinking of water can result in temporary decline of intelectual abilities. Hyponatremia is the most common type of electrolyte imbalance.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia

It can happen after heavy physical exercises when someone is drinking clean water lacking Sodium.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise-associated_hyponatremia

 

[J.C.MacSwell]

41 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

Wow, video cherry-picking, pretty dishonest if you ask me. I thought this thread was about how crazy it is that Delaware has more businesses incorporated there than people living there.

In fairness, Joe is usually more uncertain about what State he's physically in...

But right now what mental state would he be in?

I would suggest "euphoric". The guy has a clear path to the White House.

[Alex_Krycek]

Joe Biden is 78 years old.  It's not exactly a far fetched notion that a 78 year old would begin to show signs of cognitive decline. Are these bloopers, as some of you say, or a very real pattern of mental deterioration?  Time will tell, but sometimes it takes careful observation from someone like Bragman to bring this kind of thing to our attention (since the mainstream press will ignore it completely to get Biden in the W.H.).  

9 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

I would suggest "euphoric". The guy has a clear path to the White House.

A very unrealistic statement there.  I''m the last person to support Trump, but he will absolutely crush Biden if they face off in the general.  If Biden is the nominee, sit back and expect 4 more years of the orange clown.

As for the comments about democracy itself: it's not perfect but it's the best we have - like science.  

Edited March 6, 2020 by Alex_Krycek

[MigL]

14 minutes ago, Alex_Krycek said:

If Biden is the nominee, sit back and expect 4 more years of the orange clown.

Then why is D Trump afraid of J Biden winning the nomination ?
Going as far as getting his buddy in the Kremlin to 'push' for B Sanders.

[J.C.MacSwell]

4 minutes ago, MigL said:

Then why is D Trump afraid of J Biden winning the nomination ?
Going as far as getting his buddy in the Kremlin to 'push' for B Sanders.

Next, you'll be telling us the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbour...

[iNow]

Biden is not as sharp as he was when he was younger. He has an issue with stuttering. He trails off when telling a story, or spends too much time in the weeds on policy questions when his audience doesn’t know what he’s talking about. These problems get worse when he’s tired. 

I think the best thing he could do would be to ask Pete Buttigieg to run the rest of his campaign.  

[J.C.MacSwell]

35 minutes ago, Alex_Krycek said:

A very unrealistic statement there.  I''m the last person to support Trump, but he will absolutely crush Biden if they face off in the general.  If Biden is the nominee, sit back and expect 4 more years of the orange clown.

Trump could very well crush Biden...but let's face it...he could just as easily crush himself.

[Alex_Krycek]

7 hours ago, MigL said:

Then why is D Trump afraid of J Biden winning the nomination 

Trump is "afraid" of Biden?  All signs are pointing to Trump being more intimidated by Bernie.  

_{^{In a recording of a private 2018 dinner, Trump says Clinton might have been harder to beat in 2016 if she had chosen Bernie Sanders as her running mate, Newsweek reports. "Had she picked Bernie Sanders it would've been tougher," says Trump. "He's the only one I didn't want her to pick."}}

7 hours ago, MigL said:

Going as far as getting his buddy in the Kremlin to 'push' for B Sanders.

The notion that Trump in any way influences Putin is ludicrous.  That's a one way street with Trump dancing to Putin's tune, not the other way around.  

 

[John Cuthber]

8 hours ago, Sensei said:

Over drinking of water can result in temporary decline of intelectual abilities. Hyponatremia is the most common type of electrolyte imbalance.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia

It can happen after heavy physical exercises when someone is drinking clean water lacking Sodium.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise-associated_hyponatremia

 

Is there any actual evidence of a decline for which we need an explanation?

[Alex_Krycek]

7 hours ago, John Cuthber said:

Is there any actual evidence of a decline for which we need an explanation?

The video I posted constitutes evidence.  

[swansont]

4 hours ago, Alex_Krycek said:

The video I posted constitutes evidence.  

!

Moderator Note

No, it doesn't. As others have said, it's cherry-picking to make a blooper reel. Anecdotes. It is not a systematic sampling. There is no analysis.

This is the kind of garbage that we are trying to avoid when we adopted our new rule. This isn't an argument made in good faith. Do better.

 

 

[Alex_Krycek]

9 hours ago, swansont said:

!

Moderator Note

No, it doesn't. As others have said, it's cherry-picking to make a blooper reel. Anecdotes. It is not a systematic sampling. There is no analysis.

This is the kind of garbage that we are trying to avoid when we adopted our new rule. This isn't an argument made in good faith. Do better.

 

 

Well, here's the thing.  First of all I understand your strict standards, but they are not applicable in this case for a couple of reasons.

First,  the mainstream press will never conduct the level of systematic analysis on Biden's mental state that is warranted.  That's not going to happen - there is too much bias.  They will attack Bernie Sanders all day long for having a heart attack, but Biden?  Never.  Is Biden's doctor going to conduct such an analysis?  Again, not a chance.  Too much money and power at stake.  His doctor, just like Trumps "doctor", will give give him a clean bill of health in any and all circumstances and the establishment won't ask a single question about it.  

Second, there is too much at stake here.  This is the Presidency.  We already have one cognitively impaired individual in the Whitehouse, we don't need another if he leaves.  This is a matter of national security, and nobody in the mainstream press will touch it.  Even after a Yale School of Medicine psychiatrist spoke up about Trump's mental state, there was scant attention paid to it.  https://news.yahoo.com/trumps-pattern-of-cognitive-decline-alarms-psychiatrists-110000099.html

So we're left with quite a dilemma.  The media won't focus on this.  Biden and Trump's doctors are not honest actors.  Yet this is a matter of national security.  So we're left with people like Bragman to piece together any evidence that is out there and present a case based on real events, a case that adults can choose to believe or not.  But denying the conversation because we can't obtain "systematic sampling and analysis" in a case like this is dangerous and counterproductive.  

 

Edited March 6, 2020 by Alex_Krycek

[swansont]

37 minutes ago, Alex_Krycek said:

 But denying the conversation because we can't obtain "systematic sampling and analysis" in a case like this is dangerous and counterproductive.  

!

Moderator Note

You are free to go and have this conversation somewhere that doesn't care about scientific rigor and, while there, pretend it has some validity.

 

[Alex_Krycek]

8 hours ago, swansont said:

!

Moderator Note

You are free to go and have this conversation somewhere that doesn't care about scientific rigor and, while there, pretend it has some validity.

 

Fair enough.  But the fact remains: there will never be a time when the President's mental state is assessed with the true scientific rigor that you speak of.  We're left only to hypothesize if the President, or someone running for President, is on the brink of senility.  Scientific evidence will never be made available concerning this line of inquiry.  Full stop.

Consequently, one can either discuss this frightening possibility without obtaining the systematic analysis that you require, or one can blithely ignore the question that the leader of the most powerful country on Earth might be mentally unfit.   That's the scary truth.  

Edited March 6, 2020 by Alex_Krycek

[swansont]

58 minutes ago, Alex_Krycek said:

 Consequently, one can either discuss this frightening possibility without obtaining the systematic analysis that you require, or one can blithely ignore the question that the leader of the most powerful country on Earth might be mentally unfit.   That's the scary truth.  

!

Moderator Note

That's a false dichotomy. In any event, having the discussion here, as you have framed it, is not consistent with our rules. You've made no effort to try and comply, and have made it clear you think you can't.