• givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    And the claims that his stutter and verbal gaffs are evidence of decline are utter bullshit. He’s been that way his entire life.

    I mean, it’s not reason to get rid of him, but he hasn’t had it his whole life.

    He had it as a child, but there’s a bunch of footage of him in politics for over 40 years…

    The vast majority of that time he didn’t have any stutter or gaffes. I don’t even think it was happening when he was VP.

    But as we age we lose that “filter” where we think before we speak. Which often causes the re-emergence of childhood speech impediments along with a lot more serious stuff.

    Like I said, it’s not a reason to impeach him, but it’s definitely a reason to ask why we’re expecting him to be president for four more years.

    Especially since the main reason he said he ran was the country needed him because only he has the Senate experience to work with Republicans…

    And then immediately after assuming office he said he can’t do anything to even get Democratic senators to support the party platform.

    So why are we running him again instead of a primary?

    • kescusay@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The vast majority of that time he didn’t have any stutter or gaffes. I don’t even think it was happening when he was VP.

      It was. And the vast majority of the time, it doesn’t happen now. It’s just that when it does, right-wing media seizes on it.

      You can find plenty of footage from when he was VP, and when he was in the Senate, where he clearly struggles to say the right words, and sometimes a malapropism slips out. In the past, he’s referred to himself as a “gaffe machine” (that is a direct quote) because of it. So it’s less accurate to say that he overcame his stutter, and more accurate to say that he found workarounds that usually - but not always - work.

      It’s only become a big deal now because of his age. Republicans latch onto any slip of the tongue or difficulty speaking as supposed evidence of his decline, but it’s completely disingenuous.

      But as we age we lose that “filter” where we think before we speak. Which often causes the re-emergence of childhood speech impediments along with a lot more serious stuff.

      Sure, but listen to any of his recent speeches. You’ll find that for the overwhelming majority of the time, he’s perfectly clear-spoken. There will occasionally be hiccups, but find any long speech of his in the last 40 years, and you’ll see the same things.

      My point here is that while I’m sure he’s not quite as sharp as he used to be, there’s a material difference between a verbal stumble and what happened to Mitch McConnell. I’m not sure what exactly that was, but McConnell has no medical history of fugue states. That’s new. Biden’s intermittent verbal stumbles aren’t.

      Like I said, it’s not a reason to impeach him, but it’s definitely a reason to ask why we’re expecting him to be president for four more years.

      I’d much rather have a different candidate, but not because of Biden’s age. I think he’s too willing to go along with Republicans for the sake of “bipartisanship.” Obama had the same problem.

      That said, he might actually be the best possible candidate, given the circumstances. He utterly spanked Trump last time around, and keeping the orange shit-gibbon out of office is of paramount importance.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        You can find plenty of footage from when he was VP, and when he was in the Senate, where he clearly struggles to say the right words, and sometimes a malapropism slips out

        Maybe a handful of examples over 40 years of politics… But no more than any other politician who’s caught off guard.

        Here’s two examples of him in high stress public speaking situations where he had zero issues while in his 40s:

        Concession speech after his plagiarism torpedoed his campaign:

        https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/11/07/watch-joe-bidens-speech-from-1987-when-he-dropped-out-of-his-first-presidential-run.html

        Heckled by reporters while he insults them:

        https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D1j0FS0Z6ho

        It seems like back then his issues were plagiarism and anger management, I’m not hearing any speech impediments tho…

        Because like I said, those are often a childhood thing, then re-appear in your 70s due to completely normal age related mental decline.

        This isn’t two people with different opinions, this is you saying science and video evidence is wrong and your opinion is right

        • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          It’s not like it always comes up.

          Your two examples are a super well prepared and rehearsed speech, and an off the cuff “insult”, which is exactly where it would not happen.

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            What?

            If it doesn’t happen with off the cuff remarks, or we’ll prepared speeches…

            Why is it now happening in well prepared speeches and off the cuff remarks?

            That just doesn’t make any logical sense unless something changes in the last 35 years like the same normal age related mental decline everyone experiences if they live long enough.

            • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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              1 year ago

              Not that I watch it all but I don’t see it in super well prepared speeches. Concession speech with political hopes for the future, I guarantee you that shit was dialed in to 9000.

              Not off the cuff remarks, off the cuff “insults” (your words). Anger (your intonation) tends to clarify your brain. Insults are a pretty simple message.

              See how you’re trying to change it?

              It happens more in regular speeches that are not super well rehearsed, and interviews where you have to come up with complex answers, convey complex points on the spot, etc.

              • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Nah, I think I’ll go with science and video evidence over unfounded opinions…

                Thanks tho, I’m sure someone might enjoy reading your opinions.

                • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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                  1 year ago

                  Don’t like how I caught you trying to change it huh.

                  Long story short: it doesn’t happen all the time and your two examples are exactly where it wouldn’t happen. Cue your more cherry picked examples, cue me saying it doesn’t happen all the time because that’s how it works.

    • EhList@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      He has a history of gaffes. You might be unaware of them as he wasn’t that important until the mid 1990s.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        You might be unaware of them as he wasn’t that important until the mid 1990s

        Ouch, way to shit on his 1988 presidential campaign…

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            He was a frontrunner leading up to it…

            https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden_1988_presidential_campaign

            Originally, Biden was regarded as potentially one of the strongest candidates in the field. In September 1987, however, reports emerged that he had plagiarized a speech by the British Leader of the Opposition and Labour Party Leader, Neil Kinnock. Other allegations of past law school plagiarism and exaggerating his academic record soon followed and Biden withdrew from the race later that month.

            Voters just cared more about plagiarism and lying back then. Which is why he couldn’t win a primary until post trump, and that was with around 10 candidates all drop and endorse him in a week.

            If trump was never president, Biden wouldn’t be either.

            Side note:

            No signs of any issues with public speaking back then:

            Biden was active on the party speaking circuit from 1985 on, and was considered one of the best orators among the potential presidential candidates for 1988

            It might be before you were born, but 1988 isn’t ancient history, we still have plenty of records of what happened back then.

            • EhList@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              He was the front runner for the democrats who were almost certainly going to lose to George HW Bush. I have no idea how old you are but Bush was almost a shoe in.