Thanks for the compliments; enough to redden my cheeks, but my my "Why?" was not exactly as you put it. I did not intend to imply that there are not enough valid reasons to prompt concern about the President's age and his ability to run the Nation for the frequent choruses of "4 more years!", let alone successfully prosecute a campaign sufficient to prevent giving Trump a second and more fruitful opportunity to destroy all the good things in our country.
I am 95 and have myriad physical and cognitive problems. I forget names, dates and events more and more frequently. On the other hand, I did not have most of those problems when I was 85 and was able to host a weekly, well attended and lively discussion group until last year.
My concern was why so many allegedly astute politicians found it necessary to go so public with their concerns. Surely their experience taught them to know that the media, right and left, love to stir the pot and magnify whatever are valid concerns into a pending crisis: the effect being to seriously damage whatever campaign the Democratic Party decides to support.
In short, it is time to make a decision on the way forward and do our utmost to avoid the tragedy that the talking heads and chattering opinion writers are allowing themselves to foment.
Look no further than our MSM for much of the cause. Controversy sells. They normalized all of the lies and hate spewing from TriumpCo that it's no longer newsworthy to them. There is no bottom to what he will say or do - but Biden is fair game. They're being held to entirely different standards because they can sell more papers that way. They print Clooney headlines because they know it will create outrage and create confusion. They create the division to make themselves relevant in a world that sees them as archaic. The New York Times is 173 years old - can we talk about "elderly"?!?
As a nation, we're obsessed with youth - the Hollywood elite especially so. (Hell - Clooney has been lifted so many times, if he has another he'll need a zipper on his shirt collar.) We're bombarded with ads for products to make us look younger, remove wrinkles, sculpt our bodies - take this, eat this, rub on that - and don't even get me started on the ED commercials! And, because we obsess over youth, we treat our older population like crap. I'm invisible when I walk into a store - which is actually ridiculous because I have the money to spend.
I'm 72. I wear hearing aids - connected to my iPhone. I had a hip replaced in May with the other in a couple of months. My knees are shot and they may be getting replaced, as well. I'm getting an implanted heart monitor August 7th because there's an electrical issue they can't quite figure out.
New parts and tune-ups while they're still under warranty.
No, I'm not as quick and agile as I once was and I probably won't be camping atop Half Dome, again - even if they would allow it. But we'll be spending a month in Europe next year - trading hostels and camping for hotels with room service.
People are very foolish if they equate old age with weakness.
I think women are far more often the butt of these stereotypes of elderly people. Notice all those paintings of the "founding fathers" that didn't even try to make them look young! But as soon as a woman has wrinkles, she's over the hill. I believe this hurt Hillary in 2016, even though she was far younger than Biden is now, and sharp as a tack. Personally, I do feel less "smart" now in my mid-sixties, but I'm pretty sure it's because I have significant atypical hearing loss (since my 30's at least, possibly genetic) that isn't fully compensated by my hearing aids. So I do ask people to repeat themselves sometimes, and that brings a stigma I can't shake.
I think what hurt Hillay in 2016 was that she ran one of the worst campaigns I'd ever seen (I blame Mark Penn) - but I'm sure that her gender AND her age were both detrimental to her .
Astute observations. I've been saying for the last few years that Biden out to wear lightly tinted non-prescription glasses. He looks so much more youthful when he's in sunglasses, and much of the criticism right now is driven by the perception of him as old. He has small eyes that add to that "bewildered" look at times. None of this is fair, and it's ridiculous to by into this mentality that equates physical looks with mental acuity, but that's where we are today. Of course, there should be a whole other discussion as to why the press targets Biden and generally gives Trump a pass in that department.
I noticed on Facebook among my friends, that all of the (very few) complainers about Biden are male, but the women are supportive of him. (The exception seems to be male Democratic committeepeople and local elected officials, who remain supportive.) Your post brings me a little closer to being able to understand why.
I would be surprised if there are many dissenters at the picnic. Biden appeared to have overwhelming support from the attendees at the CCDC event last week. I look forward to seeing you Wednesday as well!
Thanks for the compliments; enough to redden my cheeks, but my my "Why?" was not exactly as you put it. I did not intend to imply that there are not enough valid reasons to prompt concern about the President's age and his ability to run the Nation for the frequent choruses of "4 more years!", let alone successfully prosecute a campaign sufficient to prevent giving Trump a second and more fruitful opportunity to destroy all the good things in our country.
I am 95 and have myriad physical and cognitive problems. I forget names, dates and events more and more frequently. On the other hand, I did not have most of those problems when I was 85 and was able to host a weekly, well attended and lively discussion group until last year.
My concern was why so many allegedly astute politicians found it necessary to go so public with their concerns. Surely their experience taught them to know that the media, right and left, love to stir the pot and magnify whatever are valid concerns into a pending crisis: the effect being to seriously damage whatever campaign the Democratic Party decides to support.
In short, it is time to make a decision on the way forward and do our utmost to avoid the tragedy that the talking heads and chattering opinion writers are allowing themselves to foment.
I love you, Uncle Richard.
Look no further than our MSM for much of the cause. Controversy sells. They normalized all of the lies and hate spewing from TriumpCo that it's no longer newsworthy to them. There is no bottom to what he will say or do - but Biden is fair game. They're being held to entirely different standards because they can sell more papers that way. They print Clooney headlines because they know it will create outrage and create confusion. They create the division to make themselves relevant in a world that sees them as archaic. The New York Times is 173 years old - can we talk about "elderly"?!?
As a nation, we're obsessed with youth - the Hollywood elite especially so. (Hell - Clooney has been lifted so many times, if he has another he'll need a zipper on his shirt collar.) We're bombarded with ads for products to make us look younger, remove wrinkles, sculpt our bodies - take this, eat this, rub on that - and don't even get me started on the ED commercials! And, because we obsess over youth, we treat our older population like crap. I'm invisible when I walk into a store - which is actually ridiculous because I have the money to spend.
I'm 72. I wear hearing aids - connected to my iPhone. I had a hip replaced in May with the other in a couple of months. My knees are shot and they may be getting replaced, as well. I'm getting an implanted heart monitor August 7th because there's an electrical issue they can't quite figure out.
New parts and tune-ups while they're still under warranty.
No, I'm not as quick and agile as I once was and I probably won't be camping atop Half Dome, again - even if they would allow it. But we'll be spending a month in Europe next year - trading hostels and camping for hotels with room service.
People are very foolish if they equate old age with weakness.
Agree completely -- and wish you a lot of luck with the monitor and have a GREAT TIME in Europe. I WANT PICTURES!!!!
I think women are far more often the butt of these stereotypes of elderly people. Notice all those paintings of the "founding fathers" that didn't even try to make them look young! But as soon as a woman has wrinkles, she's over the hill. I believe this hurt Hillary in 2016, even though she was far younger than Biden is now, and sharp as a tack. Personally, I do feel less "smart" now in my mid-sixties, but I'm pretty sure it's because I have significant atypical hearing loss (since my 30's at least, possibly genetic) that isn't fully compensated by my hearing aids. So I do ask people to repeat themselves sometimes, and that brings a stigma I can't shake.
I think what hurt Hillay in 2016 was that she ran one of the worst campaigns I'd ever seen (I blame Mark Penn) - but I'm sure that her gender AND her age were both detrimental to her .
Astute observations. I've been saying for the last few years that Biden out to wear lightly tinted non-prescription glasses. He looks so much more youthful when he's in sunglasses, and much of the criticism right now is driven by the perception of him as old. He has small eyes that add to that "bewildered" look at times. None of this is fair, and it's ridiculous to by into this mentality that equates physical looks with mental acuity, but that's where we are today. Of course, there should be a whole other discussion as to why the press targets Biden and generally gives Trump a pass in that department.
Wish I could edit this - too many typos 😂
Good comments! Especially about the glasses and why the press is unfair -- no worries about the typos!
I noticed on Facebook among my friends, that all of the (very few) complainers about Biden are male, but the women are supportive of him. (The exception seems to be male Democratic committeepeople and local elected officials, who remain supportive.) Your post brings me a little closer to being able to understand why.
I'm looking forward to taking a pulse at the picnic on Wednesday -- hope it's cool enough for you to come. It would be great to see you.
I would be surprised if there are many dissenters at the picnic. Biden appeared to have overwhelming support from the attendees at the CCDC event last week. I look forward to seeing you Wednesday as well!