Not the First Time
Back in 1984, Ronald Reagan was running for a second term, and Democrats were making an issue of his age—he was 73 at the time. Keep in mind that CNN was the “new” channel, only four years old at the time…and it was five years before a fellow named Rush Limbaugh started the current era of national talk radio. There was no internet and no social media.
At the end of the first debate with Walter Mondale, Reagan did not seem fully on his game, and completely messed up the closing statement; he appeared to have forgotten what he was saying, and ran out of time well before the end of the story he was telling. There was understandable concern about Reagan’s fitness to serve a second term.
Then came the second debate, and when he was asked about his age and fitness to hold office, he famously responded that he was not going to make age an issue in the campaign…”I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” he said. Even Mondale had to laugh as Reagan took a sip of water while the crowd at the debate hooted and hollered. The moderator then reminded him he had time left, but Reagan—as a master communicator—declined and said, “that’s all” for that topic.
And it was. There were concerns raised, and with that single line during the debate, he successfully rebutted any issues and went on to win 49 states that November.
So obviously, this is not the first time a president running for re-election has faced questions of competency due to age or infirmity. But this time, it’s different.
For one, Joe Biden is nearly a decade older than Reagan was. For another, the debate where the whispers became shouts happened before the nominating convention, not a month after. For yet another, Biden appears to not be capable of a comeback appearance that dispels the concerns. Certainly, last Friday’s sitdown with ABC wasn’t it.
Frankly, from a purely political standpoint, the best thing the Biden team can do at this point is stand pat and not panic. Let the current furor die down. Stop trying to reinvent the candidate, or push him out even more. Similarly, from a purely political standpoint, the best thing the Trump team can do is keep quiet. Keeping Biden as the opponent is a great advantage to Trump; at the very least, he’s the devil they know with a current record to defend.
Imagine the panic that would have ensued in 1984 if we had non-stop cable news channels and pervasive social media. Maybe the current noise is nothing more than a sign of these times. That doesn’t mean it might not be valid; but a little distance and time might not be a bad thing.
