OPINION: Presidential Election Ageism…Again: President Joe Biden Versus The Media
Presidential Election Ageism…Again: Joe Biden Vs. the Media
by The Assertive Kids Foundation
It’s Presidential Election Season once again, and once again the old and tired canard about a candidate being too advanced in age to participate has reared its disgusting head once again.
To be clear, we are not endorsing a political candidate, nor will we be. What we are attempting to do is bring light to ageism, front and center in plain sight for all to see.
It’s not okay. It’s never been okay, and never will be.
It’s disrespectful. Our elders are often quite capable, yet ageist ideas perpetuated by a youth-obsessed culture make many think otherwise.
Last election cycle, the talk about age being an issue was focused on Senator Bernie Sanders. Many scoffed the idea that he’d be able to last four more years, yet Senator Sanders is still in Congress, still as vocal and animated as he ever was. You may not agree with him, but you can’t disagree that he’s still his same old self. (That phrase does not refer to age in our vernacular!)
And, President Trump is only a few years younger than President Biden. Is he going to be the next target of ageist attacks, akin to the attacks leveled against Senator Sanders four years ago, concerns that in four years he won’t be capable?
What if Joe Biden is replaced with a far younger candidate? Will Republicans start asking Mr. Trump to quit, hoping for a younger face?
Where does this end?
We watched the ABC interview between George Stephanopoulos and President Biden.
The line of questioning was disturbing. It was clearly ageist. Had President Biden not been 81, none of this would’ve been of issue.
What is ageism, you might ask? That’s a fair question; while we reproach every other type of bias, pigeonholing our elders is presented as perfectly acceptable in our culture.
Ageism, simply put, is blind bias against elders. Of course, those pushing this narrative will rebut that there is no bias, but rather a plethora of proof.
We disagree.
Why does one night of hoarse-throatedness and visible discomfort from illness seem to portend so much?
It’s Joseph Biden’s age. It’s also how the media has associated his age with certain ideas.
So if President Biden is actually fit to serve, why then the exodus of supporters amongst Democrats? Probably, it’s because he’s being framed as lame-brained and ready to shatter like glass. His image is ruined; whether it can be salvaged, we shall see. In politics, image is everything.
One question after another relentlessly focused on President Biden’s fitness to serve as President during the ABC interview.
The interviewer seemed to patronize the president when he explained his policy ideas in detail or when President Biden was explicating on why his performance was not up to par last Thursday evening.
And so, we see the same line of questioning, again and again.
Was this an interview or an interrogation?
When President Biden was asked if he would submit to a cognitive test, that was crossing an unspoken line.
Unless all candidates will submit, none should.
Do you want to start using IQ tests as well? What about polygraphs?
Want to know how well a candidate can play Scrabble? What about code a simple application?
On our current trajectory, fitness tests may be standard in future. Where will it stop? A pie baking contest? Running an obstacle course?
President George W. Bush had many slips of the tongue and confusing moments. But to judge him entirely on that would have been ludicrous.
Key point: Mr. Bush wasn’t an elder at that time, and so we found it amusing, sometimes downright funny.
A President is always on stage, and sometimes their performance isn’t tops. Were President Biden not 81, would there have been such a fanfare about a debate? It seems not.
Many said that President Biden’s hoarse voice somehow conveyed how frail he was. (There was even an ABC interview question about feeling frail!)
Frail? We had a WW II sitting president in a wheelchair! How rude a question to an active elder!
So the issues are supposed frailty, as well as alleged age-related cognitive decline.
In the end, it’s the President’s age that permits us to take everything and provide a nonexistent context for it.
President Biden’s cognitive performance during the interview was fine, but the interviewer was less interested in what the President had to say than he was in pushing the same angle repeatedly about cognitive decline and frailty.
If you’re going to make an issue of Joe Biden’s slight stammer, recall that he once had a terribly stifling stuttering problem as a youth. If you persist in such thinking, you’re being a lout.
Give it up. Whether you like Joe Biden, hate Joe Biden, or are unsure about how you feel about Joe Biden, base your feelings on his ideas and plans for the future, as well as his accomplishments in office for the last three-and-a-half- years, not vague notions that his mind is slipping fed to you by mass media.
Mass media is feeding us these memes; yes. The American people deserve more than having our elections framed this way or that by companies that should be reporting, yet are attempting to influence.
What are their motives? We really don’t care. Regardless, the practice is foul and should stop.
Funny how quickly we Americans turn like jackals on our elected officials, simply at the constant nudging of the news.
Sound bites, taken out of context, are used to spin the narrative this way or that.
Most of us heard that President Biden had said, “Not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world” on various news outlets.
Such was made to seem like grandiose, out-of-touch thinking, perhaps even senile or demented thinking. But what else did he say?
“And that’s not, that sounds like hyperbole…we are the essential nation of the world…”
Does it matter? Even if you’re a die-hard Republican, you should be alarmed that the media has taken it upon itself to become a hub of influence in our political matters.
That’s not the place of media, and that’s a fact.
Yes; more people are concerned about President Biden’s age and mental fitness. But how much of that is the result of media spin?
Just be careful; one day your grandparent, parent, or even you, yourself, your spouse, or your siblings, may be canned at a job because you’re an elder, and you’ve had a bad day because you were ill. Remember: Everyone starts out young. Only some make it to an advanced age.
So, let’s have some respect for the President, the Office of the Presidency, and all our elders, and base decisions on facts, not spin.
And, who would want to be judged in such a way that substituting one name for another is grounds to end your career, whatever you may do professionally? Most people we know do that. People of all ages do this; it’s actually fairly common an error. But let’s not make fun; that’s low and shows we’re savages.
Full Text of Interviewer’s Questions from ABC George Stephanopoulos Interview:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thank you for doing this.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s start with the debate. err, You and your team said, have said you had a bad night. But your —
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But your friend Nancy Pelosi actually framed the question that I think is on the minds of millions of Americans. Was this a bad episode or the sign of a more serious condition?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, you say you were exhausted. And — and I know you’ve said that before as well, but you came — and you did have a tough month. But you came home from Europe about 11, 12 days before the debate, spent 6 days in Camp David. Why wasn’t that enough rest time, uh enough recovery time?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And…did you ever watch the debate afterward?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, what I’m trying…what I want to get at is, what were you experiencing as you were going through the debate? Did you know how badly it was going?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But it seemed like you were having trouble from the first question in even before he spoke!
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I’ve had plenty. I guess the question of…of the problem is here for a lot of Americans watching is you’ve said going back to 2020: ‘Watch me.’ to people who are concerned about your age. And, you know, 50 million Americans watched that debate. It seemed to confirm fears they already had.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And…how…how quickly did it…did it come to you that you were having that bad night?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Part of the other concern is that…this seems to fit into a pattern of decline that has been reported on recently. New York Times had a headline on July 2nd: ‘Biden Lapses Said to Be Increasingly Common and Worrisome.’ That’s what they wrote.
“People who’ve spent time with President Biden over the last few months or so said the lapses appear to have grown more frequent…more pronounced…and after Thursday de…Thursday’s debate…more worrisome. By many accounts, as evidenced by video footage, observation, and interviews…Mr. Biden is not the same today as he was even when he took office three-and-a-half years ago.” Similar reporting in The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. Are you the same man today that you were when you took the office three-and-a-half years ago?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But what has all that work over the last three-and-a-half years cost you physically, mentally, emotionally?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I — I— I understand that, and I’m not disputing that. What I’m asking you is…about your personal situation. Do you dispute that there have been more lapses, especially in the last several months?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you more frail?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you…
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you spoke with your doctor after the debate. What did he say?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you said you have an ongoing assessment. Have you had a full neurological and cognitive evaluation?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I—I know your doctor said he consulted with a neurologist. I—I guess I’m asking…a slightly different question. Have you had the specific cognitive tests, and have you had a neurologist…a specialist…do an examination?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognit— cognitive tests and release the results to the American people?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And you have been doing that and the American people have been watching, yet their concerns about your age and your health are growing. So that’s…why I’m asking…to reassure them…would you be willing to have the independent medical evaluation?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So the answer…
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Right…the answer right now is, no, you — you don’t want to do that right now.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You talked a lot about your successes in…at the beginning of this interview. And — and I don’t want to dispute that, I don’t want to debate that. But…as you know…elections are about the future, not the past. They’re about tomorrow not yesterday. And the question on so many people’s minds right now is: ‘Can he serve effectively for the next four years?’
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But hold on. My… I guess my point is, all that takes a toll. Do you have the mental and physical capacity to do it for another four years?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me ask you a tougher, more personal question. Are you sure you’re being honest with yourself when you say you have the mental and physical capacity to serve another four years?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But are you being with honest…with yourself as well about your ability to defeat Donald Trump right now?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You say that…and let me challenge you.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Because you were close but behind going into the debate. You’re further behind now by—by any measure. It’s been a two-man race for several months. Inflation has come down. In those last few months, he’s become a convicted felon. Yet, you’re still falling further behind.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I don’t think so, but I think when you look at all the polling data right now, it shows that he’s certainly ahead in the popular vote, probably even more ahead in the battleground states. And one of the other key factors there is… it shows that in many of the battleground states, the Democrats who are running for Senate and the House are doing better than you are.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: All that is true but 2020 was a close race. And your approval rating has dropped significantly since then. I think the last poll I saw was at about 36%.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The number of Americans who think you’re too old to serve has doubled since 2020. Wouldn’t a clear-eyed political calculus tell you that it’s gonna be much tougher to win in 2024?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve had months to challenge him!
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you really believe you’re not behind right now?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: New York…New York Times and NBC both have…have you about six points behind in the popular vote.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Just when you look at the reality, though, Mr. President…I mean…you won the popular vote…in…in 2020, but it was still deadly close in the electoral college —
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Yes. But you’re behind now in the popular vote.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Is it worth the risk?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, the heart of your case against Donald Trump is that he’s only out for himself, putting his personal interests ahead of the national interest. How do you respond to critics who say that by staying in the race, you’re doing the same thing?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: They’re just wrong?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I’ve…I’ve questioned him and his allies as persistently as any journalist has.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I understand that. I understand that’s why you want to stay in the race, but have you convinced yourself that only you can defeat him?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: If you can be convinced that you cannot defeat Donald Trump, will you stand down?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, if…I mean, on a more practical level, The Washington Post just reported in the last hour that Senator Mark Warner is — is assembling a group of Senators together to try and convince you to stand down, because they don’t think you can win.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And if Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi come down and say, “We’re worried that if you stay in the race, we’re gonna lose the House and the Senate,” how will you respond?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But if they do?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re sure?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But—but it’s—it’s—it’s not that hypothetical anymore. I—I—I—I grant that the—they have not know…requested a meeting…but it’s been reported…
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I agree that the Lord Almighty not gonna come down, but if—if—if you are told reliably from your allies…from your friends and supporters in the Democratic Party in the House and the Senate that they’re concerned you’re gonna lose the House and the Senate if you stay in, what will you do?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: What’s your plan to turn the campaign around?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I mean, have…I don’t think you wanna play the crowd game. Donald Trump can draw big crowds. There’s no question about that.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You haven’t seen the—the fall-off in the polls? You haven’t seen the reports of discontent in the Democratic Party, House Democrats, Senate Democrats?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, I’ve heard from dozens of your supporters over the last few days, and a variety of views, I grant you that. But the prevailing sentiment is this. They love you, and they will be forever grateful to you for defeating Donald Trump in 2020.
They think you’ve done a great job as President, a lot of the successes you outlined. But they are worried about you and the country. And they don’t think you can win. They want you to go with grace, and they will cheer you if you do. What do you say to that?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President…I’ve never seen a President 36% approval get reelected.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And if you stay in and Trump is elected and everything you’re warning about comes to pass how will you feel in January?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thanks for your time.
Banner Image: President Biden at the interview. Image Credit – Youtube
Assertive Kids Foundation
The Assertive Kids Foundation is a Registered 501(c)3 nonprofit. We work across various domains of activity to help bridge the gap between Staten Islanders and the community help they need. We help the Staten Island community and beyond. We actively fight ageism in all its forms. Our many programs span a diverse set of social issues, but the common thread linking all is the aim of fostering assertiveness in our fellow citizens. The Assertive Kids Foundation also supports vital Health Research Studies undertaken by the Health Sciences Research Education Learning Center.
Compelling opinion, but I’m still not convinced.
Biden may well be senile or on his way. He always spoke weirdly, though, so you have to think about that.
My question is about the interviewer.
Why all the st-st-stuttering? Seems weird.
Trying to get Biden to stutter back? Seems like he had some motive there. Prove me wrong.
I don’t think he’s senile. They just want Kamala in there.
Either way we’re going to have an American-South Asian in the White House/
I would be so ******* offended if you someone that to my son. I’d tell my son to kick ass!
He has dyslexia and learning issues including word substitution.
He stutters when he gets anxious.
He’s studying computer science and no he is not antisocial, just has some issues with speaking. He has a girlfriend and friends from soccer. Not a loner.
IQ is like 130 so please don’t judge someone by if they stammer or mess up a word here and there.
I say my vote is to stop the division. We are going to end up with one guy or another so be prepared either way and make the best of it.
I tend to talk fast and speak that Staten Island dialect where each sentence is one long string of words stuck together as one. Talk like that out in Jersey and they scratch their heads and say, “Staten Island?!” They know after a second.
“We are going to end up with one guy or another so be prepared either way and make the best of it.”
This is no longer true in the specific sense of Trump or Biden, but in the general sense of a Dem versus Repub it is valid. Let’s be honest. The Hemp Party isn’t winning this year, either! hahaha
Third party candidates. Ah the memories of decades past and the folly of a thrown away vote by so many (not me)
Well Ross Perot and a few others were real contenders, perhaps. Or just a draw-away vote.
My guess? How this goes down:
OK. The Dems get a woman. A new face, new to politics, but straight off the runway. Some supermodel. Have her make appearances. JUST appearances. Say very little. No debatesa. No press conferences. Just a hot dame.
The Repubs respond by yanking JD Vance and replacing with Hulk Hogan.
And the Dems respond by finding a VP to challenge Hulk Hogan. So they bring out Jon Tester’s. (Trump made him famous when he said that Tester looks pregnant.) He doesn’t have the skill, but he has the size and a chip on his shoulder against Trump the size of a mountain. Just the right one for the job.
OK. The Dem’s VP lips off and tells Trump his steaks were terrible and fatty.
Hogan chest bumps Tester and challenges both to a tag team cage match, winner take all.
And, it’s on…………………
The event of the century. Sold out in.000000532 seconds flat. A record.
Tickets resold at 4,500 times the face value! Elon Musk offers to build a glass (OK, plexiglass!) stadium on Tesla grounds.
Musk absconds with the cash and hightails it for the moon, leaving the match to take place in MSG in NYC.
Too bad. *sigh* Would have been fun to see IRL. We can dream….
Cranky Crank! Good to see you back,. That was all over the place but funny A*.
What. A. Post. Crank, you get the Gold!
This is by far my favorite social media. I only wish we were all more active on here but I get it life is fast and posting on here wastes time! lol
Let’s seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Cranky Crank hasn’t lost it. Hell, no!
This is just a normal man. He’s…uhhh…..”venting.”
Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh that’s it.
Did I write Crank hasn’t lost it? I’ll be honest for the second time on here:
Well, that is, Hank’s humor bone. Funny fibula. You know. He’s still got it.
If we’re still being frank about Cranky Hank, we all know The Crank’s few screws fell out a long time ago!
A liar/truth post. Wow. I am starting to seem as crazy as you, Hankie Boy.
Very entertaining notion, Mr. Crank.
But a woman fighting a wrestling match with Hulk Hogan?
What are you thinking?? I’m all for women’s rights but that is just plain crazy a thought.
I’m envisioning a cartoon. Adult Swim. Not sure if OP meant this, but that’s my take.
A cartoon? Yeah, that’s sort of the idea. Or like an 80s video game cabinet?
If I were picturing lifelike images, this would be no fun. ha ha
Though Trump was involved in the WWF and so was Hulk Hogan, obviously. So it could technically happen….
I’m 6’3 1/2 inches to the top of my head!
My wife is 6’1″ and I never dated women under six feet tall.
I guess i was picturing a woman with some real muscles.
Maybe a 6’7″ viking woman who is beautiful AND buff.
That limits the category even further…
Good observation. I didn’t really notice it, even after reading the script 2x
Why, thank you.
I noticed this immediately. I can understand the occasional searching for words, as these interviews are always on-the-fly and unrehearsed, but this was a clear pattern. What does it suggest? I don’t even begin to think I know! haha Maybe the interviewer is more senile than Good ‘Ole Joe. I don’t even know the first thing about Biden. I don’t vote. So I can’t tell you much more.
But I am an American, so I do keep up with the latest headlines because we all should. Also, it’s like reading the Examiner as a kid at our family summer home up in Rhode Island. My parents wouldn’t buy that trash, but my aunties would! haha The news today is off the hook. Who needs the Examiner? It’s probably not in print. I mean, the media today trumps it, by far.
Anyway, now Pres. Biden’s not running again. wow. The Dems lost.
I can’t see anyone strong on the Democratic side who can compete with ex-Pres. Trump, in terms of charisma. Maybe ex-President Obama himself, the first Black American President? That’s it. And he’s already served two terms, so he can’t even run.
Who else? Hillary, many don’t like her too much. Sorry, facts hurt. Kamala, who is she? Not enough of a character. Forgettable. You gotta stand out to make it!
We need a gay man in the White House. A man of style. A man of wit.
It’s true Trump is dapper, but…I mean, he’s Trump…. ha Definitely NOT gay…
Ugh, the Green Room so needs a re-decor focus…such a shame…
🏳️🌈
I’m his age.
I resent the media.
I read only Staten Islander, and sometimes check headlines over at CNN and FOX just to be up-to-date.
OFC, I also check out the SI Live but only the free side.
You people disgust me.
And for the record I vote Republican.
Am I getting senile or is it the beer?
Today’s test will involve a case of Heineken.
About to get the testing underway!
I, too, shall perform this test.
If my girl asks, I’ll tell her I’m getting blitzed for science.
I love it!
Who cares he’s out now anyway.
I don’t know if he’s senile or not.
Truthfully, he knows the issues and speaks on them better than anyone I know in real life.
Is he old? Well, yeah but he is functional. Trump would have beaten him bc ppl don’t like his record.
Now, Trump may well lose.