Legitimate concerns about Joe Biden’s state of mind

Most Democrat primary polls, as summarized by Real Clear Politics, show former Vice-President Joe Biden with a healthy lead over the rest of the pack of socialist wannabes. Many of the polls show Slow Joe with a double-digit lead over his nearest competitor, in the case of most polls Comrade Bernie Sanders. Democrats are banking on Joe’s “electability,” above and beyond all else, since he is a familiar name with a long history in Washington, DC. Kind of like how Jeb Bush was viewed by the Republican establishment before Donald Trump came down the escalator at Trump Tower. The fact that Biden is the most “electable” says more about the rest of the field than it does about Biden.

Joe’s better half, his wife Jill, at a recent campaign event said, "But I want you to think about your candidate, his or her electability, and who's going to win this race." She found little to praise about his policy ideas, only that he is the most life-like corpse in the Democrat morgue. She went on to say, in a bit of irony coming from a representative of the party of Bill Clinton, "And maybe you have to swallow a little bit and say, 'OK, I personally like so and so better,' but your bottom line has to be that we have to beat Trump." Despite his supposed “electability,” the elephant in the Biden living room is his mental status. As a disclaimer, I am not a psychiatrist and have never met Joe Biden, instead only observed him on the public stage as millions of others have, and am writing based on easily available public information. I am writing an opinion article, not signing a petition such as this one from mental health professionals, “More than 70,000 [of whom] signed a petition warning of Trump's potential dangerousness, despite longstanding professional injunctions against ‘diagnosing’ public figures whom experts have not personally examined.” President Trump’s mental fitness is questioned daily on cable news shows, so it’s fair game to ask legitimate questions about Joe Biden’s mental state. YouTube screen grab The Alzheimer’s Association defines dementia as, “An overall term that describes a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities.” Joe’s everyday activities including running for president of the United States. Also required is that, “At least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia.” Memory. Joe recently placed the King and Kennedy assassinations in the late 1970s, despite both events occurring in 1968. Communication. At a recent campaign event in Iowa, Joe tripped over his words while speaking to voters, “My long friend time friend, and she’s a friend, she’s been my friend, in and out of public life.” Focus and attention. Joe thought he was vice-president during the 2018 Parkland shooting. He also confused Theresa May with Margaret Thatcher, not once but twice. Then while campaigning last week in New Hampshire, he thought he was in Vermont. Reasoning and judgement. A few weeks ago Joe told a group of Asian and Hispanic voters in Iowa that “poor kids” are just as bright as “white kids.” Don’t forget his hair smelling and overzealous touching of women and young girls, continuing to this day in the era of #MeToo, when common sense is pushing in the opposite direction with men being afraid to be near a woman without a chaperone. YouTube screen grab Visual perception. Remember in 2008 when Joe told a wheelchair-bound Missouri state senator to “stand up” for a round of applause? Dementia has many causes, from Alzheimer’s to simply aging. Brain surgery may also play a role. Biden had two brain aneurysms successfully treated 31 years ago. His neurosurgeon at the time tried to reassure the public, “Claiming he had no brain damage as a string of gaffes have prompted observers to question his mental acuity.” He went on to say, “He is every bit as sharp as he was 31 years ago. I haven’t seen any change.” Coincidentally 31 years ago Biden dropped out of the 1988 presidential race over, “Incidents of plagiarism both on the campaign trail and during his time at the Syracuse University College of Law.” The neurosurgeon is technically correct as there is no change in Joe’s behavior over the past 31 years. The Brain Aneurysm Foundation tell us. Undergoing treatment for a brain aneurysm is a major life event that continues long after discharge from the hospital. Survivors face the potential for physical, emotional, and cognitive changes that can be minor or significant, short-term or long-lasting. Among the symptoms after aneurysm treatment are hearing loss, fatigue, vision problems, and slow reaction time. Social-emotional changes may also occur including loss of emotional control and confusion. Other deficits include physical and mental fatigue, cognitive problems, articulation problems, and behavioral changes. And lastly, “Memory involves many parts of the brain, and if a brain aneurysm rupture or treatment damages any of those areas, your memory will be affected.” Biden demonstrates many of these deficits. Are they related to his aneurysms or simply the fact that he is 76 years old? But he wasn’t always 76 and his behavior was much the same when he was younger. Nearly 12 years ago during the 2008 presidential campaign, a 64 year old Biden was a gaffe machine, to the point that Candidate Barack Obama asked, “How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?” As an aside, why are Biden’s misstatements called “gaffes”? When Trump exaggerates or embellishes, which he is prone to do, the media fact checkers come out in force and gaffes become “lies.” CNN recently proclaimed, “Trump’s lies are getting bolder.” That’s rich coming from the same network that told the world for two years that Trump colluded with the Russians to steal the election. Whether Biden’s state of mind is due to his aneurysms, his age, or his core personality, these are legitimate concerns for a future president of the United States. How much worse will this get next summer if he is the Democrat nominee, trying to keep up with the Energizer Trumpster? Will the media take any of this seriously, or simply dismiss everything as “Joe being Joe”? The same psychiatrists describing Trump’s “Psychotic-like state” have nothing to say about Biden‘s state of mind. Perhaps Democrat primary voters will force the issue by nominating Biden as their 2020 candidate. Then his mental state will be on full display for months before the election and we will all see if this is just “Old Joe” or something far more concerning. Brian C Joondeph, MD, is a Denver based physician, freelance writer and occasional radio talk show host whose pieces have appeared in American Thinker, Daily Caller, and other publications. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and QuodVerum.