Biden ‘did not come off as clinically senile’ during the debate? We’d like a second opinion

Biden ‘did not come off as clinically senile’ during the debate? We’d like a second opinion
Joe Biden (Image: YouTube screen grab)

I’m not sure what makes New York magazine editor and writer Eric Levitz feel qualified to judge “clinical senility” when he sees it. I could find nothing in his bio that reflects a background in science, much less a degree in psychology or psychiatry.

Nevertheless in his assessment of Tuesday’s presidential debate, Levitz states categorically that “the Democratic nominee did not come off as clinically senile.” Here’s the larger context:

1) Biden did not appear to be suffering from literal dementia.

Joe looked like a 77-year-old man. And when placed in a two-shot next to a person with Trump’s taste in cosmetics, Biden couldn’t help but look a bit pallid. But the Democratic nominee did not come off as clinically senile. To the contrary, Biden was quite eloquent on his preferred subjects, and cogently outlined the president’s failures in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. [Emphasis added]

It’s interesting that Dr. Levitz cites Biden’s remarks on Donald Trump’s handing of the COVID crisis as an example of his eloquence. Take a look at the following clip from the debate, and see if you agree.

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

There are those who would watch this video and argue that it is one 16-second clip. But there are plenty other examples, both from the debate and Biden’s  recent public appearances, that reveal a mind that is slowing and often confused:

There are also numerous assessments by professionals with legitimate training in the science of aging and cognition that suggest that Biden is not up to the rigors of the job. America deserves better than an “exhausted sane person,” to borrow again from Levitz’s diagnosis, though I’m not sure what sanity has to do with cognition.

Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy has written for The Blaze, HotAir, NewsBusters, Weasel Zippers, Conservative Firing Line, RedCounty, and New York’s Daily News. He has one published novel, Hot Rain, (G. P. Putnam’s Sons), and has been a guest on Radio Vice Online with Jim Vicevich, The Alana Burke Show, Smart Life with Dr. Gina, and The George Espenlaub Show.

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