September 22, 2023 By Michael Weymouth
Much is being made of President Biden’s age as we approach the 2024 election. In fact, detractors might think twice before criticizing the president’s age. When it comes to dealing with his octogenarian years, President Biden is no ordinary Joe. If anything, aging Americans should be following Joe’s example instead of doubting him.
Unlike many Americans who view retirement age as a time to slow down, to take it easy and especially to cease to function at a high level, Biden has done the exact opposite. His daily routine is impressive. He keeps himself fit with elliptical training and weight lifting twice a week and runs four miles four times a week. With the exception of being a closet ice cream freak, his lunch diet, according to Senator Christopher Coons is “not quite a lunch pail, but it’s his little bag of stuff,” which generally contains a protein bar, orange Gatorade (his favourite beverage) and a peanut butter sandwich. Fig Newtons also occasionally find their way into his lunch bucket.
What impact does this healthy lifestyle have on the president’s cognitive ability? A lot, according to health experts. Physical activity can help you think, learn, problem-solve, and enjoy an emotional balance. It can improve memory and reduce anxiety or depression, and more relevant to the subject at hand, regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of cognitive decline, including dementia.
If every American followed the president’s regimen (over 70 million Americans are obese) our healthcare system would be under far less strain. With so many Americans so out of shape, with their physical and cognitive powers diminished, little wonder the public views Biden’s age as an issue, If they are so affected, so might he be.
And what about Biden’s busy schedule? Few aging Americans could match it, especially when it comes to travel. I write these words after spending a jet lag day in the Azores recovering from a sleepless night, and the Azores are just a four-hour flight from Boston. When President Biden ended a press conference the other day in Vietnam by saying he “had to go to bed,” anyone who has ever taken the 18-20 hour flight to the Far East knows the feeling well. Night becomes day and day becomes night. Rather than a sign of weakness ascribed to the event by conservative media, Biden should have been applauded for giving the limited press conference in the first place.
And what of his presumed opponent’s diet? According to Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s typical dinner is “a full McDonald’s dinner of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, and a small chocolate shake – a total of 2,430 calories.” Trump spoke to CNN host Anderson Cooper about his order, saying: “It’s great stuff.” Whenever Trump does have lunch, his favorite is a meatloaf sandwich. And according to the White House chef, for dessert he gets two scoops of vanilla ice cream with his piece of chocolate cream pie, when everyone else is stuck with one scoop. WOW!! It’s a wonder the man ever got to age 77 without a major coronary.
If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Joe Biden making it through another four years before I would bet on a fast food junkie like Donald Trump.
Michael,
I know you are relentless in your in your defense of the policies emanating from the White House. These policies prompt the American people to regard President Biden’s job approval rating as the worst of any president in our present day memory. A recent CBS poll of over 2,300 probable voters pegs President Biden’s disapproval rating at 60%. As you are aware, CBS is very friendly to the President. Other national polls compiled by three major polling entities in the last three weeks put the presidents disapproval rating at 57% and 58% respectively. As President Lincoln supposedly said, “You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’f fool all of the people all of the time”.
I remind you of only some of the heartburn the American people are experiencing. Inflation…..the elephant in the room…..it requires no explanation as to the broad personal and family problems it causes. Loss of energy independence is a primary cause of inflation. As I have mentioned to you, a 42 gallon barrel of crude oil only produces 19 gallons of gasoline. the remainder of the crude is used for plastics ad a variety of other products that one would not normally associate with the cost of oil. All of these ancillary products manufactured from crude oil are directly related to its’ cost which I believe is now over $90 a barrel. In April of 2020, crude was $20.57 a barrel. Think of that the next time you buy anything made from plastic. The loss of our national energy independence contributes in a colossal way to inflation.
Other actions directly attributable to White House policies that of the open border. Every day on the news, we see the adverse results of this massive inflow of immigrants, and while our border states are the major landing spots for these people, northern states are now also experiencing the adverse economic and social effects of this uncontrolled influx of people.
The cartels seem to be the major distribution entity for fentanyl, which as you know, is killing over 100,000 Americans annually. Most recently, a 1 year old baby died from fentanyl in the Bronx because the Day Care Center has now been identified as a point of distribution for this horrible and life threatening drug. The President’s ‘open border’ policy is a major contributor for fentanyl to find its way to every nook and cranny of our country.
There are many other situations directly attributable to White House mismanagement. The Chinese spy balloon, uncontrollable crime, seemingly exacerbated by District Attorneys who refuse to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes. The Justice Department could intervene in many of these situations by charging these culprits with a violation of an appropriate part of the U. S. Code.
Many depression era mobsters were brought to justice by the application of Federal Law, vigorously prosecuted by the Department of Justice.
I have only mentioned a few of the policies adversely affecting the American people. Many lay their plight directly at the feet of the person you characterize as “No Ordinary Joe”. I tend to agree…..he has managed to overlay the vast majority of the America people with a blanket of economic hardship that is impossible to ignore.
I think a concentrated discussion on the President’s age, or what his presumptive opponent eats for dinner, misses the point entirely. The discourse should properly focus on whether or not I and my family are better off now compared to the year 2000, and if not, why not???
Neither this opinion piece nor Joe Biden has aged well. What a difference 145 days make (i.e., the number of days between Sep. 22, 2023 to Feb. 14, 2024). Unfortunately, the signs of Mr. Biden’s dementia were abundant and obvious on January 20, 2021 when he was inaugurated. Dementia progresses geometrically not arithmetically. In other words, if his dementia progresses as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. as opposed to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.
No amount of cue cards, teleprompters, or “spin doctors” in the obsequious press core can hide it. Sadly, Mr. Biden is and has been for many years “non compos mentis.” No matter – blame everyone else and shake your fist at the clouds, Mr. President. We all see what is happening, and it is sad for us all but especially for this Ordinary Joe.