Newsom Could Sharpen His Defense Of Biden's Age

I caught the last part of last night's Newsom-Desantis10-rounder, a worthy undercard for what's perhaps to come. I don't like these face-offs much, dispute for dispute's sake, don't stick to the question, no premium on clarity, and Hannity is a disgrace – tilted questions that weren't even disguised. But given the form, Newsom is formidable, and Desantis was persistent in his execrable opportunistic right-wing lying points.

But as strong and prepared as Newsom was, he could have done better on the Biden-age thing. Hannity and Desantis both harped on the “obvious truth” that Biden isn't what he used to be. Newsom replied that he has been a terrific President, getting so many things right. Which is true, but it isn't quite direct enough, to my mind. It doesn't spell it out. I spell it out in my post here, but here's a shorter reply that Newsom could have adopted, and that other Dems should adopt as the campaign progresses.

The best answer to that is this: right! Of course he isn't! We all change, for the good and for the bad, all the time, as long as we're alive.

But it's a balance. You get better at some things and worse at some things. As you get older, your numerical calculation skills decline – it's hard to divide and multiply in your head. But, you also get smarter with experience, you gain in wisdom, you've seen a lot more. When you're young you might have more energy – although Biden is still tremendously full of energy, just look at this schedule, what he's done around the world as well as at home! But when you're young, you don't know as much, you haven't been around the track as much, you are more impulsive, less patient, you have gained less wisdom.

Reagan was right in his debate with Mondale – he vowed not to make an issue of how untried and inexperienced Mondale was.

Who knows more about government and getting things done than Biden? Desantis? GMAFB. Who knows more world leaders over more years – an indispensable advantage in foreign affairs – than Biden? For that matter, who knows people all over the country, and understands them?

Yes, Biden's walk has become stiff; there is some arthritis, no doubt. He sometimes has trouble with words – but that's not new, and in the end, it doesn't matter. He's still sharp as a tack, he's still solid in his values, he knows how to be patient and go one step at a time, but he also knows how to act at the right moment, to be decisive, to be sharp and on point and seize the day. He still knows how to relate to people in and outside of the governing process, and that is indispensible.

On balance, he's better than he's ever been, and we're so lucky to have him.

Budd Shenkin