Dementia

 

Why has there been no national discussion on the nature of dementia?

It is incredible that Pres. Biden's mental deficiencies have not triggered a national discussion of dementia. Many millions of Americans know firsthand, including The Sensible Conservative, the effects of cognitive loss that often (but certainly not always) accompany old age. 

Yet commentators across the ideological spectrum seem ignorant of its effects. 

It would be helpful to understand the condition by having health experts (psychiatrists and others) give explanations for the broader public. Still, the many Americans who have had experiences observing the condition afflicting loved ones know enough. 

Dementia is progressive. However, those affected do not suffer a straight-down decline. There are good days mixed in with bad ones. With the passage of time, the former are fewer. It is an irreversible condition. 

Given that these facts are pretty much common knowledge, the ignorance (genuine or feigned) of this by the media – left and right – is astounding. 

Prior to the debate, Biden supporters attributed seemingly odd behavior of the president featured on Fox News to selective editing made to make him look bad. And they would cite his Teleprompter - aided  State of the Union address as evidence of his acuity, ignoring that reading a script is far less demanding than free flow articulation. 

Furthermore, holders of that persuasion will point out that Obama and Reagan both recovered nicely from poor debate performances. They were both prepared for the next one. But the lack of pre-debate preparation can't be the president's excuse. He had a week of it. 

On the right, Joe Biden's occasional "normal" conduct was dismissed, jokingly, as drug-induced. No, a fair response would be he simply had a good day. 

The failure to recognize the obvious – out of willful ignorance or intentional deception – is just another reason to condemn the sorry state of American politics. 

The deterioration of Joe Biden’s mental capacity is sad for him and a looming disaster for America until January 20 of next year and thereafter, of he is re-elected.