Lesson for Biden supporters: Reagan was thought to be elderly and losing his memory in 1984 yet he won in a landslide

[andym]

In Reagan's case he may have even been suffering from early signs of Alzheimer's, which he was later diagnosed with. In one debate with Mondale he couldn't answer many questions due to forgetfulness. Didn't matter. Why? The country had just come out of a high inflationary period, and Reagan got credit for the economy. At the moment, a similar economic situation has been developing with regard to inflation. Reagan projected an image of a kindly grandfather optimistic about the future of America (despite his policies directly contradicting his image). Biden projects a similar image, distorted as it is by partisan attacks by the Right. Reagan was trailing "democrat to be named" in polling until the spring of 1984, when it was apparent the economy was improving. The stage is set for a Biden victory if he can demonstrate that he is competent (the bar is lowered by special prosecutor's report) by delivering a coherent State of the Union address-- perhaps even stating something like it's "morning in America, again," which would throw the Right into fits.

[getagrip_already]

1. Uhmm, i voted in that election.....

And I really don't remember mental cognitive issues being a thing.

Sure, he was old, but even that wasn't being used as a serious campaign issue.

It simply wasn't an issue. None. Zip. Not brought up. Not discussed in the news. Not in the papers.

Not saying stinkys disciples won't ignore it, but it really wasn't an issue when ronnie ran for reelection.

[andym]

10. "Age Emerges As New Issue In Campaign" October 9, 1984

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/10/10/age-emerges-as-new-issue-in-campaign/87ce695b-e233-4cc9-82c5-8ff1b3c894a0/

"The question of whether Ronald Reagan is too old to be president emerged yesterday as an overt issue in his reelection campaign after a Sunday debate performance that even some of his aides described as halting and ineffective."
...
"Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Calif.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Reagan "looked old and acted old" in his nationally televised encounter. When Coelho was asked if the president acted doddering, he replied, "Well, he didn't quite drool."

House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill (D-Mass.), who is 71, said that Reagan "looked tired" in the debate and that age was now a factor in the race."

[getagrip_already]

11. One story does not a trending topic make....

Especially back then. That was before the days of the 24 news cycle, and social media, and the interwebs (yes, the internet existed, but mostly for techies if which I was one).

Cable news was in its infancy. Newspapers were still on paper.

I was there. It wasn't a thing. There may have been stories, but they didn't have legs. They were one-offs.

[andym]

12. It was being discussed seriously by many and it was certainly an issue

Your experience is not necessarily the reality for all. My own experience is counter to yours.
FYI, that was but one article. There are many others, and it was certainly all over the news and discussed by Americans until the next debate when Reagan delivered his scripted line: "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience,"
Why do you think he said that? To quiet the corrosive talk that had already set his poll numbers down a few points.

Reagan himself went on the offensive against the too-old argument on the campaign trail:
https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/11/us/reagan-criticizes-comments-on-age.html

[agingdem]

2. and Clinton's approval numbers hit the roof after

his impeachment in the House..if this was Robet Hur's Comey-stye hit job and his need to suck up to Trump and prove his MAGA bonafides, then he got half of what aimed for ...yes, Trump loves his ass and the MAGAs are spewing his garbage, but he missed his target by 9 months, and in doing so, he slammed up against a wall of not-nice "ya talkin' to me" Democrats, more than willing to eviscerate his MAGA ass...oh, and, he strengthened Biden...sorry, Bob Hur, you lose!

[limbicnuminousity]

3. It's a valid point

but is that really a comparison we want to highlight? Reagan was brain-addled and Nancy basically ran his second term.

Biden is long in the tooth but still makes up his own mind.

I'm not sold on the fact that it's a memory problem. Biden had trouble with the exact date of his son's death. No shit! Beau died from cancer and Biden is convinced it was due to exposure to chemical burn pits in Afghanistan. As far as Joe knows, his son started dying the second he inhaled burning chemicals and the "death" spanned the entire period when cancer ate at Beau. What good parent is going to be focused on a date in the wake of that horrible experience?

Mixing up the leaders? With the border issue going on, I'm glad to know Biden is constantly thinking about the half-dozen dumpster fires simultaneously running. Ukraine. Border. Russia. Insurrectionists. Treacherous SC. Anti-abortion murderers and rapists run amok. He mixed up a name. Trump dressed up as Elvis.

[agingdem]

7. seven years ago my husband of almost 50 years died suddenly

Last edited Fri Feb 9, 2024, 04:20 PM - Edit history (3)

of massive a.stoke..at 6 in the morning I was the wife of a healthy 69 year old man who was on his way our the door to his his weekly round of golf, and at 6 at night I was a widow..it took me years to recover and to this day I sometimes confuse the day he died with another...Biden lost his first wife and two children...there no "new normal" for the grieving but there is a "new different".. Biden pulled us out of Trump"s economic/pandemic disasters in record time....he is currently navigating multiple world crises with skill and experience, and he continues the grind of campaigning for reelection....all that speaks of dude who can multitask...and his memory is just fine

[sanatanadharma]

4. When we are no longer mourning in America

Morning in America will be the day we are no longer mourning in America.

[Barry Markson]

5. Reagan handled it with humor not anger

Possibly securing his re-election.

?si=lpRVkArHsvZ-aQBH

[cilla4progress]

6. They like their prezidents

Last edited Sat Feb 10, 2024, 03:19 PM - Edit history (1)

Demented and sociopathic.

That way the billionaire class can use them.

[jalan48]

8. We didn't have a right wing, media echo chamber back then that was

able to influence millions of voters with disinformation. That came about in Reagan's second term.

[LeftinOH]

9. Reagan's 1st term was a shit-show: Recession; inflation; high unemployment;

and there's more: The clumsy, ill-planned "peacekeeping" mission in Lebanon which resulted in the massacre of over 250 US Marines; the mass-firing of American air traffic controllers and the forced dissolution of PATCO (their union); the creepy dystopian black & white 'generic' food aisles that appeared overnight in grocery stores (not political, but a desperate market reaction to the economy). And then there's the AIDS crisis - which the administration didn't even acknowledge until late in Reagan's 2nd term.

Imagine if all that happened under Biden....