35 Comments
Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

As a conservative here :) I am grateful that

I have been made to feel welcome to speak.

My main focus is on foreign policy.

I used to see Joe Biden as a light weight.

Man, was I wrong. How he pulled together the world's democracies to rally behind Zelensky and Ukraine blew my mind. NOBODY has accomplished that feat so effectively and with such major impact.

AND he is leading strongly against the Trump/insurrection/fascist threat to democracy here at home.

I differ with him on some of his social policies, but being a conservative that is to be expected :) We'll meet in the middle.

I am all in for Joe in 2024.

Thank you, Steven, for your great rallying cry and praise for him in your essay today.

You really shot down the crap about his age.

The dude is running circles around his pathetic detractors.

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So pleased to have you on the team Dr.!!

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What a beautiful thing to say

to me, Al. Thank you so much.

Deborah

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Steven

I am 74.5 years old and for me, my man "Old Joe" is like a learned older brother who is still teaching me how to be a good citizen! I trust him and am amazed at what he has gotten done for all of us!

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

Joe Biden has not just the experience and wisdom that comes with age, but the crucial type of experience in DC. Joe never forgot who he was. He would commute to DC from Wilmington on Amtrak. It was never a shock to run into him on the train (I would go back and forth from Philly to DC quite a bit). I challenge any politician today to do that or even have the sense of humility and decency to do that. Joe unfortunately has lost a spouse and a child at a young age. That changes one. I know, I have lost a spouse and 3 children at birth. My late wife and I ran into the Bidens at MD Anderson in Houston where Beau was getting cancer treatment before he passed away. Joe knows keenly what is truly important in life, and it shapes the way he handles himself. On policy in do not think we have event had a more experienced foreign policy hand in the Oval Office. He knows what everyday people need and that is reflected in domestic policy.

At 55, I look at Joe Biden and want to have the energy and dedication and experience that I can bring to bear to help our society and when I get to 81! Joe Biden was made over his life for this moment. And he is doing a great job and meeting that challenge!

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

Thank you!! I’m 76 and I fell yesterday too. Crumpled rug on the stairs. I got up and went about my business, including writing a substack about “Succession.” How come you never hear this crap about Trump (who seems pretty unhealthy— in mind, spirit, and body.) Or McConnell (who actually did hurt himself when he fell, and was absent from the Senate for quite a while. Now he’s back and being described as the “leader” of the Senate without a skip of a beat.) Is it only Democrats who age?

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

To have someone with the experience and the tenacity to move law through a divided (always) congress is a breath of fresh air. Age is not as important as experience which allows them to maneuver through the landmines of legislation. A young president could succumb to any manner of disease and render them incapable. It’s knowledge and experience that wins in the end. I don’t care if my leader can walk fast, but I do care about their ability to get things done to better the country.

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

It is appalling what has happened to American society: the disrespect and lack of understanding for the valuable qualities that CAN come with age (although age is no guarantee of wisdom). It is a huge loss and I think, one reason why people have so little self-respect or self-control and behave badly. I'll just drop this link and I especially appreciate Stephen Jenkinson's reflections of Elderhood. President Biden IS a wise elder, one with tremendous self-restraint and the benefits of decades of experience in government. I am just a couple of years behind him in age and marvel at the energy and commitment and frankly, high moral ground, he displays. THAT takes wisdom. We are fortunate to have him.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/moral-landscapes/201903/wise-elders-in-the-circle-life

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

For me, the one thing that Joe Biden has is the character that I want in a leader.

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I love having Joe Biden as President and will happily vote for him again. He and his administration have accomplished so much good, against all odds, in a time where so much is needed. If we could just get the DOJ to do their part, I would appreciate it, please.

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

The problem is that we - in America - are so locked up in the superficiality of things, their surface appearances, that we are proving ourselves to be increasingly incapable of studying anything in depth. In this instance, the bigots will keep trying to sensationalize the fact that President Biden tripped over a sandbag while entirely ignoring the fact that he consistently run rings around their leaders in the most nimble and seemingly effortless of ways.

To your list of Biden's extraordinary accomplishments, Steven, I would add the fact that he has managed to pull all NATO member states together to counter the depravity from Putin. And he has managed all this while having to contend with the damage done by Putin's stooge, the former guy, to destroy NATO while he was in office.

Back, for a moment, to my initial point: are we so bedazzled by surface appearances that we are still willing to accept that twice impeached, psychopathic criminal as a viable candidate for office? It's mind-blowing.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, is proving himself to be a transformational President. What finer example is there of a man meeting his moment?

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

It maddens and offends me, at the vital, active, mentally acute age of 73, that age has suddenly become such an issue. Ageism has always been with us but it suddenly seems more vivid and harsh now. The political astuteness of this man alone should be the hallmark of whether or not he can get the job done and he has done the job very well, in fact great judging by the way he ‘handled’ Kevin in the final debt ceiling negotiations. Deciding to negotiate with a terrorist was a bold move, then owning him at the end of the day was beyond perfect. The bill wasn’t perfect but it was pretty damn close. And it should be so obvious to anyone, that in comparison to the orange man, Biden will continue to outwit, outrun, outpace, outthink, outlive, and outmaneuver that blob.

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Jun 2, 2023·edited Jun 2, 2023

That FOX News presenters relish Biden stumbling over a sandbag, is more a reflection on their baseline disrespect, than the balance of this President. Apparently they continue to 'go low' to appeal to their equally low-ball audience. Mockery is an under-evolved response. FOX took a major hit with the multi-million dollar judgement levelled against them, in the Dominion Voting Machines defamation Law suit. By continuing to flaunt their disparaging playbook, is evidence that they have learned nothing. May they end up where they deserve to be. Karma may help them along the road to obscurity. Sandbags to them all! (lol)

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

Politicians exemplify the fact that so many people are simply children with adult bodies. Name calling, bullying, fighting, making fun of, gossiping, speech-shame on us. It is not a mistake that aging does affect different people differently. How about Senator Feinstein ? Older means sometimes forgetting a name, a happening, a word-the electricity of our brain goes on a lower wattage. Alzheimer's disease is a fact; more than 6M Americans of all ages suffer from it, with 73% being age 75 or older.

But think of the greatest thinkers, philosophers in history. Plato-died at 81, Socrates-71, Kant-79, Einstein-76, Hawking-76, Confucius-72. The Bible says Abraham, father of both Islam and Christianity-

175, but I think that was dog years, 7 for every one, making him 25.

Many cultures revere the elderly - native Americans, China, Korea, India, Greeks-respected and often the last word in family affairs. Not so in America. Sent to homes to await death. Creams that get rid of wrinkles and brown spots, ceaseless junk mail for hearing aids and cremation, aisles devoted to hair coloring. Bump into something-someone always says Are you ok? Men, even old men, asking "how are you today, young lady?" Women called honey, dear, sweetie.

Then there is the present book out called The Book of Charlie from whom , according to the author who knows him, wisdom flows at age 109. Think of all he has witnessed, participated in since born in 1914, all the history, all the inventions-from horse drawn plows to artificial intelligence. And, of course, from war to war to war to war.

President Biden is still mentally competent, physically fit, determined to accomplish deeds that will help all Americans have a better, safer, healthier life. Look at his alternative competitors. (watch DeSantis give an artificial smile while having a picture taken , then, immediately, it disappears or trump with his vacant eyes and mouth always hanging open.)How could anyone with a brain even consider any of his contenders? He is pleasant, kind, compassionate. I guess all those children with adult bodies who love AR-15 rifles and who read the Grab A Gun catalogue.

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Jr High with money is how I think Dan Rather put it.

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Jun 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss

He is the Right Man for the Right Time. Joe Biden has proven his political dexterity and I, for one, am grateful. I will vote for him again, again, and again. Life almost seems normal under his leadership.

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Well said.

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"age and experience over youth and exuberance"

Joe knows how to get things done, and I hope we can get another full term from him.

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"Well, thus we play the fools with the time, and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us." - William Shakespeare, Henry IV (And so does Joe!)

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