I didn’t see it live because I was busy with other things, but I found it on Youtube which I watched in full and have linked above.
Here’s my take. I note this is not just a take on this particular interview, but on other things I’ve observed about Biden recently as well.
The short take is, he looks OK, certainly a helluva lot better than in the debate.
The problem is, you have to pay really close attention to him and discount some things about him in order to determine that. And 80% of the people aren’t going to have the patience to pay that close attention. Your average voter will glance at him for a few minutes and think he sounds just like a senile old guy.
1. His voice is definitely more hoarse and softer than it was 5, 10 years ago. I think I've noticed that for the past few years anyway. But ... everybody's voice gets softer and more hoarse as they get older - right? I'm 59 and my voice is already hoarser than it was 10, 20 years go. Not sure that really indicates anything except getting older, but your average voter will hear his voice sounding hoarse and weak and that creates a negative impression.
2. Though he's much better in this interview than he was in the debate in this regard, he's definitely lost some control over his stutter since he became president. I really wish he would acknowledge this publicly because it’s really obvious. I’ve been noticing this for a few years.
3. He still has a good grasp of facts and figures. He's spending a lot of time talking about all kinds of programs he's implemented, citing all kinds of economic facts and figures, and so on. And this isn't of the same nature as Trump's, "My figures were the best ever!" vague bravado, he's actually citing details. If he were really far gone I don't think he'd be able to do that.
4. I’ve also been observing this for at least a few years, but his enunciation has become "lazy," and it’s really apparent in this interview. It sounds like he's slurring his words, which he sort-of is. This is a common problem among the elderly and has to do with the weakening of the facial and mouth muscles. But again, this adds to the perception he’s just some old guy going senile.
The problem is, you have to be aware of these things about him, and about elderly people in general, in order to discount them and understand he’s probably really OK in spite of outward appearances. #4 and #2 are the main things that make it sound like he's becoming senile, even if he really isn’t. And yes, on my other internet hangouts, even a lot of democrats think he sounds just like some old, senile guy.
And frankly, I don’t know if this can be overcome. 80% of voters aren’t going to have the patience or be attentive or aware enough to understand all these otherwise harmless issues. He just sounds like a senile old guy at a cursory inspection, and that’s all that most people will do. Some will vote for him anyway because they loathe Trump, but these issues are going to be a real stumbling block for the others.
Trump is even more senile than Biden, but he gets away with it because his voice is usually still a lot louder, he can fake confidence better, and he uses a lot of filler words which fill the spaces that Biden leaves empty. Those filler words are in themselves a sign of cognitive decline, but again, it just makes Trump sound better even though he isn’t.
On that note, I should also add that the way Biden pauses in this (and other) interviews to gather his thoughts before he says some stuff also adds to a perception that he’s somehow losing it. Of course, if you pay attention you do realize he’s just pausing to gather his thoughts before he says something — most people do that at least occasionally. But when you already sound like you’re old and going senile, it adds to the perception that you’re losing it cognitively, like you can’t think what to say, or something. If a young person did the same thing people would naturally understand that it’s just somebody pausing to gather their thoughts. But when an old person does the same thing, to a lot of people it looks and sounds like the person’s brain is shorting out, or something. Completely unfair, but that’s how it is.
At this point I can’t help but wonder if these are insurmountable issues, and the only thing that can help Biden is if Trump starts really going downhill rapidly and can’t remember his own name anymore, or has a stroke or something. I wish I could say otherwise, but that’s how I see it.
It’s frustrating that Biden thinks there are no real issues with himself. You cannot expect voters to be where you want them to be, you have to understand that they are where they are and you have to deal with that instead. Even if he’s really perfectly fine, that’s not what the majority of people think, and the reasons for their beliefs are almost certainly things he’ll be unable to overcome.