First off, I am old enough to remember LBJ not running and the result: Nixon by a landslide. I am old enough to be eligible for the voted-(Democrat of course!)-every-election-for-50-years award my County gives, and then some. So, looking at my own performance, I realize that I am not what I used to be when younger… and I am actively intent on doing what I can do, and getting help to do what I no longer am able to do by myself. I still have contributions to make, even if I need to work with others and not alone.
I am not as old — yet — as either Trump or Biden, but I sincerely hope that when I am, I have done everything I could to live in a country with a functioning government, democratically chosen and responsible to the rule of law and to the people, not to corporations or oligarchs or some tin pot despot and his king-making judges. I believe the best way to get to that end is to elect Democrats at all levels of government and support their governance. I’m voting Blue up and down the ballot, no matter what. And I really don’t want the Democratic Party to shoot itself in the foot just when we need them most — when a bigoted, raging, sadistic, cornered narcissist and his Heritage Foundation handlers is the alternative.
So here’s what this retired psychologist thinks: it is time to call Trump’s bluff and tell him sure, Joe will submit to a full physical/psychological/neuro-psychological test panel, and make the results public, if Trump will be evaluated by the same team of clinicians at Walter Reed and let the results of his tests be publicized at the same time. (The NDAs he forced docs to sign when he was treated for COVID ran out when he left office, didn’t they?)
Joe’s never said he isn’t getting old. He’s got nothing to hide, nothing to be afraid of, he already knows most if not all that the tests would reveal to the rest of us. He has some age-related things to accommodate to like all of us who can remember before the current news cycle, and those require a crack Cabinet and support staff and the best of self-care. He’s smart, he cares, he knows how to govern, he hires the right team, and golly gee — look at what they’ve accomplished already, and what he would like to accomplish with another 4 years in office. (Naysayers, all — before you say he’s no longer competent, just look at the list!)
A full set of tests would show his strengths as well as his weaknesses. (A major strength being the lack of an Axis II Personality Disorder.) And when the results come back, he can set to making a plan to use those strengths and to accommodate to the weaknesses and publicize THAT.
Basically, I doubt Trump would agree to an impartial evaluation of his fitness. He’s been paying doctors to lie for him since the time of his “bone spurs” all the way up to The Candy Man today. But if, by some fluke of hubris or stubbornness or lack of self-awareness, he did go through with it, first of all, he’d be gob-smacked at the results, and secondly, he’d never let them be released. The former might set him on a downward spiral of dis-illusionment, and the decompensation would make his public weirdnesses look like party time. The latter would show him to be the coward and phony he has always been. And if Trump backs out, Joe just releases his plan anyway.
No one is going to change MAGA minds (or committed ageist minds either) no matter what. A recent poll said over 80% of voters have already decided who they are voting for. But I think a lot of people who are genuinely concerned about Joe’s age would be impressed with a candidate who is willing to assess his weaknesses and address them rather than deny or hide them, and to bring in people who can help him when he needs it. They would be able to see that Trump is so emotionally weak he cannot do that. And as for hiring good help — the record of both of their first terms shows the all-important difference: when Trump hires “only the best people” he won’t listen to them, he fires them, and he sets up a revolving door that welcomes chaos into the Executive Branch. When Joe hires good, competent people, things get done.
Let’s face it, we would all want Joe to be making contingency plans anyway — and not just for Kamala to take a new oath of office if necessary. It is the responsible thing for any elder to be doing. If you work in the Oval Office, it is important on ‘way more than a personal level — it is a national security concern. I think a lot of people who are genuinely worried might end up respecting Joe for doing so. And a voter who respects the candidate is a voter who is more likely to have the candidate’s back when it comes time.