Joe Biden reminds me of my Dad
As one who has a dedicated interest in politics, I’ve grown increasingly concerned by one of the front runners for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. As I watch TV commentators mock or make fun of the many ‘gaffes’ of Joe Biden, and as I listen to the gaffes themselves, it causes concerns. Because to me, listening to Joe Biden brings back memories for me of hearing my Dad talk before the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease completely took away his ability to speak, and later, decimated his mind, turning him into a helpless child at the end of his life. After winning the South Carolina democratic primary, there was one gaffe of Joe’s that particularly struck a chord in my memory of my Dad. As he was trying to rile up a crowd, Joe stated that ‘“We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women are created, by the, you know, you know the thing.” Joe was trying to quote part of the Declaration of Independence that states, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
While I listened to Joe try to give the quote, my heart hurt for him because I know he was trying to seem presidential and wanted to do a good job, but when he got to the ‘by the, you know, you know the thing’ part of the quote, I saw my Dad trying to search for words that eluded him as he tried to talk. And it brought up the pain I felt for my Dad, who through the course of his adult life was a good talker, and effective seller through the use of properly placed words. It was hard to watch my Dad be unable to speak because I could tell he knew what he wanted to say but could not longer find the words to say it. In a speech on the same day, Joe erroneously called Super Tuesday Super Thursday and in South Carolina recently told a crowd, ‘”You’re the ones who sent Barack Obama the presidency. And I have a simple proposition here: I’m here to ask you for your help,” Biden pleaded to Democratic voters. “Where I come from, you don’t go very far unless you ask. My name’s Joe Biden. I’m a Democratic candidate for the United State’s Senate. Look me over. If you like what you see, help out. If not, vote for the other Biden. Give me a look though, okay?”
Some people are calling these unfortunate gaffes. There are times he doesn’t know what state he is in. He doesn’t know what office he is running for by telling the South Carolina crowd he is running for a Senate seat. And what is with the ‘if you don’t like me, vote for the other Biden.’ There is no other Biden running for President, or the Senate for that matter. In 77 year-old Joe Biden, I see my Dad, who needed help finishing sentences. This is not a man who should be running for President. This is not a laughing matter nor a matter for mocking Joe for his ‘gaffes.’ (That includes you President Trump!) I can only imagine how scary it actually is for Joe to have to speak to crowds, knowing that his mind his leaving him. May we all be praying for him, for our country, and for a cure to this insidious disease.