What seems to be happening in the wake of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate Thursday night is straight out of the American political playbook. It’s called The Comeback.
We all know the narrative. Our hero gets knocked down, beaten and bloodied, but he refuses to give up.
Instead, he gathers himself and returns to the fight.
Ultimately, according to the dominant narrative, he prevails. Against all the odds, he will be the winner.
In Hollywood, this formula yields entire series. The hero never gives up but just keeps mounting his comebacks, even if they become ever more implausible to a skeptical observer.
But that’s fiction.
Real life, unlike the movies, is governed by biological limits. We age, become weaker, lose our vitality, and ultimately perish. Only a tiny handful of us defy the odds and remain viable physically and mentally far into our eighth, let alone ninth decade.
Which brings me to Biden.
Of course, Democrats are rallying behind him in his ultimate battle. That’s partly because of how evil his opponent is. Donald Trump truly is evil incarnate.
So now, according to the emerging narrative, after the awful debate, Biden is going to bounce back and vanquish Trump in the end. Good will triumph over evil. Money is being raised. Rallies are being held. Talking points are being distributed.
In the meantime, is anyone actually thinking about the human being at the center of this story? What’s best for him?
The person I saw in the debate seemed confused, disoriented, lost. He wasn’t just having a “bad night,” as some are saying now. He was out of it.
He may have been suffering “sundowning dementia,” which is common among elderly people at night. Or, his odd expressions suggested another explanation — “facial masking” familiar in Parkinson’s patients.
Hey, I’m not a doctor and therefore not qualified to reach conclusions about this —but I am a journalist and my job is to ask the questions.
So here’s one: At what human cost, this comeback?
(Thanks to Mary Sturges for help on this essay.)
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Clearly something was physically wrong w Biden. Woodward says reporters need to get to the bottom of it. Let’s hope at least the Dems do. Biden is all we’ve got.
I agree with your post-debate analysis David, and is something I haven't read elsewhere. So thanks.