Primer: Biden

On November 20, 1942, President Joe Biden was born. Being over 80 years old, Biden is the oldest person to hold the office of the presidency. He will keep this record if he wins his re-election bid, with him ending a potential second term at the age of 86. With his advanced age, a majority of Republicans, Independents, and even Democrats are voicing hesitations about him running again. Considering both this concern and the support from many others, NU’s Political Union and NU College Democrats will discuss the following resolution: President Biden is too old to run for reelection. 

The arguments for the pro side of the resolution are very convincing. First, people are worried about Biden’s age in relation to his mental capacity. Very often, even when unprompted, swing voters will tell reporters that they worry that Biden is too old to fully execute the office of the presidency. A poll from the Washington Post and ABC found that a majority of people think that Biden is not “mentally sharp” enough to continue to be president. If you believe that Biden is already not operating with a full mental capacity, then electing him for another 4 year term seems to be unwise. Second, people worry about the longevity of Biden. On average, for an American male born in 1942 who has already reached the age of 65, Biden’s life expectancy was below 80, at around 78. As previously stated, Biden would be 86 at the end of his potential second term; people argue that it is very possible that Biden will not live to see his entire term through. Finally, Democrats who don’t want Biden to run again think that there are other candidates better served to win the presidency as a Democrat. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. already has a noticeable amount of support, with 14% of Biden voters from 2020 changing camps to RJK Jr. Since there are other Democrats who are younger and willing to run for president, many argue that Biden should not run again and pass the torch to a younger generation. 

The reasoning for the con side also has much to consider. First, as Biden has often said in favor of him running again, Biden has many promises from the campaign to complete; his slogan is “Finish the Job.” With 4 more years, in addition to the nearly 2 he has remaining, Biden would have much more time to both gain a more favorable Congress and complete his promises. In a related vein, supporters believe that by running again, Biden is creating stability in an ever changing political climate that could help him achieve his goals. Second, Biden has pointed to his accomplishments already achieved during his tenure. With issues ranging from the economy to climate change to healthcare and more, people see Biden as having a strong track record that he could continue into his second term. Third, Biden has made repeated claims that he does have the mental fitness to remain US President. If he does have this mental fitness, as he and others have claimed, then worries about his age would be diminished. Finally, Democrats who believe Biden should run fear that there would be no other Democrat who could win the 2024 election. With RFK Jr. having a history of being anti-vaccine and Marianne Williamson trailing Biden by 73 points in one poll, people struggle to find a better candidate to run for the Democrats to run in 2024 than Biden. 

Please join us for our joint debate with the NU College Democrats in Scott Hall, 201 at 7pm!

"Sen. Joe Biden attends a Creston house party" by IowaPolitics.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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