By TIM BARTO
Honoring Presidents Day the past few years has become a challenging task, to say the least.
The current White House resident is, aside from being an unabashedly awful chief executive, in the throes of dementia for all the country to see. In occupying the office that traditionally came with the title “Leader of the Free World,” his cognitive decline is being played out in front of the rest of the world, many of whom look to the United States for leadership.
It is an unfortunate and embarrassing situation.
Joe Biden’s failed policies can be debated, although the debate can usually and quickly filters down to the fact that Joe Biden is not Donald Trump. His cognitive decline, which was obvious four years ago, is now undeniable, despite the formatted and rehearsed comments from administrative officials that their boss is “sharp” and “on top of things.”
For those of us who have watched family members suffer through the agonizing loss of their mental faculties, the situation is most uncomfortable.
Dad passed away two years ago now, after nearly a decade in which his ability to think, reason, and remember slowly declined, only to quickly decline at the end. It was sad and frustrating on so many levels, for him, for his children and grandchildren, and most notably for his wife. Mom was his caretaker, seeing it her duty to take care of her husband until the end, and it nearly did her in.
Dad was a couple weeks shy of his 94th birthday when he died. Mom will be 92 in a few months. A vivacious gal who has always been liked by everyone – friends, neighbors, church members, Little League parents, and professional colleagues. While some people may have found reasons to not like Dad, I honestly never heard anyone say they didn’t like Mom. I used to tell her all the time that she would live to at least 100, but caring for her husband took a toll on her.
My siblings and I expected Mom to experience sadness and perhaps some confusion after Dad’s funeral, but we also saw it as an opportunity for her to get out of the house and live again; to go to church, play bridge with the gals, get in some water aerobics, volunteer to decorate for holidays and weddings, and visit with friends and neighbors. The reality, however, has been just the opposite.
The sadness and confusion dissipated for brief moments, but a mild stroke made those brief moments rarer. Her unstable gait led to a series of falls, resulting in a broken leg, sorely bruised ribs, and a concussion, all of which led to further sadness and confusion, accompanied by a heavy dose of frustration.
The frustration is greatest when she is cognizant that she can’t think the way she used to, when she can’t remember why she called or whom she called. While she may mistake me for my brothers, once she realizes it’s me she’s talking to, Mom then asks about my five kids by name – to include their spouses’ and boyfriends’/girlfriends’ names – and how they’re doing with work or school as the case may be, and she’s remarkably able to pull that information out of the recesses of her mind. It’s a refreshing respite and it’s actually quite fascinating.
Watching the commander-in-chief struggle to remember names, fundamental lines from the Declaration of Independence, or his means of exiting the stage, is not fascinating. It’s troubling. Having witnessed the ravages of dementia firsthand, it’s painfully uncomfortable watching Joe Biden mumble, forget what he was saying, and trip over himself. It makes many of us want to see that 25th Amendment invoked . . . until we remember who’s waiting in the wings.
Kamala Harris is the most incompetent, unqualified human being to ever be vice president. And that’s saying something. Her polling numbers reflect it, and the idea of her taking over the executive branch somehow seems even worse than keeping it in the shaking hands of an increasingly angry geriatric. A few Democrats have been making noise about pulling the plug on the Biden re-election, but they know they can’t win with the least popular vice president in history, and they know that pulling a woman of color from their ticket will anger their far left supporters for abandoning the sacred altar of affirmative action.
Donald Trump has a unique opportunity here. If he can comport himself in a decent and – to be blunt – presidential manner, sticking to his accomplishments as president and articulating them clearly without being demeaning, he can highlight the sad state of mental acuity with the incumbent without even mentioning it. And he’ll handily win a trip back to the White House.
Kamala Harris can then retire to be a trivia contest answer, and Joe Biden can get the care he needs out of the spotlight.
Tim Barto is vice president of Alaska Family Council, a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska, and son to a saint of a Mom.
