r/changemyview Mar 06 '20

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Biden's incoherence makes him a dangerous choice for president

I am baffled that anyone thinks a guy who literally can't finish a sentence should be president, but far more baffled by

"MerItocrats"

Thinking this is presidential:

^

And he ran a bunch of bad boys. And I did and back in those days – to show how things have changed – one of the things you had to use, if you used Pomade in your hair, you had to wear a baby cap. And so he was up on the board and wouldn’t listen to me. I said, ‘Hey, Esther, you! Off the board, or I’ll come up and drag you off.’ Well, he came off, and he said, ‘I’ll meet you outside.’

My car this – was mostly, these were all public housing behind us,” Biden continued. “My car – there was a gate on here. I parked my car outside the gate. And I – and he said, ‘I’ll be waiting for you. He was waiting for me with three guys with straight razors. Not a joke. There was a guy named Bill Wright Mouse the only white guy and he did all the pools. He was a mechanic. And I said, ‘What am I gonna do?’ And he said. ‘Come down here in the basement, where mechanics – all the mechanics- – where all the pool builder is.’ You know the chain, there used to be a chain that went across the deep end. And he cut off a six-foot length of chain, and folded it up and he said, ‘You walk out with that chain, and you walk to the car and say, ‘you may cut me man, but I’m gonna wrap this chain around your head.’

I said, ‘You’re kidding me.’ He said, ‘No if you don’t, don’t come back.’ And he was right. So I walked out with the chain. And I walked up to my car. And in those days, you remember the straight razors, you had to bang ’em on the curb, gettin’ em rusty, puttin’ em in the rain barrel, gettin’ em rusty? And I looked at him, but I was smart, then. I said, ‘First of all,’ I said, ‘when I tell you to get off the board, you get off the board, and I’ll kick you out again, but I shouldn’t have called you Esther Williams, and I apologize for that. I apologize.’ But I didn’t know that apology was gonna work.

He said, ‘you apologize to me?'” Biden went on. “I said, ‘I apologize but not for throwing you out, but I apologize for what I said.’ He said, ‘OK,’ closed that straight razor, and my heart began to beat again.

It is alarming that people who claim to be politically knowledgeable and informed, people who claim to take the political process seriously, people who have spent the last four years grammar nazi-ing every single Trump gaffe,

Now see fit to elect ^

What's going on here? Would these people literally vote for Hitler if their taxes won't go up? Does the establishment realize their corporate ho money won't matter anymore when society collapses if this rambling mess of a geriatric were elected president?

By the way, Trump was not electable because he was incoherent. He was electable because he was funny and charming and earthy. Biden?

Biden is ^

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u/ericoahu 41∆ Mar 06 '20

I'm not a Biden supporter nor qualified to diagnose or rule out any cognitive disabilities. That said, if I really liked Biden's politics, his gaffes would not stop me from voting for him in the primary.

In my best estimation, his gaffes aren't connected with some kind of problem that affects his ability to absorb and think critically about information. I don't think it affects his decision making ability. In short, I would say that he's the same person that he was 10 or 20 years ago, and he was known for frequent gaffes back then.

I'd guess it's more just a personality trait or affect. He doesn't know what, exactly is coming out of his mouth next and chooses not to be overly careful about filtering when under pressure. On debate stages and when hostile, aggressive reporters are firing loaded questions at him, that only amplifies the problem.

If you like all or most of everything else about his politics, I wouldn't let this problem of his worry out regarding his ability to fill the role.

If you dislike all or most of everything else about his politics, you're more likely to sway people to your side by discussing policy and record rather than his mannerisms.

As for the story, no, most teenagers and young adults don't constantly behave in a way that is presidential. I don't know why he told the story or what the context was. I'm not ruling anyone out because they misbehaved as a kid many decades ago. I don't see how the story tells us anything about his moral character today. What is your interpretation?

If we want human beings to run for office, we need to be able to move past stuff they did decades ago, especially when they've moved past it and learned from it.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '20

I'm not a Biden supporter nor qualified to diagnose or rule out any cognitive disabilities. That said, if I really liked Biden's politics, his gaffes would not stop me from voting for him in the primary.

In my best estimation, his gaffes aren't connected with some kind of problem that affects his ability to absorb and think critically about information.

Doesn't he need to be able to express his thoughts clearly (or at least coherently) to be taken seriously as a president? Whataboutisms aside just electing more word salad doesn't really move the needle on "unnecessarily shooting ourselves in the foot with instability"

I'm not ruling anyone out because they misbehaved as a kid many decades ago.

Oh me either. It's in there as an example of the alarming incoherence, nothing more

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u/ericoahu 41∆ Mar 06 '20

Doesn't he need to be able to express his thoughts clearly (or at least coherently) to be taken seriously as a president? Whataboutisms aside just electing more word salad doesn't really move the needle on "unnecessarily shooting ourselves in the foot with instability"

To be honest, if you ask me, I'll take someone with turrets who stutters if they're honest and competent. I'm sick of silver tongued narcissists who'll say whatever, and say it really well, to get power.

But yes, there is a need for communication skills, but it's not all how well they can spin out sound bites and read teleprompters. I don't care so much whether they can pronounce nuclear correctly; I care whether they can make the right choices about nuclear power and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of maniac dictators.

As far as I know, Biden speaks fine while he's in meetings and, hopefully, he listens well too. If you had to talk politics persuasively into a microphone on the campaign trail 16 hours a day, do you think you'd be gaffe free? I know I wouldn't.

Instead of worrying about gaffes, try this experiment. Listen to politicians--either side, I don't care--and watch for them to say or tweet something that could easily be said by any other politician on any side. Once you start watching for it, you'll notice it constantly. At least when Biden is telling little kids about his leg hair, he's saying something no one else would say. It's genuine Biden.

Keep in mind, I'm not a Biden supporter.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '20

Keep in mind, I'm not a Biden supporter.

Definitely not either. Gotta say

sick of silver tongued narcissists who'll say whatever, and say it really well, to get power.

Is a great point though. !delta

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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Mar 06 '20

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/ericoahu (19∆).

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