06-20-2024, 08:54 PM
(06-20-2024, 08:10 PM)putnam6 Wrote: It wasn't that he went to talk to a skydiver, it was there was a demonstration for all the G-7 leaders to watch. Biden was like a dog with a squirrel running around nearby.
Biden, Reagan, Reagan, Biden the main difference is the world wasn't so full of immediate and crucial challenges Ronnies last term.
I think I am uncomfortable with the comparison between the terms of Reagan and Biden as being "more challenging" to an aging mind. I don't think either President "had it easier," help notwithstanding. Without going into histrionics, Regan's time was at least as difficult as Biden's, multiplied by two.
The main difference in my perception of them is that while Regan was an experienced actor and well suited to "playing a role" as a professional, Biden's 'playing a role' just comes off less polished and focused on "surface appearances." As if a committee were responsible for programming his character and conduct. The media was kinder to the aging Biden, firmly demonstrating that he requires 'special' marketing and PR help from them (and it was given in abundance, to include a concerted and directed effort against any and all detractors, in the most publicly visible way...)
Both Presidents deteriorated through their respective terms. Reagan was just a better performer. That may or may not translate to a better 'image projecting' public servant, but nowadays, some believe that 'you only have to "look good" to b effective. (At any rate, 'modern' politicians are simply of 'diminished' stature when one considers what have they actually 'done' as opposed to what they 'promise' to do.)
And history is replete with examples of Biden saying 'whatever it takes' to manipulate a useful narrative... remember, before his Obama time, Biden was a laughing stock in the media for his outright lies and plagiarism, as well as several instances of verbal blunders. Reagan had no such press in his history, or at least, nothing remotely comparable.
