Numerous Americans have diverse expectations of their legitimately elected officials.
A common, absolute minimum requirement for these legislators is that they are cognizant and functional.
Unfortunately for the incumbent president: According to a recent survey, Americans find it difficult to describe Vice President Joe Biden as either cognizant or functional.
The fact that this poll was conducted by NBC, a generally more left-leaning network than Fox News, should cause Biden and his team additional concern, particularly in the midst of a divisive re-election campaign.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar was a guest on Sunday’s episode of NBC’s “Meet the Press” — moderated by Chuck Todd — to discuss a variety of topics.
One such subject? The exact same NBC poll that appeared to cast significant doubt on Biden’s leadership abilities.
“We have a new poll out and we asked various questions having to do with President Biden and his ability to do the job [of president],” Todd told Klobuchar on Sunday.
You can watch the entire episode below:
“Uh, does [Biden] have the mental and physical health to serve?” Todd asked.
That’s when he dropped the brutal results on Klobuchar.
“The concern among Democrats has doubled since October 2020,” Todd flatly said. “It was only one-in-five Democrats who had that concern before Election Day 2020.
“It’s now over 40 percent. It’s at 43 percent. You were just with the president at the state dinner. Do you have concerns?”
“No, I don’t,” Klobuchar said. “We all saw his power at the State of the Union. Our party is united behind him. Why? Because we work in a results-oriented business, Chuck.
“And he has gotten results.”
Curiously, Klobuchar’s response does not appear to address the central issue.
Regardless of how one feels about Biden’s actual achievements as president, that was not the question posed by this NBC poll.
The poll asks specifically about concerns regarding Biden’s capacity to govern in the future.
Biden could cure cancer and end world starvation, but he is the oldest president to seek re-election. Past achievements do not predict future achievements.
This is the principal concern of 43% of Democrats surveyed. As Klobuchar alluded to, the majority of those queried likely believe that Biden has already “gotten results.”
Despite Klobuchar’s diversion, the issue is not whether or not Biden has accomplished anything.
The problem is that he is a historically elderly president seeking re-election, but he faces a real obstacle in the form of tangible doubts about his capacity to lead the nation. If these concerns prevent Democrats from voting for Biden, it is possible that he will serve only one term as president.
However, should he serve two terms, the numbers speak for themselves. The incumbent president is already 80 years old, which means he will be 82 during the 2024 general election. If he were to complete his second tenure, he would leave the White House at the age of 86.
In terms of American politics, this is uncharted territory.
In light of this, it is more than reasonable to have concerns ranging from moderate to severe regarding Biden’s ability to serve another term.