Joe Biden's Brain

This article is written by a non-clinician.

It's the final days of the 2020 campaign. Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead in the polls, although many battleground states are tightening in the week leading up to Election Day.

Somehow during the process, at least two years in the making and eight months since the Iowa caucuses, Joe Biden has, with few exceptions, avoided being asked anything more complicated than the flavor of milkshake he ordered.

Several questions remain unanswered, none more worrisome than Joe Biden's mental acuity.

It's a fair question voters should consider before entering the voting booth Tuesday. It's one thing to say somebody has "lost something on their fastball." Biden's mental facilities have deteriorated way beyond losing a bit of his edge over the past few years.

Biden often forgets where he is, and what office he's running for, and just the other day seemed to think he was running against "George um George." He has confused his wife with his sister, hopelessly mixed up numbers, challenged people who came out to hear him speak to push-up contests, and called another "a dog-faced pony soldier." He's forgotten a key phrase from the Declaration of Independence; he often seems lost or confused. You can watch these and other blunders on YouTube by searching "Joe Biden gaffes."

He has campaigned less than any modern-era candidate, spending days at a time in his basement, with the campaign calling a "lid" on the day's activities by noon.

Under normal circumstances, we might expect an impartial press to question the mental state of a candidate who is this prone to lapses and will be older on his first day in office than Ronald Reagan was on his last. But the media is biased and dishonest.

During the entire campaign, only one reporter dared question Biden on his mental acuity. In early August, CBS correspondent Errol Barnett asked Biden to clarify whether he had taken a cognitive test.

Annoyed, the former VP responded peevishly, "No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on, man! That's like saying to you before you got on this program if you had taken a test were you taking cocaine or not. What do you think, huh? Are you a junkie?" The response itself is offensive and throws gas on the fire, but the media remained unconcerned.

In addition to the gaffes, forgetfulness, and outbursts, there are other clues that anyone who has witnessed someone close ravaged by dementia or Alzheimer's disease may recognize.

To be clear, I have no formal medical training. I am not a doctor. I have not even seen Joe Biden close-up. However, I have watched my maternal grandmother go through a long battle with dementia and my father's suffering for nearly a decade before succumbing to Alzheimer's. It is a horrible disease that I would not wish on my worst enemy. I encourage readers to donate to the Alzheimer's Association to find a cure for this devastating illness.

What follows are observations from somebody who has lost a parent and grandparent to Alzheimer's and recognizes a few similarities Joe Biden exhibits. I have also referenced some of the latest research that confirms what I believe.

On some occasions, such as the debates and the recent town hall hosted by George Stephanopoulos, Biden's eyes are alert, clear, and bright. At other times, Biden's eyes appear to become narrow slits, hollow and dull. As my father and grandmother traveled deeper into dementia, I saw the same telltale signs in their eyes. As time passed, there were fewer moments when their eyes were wide open and alert, and more times when their eyes were squinty, hollow and empty.

There is research that calls the eye a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease:

"The eye possesses clear optics and shares many neural and vascular similarities to the brain. It offers a direct window to cerebral pathology. These unique characteristics lend itself to being a relatively inexpensive biomarker for AD, which carries the potential for wide implementation."

Visual symptoms may be an early sign of dementia:

"Given that many Alzheimer's sufferers report visual symptoms … there has been an increased interest in potential ocular biomarkers. Indeed, there have been reports that some visual symptoms can precede the onset of dementia."

The entire article is here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2016.00536/full

There is additional research connecting Alzheimer's with the eyes. Although it's not conclusive, what I understand from the scientific journals matches what I saw as my grandmother and father went through Alzheimer's stages.

Tuesday is Election Day. The media should have investigated Joe Biden's mental capacity. They failed to do so, but it's something voters should consider as they step into the voting booth.

Andy Bloom is president of Andy Bloom Communications. He specializes in media training and political communications. He is regarded as one of the leading radio programmers in the country. Andy served as communications director for Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio. For more information, his website is www.andybloom.com. Read Andy Bloom's reports — More Here.