I Saw Biden in Person Two Weeks Before the Debate

That's how I know the media storm about his health is completely manufactured

Photo taken by yours truly, three rows from stage.

If there’s ever a post if mine I hope you’ll share, it’s this one.

I saw President Joe Biden in person on June 11, just before his grueling jaunt to Europe and his infamous cold that made his voice gravel and his head full of fuzz.

He was speaking at a Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America event called Gun Sense University. I’ve been attending this event since 2019 for my role as a volunteer leader in the organization. We’ve had a lot of fantastic speakers, but this was the first year a sitting president had ever joined our ranks. So I was thrilled when my friend Julia ninja-ed her way to the front of the room and nabbed us seats three rows from the stage.

I was also, admittedly, nervous to see for myself what Biden was like as a speaker. Not for his sake, but for ours. Moms is a notoriously rowdy crowd. (The red shirts we wear on our Advocacy Days have been known to strike fear throughout state houses across the country). One badass grandma in Tennessee forced

Capitol police to carry her out on all fours when TN Republicans voted to arm teachers this spring.

Some of our hijinks at 2024 Gun Sense University

SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY MOMS DEMAND ACTION FRIENDS PICTURED IN THE GALLERY ABOVE!

I especially love the photo of my friend Beckie taking Rep. Ryan Zinke to task. Beckie lost a beloved loved one — a child — to gun violence and she will live out the rest of her days doing this hard but crucial work.

We go hard. Would he be able to match our energy and enthusiasm? Would his age and speech impediment hinder him from firing us up?

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Here’s what I wrote on Facebook about that experience:

Today I sat three rows away from President Joe Biden, who came to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America’s annual leadership conference to talk about the work his administration has done to reduce gun violence to the lowest rate in recent history.

I went into this with an open mind. I’ve heard Biden speak on TV and of course we’ve all heard the criticisms: he can’t speak well, he’s old, he’s feeble. I wanted to see for myself if Biden is enthusiastic and healthy enough to withstand another four years of the hardest job on earth.

One thing to remember every time Biden takes the stage: He works to overcome a speech impediment. I look at this like I do Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a wheelchair or FDR, leading us out of a war after a paralytic illness. I would never say Abbott shouldn’t be in office because he’s in a wheelchair (I would say it for other reasons). Often the challenges we’ve overcome make us better leaders, not worse ones.

I typed out Biden’s speech because it does include jargon that you might not understand if you didn’t do gun violence prevention advocacy. Watch this video and judge for yourself. I’m neither Fox News nor CNN, just a regular person who will be casting a ballot in November. And I’m proud to be Riden with Biden!

“You’re the reason I’m so optimistic about the future of our country, and I mean that. In two weeks, we mark the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. We have not had this type of legislation in 30 years. We passed it, but only because you worked like hell to get it done. You had the idea but you got it made and made it happen. It was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives, and I’m so proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made since then.”

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Looking back, I’m auditing myself. Was I too hopeful? Did I let my desire to win in November color my perspective? Was I being too nice?

No. First of all, no one who knows me in real life would call me an overtly nice person. I’m a Virgo. Judgment and criticism are my birthright.

Second, I was candid about seeing Biden in person. When he took the stage, he was slow and stiff. As he spoke more about the work his office has done to keep our communities safe, he got more fired up. He got the crowd fired up. He spoke with inflection. He popped off a few clever, unscripted remarks. He connected with us. You could feel his energy and enthusiasm for this work.

Reading Charlotte Clymer’s post about what Biden is like in person recalled a moment from his speech to Moms Demand Action that I wanted to share:

Biden came out from the back of the stage to ‘Hail to the Chief’ as the person introducing him turned from the podium. I don’t remember her name, but she was a mom who lost her son to gun violence. Instead of hurrying to the stage, Biden stopped, took her hand in his, looked into her eyes, and leaned forward to whisper something in her ear. Over the din of the crowd, you could tell his words touched her. He probably said something about understanding the pain of outliving a child, as he often speaks about his losses. Daughter, Naomi, died in a tragic car accident at 1. Beau Biden died at 46.

"Dad is so empathetic and has the ability to recognize pain, to feel others' pain and to comfort," his daughter Ashley has said.

Joe Biden is a fundamentally decent person. And decent people work hard to ensure others thrive. They aren’t just in it for themselves.

That's why I have found the media coverage of Biden baffling.

He had an indisputably bad debate. I don’t know anyone who is saying he didn’t. But it wasn’t the totality of his work. It wasn’t even a reflection of what he is usually like. It certainly wasn’t an indication he has Parkinson’s. My dad has Parkinson’s. Rigid posture. Rhythmic shaking. Slumping posture. Biden has displayed none of that.

And the journalists who have been covering him know that. So why the sudden run away train about his mental and physical acuity? Like I said after the debate, America learned nothing new. Biden is old and Trump is a malignant narcissist and serial liar. It can’t solely be because of the terrible debate? What does the media get out of this?

For insight, read Thom Hartmann’s writing about Yellow Journalism. The Tiff’s Notes: This controversy makes boring Joe Biden scintillating. And drama sells newspapers.

So it seems, the media is saying, “If the world burns, at least I’ll make some money on lighter fluid.”

Don't believe the media lies about Biden's fitness. This is not a man who is exhibiting any signs of Parkinsons. He's not in cognitive decline anymore than all of us are in cognitive decline through the universal curse of aging.

This is the Joe Biden I saw in person and this is the person I'll be voting for. Full stop.

Onward, Democracy Defenders!