• by Joe Mandese , February 9, 2024

As author of this blog, I know something about editorializing. Heck, I’m about to do it again right now.

But I’m not a Justice Department special counsel writing a report concluding not to bring charges against a president for the mishandling of classified documents.

So when Special Counsel Robert Hur goes out of his way to describe President Joe Biden as “a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory” in a 388-page report referencing his memory 23 times, it feels like he’s gone out of his way to make a political point.

How do I know he went out of his way? Because he actually mentions that exact phrase twice in his report.

In fact, Hur’s characterization of Biden is painfully biased and was written in a way to intentionally disparage Biden by reinforcing a perceived prejudice about his age.

Yes, Biden is elderly, but at 81, he is not as Hur characterizes him “well into his 80s.” Actually, he repeats that phrase three times in the report.

Politics aside, why is ageism the last form of prejudice tolerated in American society?

Instead of celebrating Biden’s experience, wisdom, temperament, and decision-making, he has become the butt of political jokes, news media obsession and Justice Department innuendo.

On the plus side, the not-so-well-intentioned tenor of Hur’s report demonstrates just how independent the department has operated under Biden, which is the way it should be.

Compare that with the way the last administration handled the release of The Mueller Report, the release of which was held for nearly a month, but not before then Attorney General William Barr spun his own positive interpretations of the findings exonerating his boss in a letter summing it up. I recommend actually reading the complete report, because it’s not what I think you’ll take away.

You certainly will not read any editorializing about that president’s age, memory issues or how well-meaning he may or may not have been.

Once they become ingrained, public perceptions like the ones that have been reinforced about Biden’s age are difficult to overcome, even though his opponent is well into Biden’s demographic, has routinely demonstrated cognitive processing issues, and has made some painfully questionable judgement calls before, during and after his time in the White House.

I continue to support Joe Biden for many reasons, and his age has nothing to do with any of them, though his experience, wisdom, temperament and decision-making absolutely do.

I wish it wasn’t acceptable to be ageist in America, anymore than it is to be racist, sexist or anti-Semitic.

And I don’t think it’s just because I’m now “well into” my 60s, about to go on Medicare, and could well be the butt of some jokes.

So let me start by casting the first one:

#MeTooOld