How Will The Big Guy Do Tonight?

This piece notes,

The speech’s March 7 delivery date is the latest one for a State of the Union address in history, Fox News noted.

This is only the second occasion in history that the president has chosen not to speak in person to a joint session of Congress in January or February. On March 1, 2022, Biden made his first speech to Congress.

This must certaintly reflect discomfort among Joe's handlers over his ability to stand up and read coherently from a teleprompter for an hour or more. Whatever ails him -- and I'm still hesitant about any answer that requires a medical diagnosis -- there's a general consensus that it's gotten worse.

Former aides who worked directly with then-Vice President Joe Biden in the Obama administration have called current fears over his age “a very real issue” — with some alarmed at how he has become more “frail” and “mumbly.”

“If you watch Joe Biden speak, oftentimes he sounds frail and he sounds more frail than he used to, even in 2019 and 2020,” Jon Favreau, the chief speechwriter for Obama when Biden was vice president, said in a recent episode of the “Pod Save America” podcast.

“The voice sounds frail, and he shuffles more because of the arthritis in his back,” Favreau said, adding that the oldest-ever president also appears “mumbly.”

. . . Podcast co-host Jon Lovett, another ex-Obama speechwriter, agreed and argued that the Biden campaign should get the president out in public to demonstrate his mental and physical abilities — even if they are concerned that he will make more gaffes.

“I’m sure that going out there means more missteps … more gaffes that start circulating, but if you don’t view Biden being out there as a net positive, then the argument he shouldn’t be running is right.”

The problem is that he was out in public earlier this week, and there were gaffes.

FULL VIDEO:

REPORTER: "What's your message to Democrats who are concerned about your poll numbers?"

BIDEN: "My poll numbers? The last five polls you guys don't report. I'm winning — five! Five in a row!" pic.twitter.com/Mz5gWQMRSA

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 5, 2024

About ten seconds into the video, he leans over and breathes right in the reporter's face, "I'm winning [huuuuh] Five [huuuuh] Five in a row!" Frankly, if I'd been there, I would have averted my face to avoid the hot, heavy reek of alcohol on his breath, but that's just me. Another reaction to another episode on Tuesday:

Oh my Lord. This man is not well. pic.twitter.com/5UoEW90FD6

— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) March 6, 2024

This post affirms the view I've had ever since the 2020 debates:

Unpopular opinion: Joe typically exceeds expectations at these major speeches and there's no reason to expect anything different this time.

However the only way he does this is by shutting off everything else and getting on a modified sleep (and perhaps medication) cycle.

— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) March 5, 2024

They either have to change up his meds or keep him off the sauce for a day or more before a major event, and those chances seem to be less and less frequent. But he was out and about as recently as Tuesday and not looking good. On one hand, Trump has repeatedly said he doesn't think Biden can make it through to the election, although now he's challenging Joe to debates. So far, this isn't a subject the White House likes:

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sparred with a reporter on Wednesday over questions about whether President Joe Biden will debate GOP front-runner and former President Donald Trump ahead of November’s election.

“Is President Biden going to commit to a debate with President Donald Trump?” Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked.

Jean Pierre responded, “That’s something for the campaign to speak to.”

“Well, we know when the debates are going to be. We know where they are going to be. Is he going to go?” Doocy pressed again.

“You should speak to the campaign,” she said.

But leaving debates aside, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of confidence in Joe's ability to stand up and read coherently for an hour on national TV. Yes, he's done it before, and yes, he's exceeded expectations, but I'm just not sure how much of that he still has in him.