Frankly, I can’t see any constitutional issues involving the establishment of an advisory Presidential-fitness committee, unless the President decides to invoke Executive Privilege. Then it would be up to SCOTUS to weight battling precedents.
I had a … not even sure what to call it … maybe a “bet” with myself, or perhaps a guess, that the first person to respond to that would be one of the “they” that have tried to advance the theory that Trump was suffering from dementia / Alzheimer’s / etc., but I don’t think you have, have you? My impression is that you are generally more precise in your criticisms. Kudos.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a publically available test. Anyone with an internet connection can download it. Someone who was suffering from cognitive impairment but didn’t want anyone to know could easily get a copy of the test, practice taking it, then score 30 out of 30 regardless of their cognitive impairment.
With a few days practice, even someone with significant decline could memorize “lion, rhino, camel”.
Of course, a doctor who knew in advance that a cognitive test was going to be done might choose a different testing method, so you don’t want to give them advance notice or they might arrange for a serious session with a mental health specialist. You just show up, announce you want a cognitive impairment test performed, and the doctor will apply one of two standard cognitive functioning tests (you should probably practice both).
You’re right. Because you quoted Ravenman, I didn’t really count it, but it’s very much along the same vein of offering harsh criticism without straying into fantasies about Trump and dementia. Kudos to you too.
What is going to be really interesting to watch is that “mental fitness” is now going to be defined in some tweetstorm as the lowest bar of “not having Alzheimer’s” instead of the more reasonable expectation that the President not have rather severe personality disorders.
Oh Christ, the man who nearly single handedly passed the Civil Rights Act was a racist? Go ahead, pull my other leg. Ignorance? To describe LBJ? Please. Perpetual lying? Got any examples?
You can’t run for president without having a large ego, so I think they’re pretty much all egomanics. But I don’t see a lot of narcissism until Donald came along.
You’re making an interesting point: FDR, the best president of the past century, was obviously in poor health and a screening would have shown that; while the worst President of the past century passes the exam.
What we have learned is that doctors who actually examined a patient can’t be trusted, but psychiatric diagnoses made by those who have never met the subject are definitive.
The doctor misstated Trump’s height and his weight is obviously well above what the doctor said. Why should the rest be trusted?
Trump is just as obviously narcissistic and lacks emotional control as the very least.
I’m no doctor but I can diagnose (and initiate on the spot treatment) a broken leg, sucking chest wound or arterial bleeding. I can try to sustain some who’s heart has stopped. Are you saying I should wait for a doctor to arrive to make a diagnosis?