# Stop Panicking! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [June 28, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447 "2024-06-28T15:26:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/281 "2024-06-30T16:45:22Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Newsweek chimes in; > > [Did Cold Medications Affect Biden's Debate Performance? - Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/did-cold-medications-affect-bidens-debate-performance-1919099) > > > [@](#): > > > > Biden’s symptoms are consistent with someone suffering from temporary drug-induced cognitive impairment. We now know he had a bad cold during the debate. Most people believe common over-the-counter cold medications such as Dayquil, Tylenol, or Advil to be harmless. While generally well tolerated, these medications have well-documented side effects and can cause reduced alertness, diminished attention, poor memory, and reduced reaction time, especially in older individuals. These impairments are transitory but can appear consequential and alarming. Every experienced clinician has seen this effect thousands of times. If anti-cold medications were combined with anti-anxiety drugs or alcohol, the risks would increase even more. > > > > Upon hearing of our perspective here, Yale professor of psychiatry Marshal Mandelkern concurred: “As a clinician, when someone presents with ‘altered mental status’ I would always think of the possibility of drug ingestion as a cause. This is not only common, it is usually the most benign explanation for a change in mental state.” If having a cold affects him that badly maybe he should hand the country over to Harris every time he has the sniffles. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/282 "2024-06-30T16:46:38Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > To think that any subsequent choice to Biden **would be spared the same treatment** demonstrates a naivete of MAGA politics that is breathtaking to me. Uhh, who in this thread has been saying _that_? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/283 "2024-06-30T16:47:13Z")
No one has affirmatively said it, but no one has suggested how it would be countered, either. ETA: And believe me, the MAGAs have a head start on the shit they’d use, too. > [@CaptMurdock](#): > > I didn’t ask the second part. I’m not required to answer only what you ask. It’s ignoring the issue that’s a problem. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/284 "2024-06-30T16:48:11Z")
I didn’t ask the second part. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/285 "2024-06-30T16:54:46Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If having a cold affects him that badly maybe he should hand the country over to Harris every time he has the sniffles. Those effects make you a substandard debater, they don’t render you incompetent. If he were an airline pilot, I’d agree. Despite what movies have taught us, the Republic will survive if the president isn’t constantly poised with catlike reflexes. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/286 "2024-06-30T17:14:59Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > If having a cold affects him that badly maybe he should hand the country over to Harris every time he has the sniffles. > > Those effects make you a substandard debater, they don’t render you incompetent. If he were an airline pilot, I’d agree. Despite what movies have taught us, the Republic will survive if the president isn’t constantly poised with catlike reflexes. The direct quote from the article says “altered mental status” not under the weather. We have all been under the weather. My altered mental status has always been self inflicted and I shouldn’t have been running a country then. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/287 "2024-06-30T17:18:05Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > My altered mental status has always been self inflicted and I shouldn’t have been running a country then. Fortunately, government isn’t run like a cartoonish WWE cage match (at least, not under Biden). It’s designed to continue functioning even when a leader is temporarily compromised. And how do you know Harris wasn’t taking a more active role while Biden was recovering? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/288 "2024-06-30T17:19:29Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Fortunately, government isn’t run like a cartoonish WWE cage match. It’s designed to continue functioning even when a leader is temporarily compromised. Agreed, and “running the country” is a vastly different skill set than running for office. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/289 "2024-06-30T17:20:31Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Agreed, and “running the country” is a vastly different skill set than running for office. A distinction that is all too often ignored nowadays. Thank you for making the point. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/290 "2024-06-30T17:24:14Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The direct quote from the article says “altered mental status” not under the weather. We have all been under the weather. My altered mental status has always been self inflicted and I shouldn’t have been running a country then. I think they explained what the side effects could be and “tripping balls” wasn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/291 "2024-06-30T17:30:18Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Who won’t also come in with baggage, just different baggage than Biden, mind you Would the baggage matter if a/the different Dem candidate would be able to calmly, confidently and systematically shoot down each of Trump’s BSs during a debate, in front of that audience? In that context, unfortunately, appearance is **almost** the only thing that matters, and Biden **appeared** terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/292 "2024-06-30T17:49:40Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > My altered mental status has always been self inflicted and I shouldn’t have been running a country then. > > Fortunately, government isn’t run like a cartoonish WWE cage match (at least, not under Biden). It’s designed to continue functioning even when a leader is temporarily compromised. > > And how do you know Harris wasn’t taking a more active role while Biden was recovering? The design is for the Vice President to step in when the President is temporarily compromised. Step in legally so she has full control. If the President is compromised by a cold to the point where we are talking about altered mental status then there is a deeper problem. So did he have altered mental status because he took a DayQuil or was he just a little off his game? Because if he’s the latter we can throw out that cite I was responding to. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/293 "2024-06-30T17:56:10Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > To think that any subsequent choice to Biden would be spared the same treatment demonstrates a naivete of MAGA politics that is breathtaking to me First of all, nobody has said that. Secondly, the difference between Biden being old, and Kamala/Newsom/Pritzker/Whitmer being slammed for being a California liberal or communist or whatever, is that the former (Biden’s age) is a complaint that actually registers with **many voters of all stripes.** It’s not just Republicans who think Biden is too old; a significant chunk of centrists or even Democrats think so as well. There’s a reason the attacks about Biden’s age have been so effective - it’s a fairly bipartisan sentiment. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/294 "2024-06-30T18:12:01Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If the President is compromised by a cold to the point where we are talking about altered mental status then there is a deeper problem. I don’t think that’s true. Several posters have said that they’re mentally basically useless when they have a bad cold. It really does create an altered mental state in many or most people beyond just the simple fact of not feeling well. If that was Biden’s problem – and I sure hope it was – then we’ll see much better performances in the future, hopefully including one or more much better debates. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/295 "2024-06-30T18:18:43Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > It doesn’t matter who the Dems run. That individual will receive the full smear treatment from Republicans. We really think the political skills of an Obama just do not matter? Yes he had one bad debate. And it could not be used to define him because it was nothing like Thursday. To think that any subsequent choice to Biden would be spared the same treatment demonstrates a naivete of MAGA politics that is breathtaking to me. Any new candidate would be subjected to the full smear machine that is the right wing. It works so well. > [@](#): > > But it was obvious to regular Biden watchers that he was ill and that his style was a poor match for a debate where Trump’s fire hose of lies was permitted to stand unchallenged. The time moved too fast for him, his illness slowed down his response times and his ongoing difficulties with his stutter made him appear stupified at times. If the ABC debate comes off, those moderators aren’t going to do real time fact-checking any more than the CNN folks did. And Biden cannot do it on his own. And a slightly better second Biden performance, which is the best that’s likely, is just not good enough. (Worse Trump performance? I think it will be hard for him to come off even more smug and arrogant than he was this time.) > [@](#): > > We’d be fools to abandon him now. This is too emotional. Everyone here seems willing to vote for the Democratic ticket no matter who is on it (within reason and possibilities). No one says it was Biden’s fault. All indications are that he worked hard at prep and did his best. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/296 "2024-06-30T18:19:29Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > If that was Biden’s problem – and I sure hope it was – then we’ll see much better performances in the future, hopefully including one or more much better debates. If this were an SNL skit, he’d turn in the same performance at the next debate, and patiently explain that, _heh, you’re not gonna believe this, but, after another week of preparing, I just now came down with a cold again, first time since June…_ ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/297 "2024-06-30T18:27:09Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Several posters have said that they’re mentally basically useless when they have a bad cold. And several others say otherwise, including me. I think the cold could be a factor, but bad days and good days is more likely. Th difficulty of debating Trump shouldn’t be underestimated. My mother was a contract bridge teacher into her nineties, and did fine. But she had stopped bring a nursery school teacher decades before. Which job do you think the September debate will be more similar to? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/298 "2024-06-30T18:45:05Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The design is for the Vice President to step in when the President is temporarily compromised. Step in legally so she has full control. I’m well aware of the design for vice president. No need for the lecture. > [@Loach](#): > > If the President is compromised by a cold to the point where we are talking about altered mental status then there is a deeper problem. He wasn’t compromised to that point. Go rewatch the debate. He stumbled over his words a couple of times, not an abnormal thing for him due to his speech impediment. He was slow. The rest of the time, I think he was just not prepared for the format or the torrent of lies. He thought having memorized the facts and figures would be enough, not realizing that a 2-minute format was a poor one for that strategy. Still, he responded appropriately except when he garbled his words over the Medicare thing. He did at times look utterly gobsmacked that Trump could lie so brazenly about things that are ridiculously untrue, such as that Democrats abort (“kill”) babies after 9 months, they just “set them aside,”; that he, Trump, had lowered insulin costs for Americans; that he, Trump, had solved the pandemic. I mean, those lies are beyond staggering. I don’t think Biden believed anyone would be so baldly dishonest. I also don’t think anyone else would have done much better with that format and an unending torrent of lies coming from Trump except possibly Gavin Newsom, who is very quick on his feet. Funny; Newsom’s not seeking the job. He’s Biden’s most staunch defender. > [@Loach](#): > > So did he have altered mental status because he took a DayQuil or was he just a little off his game? He was a lot off his game. That doesn’t make him mentally incompetent or unable to perform his duties, as has been repeatedly pointed out. > [@Velocity](#): > > First of all, nobody has said that. LOL, of course nobody has said that. Because it’s the thing they keep ignoring when discussing how to inveigle a replacement with 4 months to an election. That’s my point. It’s madness. > [@Velocity](#): > > It’s not just Republicans who think Biden is too old; a significant chunk of centrists or even Democrats think so as well. Yes, they do! Biden’s age has always been the only issue anyone can make anything about, and it’s the one thing Biden can do nothing about. If any of those alternatives you listed thought they could step up and do the job better than Biden, they sure didn’t jump up and say so, did they? I got an email this morning from Josh Shapiro. He didn’t say anything about it being a good idea to substitute himself for Biden. Same thing from Kamala Harris last night. She’s just asking for money for Biden, not to substitute herself as the candidate. Accept it. Biden is the nominee, and he’ll be your choice in the Democratic column in November. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > We really think the political skills of an Obama just do not matter? Obama was a once-in-a-century candidate. There will not be the likes of him again. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > This is too emotional. This comment is way out of bounds. It’s not a judgment you get to make about my motives. It’s also highly personal. It’s my reasoned opinion that we would be fools to abandon a president who has done so much with so many hostile forces arrayed against him. No emotion required to make that assessment. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/299 "2024-06-30T18:49:07Z")
Not to toot my own horn, but I suggest anyone interested in this topic post in [my other thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantify-as-best-you-can-your-odds-of-biden-winning-vs-anyone-else-be-specific/1003536/4). I think a lot of people are talking past each other, and it’d help more than having an ongoing discussion that’s like, “Biden is still our best option to defeat Trump by some unspecified amount! Anyone else hurts that by some unspecified amount!” vs “Biden is going to lose by some unspecified amount at this rate! Someone else would have a better shot by some unspecified amount!” At the least, it would add context to people’s emotions and preferred course of action. ---
**Author:** ![TeroSunbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terosunbear/32/14748_2.png) [@TeroSunbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeroSunbear)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447/300 "2024-06-30T19:19:52Z")
I saw Woodward shaking his head on TV. What was the point? If you have no explanation for your take on the Biden weak effort, why shake your head. What went wrong? I have a good idea. And I think Biden should skip the 2nd debate for this very reason. He panics when he is given a tight schedule such as this 2 minute per reply thing. It brings out the worst in his speech problems. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-panicking/1003447.md?page=16)