To the editor:
“Voters wonder what’s too old for president” (Feb. 10 front page):
A majority of American voters think President Biden is too old to run for re-election in 2024, according to a poll.
I’m an 81-year-old hard-working psychologist who has taught graduate school courses in the psychology of aging. I think the assumption that he is unfit for service is based primarily on our prejudice against aging.
Men and women in their 80s are incredibly diverse. Aging is not just about decline. Older people can outperform younger people on intelligence tests based on their accumulated knowledge and experience. Optimism and satisfaction increase with age.
The president has shown signs of age-related memory loss, but studies have also shown that some cognitive abilities improve with age.
Don’t let bias cloud your decisions about the next president.
alan swope
Oakland, California
The author is Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University.
To the editor:
It’s time for Democrats to have a “Goldwater moment.” There, several senior party officials, like a delegation led by Sen. Barry Goldwater, reluctantly march into the Oval Office and tell President Biden, “It’s over.” President Nixon did so in 1974 when he was told he could be impeached.
I don’t base my opinions primarily on age or ability. I’m fairly confident that Mr. Biden is far more capable behind the scenes than in front of the cameras, and I commend him for everything he accomplished in his four years in office.
But his public image portrays him as an old, frail man incapable of becoming the head of any organization, let alone the president of the United States or the de facto leader of the Western world.
There is too much at stake in the 2024 election. In the interest of the country and the preservation of democracy, the Democratic Party cannot allow the future fate of the country to be held in such weak hands.
It’s time.
Richard J. Brenner
Miller Place, New York
To the editor:
All the talk is about President Biden’s age and occasional verbal errors, but what about Donald Trump?
I recommend starting by looking at what they have to say side by side. Compare all the gaffes Donald Trump has made. Compare Biden’s ability to talk about complex issues to Trump’s ability to do the same.
There’s a lot of talk about Joe Biden’s age, but a service that evens out Trump’s word salad and mix-ups and the fact that he speaks about complex and serious issues with a child-like language ability and understanding. I want you to .
robin watts
new york
To the editor:
Inexplicably, many of President Biden’s advisers, staff, appointees, and allies in Congress have made clear that the president is consistently mentally alert and does not have significant cognitive impairment or memory problems. They seem to believe that many voters actually believe false claims.
The report filed by Special Counsel Robert Hur reinforces those long-standing concerns, while at the same time adding to the team’s efforts to convince us that what we see and hear is simply not the case. This further encouraged Biden’s members.
To understand how these well-intentioned but delusional partisans view themselves, you might want to read the old fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
tod blodgett
Mason City, Iowa
The author has worked in the Reagan administration, the Republican National Committee, and the FBI.
Trump’s threat to NATO: green light to Russia
To the editor:
“Trump says he has given a warning to NATO allies: Failure to pay will prompt Russian invasion” (News article, nytimes.com, February 11):
At a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, former President Donald Trump recalled conversations with other countries’ leaders. The leader asked, “If we don’t fully pay our NATO bill and are attacked by Russia, will you protect us?”
Mr. Trump replied: “No, I won’t protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You have to pay.”
That’s how Trump treats his European friends.
Of course we want European countries to contribute to their own defense, but we encourage Vladimir Putin and Russia to contribute by invading those countries and inviting them to “do whatever” the Russians want. It’s stupid to do so.
Is that what we want America to look like? Because that’s what Mr. Trump and we get.
mike barrett
Ashburn, Virginia
To the editor:
Regarding “NATO considers isolation after Trump riot” (News analysis, front page, February 12):
Former President Donald Trump does not understand the basis of American exceptionalism on the world stage. As Joseph S. Nye Jr. writes, a state’s influence depends on both hard and soft power. Hard power refers to military power and economic power. Soft power refers to a nation’s culture, values, and another element: alliances.
America’s dozens of alliances around the world are an integral part of America’s national defense strategy, with NATO at its core. Mr. Trump’s short-term thinking blinds him to the understanding that weakening NATO would effectively weaken the United States and correspondingly strengthen America’s enemies.
bruce seaman
new york
To the editor:
Donald Trump’s statement that he intends to blame the Russians for NATO countries that don’t pay their bills is pretty telling, coming from a man notorious for getting tough on his creditors. .
elizabeth block
Toronto