tech in hearing aids.

hearing aids often do not make thing that much better.

That's why I asked if there is some stigma attached to wearing one, so he chooses not to.

I don't know.

Reaks!!!!!!

has Parkinson’s Disease and needs a exoskeleton to walk upright?

Let’s leave this stuff to the right wingers.

First, I didn't start "this rumor".

A well liked Biden supporter mentioned it in another thread and I thought it made a lot of sense and fit the facts I saw during the debate.

As I said before, when I heard this here on DU, I thought it was the kindest and most logical explanation for some of Biden's actions on stage during the debate.

Pundits and others are trying to paint Biden as being befuddled. Hearing loss makes more sense and is a common problem.

I saw the post...

and in Biden's defense actually. It changed my opinion on Biden to the better.

Minor hearing loss does seem a reasonable explanation.

If just mentioning it here get's this type of response, I am at a loss for words.

"Just mentioning" a thing is much different than engaging in baseless speculation designed to drive a narrative while cowering behind feigned sincerity to offer plausible deniability.

But I kinda get that your justifications are much friendlier to your narrative than accuracy is.

You really, really should really delete this thread....

Flaimbait for the Trump Festivities?

dont like.

I thought it explained a lot with the simplest possible explanation.

Is discussing age-related issues beyond the pale? Mild hearing loss can't be discussed? Biden's on-stage reactions can't be mentioned?

I am at a loss for words.

It's only an "issue" if it's revealed that he DOES have hearing loss and it might affect his duties as President.

People here on DU have outright mocked Biden for his debate performance, but somehow agreeing that a mild hearing loss might have been an issue is the worst thing in the world?

Got it.

is the problem.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Is Biden about to die? I remember the stories about Hillary's poor health that russia and trump spread in 2016. If you read any of the threads on JPR, you would be convinced that Clinton was going to die.

I know that Russia will be pushing crap soon. I guess that I can go check JPR (if Russia is pushing something, you will see it on that site).

We all know why the post was started.

MSNBC screwed up both nights with tech issues.
They were widely reported.
You are rumor mongering and should delete this post

We don't know what candidates heard when they were on that stage.

Meanwhile, IF Biden was suffering from hearing loss, it is not that big a deal. I've had hearing loss my entire life and it has not affected my ability to function. I just say "What?" more often than most people do and I put more effort into listening when people are talking.

....back in 2016.

Can't we just stick to issues?

The person that brought this up is a very respected DU member.

I think they might have made a valid point.

Discussing possible minor age-related hearing loss is now beyond the pale?

Then you may have some validity upon which to stand.

It is remotely possible Elizabeth Warren is a North Korean plant, despite it being so improbable as to be wholly without merit, and worth little more than eye rolls and mocking.

So far Clinton is still alive and well despite the Russian stories about her dying. We really do not need another round of these claims on DU

Biden did not participate ii the spin room because he was the front runner and this was part of his strategy. Would you want to talk to Tweety?

JPR is a site that loves these type of stories or attacks.

Joe Biden is the most electable candidate that the Democrats have available right now. We really need to defeat trump.

that "Hearing loss is the kindest possible explanation I have heard yet that would explain Biden's apparent confusion..."

So, what are less kind explanations that you'll introduce later on? You're being very transparent, I think.

Here's the thing: We're all pretty damned smart around here, and can see what you're up to. As several people have suggested, you should self-delete your original post, I think.

I thought being transparent was a good thing?

Both the person who brought up the subject and myself have mentioned it as possibly age-related hearing loss.

Is that the problem? We can't discuss age-related issues about our candidates now?

Mild hearing loss is beyond the pale?

It still seems to me to be the most sensible, and frankly kindest, explanation for Biden's misstatement when the candidates were asked what was the first thing they would do as President.

Biden responded "Defeat Donald Trump". Everyone else responded appropriately.

if it wasn't a hearing issue, what was the reason for that level of a gaffe?

if it wasn't mild hearing loss, what is YOUR explanation for Biden's misstatement?

Everyone else heard the question and responded appropriately.

Please be specific.

As it stands, your unfounded premise (i.e, a 'rumor') lacks credibility

(that being "the kindest possible explanation" I can currently allow your "apparent confusion" on how supporting a conclusion with objective evidence works).

So it would not be surprising to me. I know some people resist using them because they find them more annoying than helpful. You're correct that there are also some who reject them as a solution because of stigma. Regardless, it's something that can be easily handled when there is a lot of assistive technology available to compensate.

Lets move on to important issues. Thank you.

It's widely known that there were audio problems at the debates.

Besides, hearing loss is a not issue for a candidate.

Brain loss (aka what Dolt45 has) is much more of a problem.

covered in the media right after the second debate. Andrew Yang, Marianne Williamson and possibly others spoke out.

Lose this unfounded, ageist rumor against Biden. Please delete the speculative OP which serves no good.

although a lot of them won't wear them due to some sigma or the like attached to wearing them. I don't know why some people think this (sigma) but my dad was like this and still wouldn't wear them (hearing aids), even though I gave him a pair of older ones I had and told him that I would pay to get new molds made (to fit his ears). I finally asked my dad to give back the aids so I could use as spares and told him if and when he wanted to go get tested and fitted, I would go w/ him.

It does take quite a bit of a learning curve to wear the hearing aids and wearing them doesn't solve all of the problems that the hearing impaired experience (the aids pick up the feedback too that in a noisy environment would generate). In my case, lip reading helps me a lot when the aids don't.

Mr. Biden, like others have said, may have simply just misheard the question, or didn't understand it, or vice versa (we didn't understand his response) in the midst of all of the noise etc. that would be on a stage like he's was on. I would prefer to grant the benefit of the doubt and I'm sure that one of Mr. Biden's reps probably noticed the response and they are looking into it if it is even something to even look into, and it may not be anything at all either.

he knows that will be a disaster in the general election but at the same time knows he had to raise his hand for the primaries.

Get ideological for your base during the primary season, then retreat back to the center for the general election.

The answer is No...

I’m 64. Our hearing goes as we age. It’s just our corporeal selves.

be any different?

I know. We’re surrounded by idiots.

Who knows about the acoustics. MSNBC could have done better,

Joe had a sub-par debate by historical Biden standards. Good idea to step back, regroup. Can’t spin it, so why go to the spin room and make a bad situation worse.

should be forgiven for having a delayed response to words spoken at a normal volume.

Why are you speculating about this?

Sounds fishy to me...

"I'll be bach."

It dawned on my a while back that I've followed politics relatively intensely since the 70's and every now and then I ask myself why I bother? I've been a registered Democrat for my entire adult life and only ever cast one vote for a Republican in a local meaningless county office that doesn't even exist anymore.

But, God bless the internet....



It's going to be one long year.... sigh.

Oh, and... Dear Jury, this image is intended to mock the "concern" of the OP. Thank you.

Except I started paying attention in the 90's when I was a teenager.

This is purely unhelpful speculation.

Speak up!

The Flamebait Festivities have already started....

Here we go again. We will soon have stories on JPR about Biden being ready to die

chronic tone deafness.

...but he did.

I'm sure someone (maybe even someone here the way things are going) would claim they are prompting devices to feed him answers to difficult questions at debates or interviews.

in and of itself.

Some of our greatest Presidents had physical ailments.

Thanks for the thread bluewater.

If it wasn't a hearing issue, what was the cause?

Everyone else heard the question and responded appropriately.

Good lord, are you serious?

I am being savaged for saying he might have mild hearing loss.

I can't begin to imagine what the response would be like if I said what you just did.

I'm going to stick with mild hearing loss as my explanation for Biden's misstatement.

perfect human being?

Apparently some people are.

They seem appalled I suggested a candidate might have mild hearing loss.

For a candidate who is supposed to be too sick and is dying, Joe looks to be very healthy

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

I love seeing that comforting rub of the baby’s back. That’s someone who appreciates the gift of holding a baby.

You can tell a reat deal about a person watching them with a baby or small child

Harris is also very good at this

… nice for a politician! Hearing loss is not an IQ test... it should not translate into difficulty in serving. I'd love it... you could take a little extra time in answering questions and, if you get one wrong, you could say you didn't hear the question correctly!

Unless you know first hand about a medical issue don't spread false claims.

hearing the moderators at the debate. The sound system wasn't up to par, it appeared.

He's in his 70s. It'd be incredible if he didn't have any hearing loss. That doesn't mean he's cognitively impaired in any way, shape, or form. I've got some hearing loss myself (though I'm much younger, and not as smart as Biden) and I'm kind of sad to find out that to say someone may have hearing loss is apparently some kind of insult.

I went aha! That makes sense!

And my opinion of Biden's went UP significantly.

It was the simplest explanation for some of the things that happened on stage during the debate and afterwards.

What are the alternate explanations that reflect better on him?

With all that's going on on stage during debate, that could happen to anyone, completely unrelated to any physical issue.

The other factors mentioned were a tentativeness in raising his hand in response to other questions; did he have trouble hearing those correctly too?

And why did he avoid the Spin Room after the debate? I am hard of hearing and find it difficult to follow conversations when there is loud background noise.

So, who knows. But when I heard the suggestion he might have mild hearing loss, these things seemed all to fit together.

In all honesty, I am at a loss for words at the hostility discussing this has generated.

without directly mentioning it.

It was an aha! moment. Hearing loss just seemed to fit all the facts.

It did make me feel better about Biden as a candidate, because mild hearing loss is something that can be easily addressed.

But I did want to discuss if he wasn't wearing one because of any associated stigma for a 76 year old candidate to be using a hearing aid.

By that, I mean I don't think anyone would have reacted so strongly if anyone suggested a younger candidate might have hearing loss.

The degree to which people have over reacted to this has me at a loss for words. I expected some people to say, nah, doesn't matter. It's a non-issue. Who cares. Instead people demanded the post be removed.

Biden is 76. Sanders is 77. My favorite candidate is 70.

If we can't even mention mild hearing loss because it will remind us how old some of the candidates are, who are we trying to kid? Ourselves?

.

that Warren had anything wrong with her, but I guess we'll see.

I had a roommate in law school, age 26, with terrible hearing who had to learn to read lips so she could be sure to follow things. She hated professors to turn their backs and face the board while they talked.

Thanks for the discussion.

Biden is actually running at this parade. Biden is very healthy

Link to tweet

I read somewhere that he was running through the crowd and even challenged a heckler, who yelled out sleepy Joe, to come run with him. It doesn't speak one way or the other regarding hearing loss, which is the subject of the OP.

Link to tweet