I get a little tired of hearing you say this, especially since Biden kicked Trump's ass in the debate, but all righty, maybe you have some special medical insight that ignores the fact that Biden is a stutterer (and that stuttering has no effect on the intellect) and goes straight to the non-fake fact that he really is a bit dim. Ronald Reagan was demonstrably senile and yet remains a Republican star, because he was surrounded by at least marginally competent administrators. The clowns, fools, grifters, thieves, sexual criminals and family members who surround Trump couldn't administrate a Band-Aid application. If Biden is a dimwit surrounded by able people, we'll be a hell of a lot better off than with any Trump.
While Biden is not an academic star like Bill Clinton (Rhodes Scholar) or Barack Obama (President Harvard Law Review), he did graduate with dual majors in history and political science, obtained a law degree, and won a U.S. Senate seat by the age of 29. That would be hard to achieve for most people and pretty much impossible for someone a bit dim. He was an average student in college, so it's only by comparison to brilliant academic careers, like the two that I mentioned, that there is any dimness in his achievements.
Academic achievement is only one measure by which to predict success for a President. To use Washington as an example, he was sorely lacking in education and intellectual brilliance in comparison to those he surrounded himself with both as a military leader and as President. What he lacked in formal education and innate intellect was more than compensated for by his exceptional judgement. He frequently elicited the advice of others with conflicting opinions (the first signal of good judgement) and then used his own judgement to chart a course. He persuaded Hamilton, his former chief staff aide during the war, and Jefferson to join his first cabinet as President. These two extremely intelligent men held opposing opinions on nearly everything and Washington sought both of their opinions on important matters in order to get a full airing of issues before making his own judgement. All-in-all, Washington was quite successful in his use of the brilliance with which he surrounded himself.
What Biden brings to the table is vast amounts of experience and the ability to see what is working or not working, admit mistakes, and make corrections. He also has a tremendous amount of what is often called "emotional intelligence" which has given him the ability to build relationships, friendships, and successful negotiating skills across party lines and ideological boundaries. Mitch McConnell has stated, on more than one occasion, that he considers Biden both a friend and a valued negotiating partner on difficult issues. He's not the only Republican, or Democrat for that matter, that holds that opinion of Biden. A major reason that Obama chose him as VP was observing those skills when they served together in the Senate and he utilized Biden as both a Congressional negotiator as well as a close advisor. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Obama would have been better served, at times, had he followed Biden's assessment and judgement rather than those of his military advisors.
In stark contrast to Trump, Biden is wise enough and humble enough to know that he's not a genius. But, he's also smart enough to recognize the qualities that he
does bring to the table and has the ability to listen to and appreciate others with knowledge and experience that is different from his own. He is a moderate at a time when many are looking for moderation; is capable of humility at a time when many have grown weary of boasting; and empathetic at a time when empathy is a needed ingredient in many citizens personal lives and in the national discourse.
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