Shortly after the debate Thursday night, I wondered whether Biden was ill that night. This was confirmed, he did have a bad cold and hoarseness. But later I saw a clip of Biden at a rally in North Carolina the very next day, where he was vibrant and completely lucid and articulate, with a large crowd cheering him on again and again. A rather quick recovery, I thought!
Then Saturday night I spotted online an article by two physicians, Jeffrey Sonnenfield and Harlan Krumholz: “Did Cold Medications Affect Biden’s Debate Performance?” (Their article had appeared in MedScape and Newsweek.) According to these physicians, common OTC cold medicines can have bad effects on elderly people, harmful to their mental acuity, although as the medicine’s effects wear off, the person is perfectly lucid again. This could explain the stark differences between Biden’s weak debate performance and his strong performance in North Carolina the very next day. The physicians’ article indicates that they are going to investigate with Biden people whether he had taken a cold medication to help him through the debate, not knowing the dire effects that would likely create.
In the meantime, I will continue to support Joe Biden, who has accomplished so many good things during his first term, in spite of an insurmountably difficult Congress, and to save our country from the perils of a convicted felon and rapist, a liar, and a wannabe dictator.
Jeanne Duffy
Jeanne Duffy, Ph.D., has served as a college professor, an analyst and project manager for several large companies, and a college administrator in charge of foundation and government support. She is on the Steering Committee of Gettysburg Democracy for America and a member of its Government Accountability and Healthcare task forces.