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 David Corn, Mother Jones - There’s no denying—or ought to be no denying—that some voters do see Biden as lacking the vim and vigor they want in the leader of the nation, despite his accomplishments. I, too, would have preferred Biden to bid farewell because I assess that his age, fairly or not, is a drag on the Democratic ticket—particularly for younger voters and voters who don’t follow politics as closely as you or I do. Yet if this topic is prioritized in the press above the threat that Trump poses to American democracy (and sensationalized), the national debate is warped and the republic imperiled.

As most Americans agree (according to polls), Trump tried to overturn an election and subvert the constitutional order. Speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Friday, he referred to the insurrectionist January 6 rioters who have been convicted as “hostages” and complained they are being “unfairly imprisoned” ... This is a former president and current presidential candidate legitimizing political violence, as well as a bonkers conspiracy theory. That is crazy. Yet this remark has gone largely unnoticed. Like many of Trump’s outrages it draws little more than a shrug from the national press—and no reaction from the leaders of his own party.

Why do Biden’s purported memory lapses receive more ink? Perhaps because it’s easier to spot or understand—and because people have become numb to Trump acting erratically and spouting outlandish stuff, which is basically his brand. The question is how should the media and the politerati process the Biden matter while giving at least equal attention (if not more) to Trump’s own possible cognitive issues and his alleged criminality and dangerous narcissistic authoritarianism? This appears to be a challenge for reporters working within the traditional confines of political reporting.