Castro was tactless but his point is valid.

[zonkers]

I say this as a caregiver for a family member suffering from memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s. I will probably get it too. Ethically, it is fair to question
mental fitness.

Our nation is currently enduring a brain addled president in his 70s.

Maybe candidates should be tested for Alzheimer’s and dementia and
contingencies should be considered.

I’m not a fan of ageism.

But I also think we need to ask if the word “gaffe” is just euphemism, used to softening the impact of what it really is...a momentary lapse of clear thinking.

So yeah Castro might’ve been icy and tactless.

But as someone who watches his family member’s mental decline, I know that 4 years could be a long time.

[TrunKated]

1. his point was a lie

Lies are generally not valid.

[still_one]

4. That is what makes this hilarious, it was Castro that had the memory problem.......

[Peacetrain]

9. ding ding ding ding.. the prize winner

[TrunKated]

12. LOL

Yes, winrar!

[Thekaspervote]

25. And one that was told in such a nasty manor!!

[emmaverybo]

2. First of all, Castro was WRONG. Biden had not forgotten what he said. Second, public humiliation

would not be the way to bring the issue up, if in fact, Biden had dementia. Third, Biden has spoken at length without notes with excellent command of facts and recall in a variety of situations with no signs of cognitive impairment.

[MANative]

3. Tactless, and also wrong, as has been called out by every observer I've heard. nt

[crazytown]

8. A soundbite for the GOP

for free.

And afterwards Castro had the fall to lie about it,

It didn't matter that it was Joe Biden. If it had been another candidate that tried to deny what they just said two minutes ago, I would have asked them the same thing.

[MANative]

11. Rather Trumpian, doubling down on a lie or mistake.

He should withdraw.

[Big Blue Marble]

5. No it was not.

Your implication that Biden is in decline is incorrect. To compare Biden's mental
capacities with Trump's "addled brain" is highly incorrect. Nancy Pelosi and many
leaders in our party are high functioning in their seventies and even eighties.
Think also of RBG.

[Perseus]

16. Stop comparing Biden against trump, there is no comparison.

trump has been demented all his life, Biden has not, the human quality of each could not be more distant, trump is a low life, some of the worst humankind has ever produced, Biden is the total opposite.

But, you need to compare Biden with the rest of the field, then decide who may be the best candidate leaving love for the person aside, on their merits, on what they bring to the future of the country.

[Big Blue Marble]

17. Did you read my post.?

That is what I am saying. I am not concerned for love of a candidate, I am concerned
for the love of our democracy. I want the candidate that most voters will say yes to,
especially in the rust belt. That person is Joe Biden.

[stonecutter357]

6. his point was a lie !

[Peacetrain]

7. Castro screwed the pooch... he had this set up to go

because he thought it was going to make a splash.. he tried it at the last debate.. he keeps falling on his face because he is trying to be Trumpian.. and it was not tactless, it was idiotic.. and shows he has no business running for President till he gets a grip on what it means to be a leader.. we do not need a attack dog version of trump from the left.. ethically it is not fair to assume people have Altzheimers because they are old.. Biden has been like this all his life it is not a new condition he has suddenly developed.. and many of us have family members who have had and in my case died from Altzheimers.. and I cannot even begin to tell you how much I resent using that awful disease as a reason to attack someone

Is Biden slower than he was 10 years ago.. yes he is.. but that does not mean he has dementia

Castro can sit on it an spin as far as I am concerned and Booker can take his phone love campaign and go away..

and Edit to add.. I am slower than I was 10 years ago, to make a quick joke etc.. mostly because 10 years of experience has taught me to think first before I blast out..

[emmaverybo]

26. And this, deliberation as it compensates for quicker processing time, is what can make a senior

mind good at decision-making, even superior to the young and less experienced.

[Peacetrain]

29. Precisely!!!

[Vinca]

10. IMO, the person who had the memory loss during that exchange was Castro.

I don't know what his intention was, but - like Booker - he came off as a bully. We've already got a bully we're trying to get rid of.

[DrToast]

13. Maybe Castro should get checked out

[JaneQPublic]

14. Politifact says otherwise.

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/sep/13/julian-castro/julian-castro-attack-joe-bidens-health-plan-falls-/

Julian Castro’s attack on Joe Biden for forgetting his health care plan falls flat

Castro said, "The difference between what I support and what you support, Vice President Biden, is that you require them to opt in (to a Medicare public option), and I would not require them to opt in. … They would automatically be enrolled. That’s a big difference." He also suggested Biden was contradicting what he’d said moments before.

Castro’s plan is an opt-out plan while Biden’s is an opt-in plan, but the differences between those are much less than Castro suggests. Biden’s plan would guarantee Americans who are in need access to Medicare coverage, just like Castro’s would. The differences would likely amount to the nature or timing of paperwork, rather than being significant barriers to access.

Castro used this questionable distinction to charge that Biden had said opposing things within two minutes, but that’s an exaggeration at best.

The statement has an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, so we rate it Mostly False.

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/sep/13/julian-castro/julian-castro-attack-joe-bidens-health-plan-falls-/

[Hortensis]

15. As said, Castro LIED and used that lie to launch age attacks

that were themselves also lies. Biden didn't "forget" his position for a moment.

And Castro committed a huge mistake in trying to play for fools 18 million viewers, most of whom had been listening to Biden and knew the truth.

What on earth was he thinking? He deserves all the loss of support this will bring, and rightfully.

[emmaverybo]

27. In a nutshell and thank you.

[Hortensis]

37. And as you said. I really regret seeing candidates reveal

inadequate character and decision making. I hoped for more from him, but better that than to pipe followers down to their levels.

So good to see that audience decline the invitation, though.

[highplainsdem]

18. Castro wasn't just tactless. He was deliberately nasty. And he was incorrect.

[roody]

19. I'm only 66, but I have Biden moments sometimes.

[Control-Z]

21. You have "Biden moments"?

It was Castro who had the memory issues. So what you sometimes have would be Castro moments.

[emmaverybo]

28. Excellent.

[Control-Z]

39. Thank you very much, emmaverybo!

Thank you very much.

[Cha]

32. lol.. I said almost the same

thing. smh

[Control-Z]

40. Right?

Primary season is going to be long, I'm afraid.

[Cha]

31. Hey roody.. It was a Castro "Moment".. you have those?

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Julián Castro repeatedly attacked Joe Biden, but was wrong in debate’s most viral moment

While the moment quickly went viral on social media, the Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay pointed out that Castro was incorrect — Biden didn’t actually say people would have to opt in to his plan. Instead, he said the exact opposite just a minute before the widely shared exchange.

“Anyone who can’t afford it gets automatically enrolled in the Medicare-type option we have,” Biden said of his plan.

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/joe-biden-julian-castro-debate-obama-forget-two-minutes-health-care-immigration-20190913.html

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Castro Blew it.. time will tell how badly.

[elocs]

20. Anybody who has experienced a parent or loved one go through dementia

remembers in hindsight when the very early signs of the dementia were there but were dismissed as being just normal signs of aging. Since we have lived through it we are more sensitive than others to those early signs and if they are real or not.
But when it comes to candidates for whom their supporters are highly defensive of, we get labeled as "ageist" or we are simply dismissed as being haters or get put-down with "your concern is noted".
We may be wrong, but our concern is legitimate.

[emmaverybo]

34. Often the person with dementia retains intellect and knowledge early on and does not show

problems in language fluency, coherency, articulating ideas.

They put the cleanser in the fridge and ask what’s for dinner five times in a row when you just told them. They have a hard time with simple steps in a process. They lose she executive function, like more mature judgement—a reason they may have a hard time discerning scams. If Biden were showing these signs, you bet Jill would be the first to know. He also would not come across as sure of himself and he does.

I used to blank out while lecturing in front of classes and have to ask students what I just said, where I was, I was in my forties, tired, multi-tasking, stressed to get it all in before end of class...

But Castro—I worry about his judgement, temperament, and memory. Weak listening skills too.

[emulatorloo]

22. So Biden has Alzheimer's and Dementia? I seriously hope that you are not spreading this nonsense

when you knock doors for Warren and talk to undecideds.

[Beringia]

23. I hope he recovers from this, they had to have workshopped that attack

[DemocratSinceBirth]

24. He had no point. He's the one with the faulty memory.

[Cha]

30. NO it Was NOT.. please keep up.. Castro was WRONG

and it Boomeranged on his Stupid "Gotcha".

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Julián Castro repeatedly attacked Joe Biden, but was wrong in debate’s most viral moment

While the moment quickly went viral on social media, the Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay pointed out that Castro was incorrect — Biden didn’t actually say people would have to opt in to his plan. Instead, he said the exact opposite just a minute before the widely shared exchange.

“Anyone who can’t afford it gets automatically enrolled in the Medicare-type option we have,” Biden said of his plan.

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/joe-biden-julian-castro-debate-obama-forget-two-minutes-health-care-immigration-20190913.html

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Castro Blew it.. time will tell how badly.

[tirebiter]

33. Inasmuch as I don't except all of Joe's "gaffs," as gaffs

I’m going to call what Julián remembered as mistaken. A lie is intentional.

What I do remember is that he endorses what are essentially open borders. That’s just not gonna fly. I’ve seen the border at less tense times and it gets a lot more casual.

Now it’s time for Joe to pick himself up, brush himself off and start all over again even if it was a sucker punch.

[njhoneybadger]

35. His point was not valid

And if Biden gets the nomination expect that clip to be played over and over by rethugs.

[Hoyt]

36. Well, healthcare professional believe elderly are often stubborn and are irrational in beliefs.

How would you feel if that assertion were applied to your candidate because of some of the stances taken?

[BlueIdaho]

38. So... Biden, Sanders and Warren are all in their 70s.

If you’re going to be an agist, you need to cast a bigger net.