Hundreds of thousands of photos of Franklin Delano Roosevelt were taken. And yet, there are only four known photos of him in a wheelchair. This was deliberate. FDR hid his polio disability, even his mother. He ordered the secret service to destroy images of him in a wheelchair. His doctor, recommended by the doctor who had helped maintain the severity of President Wilson's stroke hidden from public opinion, was favorite For a similar discretion.
Roosevelt even successfully enlisted the press body in what Hugh Gallagher called, in his book with the same name, the “splendid deception” of FDR. It was easy to rationalize the decision. Between the great depression and World War II, journalists felt that they should follow the effort to portray the president as physically to work, for the sake of American morals.
These are just the most atrocious examples of this type of obfuscation. But there were others. Grover Cleveland took a tumor about what the White House said it was a “fishing trip.” The severity of the heart attack of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1955 was minimized not to endanger his re -election. JFK suffered Addison's disease and was “treated” by his personal doctor “Miracle Max” Jacobson, also known as Dr. Feelgood, who gave him “vitamins” shots loaded with amphetamine and methamphetamine. The public had no idea until a New York Times report in 1972.
In other words, the controversy about Joe Biden's disease, and now his newly revealed stage 4 prostate cancer is not as new as it seems.
This controversy, reunited by the publication of “the original sin: the decline of President Biden, his cover -up and his disastrous choice to work again”, by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, he was dominating the political conversation until the Biden family published news of his cancer. According to Tapper (an anchor in CNN, where I am a collaborator) and Thompson (Axios Reporter), Biden, his family and his closest assistants conspired to hide the scope of the public's mental and physical decline of the public. The motivations varied, as they often do, from an intense partisan desire to prevent Donald Trump from retaking the White House, to Biden's own denia and vanity, to a desire of his closest assistants to remain in power.
As a high -level assistant to the authors said: “He only had to win, and then he could disappear for four years, he would only have to show tests of life from time to time.”
Suspicion that the revelation of cancer is an extension of the desire for the biden team to control the narrative About your health it is difficult to avoid. David Axelrod, a democratic strategist and energy corridor that was very vocal about the political problems presented by the age of Biden, had the type of reaction Biden's team probably expected. “Those conversations [about Biden’s infirmity and the effort to conceal it] It will happen, but they should be more turned off and reserve for now while fighting through this. “
It is difficult to gain the spirit of Axelrod's compassion. There is no call for him cruelty Some have thrown in response to a diagnosis of 82 -year -old grandfather and husband. But skepticism is justified anyway, even if it comes from partisans. Like many doctors, including oncologist Zeke Emmanuel, a former medical advisor of the Biden administration, they have noticed, prostate cancer is very slow, and it is surprising that a two -period vice president and the president of a period can have so many high -profile medical exams without being trapped before. Whatever the truth, the story, both Biden's and the presidency, makes unpleasant questions be legitimate.
One of the obvious and highly discussed lessons of this chapter is that the media should please their skepticism of those in power much more, particularly when doing so is politically or ideologically undesirable. For many Republicans, the relative lack of curiosity of reporters on the health and acuity of Biden can be completely explained by the partisanship of journalists who, fearful of a Trump restoration, hid the truth.
However, less discussed is that partisanship can also be a useful tool to expose the truth. Axelrod did not press for taking Biden from the 2024 ticket because he is a Republican. He is a partisan Democrat who considered it necessary to tell the truth for the possibilities of the party to win.
Similarly, the right response to “original sin” and its revelations have not been shock, but “we told you.” Highlighting the adequate drin disease for its partisan purposes, but that does not mean that it was not true. Many in the media forgot that partisanship is often one of the only things that can motivate people to give voice to unpleasant truths.
@Jonahdispch
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Ideas expressed in the piece
- The article argues that the historical precedents, such as the concealment of Franklin D. Roosevelt of his Poly -induced paralysis, demonstrate a long -standing pattern of presidential health obfuscation. FDR avoided the public use of wheelchairs, was based on staged appearances and collaborated with the press to hide its disability[1][4][5].
- The fulfillment of the media in the masking of the physical limitations of the leaders stands out for the Era of FDR, where journalists agreed not to photograph it in their wheelchair, reinforcing a carefully cured image of force during crisis such as the great depression and the Second World War II II.[4][5].
- The author argues that partisanship, although often criticized by bias, can also expose the truths. The public concerns of the Democratic strategist David Axelrod about the aptitude of Biden, despite the ideological alignment, exemplify how political reasons are sometimes aligned with transparency.
Different views on the subject
- The historical context suggests that the discreet use of FDR of a personalized wheelchair, a modified kitchen chair, and the dependence of mobility assistants were pragmatic adaptations to maintain the effectiveness of leadership, not only acts of deception[2][3]. The fulfillment of the press may have arisen from the belief that projecting stability during national emergencies exceeded total transparency[4].
- The medical experts at that time emphasized that the survival of the polio required robust health, which FDR took the opportunity to minimize its condition. This framework allowed him to portray himself as resistant despite his paralysis, which complicates modern comparisons with the health controversies of other leaders[1][4].
