Thiessen Doubts Biden's Fitness for Office

Analyzing the article

Washington Post
appeal to authority
bandwagon
loaded language

Our Analysis: 3 Fallacies


1 Special counsel Robert K. Hur, in a 2 devastating 345-page report... concludes that Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials." But that is not his report's 2 real bombshell. Far more damaging is the picture it paints, in explaining Hur's decision not to prosecute, of Biden as suffering from "diminished faculties" and "significant limitations" on his memory. So much so, the report says, that jurors would be unlikely to convict Biden because they would find him "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

...a 2 deeply troubling picture emerges [of] a man who at times seems incapable to conducting basic conversations.

... ​"Mr. Biden's memory ... appeared to have significant limitations," Hur writes, "both at the time he spoke to Zwonitzer in 2017, as evidenced by their recorded conversations, and today, as evidenced by his recorded interview with our office." The recorded conversations with the ghostwriter "are often painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries." ​...

...we see what we see -- how his gait has stiffened and his ability to answer simple questions has declined. Which is why 3 multiple polls show that 76 percent of American voters believe Biden is too old to effectively serve another term as president and 54 percent say he no longer has "the competence to carry out the job of president."



  1. Appeal to Authority • The argument heavily relies on the authority of a special counsel's report without providing evidence of its objectivity or validity. The arguer then applies statements from that report to assessing the President's fitness for office, which was not the original purpose of the counsel's report. ​
  2. Loaded Language • The text uses emotionally charged language to evoke fear and doubt about Biden's ability to lead effectively. It employs phrases like "devastating," "real bombshell," "far more damaging," and "deeply troubling picture" to create a sense of alarm. ​
  3. Appeal to Popular Opinion • The author cites multiple polls showing that a majority of voters believe Biden is too old or lacks competence to effectively serve as president. However, just because a belief is widely held does not necessarily mean it is true or logical. Popular opinion should not be used as evidence in place of actual facts and reasoned arguments to support a conclusion.

References

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Disclaimer

Note that there being one or more apparent fallacies in the arguments presented in this article does not mean that every argument the arguer made was fallacious, nor does it mean there are not other arguments in existence for the same or similar position that are logically valid. Also note that checking for fallacies is not the same as verification of the premises the arguer starts from, such as facts that the arguer asserts or principles that the arguer assumes as the foundation for constructing arguments. For more about this, see our 'What is Fallacy Checking?'

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