This brings us to Biden’s most obvious vulnerability. The most common concern among Democrats about the former VP has been what they generously call “verbal gaffes.” During a recent Democratic debate, for example, Biden claimed that 150 million people have been killed by gun violence since 2007. His staff claimed it was a mere slip of the tongue and that he meant to say “150,000.” But Joe Biden says such things constantly. Last September, for example, he assured the attendees of an AFL-CIO campaign event that his proposed $8,000 child care tax credit “would put 720 million women back into the work force.” And Biden’s “gaffe” problem is by no means limited to mangled statistics.

During a speech at a campaign event in Texas, the erstwhile VP unwisely attempted to recite part of the Declaration of Independence. This is what came out of his mouth: “We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women are created, by the, you know, you know the thing.” Later, during the same rhetorical tour de force, he referred to Super Tuesday as Super Thursday. Tuesday night, he confused his wife for his sister. Pointing to his wife, he announced, “By the way, this is my little sister, Valerie.” He then turned to his sister and said, “And, I’m Jill’s husband.” When it finally dawned on him what he had done, he blamed them: “Oh, no! This is … hell, you switched on me.”

These examples are not outliers.