Scranton Joe has not been Scranton Joe for a very long time, he’s The Big Guy now, but in case he’s interested in what the folks back home think of his intention to run for re-election, it’s a big ole pass on that idea. Their opinions line up with those of national Democrats who are concerned about Biden’s age and health. He’s 80 years old now and will be 86 at the end of a second term if he is re-elected. That is just too old for the man who is supposed to be the leader of the free world. Sorry. Not sorry.

Sometimes a little ageism is called for when we need to be brutally honest. That is certainly the case when we are talking about candidates for the presidency. Even if Joe Biden was considered to be sharp as a tack at his advanced age, it still wouldn’t be a good idea for him to be in the Oval Office. Unfortunately for the United States, the whole world knows that Joe Biden is not sharp as a tack. World leaders roll their eyes at him and they chuckle among themselves over Biden’s dazed and confused behavior. Every time Joe Biden insists that “America is back” because he is president, the world stifles a giggle.

About two dozen residents of Scranton, Pennsylvania, were interviewed about their thoughts on his re-election campaign if he decides to run. Everyone knows he is going to run whether or not he has formally announced his candidacy. Jill said so and that’s that. She’s the one calling the shots. (She should be ashamed of her blatant elder abuse.) Joe Biden still calls himself Scranton Joe (or Amtrak Joe or LunchBox Joe, depending on the audience.) Residents tell stories of Biden calling their mothers during a recent visit to town.

Two streets and an expressway into the city bear his name, and personal letters from Biden that invoke the ‘Scranton values’ of hard work and common decency that he frequently flags are proudly displayed in living rooms and offices of some supporters.

Business owners credit Biden’s programs for their financial survival through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite those strong ties, interviews with about two dozen Scranton voters show many harbor deep concerns about Biden running again.

Residents may have voted for Biden in 2020 but for the 2024 race, they worry he is too old. That tracks with national polls. The polls show that Democrats want a younger candidate. The lukewarm enthusiasm for a second term Biden may be a forewarning for what is to come. Biden is not a popular president – his approval rating hovers at 41% to 42% – and his vice president is even less popular at 36%. In Scranton, residents are frustrated that the Rust Belt hasn’t shown much economic recovery from its slump, but they acknowledge that there really aren’t many options in 2024.

‘ I think it’s kind of what he’s supposed to do, run again, right? That’s really what he´s supposed to do. Is there a president that didn’t go for a second run at all? But who else is there?’ Kimberly Smith, 45, a manager at the city’s Glider Diner, said. ‘We just need someone fresh.’

Biden aides say they welcome a possible rematch against Donald Trump, arguing it will help energize a base angered by the former president.

However, polls show the American public doesn’t feel the same way.

‘The idea of a Biden-Trump rematch makes me cringe,’ said Donald Banks, 83, a retired teacher and Scranton native.

Saunders said choosing Biden over Trump might end up being ‘the lesser of two evils once again.’

In 1968 Lyndon B. Johnson did not run for re-election. His handling of the Vietnam war was so disastrous that he saw the writing on the wall and bowed out. Richard Nixon won that presidential election. Ms. Smith is right, though. It is extremely rare for a president to resist the urge to run for re-election. Joe Biden will run for re-election. And, I’m with Mr. Banks. Another match-up between Biden and Trump makes me cringe, too. No one wants to see two old men hurl insults at each other. It’s sad and a little creepy.

Pennsylvania is an important swing state in presidential elections. This kind of hesitancy and lack of enthusiasm in Biden’s childhood hometown is problematic if the rest of his home state cops the same attitude. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 but Biden was able to squeak out a victory there in 2020.

Ole Joe is big on talk and not so much on action. Residents in Scranton are disappointed that he hasn’t done more for their town. Most residents do not think that life has improved.

Glyn Johns, 29, is a local Black activist who had hoped having a Scranton native in the White House would illuminate the problems facing Rust Belt cities.

Roughly one in five people in Scranton are in poverty, twice the national rate, and the school district sits near the bottom of national and state rankings.

Johns says she is disappointed so far.

‘I still think there should be more than street names that are changed and highways that are renamed for you. Because those highways still have potholes. People that are on Biden Street are still struggling with their businesses,’ said Johns.

Black voters were credited for helping deliver the White House to Biden, but Democrats fear some Black people are growing disillusioned and souring on the idea that politics offer solutions to their problems.

Bad news for Joe Biden. He can’t win the presidency without the support of black voters. He especially needs black women voters. That is why he panders to them at every opportunity. Just watch him on the campaign trail.