Besides the News 05/19/2025

Did Biden already have cancer? Does it matter?

Good afternoon everybody!

The big news over the weekend was, of course, that former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. News like this is always terrible, and it doesn’t matter who we’re talking about. Cheering cancer, as I’ve seen some (not all, obviously, but a fair number) of Republicans do in the last 24 hours, is abhorrent in my book. While I don’t disagree that Joe Biden is as contemptible as politicians come, I think it’s important we don’t lose sight of our humanity with news like this. Cancer doesn’t just affect the person suffering, but their family and loved ones. And while there are many in what some people call the “Biden crime family” who conservatives struggle to truly care about - and I don’t blame them - not everyone who loves Joe Biden is corrupt. To some young people, he is grandpa. To others, he’s a cousin, a lifelong friend. And to many Americans who don’t see the world the same way we do, he’s a committed public servant.