We have an election in eight months to pick our leader for the next four years. There are many ways to view this election, but I think we ought to ask ourselves in these daunting and perilous times which of the two candidates is most committed and best qualified to protect the interests of the citizens of this country. Who will be our “Shepherd in Chief”?

We have two imperfect candidates left to consider. Other younger shepherd candidates entered the selection process earlier, but they were winnowed out. Now, for better or worse, we are left with two historically old men. Donald Trump is 77 years old, and Joe Biden is 81. As someone who recently turned 70, I know that diminishing stamina becomes an issue north of 60 years old. Both Trump and Biden clearly, however, still want the job.

One of the unique things about this upcoming election is that we can compare the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021) with the presidency of Joe Biden (2021- present). We do not have to imagine them as Shepherd in Chief because most of us witnessed each performing the job.

In a recent issue of Newsweek, the magazine listed the ten most important issues to voters, ranked from most important to least important. They are the economy, healthcare, immigration, policing and crime, environment, abortion, government spending, housing, education, and national security.

Image: Joe Biden and Donald Trump (edited). YouTube screen grabs.

So now we have two candidates and ten areas of concern. Who will do the best job for us in 2025-2029?

Ordinarily, we do not ask our shepherds to undergo cognitive ability tests. But due to the advanced age of both men and the importance of the job, this need is a self-evident truth. A hostile press during Trump’s presidency relentlessly demanded a cognitive test of him. He obliged and did well. As recently as the 2023 SOTU address, we have seen Mr. Biden falter and struggle with his memory. Yet he refuses to submit to testing.

The job of shepherding is also physically demanding. Before voting, citizens should look at Mr. T and Mr. B to determine which one has the physical stamina to reach January 2029 on the job. Mr. B, at times, looks like he is “on the ropes.”

He also takes frequent and lengthy vacations. No one accuses Mr. B of being the energizer bunny.

Because of his and his party’s religious devotion to the so-called “Green Gospel,” Joe Biden cannot see the abundant coal, oil, and natural gas under our feet in America. He would rather decry fossil fuels and buy them from our adversaries. Donald Trump sees our abundant natural resources and wants to use them to benefit the American people. A shepherd needs to be able to see clearly the reality around us.

As I write this, a foreign adversary called the CCP is illegally flooding America with young men. Biden does nothing to keep the CCP from this invasion. The CCP is stealing American intellectual secrets and adversely affected the 2020 election with a biological weapon that benefited Biden and hurt Trump. Biden tells us we have nothing to fear from the CCP, but that may be because his family has become rich from dealing with the CCP.

In these daunting and perilous times, America needs a shepherd to protect our nation. I am going with the younger guy!

Ned Cosby, a frequent contributor to American Thinker, is a former pastor, veteran Coast Guard officer, and a retired career public high school teacher. His novel Outcry is a love story exposing the refusal of Christian leaders to report and discipline clergy who sexually abuse our young people. This work of fiction addresses crimes that are all too real. Cosby has also written Recollections From My Father’s House, tracing his own odyssey from 1954 to the present. For more info, visit Ned Cosby.