I’m Too Old

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I’m Too Old

By Patrick F. Cannon

I’m 84, and I think I’m too old to be president of the United States. And I think Joe Biden is too old to be president now, and certainly would be in 2024 if he decides to run again. Ditto Donald Trump, although age isn’t his only disqualification.

            In 2028, when the next term ends, Biden would be 86, and Trump 81. And they’re not the only ones that have passed their sell-by date. Nancy Pelosi is 82, and Mitch McConnell – who may well be Senate majority leader come January of next year – has turned 80. The average age of senators is now the oldest ever. My congressman, the venerable Danny Davis, is 80 and running for re-election. Senator Dick Durbin is 77, and will be 83 when his current term ends in January 2027. By then, he will have been in Congress for 44 years.

            How old were the greatest presidents when they were sworn in? George Washington was 57; Jefferson 58; Jackson 62; Lincoln 52; Teddy Roosevelt 43; FDR 51; and Eisenhower the oldest at 63. Some people would add Ronald Reagan to that list. He was 70 when he was first elected, and many argue that it might have been better had he not run for re-election.

            It seems to me that as the average age of our politicians has gone up, their average intelligence has gone down. I can’t prove this, since their IQs – if they ever took such a test – haven’t been made public. It’s a wonder to me that some of them can even tie their shoelaces. We know Donald Trump’s ego is off the charts, but what of his intelligence? Wouldn’t you just love to see his SATs or his Wharton School transcripts? Did his family’s donations to the University of Pennsylvania insure his acceptance?

            Of course, you don’t have to be a genius to be president. In his books on FDR, James MacGregor Burns argued that it wasn’t his intelligence but his temperament that made him a great president. And charisma, charm, a sense of humor (and good speech writers) took John F. Kennedy a long way.

            But let’s get back to age. Take me for example. I watch Jeopardy most days. I will often know as many answers as the typical winner, but I would never win because I wouldn’t be able to come up with the answer as quickly as a younger contestant. There’s a good reason President Biden holds few news conferences – his staff realizes he can’t think quickly enough or avoid choosing the wrong words.

            There was a time when I watched Sunday morning news programs like Meet the Press and Face the Nation. I don’t know if they kept records, but I would guess Biden was on more than any other politician. They could always count on  him to have an opinion (right or wrong) and never be at a loss for words. If anything, they couldn’t shut him up. Now, his staff seems to be trying to, or hustling later to clarify his mistakes.

            As I see it, the country has two related problems. Its politicians are getting older; and the best and brightest of our young people are avoiding politics like the plague. And who can blame them? Who would their heroes and role models be? Bernie Sanders and Mitch McConnell, whose combined ages are 160? (Not that I don’t have a sneaking admiration for Bernie, who at least has the courage of his wrong convictions.)

            Please don’t misunderstand me. I think older people are fully capable of performing at a high level, but there is a difference between writing a book –  social critic Jacques Barzun published a major work, From Dawn to Decadence, at 92 – and running the most complicated country in the world with all the pressures that entails. And it may be that someday an 80-year-old man or woman may appear who is able to effectively run the country, but I see no one like that today.

Copyright 2022, Patrick F. Cannon

13 thoughts on “I’m Too Old”

  2. You seem to be on to something. I read today of a disgraced Congressman from Nebraska who says he’s “too old” to go to prison, after being convicted of numerous offenses. The judge isn’t buying it, however. I would love to be too old to do laundry, for example.

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  3. We are only approaching mid-term elections and already Democrats, faced with a sobering realization that their policies and president are vocally unpopular with voters, are casting about for ways to discourage the fuzzy, sclerotic hologram they contrived from seeking a second term. Since they can’t disavow their unpopular vision for the country or their tactics, Biden’s age is a handy out. Praised early on as an old-fashioned New Deal liberal, Biden is now labeled by every left-leaning media figure from Axelrod to Lemon as just old. And still two more years to go! He’ll be even older!

    Political cycles are fascinating. Democrats, formerly champions of the working class, little guy, immigrants, free speech and individual freedom have become the privileged allies of Wall Street and corporate America (but also of wild-eyed radicals like Sandy Cortez and Bernie Sanders). And curiously, Republicans once known as robber barons and monopolizing industrialists are now the party of Main Street, small businesses, blue collar workers, and the American dream. Increasingly, their candidates are young, female, Hispanic and Black, all aspirational. (When Elon Musk backed him, De Santis said he welcomed support from African-Americans, a good laugh but his Black support has been growing.)

    Private companies seek young, dynamic, smart leaders. Why should our governance be different? If we need term limits and age limits, let’s have them. Cosmetic surgery, hair plugs, flattering camera work or public messaging can’t mask the decrepit and enfeebled state of our government leaders, too many of whom have been festering in office like Biden for multiple decades.

    Time to clean house, drain the swamp, wipe the slate, reboot and start fresh.

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      1. You’re captive!

        The 7th congressional district looks like the outline of some medieval fortress, defended against invasion on all sides, extending from Bellwood and Westchester to the West down to 75th Street on the South side. It ranks as the most Democratic district in Illinois, and coincidentally, as 25th below the poverty line among all 436 congressional districts, but at the top in Illinois with that distinction.

        Here in Democratic Mayberry there is a mini-rebellion in the party against the too progressive mayor and some city councilors. Republicans decamped over a decade ago. Our congressional district, however, the 9th, extends south and east to the state line, comprising mostly rural areas and small towns, and is solidly Republican. You’d appreciate the Vote Trump signs. I guess we choose our poison!

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  5. Poor Rudy could use a little cheer in his life. I understand Warhol did a b&w series of silkscreens of Trump tower in NYC but Trump and his wife didn’t like the colors.

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