What distinguishes Washington’s current leader? Is it a case of skepticism? Ineptitude? Is it a waste of money? These features are noticeable, yet none of them are entirely correct.
The remarkable thing about them is their age.
The Gerontocracy Factor
The United States is a gerontocracy and our pandemic response — led by people over 60 — reflected that reality.
— Anthony LaMesa (@ajlamesa) April 26, 2022
Democrats in control of the federal capital are washed up and old in a way that no previous American or foreign government has ever been.
Joe Biden, the oldest president in history, is 79. Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, is 82. Ranking Member Steny Hoyer is likewise 82. Chief Whip James Clyburn, the Majority Leader, is 81.
Senator Chuck Schumer is still reasonably sprightly at 71. His deputy, Senator Dick Durbin, is 77. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the party’s beating heart, is 80 years old.
The majority of individuals who chair prestigious Capitol Hill committees are seated alongside them. Over history, a few extraordinary personalities have overflowed with vitality and ideas and ushered in great eras.
However, this is not the case for entire layers of politicians, such as those mentioned above.
A lingering issue between this presidency and this Congress has always been who is genuinely in charge.
It is hardly consoling to observe that 70 or 80 is the new 60 or mull over other half-truths of a civilization unable to acknowledge that mortality is inevitable. We live in an aging society.
Age, it is said, brings wisdom. However, people do not perceive seasoned, elderly leaders serving as a moderating effect on irresponsible young people when looking at the White House and Capitol Hill. They see the inverse.
This old guard clutches to power and rank by adopting the most extreme ideas advanced by disgruntled younger generations clamoring for a total reorganization of America’s culture, economy, and society.
Members of the upper command cast nervous glances over their shoulders toward radicals plotting their demise. They are setting an example by looking backward.
The Tactics
Biden, in particular, exudes youth by skipping to podiums. However, Democratic leaders collectively adopt the manner of men and women brimming with energy and hungry for “change.”
On the contrary, their primary instinct is one of self-preservation, which they refer to as stasis. An undercurrent of fantasy is corroding the party.
Schumer has spent the last two years attempting to forestall Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from his New York Senate seat, from which she and her ilk staged a putsch against the party base in 2018.
Refusing to be outmaneuvered by the left, Schumer accepts whatever wild policies excite her, such as permitting kids to slough off $1.7 trillion in college loan debt onto the rest of us. Biden is now on board.
They’ve flirted with constitutional mischief to load the Supreme Court and create an environment conducive to left-wing overreach.
Biden, Schumer, Pelosi, and the rest continue to push for irresponsible trillion-dollar expenditures that older, wiser heads should oppose.
Gerontocracy: "American politics over the next few years might come down to two White men in their late 70s playing an extended game of chicken." https://t.co/vKn4Kf7eRX
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) April 29, 2022
They refuse to understand that extremism does not appeal to Americans. This creates a significant opportunity for both Republicans and Democrats.
It increases the likelihood of Republican victories in the upcoming midterm elections. However, it may persuade Democrats to elect new House leaders and a younger presidential nominee in 2024.
