After a series of troubling moments this week, an uncomfortable question has become unavoidable, leaving voters, strategists and even politicians themselves wondering: Just how old is too old to serve in public office?
For years, like so many children of aging parents across America, politicians and their advisers in Washington tried to skirt that difficult conversation, wrapping concerns about their octogenarian leaders in a cone of silence. The omertà was enabled by the traditions of a city that arms public figures with a battalion of aides, who manage nearly all of their professional and personal lives.
“I don’t know what the magic number is, but I do think that as a general rule, my goodness, when you get into the 80s, it’s time to think about a little relaxation,” said Trent Lott, 81, a former Senate majority leader who retired at the spry age of 67 to start his own lobbying firm. “The problem is, you get elected to a six-year term, you’re in pretty good shape, but four years later you may not be so good.”
Two closely scrutinized episodes this week thrust questions about aging with dignity in public office out of the halls of Congress and into the national conversation. On Wednesday, video of Senator Mitch McConnell, 81, freezing for 20 seconds in front of television cameras reverberated across the internet and newscasts. Less than 24 hours later, another clip surfaced of Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, appearing confused when asked to vote in committee. » | Lisa Lerer and Reid J. Epstein | Saturday, July 29, 2023
This is an American specialty, or should I say disease?: Keep working till you start wilting! I know this from first-hand experience. My late American partner did the very same thing. He would not give up his career, even after being diagnosed and treated for a very serious illness.
The phenomenon is bizarre and quintessentially American. That people like Feinstein and McConnell are allowed to work in such high positions, when it is obvious to all sane people that they should be spending the little time they probably have left on this earth with their families is a serious flaw in the American work culture. I have no time for it, especially because I have suffered greatly — and I mean greatly! — from it. – © Mark Alexander
