The debate was already in the air. But he revived this Thursday after the unfortunate moment that lived Senator Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republican party in the upper house of the US Congress.
during a press conference McConnell, who is 82 years old, was “frozen” and staring into infinity when a reporter asked him if he would run for re-election. After the incident, the senator collected himself and continued with the exchange.
But since it’s not the first time it’s happened to him -he had a similar moment a couple of months ago when he was again speechless in the middle of an intervention- many began to wonder if he simply no longer has the physical and mental capacity to carry out his position.
More generally speaking, If there should be a maximum limit to hold such high-profile positions and if the insistence of certain older adults to remain relevant in politics is detrimental to the interests of the country.
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McConnell’s office later stressed that the senator is in good health and he went about his busy schedule for the day without a hitch. And others mentioned how her lapse would be associated with a concussion that she suffered a few months ago after a fall and not with an issue related to her age.
However, the candidate for the Republican Party nomination, Nikki Haley, seized the moment to propose a cognitive exam for all those over 75 who wanted to aspire to popular positions.
Of course, given the context, Haley’s proposal was directed at the case of President Joe Biden, who is already an octogenarian and who, if re-elected, would leave the White House at 86. In fact, Biden’s health and his cognitive abilities promise to be one of the main lines of attack in the presidential race ahead of next year’s elections.
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If he wins re-election, Joe Biden would leave the White House at the age of 86.
Although his personal doctors maintain that Biden is in good health, his constant slurred speech and a fall on his bicycle last year have made him the target of constant criticism and ridicule from his rivals.
In fact, 77 percent of Americans, according to a recent poll, believe he is too old to run for re-election. Something that they believe even in their own party, where 66 percent think the same.
Of course, Haley’s punch was also directed at former President Donald Trump, who is 77 and is running for the Republican Party nomination and therefore would also have to take the test he proposes. If elected, the former president would leave the Oval Office also being an octogenarian.
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![Trump](https://www.eltiempo.com/files/article_content_new/uploads/2023/08/31/64f1239064f55.jpeg)
Former US President Donald Trump is 77 years old.
Trump, probably because of the vitality he shows in public, does not receive as much criticism as Biden. However, being only 3 years younger, it’s a point he’ll have a hard time making if they meet in the generals.
But the subject does not only cover them and McConnell. The Democratic Senator Diane Feinsteinhas also been the subject of strong questions because he insists on staying in office despite his 90 years and evident deterioration of health.
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Nancy Pelosi, until last year, was the leader of the Democrats and president of the Lower House despite her 82 years. And many remember the case of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice who died in 2020 at the age of 87 while still serving.
Not a few in the Democratic Party attribute the current conservative majority to Ginsburg’s failure to retire when she could have been succeeded by former President Barack Obama.
A few more fait speakers at the moment: Dianne Feinstein, 90 years old, democrat, senatrice la plus âgée encore en activité, complètement senile (les témoignages anonymes de collègues s’accumulent), mais continue d’être baladée par des stagiaires pour voter comme on lui dit de voter. pic.twitter.com/x7vqQsgmpc
— Oui d’accord (@OuidaccordOK) August 30, 2023
This is to cite only recent cases, since American politics is full of examples of people who continued in high office well into old age. Among them Senator Strom Thurmond, who retired at the age of 99 or Robert Byrd, who died in 2010 at the age of 92 while he was still part of the Upper House.
In the US, it is necessary to clarify, there is no limit to aspire to or exercise popularly elected positions. And, in general, what is privileged is the state of health of the person rather than their age. Likewise, most experts emphasize that a person’s working life has expanded hand in hand with advances in medicine and increasing life expectancy. It is also a controversial topic. because it can border on being discriminatory against the elderly.
Rather, they believe, longevity in public office is associated with a political system that tends to favor the incumbent since there are no limits to re-election (in the legislature).
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Focusing on a person’s age rather than their abilities exacerbates a negative view of aging
A recent report from the University of Michigan reveals that the median age in the US Congress is over 60 (more than the average for the entire population) and that in most cases they are people who have been in power for decades.
Likewise, that those under 40 are underrepresented in the legislature. Which raises the question of if the system and longevity in politics close the door to the new generations.
However, according to employment lawyer Dotty Lemieux, “focusing on a person’s age rather than their abilities and desire to contribute to society exacerbates a negative view of aging, a natural phenomenon that we all experience but that It doesn’t define us as people.”
SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
On Twitter @sergom68
#age #classified #hold #office