Our political landscape is littered with old folks who can still play the game with barely enough competence that their teams can still sometimes carry them to victory, but who really need to take Brady’s example and go out with some dignity left. Nancy Pelosi, who turns 83 in March, finally stepped down from leadership but still hasn’t gone home to San Francisco. Joe Biden intends to run for president again at 81, and so does Donald Trump at 78. Chuck Grassley, who turns 90 in September, is remarkably vigorous for his age, but he just got reelected to a six-year term in the Senate. Dianne Feinstein, who turns 90 in June, has people in her own party lining up to challenge her, but won’t decide if she’s running again in 2024. Some of these folks, unfortunately, will leave the field only when carted off against their will.
[True, but they’re only still in place because voters keep them there. We can lament the gerontocracy all we want, but until voters start demanding newer, younger, and better leadership, we will get the governing class we deserve. H.L. Mencken had some thoughts about that aspect of democracy. — Ed]
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