Nancy Pelosi has had enough of the retired life, presumably she misses Washington D.C. and wants to be a senator again.
The former Speaker of the House and longtime Democratic leader announced last week that she would run again for the Senate in 2024, after retiring from the House just last year, in 2022. This surprising decision has sparked a lot of speculation and debate about her motives and her chances of winning. It has also added to the outrage that many voters feel about geriatric politicians who refuse to get out of the way and make room for younger and fitter candidates.
Pelosi may have some noble motives: she may want to influence policy on issues such as health care, climate change, and voting rights; fill a leadership vacuum in the Senate, where the Democrats have a slim majority and face challenges from a divided caucus and a hostile Republican opposition; or use her experience and skills to unify the Democrats and advance their agenda in the upper chamber.
But at 81 years old (and would be 84 by the time she takes office in the Senate) there are serious questions about her health and stamina.
Pelosi is not alone in maintaining a death grip (pun intended) on the reins of power long after their faculties have clearly declined. Mitch McConnell’s freezing episodes have had a troubling effect on his colleagues and the public and once again ratcheted up the debate on term limits for top figures such as President Joe Biden, who is 80, and former President Donald Trump, who is 77.
McConnell, who is 81 years old, has dismissed the concerns, saying he has no plans to step down and that he will finish his term as leader and as a senator, which expires in 2027. In response to his stubbornness he has been met with protests and chants of “retire” in his home state of Kentucky, where he is unpopular among many voters.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been in the eye of the term limit storm for some time now, as she is clearly mentally unfit to sit in the Senate and make important decisions. The 89-year-old senator, who recently was recovering from shingles after a flurry of other health issues, has vowed to return to the Senate to finish her fifth term. She has faced persistent concerns about her cognitive abilities as she sits zombie-like in the Senate. Some House Democrats, such as Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Dean Phillips, have publicly urged her to resign and put the country ahead of personal loyalty. Feinstein has adamantly dismissed these calls and said she is committed to the job.
However, it is President Joe Biden who is currently at the center of the debate on the selfishness of political leaders who refuse to see reality.
Marianne Williamson, a self-help author and Democratic presidential candidate for 2024, became the first Democrat to challenge Biden for the nomination, stating, “For me, running for president at that age is a bit selfish”. To be noted, she herself is a ripe 70 years old. Given the level of partisanship in Washington D.C., and loyalty to the incumbent, Williamson’s chances of being nominated are zero to nil.
What is to be done about these political leaders who have served the country well in their prime but who have now lost their physical stamina and their mental acuity?
Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has recently called for a cognitive test for older politicians in a position of power. She said that this is not a personal attack on President Biden, but a serious conversation that needs to happen given the fact that many leaders in the government are of an advanced age. Haley herself is 49 years old and has highlighted the need for generational change and new leadership in the GOP. She is not the first to propose such a test, as former President Trump and his allies have also questioned Biden’s mental fitness and challenged him to take a cognitive exam. However, Haley’s suggestion has been criticized by some as ageist, disrespectful and unnecessary.
It is ironic that Trump seeks to exploit Biden’s age as an issue since he is only a few years younger than Biden and his mental fitness, intelligence and acuity have been in question since his candidacy in 2016, doubts that only intensified throughout his presidency as he continued to spew incoherent and inarticulate messages throughout. Indeed, numerous times during his tenure as president—as far back as 2018– there was talk about invoking the 25th amendment to remove him from office based on mental health and instability.
What’s more, in the wake of the plethora of his legal troubles he is visibly aging rapidly and looks old, tired and careworn.
What then is the public sentiment on the issue of term limits?
A Washington Post poll from September 2023 found that Americans overwhelmingly favor mental competency tests for politicians over 75 — and for the results to be made public — as well as imposing age limits on who can serve in the White House and Congress.
An AP-NORC poll in August reported that 57% of registered voters thought age severely limited President Biden’s ability to do his job. Similar questions were asked about Feinstein and McConnell, about whom 60 percent said the same.
The results were similar from polls conducted by The Hill, YouGov, Axios, FiveThirtyEight, and others. At least 58% of Americans want a maximum age for politicians. Those who support age limits usually say that politicians holding office should be no more than 70 years old.
The fact that such an age limit would make 71% of current U.S. senators ineligible to hold office speaks volumes about our leadership in Washington. Of course, experience is precious and wisdom may accrue with age, but it is also an undeniable fact that faculties decline as we age.
Partisanship cannot negate biology and those who insist on holding on to the reins of power till they are carried out feet first are not as patriotic as they claim. If they were, they would see their stand as the selfishness that it is. Instead, they should be putting the welfare of their country and democracy first by stepping aside.
