In politics, there are increasing conversations about a need for the next generation to take over.
At the federal level, many of the nation’s politicians, especially those in leadership roles, are in their 70s and 80s. Some have occupied Congress for longer than certain Americans have been alive.
Calls for a new generation of leadership exist on both the right and the left. However, with Joe Biden having just turned 80 today, more attention is being directed to the issue of old age and how it can impact leadership.
According to Hot Air, this is a matter that the New York Times recently brought up.
The Age Factor
The piece by the Times largely tried to softball Biden’s age. It mentioned how the president gets regular exercise, can readily access elite medical care, has a wife and family, and regularly interacts with others.
Additional points made by the Times noted that all of these lifestyle factors reduce the probability of Biden falling victim to dementia. However, even this publication could not completely explain away the president’s age as nothing to be concerned about.
President Biden turns 80 on Sunday, and would be 86 at the end of a second term. The New York Times spoke to 10 experts in aging about what the next six years might look like for a person of that age. They agreed that Biden has a lot going in his favor. https://t.co/gU6CKjvbiB
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 19, 2022
Later in the piece, the Times acknowledged Biden’s propensity for “slippage of memory” and “verbal stumbles.” Though in doing so, this publication also alleged that lapses in memory aren’t legitimate deficits, but instead are typical for someone of the president’s age.
It was likewise pointed out that Biden has not taken or shared results from a cognitive screening, despite being the oldest US president in history.
A Different Perspective
It goes without saying that Americans who have observed the president while he speaks and engages with others disagree with the predominantly rosy picture painted by the New York Times.
While memory slips and verbal problems may be typical of someone Biden’s age, they pose serious liabilities for a president. In the worst-case scenario, slips of this nature could also endanger national security.
Joe Biden turns 80 and despite his senile dementia, @nytimes wrote a propaganda piece in which they consulted "10 experts" who claim he would have "a lot going in his favor” for a second term.
Here are 20 videos that prove that this is completely false:pic.twitter.com/hvjDnUU1pa
— Emmanuel Rincón (@EmmaRincon) November 19, 2022
Since Biden got into the White House, some Americans have advocated for an age limit on who can serve as president. After all, no one under 35 is eligible to run for office. Therefore, it’s easy to make the case that an age cap is also appropriate.
With Biden now being in his 80s, time will tell how the remainder of his term goes. Right now, it still remains to be seen whether or not the president tries to run for another stint in office.
What do you make of the piece done by the New York Times regarding Joe Biden’s age? Do you view the president’s age as a liability or potential threat to national security? In the comments area down below, you are more than welcome to let us know where you stand on this matter.
