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This should be a universal thought: Watching Sen. Mitch McConnell freeze up at a podium on Wednesday was painful and, simply, sad. It was the second time in recent weeks that the Kentucky senator, who is the chamber’s Republican leader, has had such an episode.
Of course, these events, where McConnell stops speaking mid-sentence, tightly grips the podium and stars blankly ahead, are concerning.
The first concern, as expressed by President Joe Biden when he heard of Wednesday’s episode, is for McConnell’s health. The 81-year-old senator has had several falls and other health concerns in recent years.
“You don’t have to agree with someone politically to hope they don’t get hurt, or to wish them well after a health scare,” we wrote in March when McConnell was hospitalized after falling at a fundraising event and suffering a concussion. “We cannot allow political disagreements, even massive ones, to rob us of our shared sense of humanity. That is not to say we should avoid criticizing public figures — or doing so strongly — when we disagree with them, their policies and actions. But we need to be able to do so without losing perspective or basic dignity in the process.”
A natural second concern is about McConnell’s ability to serve his constituents and to lead Senate Republicans. This is and will continue to be a big topic of speculation in Washington and across the country.
Which leads to a simple, but too often overlooked idea: We can be compassionate about peoples’ health while also being frustrated that we have a ruling class that is significantly older than the people they represent.
Take the U.S. Senate, often called the world’s greatest deliberative body. The median age of senators is 65.3 years and two-thirds of senators are 60 or older. Only 10 are under the age of 50.
The situation is a bit better in the House, where the average age is 57.9.
The median age of Americans is 38.9 years. For the country as a whole, only 16.8 percent of Americans are over the age of 65.
Because of this age gap, there can be a disconnect on policies and priorities. For example, younger voters include mass shootings, access to abortion and mental health care among their top priorities, even as Congress has failed to take significant action on these issues.
As Bangor Daily News columnist Gordon Weil, who called himself “an old guy,” wrote recently: “Senior control is undemocratic.”
“Obviously, experience matters, but it can also hamper imagination and experimentation,” Weil wrote in a June column. “Younger people with new ideas should have greater influence on their country and their futures. While politicians exert much energy on current battles, that short-term focus draws attention away from looking long-term at future needs and desires.”
We agree with Weil that experience and knowledge matter, but so do perspectives and lives that are more in line with average Americans. As Weil noted, politicians often speak of making the world better for their children and grandchildren, without noting that, for a significant number of them, these generations are already adults who can make their own decisions.
The advanced age of many American politicians will increasingly be in the spotlight next year as Biden, who is 80 and already the oldest president in U.S. history, runs for re-election. Despite his four indictments, Donald Trump, who is 77, is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
In a recent poll, more than two-thirds said they thought Biden was too old to effectively serve another term as president. Just over half said that about Trump.
So, here’s an idea that’s not so radical. If Americans want younger political representatives, they should vote for them. Clearly the power of incumbency and money helps keep older politicians in office. But, supporting and voting for younger candidates is one way to rebalance Congress to better reflect America.
