Editorial The age of the political dinosaur

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Angelina Gevorgyan

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Brianna Alvarado

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Cristian

As a leading global power, the United States is governed by experienced and well-qualified elected officials. At least, it’s supposed to be.

A rising chorus believes that our presentday political leadership is stuck in a bygone era, increasingly detached from those they govern.

Congress sees the re-election of the same politicians every other year, and the Supreme Court slowly devolves into the most prestigious nursing home on the planet. Meanwhile, the archaic fossil at the head of the executive branch struggles to stay awake in the midst of national crises.

Does this sound concerning or feel disturbing? Congratulations, that’s a sign that we’re on the right path. One step closer towards awareness and one step further from ignorance is a victory worth celebrating.

As a society that rightfully values performance, we aren’t slow to criticize groups and individuals for being unable to effectively do their jobs. The ongoing aging issue plaguing the government has to be addressed immediately.

On Jan. 20, 2021, the world saw the inauguration of 80-year-old Sleepy Joe, a bona fide presidential potato. Between stumbling over his own words mid-speech and tripping up the stairs of Air Force One, the poor guy looks like he’s on life support. Occasionally he appears to have basic cognitive function and motor skills, but that’s not exactly a standard fit for the commander-in-chief of the nation.

Skepticism about his qualifications are backed by what he’s accomplished in his time in office, or rather, everything he’s managed to screw up. Only two-and-a-half years into his term, his administration is marked with failures and blunders through and through.

For instance, illegal immigration into the U.S. hit an all-time high by the end of 2022.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, there were 251,487 illegal immigrant encounters in December of 2022 alone, with an estimated 5.5 million illegal border crossings since Biden was sworn into office.

Another failure of our current president is the crippling state of the economy. A report by the House Committee on Ways and Means reveals that inflation has increased by a staggering 500 percent during Biden’s term. In other words, inflation rates under President Biden are more than twice as high compared to the second-highest recorded inflation rates in U.S. history: those under the Jimmy Carter administration of the 1970s.

At this point, the line between utter incompetence and intentional ignorance is hard to distinguish in our executive branch.

The median ages in the Senate and the House of Representatives are 65 and 58 respectively. 40 years ago, politicians in both those congressional chambers were roughly 10 years younger. Evidently, today’s lineup of lawmakers are older than ever before.

Currently 81-years-old — a year older than our beloved Sleepy Joe — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sparked calls to step aside in the aftermath of a news conference gone wrong. McConnell visibly froze in the middle of answering questions, and had to be escorted to his office.

Or in the case of 90-year-old California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who faced similar calls for retirement after a string of health complications that left her in a wheelchair. She insisted on serving out the rest of her term until the end of 2024, but passed away on Sept. 29, 2023.

While the experience that comes with seniority is definitely a valuable resource, aging politicians have to be responsible for knowing when their time in office is up. Stubbornly overstaying their welcome poses serious risks to themselves and to the country. Younger politicians, such as Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, aged 51 years old, have advocated for routine competency tests for candidates older than 75.

The 2020 census revealed that baby boomers, adults born in the years 1946-64, make up about 20 percent of the population. However, nearly half the senators and representatives today are baby boomers.

The number of baby boomers in Congress compared to any other generation threatens the urgency at which issues more relevant to younger Americans are addressed. Climate change, housing and student debt are just a few of many concerns.

What we need to see is a steady flow of older governmental leaders replaced by younger politicians. If members of our government don’t have to worry about being put out of commission by a tumble down some stairs and are better attuned to the rest of the population, America will function more efficiently.

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