Monday, May 1, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Is President Joe Biden, 80, too old to run for reelection?
Is it time for ailing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, to step aside?
In the strange world of politics, we elect and reelect candidates well past the onetime retirement standard of 65, even as we keep asking ourselves if they’re too old to serve.
In an NBC poll, half the voters who didn’t want Biden to run again listed age as a major concern. Biden would be approaching 86 at the end of a second term.
But former President Donald Trump, who’s apparently bored to death with retirement and is scratching at the doors of the White House, is only 3 1/2 years younger.
It wasn’t long ago that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a youngster of 51, called for mandatory mental health competency tests for politicians older than 75. I am not opposed to mental health competency checks for politicians, but rather than base it on age, I’d begin with those who keep insisting the last presidential election was stolen.
The problem with conversations about when it’s time to punch out, in politics or any other line of work, is that we do not all age on the same schedule.
And there’s another consideration, which, as the population ages, needs to be stated, repeated and understood:
Aging is not inherently a negative experience.
“A lot of our stereotypes are flat-out wrong,” says Dr. Laura Mosqueda, an elder abuse authority and professor of geriatrics and family medicine at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. “Lived experience” and “emotional intelligence” are invaluable assets.
That doesn’t mean age should never be a consideration on the job. Youth has its obvious advantages, and I don’t think many people would be comfortable seeing a 90-year-old pilot step into the cockpit of a commercial airliner, or an 85-year-old police officer chasing a burglary suspect.
“I’m very concerned about ageism in the workplace, but I’m also concerned about people who think they have to work forever,” said Caroline Cicero, a gerontology professor at USC. “Giving people permission to retire is something I think we need to do.”
I’m on the record saying that at a certain age — maybe 75 or 80 — we ought to be required to take a driving test in order to get our license renewed. It’s tough to come up with a specific age, because as I said, we do not all follow the same calendar when it comes to aging.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, 53, suffered a stroke during his campaign and was hospitalized for depression post-election. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who like Feinstein is 89, is jogging and doing pushups.
It’s more than a little obvious that the groundbreaking Feinstein — the first female mayor of San Francisco and first female senator from California — is not the force she once was.
There’s a clamor, even among liberals, for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on his promise to appoint a Black woman to succeed Feinstein if she resigns. Rep. Barbara Lee, 76, who’s running to replace Feinstein, would be an obvious choice.
Feinstein has so far said no thanks — she’ll hang around until her term ends in two years. But physical issues have kept her away from the job at a critical time, delaying progress on legislative matters and judicial and political appointments. Some have accused Feinstein of stubbornly jeopardizing her own legacy.
She has not cast a vote since mid-February, and she has said her recovery from shingles has been hampered due to unspecified complications. And here’s where the story takes a turn to something sadder and scarier:
The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that colleagues and staff members have seen evidence of cognitive decline for some time, and some have said Feinstein is now unable to do her job without assistance.
I think Feinstein is entitled to a small degree of privacy about the specifics of her condition. But as a public servant in a supremely vital position, either we need to see evidence that she’s OK, or she needs to gracefully surrender the reins of power, head held high.
Not because of her age.
Not because she’s a woman (sexism is alive and well in Washington and beyond, and might well be a factor here).
But because of her health.
“I don’t care if she’s 85 or 25. This is not an age-based issue,” said Dr. Mosqueda. “This is: ‘Can you do your job?’ And if she indeed has no problems with her cognitive capacity, then I think we’d like some evidence of that.”
In the case of Biden, Mosqueda said, she sees no evidence that he’s unable to do his job. But with Feinstein, Mosqueda is particularly concerned about reports that aides are fulfilling some of her duties.
“I didn’t vote for her staff. I voted for her, and I think she’s been a wonderful senator,” Mosqueda said. “And when you can no longer do your job, for whatever reason and at whatever age, you need to stop doing that job. … I don’t think this is bias against women or older adults. I think it’s just common sense.”
I do hope the people closest to Feinstein are having honest conversations with her about her health, just as we all need to do with our loved ones when they begin to falter, whether it’s about work, or driving, or being alone.
Feinstein’s service is unquestionable, her achievements are many, her record is ageless.
Hard though it may be — and scary as well — there is dignity in moving on.
Steve Lopez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
