What the Pundits Don't Get About Biden and the Age Question

Pressure is growing for him to bow out because of his age. On the surface, that makes sense. But as history shows us, what appears to be true on the surface of politics often isn't true in reality

Political pundit Ezra Klein of The New York Times produced a compelling and provocative podcast the other day making the argument that President Joe Biden (whom he believes has been a successful president) should drop his re-election bid because of the growing voter concerns over his age, and that the Democratic Party should hold an open convention this year to choose its nominee for president (the way presidential candidates were typically chosen up until 1968).

Every point Klein raised in the podcast about Biden’s age and apparent frailty was compelling. Giving his low approval numbers and the fact so many voters think he is too old for the job, the arguments for why he should bow out are legitimate and make sense on the surface.

But “on the surface” is the rub when it comes to politics, because as history has told us time and again, what appears to be the case “on the surface” often isn’t the way things ultimately turn out.

“On the surface,” Ronald Reagan was also too old and past his prime in 1980, and certainly in 1984, until he wasn’t and won smashing back-to-back victories (Yes, Regan was 8 years younger in 1984 than Biden is in 2024, but the average American lifespan was also 5 years shorter in 1980 than today).

“On the surface,” Richard Nixon was a washed-up has-been in 1968 until he wasn’t. “On the surface,” Bill Clinton was too scandal-ridden and controversial in 1992 to win, until he wasn’t. “On the surface,” Barack Obama was too untested and inexperienced (and Black) to win in 2008, until he wasn’t.

“On the surface,” each party always seems to have a strong bench of compelling candidates who in theory could be stronger than the current standard bearer, until they wilt under the glare of the spotlight (remember John Glenn in 1984 and Fred Thompson in 2008). The Democratic Party had a huge bench of rising political stars to pick from in 2020, and their voters chose Biden (after many of the same pundits writing him off now had written him off then).

The fact of the matter is that we routinely see famous people doing and saying things in their 70s and 80s that would have been unthinkable a couple decades ago. In the last couple of years, I’ve seen Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie and Stevie Nicks put on incredible concerts that have seemingly left me more exhausted than they were. Perhaps more telling, I’ve seen them all, and many people of similar age (including ones that I’ve gotten to know personally), speak with a wisdom, discipline and perspective in older age that would have been impossible when they were in their “prime.” For some people at least (and I think Biden is in this category), age (and the experiences and challenges that come with it), does bring a certain wisdom, a certain grounding, that can be a true asset in positions of power and influence.

Is Joe Biden too old for the presidency?

Some of the deepest, most meaningful conversations I’ve had over the years have been with people around Biden’s age, because their life experiences, and what those experiences had taught them, allowed them to share insights and yes, wisdom, that usually escape younger people. Yes, age brings its drawbacks as well in terms of vitality and intellect, but the idea that it is a one-sided equation is misguided (and smacks of ageism).

Ultimately, the decision is in the hands of voters, and right now, voters are signaling that Biden is too old and that they want someone else. But they don’t seem to know who that someone else is and should be, and if and when they find out, they will likely find (with the help of the media and the Republican Party) other reasons to doubt that candidate’s fitness for the job in much the same way they currently doubt Biden’s fitness because of his age.

One final point. Biden’s best opportunity to run for president should have been in 2016, as the sitting vice president, but he chose not to because he was still engulfed with the loss of his son and didn’t believe he was equipped emotionally and mentally at that point to mount a campaign and, by extension, serve the country as president. He came to a different conclusion in 2020, when his age was an even bigger concern, and, in my view, he has largely risen, if imperfectly, to the challenge in the years since (even if much of the American public isn’t giving him enough credit for what he’s achieved and blaming him for too many things beyond his control). Perhaps he knows something about his fitness and capabilities in 2024 that the rest of us don’t?

Yes, judging by what voters are saying in polls and with their own voices in February of 2024, the Democratic Party should go in a different direction and Biden should bow out. But history shows us, beyond all else, that voters are fickle and unpredictable. After all, for much of his time in office even Abraham Lincoln looked like a failed president doomed to defeat (he even wrote a memo acknowledging that probability), before he wasn’t.

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