The Gerontocracy Needs to Retire
At a certain point, we all need to retire and pass the torches to the next generation. Too many of our leaders are very old; they have served long and very distinguished careers and are important repositories of wisdom. These are troubled and challenging times; we need dynamic, new visionary leadership to lead our nation and the world. Our leaders are no longer visionary, eloquent or inspirational for the global community or the American people in the ways that President Zelenskyy, President Obama, President Kennedy, President Mandela, or even President Reagan were.
It is not easy for someone at the top of the power structure to recognize that they need to step down. Retirement means diminished standing in the work world you inhabit and value, but it affords an opportunity for greater inner peace, a change of pace, new interests, and more time to be with those you love and those who nourish you the most.
Vladimir Putin needs to retire. He is 70; he is steeped in the Cold War antagonisms and thinking; he aspires to recreate the Russian Empire by force wherever he deems it necessary, and he has made some very bad decisions for his country, its neighbors, and the larger world. He is not the right leader for his country and the death toll he inflicts on his own people and their neighbors is staggering. He ought to be tried and jailed for his war crimes in Ukraine.
Donald Trump needs to stay retired and play more golf; he is 76. He made a mess, during his divisive and chaotic presidency, especially during the Covid pandemic, and has bungled the three most recent elections for his party. He is ruining his businesses, his brand, his reputation, and those of his family members, and he has become an overwhelmingly toxic presence for the many Americans who are not his utter devotees. He has a younger wife, teenage son and grandchildren that need to see more of the better sides of him.
Nancy Pelosi is 82; she did a phenomenal job leading the House Democrats for decades, but it is time to pass the torch to new, younger leaders in the next Congress. Her husband was brutally attacked and badly injured by a Trump-inspired attacker; he needs her during his recovery and rehabilitation.
Mitch McConnell is 80. He has done his job leading the Republican opposition in Congress too much of the time by just saying “no”, invoking the filibuster and eliminating any debate. As a nation we can’t make progress when a minority consistently exercises veto powers over whether needed legislation can be considered, let alone pass. He needs to step down as Minority Leader and make way for new leaders who are willing and able to more readily broker and negotiate compromises on the important issues facing our nation and the world.
Joe Biden is 79. He has done a very good job in very tough times, bringing deep legislative experience, competence, and good judgement to the job – which is not to say that all his decisions were/are the correct ones. He has been trying hard to dial down the temperature of the partisan divide and restore the common civility necessary to get the job of governance done. He should make the tough decision to serve out his first term and then make room for a young dynamic leader to emerge in his place.
Chuck Grassley is 89 and was just re-elected to a six-year term; at the end of it, he’ll be 95. He has been in office as a Senator since 1981. https://www.senate.gov/senators/longest_serving_senators.htm It really is time for him to retire; Iowa’s Governor, a fellow Republican, would then appoint his replacement.
Dianne Feinstein is also 89. She is next up for re-election in 2024. She should declare that it is time for a new Senator from California and give ample time for would-be successors to make their respective cases to the California electorate.