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Of course age is a factor in choosing a president. The late Scotty Reston said we swear in presidents before they are ready and they leave office before they are ripe. This reflects the desire to pick someone, like Obama, who represents a generation on the rise and who has some future life to look forward to during which he might live to see the ripples of his time in office. Yet, we often pick symbols for presidents rather than the best person to lead.
When Reagan was president, I often wondered why he wanted to bother with anything, because he would likely be gone before the impact was felt. Well, I learned that one reason he ran for president in the first place was because he hated the high marginal tax rates that hit him when he was an actor. (About this, he was right: the highest rates had gone too high during Reagan's time as an actor.)
We know, as many expected, that Reagan's mental capacities were on a sharp declining path during his last yrs. in office. If he had gone into full dementia, I expect it would have been, or was, covered over by wife and aides.
I, for one, don't believe anyone past 75 should be running for president, especially for a first term. There is a point where mind and body start a fast downhill run and 75 is as good a marker as any. Obama, like Kennedy and Clinton, was probably too young without sufficient time to really reflect on life. There are many other things someone 75 and older can do, being president isn't one. The job is too important, too demanding and, yes, too tiring for someone in that age bracket to handle.
For a long time, we had laws on the books and rules inside corporations that forced people out. Airline pilots were done at 62. There are still some NY law firms that require lawyers leave at that age, even though they will entrust key responsibilities to people just out of law school, who generally know next to nothing about the actual practice of law. 65 was once considered the general retirement age in America. Now, many people are leaving their jobs much earlier, even in their mid-50s while other people want to work into their 80s because they are fit and don’t want to give up involvement in life.
None of this has much to do with the issue of who might be too old to be president. Sure, as people get older, they want to keep hoping and keep trying for things. The presidency, though, is one of the most demanding jobs in the world. No one wants a president half asleep or in any way incapacitated in time of crisis. We need a person at their peak, ready and willing for the job. Even Hillary Clinton, who now has three years experience as head of the State Department, and seems much more qualified than four years ago, might be too exhausted and generally burnt out to step up to the top job. Everyone has their limits.
While age doesn’t mean what it used to fifty years ago, we have not repealed the basic laws of nature. People get old, they get tired and their minds, in many cases, weaken. 35 is way too young and 75 is at least five years too old to be running. Newt Gingrich, at 68, would be one of the oldest people ever nominated. We tend to pick people in the prime of life, not past it, to be president. The whole of human history indicates that we need to respect the limits of good health and sound mind.
Doug Terry, 12.29.11
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