Michael Adkins
Local Republicans tell me they hope President Biden does not run for a second term. On that I agree, but for different reasons. They tell me it is because of his gaffes and a lack of competence. My personal take is that I prefer Biden and his gaffes over “Lie-A-Day Donald.” As for the competence issue, we will agree to disagree, but I’ll touch on that later.
My wish for Biden to eschew a second term is simply because I do not want a replay of the latter years of Reagan’s term in office when he started exhibiting the beginning of dementia. I am rapidly approaching my 72nd year on this orb, and I recognize the slow decline of cognitive skills as we age. Frankly, I do not want a President, or any other high elected official, who is older than me. On that point, I discovered recently, from a YouGov study, a vast majority of Americans agree with me, and on this Democrats and Republicans are in unity.
Let’s forget about setting term limits. Capping the age for high public office is a far better idea. In the YouGov study, the age of 70 received the highest approval for an age cap. I like it since at that age experience still counts for something, but as we age beyond 70 that advantage erodes quickly. Not only should we cap the age for Presidents to serve, but also members of Congress.
The current Congress is the eldest in over two decades, largely because the members tend to serve longer terms today. Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives is aged. Speaker Pelosi is 82. But the same can be said about Senate leadership, as Mitch McConnell turns 80 on his next birthday. The average age of Senators is 63.9 while the average in the House is 58.3 years old. Younger elected officials would serve the nation well as they are not as set in their ways as are old fogies like myself, Pelosi, McConnell, Trump and Biden.
Now I turn to the competence issue. I understand that staunch Republicans don’t like Biden’s policies, but disagreeing with you does not equate with incompetence. A review of Biden’s early accomplishments compared with Trump’s four years in office should make my point.
Trump had two major accomplishments. He built several miles of his Mexican wall — which is being tunneled under — and his tax cut. That last act spurred economic development for a couple months and greatly expanded the national debt. It did not, as Trump boasted, create “the greatest economy in our history.” Not even close! Republicans may claim we are stronger and more feared now but that is merely an unproven figment of some people’s imagination.
Biden, who certainly has his faults, has accomplished more in less than two years in office. He restrengthened NATO after Trump’s assault on our oldest, most successful defense alliance. He led the strengthening of Ukraine against Putin’s invasion. Trump, on the other hand, succeeded in removing all military aid to Ukraine from the Republican Party platform and only submitted aid after being accused of holding it up for a political favor. Trump is only the second President to leave office with fewer American jobs than when he entered office. Under Biden we have already recovered all the lost jobs and are enjoying a historically low unemployment rate. President Trump talked a good story about bringing down drug prices but did nothing to that end. Biden has accomplished that, especially for Medicare recipients. His misnamed Inflation Reduction Act is more of a climate law, and while more must be done it was a vital accomplishment. There are a few more accomplishments but my entire point is it’s the age factor that should keep Biden from a second term, not incompetence.
Michael Adkins formerly was chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party. Send comments to [email protected].
