The masters of American politics

In the US many politicians work until old age. The most striking example is US President Joe Biden himself. A practice that has its consequences.

Joe Biden is 79 and will turn 80 next year. The Democratic politician entered the White House as the oldest President of all time. Biden is not the only case. Number three in the state is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, who is 81 years old. In both houses of Congress, the average age is now higher than ever.

Don Yang is currently the oldest and longest-serving member of the House of Representatives. The Republican politician is 88 years old and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1973 for almost half a century. He does not even intend to stop and wants to be a candidate again in the elections for the Congress in 2022.

Diane Feinstein is currently the oldest member of the Senate. He is 88 years old and it is not unlikely that he will be re-elected in 2024. The average age in the Senate was 64.3 years at the beginning of 2021. Respectively, the average age in the German Parliament is 47.3 years.

There are several more seniors in both houses of the US Congress. For example, Senators Richard Selby (87), James Inhoff (87), Patrick Leahy (81) and Bernie Saunders (80) or MPs Bernice Johnson (86), Grace Napolitano (85), Bill Baskrel (84) Rogers (83). The list is long and for some the comments are not so flattering.

Uncomfortable moments

An example. At a hearing in the Senate Justice Committee in November 2020 with then-Twitter leader Jack Dorsey, Feinstein had a rather uncomfortable moment. He asked Dorsey a question about a warning from President Donald Trump that the company had ignored. The Democratic politician read the question and seemed focused. Dorsey answered, but about a minute later Feinstein asked the exact same question without realizing it. Dorsey answered again and seemed polite. Others, however, showed less understanding.

The New Yorker reported that the leader of the Democratic caucus in the Senate, Chuck Sumer, had suggested that Feinstein resign from his position as chair of the Justice Committee. Feinstein, however, replied that she was “obviously” fine.

There is a minimum age for senators and lawmakers in the United States, as well as for presidents and vice presidents, but there is no upper age limit.

Experienced but also needed by young people

A president can only stay in the White House for two terms. There is no corresponding time limit for members of Congress. Republican Strom Thermon of South Carolina left the Senate in 2003 at the age of 100, after nearly 48 years. The Washington Post had written that it was a common secret that Thermont’s officials in the last legislative term except for the vote had taken over almost all of his duties.

Robert Byrd left as Senator with the longest tenure of all time. The Democratic senator from West Virginia spent 51 years, 5 months and 26 days in the Senate, until his death in 2010, at the age of 92.

Older people are often seen as effective and credible in defending a constituency. That’s why they are valuable to their parties. At the same time, however, they are thinking of an obstacle for their younger and more enthusiastic colleagues to move forward.

Christiane Yake (DPA)

Edited by: Maria Rigoutsou

Source: Deutsche Welle