Red White and Gray
Critical Analysis
According to the data from the visual above, when respondents were asked "Based on what you know, do you think that the current age of political leaders such as the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court, is a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem at all?" what portion of Americans believe that political leaders’ ages are not a problem.
What is the take-home message from the visual above?
President Joe Biden is 79; former President Donald Trump is 76; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell looks like a turtle and is 80; Senate Majority leader and man who looks like he would like to sell you a house, Chuck Schumer is a young 71. The average age of the Supreme Court is 62. The average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 117th Congress was 58.4 years; of Senators, 64.3 years. Make a claim as to why Americans say they don’t want old political leaders, yet have old political leaders.
By the way, George Washington was 57 when he became president. What is one consequence of having such old politicians today?
Just 5% of the US Congress is under the age of 38, while nearly half the US population is, and a record-high 23% of Congress is over the age of 70, according to findings of Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" project. A gerontocracy is a government run by old people. Based on what you know, do you think that the current age of political leaders such as the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court, is a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem at all?
The U.S. Constitution imposes age minimums on those who run for Congress or the Presidency. You must be 25 years old to serve in the US House, 30 in the US Senate, and 35 to be president, but there's no ceiling — lawmakers and presidents can serve into their 80s, 90s, or even 100s, or possibly one day to the age of 182,938. According to the visual below*, what portion of Americans think there should be maximums on service in Congress?* (Fun Fact: commercial pilots must retire at age 65.)
Presidents may only be elected to a maximum of two four-year terms, which 85% of respondents agree with. In Congress, where there are no such limits, 84% would like to see term limits in the House of Representatives and 83% in the Senate. Recent congressional efforts to cap the number of terms a member of Congress may serve — either through legislation or a constitutional amendment — have attracted little support. Another 75% overall want to see Supreme Court term limits, a policy which Democrats support a bit more than Republicans. Supreme Court justices, as well as other federal judges, receive lifetime appointments. Explain why, despite most people supporting term limits, Congress has not passed term limits.
President Joe Biden, 79, and former President Donald Trump, 76, have also endured questions about their physical and mental health, and whether they're fully fit to serve. If they run against each other again in 2024 (which they seem likely to do) they would have a combined age of 159 years. Why do you think that although we prefer younger candidates, we keep having to choose between old candidates?
In the visual below* Americans expressed an interest in a maximum age at which you could run for office. If you could impose an age maximum for the presidency, what would it be?
Based on the visuals below, how does the age of the poll respondent (the person being asked the poll questions) impact their feelings about politicians and age?
Learning Extension
Read the short and snappy Insider report, “Red, White, and Gray” How America’s gerontocracy is weakening democracy.
Action Extension
Contact your U.S. House Representative or Senators (who, just to show you how young and fresh they are, request that you send them a telegram or post card) and ask them their age and how they think it effects their ability to serve.
