Age is Just a Number, Unless You Are a Democrat in Congress

 

Age is Just a Number, Unless You Are a Democrat in Congress

The Constitution posits 25 years of age to be elected to the House and 30 for the Senate. Strange. purportedly the party of the young, the Democrats, has the oldest body of elderly folks: Here are the oldest currently serving Democratic members of Congress (all in the House): Grace Napolitano (86, CA), Bill Pascrell (86, NJ), Maxine Waters (85, CA), Steny Hoyer (84, MD), Nancy Pelosi (83, CA), Jim Clyburn (83, SC), Danny Davis (82, IL). Bernie Sanders (83, VT) is an independent but is generally perceived as a Democrat.

Republicans do not have nearly as many super-seniors, although Senator Chuck Grassley (90, IA), a Republican, is the oldest of them all. Is that a problem? After all, around 20% of Americans are over 65, and their needs should be well-represented. But every Democrat listed above is in their 80s. Aside from stamina, mental acuity and health, those in the far reaches of age in Congress are less likely to understand social media, artificial intelligence, crypto, and modern technological complexity in any detail.

But there are some underlying political schisms that further complicate this age-driven political landscape. For Americans born from the mid-1990s and on, they did not experience “communism” and “socialism” as dire threats to democracy. They did not face the “red scare” of the post-WW2 era or the fear of spreading communism a la the “domino theory” of the Vietnam War era. The communist autocracies – China, N. Korea, Cuba, etc. – were nations in existence long before their political memory began. However, they did witness the mental unraveling of Joe Biden during the last presidential cycle.

To many of the young, facing housing unaffordability, student loan debt, a soaring cost of living, climate change, the death of the American dream and overcrowding, socialism (government ownership of land, wealth and the means of production) doesn’t sound so bad. In fact, as AI takes jobs away, socialism just might seem inevitable. That could be why an elderly Bernie Sanders garners so much support among younger voters. However, if you mention “socialism” to an older American, you can usually expect a strong negative reaction. Gaza Palestinians garner more support among the young (even among young Jewish Americans), while older Americans are solidly behind Israel, come hell or high water.

But as much as younger Democrats (joined by 83-yr-old Sanders) represent Progressive Democratic politics, that just may be their Achillies Heel: issues near and dear to them, such as diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ Americans, are a total turnoff to a majority of independents, without whom Dems cannot win a meaningful voice, assuming we even continue full and fair elections.

As for younger American males, particularly those without college educations, and an increasing number of younger male Hispanics, their machismo ethos finds greater resonance than you might expect within the MAGA crowd. The Democratic intraparty schisms are a blessing for Republicans seeking to hold both houses of Congress, assuming we have fair midterms. So, what looks like a slam dunk for Democrats to usurp a party backing a corrupt autocrat with a criminal record just might be a mountain too high to climb. This age barrier within the Democratic Party has drawn the attention of Anthony Zurcher, writing for the June 6th BBC.com:

“Now many within the [Democratic] party… are wondering if it's time the party found new blood - especially after three congressional Democrats died in office this year alone. The losses meant that the Republicans' slim majority in Congress was bolstered, allowing them to pass Trump's controversial spending bill by a single vote… ‘We have a geriatric problem,’ said Ashley McIntyre Stewart [a young Democrat], specifically noting the recent House spending bill. ‘We need to get the younger community involved so that we don't have the Republicans railroad us.’

“According to a survey last month by Axios, more than half of the 30 Democrats in the House over age 75 are planning to seek re-election next year, including Clyburn, whose term would end when he is 88 if he wins… The veteran politician scoffed at the idea of retiring…’ I will respond to the voters of South Carolina,’ he told media [at a local political gathering] ‘I've been with them all month, and not a single one of them said to me that they think I'm too old. Every one of them said to me, please don't leave.’… He also bristled at the second-guessing over whether Biden should have stepped aside earlier, saying that his children and grandchildren don't care about the former president's choice… ‘They're going to ask me what did you do to make sure I got a better life,’ he said. ‘That's all I'm concentrating on.’

‘Democratic voters have tended to accept the risks that come with electing older politicians to office, prioritising governing experience over youth and vitality. In 2024, only two Democratic incumbents in Congress lost their party's nomination, and both – Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York – were relative newcomers under the age of 50… Republicans have their own crop of elderly politicians too, including the 78 year-old president. But 2020's electoral battering and Biden's health revelations have caused some introspection.

“William Godwin, a Democrat from Chicago, was visiting South Carolina and stopped by [a local South Carolina, Clyburn sponsored] fish fry to see Clyburn and hear from the two Democratic governors, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Wes Moore of Maryland, invited to speak. He said he respected the wisdom of elderly politicians like Clyburn and Biden, but his party needed a youth movement… ‘We need the activists," he said. ‘We need the energy from a variety of different backgrounds - not just age - to really come put our hands together and work toward getting some real elections won.’

There are signs some young upstarts are taking heed: Saikat Chakrabarti, the 39-year-old former chief of staff to Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is challenging former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her San Francisco Congressional primary. Jake Rakov, 37, is going after the seat of his former boss, 15-term incumbent Rep Brad Sherman, 70… Maryland's [Governor Wes] Moore – a 46-year-old military veteran who is only the third black governor in US history – generated the most animated response, as he spoke about the ‘baton’ being in his generation's hands… ‘We're about to send a message the entire country is going to hear,’ he said. ‘This is our time. This is our moment. We will not shirk, we will not flinch, we will not blink. We will win, just as those who came before us did.’

“Democrats may have won in the past, but last year's defeat was particularly stinging – and Trump's first months back in power have put the party in a deep hole, with years' worth of work needed to rebuild Democrat-backed government programmes and replenish worker rolls that have been slashed by the Republicans.” But polling still puts the Dems behind both Trump and the GOP as they struggle for an identity and appropriate leadership. 

I’m Peter Dekom, and as Joe Biden would put it, “I’m not joking; here’s the deal:” either Dems unify under a new, younger leadership and tone down those aspects of the Progressive agenda that scare independents or standby for a thank-you card from the Republican Party.