Two old men

In a week when convicted felon Donald Trump is whining loudly about being found guilty by a jury of his fellow citizens of a scheme to hoodwink voters, it may seem beside the point to go back to voters' concerns about the ages of our presidential choices. The jury verdict affirms our assumption that the Orange Man violates any law (or recognized ethical injunction) that gets in his way. That's bad.

But the age discussion is sure to come back, especially if Trump thinks it can distract from his criminal record. 

Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the basketball great and supreme exponent of rational thinking, made some observations that seem worth sharing:

I’m younger than both Biden and Trump and I think I’m too old to be president. But what rankles in [one] poll is that Trump is 77 and Biden is 81—a four-year difference—and yet 25% more thought Biden was too old. Given what we’ve been able to observe in both men through their actions and words, how can 62% think Biden doesn’t have the mental fitness needed to do the job but only 48% think that of Trump? 

We’re so focused on worrying about the decline of the brain by aging that we miss this clear evidence of the decline of the use of the brain based on the inability to use facts and logic to form opinions. In the best of all worlds, we’d have younger and more robust candidates. But that, too, was our choice, so all that’s left for those with fully functioning brains is to choose which is best for the country.

I suggest you follow [this gift] link and read the entire article because it offers some scientific insight into the process of aging and its effects on the brain. For example, when older people fumble names and places—as both Trump and Biden (and myself) have done—it’s not necessarily an indication of declining cognizance. It could simply be depression, temporary dehydration, or a deficiency of vitamin B12.

Older people also tend to be more emotionally stable. Aging reduces negative emotions and lets us see with more clarity what’s worth getting worked up about and what isn’t.

What’s concerning about the debate over Trump and Biden’s age is that it spills over into how society perceives seniors in general. Says Laura Carstensen, a professor of psychology and director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, “The ageism that underlies these discussions is remarkable.”

She also pointed out that “Emotional regulation, emotional caring, appreciation, motivation to be social with others — all of those go up with age.”

Well, we've certainly got one candidate who, if anything, seems to lose emotional regulation and/or emotional stability by the day, if he ever had any. Meanwhile the other guy is doing the most difficult job in the world, creditably if imperfectly.

Kareem's confession that he -- Kareem at 77 -- is "too old to be president" frames his thinking about Joe Biden (who he nonetheless supports). 

I want to suggest that Kareem is not being entirely logical here. 

I too feel myself "too old to be president" -- but I think that conclusion answers the wrong question. The better frame is, does the individual have life experience that helps do the job. We don't often put it that way, but I think that is what we are seeing.

Here's how I've lived an experience which suggests this might be the right frame: when I was a mere 75, I had the chance to fulfill a useful and difficult logistical role for a vital political campaign. I had my doubts about whether I could do it; this sort of work is detail-oriented and completely exhausting. Would I hold up? But I took the chance and plunged in. And, I think, I did just fine. I realized in retrospect that decades of working in campaigns in various roles had thoroughly prepared me for this job. That accumulated experience gave me the intellectual and emotional flexibility to undertake new, but still recognizable. tasks in a fraught campaign setting. I could do it because specific life experiences had prepared me to do it.

I think we are getting to see that Joe Biden's decades of aspiring to be president and of knowing where he wanted to take the role are serving the country well. He's one of the most experienced figures ever to reach the highest office. Presumably no one is fully prepared for that job, but Biden probably comes as close as anyone. I don't like every direction he takes it in, but I recognize that he's indeed "got what it takes" despite advanced age. Sometimes age is actually wisdom. Not every time, but sometimes.

Certainly he's got more of what it takes than the crazy other guy.