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Mike Thompson: How old is too old to serve in the U.S. Senate?
Our graying upper chamber should make room for younger public servants.
August 7, 2023 at 10:30PM
According to research from the Pew Research Center, the median age of members in the upper house of Congress is 65.3, well above the average age of 39 in the country they are elected to represent. In fact, our current federal Senate is the oldest ever.
Millions of Americans look forward to qualifying for Medicare and retiring at 65 or thereabouts. In the Senate, folks of that age are the norm. Sen. Mitch McConnell, 81, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, have both made headlines in recent weeks for health scares, and the age issue popped up again on Monday when McConnell was heckled with calls to "retire" during a public event in Kentucky.
Younger generations have different ideas, priorities and values than McConnell, Feinstein and their contemporaries. Yes, there is value in wisdom and experience and millions of Americans are more than capable of working well in to their golden years. But there's also value in youth, vitality and leadership that accurately reflects the diverse nation our senators are elected to represent. Nobody looks at the current state of America and says, "the last thing we need is fresh thinking."
And I can only image the expletives 20-somethings blurt out when they ponder a potential 2024 presidential rematch between by-then-81-year-old President Joe Biden and by-then-78-year-old former President Donald Trump.
There's something to be said for passing the torch before it burns out.
Our voting future is in good hands. I was impressed how seriously the preteens and teenagers took the exercise.
