by Robert M. Traxler
It is very early in the Presidential election cycle, but folks are already jockeying for the nomination in the 2024 election. Two folks I hope do not run for the Presidency of the United States of America are Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden; a good question is why?
Well, the presidency is a taxing office and we all have seen presidents age in office disproportionately to the years spent. Both men mentioned above are older, and I believe are not now up to or will not be up to the stress and long hours demanded by the most important job in the world.
Unless you are in denial, you have seen President Biden lose his train of thought and misspeak when not reading a script, perfectly understandable for a man of his age. President Trump is slightly younger, President Trump 75 years and President Biden 79 years old, and they would be 78 and 82 around the time they would be re-elected, and in my opinion, both well past prime.
Many will make the argument that there are young 80-year-olds; indeed some people’s minds may be sharp, but the term is “ for his/her age, he/she is sharp as a tack.” They may be sharp when elected, but the stress and demands of the presidency eat away at a person’s health and mental sharpness.
The election of the oldest president ever (Biden) has shown the need for a strong vice president, prepared to step into the highest office in the land at a moment’s notice. Vice President Kamala Harris currently has an approval rating well below the percent needed to be elected to national office. Those numbers are of course a current snapshot and could change with the next poll, but she does not instill confidence in the majority of the America people, Republican and Democrat. The argument could be made that her selection was political and not practical to an extent not found in either party in my lifetime.
Who should run in 2024 election is anyone’s guess; one month is an eternity in politics, let alone three years. Let us hope both parties pick the best person, best equipped, and not the most politically correct at the time. That, of course, will not be the case; electability is the real test — not competence, judgement or ability.
Many years ago, while driving the 30-mile commute when stationed in Washington D. C., I was listening to President Jimmy Carter’s former campaign manager being interviewed and asked what was the best thing a person could do to prepare themselves for running for president. His answer was shocking: get your teeth capped. I was expecting him to say a course of study or a sequence of diverse jobs, military, legislative, business, diplomatic or judicial experience, but not something so superficial as getting your teeth capped. I am older and now not surprised by the advice.
We have a system that allows unelected bureaucrats to run the nation, and not the elected ones. Say what you want about President Trump, but the bureaucrats were not happy with the way he dared to tell them how to run the government, and the bureaucrats and media hated him for it; you can decide if that is good or bad thing. In the modern era, is a president just a face and teleprompter reader, or a hands-on leader? In reality the former not the latter, with the power resting with the appointed staffers and government career bureaucrats.
A.B. I don’t agree with you much, but this time I do. But I do not see a younger candidate on either side up to the task. We have the squad on one side and Gaetz, Bobbert and Greene on the other. They are not there to serve, just to disrupt. Have done nothing for anyone so far. I remember many years ago that no matter who won as president, Dem or Rep, the whole country got behind him. Not any more. All you hear in the news is two parties fighting against each other, nothing for the good of the USA.
Thanks for your column, Mr. Traxler.
Most people aren’t aware that since childhood, President Biden has occasionally stuttered while speaking extemporaneously. It’s my understanding that folks who have this condition don’t necessarily lose their train of thought, but they do sometimes have difficulty smoothly vocalizing their words. Many who observe stuttering without understanding the condition automatically assume that it reflects mental weakness or decline. But studies have refuted this assertion, and have also shown that people who stutter may have higher average intelligence than the general population.
There’s no doubt that the passing years take their toll on everyone’s health and vitality. But obesity, watching TV, skipping breakfasts and lunches, and then gorging on hamburgers, steak, fried chicken, chocolate milkshakes and diet colas for dinner certainly hasn’t helped the Donald’s health or vitality either upstairs, or on the golf course.
An estimated 1/3 to 40% of Covid victims may also suffer “Long-haul Covid,” with months or years of chronic mental and physical health issues. Roughly 70% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, 10% have diabetes, 47% have hypertension, 25% have a physical disability, and one in five live with a diagnosable mental disorder. Back in the day, candidate John F. Kennedy’s Roman Catholic faith, and his alleged deference to a Pope’s wishes, was an absolute deal-breaker for many voters.
My point is that whether a person is running for student council, library board, township trustee, or President of the United States, every candidate likely has characteristics or issues which voters may consider important or not important. Age is only one of many potential health factors that might be considered. We live in a complicated world, and I would caution against making Presidential candidate decisions based solely on age, or on any other single characteristic.
If the columnist’s assertion is true that unelected bureaucrats run our country, then young or old, prime or past-prime, it really doesn’t matter who is elected. But I am grateful that my own experience with our federal, state and local government has been different. From what I’ve seen throughout my career, and especially in the past five years, I’m pretty sure that the people who are elected, appointed, and hired to serve our country all collectively do matter. I believe we are fortunate that the USA is not a one-person or one-group enterprise. I also hope that as voters, we’ll make good choices in the future, for the buck still stops at the top.
Mr. Traxler,
I’m sorry to take so long to weigh in on your column.
I consider this to be one of your best.
You have laid our some excellent and very valid points against both of these gentlemen running for presidential office in 2024. (Parenthetically, I’m so grateful that Mr. Bergeron, in his response, touched on the effects of stuttering on the seeming lack of ability to express a full and smooth thought.)
I would add that Kamala Harris’s low poll numbers might include the aversion some Americans still have against a woman holding such a high office.
I have spent some time trying to find a suitable candidate for both parties to put before the voting public, and I also have difficulty finding anyone to my own liking, with a couple of exceptions due to the age factor.
The age of a candidate needs to be measured not just in chronological years. Mental fitness is as important, if not more so, for a successful office holder at any level of government.
I think you laid out the argument against Misters Biden and Trump quite well.
May both parties be successful in determining who will be offered up as candidates in 2024.