A midweek confluence of seemingly unrelated news stories suggested a possible solution to the vexing problem of President Biden's age.
I've been touching on this issue for the past few weeks, but there is no clear vision of a solution. In essence, Americans, including Democrats, are concerned about Biden's age and the growing likelihood that he will not serve a full second term. If re-elected, Biden will be 82 on Inauguration Day.
The problem isn't his numerical age. Different people age differently. Some people who are physically healthy and mentally alert barely age at all. But even the most robust 80-year-old would have a hard time keeping up with the work of the White House. Much younger presidents have turned gray in the Oval Office.
Biden's steady decline over the past few years — his stuttering, fuzzy speech, occasional slurring — has been hard to ignore. Such changes are not a reflection of personality but part of the natural order of life, and it's not ageism to note them. But Biden and former President Donald Trump, who is 78, have brought the issue to the forefront of politics.
North Dakota's recently approved ballot measure to set an age limit for congressional candidates is the first serious attempt to address gerontology in the U.S. As expected, until the measure is challenged as unconstitutional, no one who turns 81 during a term can run for Congress in North Dakota. Neither Biden nor Trump can run for Congress in North Dakota.
Follow this author Kathleen Parker's opinion
For now. A 1995 Supreme Court ruling means states can't impose eligibility restrictions beyond those set by the Constitution. Of course, there's a compelling argument that the age issue can be resolved at the polls: If a candidate is deemed too old, voters won't select him.
Arguably, the biggest obstacle to a Biden victory is Kamala Harris, whose low approval ratings have not been helped by her lackluster performance as vice president. Without a Harris presidency, more independents and disillusioned Republicans may vote for Biden, not because of her gender, race, or other demographic category, but because of her ability, or lack thereof.
The question is how risky it would be for Democrats to replace Harris. Some worry that doing so would cost her black votes. But even as some black women celebrated her rise, it was unclear whether she would appeal to black American voters. When Harris dropped out of the presidential race in 2019, she was polling lower in South Carolina than Pete Buttigieg.
Moreover, does anyone really think that Democrats will suddenly switch to Trump just because Biden changed his running mate to improve his chances of reelection? Herein lies one of the problems with identity politics: skin-color group voting is one of the most racist assumptions we have. Democrats want to win elections to promote a worldview that is supposedly consistent with their own values, regardless of skin color or cultural background.
I'm not the only one to suggest that Biden should replace Harris, perhaps in exchange for a key role in the administration, at least serving as attorney general, which would be her specialty. Several other potential replacements have been suggested, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, and, of course, Taylor Swift. (Just kidding, but her outspoken disdain for Trump is never to be ignored.)
By now, you've probably forgotten the second half of the aforementioned news clash: a short article on Wednesday alleging a controversial development in the New York congressional elections: Hillary Clinton has endorsed Westchester County Mayor George Latimer for the House seat currently held by incumbent “Squad” member Jamaal Bowman.
In a post by X, Clinton wrote, “With Trump running, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever. In Congress, @LatimerforNY will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden's agenda, just like we have always done.”
The controversy seems to stem mainly from a heated exchange between the two candidates. Bowman claims that Latimer is a racist who hates Islam and is manipulated by Republican billionaires who want to eliminate voting rights. (That's a long story.) In a recent debate, Latimer claimed that Bowman only cares about people of color and ignores other voters.
The accusations come amid a divided government over Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza. Latimer is backed by the pro-Israel AIPAC, whose supporters have accused Bowman of using anti-Semitic tropes. The question about Clinton is: why now? Why is she suddenly entering a congressional race?
While we can only speculate about motives, Clinton's presence in the news cycle reminds voters that we would not be in this white, male-dominated dilemma if she had not lost in 2016. It also reminds people of her relative centrism, her support for Israel, and her widely respected role as Secretary of State.
As far as I know, no one has mentioned her as Biden's running mate, but why not try Clinton instead of Harris? Harris, 76, may not want the role, but it's hard to retire when you feel your job is not done yet. If Biden has to step down, even those who did not vote for Clinton will be convinced that she has the ability to get the country back on the right track. This is just a thought, but there are examples of worse ideas that have unfortunately succeeded.
