When Age is More Than Just a Number
Special Counsel Robert Hur’s recent bombshell report on President Biden’s alleged illegal mishandling of classified documents, in essence, concludes that Biden is guilty of those Federal crimes, but Hur declined to prosecute because he believed it would be difficult to get a conviction.
That the rationale for this was that Biden’s defense attorneys would be able to convince a sympathetic jury that the President’s advanced age and diminished cognitive abilities would make it impossible to prove that he was aware of his wrongdoing, which is a prerequisite for conviction, is a troubling thing regardless of which side of the aisle you’re on.
But with the President’s defenders claiming that those conclusions are purely political, completely inaccurate and, to use the most popular description of the moment, “gratuitous”, wouldn’t that then make him guilty as charged and eligible for prosecution?
It seems to me that those seeking to protect Mr. Biden should take the win. He has a better, though still not terrific, chance of being re-elected if the people think he’s mentally feeble, which many already assumed, rather than a felon. There’s only one guy in the race who appears to benefit electorally from that label, and it isn’t Biden.
Aside from the political ramifications, in the bigger picture, which includes the not-exactly-wet-behind-the-ears Donald Trump, it demands a discussion about age for those in positions of power and influence.
It’s true that some age more gracefully and with less mental decline than others. To my knowledge, Warren Buffett, older than both candidates by a wide margin, has never mistaken Mexico for Egypt. I think many of us would take him over either of the two current options. But alas, Warren is too smart to want the job.
However, it begs the question of why there isn’t some legal requirement for anyone of a certain age to medically prove his or her cognitive status if they wish to become, or remain, President of the United States.
Despite the tired and dare I say, old, adage that age is just a number, it is actually much more than that. Age often correlates with certain biological changes in the body, such as physical strength, health conditions, and, yes, cognitive abilities. These factors can significantly impact a person's capabilities and, more to the point, limitations.
With advanced age comes certain unique physiological, emotional and social dynamics. It carries significant social and cultural meanings that influence how individuals are perceived.
All of these factors become exponentially more important when the individual in question has his or her finger on the nuclear button.
Of course, there is an opposing argument that says judging someone’s ability to successfully perform their job functions by their age is, by definition, discriminatory. But at a certain point, like when the president can’t find the off-ramp from a small stage or recalls conversations with people who were dead at the time he claims to have had them, it starts to become fact rather than interpretation.
Who among us, despite their political leanings, doesn’t see their Grampa or Dad in every embarrassing and globally reported Biden gaffe, and think, “please make it stop, now it’s just cruel”.
Biden has achieved virtually everything one could want in a political career. He’s been a long-sitting and influential Senator, a two-term U.S. Vice President and the U.S. President. Is being globally humiliated on a daily basis by his own physical and verbal stumbles, over which he seems to have little control, worth the price of satisfying the rabid left’s pathological desire to keep Trump from a second term?
He's already saved them once from the Orange Menace, he’s done his job. Put the poor man out of his misery and let someone else get into the Octagon with The Donald.
Gavin Newsome is waiting in the wings, barely able to hide his salivation over stepping into the breach, and he comes straight out of Central Casting. The guy LOOKS like a president. At least the versions you see in the movies. Sure, he’s administered over the complete destruction of the country’s most populous state, but let the voters deal with those details. Just get Old Joe out of the line of fire, for his own sake.
So what does all this have to do with PR? To me, because the mission of PR is to shape opinions, it would be a worthy exercise for the PR community to help remove the stigma of admitting being too old for a job, especially in the case of the job of U.S. President. It needs to be removed from the toxic realm of politics and transferred into the humane column.
It’s entirely possible to do, if the stigma of walking away were mitigated in the public eye, and made to seem noble, by those who know best how to steer perceptions in the desired direction. As JFK might say, hand the torch to a new generation, something the vast majority of the U.S. population wants, according to pretty much every poll on the subject.
Give the guy a nice sendoff, thank him for $5 gas and move on. Everybody wins.
