President Biden’s cancer diagnosis is really sad AND we need to keep having the conversation about younger leadership.
When you use the word but between those 2 sentences- you negate your sorrow for the cancer. (You say you care and you really don’t. )
Personally- I think we keep having the wrong conversation. We know we need younger leadership and this is still not the magic bullet.. What conversation that needs to happen is the fact that 49% of voters chose the man who has shown in spades - in real time- that he is breathtakingly unfit to be President. The American voter failed America.
I think we can have younger leadership and older leadership. "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold."
That we would use this election to say that old is always bad is wrong and ageist. I am in Northern Germany where I know several people in their 90s. My mom is going to be 91 in a month, and she lives in the US among people who are in their mid 90s that I can have a good conversation with. They are mentally fit and active. So, all people who are older should not be discarded because other people are not fit. It should be individual. Just as being young is not always a prequisite for being good at a job.
Before leaving my teaching job, which people are still asking me to do, even though I retired a bit early, is because I have experience, and I am someone who is constantly learning. My husband who is a world expert in what he does, is also constantly learning, and I don't mean because he is doing 5 languages on Duo-lingo right now. I retired somewhat early to take care of my mother who had had some strokes, and he is retiring now because Trump is making it hard to access their funding. Still, what we have in our heads is nothing new people will have in terms of experience in what we are doing.
In fact a former colleague who is now a friend, attached himself to me when he first came to our school because he could see that I had experience teaching all sorts of things, because each year I pushed myself to try new things. Bernie Sanders, who is older than Biden, is not someone people are trying to push out. He and AOC make a good team each bringing different experiences to their work as Senator and Representative.
At the same time I am excited by the new people coming into politics. So, I think we need both.
Thank you Amanda and Anand. As a Run for Something volunteer and (hopefully) soon to be mentor, I couldn’t agree with this more ! What could have been older politicians (wrongly) thinking experience is needed in this time is turning out to look like hubris. The Party has seen consistent decline from our base who have said in focus group after focus group that they view the Democratic Party has “weak” & “slow” “sloths” and “deer in headlights.” Their fear of young candidates is astounding, especially young politicians who have a fight in them. I won’t say progressive versus centrist because I think it’s really about fight versus acquiescence.
If any of your readers agree with Amanda’s take, I highly encourage them to become a volunteer for this great organization. Is incredibly rewarding and everyone here has some skill they could contribute to this organization. I believe it’s one of the most valuable ways to fight this slide into fascism because the current Democratic Party is not going to save us.
Speaking as a boomer myself. You are absolutely right!! I am so impressed with the wisdom and fresh thinking coming from the younger generation. The self-importance of my age peers in elected offices is embarrassing. And, more importantly, it’s dangerous.
A few Substacks ago Anand talked about elder vs elderly in the US. We are elderly here, not elders. But what could Pelosi pass along to a mentee? Decades of experience and lessons learned from hard knocks and successes. You see how it could work with Bernie and AOC, and it feels good. Being young in and of itself does not necessarily seem to be the magic bullet. But a wise and respected and strategic passing of the baton. should be part of the run for something playbook. Why do we know about "make good trouble?" That is because John Lewis had decades of personal experience that he shared with us all. We should strive to make this a part of the "secret" success of the Democratic party. We need to stop Ruth Bader Ginsburg-ing ourselves into hot messes.
As a 74 year old retiree (university professor with tenure and no required retirement age) I agree with the theme of having older members of Congress retire in order to allow younger members into the club. But your language leaves a lot to be desired. Some older members, for instance Nancy Pelosi, are extremely skilled at what they do. She did step aside from leadership. During my lifetime I've always seen a fair number of "older", mostly white, people in Congress. This is nothing new. When you use "attack" language you are insulting people who are public servants. No, they're not perfect, some need to go, but some are doing a lot of good. Jamie Raskin is 62, is he too old? Elizabeth Warren is 75, is she too old? Look at some of things John Fetterman has said and done and tell me it's okay because he's younger. You ignore the value of name recognition in voting and the way seniority is useful for committee work. I think we should stop attacking "old" politicians (a very subjective phrase usually based on the age of the person using the word) and instead focus on what they've accomplished and failed to accomplish. If you believe someone should retire then focus on and support someone to replace them, and the ideas of this new person. Is this any different than attacking someone for being a woman, or LGBTQ, disabled, or a minority? You're making generalized attacks for a physical characteristic and I've never been in favor of this.
So many variables bring us to this moment in time. Yes, I agree that our elder elected officials need to know when to hand over the torch to their younger colleagues. Wasn't it beautiful to see Bernie and AOC collaborating as they did during their tour on oligarchs? What an amazing example they set for the rest of the people in office, young or old, and the rest of our country on how the older generation should handle the transition of their power to the younger generation. Elon was totally wrong. It's not our empathy that will ruin us, it's our lack of empathy. Empathy and kindness tempers everything in a powerful way. I have a feeling that if former President Biden was shown more of this by both sides of the aile and by the public at large, things could have turned out differently. We are all at fault, and this is a time for some serious introspection on what kind of country we want to have and what kind of people we want to be.
Creating division between senior and junior elected officials is detrimental to building solidarity. Example: Senator Bernie Sanders. Does anyone doubt his leadership?
Dignity and Respect is central when thinking about this very important topic.
For instance, it’s my opinion that using President Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis for an example is disrespectful and only gives more fuel to the extreme Right.
In addition to this, younger, capable and ambitious people should run for office. Example: AOC.
No matter what age or experience political prospects have, the voters will decide who they want to lead.
How can we gage the mental and physical well being of another human being? The reality is that there are younger and older politicians capable/incapable of leading. They should all run and let we, the voters decide.
You are correct we need new leadership, but your argument, at least in this article, based on agism and ossification is faulty, unconvincing, and whiny. Focus on leadership qualities, not age—young or old. Focusing on age is like focusing on someone’s race or religion—irrelevant and a constitutional red line.
I greatly appreciate your comment, and I also take slight exception to your last sentence about American voters failing us. Many of those who voted for Trump have a different reality than the rest of us. This is where the effect of a narcissist comes in. If caught unaware, a person’s first experience with T years ago could have been a man who cared about them in a vulnerable time of their lives, when they believed the Dem party had failed them, because their lives were not better. If voters failed America, the Dem party also failed these voters- for years. These voter just don’t have the same experience/ reality that many of us have. They have often become isolated by an abuser( their congressman, pastor, family, Fox News, etc.) and fed lie after lie wrapped in love and care towards them and their children; while also instilling great fear. Their world became smaller as they listened and searched for security. abusers suck people into their own unreality, a little at a time.
As an older Gen Xer, I have many thoughts on this. Our generation—like Boomers—is a heterogeneous group: we vary widely in health, energy, interests, and tech fluency. What unites many of us, though, is experience, perspective, and a continued desire to contribute.
We may not all be chasing the next rung on the ladder—many of us have already been there. Some of us have intentionally stepped into roles that are less high-profile but more aligned with this season of life—choosing to support, mentor, and guide rather than lead from the front. That choice isn’t about slowing down—it’s about showing up differently, with purpose and wisdom.
This doesn’t mean we’ve checked out. Quite the opposite. We’re still engaged. We still bring deep expertise, institutional knowledge, and steady hands. And most of us want to share what we know, collaborate across generations, and support the next wave of leadership.
What we ask in return is simple: respect.
Don’t underestimate us. Don’t assume that stepping back means we’ve got nothing left to offer. Instead, recognize the value of multi-generational teams—and seize the opportunity to learn from those who’ve been through cycles, pivots, and reinventions before.
Because if we do it right, this isn’t about age—it’s about wisdom flowing forward.
We need to be careful and clear on this subject. The issue (to a point) is not age, it's term limits. There are many people in their 70s and some into their 80s who are fully lucid, smart, experienced, and wise. We need them.
What we absolutely need even more so is to rid our system of career politicians who hang on for decades and decades...and the campaign shenanigans that accompany this mess.
If you're 50 and you've been in 15 years, get out. Go get another job. If you're 70 and served 15 years, same, get out. It's public service, there's no entitlement.
Regardless of age, we need to make room for new ideas, new thinking, new experience to make our democracy robust and effective.
The publication of this book by Tapper and Thompson, shows that they will do anything for a buck, even if it is not helpful to our current situation.
While I support young candidates, I am also aware of the wisdom of some experienced people. For example, Biden clearly remembered what the US was like before Ronald Reagan, a turning point that was profound in our history. It is what led us to this point. That was clearly a part of his vision.
Also, Jefferson Cowie says that with 2/3 of Americans not having college degrees, we need to be including them in our vision of America. I think Biden tried to do that with his Build Back Better. It was a terrible name that meant nothing to people, even though it tried to return to the past and the better days, but said the best was up ahead.
Still, in it working class people did not see their path back to the glory days of one income, home owning, family vacation, benefits and good retirement pay of the past. I do not even know how we could go back to that. However, Trump made that seem possible to so many. When I picture young men voting for Trump I do not picture them thinking about what would support a family, but more like who is going to make the most awesome splash and mess a lot of people up. A lot of young men voted for Trump. He was not young. Would they vote for a young version of Trump like his son?
I believe my 24 year old nephew would be an earnest politician, but I also think he is too naive. He did not vote for Trump but saw very little difference between Trump and Harris. He felt they were both corrupt. He felt both would be bad for Gaza. Gaza captured the minds of the youth in a way that few other issues, other than George Floyd seemed to do. So, we shall see.
A young woman, Kat Abughazaleh is running to replace a long time State Rep in Illinois, my state. I am not sure about her. I like what she says, but wonder will she have the staying power when the going gets tough? If I vote for her, I hope so.
As a +75 I will confess it is sometimes easier to see the world as it was. Ideas and perspectives have a sedimentary quality that metamorphize with the weight of time. Try this on for size. My first house cost $45,000 in 1980. 3 bed 2 bath 2 car garage 1900 sq ft. The first home is appraised at $$884,000 today. The 30 year old in today's world needs $160,000 for a down payment and has to have an income of $200,000. Sisyphean for most and probably a leading cause of disaffection/anxiety in the young.
Word! I'm forwarding this to our 2 Oregon Senators. Both Sen. Wyden and Merkley have been incredible, progressive public servants - and it's time to pass the torch! It's their responsibility to mentor, prepare, and uplift their replacement. How satisfying it would be for them to become the mentor and part of the support team.
Kudos to Bernie Sanders for inspiring and mentoring new leadership such as AOC, Greg Casar, and others.
The word we are looking for is and.
President Biden’s cancer diagnosis is really sad AND we need to keep having the conversation about younger leadership.
When you use the word but between those 2 sentences- you negate your sorrow for the cancer. (You say you care and you really don’t. )
Personally- I think we keep having the wrong conversation. We know we need younger leadership and this is still not the magic bullet.. What conversation that needs to happen is the fact that 49% of voters chose the man who has shown in spades - in real time- that he is breathtakingly unfit to be President. The American voter failed America.
I think we can have younger leadership and older leadership. "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold."
That we would use this election to say that old is always bad is wrong and ageist. I am in Northern Germany where I know several people in their 90s. My mom is going to be 91 in a month, and she lives in the US among people who are in their mid 90s that I can have a good conversation with. They are mentally fit and active. So, all people who are older should not be discarded because other people are not fit. It should be individual. Just as being young is not always a prequisite for being good at a job.
Before leaving my teaching job, which people are still asking me to do, even though I retired a bit early, is because I have experience, and I am someone who is constantly learning. My husband who is a world expert in what he does, is also constantly learning, and I don't mean because he is doing 5 languages on Duo-lingo right now. I retired somewhat early to take care of my mother who had had some strokes, and he is retiring now because Trump is making it hard to access their funding. Still, what we have in our heads is nothing new people will have in terms of experience in what we are doing.
In fact a former colleague who is now a friend, attached himself to me when he first came to our school because he could see that I had experience teaching all sorts of things, because each year I pushed myself to try new things. Bernie Sanders, who is older than Biden, is not someone people are trying to push out. He and AOC make a good team each bringing different experiences to their work as Senator and Representative.
At the same time I am excited by the new people coming into politics. So, I think we need both.
Thank you Amanda and Anand. As a Run for Something volunteer and (hopefully) soon to be mentor, I couldn’t agree with this more ! What could have been older politicians (wrongly) thinking experience is needed in this time is turning out to look like hubris. The Party has seen consistent decline from our base who have said in focus group after focus group that they view the Democratic Party has “weak” & “slow” “sloths” and “deer in headlights.” Their fear of young candidates is astounding, especially young politicians who have a fight in them. I won’t say progressive versus centrist because I think it’s really about fight versus acquiescence.
If any of your readers agree with Amanda’s take, I highly encourage them to become a volunteer for this great organization. Is incredibly rewarding and everyone here has some skill they could contribute to this organization. I believe it’s one of the most valuable ways to fight this slide into fascism because the current Democratic Party is not going to save us.
Speaking as a boomer myself. You are absolutely right!! I am so impressed with the wisdom and fresh thinking coming from the younger generation. The self-importance of my age peers in elected offices is embarrassing. And, more importantly, it’s dangerous.
Spot on Amanda.👏🇺🇸♥️
A few Substacks ago Anand talked about elder vs elderly in the US. We are elderly here, not elders. But what could Pelosi pass along to a mentee? Decades of experience and lessons learned from hard knocks and successes. You see how it could work with Bernie and AOC, and it feels good. Being young in and of itself does not necessarily seem to be the magic bullet. But a wise and respected and strategic passing of the baton. should be part of the run for something playbook. Why do we know about "make good trouble?" That is because John Lewis had decades of personal experience that he shared with us all. We should strive to make this a part of the "secret" success of the Democratic party. We need to stop Ruth Bader Ginsburg-ing ourselves into hot messes.
As a 74 year old retiree (university professor with tenure and no required retirement age) I agree with the theme of having older members of Congress retire in order to allow younger members into the club. But your language leaves a lot to be desired. Some older members, for instance Nancy Pelosi, are extremely skilled at what they do. She did step aside from leadership. During my lifetime I've always seen a fair number of "older", mostly white, people in Congress. This is nothing new. When you use "attack" language you are insulting people who are public servants. No, they're not perfect, some need to go, but some are doing a lot of good. Jamie Raskin is 62, is he too old? Elizabeth Warren is 75, is she too old? Look at some of things John Fetterman has said and done and tell me it's okay because he's younger. You ignore the value of name recognition in voting and the way seniority is useful for committee work. I think we should stop attacking "old" politicians (a very subjective phrase usually based on the age of the person using the word) and instead focus on what they've accomplished and failed to accomplish. If you believe someone should retire then focus on and support someone to replace them, and the ideas of this new person. Is this any different than attacking someone for being a woman, or LGBTQ, disabled, or a minority? You're making generalized attacks for a physical characteristic and I've never been in favor of this.
So many variables bring us to this moment in time. Yes, I agree that our elder elected officials need to know when to hand over the torch to their younger colleagues. Wasn't it beautiful to see Bernie and AOC collaborating as they did during their tour on oligarchs? What an amazing example they set for the rest of the people in office, young or old, and the rest of our country on how the older generation should handle the transition of their power to the younger generation. Elon was totally wrong. It's not our empathy that will ruin us, it's our lack of empathy. Empathy and kindness tempers everything in a powerful way. I have a feeling that if former President Biden was shown more of this by both sides of the aile and by the public at large, things could have turned out differently. We are all at fault, and this is a time for some serious introspection on what kind of country we want to have and what kind of people we want to be.
Creating division between senior and junior elected officials is detrimental to building solidarity. Example: Senator Bernie Sanders. Does anyone doubt his leadership?
Dignity and Respect is central when thinking about this very important topic.
For instance, it’s my opinion that using President Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis for an example is disrespectful and only gives more fuel to the extreme Right.
In addition to this, younger, capable and ambitious people should run for office. Example: AOC.
No matter what age or experience political prospects have, the voters will decide who they want to lead.
How can we gage the mental and physical well being of another human being? The reality is that there are younger and older politicians capable/incapable of leading. They should all run and let we, the voters decide.
You are correct we need new leadership, but your argument, at least in this article, based on agism and ossification is faulty, unconvincing, and whiny. Focus on leadership qualities, not age—young or old. Focusing on age is like focusing on someone’s race or religion—irrelevant and a constitutional red line.
I greatly appreciate your comment, and I also take slight exception to your last sentence about American voters failing us. Many of those who voted for Trump have a different reality than the rest of us. This is where the effect of a narcissist comes in. If caught unaware, a person’s first experience with T years ago could have been a man who cared about them in a vulnerable time of their lives, when they believed the Dem party had failed them, because their lives were not better. If voters failed America, the Dem party also failed these voters- for years. These voter just don’t have the same experience/ reality that many of us have. They have often become isolated by an abuser( their congressman, pastor, family, Fox News, etc.) and fed lie after lie wrapped in love and care towards them and their children; while also instilling great fear. Their world became smaller as they listened and searched for security. abusers suck people into their own unreality, a little at a time.
Deciding that the cancer that killed Gerry Connolly and attacked Biden is all about aging leadership is lazy.
Esophageal cancer is most common in people over 55. Is that your cutoff for serving in Congress?
Which disease process do we use to measure this so-called age problem? Is it possible that the problem we're discussing is the ability to serve?
Voters keep voting for old guys. Despite his age, voters elected the most unqualified person in history to the highest office in the country.
We must do better than take the easy way out.
As an older Gen Xer, I have many thoughts on this. Our generation—like Boomers—is a heterogeneous group: we vary widely in health, energy, interests, and tech fluency. What unites many of us, though, is experience, perspective, and a continued desire to contribute.
We may not all be chasing the next rung on the ladder—many of us have already been there. Some of us have intentionally stepped into roles that are less high-profile but more aligned with this season of life—choosing to support, mentor, and guide rather than lead from the front. That choice isn’t about slowing down—it’s about showing up differently, with purpose and wisdom.
This doesn’t mean we’ve checked out. Quite the opposite. We’re still engaged. We still bring deep expertise, institutional knowledge, and steady hands. And most of us want to share what we know, collaborate across generations, and support the next wave of leadership.
What we ask in return is simple: respect.
Don’t underestimate us. Don’t assume that stepping back means we’ve got nothing left to offer. Instead, recognize the value of multi-generational teams—and seize the opportunity to learn from those who’ve been through cycles, pivots, and reinventions before.
Because if we do it right, this isn’t about age—it’s about wisdom flowing forward.
We need to be careful and clear on this subject. The issue (to a point) is not age, it's term limits. There are many people in their 70s and some into their 80s who are fully lucid, smart, experienced, and wise. We need them.
What we absolutely need even more so is to rid our system of career politicians who hang on for decades and decades...and the campaign shenanigans that accompany this mess.
If you're 50 and you've been in 15 years, get out. Go get another job. If you're 70 and served 15 years, same, get out. It's public service, there's no entitlement.
Regardless of age, we need to make room for new ideas, new thinking, new experience to make our democracy robust and effective.
The publication of this book by Tapper and Thompson, shows that they will do anything for a buck, even if it is not helpful to our current situation.
While I support young candidates, I am also aware of the wisdom of some experienced people. For example, Biden clearly remembered what the US was like before Ronald Reagan, a turning point that was profound in our history. It is what led us to this point. That was clearly a part of his vision.
Also, Jefferson Cowie says that with 2/3 of Americans not having college degrees, we need to be including them in our vision of America. I think Biden tried to do that with his Build Back Better. It was a terrible name that meant nothing to people, even though it tried to return to the past and the better days, but said the best was up ahead.
Still, in it working class people did not see their path back to the glory days of one income, home owning, family vacation, benefits and good retirement pay of the past. I do not even know how we could go back to that. However, Trump made that seem possible to so many. When I picture young men voting for Trump I do not picture them thinking about what would support a family, but more like who is going to make the most awesome splash and mess a lot of people up. A lot of young men voted for Trump. He was not young. Would they vote for a young version of Trump like his son?
I believe my 24 year old nephew would be an earnest politician, but I also think he is too naive. He did not vote for Trump but saw very little difference between Trump and Harris. He felt they were both corrupt. He felt both would be bad for Gaza. Gaza captured the minds of the youth in a way that few other issues, other than George Floyd seemed to do. So, we shall see.
A young woman, Kat Abughazaleh is running to replace a long time State Rep in Illinois, my state. I am not sure about her. I like what she says, but wonder will she have the staying power when the going gets tough? If I vote for her, I hope so.
As a +75 I will confess it is sometimes easier to see the world as it was. Ideas and perspectives have a sedimentary quality that metamorphize with the weight of time. Try this on for size. My first house cost $45,000 in 1980. 3 bed 2 bath 2 car garage 1900 sq ft. The first home is appraised at $$884,000 today. The 30 year old in today's world needs $160,000 for a down payment and has to have an income of $200,000. Sisyphean for most and probably a leading cause of disaffection/anxiety in the young.
Word! I'm forwarding this to our 2 Oregon Senators. Both Sen. Wyden and Merkley have been incredible, progressive public servants - and it's time to pass the torch! It's their responsibility to mentor, prepare, and uplift their replacement. How satisfying it would be for them to become the mentor and part of the support team.
Kudos to Bernie Sanders for inspiring and mentoring new leadership such as AOC, Greg Casar, and others.