Younger than Biden

I’m younger than Joe Biden, but not by much. I play a version of what Rob Reiner (same age as me) calls Name That Name every day. Nouns often allude me, although if I am patient they will eventually float into my head. Not a good thing if I were trying to win Jeopardy. I’m relatively mobile except when my bad knee acts up. I can still write a coherent post or enjoy a good book, but I start to get tired after 9:00 pm. All in all, I think I’m in pretty good shape for my age, but I’m retired. No way could I direct a preschool as I did for much of career, let alone be President of the United States.

My heart aches for Biden following his disastrous performance at the first debate. I think he has been a very good president with a legacy of many great accomplishments. I just wish he had not decided to run for a second term at age 81. He deserves to be remembered as a transitional president, a bridge from Trump’s mess to a new generation of leadership in 2024. Instead, he has to endure comments about his frailty and inability to recall facts quickly, as well as rumors he has Parkinson’s. I’m trying to understand why his wife, Jill, and his closest advisors thought running for a second term was a good idea.   

I fear this ill-advised decision will usher in a second term for Trump, which would be a huge threat to our democracy, already battered by the decisions of the Supreme Court he helped to shape. I have no idea how it would work if he stepped down and the Democrats needed to put together a new ticket. Could Kamala defeat Trump? Or would we be better off with an entirely fresh face? All I know is that it’s time, for both the Democrats and Republicans, to move on from men of my generation. How about a Gen Xer or even an older Millennial? How about a woman? Could we handle another President of color? It’s time for hope and change again.