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Wise, intelligent people who are self-aware, know when it’s time to “hang up the boots” and move on. Unfortunately, politicians too often don’t fall into the categories of wise, intelligent or self- aware and far too often, overstay their welcome.
If nothing else, the Trump impeachment hearings, press conferences and endless interviews across all media, have shown us that in a civilized world, there surely ought to be a Statute of Limitations for politicians. Just like perishable foods, they need to have a clearly stamped “Use By” date on their foreheads because just like perishable foods, when they reach that use-by date, they start to go off.
It’s always sad and quite depressing to watch someone fade and fade and fade. They long ago reached the pinnacle of their career and should have retired at the top of their game. But the baubles of office are just too much to resist so they hang in there.
I would imagine I’m not the only one who sits and watches with some trepidation and even anxiety, whenever Nancy Pelosi (80) appears on TV these days. The gaps in her speeches have become ever longer as she flounders for words that won’t come and eventually you can tell from the structure of what she says, that the planned words didn’t come. The rambling around places that have little if anything to do with whatever she’s talking about and the quotes that sometimes are completely incorrect. The combative response to perfectly reasonable questions from reporters. The shortness of breath. I’m not ageist but if she was my granny, I’d be worried about her well being.
Similarly, I find myself on edge whenever Joe Biden (77) or Bernie Sanders (77) turn up on stage or on media. Both of them have moments of lucidity but when their thinking wanders, it’s painful to watch and often impossible to follow.
It’s bordering on incredible that the United States, which in 1947 introduced the Twenty-Second Amendment to prevent a president from serving more than two terms, doesn’t have rules for either the length of time representatives can serve, nor an age limit for when one can stand for public office.
Evidently democracy takes care of it by virtue of electors having the right to choose. I guess that’s why there’s no minimum qualification or experience requirement either. The voter gets to choose with eyes wide open.
Lucky the voters as a group are smart enough to make smart, sound, intelligent choices just as they did in the 2017 General Election in New Zealand.
Majority rules … Ummmmmmm … How does that work?
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