America's gerontocracy: Are aging leaders weakening our country?

By Tom Hall,

Malarie Pinkard-Pierre, Teria Rogers, Rob Sivak

Published October 31, 2022 at 12:00 PM EDT

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, Ky) (left) is 80 years old. President Joe Biden, who is still considering whether to run for a second term two years from now, is 79 years old. (AP Photos by J. Scott Applewhite [McConnell] and Joshua Bessex [Biden]) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, Ky) (left) is 80 years old. President Joe Biden, who is still considering whether to run for a second term two years from now, turns 80 in a few weeks. (AP Photos by J. Scott Applewhite [McConnell] and Joshua Bessex [Biden])

Today on Midday, a conversation about age and leadership.

President Joe Biden turns 80 in less than a month. He’s the oldest president in US history. He himself has said it’s reasonable for people to worry about whether he is capable of handling the demands of the office. Speculation abounds as to whether or not he will seek a second term. The results of the midterm elections next week will undoubtedly affect his decision. If he decides to run, he would be 86 years old by the end of this second term.

And he’s not alone as an older leader in government. More than a quarter of the members of Congress are in their 70s and 80s. The median age of federal judges is 68.

Experience is valuable, of course, but is advanced age - in a US president, a legislator, a jurist - on balance, an asset or a detriment?

A recent investigative series in Business Insider takes a comprehensive look at that question. The series is called Red, White, and Gray: How America's Gerontocracy is Weakening Democracy.

Tom's first guests are two of the authors of the series. Dave Levinthal is a deputy editor who oversees political investigative reporting and enterprise stories. He also writes about politics, power and policy…

Kimberly Leonard is one of the many reporters who contributed to this 31-part series. She covers politics and policy.

Later in the hour, our conversation is joined by Dr. Jeremy Walston, the director of the Johns Hopkins Human Aging Project. That's an ongoing clinical research program whose stated aim is "to increase the length of time that older adults spend in good health without cognitive or functional decline."

Dave Levinthal and Kimberly Leonard join us on Zoom. Dr. Jeremy Walston joins Tom in Studio A.

(L-R) Dave Levinthal is deputy editor at Business Insider; Kimberly Leonard covers politics and policy for the news journal, and contriburted to the series, "Red, White and Gray"; Dr. Jeremy Walston directs the Johns Hopkins Human Aging Project. (photo credits, l-r: BusinessInsider/Graeme Jennings/JHU)

Listeners, what do you think? Is the age of a politician something you consider before casting a ballot for or against him or her?