The Democrats are facing a gerontocracy crisis and Republicans should take notes

As Biden’s mental and physical health decline continues right before our eyes, it highlights a very troubling trend of gerontocracy in our political apparatus. This is particularly obvious for the Democratic Party. Democratic leaders across the legislative and executive branches are generally older than leadership on the other side.

Many long-standing Democrats, like Feinstein, Clyburn, Hoyer, and Pelosi have clung to power, risking their party’s vitality. Of the thirteen ranking House Democrat members in the next congress, ten will be over the age of 70. And it’s not better in the Senate as the Democratic leader is 75 and the Whip is 80.

The refusal of older members of the Democratic Party to let go of power is a sign of arrogant elitism. Although the Democrat age problem has long had undertone criticism amongst their ranks and supporters, it came to a boiling point when President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House in July after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump.

His debate performance was so awful that it raised doubts about his fitness for office with the election just four months away. Biden only decided to end his campaign for a second term after immense escalating pressure from his Democratic allies and the mainstream media.

Although Biden’s declining health was as conspicuous as snow is white, the Democrats and the mainstream media were in full-scale denial about Joe Biden’s feebleness, telling us day in and day out that his health is fine and he is sharper than ever. Now, after the Democrat’s humiliating election loss, many in the Democrat party and the mainstream media have gone on a full-blown apology tour, pointing out that they should have been more critical and transparent about their concerns for his health before he declared his re-election bid. This by itself, makes his presidency one of the worst political scandals in modern American political history.

Newfound criticism came on December 17th, after 74-year-old Virginia Representative Gerry Connolly, defeated 35-year-old New York progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the role of ranking member of the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door vote by 131-84. Connolly had the backing of several veteran lawmakers, most notably, influential 84-year-old former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

It’s worth noting that just last month, Rep. Gerry Connolly announced that he has esophagus cancer.

The defeat caused an uproar amongst younger progressive members of the Democratic Party and pundits in the media. All voiced their disappointment in the outcome of the vote and support for AOC as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, signaling a needed change in leadership and direction in the Democratic Party following the crushing 2024 election defeats.

At age 35, AOC would have been House Democrats’ youngest committee leader. Instead, Connolly will join multiple House septuagenarians and octogenarians in senior roles during the next congressional term.

The majority of Democratic Party voters are demanding change and speaking out. Most believe that the Democrat party is out of touch with the people and delegates.

So, while the younger generation of the Democrat Party is still waiting for their moment, it begs the question of why the old guard continues to gatekeep. Why are they refusing to pass the baton and give up power? Is it because they don’t trust the younger and more dynamic folks in their party to lead? Is it an ideological issue? Or is it because their egos are too big? Maybe it’s all the above.

Either way, it would behoove the Democrats to rethink their commitment to their aging leadership. It is not what their voters want.

Democrats must remove the enablers of this meritocratic system and embrace their younger generation of politicians if they want to be competitive in the near future.

That said, Republicans can learn from this crisis. As we look beyond Trump’s presidency in 2028, we must understand that American voters are thirsting for a generational shift and are sick of old, useless, and out-of-touch establishment political hacks selling out America, while stuffing their pockets and making themselves super-rich. According to Pew polling, 79% of Americans support age limits for politicians in Washington.

I think Trump understands the American people well. Trump has stated numerous times that he wants to introduce a constitutional amendment to implement term limits for all members of Congress. Implementing age and term limits would be one of the best ways to drain the swamp. There comes a time when you NEED to pass that torch. Especially when it’s in the best interest of the country.

If you enjoyed this article, then please REPOST or SHARE with others; encourage them to follow AFNN. If you’d like to become a citizen contributor for AFNN, contact us at managingeditor@afnn.us Help keep us ad-free by donating here.

Substack: American Free News Network Substack
Truth Social: @AFNN_USA
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/afnnusa
Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/2_-GAzcXmIRjODNh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfnnUsa
GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/AFNN_USA
CloutHub: @AFNN_USA

Leave a Comment