Thursday, September 14, 2023
PMT: Romney leads by leaving
Yesterday, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced he will not run for a second term. At age 76, he believes it is time for a new generation to step up, and called for Joe Biden and Donald Trump to follow his example. He's right.
Donald Trump was born in 1946 (four years after Joe Biden). Surprisingly, 1946 is the same year that Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were born-- men who completed their service a long time ago. Barack Obama was born 15 years after Trump (and 19 years after Biden). Ronald Reagan was 76 (and the oldest president to hold the office until Biden) at the end of his second term, and definitely showing the signs of age (though it is disputed whether he suffered from Alzheimer's disease at that point).
Wisdom does come with age (I hope), but there are limits to the human body's ability over time-- including the mind.
I've written here before about the cost of hanging on too long-- a particularly important case, historically, was Ruth Bader Ginsburg-- but the affirmations those in power receive seem to cloud judgement.
Romney set an example. It is unlikely to be followed.
