From Biden to RBG, Democrats feel the anguish of age [View all]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5316636-democrats-age-health-debate/

The Democratic Party is feeling the anguish of age. The deaths of three House Democrats since March has dispirited the caucus and given GOP leaders a little more cushion to move their legislative priorities through Congress.

A new vacancy for ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has revived the dispute over the wisdom of a long-honored seniority system that’s helped to prevent the ascension of younger members.
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The party has been grappling with generational tensions for years in the House, where former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 85, retained her grip on power for two decades; in the Senate, where Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), 74, has led the party for almost a decade; and in the Supreme Court, where former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death in 2020 at age 87 raised questions about whether she should have retired sooner to allow former President Obama to fill the vacancy.

Between Biden and Ginsburg, some Democrats see a recurring theme of aging officeholders on the left hanging on until it is too late and costing the party the White House and a critical seat on the Supreme Court that could pay dividends for conservatives for decades.

It’s not that Republicans don’t have their own age- and health-related controversies. Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), 83, served as the top Senate Republican for 18 years before stepping aside last January amid concerns about failing health. And Trump, 78, is the oldest president to be elected in the country’s history.
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