Global
Edition - Today's top story: Why are US politicians so old?
And why do they want to stay in office? View
in browser |
|
Global
Edition | 9 November 2023 | |
|
|
My
former boss, President George H.W. Bush, chose not to
challenge Bill Clinton again for the presidency of the United
States in the 1996 election, having lost to him three years
earlier. If he had run and won, he would have been 72 at the
1997 inauguration. Instead, he enjoyed a great second act
filled with humanitarian causes, skydiving and grandchildren.
Bush’s post-presidential life, and American ideals of
retirement in general, raise the question of why Joe Biden
(80) and Donald Trump (77) – who are more than a decade and a
half beyond the average American retirement age – are stepping
forward again for one of the hardest jobs in the world.
Biden
and Trump aren’t the only aging leaders in the U.S. It’s a
bipartisan trend. What’s going on? I offer my thoughts below.
|
|
Mary Kate Cary
Adjunct Professor of Politics and Director
of Think Again, University of
Virginia | |
Donald Trump, left, and Joe Biden, both
photographed on Nov. 2, 2023, are two of the three oldest men
ever to serve as president. Trump: Brandon Bell/Getty Images;
Biden: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Mary Kate Cary, University of Virginia
Many
years beyond the average American retirement age, politicians
vie for power and influence. Their constituents tend to prefer
they step back and pass the torch to younger people. |
YanaBu, Shutterstock
Katrin Meissner, UNSW Sydney; Deepashree Dutta,
University of Cambridge; Martin Jucker, UNSW Sydney
Back
when there were Arctic alligators and turtles, ‘polar
stratospheric clouds’ kept their world warm. Research suggests
these clouds contribute to the ‘missing warming’ in climate
models. |
Maria Orlova/Pexels
Liz Evans, University of Tasmania
Sad
Bad Girl novels combine the haplessness of Bridget Jones with
the despair of Sally Rooney. Liz Evans assesses a ‘buzzy’
debut within the genre and a #MeToo novel that refreshingly
defies categories. |
|
-
Allen Cheng, Monash University
Antibiotics
have been around for less than a century. But as
resistant bacteria become increasingly difficult to
treat, we risk a greater number of deaths from
infections.
-
Malak Benslama-Dabdoub, Royal Holloway
University of London
At
present the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, has ruled out a ceasefire but may allow
‘little pauses’.
-
Tonny Raymond Kirabira, University of
Portsmouth
King
Charles III’s recent statements are a reflection of
the progress Kenya has made in seeking redress for
colonial-era legacies.
-
Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee, Toronto
Metropolitan University; Omar H. Fares, Toronto
Metropolitan University
Understanding
the traits of different customer groups can help
shoppers and businesses serve their communities more
ethically and effectively, especially in times of
crisis.
-
Emilia Lamonaca, Università di Foggia;
Fabio Gaetano Santeramo, Università di Foggia; Martina
Bozzola, Queen's University Belfast
As
global warming accelerates, a new study indicates that
new trading patterns could develop as an adaptation
strategy.
-
Akosua Keseboa Darkwah, University of
Ghana; Geraldine Asiwome Ampah, University of Ghana
Primary
identities are foundational and serve as the core part
of an individual’s identity.
-
Sam Edwards, Loughborough University
The
film pays homage to the war generation, revels in
forties nostalgia and stakes an assertive British
claim to the memory of the Allied
invasion. | |
|
|
|
|
|
Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2023 11:32 AM
Subject: Why are US leaders so old?
|
|
| |