There’s something about being at the apex of political power that is so alluring that most members of Congress will do anything to keep their little fiefdom.
Even if it means serving well beyond their capacity to serve.
We all saw what happened to Sleepy Joe Biden throughout his four-year term. Truth be told, Biden should never have run in the first place; serious people could see his mental sharpness was slipping well before Democrats managed to cheat their way into his presidency.
Other recent examples of political figures serving beyond their shelf life include former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is thankfully retiring this year after a number of ‘brain freeze’ incidents and falls, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was reportedly so gone by the time she died in office she couldn’t even vote on her own. Heck, Feinstein even had a Chinese spy working for her for decades. No Gouda.
But none of that matters to another congressional octogenarian, Rep. Mad Maxine Waters, who at 87, not only has no plans to retire but believes people can serve well into being on this earth for a century:
Rep. Maxine Waters declined to endorse age limits for elected officials during a Capitol Hill exchange Thursday, insisting voters — not arbitrary age thresholds — should decide who remains in office. The 87-year-old California Democrat was approached by TMZ producer Jacob Wasserman following a Working Families press conference and asked whether younger Americans have a point when they argue some leaders are simply too old to remain in power.
Waters made clear she does not believe age alone should determine fitness for office.
“What do they do? What can you document? What can you give them credit for? What can you criticize them for?” Waters said.
“If you do what it takes to evaluate, then you can decide.”
When Wasserman suggested voters should focus on what politicians actually accomplish rather than their age, Waters agreed.
“Performance and effectiveness,” she said.
He pressed further, asking whether even a hypothetical 100-year-old “fighter” should still be allowed to serve in office.
Waters remained consistent. “The people should evaluate who should be in office with their vote, and that’s it,” she said.
That’s just insane. Regardless of a person’s ability to function at any age, the older we get, the less able we are to function efficiently and rationally. No one can seriously argue that the Maxine Waters of 87 years is just as quick-witted and mentally capable as the Maxine Waters of even 67 years, much less a 45-or-50-year-old Maxine.
You can’t say Mitch McConnell is still capable of serving; the man obviously has some neuro issues with the brain freezes. And Biden…no way that guy was running the show.
Even Trump is approaching an age where his shelf life will expire (figuratively, of course). The man is almost 80.
But for Waters to even suggest a centurion can and should serve in any leadership role in our government is beyond insane. Maybe her mind is already gone.
