With respect to the Presidency, Thomas believes experience means the ability to confront and effectively respond to novel situations. “You want an experienced president for the same reasons you want an experienced surgeon or airline pilot,” he says.
“Once you become President of the United States, no one can predict what is going to happen, and the one thing that we need in a President is the ability to confront something that never happened before and respond effectively.” In Thomas’s view, that means leaving age out of the equation and evaluating candidates based on their qualifications.
‘What’s age got to do with it?’
Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP, agrees. “What’s age got to do with it?” he asks. “There has been some ageism in the media coverage of this campaign. You’ve got the late night comedians doing their thing, of course, but we need to focus on the issues … on character, experience, and leadership. Things we need in a new president. Whether someone is 48 or 71, in my view, is irrelevant.”
While it may be irrelevant, there’s no denying that ageism is alive and well. Colorado Democrat Pat Schroeder, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives 1973-1997 and ran for president in 1988, took more than a few pot shots at both her gender and her age throughout her career.
“Ageism is much more pervasive than we want to admit,” she says. “And no one has addressed it as vigorously as we have sexism and racism.”
Age is universal
The reason? President and CEO of The International Longevity Center Robert N. Butler, M.D., says, “If you are white, you are not going to become black. If you are male, you are not going to become female. But age is universal. There’s a lot of uneasiness about aging, and one of the ways you deal with uneasiness is humor.”
Butler is the expert on ageism, having coined the term in the late 1960s. He points out that political ageism isn’t limited to the candidates.
Take the infamous Florida hanging chad debacle in the 2000 election. The chad was confusing to two main groups of voters, older people and African- Americans.
“The comedians didn’t make fun of the African-Americans, thank goodness,” Butler says. “But they sure did make fun of the old people. There is more direct, blunt negativism toward older people and toward age.”
In his book, The Longevity Revolution: The Benefits and Challenges of Living a Long Life, Butler notes that Americans’ life expectancy has increased by 30 years over the last century. “With the growing number of older people, the culture is going to change,” he says. “That’s what I hope for.”
As for the debate between age and experience, Butler sees it differently. “It’s really function not age that is important,” he says. “There are good reasons to vote for either candidate, but age should not be one of them.”
Act your age!
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At age 40 John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.
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At 47 Dr. Edward Jenner pioneered the use of vaccination against smallpox.
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At 50 Samuel Adams directed the Boston Tea Party.
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At 60 James Parkinson described Parkinson’s disease.
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At 70 Benjamin Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence.
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At 72 Margaret Ringenberg flew around the world.
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At 80 Jessica Tandy was an Oscar recipient for her work in Driving Miss Daisy.
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At 85 Coco Chanel was the head of a fashion design firm.
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At 90 Chagall was exhibited at the Louvre museum.