Notes

5 W Main: Generation Gap. Today, Donald Trump, 78, is the oldest person ever to assume the presidency of the United States. His outgoing predecessor, Joe Biden, 82, is the oldest president ever—and became so infirm in office that his own party forced him to drop his reelection campaign. Last month, the former House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, 84—who by all accounts orchestrated Biden’s ouster—fell and broke her hip. Also last month, someone leaked photographs of the Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, 82, being pushed in a wheelchair. The trend line behind these scenes: In 2002, 8 percent of lawmakers in Congress were over the age of 70; by 2022, that share had risen to 23 percent. Why is Congress so old?

There might be several reason. America itself is getting older: In 1980, the average age was 30; today it’s above 38. And older vote at far higher rates than the young. What’s more, running for office takes time and money, which the old typically have and the young typically don’t. Nevertheless, Congress sometimes gets marginally younger.

But as Kevin Munger explores in Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture, America’s gerontocracy is also a product of the country’s political institutions. European populations have gotten older too, but their political leaders have stayed relatively spry. That, says Munger, is partly because they have proportional representation, which means youthful insurgent parties can credibly contest elections. In the U.S., though, the old guard has its hands on the two parties—and longtime incumbents, if they manage to ward off unknown and underfunded challengers in the primaries, can then breeze to victory in safe seats.

—Gustav Jönsson