Shawn Vestal: Spokane seniors weigh in on age and the presidency

Ronald Reagan was invoked twice – in very different ways – during a discussion about age in politics last week among a group of Spokane retirees.

Jerry White Sr., an 86-year-old resident of the Rockwood South Retirement Community, brought up Reagan’s quip about age during his 1984 debate with Walter Mondale: “I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” Reagan famously said.

White mentioned that in the context of the more recent political discussion about the ages of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who seem headed for a rematch of the 2020 election.

“I think what matters are qualifications and the ability to perform the job,” White said. “I don’t think age is a big issue. I think it’s more of a political strategy to try and whip up some votes.”

Ray Miller recalled a different chapter of Reagan’s presidency: his loss of mental and physical sharpness in the second term, which caused his staff to propose removing him under the 25th Amendment and has prompted speculation that he was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’ disease. Reagan, who was 77 when he left office, revealed he’d been diagnosed with the disease six years after leaving office.

Miller cited that as one reason he’s among the 70% of Americans, according to recent polling, who see Biden’s age as a problem.

“I think he’s too old for the job,” said Miller, who is 81 himself. “I think we need someone more dynamic.”

White and Miller were among a group of more than a dozen octogenarians and near-octogenarians who gathered last week at the Rockwood South Hill Retirement Community to discuss age, ageism and politics.

In that meeting and in other interviews last week, older Spokane residents expressed a wide range of views about age and the presidency: Some shared the concerns that the leading candidates – Biden is 80 and Trump is 76 – are too old. Some saw the age question as a political red herring. Some said an older president in apparent good health should be sure to build a strong backup in the vice president and cabinet. Some wondered whether cognitive testing would make sense. Many wished for a slate of younger, more dynamic candidates, but said that in the end, age wouldn’t determine their vote.

Almost all said that age, in and of itself, doesn’t tell you much about a candidate’s fitness.

“The people in this room know we all age very differently,” White said. Those comments were echoed by several others, who noted that they knew people who retained their sharp mental acuity into their 90s and others who suffered serious health problems much younger.

“There’s no magic number for this thing,” added Spike Lynch, 88.

‘It bothers me’Biden was the oldest president in history when he was sworn in for his first term at 77. If re-elected, he’ll be 86 at the end of a second term. Trump, who is trying to secure the GOP nomination to run again, is not far behind.

Polling shows a lack of enthusiasm for both candidates and a weariness over a replay of 2020. Recent surveys show majorities do not want either candidate to run again. Though the candidates aren’t far apart in age, the criticisms over age have been more pronounced with Biden – half of those who said they don’t want Biden to run cited age as the reason.

A significant part of that is the result of concerted political attempts to exaggerate and mislead about Biden’s health. When Biden was caught using a crib sheet at a press conference this week, for example, it was an all-day story in the right-wing news cycle. Trump’s opponents, with other fodder at their disposal, have not taken up age in the same way.

But age, and the fatigue over a system top-heavy with career politicians, familiar faces and a perceived lack of energy, are real issues for many, even among those who are older themselves and who support Biden.

“It bothers me,” said Mary Beth Shinn at the Rockwood gathering, who did not want to share her age. “I wish it didn’t, but Biden’s age bothers me.”

Shinn said Biden has aged visibly while in office.

“Every president I can remember – and I go back a ways – aged significantly while they were president,” she said. “The pressures of that job took a toll.”

Like most people who gathered Thursday to talk about the issue at the Rockwood community center, she leans to the Democratic side. Lynch said that if it came down to these two candidates, he would reluctantly favor Trump , in part because of Biden’s age.

“I’m worried about our so-called commander-in-chief being on top of things,” he said. “I wish there were younger alternatives.”

Lynch, Shinn, White and others gathered in the community center at Rockwood South; the residents sat in a circle and passed a microphone to answer questions. Marilyn Carpenter, a retired Eastern Washington University professor, helped bring the group together.

Carpenter, 79, said the long campaign season compounds the question. The health of someone in their 70s or 80s can change a lot in two years. She worries that something could happen to Biden even before the 2024 vote.

She also said – half-jokingly – that she wonders how a president of that age can manage all the medical appointments.

“We spend most of our time going to the doctor,” she said, referring to her husband, Warren. “Together Warren and I have four appointments this week, for goodness sake! I worry about how someone can govern and go to the doctor.”

‘Mind working better than ever’

Over a dinner of shrimp and rice at another retirement community, Rockwood Lane, seniors took up the same questions.

“There are people here who are 100 who I would trust more than some people in their 70s,” said Diane Culley, 76. “It’s really an individual thing.”

Her husband, Sam Culley, 79, agreed, but said, “I might have had a different opinion when I was 25.”

At a neighboring table, Katherine Corrick said that, at 75, she has a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw on. Many people have focused on the challenges of aging, but few are noting that wisdom and good judgment are the advantages of a long lived experience.

“Personally speaking, I feel my mind is working better than ever,” she said.

Michael Poulin, who invited residents to participate in the discussion during dinner, said he doesn’t like either candidate – “a pox on both their houses,” he wrote in an email – but that age was far down the list of reasons why.

“I am reminded of Henry Ford’s response when he was on the witness stand in a libel suit accused of something akin to feeblemindedness and asked questions like, ‘What is the capital of Arkansas?’ ” Poulin wrote in an email.

“He said he didn’t know but had a button on his desk that could summon dozens of experts to answer any question in any field, and so have both these dummies, so in that sense age matters less.”

The point about individual differences in aging was perhaps the single most common response to the question from both groups. Most directed their comments about age toward Biden, with many noting that Biden is said to be in very good health for his age, exercises regularly and has the best medical care available.

Several people emphasized the importance for an older president of having a strong vice president and team of advisers. Reagan’s late-stage fitness was invoked as an example of a presidency that worked as much because of the leadership of the Cabinet and executive branch structure than the health and vigor of the chief executive.

“I always believed a mediocre person could be a good president if they surrounded themselves with a good Cabinet,” said Mikel Stevenson, 74. “But when we reach 80 or so, we do slow down.”

‘Go with the flow’

Across the board, most people saw the question of age as superficial or secondary to more important concerns – the urgent issues facing the country, including climate change, threats to democracy and international relations.

At Rockwood South, Ann Quinn – who described herself as “the baby at 77” – said that she is worried about the political system overall, and the kinds of candidates it produces. She would like to see younger, more dynamic choices, but given that the election will be a binary choice, not an endless wish list, she’ll go with the candidate closest to her values and policies.

“I don’t love the system, but it’s producing what it’s producing,” she said. “I’m willing to go with the flow and try to get to more substantive issues, and there are a zillion of them.”

A few people in the group favored some form of cognitive testing for presidents, to make sure they remain fit for the job.

“I would really like to see maybe cognitive tests being given to whoever’s running for president,” said Nancy Aston, 90. “I think it’s important we have sharp people in that job.”

More than one of the retirees wondered at the very idea of someone in their 80s wanting such a challenging position.

“I can’t imagine why anyone at that age would want that job,” said Marion Hammer, 82.