The decision to retire is forced upon us by decreasing abilities, arthritic knees, for example, that prevent one from running down steps—and that make even walking down steps painful. It’s been the bane of all athletes; someday retirement is inevitable; reflexes slow regardless of attempts to maintain brain and body; muscles become less flexible; occasionally, mind forgets what mouth started: “Where was I? Shoot, it was on the tip of my tongue. Hold on; it’ll come back to me.”
Don’t I recall that even the late great tenor Luciano Pavarotti failed to hit a high note at La Scala, prompting the loggionisti to boo him? I suppose the greater the reputation earned in youth, the worse the penalty for failing to maintain what once was. And the worst of penalties seems to be pity; or maybe, others making excuses and ignoring the consequences and the performance.
But decline seems to be as inconsequential in politics as failed policy is. Diane Feinstein is the prime example. And maybe Joe Biden is, also. Both have shown themselves to be a bit forgetful and confused at times—not what one wants to see in leadership, especially on a stage with a worldwide audience. Certainly, the latter seems to apply to Feinstein’s much younger and stroke-and-depression-afflicted Fetterman. But who could suggest retirement for the young? Who among supporters will acknowledge that brains after strokes aren’t what they were before strokes? It’s no shame on Fetterman that he continues a wobbly political career; the shame lies in those whose desire for power or hate for political opposition encourage the lame horse to compete in the Preakness.
We’re not talking Tommy John surgery here. This isn’t a matter of coming back from an ACL tear to play football. Once the brain goes, no one truly returns to form. Politics as much as any other human endeavor, is a brain game that manifests power over the citizenry, and it requires anticipating the actions of enemies foreign and domestic, as well as using or allocating resources derived from the commonwealth. Ideally, the job requires quick and rational thinking, an analytical mind, and foresight.
It seems, however, that the Press so enamored with the story of Tom Brady’s retirement-not-retirement-retirement can’t wrap their own fatigued intellects around the story of Feinstein, Fetterman, Biden, or any other aging or ostensibly incapacitated politician from the Democrat political party. And it doesn’t matter, it seems, that Feinstein, Fetterman, and most likely Biden will merely echo the words written by staff members who see themselves as subtle manipulators of the elderly or mentally wounded leaders they assist. They get, after all, a job in the most prestigious political house on the planet and a salary that a high-level company manager gets after years of striving and accomplishing. "Hey, someone has to prop up these people. Why not me?"
My own aging brain just remembered that Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s after he left office, but as “old” as he was during his terms, he still wrote his own Saturday radio speeches and exhibited a wit and ability to entertain critical reporters’ questions without a show of grouchy old man. I suppose true wit is the best indicator of intact mental facility. I am still waiting for Feinstein, Fetterman, and Biden to show such wit.
Not everyone is capable of wit and wisdom, of course. Nor is inflexibility the bane of aging brains exclusively. All of us possess a certain fixation on singular perspectives. All of us show a bit of inflexibility in our moral and political philosophies. The only cure seems to lie in humility gained from experience: If what hasn’t worked as we anticipated is still our mode of thought and action, then we are as infirm as the demonstrably infirm. That we don’t retire old thinking that produced more pain than gain, is a mark of that inflexibility—regardless of our age or affliction.
Is pride, that sin of sins, the motivator? Is hubris the reason that both old and infirm politicians seek an interminable office? Of course, there are the perks like Feinstein’s two-decade-long driver with links to the Chinese. There are the staff members who serve as an army of go-betweens to ward off challenging questions and answer constituents’ letters. And then there are salaries and junkets and dinners galore. Why retire from such a life regardless of effectiveness or ineffectiveness? One gets locked into a term for two, four, or six years of financial security, fame, and power.
And much of what a politician, aged or young, does is done without personal consequence. Take that health care plan passed under Obama as an example. Didn’t Congress opt out, favoring the benefits provided under a separate plan?
I suppose there have always been people with declining abilities in leadership positions. The Merovingian royalty comes to mind; King George III, also. But the difference between elected officials and entrenched royalty lies in the nature of their office, one by primogeniture and the other by election. So, if those who show declining ability are re-elected, then the real mental infirmity seems to lie in the electorate regardless of its diverse ages.
Tom Brady can still throw a football with great accuracy and distance. He can still recognize defenses and run through a receiver sequence. That’s great. God bless him with more years of physical prowess and mental ability. But he’s probably exerted great discipline and exercise to continue a high level of performance. Yet, even he seems to recognize that “there is a time to call it quits.” No doubt, however, some of his fans would like to see him still calling and executing plays on the turf.
The football of American fate lies in the hands of less capable quarterbacks at this time. The signal callers get their plays from the sidelines. Assistant coaches are running the game, trying to find plays that keep players with declining skills in the game. And the fans keep supporting the team.
Don’t I recall that even the late great tenor Luciano Pavarotti failed to hit a high note at La Scala, prompting the loggionisti to boo him? I suppose the greater the reputation earned in youth, the worse the penalty for failing to maintain what once was. And the worst of penalties seems to be pity; or maybe, others making excuses and ignoring the consequences and the performance.
But decline seems to be as inconsequential in politics as failed policy is. Diane Feinstein is the prime example. And maybe Joe Biden is, also. Both have shown themselves to be a bit forgetful and confused at times—not what one wants to see in leadership, especially on a stage with a worldwide audience. Certainly, the latter seems to apply to Feinstein’s much younger and stroke-and-depression-afflicted Fetterman. But who could suggest retirement for the young? Who among supporters will acknowledge that brains after strokes aren’t what they were before strokes? It’s no shame on Fetterman that he continues a wobbly political career; the shame lies in those whose desire for power or hate for political opposition encourage the lame horse to compete in the Preakness.
We’re not talking Tommy John surgery here. This isn’t a matter of coming back from an ACL tear to play football. Once the brain goes, no one truly returns to form. Politics as much as any other human endeavor, is a brain game that manifests power over the citizenry, and it requires anticipating the actions of enemies foreign and domestic, as well as using or allocating resources derived from the commonwealth. Ideally, the job requires quick and rational thinking, an analytical mind, and foresight.
It seems, however, that the Press so enamored with the story of Tom Brady’s retirement-not-retirement-retirement can’t wrap their own fatigued intellects around the story of Feinstein, Fetterman, Biden, or any other aging or ostensibly incapacitated politician from the Democrat political party. And it doesn’t matter, it seems, that Feinstein, Fetterman, and most likely Biden will merely echo the words written by staff members who see themselves as subtle manipulators of the elderly or mentally wounded leaders they assist. They get, after all, a job in the most prestigious political house on the planet and a salary that a high-level company manager gets after years of striving and accomplishing. "Hey, someone has to prop up these people. Why not me?"
My own aging brain just remembered that Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s after he left office, but as “old” as he was during his terms, he still wrote his own Saturday radio speeches and exhibited a wit and ability to entertain critical reporters’ questions without a show of grouchy old man. I suppose true wit is the best indicator of intact mental facility. I am still waiting for Feinstein, Fetterman, and Biden to show such wit.
Not everyone is capable of wit and wisdom, of course. Nor is inflexibility the bane of aging brains exclusively. All of us possess a certain fixation on singular perspectives. All of us show a bit of inflexibility in our moral and political philosophies. The only cure seems to lie in humility gained from experience: If what hasn’t worked as we anticipated is still our mode of thought and action, then we are as infirm as the demonstrably infirm. That we don’t retire old thinking that produced more pain than gain, is a mark of that inflexibility—regardless of our age or affliction.
Is pride, that sin of sins, the motivator? Is hubris the reason that both old and infirm politicians seek an interminable office? Of course, there are the perks like Feinstein’s two-decade-long driver with links to the Chinese. There are the staff members who serve as an army of go-betweens to ward off challenging questions and answer constituents’ letters. And then there are salaries and junkets and dinners galore. Why retire from such a life regardless of effectiveness or ineffectiveness? One gets locked into a term for two, four, or six years of financial security, fame, and power.
And much of what a politician, aged or young, does is done without personal consequence. Take that health care plan passed under Obama as an example. Didn’t Congress opt out, favoring the benefits provided under a separate plan?
I suppose there have always been people with declining abilities in leadership positions. The Merovingian royalty comes to mind; King George III, also. But the difference between elected officials and entrenched royalty lies in the nature of their office, one by primogeniture and the other by election. So, if those who show declining ability are re-elected, then the real mental infirmity seems to lie in the electorate regardless of its diverse ages.
Tom Brady can still throw a football with great accuracy and distance. He can still recognize defenses and run through a receiver sequence. That’s great. God bless him with more years of physical prowess and mental ability. But he’s probably exerted great discipline and exercise to continue a high level of performance. Yet, even he seems to recognize that “there is a time to call it quits.” No doubt, however, some of his fans would like to see him still calling and executing plays on the turf.
The football of American fate lies in the hands of less capable quarterbacks at this time. The signal callers get their plays from the sidelines. Assistant coaches are running the game, trying to find plays that keep players with declining skills in the game. And the fans keep supporting the team.
RSS Feed