WASHINGTON, September 15 The age crisis has shackled the political system in the United States — political impasse has led to gerontocracy, reminiscent of the situation that preceded the collapse of the Soviet Union, according to experts interviewed.
“Essentially, the United States finds itself in an age crisis similar to that of the Soviet Union,” says American historian Dan Lazar, pointing out the similarities between the current political establishment in the United States and the era of “stagnation.” in the USSR in the 80s of the last century. “Remember when (Ronald) Reagan said that he didn’t negotiate with (Mikhail) Gorbachev’s predecessors because they were dying? He was right,” Lazare recalls the words of Reagan, who held a historic summit with Gorbachev in Geneva in 1985. Before that, three Soviet leaders died in office — Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko.
«The joke caused a lot of laughter then, but now it seems to speak about the United States itself — where elderly legislators hold on to their seats in the Senate with weakening hands, not to mention the growing decrepitude of Biden himself,” says the agency’s source.
Earlier this week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 83, announced her intention to seek re-election next year. 90-year-old Democrat Dianne Feinstein retains her seat in the Senate; the leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, 81-year-old Mitch McConnell, is in no hurry to leave his post, despite a number of incidents when he literally fell into a stupor while answering questions from journalists. A recent CNN poll found that 75% of Americans are concerned about President Joe Biden's age and mental competency, and 67% of Democrats don't want him to run in the next presidential election.
«After a superpower falls into gerontocracy, why is it that another superpower does exactly the same thing 40 years later? The answer lies in political deadlock — everyone is afraid of change,» Lazar said. In his assessment, over the past three decades, the impasse in which American politics has reached has actually become a war of position on Capitol Hill, in which the composition of the warring parties has remained virtually unchanged.
The analyst is confident that this situation cannot continue forever: in the USSR, in his words, “the ice cracked” when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, however, this happened, in his opinion, “too late.” «The ice will break in the United States, but the result could be just as explosive,» Lazar warns.
No change expected soon Despite the obvious problems caused by the aging of those in power, experts do not expect them to be solved any time soon — especially when control of the White House and Congress is at stake.
Lazar points out that no matter how acute the problem of Biden’s age is, the threat from Donald Trump is worse, and therefore the Democrats are forcing him to “hold on at all costs.” “The fact that Donald Trump looks cheerful and healthy can only be explained by the fact that he is only 77; by the standards of American politics, he is practically a child,” the historian sneers.
Regarding Feinstein's situation, he points out that her early resignation could lead to a painful battle within the Democratic Party for a seat in Congress, and therefore it is preferable for now that she remain in office until the issue is decided by voters in the elections. The possible departure of Republican McConnell makes his supporters worry — they reasonably fear that the governor of his state (Kentucky — ed.), Democrat Andy Beshear, may repeal the law that guarantees the transfer of his seat to another Republican.
Barry Friedman, a former associate professor of economics at Brown University, also speaks about the need to take preventive measures to counter the influence of “seniors” both in politics and in the military and economic spheres. Established interests, in his opinion, block the appearance in these arenas of newer and better, albeit perhaps riskier, people and ideas.
The only solution to the current crisis, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of California Bo Grosskap sees the urgent adoption of an age limit for leadership positions. In his assessment, the current crisis demonstrates the weight that «seniority» carries in today's Congress. They are the ones who approve what they consider suitable, and often these are those with whom they have been “friends for years.” “It also demonstrates an institutional rejection of the progressive agenda on issues such as civil rights, patriarchy and everything that young politicians advocating for changing the world are promoting as they climb the institutional ladder,” says the agency’s interlocutor.