Dem
47
GOP
53
Former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels (R) has written an op-ed piece entitled "Congress shouldn't be an assisted-living facility." He is paraphrasing former senator Lamar Alexander, who called the Senate "America's finest assisted-living facility." That sums it up pretty well. Daniels starts out by complimenting Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) for throwing in the towel at the relatively young age (for the Senate) of 80. But then he goes on to name a few senators who definitely hung around until after their best-by date, in particular Dianne Feinstein and Mitch McConnell. If he had included the House, he could have hardly avoided mentioning Kay Granger, who was actually living in an assisted-living home in Texas the last 6 months of her term. Everything ends eventually, and too few senators think about how they want to be remembered. Will it be as a wise Solon or a doddering old fool completely stage-managed by staffers?
Daniels notes that 35 members have already celebrated their 70th birthday. In the private sector, they would have been given a gold watch and a nice retirement party. He also notes that the median age of the senators is 65, meaning half of them have passed that milestone. In 1981, the median age was 51. The Japanese Diet checks in at 55, the Israeli Knesset comes in at 52, and the British House of Commons beats them all at 48.
If the Senate were doing its job well, passing budgets on time, and generally cranking out laws, maybe having a gerontocracy there wouldn't be so bad, but it is completely nonfunctional and the age of the members certainly doesn't leave it brimming with energy and new ideas.
Can anything be done? Probably not short of a constitutional amendment giving a maximum age for starting a new term. After all, there is a minimum age already in the Constitution. If it is fine to say that a 29 year old can't be a senator then why can't the Constitution say that a 79 year old can't be senator either? Given the median age in some other countries, maybe 70 or 75 wouldn't be so crazy. Sure, there are 80-year-olds around who are fully competent, but they are blocking the path for 40- and 50-year olds who are even more competent. Most organizations function better if they get new blood regularly and in the Senate, those arteries are nearly completely clogged. (V)