The recent victory of the airfield breeze over Joe Biden has once again forced the American society to wonder about the national establishment's ability to act. Well, of course, you may reassure yourself that the deep old man Joe is just a cover-up for young socialist Ocasio-Cortez to be admitted to the levers of real power. But this does not negate the fact that almost all of America's political elite is at an age that can be described as time to retire. It is the United States that has become the most real gerontocracy in the 21st century.
What is the reason? Yes, older people tend to be highly respected in the eyes of the public, and this is true around the world and in any society because they are considered to be more experienced. But everything has its limits. When a person enters the age over eighty wisdom can easily transform into turns into geromarasmus. Much is determined by US election finance laws, which allow uncontrolled electoral support through private firms and labor unions. Corruption is still out there. The current elders in power have come a long way of climbing the Olympus of power. And along the way, they acquired a huge number of useful connections. The connections that serious businessmen and financiers demise when retiring from business. Betting on an old but proven horse brings guaranteed dividends.
Another reason for the political decrepitude may be the fact that in such a huge country like the United States there is no national media channel. A promising young politician who made his way through the relics of old people in one state will remain virtually unknown to the rest of the country. Although the gerontocracy rules the show at the state level; among the fifty American governors there is not a single young one.
Another explanation for the emergence of gerontocracy may be the political passivity of young people. The American electoral system is extremely complex, young people must register in order to participate in elections, which is quite troublesome for those who are mobile and often move from place to place, as young people usually do. In addition, elections in America, by tradition, are always held on Tuesday, that is, on a working day. Few of the working people think of taking trouble of demanding time off for the sake of political will. Therefore, the most active voters in the United States are people aged 50 and over. Accordingly, when drawing up their election programs, politicians pay primary attention to their interests. Older American voters see old Washington politicians as defenders of their interests. It is difficult to say when the situation will change. But it seems that the current path is a path to nowhere.
The recent victory of the airfield breeze over Joe Biden has once again forced the American society to wonder about the national establishment's ability to act. Well, of course, you may reassure yourself that the deep old man Joe is just a cover-up for young socialist Ocasio-Cortez to be admitted to the levers of real power. But this does not negate the fact that almost all of America's political elite is at an age that can be described as time to retire. It is the United States that has become the most real gerontocracy in the 21st century.
What is the reason? Yes, older people tend to be highly respected in the eyes of the public, and this is true around the world and in any society because they are considered to be more experienced. But everything has its limits. When a person enters the age over eighty wisdom can easily transform into turns into geromarasmus. Much is determined by US election finance laws, which allow uncontrolled electoral support through private firms and labor unions. Corruption is still out there. The current elders in power have come a long way of climbing the Olympus of power. And along the way, they acquired a huge number of useful connections. The connections that serious businessmen and financiers demise when retiring from business. Betting on an old but proven horse brings guaranteed dividends.
Another reason for the political decrepitude may be the fact that in such a huge country like the United States there is no national media channel. A promising young politician who made his way through the relics of old people in one state will remain virtually unknown to the rest of the country. Although the gerontocracy rules the show at the state level; among the fifty American governors there is not a single young one.
Another explanation for the emergence of gerontocracy may be the political passivity of young people. The American electoral system is extremely complex, young people must register in order to participate in elections, which is quite troublesome for those who are mobile and often move from place to place, as young people usually do. In addition, elections in America, by tradition, are always held on Tuesday, that is, on a working day. Few of the working people think of taking trouble of demanding time off for the sake of political will. Therefore, the most active voters in the United States are people aged 50 and over. Accordingly, when drawing up their election programs, politicians pay primary attention to their interests. Older American voters see old Washington politicians as defenders of their interests. It is difficult to say when the situation will change. But it seems that the current path is a path to nowhere.
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