Uncle Joe Turns 80

He’ll never be counted as one of America’s greatest presidents, but Joe Biden has certainly won me over through some very real accomplishments in a very constricted and difficult political atmosphere. If his remaining two years are spent simply on administering those accomplishments effectively — infrastructure building, conversion to a far more green economy, criminal justice reform at the federal level, keeping Ukraine out of Putin’s clutches, student debt relief, rebuilding a somewhat liberal judiciary — it will have been one of the most productive presidencies of my life.

The man turns 80 tomorrow, November 20th. Should he run again in 2024, at age 82? Yes and no, mostly no.

The yes is as follows: I have felt quite sanguine about entrusting our country to a man whose ambitions are fulfilled, who’s not agitating for more and more power, who has been around the block numerous times. And some people are remarkably capable into their nineties. A lot of the mockery of Joe Biden as an old imbecile is rooted in a cultural bias against old men — we are portrayed as fumbling fools almost as soon as our testosterone levels go down and we surrender our Alpha-male pretensions. Biden had little of that kind of masculine charisma to begin with, and now, with his voice softened and his gait uneven, he’s a target of scorn. But I like him.

And yet . . . Seeing Biden, Schumer, and Pelosi as the faces of the Democratic Party is has been quite discouraging. I want to see youth in command; I want to see the future taking shape up there. These folks are too old!!

And yet (again) . . . Who is there to run successfully for the presidency in 2024, to beat either Trump or DeSantis? Kamala Harris? Who is she, and where has she been? Pete Buttigieg? I’d certainly vote for him, but will America accept a gay man kissing his husband during the inauguration? Gavin Newsom? He’d win the popular vote and lose in the Electoral College. Elizabeth Warren? I love her, she’s on my side, but she doesn’t seem to catch on with the public. Gretchen Whitmer? She’s got a long way to go to become a national figure, as opposed to a potential kidnapping victim. Roy Cooper? (Who?) The North Carolina governor doesn’t seem to want to vie for the nomination and I have no idea of what his politics are like.

There isn’t much of an ‘‘etcetera,” either. So maybe Joe should run again, eh? He could then refuse to debate with Trump, saying: “Look: I’m busy being president. And I’m not giving a platform to a liar and a rapist.”

Happy birthday, Uncle Joe.