Opener / Peter Firth
Benefit of experience
During the 1984 US presidential debates, the 73-year-old Ronald Reagan – the oldest ever occupant of the Oval Office – was questioned by a journalist from the Baltimore Sun about whether he had the stamina to continue doing the top job. The former Hollywood actor replied, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
Now it appears that former vice-president Joe Biden (a sprightly 76) is preparing to toss his hat into the ring for a run at the 2020 presidency. Biden outstrips the other Democrat candidates in experience and a successful campaign would see him surpass Reagan’s record as the oldest commander in chief.
Currently there is a propensity towards fresh-faced heads of state – Trudeau, Macron and Sánchez to name a few – but Lance Price, former adviser to UK prime minister Tony Blair, thinks there might be a shift underway where an unsettled public will vote in a tried-and-tested veteran instead. “There are times when nations are so uncertain, and feeling insecure, that perhaps they will turn to somebody with Joe Biden’s experience,” he told The Briefing.
Price believes that Reagan’s joshing reply reminded viewers that, in some scenarios, an old hand on the tiller is better than a young one.