On X last month, when someone posted photos of Harris and Walz side by side and said, “How on earth are these two people the same age,” another user said, “Because Tim Walz taught high school. Trust me.”
Advertisem*nt
Walz, who taught at Mankato West High School in Minnesota for years, was named “Most Inspiring” by students and coached the school’s once-hapless football team to a state championship, also chimed in. “And supervised the lunchroom for 20 years. You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me.”
Oh, and don’t forget that Donald Trump, 78, is old enough to be Walz’s father.
So even with President Biden no longer in the race, age remains a staple of this election season. Trump, now the oldest presidential nominee in history, even tried to flip the script on Harris, claiming that he “didn’t realize she was 60. I thought she was a little younger, but she’s 60.”
Harris, the youngest presidential nominee since Barack Obama, will turn 60 in October.
Yet with all this ongoing chatter about age in our youth-obsessed society, those who hope to live and work in the White House for the next four years still aren’t having the right conversations about what it means to age in America.
If you aren’t thinking about your dotage, it’s probably because there are more years in front of you than behind you. There’s a seemingly harmless humor in those snarky jokes so popular on social media about anyone over 40 needing a nap before spending an evening out, walking into a room only to forget why they went there in the first place, or joints that creak with even the slightest twist or bend.
Advertisem*nt
But at a certain point — and I’ve reached that point — the wear and tear that age may inflict will keep you up at night. And it’s not just your own aging but your parents (if you’re lucky enough to still have them), siblings, extended family, and your spouse or partner. Even if you’re the world’s most meticulous planner (and preferably rich), you will never be prepared when major decisions brought on by age must be made with far too little time to make them.
This is why pressing questions about Biden’s mental acuity weren’t just political but were also very personal for many Americans. You’ll hear candidates talk, though not nearly often enough, about day care. But even though parents who aren’t stressed out about the costs of raising children are generally happier and more productive — a benefit to all — not everyone has kids.
But nearly everyone will be faced with dealing with the mental or physical ravages of age, and the impossible toll they exact emotionally and financially on millions of people caring for aging or ailing relatives every day.
Such families are often confused, overwhelmed, and unsure about where to turn. In the few months left in the strangest presidential election season in recent memory, nominees should be talking about what government services exist to help families and individuals and speak specifically about how their administrations would expand and make them easily accessible to anyone who wants or needs them.
Of course, I’m not expecting Trump or Senator JD Vance, his running mate, to utter anything ever again about aging now that they can no longer mock Biden’s advanced years. And they certainly don’t want to draw attention to the legitimate concerns about Trump’s mental fitness, which were exacerbated by his disastrous appearance last week at the National Association of Black Journalists convention.
Advertisem*nt
But at a time when the aging of baby boomers — with Gen X not that far behind — is bordering on a national crisis, the fact that something we may all endure isn’t a regular political topic is not only dismaying but unacceptable. Those who want to lead cannot talk about improving our lives while overlooking this persistent and uncomfortable issue.
Discussing the hard facts behind an aging population can be unpleasant. It certainly won’t yield many memorable sound bites or crowd pleasers. But no politician should get away with ignoring the truth that every breath draws us closer to the day when we can no longer deny that aging refuses to ignore us.
This is an excerpt from Outtakes, a Globe Opinion newsletter from columnist Renée Graham. Sign up to get this in your inbox a day early.
Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at renee.graham@globe.com. Follow her @reneeygraham.
