RON HART: Unless you’re a lobbyist, the Washington, D.C. gerontocracy is failing us all.
Even for the left, it is getting harder to ignore the aging of Joe Biden that is happening before our eyes. Biden takes as many vacations as an 80-year-old in retirement with no job.
As of this writing, Biden is at one of his beachfront homes, fighting back rising sea levels for us. By one estimate, he has vacationed 40% of his tenure as president, which I take as a positive; it means things could have been 60% percent worse.
Even though Joe Biden could throw himself a successful surprise party, he is not the only one aging out in Washington. Senators Mitch McConnell and Dianne Feinstein are on their last legs. They have too much power for their parties to let them step down. Along with Biden, they have become Weekend at Bernie’s politicians.
Propped up by their lobbyists, staff and benefactors to perpetuate their power for the benefit of those who bought and paid for them, our gerontocracy shuffles on.
Maybe I am too hard on lobbyists. We need them. Who else would pay $550,000 for Hunter Biden’s artwork? “Three Dogs Playing Poker while Smoking Crack” art is in the eye of the beholder.
It probably does not matter how mentally impaired those in Congress are (Senator John Fetterman of PA comes to mind). With votes dictated by their party leaders, D.C. is shirts and skins; everyone votes as they are told along party lines. For years now, there has been no real debate or intellectual swaying of opinions.
Caligula sent a horse to the Senate. We just send part of the horse.
Plus: “The difference between a prostitute and a politician? No one would walk up three flights of stairs at one in the morning to spend time with a politician.”