Letter From America

Marion McKeone: US mulls terms limits as country now ruled by elderly and infirm

Congress age limits alone wouldn’t weed out peddlars of extremism and hate, but supporters of term limits face serious pushback from ageing politicians unwillingly to give up the prestige and power of their roles

A question of competence: Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, 81, freezes during a press conference; 90-year-old Democrat Dianne Feinstein, wheelchair-bound and frail, has needed prompting by colleagues. Picture: Getty

America is being ruled by a gerontocracy. Which is arguably an improvement on the kakistocracy of the Trump era. But when it comes to politics, as well as the public mood, America is becoming greyer by the day.

One of the few things Americans seem united on – if a recent poll is anything to go by – is a desire for term limits: 82 per cent of Republicans and almost 80 per cent of ...