In fact, writes Kole, "we're at risk of becoming a full-blown gerontocracy."
"Congress is the oldest it's ever been, with one in four members over 70. And President Joe Biden, who turns 81 in November, is the oldest person to ever occupy the Oval Office."
It hasn't always been this way: "Over our 247-year history, we've had 46 presidents. Their median age? 55."
Kole, author of the new book "The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging," says it's hard to claim that the U.S. is a real representative democracy when "half the nation is under the age of 40, and only 5 percent of Congress is."
But things are unlikely to change anytime soon. "The Constitution sets only minimum ages, no maximums for key federal offices: 35 for president, 30 for the Senate and 25 for the House."
There is some evidence from Europe that countries with older leaders trail those led by younger leaders in economic growth. But there's more at stake than economics.
In the U.S., issues of great importance to younger people – student loan debt and climate change, for example – may not be as important to older leaders.
"Somehow, we need to encourage their participation without barring older citizens from holding office," Kole concludes.
Read the op-ed at TheHill.com.
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