The 2024 political season is in full swing, as candidates do everything within their power to get out the vote and to make every vote count.

I might have to go to the store for microwave popcorn so that I can pop some and watch the election returns. It doesn’t sound like we’ll know who’s President until at least the next day, but hopefully there will be a good indication by midnight.

As the candidates scramble, President Biden is simply going about his business when it comes to running the country for three more months.

He unfortunately didn’t quit the race on his own terms. Instead he was pressured by Democratic Party leaders that he needed to step aside because he’s too old, because he’s started to lack the dynamic qualities needed in a presidential candidate.

It’s a situation where portrayal in the national media shaped public perception. The perception then became the reality.

The media, especially the conservative media, constantly speculated about Biden’s age. They seemed to think of him as a doddering old fool, someone who had been in Washington D.C. for too long, someone who at times gets confused or answers a question in a way that’s incomplete.

A few journalists have pointed out that Trump has done the same kind of thing at times. No president has ever completely mastered every angle of every issue. That’s an impossible task for any human being.

It’s time that someone speaks up for Biden. He deserves at least a modest amount of credit for what he’s accomplished.

He should also be credited with his decision to retire. He stepped aside for the good of his party. He held the delegates needed to earn the nomination, but chose not to throw the Democratic convention into chaos. It was one more thing that showed he’s been a class act as president.

He’s doing important work right now. He’s trying to bring peace to the Middle East. He’s leading the effort to help hurricane victims in southeastern states. Those are just two examples of what’s happening.

All of his prior life experiences are helping him to address those issues. As a senator, as chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relation Committee, and as Obama’s vice president, he gained many opportunities to add to his knowledge.

In the 1980s there were people who thought Ronald Reagan was too old to be President because he was 70 when he started. Reagan proved them wrong by serving two terms.

Now we have an 82-year-old president, and a big reason for it is how there’s been a change in the way most people regard old age.

Senior citizens are living longer. On the average they’re healthier and more mentally alert. It’s a process called vital aging; something that came about because of a combination of medical advances, exercise, and much needed socialization.

I think it’s good when senior citizens get involved in their communities after they finish their careers. We have at least several dozen shining examples in Marshall. Many of them can be found at the Adult Community Center and at Southwest Minnesota State University’s Gold College.

The list of active senior citizens includes Marshall’s mayor. Bob Byrnes has been mayor for 31 years, almost half his life.

Voters have continued to decide that Bob is not too old to be Mayor. They also don’t think he’s had the job for too long. He’s just always been very well suited for it.

It was decided this summer that it wouldn’t work to have Biden remain President until the age of 86. Who knows what would have happened? It might have been possible.

I won’t be surprised if someday we have an 86 year old President. The vital aging trend is very likely to continue. It could accelerate in the years to come.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent