NewsWire: 9/19/2020
- In an op-ed, columnist John F. Harris reflects on Joe Biden as an embodiment of Silent Generation values. If elected, Biden would be not only the oldest person to ever become president, but also the first from his generation, and would likely strike a sharp contrast with his younger, brasher peers. (Politico)
- NH: Earlier this week, I commented on our nation’s conspicuously old public officials. (See “Why Does America Have Old Leaders?”) If elected, Joe Biden would be a prime example--at age 77, the oldest person by far to ever to be first elected president. He would also be the first president from the Silent Generation, which is the subject of John Harris’s Politico essay.
- In the media, Biden’s low-key, everyman persona isn’t often discussed in the context of his generation. But Harris puts it well: “[Biden represents] classic Silent Generation values. This group put a premium on organizational responsibility. They respected establishment institutions and worked hard to follow the rules and rise within them. They did not issue bracing challenges to government, universities and business.”
- The Silent kept their heads down, took few risks, and were rewarded for playing by the rules. When it came to the presidency, as a result, they’ve always been overshadowed, first by the G.I.s and later by the Boomers. (See “Last Chance for the Silent Generation to Lead.”) In terms of political leadership, they’re a recessive generation: one that’s played plenty of strong supporting roles, but rarely the lead.
- In ordinary times, Biden’s dutiful ethos fades into the background. But in a time of crisis, that quality can possibly work in his favor. As Harris points out, the most distinctive thing about Biden isn’t really his personality but his long history of service. He first became a senator in 1972 and has worked alongside nearly 20% of the 1,984 people who have served in the Senate since then. He is deeply invested in shoring up our institutions and getting things back to "normal."
- Yet Biden’s approach, which tends toward wanting to please everyone, puts him at risk of not pleasing anyone. On the one hand, the voters who believe the system is deeply dysfunctional and want radical change don’t want things to go back to normal. On the other, many voters--even those who like him personally--may fear he will be steamrolled by more forceful Democrats, especially those on his left.
- Like Nancy Pelosi (another Silent leader), Biden would be an old-school moderate representing a party that over time has moved further and further left--meaning he wouldn’t just be facing opposition from across the aisle, but also a revolt from within his own party. Biden might want to bring the establishment back, but he may be unable to control young progressives whose hearts were set on Bernie. And that could lead to giant yet unpopular initiatives or, more likely, chaos in the White House. Maybe not much different, in its own way, than what we have now.
