The more he is seen as a do-nothing grandpa, the more licence the Democratic nominee has to advance ideas that would have done for another candidate. Americans, if he wins, should not count on a quiet life.
The Soviet Union used to alternate between bald leaders and ones with formidable hair. The US, which is seldom ruled by the smooth of pate, swings around a different axis. It seems to crave a breather after each high-drama president.
The Richard Nixon years gave on to some water-treading under Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Ronald Reagan led to George H.W. Bush and the prelapsarian tranquillity of the 1990s.
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Financial Times
Janan Ganesh is the principal political columnist for the Financial Times.
