Tom Minear: What a missing politician revealed about America’s gerontocracy

While Republicans have delighted in Joe Biden’s decline, Tom Minear argues they have had little to say about one of their own who secretively stopped coming to Congress.

Joe Biden has apparently been telling people recently he could have beaten Donald Trump had he stayed in the election race.

The irony, apparently lost on him, is that the 82-year-old has at the same time all but given up pretending he is capable of being the president.

The White House is no longer trying to deceitfully demonstrate his vigour. Instead, he has been completely shielded from scrutiny, ignoring questions about everything from the New Orleans terror attack to his controversial calls to pardon his son and commute death sentences handed to evil criminals. How he expected to serve four more years is hard to comprehend.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Medal of Honor Ceremony in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 3. Picture: Chris Kleponis / AFP

Gleeful Republicans have predictably celebrated Mr Biden’s decline. They have been decidedly quieter, however, about the even more humiliating demise of one of their own.

Texas congresswoman Kay Granger was the chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee until March, when she stepped down after deciding not to seek a 15th term in November.

The 81-year-old was due to remain in Congress until the end of the year, but it emerged shortly before Christmas that she had not cast a vote in the House since July.

This was a not insignificant problem for her party, which held a razor-thin majority that was often put to the test by floor-crossing rebels. So where was Ms Granger?

While her staff kept posting on her social media accounts, making her look like a busy local representative, she had moved into a retirement village and was struggling with dementia. Only when this was reported by a local news outlet did the congresswoman come clean about what she said were “some unforeseen health challenges over the past year”.

Rock star Bono receives the Medal of Freedom from US President Joe Biden during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC, January 4. Picture: Chris Kleponis / AFP

The problem with the Washington DC gerontocracy – which is typified by Mr Biden but also includes so many congressional leaders – is not just that such health issues can creep up quickly on older politicians and prevent them fulfilling their duties. It is that this culture has emboldened them to lie about their capacity to serve to the constituents who elected them.

Which brings us back to Mr Trump, who for all his attacks on Mr Biden has long been careful to target his mental fitness rather than his age in general. After all, at 78, Mr Trump will in a fortnight become the oldest man to be sworn in as America’s president.

Perhaps he has considered that but there for the grace of God goes he.

Originally published as Tom Minear: What a missing politician revealed about America’s gerontocracy