As we head into the 2024 Election season, one question looms over the nomination of President Joe Biden for another term. Is he too old for another term? This may be a question you are asking yourself, or one that you would like to be able to discuss with others who feel that the answer is yes. So let’s look into some talking points, because to be clear up front, I think Joe Biden is just old enough to serve as President of the United States in 2024. Could we have another younger President? Absolutely – but we are talking about Joe Biden in particular, and I don’t think I would have voted for him when he was younger. And since he ran unsuccessfully in both 1988 and 2008, I am not alone in this position.
Joe Biden was born in 1942- November 20th to be exact. As of today, he is 81 years old, and will be on election day this November. If elected again, he would be 82 at the inauguration.
He was elected to the senate 1973, and was sworn into office at 30 years old. At that time, he thought that Roe v Wade was wrongly decided. At 30, I would not have wanted Joe Biden to be President.
In 1981 at 39 years old – with almost 10 years of the senate under his belt, he voted for a failed constitutional amendment allowing states to overturn Roe v Wade. He voted the same way in 1982. At 39, I would not have wanted Joe Biden to be President.
In 2006 at 64 years old, he stated in an interview that “I do not view abortion as a choice and a right. I think it’s always a tragedy.” At 64, I would not have wanted Joe Biden to be President.
However, in 2024, at 81 years old, Joe Biden, a devout Roman Catholic, and President of the United States, has supported Roe v Wade since 2019. He is also in favor of repealing the Hyde Amendment.
At 81, he devoted a portion of his 2024 State of the Union address to this topic. Part of his statement read “There are state laws banning the right to choose, criminalizing doctors, and forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states as well to get the care they need. Many of you in this Chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom. My God, what freedoms will you take away next? In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote, “Women are not without – electoral or political power.” No kidding. Clearly, those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America. They found out though when reproductive freedom
was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again, in 2024. If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you, I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again!”
At 81, Joe Biden is the president I want supporting women’s access to healthcare and abortion rights.
On the topic of Student Loan Debt – Elizabeth Warren famously pushed Student Debt relief during the 2020 primary. Although she ultimately lost, and Joe Biden won, he adopted the stance that Student Debt could be erased. And he did it, not the $50,000 per student as Warren had proposed, but $10,000 per student.
The Supreme Court struck it down.
Recently Senator Warren stopped by Pod Save America and had this to say “You know what a lot of politicians would do at that point – they would say I tried, done, okay didn’t work let’s not advertise it. Because it didn’t win, let’s just back away as quietly as we can and hope everybody forgets… not Joe Biden. Literally the afternoon that the Supreme Court opinion had come out in the morning he said – so what else could we do? How else can we cancel debt? Because he had become convinced people needed help so the question was – “How can we get help to them?” (you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCMIXR8h4oY)
Since then Joe Biden has worked tirelessly to find and fix failed student loan debt cancellation programs. Just a few days ago, the White House announced another $6 Billion in Student Debt Cancellation for 78,000 Public Service Workers. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/21/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-nearly-6-billion-in-student-debt-cancellation-for-78000-public-service-workers/
He has impressed Senator Warren with this accomplishment. He is picking up whatever tools he can to cancel student debt, and so far in his administration, almost 4 million people have benefited from this work, and Joe Biden is “staying after it”- Senator Warren.
At 81, this is the President that I want for working Americans that need someone to stay after it.
I’m not concerned about his age now, he became President when he was ready to lead the country in the right direction. So, I’m not worried, I’m hopeful, because we are in the Age of Biden.
References:
Wikipedia: Political Positions of Joe Bidenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Joe_Biden#:~:text=Biden%20was%20a%20major%20author,to%20be%20scrapped%20or%20overhauled.
NBC News: Joe Biden’s long evolution on abortion rights still hold surprises https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/biden-s-long-evolution-abortion-rights-still-holds-surprises-n1013846
The White House Statement from President Joe Biden on Nearly 6 Billion in Student Debt Cancellation for 78,000 Public Service Workers https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/21/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-nearly-6-billion-in-student-debt-cancellation-for-78000-public-service-workers/
The White House Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address As Prepared for Delivery https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/03/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery-2/
Pod Save America Huge Verdict Against Trump (with Sen Elizabeth Warren) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCMIXR8h4oY
