On the Court

Age in Politics

I am over 70 now, and in an effort to stay healthy, and I admit somewhat vain about my appearance, I go to the gym every weekday morning and play basketball.  I have always loved the game and when I was young, I played all the time.  I wasn’t very good.  I was skinny, wore thick glasses, and was not the poster child for the sport of basketball.  Getting older, I got bigger and ditched the glasses via LASIK—OMG, an amazing new visual world—and I got a whole new game.  But that is not the real subject.

When I was younger, I could play the game for hours.  Run up and down the court with the boys and do it all again the next day.  I wasn’t all that good; I didn’t get the playing time because I didn’t have a good outside shot, and I had very little experience.  Back in the day, if I tweaked an ankle, it was better in a day or so, no worries.  Now, it’s not the case.  I can’t run full speed with the boys all day anymore, and if I tweak an ankle, recovery time is more like a week.  But my game now is on a different level.  My outside shot has never been better in my life; I am deadly from the outside. I am not running full-speed up and down the court, but I am on the court and more of a factor in the game than ever before, and certainly better than those young, inexperienced, free-shooting kids.  But the game is more than shooting, and my passing the ball is now on target.  I can hit a guy breaking for the basket, and no-look passes are commonplace for me. 

After all these years, why?  Why is my game so much better? Two words: practice and experience.  Over sixty years of shooting baskets and years of knowing the game, that is, how to support the team with unselfish passes, has made all the difference.  I am a good basketball player, but more importantly, I am a good teammate.

President Joe Biden is on my team.  His shooting and passing are better than ever; he’s the best on the court.  Okay, I am not talking about the basketball court.  I am talking about the court of politics.  President Biden has been practicing on the court of world politics since 1973; he has perfected his shot on the basket, or in this case, governing, through years of service.   I can’t think of anyone with more experience on the court than Joe Biden.

Shooting is one part of the game, but passing is essential as well.  On the basketball court, it’s about hitting the open player or anticipating where the player will be and delivering the pass just at the right time and place.  Doing that takes timing and experience.  You don’t learn that in a day.  Joe Biden doesn’t “hog the ball” and take all the shots; he understands the team and works with them to know when to pass or submit the legislation and when to feed the other player to take the shot.  Joe is a team player.   

In basketball, no one likes the ball hog or the guy who takes center stage and shouts his own paise in wins and then blames others for the games we lost.  In basketball, we celebrate, admire, and want to be with the player who makes the team better.  The experienced, leader and contributor that leads us to victory for the team’s sake.  Joe Biden is the experience leader that has led us to victory after victory and will continue to lead our team, and the world’s team.

On my team, I don’t need Joe Biden to run full court. I need him to be on the court—as always.  I need him to take the outshot shots and deliver the passes as only an experienced player can.  My team needs a practiced and experienced player, and President Biden is that man. 

Too old to be President? It may take him a bit longer to get to the podium, but when he is there his game is spot on.  He speaks of Team America winning, not of personal victory.  He is a man of honor who speaks of justice for everyone, not some injustice inflicted on him.  He is a man of integrity who speaks to all team members, all Americans, not just the ones who look like him or think like him.  Joe Biden is America’s best player on the court. Too old to be President? Not by a long shot.

Who do you want on your court?

The Office of the President of the United States is all about Honor and integrity, and the rest is just crap.  Thus ends the lesson.