A teleprompter allowed President Joe Biden to present his State of the Union address with a rapid-fire list of what he says his administration has accomplished since taking office. But it can’t hide the fact that, as the oldest president in U.S. history, he would be 82 before even beginning a second term.
With that in mind, it’s hard to believe he could maintain the energy and intellectual demands his office requires for another four years.
Having spent more than half his life in our nation’s capital as a senator and vice president, his experience is far from that of the real world of ordinary citizens. His party needs a candidate like a state governor who has been re-elected, which would show the person was successful enough to be worthy of a second term. This would also demonstrate that he or she has the personality and administrative skills indicating an ability to work with members of both major political parties to achieve significant goals.
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Biden’s predecessor, whose unwillingness to abide by his oath to support the U.S. Constitution makes him unfit for any office, is now also apparently in the race. After four years of leading our country largely through self-centered impulse, he was rejected by millions of lawfully cast votes, and reacted by mounting an insurrection to keep himself in power anyway.
Since he would turn 80 less than 17 months after a 2025 inauguration, we can only hope that the first announced presidential contender within the party he seduced into submission will be followed by others who recognize that neither the party nor the country could endure a repeat of his toxic leadership.
Both the Democratic and Republican parties must come up with more vigorous and capable candidates for president in 2024.
J.L. Stern, Highland Park
Cardinal’s ‘sin’
I was quite surprised to see in news reports that Cardinal Blase Cupich has spoken out against a proposed labor ordinance. The Catholic Church has long spoken out about the rights of workers, but often fails to practice what it preaches. The Cardinal gaslights everyone in his letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the City Council by ignoring the religious exemption, and disingenuously says that this rule might cause Catholic Charities to stop its work with marginalized communities.
We’ve already seen this kind of gaslighting around LGBTQ equality. under the guise of “religious freedom.” So many people in the Catholic Church do so much good work as educators, advocates, social workers, and in direct response to those in need. They should be paid what they’re worth. Many of these workers are women, who often make great personal sacrifices and are already treated like second class citizens in the Catholic Church.
I thought better of this “Francis bishop”, but we see what his true priorities are. It’s not his flock.
Jason L. Miller, Washington, D.C.
