Biden for One Term

If Joe Biden is nominated and wins the election, he will be 78 by the time he’s inaugurated. In a New York Times op-ed yesterday, Timothy Egan suggests that Biden pledge that, if he’s elected, he will serve only one term. I like this idea a lot. It would allay fears of Biden remaining in office for a second-term, into his mid-eighties, with possible decreasing mental acuity and increasing risk of debilitating illness. It would also allay fears that the Democratic Party is in the grip of older people who are to a large extent stuck in the past. Biden’s V-P pick would be much younger, smart, progressive, and dynamic, and someone who would attract younger and minority voters. Names mentioned are Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, and Julián Castro. I would rule out Buttigieg, because I think broader ethnicity would be preferable to two white guys.