'Please don't run': Robert Reich says Joe Biden should not seek reelection

19 July 2022

Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, is weighing in with his assessment of former President Joe Biden running for office again in 2024. In a new op-ed published by The Guardian, Reich, 76, admitted that he does not believe Biden should run for re-election.

According to Reich, Biden's age reportedly raises concerns for Democratic leaders and lawmakers. "Concerns about his age top the list for why Democratic voters want the party to find an alternative for 2024," Reich wrote.

At 79 years old, Biden is now the oldest president in the United States' history. If he is re-elected, he would be in his mid-eighties at when he leaves office in 2029. Reich expounded on that prospect.

"Joe Biden could easily make it until 86, when he’d conclude his second term. After all, it’s now thought a bit disappointing if a person dies before 85. Three score and ten is the lifespan set out in the Bible," he wrote. "Modern technology and Big Pharma add at least a decade and a half. 'After 80, it’s gravy,' my father used to say."

Reich noted that "Joe will be on the cusp of the gravy train. Where will it end? There’s only one possibility. I find myself reading the obituary pages with ever greater interest, noting 'Older Than Me' or 'Younger Than Me.'”

At 76, Reich shared some of his own shortcomings that have become more apparent with age and pondered how those same drawbacks could also be impacting Biden.

"My memory for names is horrible. I once asked Ted Kennedy how he recalled names and he advised that if a man is over 50, just ask 'how’s the back?' and he’ll think you know him," he recalled, confessing that "I often can’t remember where I put my wallet and keys. Certain proper nouns have disappeared altogether. Even when rediscovered, they have a diabolical way of disappearing again."

Where the president is concerned, Reich wrote, "Biden’s secret service detail can worry about his wallet, and he’s got a teleprompter for wayward nouns, but I’m sure he’s experiencing some diminution in the memory department."

He later added, "Another diminution I’ve noticed is tact. I recently gave the finger to a driver who passed me recklessly. Nowadays, giving the finger to a stranger is itself a reckless act. I’m also noticing less patience, perhaps because of an unconscious “use by” timer now clicking away. I’m less tolerant of long waiting lines, automated phone menus, and Republicans."

Reich concluded with a brief word of advice to the president: "Joe, please don’t run."

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