Experience vs. Young Minds - Who is best fit to lead?

After the recent Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and some of its less than impressive arguments, I began to think about just how important it is for their country and the world that an intelligent candidate wins. With a GDP of roughly 28.78 trillion

dollars, one of the P5 nations in the UN Security Council and generally the most powerful nation in the world, an unqualified leader threatens to shake our world. 

With the Democrats changing their presidential candidate from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris so late in the campaign, one might have thought this year’s election was the Republicans for the taking. However, to the surprise of many, Kamala Harris has proven herself to be up for the challenge and has looked far brighter than Joe Biden did during his reelection campaign. But why is that exactly? What makes Kamala Harris more of an appealing candidate than Biden?

A large factor in Joe Biden’s withdrawal for the US presidential race was his poor performance in a debate with Donald Trump. In that debate, the current president of the USA stumbled over words, struggled to formulate cohesive and coherent sentences, and all-in-all performed to a standard that would not be expected of the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world. At the time of this debate, Joe Biden was 81 years old and many attributed his less than average performance to his age and physical condition. While Joe Biden’s deteriorating condition was brought to light, there are several other major leaders who could definitely be considered senior citizens. That begs the question, why are most Heads of State elderly people and whether their age makes a difference in their job performance?

For most jobs, there is a prescribed retirement age, typically people retire by the time they are 65 and start receiving pensions. What is it about politics that so many senior leaders across the world are so much older? The USA is not the only example of much older people taking on the top job. For example, in India, Prime Minister Vajpayee was also very old when he took office. Given what a demanding job running a country would be, it surprises me that people can take it on so late in life.

There are several factors that may play a role in the age of politicians. These could include the fact that it takes a long time to build a successful political career or perhaps the fact that voters may have a preference towards older candidates who appear more stable and experienced than a younger candidate who may be intent on change. 

While there are many benefits to experience, a younger candidate would also have its perks. President John F Kennedy, President Macron, Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and even

President Obama were all young leaders. A politician born in the age of technology would

be able to appeal to the younger population as well and could inspire many younger people to become more active citizens. They would also be able to provide fresh and innovative solutions to problems, possibly through implementing technology. A younger candidate may be more in touch with current issues and also could be more progressive in their thinking.

However, one must consider that there are people in other professions who keep on working and even start off on second and third careers. Famous examples could be Warren Buffet who goes to work even in his 90s, or Bill Gates who recently said he wanted to keep on working (although now with his Foundation rather than Microsoft), or even Ratan Tata in India. 

So is the answer that it depends on the individual?

Experience or a fresher mind? That is up to the voter to decide. However, looking back at the upcoming US election, it will be interesting to see whether Donald Trump will get his second term in office, or whether Kamala Harris, the last minute democratic nomination will take the prize. Either way, perhaps age is just a number after all, if a person is physically and mentally fit, willing to work, and the best candidate for the job, they should take the opportunity to do it.