Which old white man do you want to be President of the United States?
“How did I get here?” the Talking Heads asked in their 1980 fan favorite Once In a Lifetime.
We began the fight to crown a decent human being to offset President Donald J. Trump shortly after he was inaugurated. 29 candidates barnstormed Iowa and New Hampshire — inconsequential states by 2020 — making their case to white voters. (Please create a more diverse schedule and cancel caucuses!)
The Democrats were energized by surges throughout the campaign by the Spanish-speaking Beto O’Rourke, the black U.S. Attorney General Kamala Harris, the gay mayor Pete Buttigieg and the female senator Elizabeth Warren. But as the Super Tuesday votes were tallied, the United States was left with a foursome that belong in your local country club more than inside the Oval Office.
Bernie Sanders — born in 1941 — 79 years old
Michael Bloomberg — born in 1942 — 78 years old
Joe Biden — born in 1942 — 78 years old
Donald Trump — born in 1946 — 74 years old
The 4 elderly white men are the only viable candidates left standing after a diverse field has coalesced around former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders has his fans and Bloomberg has his billions but the final duel is sure to come down to Trump vs. Biden, the very scenario Trump feared when he reached out to Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden’s son, Hunter.
These candidates are not indicative of the nation’s demographics. 6% of the country is over 74 but 100% of our viable Presidential candidates are. Hell, even a minority 49% of the country is male, yet all 45 of our nation’s Presidents share having a Johnson in common.
Perhaps we are taught to respect men with white hair at an early age. Maybe it’s a form of childhood flattery that we can never quit.
What we do know is the old white man as President has stood the test of time. Only two Presidents in history left office under the age of 50. Only one was elected as anything but white.
In the end, the Talking Heads said it best 40 years ago. The 2020 election will end up, “same as it ever was.”
Jeremy Garrison is the co-founder of Popline and the co-host of The Sports Hangover podcast.