Is America a Gerontocracy?

 In the late 1980’s, I was asked to speak at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention held in Las Vegas. No, it was not a keynote address in the big ballroom. It was a workshop with about 80 attendees, and my topic was the graying of America and its impact on the media world. 

This was prior to streaming services and even best-selling books such as AGE WAVE. I talked about demographic trends and how certain programming was skewing older and older in terms of audience makeup. The audience was mostly receptive until I talked about the danger of intergenerational conflict to come. After some polite applause and a few innocuous questions, a few people approached me and spoke privately. They were totally in denial about what, were to me, very clear trends. One small DMA broadcaster asked me, “Do you tell your clients this nonsense.” I was able to make a graceful exit, but I had no idea how far things would go nearly 40 years later.

Today, some demographers and social analysts are now calling America a Gerontocracy or an Old-ocracy. It seems that political power and wealth is now largely in the hands of seniors in America. For more on the financial muscle of seniors see my 8/22/26 post, “Revenge of the American Geezers.” One financial statistic that surprised me was that the largest percentage of homeowners is the U.S. is Adults 70-74 and almost none have mortgages. Also, consider at the bottom of the 2008 financial crisis, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sat at approximately 6,500. Today, it is at 51,500 as I type. So, the upper middle class who did not panic in 2008-2009 are now far better off than they were then.

As we soon face a mid-term election on November 3rd, there is some talk about the age of our lawmakers. Yet, with a few exceptions (the New York major’s race most prominently), young people do not seem to be voting in big numbers. I was surprised to find that the median age of primary voters this year in Gubernatorial, US Senate and House races was 65. These people will surely be voting in a few weeks, and they will vote their interests. The most common age of donors (mode) the last few years has been 70. 

 This year some 35% of government expenditures will go to Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Some 3% will go to education.

In the primaries for the US Senate and House seats, very few sitting congressional members of age 80+ lost their nominations. One debate point that they use is that the seniority system in both the Senate and the House give them chairmanships of powerful committees. They can then have muscle in terms of bringing home the bacon to their states or districts. 

Is there a way to break this logjam? To me, the only solution would be term limits. Perhaps 18 years in Congress would seem fair. At age 75, the Senator or Congress person would have to retire. This would have to be phased in over time and the people voting on it would often be reluctant to support the bill. 

Also, this is true around the world. Look how many global leaders are greybeards. Young people in the U.S. are often delayed in buying their first homes and young Americans are often hamstrung with educational debt as well. 

Something must give but step one is for the under 40’s to get out and vote. Believe me, the seniors will.

Putting this together reminded me of the famous quote by playwright David Mamet in GLENGARRY GLENN ROSS— “Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.”

If you would like to contact Don Cole directly, you may reach him at doncolemedia@gmail.com or leave a message on the blog.