New day, new leaders

I’m at the age (76) where conversations with old friends turn into “organ recitals.”

Who has what illness or ailment?

Who did your knee/hip/heart/shoulder/prostate surgery?

How are Joe, Mary, et al getting along with their (fill in the blank)?

No matter how sharp you are or what good shape you’re in, you start losing it at 70.

And the 80s hit hard.

But too many politicians – reluctant to give up power and determined to stay relevant – hang on too long.

Look at Trump, who’ll be 79 next month. Listen to him rambling and ranting about trophy wives and drag shows in his hour-long speech to graduating cadets at West Point.

Look at Congress. Last week, just before House Republicans rammed through Trump’s 1,000-page Big Billionaires’ Bonanza Bill by a margin of one vote, 75-year-old Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia died of cancer.

And, of course, there’s the sad saga of President Biden.

For four years, a Democratic friend who’s well into his 80s and lives at a retirement center in Raleigh told me, “Biden’s too old to run again. Believe me. I see it and live it every day.”

A big reason North Carolina Democrats did so well in 2024 was that we offered new, younger leaders.

Governor Josh Stein is 58. Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt just turned 60. Attorney General Jeff Jackson is 42. Newly reelected Justice Allison Riggs is 44. And State Party Chair Anderson Clayton, now a two-year-veteran, is 27.

There are talented young Democrats in the legislature and local offices – and more across the state who want to run for something.

It’s time for us Baby Boomer Democrats to step aside and lift up the next generation of leaders.

We had our day. And it was a hell of a day.

It’s a new day now.

Photo: New day at Cape Lookout.