No offense to Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell. But America needs more young leaders

“The times, they are a-changing,” Bob Dylan sang 57 years ago amid the tumult of the 1960s. Since then, the times have kept changing – at a faster and faster pace.

Today, we watch billionaires fly into space on our handheld microcomputers while a friend in Brooklyn texts us photos of Dylan live in concert.

Technological advancements are obvious but social, political and international changes have been equally significant. Our society and the world at large look a whole lot different than they did half a century ago.

That’s why we need a political class offering fresh ideas, innovative solutions and the ability to anticipate near-term changes. Instead, they remain mired in the past.

Our leaders are well past retirement age

America today is less a democracy than a gerontocracy.

Joe Biden is 79, the oldest president in U.S. history. He replaced the 74-year-old who ran against him.

The House of Representatives is led by Nancy Pelosi who, at 81, is the oldest Speaker in U.S. history. Her lieutenants are up there too: Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is 82, and Majority Whip James Clyburn is 81.

The Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is the spring chicken of the bunch at a mere 71, while Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is 79.

As much grief as baby boomers get, Biden, McConnell, Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn belong to the Silent Generation. Most of them were potty-trained before we entered World War II.

For comparison, the median age for Americans is 38.1. That’s less than half the age of all the above, excepting Schumer.

The only outliers in D.C. leadership are Vice President Kamala Harris and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who are 57 and 56. Everyone else would have retired years ago if they worked in the public sector.

This isn't so much about age, but diversity

We wish all of them the best health and many more happy years. All of us are getting older and will be lucky to live as long as Speaker Pelosi.

Having one or two politicians in their twilight years isn’t a big deal. But when most America’s leaders are past the average life expectancy, problems are foreseeable. Even without a virus that targets the elderly.

The Soviet Union experienced this a few years before its fall. When Leonid Brezhnev died at age 75, he was replaced by Yuri Andropov who died after 14 months, then Konstantin Chernenko who died after 11 months.

Ultimately, this isn’t an argument about age but diversity. In such a fast-moving world, we shouldn’t be dominated by a group three to four decades older than their average constituent.

The ideal makeup would be a few innovative young pols moderated by a few wise elders. Looking at the state of things, innovation and wisdom are in short supply. Maybe they’re stuck on a container ship off Long Beach.

Congress needs a range of ages in leadership

Congress can barely legislate outside of 2,000-page omnibus bills adding to our $29 trillion debt. Party bosses radicalize their bases while ignoring the massive group of Americans who identify as independents or totally checked out of politics. All prefer short-term fixes since they’ll never have to deal with long-term effects.

The nation was better run with age diversity. The average age of all our presidents is 55. Heck, the average age for signers of the Declaration of Independence was 40. Our political culture would be more innovative, forward-thinking and problem-solving if a wide range of generations were represented at the top.

Perhaps in the midterms, we’ll consider a diversity of ages to be as much of a strength as diversity in gender and race. Then a few of our leaders can enjoy their retirement and take in a Dylan concert.

Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Republic and azcentral.com. On Twitter: @exjon.