by David W. Marshall
(Trice Edney Wire) – Michael Jordan is arguably one of the best professional basketball players in NBA history. Among his many accomplishments during his illustrious career, Jordan was Rookie of the Year, five-time NBA MVP, six-time NBA champion, six-time NBA Finals MVP, and an NBA Hall of Fame inductee. Jordan’s final game as a player was on April 16, 2003, where he finished with 15 points in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Now I guess it hits me that I’m not going to be in a uniform anymore—and that’s not a terrible feeling,” Jordan said afterward. “It’s something that I’ve come to grips with, and it’s time. This is the final retirement.”
Jordan was a phenomenal athlete with a thrilling combination of grace, speed, power, artistry, and competitive desire. Yet Father Time was the only opponent the then-40-year-old Jordan could never overcome. Some current players, like Jordan, remain competitive past their basketball prime, but physical skills will eventually decline, and all players will suffer the same fate: retirement. While a 40-year-old Jordan is considered old by professional sports standards, he would be regarded as relatively young as an elected politician.
But Father Time respects no one, and he ultimately catches up with all of us. Just as Jordan concluded it was time to “hang it up,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney made the same decision when he announced that he will not seek a second term. Romney emphasized the need for a new generation of leadership. “At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-80s,” Romney, 76, said in an interview. “Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.”
Michael Jordan and Mitt Romney are two public figures. Although one is an athlete and the other a politician, both are used to applause and cheers from fans and supporters. They are used to being leaders and the sense of control that comes with it. And yes, they have egos. Too often, the egos of athletes and politicians are calling the shots when it is time for humility to take over. Athletes and politicians are similar because when their physical and mental skills erode, it is not always easy for them to accept the reality that Father Time cannot be beat. Some even look foolish trying to win an unwinnable fight when the American people know better.
A true leader understands they cannot be held captive by their pride, ego, and thirst for power when an influential and productive career has run its natural course. Like Mitt Romney, they rightfully know when it is time to step aside graciously. Not all politicians can humble themselves in this way and step aside when their visible public performance becomes the evidence that something is medically wrong.
In total, this Congress is the third-oldest in U.S. history. Among Congress’s 24 Silent Generation members (defined as those born from 1928 to 1945, the average age is 83.8, with Sen. Chuck Grassley (92) being the oldest. This is the end of the Mitch McConnell era, who is another member of the Silent Generation. The 84-year-old senator from Kentucky is not running for reelection and has not been seen by the general public in more than two months.
The McConnell team has not been straightforward with the people of Kentucky and has released fewer than a handful of statements saying he had left the rehab center and was continuing his recovery at home while still working with staff. Democrat Charles Booker, who is running to fill McConnell’s seat, is not buying Republican claims. “In an age where every time we turn on the news, there’s lies, we’re in an age of politics where dishonesty is the norm, and the lack of transparency is to be expected,” Booker told The Daily Beast. “It’s why a lot of people don’t trust politics, so no, I do not believe them. Mitch McConnell has been known to lie to our people here in Kentucky and the country throughout his career,” he added.
We know Mitch McConnell has to be in control, even when his constituents in Kentucky have a right to know the truth about the medical status of their elected representative. Although he is nearing the end of his current term, it is safe to say McConnell would never have resigned in the past due to medical reasons. This suggests older members in office from both parties may be unable to serve adequately, yet they hide it from the public.
Following President Joe Biden’s poor June 2024 debate performance, Barack Obama privately told allies that Biden’s route to reelection had become much more difficult. It was true, and Obama stated what the rest of us saw. We saw a public servant with a long, proud career who was unwilling to accept that the American people need leaders who are medically capable of performing their duties in office. This applies to the current president and all elected officials who choose to cover up what Father Time will eventually expose.
David W. Marshall is founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America”.
