I’d like to thank Leonard Pitts for verbalizing, in Wednesday’s (July 13) column, what some of us have been thinking: With democracy on the line, who cares how old Biden is?

Since the Nixon-Kennedy debates, age, youth and charisma have played a role in who is elected to political office. While younger presidential candidates capture the imagination of many, one suspects they could accomplish more if they brought more experience to the office. And, as Pitts noted, given the make-up and disposition of Congress, it’s not at all clear that Biden would be more able to break through the current log jam if he were 40 years younger.

When will Democrats learn that it’s not helpful to tear down the person who’s leading us through multiple crises? The opposing party doesn’t worry out loud that its likely candidate for 2024, if elected, would be closing in on 79 (or that he has been impeached twice and is the subject of multiple investigations).

Step back, take a deep breath and thank our stars we have a pretty darn good president.

Pamela Day
Portland