Let’s face it, Joe Biden has an age issue. He already has the distinction of being the oldest person ever elected president at age 77. If he were to win reelection, he would be 81 years old on election day, turning 82 just weeks later, on November 20.

But Old Joe can actually use his advanced years to his benefit if he simply employs some smarts, just as Ronald Reagan did when his age was being used against him.

Here are just a few examples of how Joe can tout his longevity, on the campaign trail, as it has allowed him to be present for some of the most important moments in American history:

When talking about being a proud American

Biden could say, even though he was very young, he recalls standing outside Independence Hall, straining to hear the voices of the Founding Fathers as they put pen to paper. He can talk about how he felt a swell of patriotic pride as he watched them declare our independence from Great Britain. 

When talking about his strength and vigor

Biden can tell voters about the time he helped row Washington across the icy Delaware River, braving the elements and the British soldiers. He can describe how tired he was, how his hands were numb from the cold, but his heart was warmed by the bravery of our founding father.

When talking about how he got interested in politics

Biden could describe how he snuck into one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, hiding behind a stack of hay bales as he listened to the two men go back and forth. He could talk about how impressed he was with Lincoln’s eloquence and his commitment to preserving the Union. Yes, that’s when young Joe knew a political career was for him!

Mr. President, you’re a walking, talking book on American history! Use your age, and vast experiences, to your advantage.

And hey, a little exaggeration can’t hurt. It worked for George Santos!

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It is no exaggeration, our democracy is hanging by a thread, being tested like never before. Four years of the most corrupt, and incompetent, president in our nation’s history … along with a political party that failed to remove him from office when it had the chance, twice, … will do that.

For those who thought once Trump was voted out of office things would get back to normal, you weren’t paying attention. For those who thought Republicans would come to their senses once Captain Chaos was stripped of his power, you never understood the sheer evil of Mitch McConnell and his band of obstructionists.

But here’s the thing. Trump and his seditionist Republicans are today threatening our democracy as a direct result of two monumentally bad decisions by the Roberts Court.

First came Citizens United.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court held that corporations are people with First Amendment rights and their money is free speech. This decision reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and unleashed floods of dark money to corrupt our politics and foul our democracy. As former president Jimmy Carter put it, this ruling was nothing short of “legalized bribery.”

Then came Shelby County v. Holder.

In another 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law that required certain states with a history of discrimination against minority voters to get changes cleared by the federal government before they went into effect. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts wrote there was no longer any need for the law because, since the law’s enactment, “things have changed dramatically.” That racial discrimination had come to an end was news to many Americans, especially black Americans.

Within days of the Court’s decision, states that were covered by the Voting Rights Act began to enact new voting restrictions. Who could have seen that!

Elections have consequences. Donald Trump, in one term, nominated three young Supreme Court justices to lifetime appointments, giving the conservative bloc a 6-3 majority.

It’s hard to think that because of the new far-right conservatives on the bench, John Roberts is today considered a moderate! (OK, moderate conservative).

We know beyond a doubt that Trump, and his rabid base, does not believe in democracy. We know today’s Republicans do not take seriously their sworn oath to the Constitution, if they ever did.

When that decisive case comes before the Supreme Court, the one determining whether democracy lives or dies, what will it be for the Court’s conservatives?  Will it be partisanship over country, like it is for those who put them in power? 

I can’t help thinking of that other disastrous Supreme Court decision … Bush v. Gore.

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