Age and politics

Also: I could only change so much after my divorce [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 10, 2024 Dear Cog reader, Politics dominated the news this week – for most media organizations, and for Cog. Former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift anchored our Super Tuesday coverage. Jane brings an interesting perspective – as a former chief executive, and a trailblazer for women (and mothers) in politics. I suspect her [wariness about the rematch]( now all but guaranteed to play out between Biden and Trump over next eight months may feel familiar to many of you, even if your politics differ from hers. Steve Almond handled the other big political story of the week: Biden’s State of the Union, an especially high-stakes address this year given polling showing him trailing Trump and voters’ persistent concerns about his age. Steve argues that the “Biden is old” issue is partly real (he is 81), but primarily the result of a ginned up media frenzy – not dissimilar to cries of “but her emails!” during the 2016 election. His essay is ultimately a [sharp piece of media criticism](. He singles out institutions, including the New York Times, for reporting, breathlessly, on the topic of Biden’s age, despite the fact that many of those same outlets agree there is no evidence the president’s age has compromised his ability to do the job. “The Times writes that it may be ‘impossible’ for Biden ‘to completely reassure voters about his age given the inexorable march of time,’” he explains. “This is a typical media dodge. The Times helps create a negative sentiment, then reports on that sentiment as if it had nothing to do with creating it.” All this talk about age reminded me that for years and years I lied about my age — only by a year or two, usually, but still. (It’s not something I’m proud of; [I wrote about it]( for Cog when I had a comically textbook crisis about turning 40.) But now I’ve arrived – or am trying hard to arrive – at my “age is nothing more than a number” era. Who better to role model that, than fashion icon Iris Apfel? She didn’t really hit her stride – with books, documentaries, museum exhibits, modeling gigs and a steady presence on the Home Shopping Network – until her 80s and 90s. Apfel died on March 1, at the age of 102. [Anita Diamant]( wrote a delightful piece reflecting on “geriatric starlet,” and her sartorial influence. Anita spent a few hours at a museum exhibit of Apfel’s clothing and was forever changed. There are so many fun Anita-isms in the essay, but the one that made me laugh out loud is this: “When I got home and opened the door to my closet, my first thought was: Morticia Adams.” Maybe we can all stand for a bit less black and a bit more texture in our closets? Especially as the days get longer? Seriously, be like Anita Diamant, and ask yourself: “What would Iris say?” I think we all know. Thank you for reading. P.S.— You may have seen the [headlines this week]( Our beloved WBUR is weighing a hiring freeze and job cuts in response to a stubborn and sustained decrease in advertising revenue. Our CEO Margaret Low spells it all out in a very smart – and bracingly forthright –[letter to the WBUR community]( I love this place. I love my work, and my colleagues. If WBUR is a regular part of your days, now’s the time to[pitch in](. Become a sustaining member. I promise you we’ll put it to good use. Cloe Axelson Senior Editor, Cognoscenti [Follow]( Support the news  Must Reads ['Are you a gal or a mouse': Iris Apfel changed my sartorial life]( Anita Diamant never met fashion icon Iris Apfel in person, but she did spend an afternoon among the many delights of Apfel's storied closet at a Peabody Essex Museum exhibit in 2009. The experience sent her running from black clothing, towards colors and (gasp) bold patterns. [Read more.]( ['Are you a gal or a mouse': Iris Apfel changed my sartorial life]( Anita Diamant never met fashion icon Iris Apfel in person, but she did spend an afternoon among the many delights of Apfel's storied closet at a Peabody Essex Museum exhibit in 2009. The experience sent her running from black clothing, towards colors and (gasp) bold patterns. [Read more.]( [Why is Joe Biden's age an indictment?]( There is zero evidence that Joe Biden’s age has compromised his ability to serve as president. But that hasn't stopped the media from obsessing over it, writes Steve Almond. In an eerie replay of the 2016 race, a "scandal" — manufactured by a media frenzy — is dominating the campaign. [Read more.]( [Why is Joe Biden's age an indictment?]( There is zero evidence that Joe Biden’s age has compromised his ability to serve as president. But that hasn't stopped the media from obsessing over it, writes Steve Almond. In an eerie replay of the 2016 race, a "scandal" — manufactured by a media frenzy — is dominating the campaign. [Read more.]( [It’s Super Tuesday. Focus on the race, not the wreck]( It wasn’t long ago that political veterans like me felt their hearts racing as Super Tuesday approached, writes former Gov. Jane Swift. But this year I can’t find anyone who’s enthusiastic about either candidate. Instead, I’m mostly asked, “How did we end up here, and what can we do?” [Read more.]( [It’s Super Tuesday. Focus on the race, not the wreck]( It wasn’t long ago that political veterans like me felt their hearts racing as Super Tuesday approached, writes former Gov. Jane Swift. But this year I can’t find anyone who’s enthusiastic about either candidate. Instead, I’m mostly asked, “How did we end up here, and what can we do?” [Read more.]( [I found love after divorce. But I could only change so much about myself]( When you form a new relationship as an older person, you have the chance to choose how you’re going to live, writes Henriette Lazaridis. I had the zany idea to live a Noël Coward kind of life. But that was never really me. [Read more.]( [I found love after divorce. But I could only change so much about myself]( When you form a new relationship as an older person, you have the chance to choose how you’re going to live, writes Henriette Lazaridis. I had the zany idea to live a Noël Coward kind of life. But that was never really me. [Read more.]( [ICE's wanton use of solitary confinement defies even its own standards]( Detained immigrants spent an average of 27 days in solitary confinement, well beyond the 15 days that the U.N. considers torture, write Katie Peeler, Anand Chukka, Brian Benitez and Natalie Sadlak. [Read more.]( [ICE's wanton use of solitary confinement defies even its own standards]( Detained immigrants spent an average of 27 days in solitary confinement, well beyond the 15 days that the U.N. considers torture, write Katie Peeler, Anand Chukka, Brian Benitez and Natalie Sadlak. [Read more.]( What We're Reading "It may seem inevitable that the election of 2024 will be between Mr Biden and Mr Trump. But given the oddities specific to this contest, there is more uncertainty than you might think." "[Three big risks that might tip America’s presidential election]( The Economist. "The decisions on whether, when, and how to pursue medical interventions are slow-moving, rigorous, and individualized." "[A huge misconception about medical care for trans kids]( The Boston Globe. "Time and again, Trump has faced allegations that would sink any other politician but has been handed counter-narratives — often bogus and tendentious, but nonetheless useful — to deflect and distract in an endless round of whataboutism." "[Donald Trump, the luckiest politician who ever lived]( The Washington Post. "The national crisis we face isn’t Biden’s age, but the craven and confused manner in which our Fourth Estate covers politics." — Steve Almond, "[Why is Joe Biden's age an indictment?]( ICYMI [I was the first baby born via IVF in the U.S. For the first time in my 42 years, ‘I feel like an endangered species’]( No one understands better than the infertility community that embryos are not children, Massachusetts native Elizabeth Carr — the nation's first baby born via IVF — writes in this essay for our Cognoscenti section. [Read more.]( [I was the first baby born via IVF in the U.S. For the first time in my 42 years, ‘I feel like an endangered species’]( No one understands better than the infertility community that embryos are not children, Massachusetts native Elizabeth Carr — the nation's first baby born via IVF — writes in this essay for our Cognoscenti section. [Read more.]( If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? 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