tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8781383461061929571.post7400877110401603164..comments2024-03-14T09:08:19.035-04:00Comments on OR in an OB World: What's Wrong with a Gerontocracy?Paul A. Rubinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05801891157261357482noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8781383461061929571.post-64802916928610693912013-07-12T10:44:10.577-04:002013-07-12T10:44:10.577-04:00That's an interesting point about the 7% elect...That's an interesting point about the 7% elected at 35 or younger. You also make a good point about building credibility by climbing the ladder of political posts, but I suspect Ms. Wyler would consider that a negative: progress up the ladder probably requires learning not to "break a few things". (On the "sufficient wealth" front, 20-ish Internet billionaires already have the covered.)<br /><br />Your point about lower offices raises another issue, perhaps tied to the Law of Unintended Consequences. If 20-somethings go straight to Congress and skip local and state offices, do we end up having to elect grey-hairs as dog-catchers? Speaking as a representative of that constituency, there ain't too many of us who can run faster than a stray dog.Paul A. Rubinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05801891157261357482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8781383461061929571.post-33005367648316038982013-07-11T20:51:24.992-04:002013-07-11T20:51:24.992-04:00Ms. Wyler has identified a problem (or maybe just ...Ms. Wyler has identified a problem (or maybe just a fact, depending on your perspective) – Congress-people are relatively old. <br /><br />But from an OR/decision making perspective, I think she’s failed to address the question, “why?” Yes, the average age in the House is 57 years – but is that because younger people are not allowed to run? <br /><br />Here are some additional facts about the current House of Representatives:<br /><br />32 members (about 7%) were first elected when they were 35 or younger. This compares to ~11% of the population who were 20-34 in 2000 (couldn’t easily find the 2010 data).<br /><br />203 members were first elected when they were 50+ years old.<br /><br />47 members were first elected when they were 60+ years old (Paul - there's still hope for you).<br /><br />To me, this doesn’t point to an electorate that is clamoring for younger candidates. Rather, I think it reflects a tendency to elect people who have built some credibility/reputation/connections as a result of some years spent in lower-level political posts and/or have accumulated sufficient wealth to make a run for national office credible.<br /><br />And as for that comment about those “people who aren’t afraid to move fast and break a few things,” please refer to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld. (Note to NSA – that last line was a joke – really!)<br />GLRnoreply@blogger.com