What “Too Old” Really Means in the COVID Era

Everyone who has noticed the ageism in US Presidential politics has an opinion as to (1) whether the incumbent Joe Biden is indeed "too old" and/or(2) how best to rebut the Republican-leaning accusation.What is entirely missing from the discussion is whether there is a context larger than a single election, in which the keyword is the new ageism, a renewed bias against old age and disability.Lurking in the background still are the COVID deaths of 1.2 million Americans; and even more salient, public knowledge that a staggering percentage of them were over sixty-five: over 80% in 2020 (Tejada-Vera and Kramarow) and 92% in 2022 (Kekatos).Many people would like to forget the frightening time before the vaccine,