I think I insulted Senator Chuck Grassley when I asked him five years ago about his future in office and about a voter’s fear that he would leave before his current term was up.
It was during a Register Editorial Committee meeting in October 2016 that Grassley requested the Register’s approval for his re-election.
“You know you are really asking me a question you should be asking God,” replied the senator. “Because it would only end when I am incapacitated or dead.”
The voter I was referring to had been particularly concerned that the governor would appoint someone to fill the remainder of the term in case Grassley did not complete his term. And he didn’t trust this selection process.
Grassley further asked if this was related to the speculation, which he called unfounded, that he intended to step aside and position his grandson to take his seat in the US Senate. Pat Grassley is now the Speaker of the Iowa House.
Then he asked, “It had nothing to do with the fact that I’m 83?”
I winced and replied, “Possibly.”
The 88-year-old senator has chosen to seek an eighth six-year term after serving in the electoral office for 62 years. Agree or reject this choice, or at least he made one. When I retire, I go back and forth, sometimes several times a day.
Assess age discrimination and the benefits of experience
If you’re expecting a column on Grassley’s policies, his record, or whether he should be re-elected, this isn’t it. The point here is to know whether you should stick to the meaningful work that you have been doing for a (very) long time and feel that you have mastered it, or give it up.
I’m a couple of decades younger than Grassley. In fact, I was around the age he started running, which he often calls evidence of his physical fitness. “Well, tell him to run with me one morning,” he replied to the man I was referring to in 2016. Back then, the senator ran three miles four days a week, went to bed at 9 p.m., and woke up at 4 a.m.
But my official retirement age is getting closer, which has become some kind of marker, forcing me to judge whether I’m where I should be in life. In practical terms, this just means that I am entitled to social security, which I do not want to live on fully.
This exchange with Grassley made me wince because I was more aware of age discrimination. Too many good workers are being pushed out of their jobs as a result. Sometimes it has little to do with job performance and a lot to do with employers saving money on wages and benefits by hiring younger employees.
In some cases of women, as has been suggested by several former television presenters, it may be because of their changing looks.
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But what about the benefits of institutional memory, the relationships that have been built over the years with the audience or voters, the depths of knowledge that come with the experience? People should be judged on their qualifications, mental and physical wellbeing, ability to think on their feet and make informed judgments.
The recently interviewed Iowans seem to have no problem with Grassley’s age. A majority of the 620 likely voters who responded voted him 55% to 37% ahead of Democratic former Congressman Abby Finkenauer, with 7% unsure. In contrast, in June, with no Democratic opponent named, 64% said they would prefer a new candidate to Grassley.
A friend of mine around Grassley’s age, who has had an illustrious career and is still working, sees a difference between 80 and 90. At the end of an eighth term, at 70 in the electoral office, Grassley would be 95 years old. She believes that the mental clarity will decrease by then.
Iowa voters, especially Republicans, tend to favor incumbents. Most prefer what they know and think is a safe bet over a potentially more dynamic but less experienced opponent.
But are we able to judge our own continued relevance through the ages as we age?
Are you sticking to a dream job? Jump into a second act?
Grassley, who first joined the Iowa House of Representatives in 1959, isn’t just running; he also tweeted voraciously and kept up with the trends on social media. But one area where I believe his views are out of date is his understanding of changed manners and inappropriate sexual behavior. Donald Trump’s recorded remarks about the grasping of women did not prevent Grassley from endorsing his presidential run. And Grassley presided over the Senate Judiciary Committee during the sexual assault testimony of current Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but pushed for a quick confirmatory vote.
I, on the other hand, have less affinity for Twitter and sometimes stumble across the changing lexicon – for example when someone texted “I’m down”, and I meant it under the weather rather than on board. But I’m on the changing dynamics of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, and immigration.
I was able to relate to what Grassley said to Register reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel when she was debating running again. “Sometimes I feel like I’m making a decision, at some point I will regret a lot.”
“I think I could use the excuse that I have things that are not finished,” he said, “but I would say that when I was 125 years old. Because everything will never be finished.”
But he returned, relying on his identity as a farmer, and said farmers are not retiring.
For me there is no model for such a decision. Journalists have long been known. Look at Bob Woodward. But in an industry that is changing so quickly, this is more of an exception.
My parents reached the mandatory retirement age of the United Nations at the age of 60. That meant giving up not only their lifelong careers, but America, where they had spent most of their adult lives. But in retirement, completely new worlds opened up to them. From India, my mother worked as a UN advisor in Afghanistan, founded a non-profit organization to promote women, produced films and wrote a book. My father traveled the world and wrote some of his best novels and poems.
I love my job of writing opinions and have never wanted to do anything else since I started 32 years ago. But sometimes I wonder if I might have a worthwhile second act when I leave, when I’m still energetic enough to travel the world, spend time in India, be open to unexpected new opportunities.
Rekha Basu:My journey to see my grandson was just the beginning. The next pursuit is to be worthy of it.
A much younger friend asks how I could even consider quitting my dream job. In a way, it would be in line with how I moved from Albany, New York to Des Moines 30 years ago to work for the registry: for fun. My husband was still working in newspaper management in New York and made twice as much. He and our 5 year old stayed. I brought the baby with me. People here suspected marital problems, but the opposite was the case: I came because of a dream he supported. We made a promise it would work (which eventually meant they would join me here).
To retire now would also be a leap of faith, but without a clear path. And I would do it alone With all the arguments in favor of it, including perhaps making room for younger voices and visions, there are so many reasons not to do it: I love this work, the rewarding interactions it brings with people, the changes that can result from standing up for a particular person and position, an unknown presidential candidate, a rape victim, and broader social justice.
What would I do if not that? Where would i be Who would i be
Is 30 years too long for a single person to enjoy such a privileged position?
What do you think? If I could draw lessons and inspiration from your experience, email me and let me know how you have approached retirement or some other life changing decision like this and how it worked out.
Thanks very much.
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