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R.E.M. were a band of ancient Southern spirits, released from their dimension and onto our radios when a beltway road was carved through the forest around Atlanta. For more than 30 years, barring a few monstrous digressions into glam rock, they crafted jangly soundtracks for Flannery O’ Connor stories that didn’t exist. Michael Stipe had the drive to be a pop star, but his take on the genre was an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in kudzu. 

When news of their 2011 breakup broke, it came as a shock twice-over. Not only was one of the pillars of alternative rock calling it quits, but they were speaking about it in frank, unitalicized language. These band members were not just mortal, they were the type of guys who said they were ready to “call it a day.” 

I can’t pretend I’m shiny or happy that I’ll never get to see Peter Buck and Company live. But I appreciate the band’s willingness to hang it up while they could still get along. Their 2011 album “Collapse Into Now” was the best thing the band had done in many years, deviously hinting at a possible third peak for the left-of-dial titans, but I doubt even superfans wanted to see them strain to reach it. Take a break, alt-rock greats; you’ve been on this shift too long.

It’s possible that the humility that allows someone to step away from the spotlight is incompatible with the drive that pushes them to run for higher office. Maybe spending decades dancing for donors leaves people with an empty feeling they would rather not go home and sit with. Whatever the reason, Capitol Hill is full of rapidly aging representatives who gladly go back to Congress and waste another year.

Mitch McConnell’s merely the latest lawmaker dodging questions about his health. The former Senate Republican leader from Kentucky was hospitalized nearly four weeks ago, and we haven’t heard one word from him since. While members of the GOP’s Senate leadership claim to have talked to the 84-year-old, even his state’s governor isn’t buying it. Andy Beshear demanded a sign of life from McConnell, if only to dispel conspiracy theories from MAGA corners that he is lying brain-dead in a Washington hospital. 

Of course, obsessing over the lengths Republicans will go to cover-up an aging politician's failing health focuses on the wrong problem. Politicians on either side of the aisle shouldn’t feel comfortable using important offices as a simple prop to occupy their time. It’s a problem that can make you feel crazy come election time, when both parties roll out candidates who danced the Lindy, but responses from readers recently made me feel a little less alone in my outrage over America’s gerontocracy. 

“Being a member of congress should not be a lifetime sinecure,” one wrote. 

Another said, “Not pushing Ruth Bader Ginsburg out was inexcusable.”

“I'm 72, and I think many of our leaders have lingered too long,” wrote one more. “It's the rare long-serving senator or representative who maintains their commitment to solving problems and promoting needed change after 10 years in office.”

Believe me, I understand how tempting it can be to get mad at the immediate news of the day. It’s terrible that Republicans are colluding to push fables of Walter Reed’s construction, hiding the health of one of the most powerful legislators in the country. The real shame, though, was letting McConnell run for re-election at 78. As we saw with Joe Biden’s disastrous, aborted campaign, and continue to see whenever Donald Trump goes off script, both parties need to be more willing to tell their members “You’ve had your fun, but now, it’s time.”

What do you think? Sound off in the comments.

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