What Joe Biden Could Learn From Betty White About Aging in Public

In American politics, there is a difference between being old and seeming old — especially when appearing on TV. In her younger political years, Nancy Pelosi was not great in front of the cameras, but she has since morphed into a master of the medium. At 84, she conveys zip, sparkle, flair. She looks as if she’s having fun and, as often as not, as though she is itching to put someone in his place.

Hillary Clinton, 76, increasingly seems like your salty, no-nonsense aunt. Bernie Sanders is old and super cranky but often shows more passion on the Sunday morning news programs than people half his 82 years. Donald Trump is old, but you don’t often notice he’s 78 through all the yelling. On TV, he looks ready to burst through your screen — which I find unsettling, but his fans really seem to enjoy.

Then there’s Joe Biden, whose urgent challenge in the high-stakes presidential debate on Thursday is precisely this: how to be old on TV without seeming old — or worse, elderly.

Mr. Biden is an effective president, but most people don’t watch how someone looks, sounds and moves on TV and think purely about his policy record. And “old” in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Coming across like an old friend, an old hand or even a grumpy old man can have plenty of upside, conveying warmth, experience, humor or a self-deprecating touch.

But seeming “elderly” can conjure up thoughts of frailty and a fading spirit. Betty White got old, but she never seemed elderly on TV. She never lost that twinkle in her eye or that wicked wit — both of which, honestly, today’s grim politics could use more of. And who among us wouldn’t still love to party with Paul McCartney or Willie Nelson?

Unfortunately for Mr. Biden, a huge chunk of Americans feel that he has tipped over the line from elder statesman to elderly statesman. That shift is hard to come back from. The debate stage will provide perhaps his biggest opportunity to prove himself, but TV appearances — especially extended, unscripted ones — are laden with peril as well.