The Trump era has taught and reinforced many lessons in politics, not the least of which is that members of Congress behave as though losing their seat is tantamount to dying. How else do you explain the bevy of congressional Republicans Who Know Better™ who nonetheless feel compelled to publicly support or at least humor Trump’s most deranged ideas like annexing Greenland and weaponizing the government against schools and law firms?

But.

Democrats are hardly immune to viewing their congressional seats as a sine qua non of their existence. If that seems hyperbolic, consider the words of 83-year-old Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the former Democratic whip, in a piece by The Wall Street Journal regarding Democrats’ gerontocracy problem. After the 2022 midterms, Clyburn, along with 85-year-old former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and 85-year-old former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D–Md.), stepped down from their leadership posts but remain in Congress.

Here is what Clyburn had to say about that:

“Nancy left her seat. Steny left his seat. I left my seat. What the hell I’m supposed to do now?” Clyburn said when asked whether the party needed to think of bringing in younger members. “What do you want—me to give up my life?”

Several online commenters have rightly criticized these remarks, chalking them up to the stubbornness of another “Boomer” politician who doesn’t know when it’s time to call it quits. But Clyburn is actually from the Silent Generation. Not only was he not born after World War II, but he was born before the U.S. even entered the conflict.

Clyburn’s attitude encapsulates a major problem with Democrats that has been all too manifest over the last five years. Former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in the waning days of the first Trump administration after she, a pancreatic cancer survivor, refused to retire in the early 2010s at age 80 when Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate. Her death came just one month after Democrats nominated then-77-year-old Joe Biden as their presidential candidate. On the trail, Biden vaguely said he’d be a “bridge” to the next generation of Democratic leaders. But he foolishly ran for reelection, and we are all living with the consequences.

There’s also the less consequential but still maddening decision by Democrats to elevate 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) to be ranking member of the Oversight Committee, despite his age and esophageal cancer. House Dems passed over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) because apparently, youthful vigor and superb communication skills are not something the party wants on display on arguably the most visible and volatile committee in either chamber. Connolly has since stepped down due to – wait for it – the cancer.

And do not get me started on the final cognitive struggles of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

Did I mention that two septuagenarian House Democrats have died this term? One of them – Sylvester Turner (D-Tex.) – was elected in November at age 70. He succeeded Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), who died in office last year at 74. The other was Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), 77, who ran for reelection last year despite a cancer diagnosis. The two vacancies mean that Republicans have a more comfortable majority of 220 to 213 until the special elections to fill them are held in September and November.

I noted earlier that lawmakers act as though leaving Congress is like death. But obviously, remaining in office is no guarantee against shedding one’s mortal coil. There’s a certain dignity in leaving office on one’s own terms. Not doing so risks well-deserved infamy of historic proportions.