When A Young Joe Biden Used His Opponents Age Against Him

(CBS News) Bo Erickson June 4 2019 12:45 PM At a candidate forum this weekend in San Francisco Mayor Pete Buttigeig made one of frequent nods toward age: I dont have as much gray hair as youd expect on somebody stepping up to run for president but Im here to make the case for a new generation of American leadership. He didnt mention his name but the millennial mayor was undoubtedly hoping people would think about 76-year-old Joe Biden. Buttigieg isnt the only candidate taking veiled jabs at the septuagenarian Democratic front runner which have not gone unnoticed by ardent Biden fans. At rallies his supporters sometimes describe efforts to paint him as too old or out of touch as ageist. But whats old is new again. Decades before he kicked off his third bid for the presidency Biden too ran on a platform of generational change. In 1972 Biden -- a 29-year-old first-term city councilman in Delaware -- challenged a popular two-term senator who was described at the time as unbeatable. Both intellectually and physically Biden aimed to contrast himself with Republican Sen. Cale Boggs who was more than 30 years his senior.