do people really want 70+ year olds to be president

I mean there shouldn't be an age limit. If people feel a candidate is too inexperienced too become president, they won't vote for them. Trump had no experience, and there is no way a 25 year old could be worse, and he's in his 70s.

Anyway it's a moot argument because America hates changing the constitution these days, it's unfathomable.

legacyzero said:

On this board, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and general shitposting is not allowed.

Ageism, however- you're good bro.

Stop bitching about age, gender, race, etc, and start focusing on fuckin policy

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Tbh that's all I really give a fuck about is their policy I was going for Hillary cause she had a good college policy in place which benefits me and a lot of people greatly. So far all we got with trump is all bullshit tax cut.

Manmademan said:

This is probably a good time to remind the thread that the minimum age for a presidential run is 35, and 30 to be a senator and MOST governorships.

30-40 isn't realistic given that criteria.

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Your right I thought it was 32 but it's 35

I don't

rjinaz said:

I mean there shouldn't be an age limit. If people feel a candidate is too inexperienced too become president, they won't vote for them. Trump had no experience, and there is no way a 25 year old could be worse, and he's in his 70s.

Anyway it's a moot argument because America hates changing the constitution these days, it's unfathomable.

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There absolutely should be an age limit. Risk of death aside, dementia in office is an even worse scenario since forcing a president out of office is proving to be next to impossible.

We've already had two presidents that were likely suffering dementia in office, I'd prefer not to risk a third.

legacyzero said:

On this board, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and general shitposting is not allowed.

Ageism, however- you're good bro.

Stop bitching about age, gender, race, etc, and start focusing on fuckin policy

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Bro, nobody gives a fuck about policy and nobody ever will. Elections are a popularity contest.

ahoyhoy said:

Democrats have an incredibly weak bench right now.

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Sadly the truth right here. Hard to get really excited about any of the current contenders due to either their age or their lack of charisma. Obviously I'm still going to vote and work to get out the vote, but it helps when you have someone that can get people excited.

legacyzero said:

On this board, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and general shitposting is not allowed.

Ageism, however- you're good bro.

Stop bitching about age, gender, race, etc, and start focusing on fuckin policy

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You're never going to get the masses to care about policy details. It all comes down to like-ability. Sometimes promises of easy-to-understand policies are part of that, but not always or even often.

Manmademan said:

There absolutely should be an age limit. Risk of death aside, dementia in office is an even worse scenario since forcing a president out of office is proving to be next to impossible.

We've already had two presidents that were likely suffering dementia in office, I'd prefer not to risk a third.

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Well I was in particular thinking about "too young" but eh, not having a "too old" limit hasn't been a problem in 200 years, at least in terms of being able to carry out the job.

In most cases probably not.

To clean up after Trump has utterly fucking destroyed how the executive branch works? Yeah I kind of want experience as a number one criteria in the next possible Democrat contender. That doesn't mean they need to be 70 or some shit, but someone who knows how it's supposed to work is paramount to fixing things.

That said, I've grown to hate Sanders and don't want him to win and Biden's a pretty awful candidate with a lot of baggage.

Uh no, I would prefer not to have someone old on my ballot come 2020.

Put out some ticket with Biden, Warren, or Sanders on there and yeah sure - I and many others will vote for them rather than going with Trump, but can you really expect young people to actually be engaged with that?

Life expectancy in the US - from a quick google search - is 80 years old. Do we really want a President that could die of natural causes? Do we really want someone who is that much older than the majority of the population?

Same google search says that only 15% of Americans are over 65 - and people seriously want to push three people 5+ years older than that? The national median age is apparently 38 years old - picking people twice as old as that is just...I cant even fathom why.

For me personally, Kamala Harris and Joe Kennedy would be the ideal ticket and I would go door to door helping out and campaigning for them if they were picked. And they would electrify a young base that all of the news pundits say doesnt care.

There are probably better candidates out there, and maybe they happen to be old and white, but, man...why not just change things up a bit here. Dump the guys with baggage and go with a young core that can bring people out of their homes and actually care about voting. You see the Parkland survivors and young protestors out and about, but they are in the severe minority when it comes to political engagement. I am 25 and from talking to friends, family members, acquaintances, to the majority of them? Politicians are interchangeable old white people. And yeah, there are policy differences and obviously some people are far superior than others, some are looking for essentially ethnic genocide and others are looking to guarantee basic human rights. I get that. And I argue that. But to the majority of the population, they go with the loudest, the prettiest, or some other arbitrary thing when it comes to voting.

Get someone young and see what happens. Obama did it. Why cant Harris?

rjinaz said:

Well I was in particular thinking about "too young" but eh, not having a "too old" limit hasn't been a problem in 200 years, at least in terms of being able to carry out the job.

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It's been a serious problem twice already, including right this second

Glory said:

Booker is absolute the lamest candidate in the world. He has the charisma of a wet blanket.



His delivery is worse than any Obama speech. And he looks like a wet blanket compared to Trump. Hell, he's even worse than Kerry or Clinton.

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I'm not going to say he'd be amazing or win a Presidency, but I'll 100% refute your delivery statement. I saw him speak two weeks ago at the Iowa Dem Fall Gala and he was incredible. When he finished I noted it was the best political speech I'd witnessed since Obama visited Iowa in 2008.

Now, he might not be ready for a Presidential run, but the man can speak.

I don't care about their age so long as they're progressive and will get the job done.

No. I think all of the current frontrunners are too old for the job.

Manmademan said:

No they don't. There are plenty of people that could run and do well- Sherrod Brown, Booker, Harris, Deval Patrick all come to mind as reasonably capable and charismatic candidates that aren't a billion years old.

The average voter pays very little attention to national politics though, so names with a lot of recognition (Bernie, Biden) appear to be shoo ins at this point.

Debates and Campaign season will change that.

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Sadly most of the younger front runners have tried to have their "moment" recently and have failed to really create a buzz nationally. Booker and Harris especially haven't had much luck making waves.

There's a wikipedia page all about the age of Presidents if you care to comb through it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States_by_age

Obama was 42 when he first became President. Personally I think 40s-50s is most ideal for a first term President. I don't feel comfortable electing someone who I want to stay there for 8 years if they are already into their 70s. Especially given the sorts of horrible situations that could pop up like a major war where you want a President to be in top performance.

I'd still vote for someone like Bernie or Biden if that's who was on the ticket, but I would prefer they not be put there to begin with.

Cyclone said:

I'm not going to say he'd be amazing or win a Presidency, but I'll 100% refute your delivery statement. I saw him speak two weeks ago at the Iowa Dem Fall Gala and he was incredible. When he finished I noted it was the best political speech I'd witnessed since Obama visited Iowa in 2008.

Now, he might not be ready for a Presidential run, but the man can speak.

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I respect your opinion. But yelling doesn't equate to inspiring oration for me.

40-55 is my ideal age. Same for picking a doctor. Old enough to have accrued a lot of experience and expertise, young enough to still be motivated to bust ass and stay on the cutting edge of things vs. just cruising the last few years to retirement.

Manmademan said:

It's been a serious problem twice already, including right this second

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We don't know that. And if it is a problem, they can be removed. Trump isn't a horrible president or even a problem because of Dementia, even if he has it. He's just a horrible racist person.

Glory said:

I respect your opinion. But yelling doesn't equate to inspiring oration for me.

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I get that, but it wasn't yelling necessarily (at our event). He for sure speaks much more like a Pastor than a senator, though. Some people dislike that. Feels like a sermon. I thought it worked well. Also, though, Trump is atrocious at speaking so anyone seems better.

The stress the job brings on will age them even more. Obama aged QUICK in those 8 years.

I want to see a 90 year old POTUS before I die.

depends on the person.

ahoyhoy said:

Sadly most of the younger front runners have tried to have their "moment" recently and have failed to really create a buzz nationally. Booker and Harris especially haven't had much luck making waves.

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Neither one has begun campaigning yet. The election is two years out.

Clinton in 1990 and Obama in 2006 were both in way worse positions than Booker, Patrick, Harris, and Brown are right now. For that matter so was Trump in 2014.

People need to be realistic and not expect celebrity politicians all over the place.

Mid 40s to early 60s is ideal for me.

Experienced, yes. Old enough where death in office is a real possibility? Preferably not. Also, nothing gets the millennials out to vote in droves like forcing them to vote for their technically unsavvy grandparents.

What I really want is a democratic socialist.

I just want someone qualified who won't drive the country into the ground and run off with their wealthy friends.
I don't care how old they are, as long as I agree with the policy I don't care unless they visibly aren't healthy or mentally stable (like Trump).

You end up with an old out of touch Dem and watch as they start "reaching across the isle" right into the GOP's arms.

Manmademan said:

Clinton in 1990 and Obama in 2006 were both in way worse positions than Booker, Patrick, Harris, and Brown.

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At this point in 2006 Obama had only even been included in a single national primary poll

in which he came in fifth, behind Joe Lieberman, with 7%

Depends on the 70 year old.

Zulith said:

There's a wikipedia page all about the age of Presidents if you care to comb through it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States_by_age

Obama was 42 when he first became President. Personally I think 40s-50s is most ideal for a first term President. I don't feel comfortable electing someone who I want to stay there for 8 years if they are already into their 70s. Especially given the sorts of horrible situations that could pop up like a major war where you want a President to be in top performance.

I'd still vote for someone like Bernie or Biden if that's who was on the ticket, but I would prefer they not be put there to begin with.

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FDR had fucking Polio and was able to run the country.

legacyzero said:

On this board, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and general shitposting is not allowed.

Ageism, however- you're good bro.

Stop bitching about age, gender, race, etc, and start focusing on fuckin policy

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They shouldn't be banned from running but I don't think its ageism to say someone who is retirement age and where its a scientific fact that your mind and bodying increasingly are breaking down shouldn't take on one of the most stressful and taxing jobs in the world. My uncle just died a month ago and he was 73. He was fine and then all of a sudden...gone.

The only way America is getting any of their respect back on the world stage is if the next president looks like Trudeau.

Midnight Jon said:

At this point in 2006 Obama had only even been included in a single national primary poll

in which he came in fifth, behind Joe Lieberman, with 7%

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This is what I'm trying to say. It's way too early to say who is significant and who isn't.

Remember when Howard Dean was the next big thing until he wasn't? Or JEB!

While I wouldn't want to bar anyone for having too many years under their belt (experience and a history that can determine the likelihood of sticking to their campaign promises), it would be nice to see more people between the age of 35-45 run, being more attuned and accepting to social change, economics, and technology. Not that you can't get shit heels in those arenas as well in that bracket, but the likelihood is lesser than those who seem to dream fondly of the days prior to Civil Rights.

Plus younger candidates tend to have an easier time of firing up their bases and opponents, and in bringing voters out.

Kthulhu said:

FDR had fucking Polio and was able to run the country.

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FDR also died in office at 63.

Why care about such a surface level trait? If the person shares my politics I don't really care how old they are if they are in good health.

Experience and connections are important qualities for leader of the free world. I don't think age alone should disqualify someone from being President.

Damn I didn't know Warren was over 60

subpar spatula said:

I want 25 to 30 range. someone young who understands the changing world. Almost all politicians still don't know how to operate their own twitter account.

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I'm looking more towards the 20-25 range, old enough to be buried in the worst years of student loans

perhaps 15-20 would be good so that they could better sympathize with da yoots

Yes, -age- was the problem with Trump.

Age isn't that important but 70+ year olds can be out of touch or more likely to have health problems.

It's kind of surreal to me now that the leaders of all three major parties in Canada are in the 39 to 46 age range. Two of them are younger than me. I have been so used to Boomers and older running the country for so long.

Monkeyball said:

Yes, -age- was the problem with Trump.

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It's one of them. The man clearly has dementia or some other form of severe cognitive decline.

Unlike Reagan though there is reason to suspect that long term substance abuse may be just as responsible for that as age, so we can't be 100 percent sure.

ArkkAngel007 said:

While I wouldn't want to bar anyone for having too many years under their belt (experience and a history that can determine the likelihood of sticking to their campaign promises), it would be nice to see more people between the age of 35-45 run, being more attuned and accepting to social change, economics, and technology. Not that you can't get shit heels in those arenas as well in that bracket, but the likelihood is lesser than those who seem to dream fondly of the days prior to Civil Rights.

Plus younger candidates tend to have an easier time of firing up their bases and opponents, and in bringing voters out.

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I think many don't due to not having been politicians for very long. Obama was an exception.

I'd love to see AOC run once she gets old enough. Assuming she does well in the House.

Manmademan said:

FDR also died in office at 63.

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After over 3 terms in office, passing some of the most significant legislation in this country's history, and leading us through a huge chunk of WW2 and the great depression.

I dont want 70+ year olds to vote, much less to be president.

If they have the right ideas and goals, sure.

Damaniel said:

Experienced, yes. Old enough where death in office is a real possibility? Preferably not. Also, nothing gets the millennials out to vote in droves like forcing them to vote for their technically unsavvy grandparents.

What I really want is a democratic socialist.

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We'll have older Gen Z kids voting in the next election, and Bernie is older than many of their grandparents.

Hollywood Duo said:

They shouldn't be banned from running but I don't think its ageism to say someone who is retirement age and where its a scientific fact that your mind and bodying increasingly are breaking down shouldn't take on one of the most stressful and taxing jobs in the world. My uncle just died a month ago and he was 73. He was fine and then all of a sudden...gone.

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Excuses. Saying somebody shouldn't do something because they're too old. Ageism, no?

Also every person is different. There's also a reason we have Vice Presidents

Slarvax said:

I dont want 70+ year olds to vote, much less to be president.

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This is disgustingly agist.

ItIsOkBro said:

names constantly floated around for preferred democratic candidate:
joe biden
bernie sanders
elizabeth warren

at the time of the 2020 election, these people will be:
joe biden - 77
bernie sanders - 79
elizabeth warren - 71

i mean, these people are old. experienced, but old. is that not a problem?

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they don't let people gain experience until after they are old