Anybody concerned about Democrats' age?

whatbogsends · Dec 4, 2019

Fantine said:
While I see noticeable signs of Trump's mental deterioration in his rambling, repetitive, incoherent speeches and tweets as well as in the unbelievable faux pas he commits, saying, for example, that our fighter jets were in the skies during the Revolutionary War, they are far less noticeable in Bernie and Biden.

Biden has an occasional verbal gaffe, perhaps one to every hundred or so of Trump's.

Bernie is straightforward and straight talking. He doesn't embellish; he just tells it like it is, but it is obvious he has all his faculties.

I do not support Gabbard at any age.

I am very impressed by Mayor Pete's intelligence, authenticity, and demeanor. I think he has all the skills a good president needs. While he could have more experience, he has more than our current president had, and it seems obvious tht he makes use of what he learns far more effectively.

Somewhat agree, but wanted to speak to the differences.

Biden has always had the occasional gaffe. That propensity has grown significantly since the last time he was in the public eye. From what I've seen of him, he's lost at least a step. He is, however, at least in the realm of reality (as opposed to Trump, who checks his facts at the door). For a variety of reasons, Biden's the Democrat running that i'd least support, although i'd still vote for him over Trump without hesitation.

I agree about Bernie.

I think Gabbard has several positive qualities, and does accurately articulate areas in which both parties have neglected their duties. I don't think she has a realistic chance this election cycle.

I agree about Mayor Pete. He's the candidate I like best among the Democrats, but I don't think it makes sense for him to be the top of the ticket in 2020. I think whatever Democrat gets the nomination should put Pete on the ticket as the VP.

On the other side, we have a 74-year old who has an adverse relationship with facts and truth.

I don't see a problem with the Democratic field based on their age or anything else, for that matter.

mark46 · Dec 4, 2019

There are many political stances. Agism is a strange one. As I understand your position, a candidate needs to be between 40 and 60. I suppose www could apply this standards to our military and businesses, and to justices. NOT!

RDKirk said:
I will not happily vote for anyone older than I am. Having had three severe health scares in the last 12 months--and I've been health conscious all my life--I'm all too aware that people older than their late 60s are always one day away from a stroke or some other crippling ailment. And a stroke would be luckier than Alzheimer's' which can take a person from fully lucid to catatonic in two years.

The other problem with such old people is that their perspective is also too old. They're all still fighting yesterdays battles by yesterday's methods. The new battles aren't even on their radar. They can intellectually accent to issues like climate change or the failure of Social Security ("Oh, yes, that's important...we'll get to that"), but when you say "This will be critical in 2050," that puts it into psychological "science fiction" territory for them. If you were a kid in the 50s or 60s, everything happening in 2050 has always been science fiction. Such issues that are critical to Millennials will never reach their psychological front burners and keep them awake at night.

Whether 39 is too young depends entirely on what that young person has taken from his own experiences as well as the experiences of others. A wise young person knows how to choose wise advisors--and knows how to pay attention to them ("knowing how to pay attention" means knowing what to take and what to leave alone).

One thing that concerns me is the failure of Boomer politicians to groom proteges. People like John Kennedy didn't come out of nowhere. They had older mentors in politics.

We have a bunch of young folk--Millennials and X-Genners--who have stepped up more or less out of the boondocks. That should not have been the case. There should be a whole class of people in their 40s and 50s who have been mentored by Boomer politicians...and who the Boomers should be standing behind with grins on their faces.

GodLovesCats · Dec 4, 2019

Fantine said:
I am very impressed by Mayor Pete's intelligence, authenticity, and demeanor. I think he has all the skills a good president needs. While he could have more experience, he has more than our current president had, and it seems obvious tht he makes use of what he learns far more effectively.

Qualifications are very important to me. One reason I opposed Donald Trump's decision to run was it was his first attempt to get into politics. So the idea someone should jump from mayor to president looks bad, at least compared to one who is a former Congressman and two-term Vice President and two Senators.

GACfan · Dec 4, 2019

ChristianForCats said:
I will play it safe and vote Democrat down ticket. Third party candidates can support Trump's ideas.

That's a valid point, but I will make sure the Third Party candidate never supported Trump.

GodLovesCats · Dec 4, 2019

GACfan said:
That's a valid point, but I will make sure the Third Party candidate never supported Trump.

Like how Republicans voted for Ross Perot in 1992.

RDKirk · Dec 4, 2019

Speedwell said:
I am 77 years old. I am physically active and have regular checkups. I have no known health problems and take no medication. However, it is clear to me that I have neither the physical nor mental stamina I had when I was, say, 50. I exercise my professional skills effectively on a part-time basis but I suspect that If I attempted to do so 40 or 50 hours a week continuously for a long period my effectiveness would soon break down. Thinking of that, I consider a person of my age taking up what is probably the most demanding and stressful job in the world and I have serious doubts about it--even if he or she suffered no major health emergencies.

I had no known health problems either, until a few months ago when I got to work and suddenly couldn't remember what button to press on the elevator or the names of my coworkers. In a few hours, all was fine--I think I suffered a TIA. But it keeps me in mind that stuff happens to old people, and it often happens with little or no warning.

And, yes, being president is the toughest job in the world.

GACfan · Dec 4, 2019

ChristianForCats said:
Like how Republicans voted for Ross Perot in 1992.

I barely remember that. 1992 was the first year I was old enough to vote for the first time.

GodLovesCats · Dec 4, 2019

For some reason I did watch one of their debates despite not turning 18 until 1995.

bekkilyn · Dec 4, 2019

RDKirk said:
I had no known health problems either, until a few months ago when I got to work and suddenly couldn't remember what button to press on the elevator or the names of my coworkers. In a few hours, all was fine--I think I suffered a TIA. But it keeps me in mind that stuff happens to old people, and it often happens with little or no warning.

And, yes, being president is the toughest job in the world.

That stuff happens to younger people too. Just because a person *looks* young and healthy doesn't mean they are.

Rather than deciding on a person's fate based entirely on their age, it is better to consider each person as an individual with age as only one factor making up the whole person.

Albion · Dec 4, 2019

GACfan said:
That's a valid point, but I will make sure the Third Party candidate never supported Trump.

You know, I have heard all sorts of people from a variety of political backgrounds say, when asked, that they support some of what Trump has done and don't support some of the rest that he's done. That's true of Third Party followers as well as others.

That seems a mature and sensible attitude, one that's almost too obvious.

It's one that I presume carries over to other elections and other candidates. But yet we also hear die-hard partisans talking as though some sort of strange retribution is what motivates them when they go to the voting booth. How harmful to the country and our democracy is that development?

bekkilyn · Dec 4, 2019

Funny how the same didn't apply to Hillary and Obama, but perhaps I have an unusual sense of humor.

Speedwell · Dec 4, 2019

Albion said:
It's one that I presume carries over to other elections and other candidates. But yet we also hear die-hard partisans talking as though some sort of strange retribution is what motivates them when they go to the voting booth. How harmful to the country and our democracy is that development?

Isn't that what the Trump presidency has been about from the beginning? Revenge and the victimhood narrative of his base? Revenge for being called "deplorable," revenge for attacks on their religion, revenge for being taken advantage of by foreigners, revenge for constantly being "done down" by liberals, educated elites, uppity minorities, damyankees.

Albion · Dec 4, 2019

Speedwell said:
Isn't that what the Trump presidency has been about from the beginning? Revenge and the victimhood narrative of his base?

Wow. That's about all I can say to that fantasy. It's also the kindest.

RDKirk · Dec 4, 2019

bekkilyn said:
That stuff happens to younger people too. Just because a person *looks* young and healthy doesn't mean they are.

Rather than deciding on a person's fate based entirely on their age, it is better to consider each person as an individual with age as only one factor making up the whole person.

Okay, we're going to pretend that just as many people die of old age and suffer other age-related ailments in their thirties as in their seventies.

But my insurance company says otherwise.

Speedwell · Dec 4, 2019

Albion said:
Wow. That's about all I can say to that fantasy.

Trump: Our Allies Have Taken Advantage Of This Country

mark46 · Dec 4, 2019

I strongly disagree. A congressman has almost no qualifications to be Commander-In-Chief and leader of the free world; a senator has a bit more, if (s)he has been on Foreign Relations or a similar committee.

Being the mayor of NY means that Bloomberg was the elected head of one of the largest economies in the world, as large as all but a dozen countries. The issue is that congressmen and senators are legislators, and most have never run anything. Of course, Sanders and Booker have been mayors.

ChristianForCats said:
Qualifications are very important to me. One reason I opposed Donald Trump's decision to run was it was his first attempt to get into politics. So the idea someone should jump from mayor to president looks bad, at least compared to one who is a former Congressman and two-term Vice President and two Senators.

Albion · Dec 4, 2019

Speedwell said:
Trump: Our Allies Have Taken Advantage Of This Country

and you, I take it, see nothing different between these two statements--

I.

Isn't that what the Trump presidency has been about from the beginning? Revenge and the victimhood narrative of his base?... revenge for being taken advantage of by foreigners, revenge for constantly being "done down" by liberals, educated elites, uppity minorities, damyankees.

II.

For decades people put special interest ahead of you and you know that better than anybody they traded away your factories and sold your futures squandered your tax dollars to sacrifice into one foreign debacle after another. But all of that is changed and we are respected again and they all say we don't know because they have taken advantage of us for years and sadly in many cases, it is our allies that took the greatest advantage of this country.

Wow...and wow.

Speedwell · Dec 4, 2019

Albion said:
and you, I take it see nothing different between these two statements--

I.

II.

Wow...and wow.

No, I don't. You only see a difference because you think II is true.

Albion · Dec 4, 2019

Nope. That has nothing to do with it. And the two passages speak for themselves.

grasping the after wind · Dec 4, 2019

evoeth said:
If you back Trump. Then yes. Back away from the corrupt authoritarian and I'll vote for a Republican again. Maybe.

I already backed away from Hillary.

Anybody concerned about Democrats' age?

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