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Is the current age of political leaders a problem?

Is the current age of political leaders a problem?


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Greenbeard

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Stealing a question from an Insider/Morning Consult poll that got a recent write-up here:


Not only did most people have a problem with the age of our political class, they supported age caps and health screenings for office holders.

What do you say? Is the gerontocracy a problem?

FdC7CQOacAAtvzG
 
No problem - provided that the President is older than a toddler
 
Yes.

In a country with 330+ million people, it is ridiculous that the elected officials skew heavily towards being able to collect retirement. So yes, it is a problem.

I believe the Senate aggregate age is 64 or 65.

And we have now had 2 seniors in a row as POTUS.
 
It is a problem, voted minor but it could be worse depending.

The core issues seem to be the longevity of living in the political bubble, sometimes called being on the hill too long, and being at an age where decisions are being made and votes are being cast on issues they do not entirely understand.

For instance, watching some of these relics talk to tech leaders about how things operate is damn near like watching standup comedy. And I am on the fence if these aged politicians are unprepared by staff or simply too arrogant to learn something about what they are talking about.

The only real shot at my argument here are the likes of AOC or MTG, neither are really relics but both represent their own brands of political extremism that often throws them into the same category as political relics. No clue what they are talking about and even less inclination to learn something that may harm their respective bubbles.
 
No. In most cases with age comes wisdom. But there are cases like with the current buffoon in the whitehouse that need to be put in a home for dementia patients. And keep him away from little girls.
Next time an idiot with the IQ of a potatoe, like current puppet, we need to not vote for him.
 
As an 85-year-old, I would say that age is a problem, but a minor one.

After all, look at the idiocy of some of the younger whippersnappers such as AOC and that New York attorney general and the mayor of Chicago, et al.

That said, the Constitution framers were pretty smart. The House requires one to be at least 25; the Senate, 30; and the Presidency, 35.

It's not Mr. Biden's age per se. After all, there are seventy-nine-year-olds, and there are seventy-nine-year-olds!!! Seeing him wandering around on the stage confused is not good for the nation.

Dems are livid at how spry Mr. Trump still is (All they can bring up is the ramp incident!). His problem is not age. It's his lack of good judgment.
 
As an 85-year-old, I would say that age is a problem, but a minor one.

After all, look at the idiocy of some of the younger whippersnappers such as AOC and that New York attorney general and the mayor of Chicago, et al.

That said, the Constitution framers were pretty smart. The House requires one to be at least 25; the Senate, 30; and the Presidency, 35.

It's not Mr. Biden's age per se. After all, there are seventy-nine-year-olds, and there are seventy-nine-year-olds!!! Seeing him wandering around on the stage confused is not good for the nation.

Dems are livid at how spry Mr. Trump still is (All they can bring up is the ramp incident!). His problem is not age. It's his lack of good judgment.
I disagree on this. Biden has had a few public senior moments, but Trump, during his presidency and afterward, has done and said things that don't just suggest lack of good judgment. The problem is that his word salads and other strange gaffes may be evidence of something going wrong mentally - I've seen it before in relation to aging. So I for one may think he's spry, but only physically.
 
Yes.

In a country with 330+ million people, it is ridiculous that the elected officials skew heavily towards being able to collect retirement. So yes, it is a problem.

I believe the Senate aggregate age is 64 or 65.

And we have now had 2 seniors in a row as POTUS.
These guys are way past "two seniors," as that could include people of 60.

Of course, the Republicans come across as so old they belong in the late 19th or early 20th century.
 
Yeah, I think it's a problem. For some offices it's worse than others. I don't think it matters quite as much for governors and presidents, since they usually can't serve more than twice. It's more of a problem in Congress, where there are career politicians who get elected when they're young and then serve for decades. And it's definitely a problem on the courts, where they have lifetime appointments.
 
60 Years ago...

List of 1962 Major News Events in History​

  1. John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth in February of 1962
  2. Cuban Missile Crisis when USSR plans to deploy Missiles in Cuba brings the world to the brink of world war,
  3. Marilyn Monroe serenades President Kennedy on his birthday.
  4. Rioting on University of Mississippi campus following Black student James Meredith attempting to enroll
  5. President Kennedy proposes a "Consumer Bill of Rights."
  6. The Space Needle an observation tower in Seattle, Washington is completed
  7. Marvel's Spider-Man superhero makes his first appearance in a comic.
  8. Marilyn Monroe is found dead on August 5 after apparently overdosing on sleeping pills
  9. The Columbus Day Storm ( 12th October ) strikes Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
  10. Oral Polio Vaccine developed by Albert Sabin given to millions of children to combat Polio
1962 the cars continued to evolve as more compacts appeared and sold well in the US. The Cold War continued to worsen when the Russians placed Ballistic Missiles on Cuban land just 90 miles away from the coast of Florida in and JFK called the bluff by threatening war unless they were removed which they were but for a short time the world was on the brink of nuclear war and self destruction. The president then set a goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade and became more involved in politics in Southeast Asia by training South Vietnamese pilots. Folk music was evolving into protest music thanks to young artists like Bob Dylan and the birth of Surfing music by the beach boys grew in popularity meanwhile in England the Beatles record the single "Love Me Do". The new hit on TV for that year was "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the first of the James Bond movies "Dr No" was an instant success, some of the other movies released included "Spartacus" and "El Cid".

It's insane that people older than this are running the country at a time where you can watch TV on your smartphone.
 
60 Years ago...

List of 1962 Major News Events in History​

  1. John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth in February of 1962
  2. Cuban Missile Crisis when USSR plans to deploy Missiles in Cuba brings the world to the brink of world war,
  3. Marilyn Monroe serenades President Kennedy on his birthday.
  4. Rioting on University of Mississippi campus following Black student James Meredith attempting to enroll
  5. President Kennedy proposes a "Consumer Bill of Rights."
  6. The Space Needle an observation tower in Seattle, Washington is completed
  7. Marvel's Spider-Man superhero makes his first appearance in a comic.
  8. Marilyn Monroe is found dead on August 5 after apparently overdosing on sleeping pills
  9. The Columbus Day Storm ( 12th October ) strikes Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
  10. Oral Polio Vaccine developed by Albert Sabin given to millions of children to combat Polio
1962 the cars continued to evolve as more compacts appeared and sold well in the US. The Cold War continued to worsen when the Russians placed Ballistic Missiles on Cuban land just 90 miles away from the coast of Florida in and JFK called the bluff by threatening war unless they were removed which they were but for a short time the world was on the brink of nuclear war and self destruction. The president then set a goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade and became more involved in politics in Southeast Asia by training South Vietnamese pilots. Folk music was evolving into protest music thanks to young artists like Bob Dylan and the birth of Surfing music by the beach boys grew in popularity meanwhile in England the Beatles record the single "Love Me Do". The new hit on TV for that year was "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the first of the James Bond movies "Dr No" was an instant success, some of the other movies released included "Spartacus" and "El Cid".

It's insane that people older than this are running the country at a time where you can watch TV on your smartphone.
Why's that?
 
Stealing a question from an Insider/Morning Consult poll that got a recent write-up here:


Not only did most people have a problem with the age of our political class, they supported age caps and health screenings for office holders.

What do you say? Is the gerontocracy a problem?

FdC7CQOacAAtvzG
I believe in minimum ages for holding office, not age caps, or term limits. I do come fro the "Don't trust anybody over thirty" generation. But I've evolved to believe more in wisdom comes with age, if at all. I think the ballot is the best term limit available. Of course people can can grow older & stupider & meaner & more judgemental with age, but there's no shortage of stupid, mean & judgemental young bloods. Also although older folk are more inclined to die, there is no minimum age for it.
 
I disagree on this. Biden has had a few public senior moments, but Trump, during his presidency and afterward, has done and said things that don't just suggest lack of good judgment. The problem is that his word salads and other strange gaffes may be evidence of something going wrong mentally - I've seen it before in relation to aging. So I for one may think he's spry, but only physically.
The Drumpf arguably, has never been a purveyor of wisdom & with his limited vocabulary often came across as a bleeping moron. Has it gotten worse with his advanced age? I can't say, because I paid him no mind until he became the spokesman for the racist Birther meme. Which like all his greatest hits, he didn't originate, he just glommed onto.
 
60 Years ago...

List of 1962 Major News Events in History​

  1. John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth in February of 1962
  2. Cuban Missile Crisis when USSR plans to deploy Missiles in Cuba brings the world to the brink of world war,
  3. Marilyn Monroe serenades President Kennedy on his birthday.
  4. Rioting on University of Mississippi campus following Black student James Meredith attempting to enroll
  5. President Kennedy proposes a "Consumer Bill of Rights."
  6. The Space Needle an observation tower in Seattle, Washington is completed
  7. Marvel's Spider-Man superhero makes his first appearance in a comic.
  8. Marilyn Monroe is found dead on August 5 after apparently overdosing on sleeping pills
  9. The Columbus Day Storm ( 12th October ) strikes Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
  10. Oral Polio Vaccine developed by Albert Sabin given to millions of children to combat Polio
1962 the cars continued to evolve as more compacts appeared and sold well in the US. The Cold War continued to worsen when the Russians placed Ballistic Missiles on Cuban land just 90 miles away from the coast of Florida in and JFK called the bluff by threatening war unless they were removed which they were but for a short time the world was on the brink of nuclear war and self destruction. The president then set a goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade and became more involved in politics in Southeast Asia by training South Vietnamese pilots. Folk music was evolving into protest music thanks to young artists like Bob Dylan and the birth of Surfing music by the beach boys grew in popularity meanwhile in England the Beatles record the single "Love Me Do". The new hit on TV for that year was "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the first of the James Bond movies "Dr No" was an instant success, some of the other movies released included "Spartacus" and "El Cid".

It's insane that people older than this are running the country at a time where you can watch TV on your smartphone.
The salk vaccine was 1st. We lined up in the halls of my school to get a jab.
I don't recall the 1st Spiderman being a big story.
Folk music has always had a protest element, from Joe Hill to Woody Guthrie, it became more visible with Dylan, Phil Ochs etc.
People with open minds get wisdom the longer they're willing to learn. Most youths start from unlearned (stupid) & continue to absorb knowledge as they mature, if they're open to learning.
 
Yeah, I think it's a problem. For some offices it's worse than others. I don't think it matters quite as much for governors and presidents, since they usually can't serve more than twice. It's more of a problem in Congress, where there are career politicians who get elected when they're young and then serve for decades. And it's definitely a problem on the courts, where they have lifetime appointments.
I think the problem lies in the voters not paying attention to how their picks are voting or not & voting on name recognition. I was glad that Ted Kennedy was elected multiple times.
 
I believe in minimum ages for holding office, not age caps, or term limits. I do come fro the "Don't trust anybody over thirty" generation. But I've evolved to believe more in wisdom comes with age, if at all. I think the ballot is the best term limit available.

One could argue the aging electorate is the root of the problem and the gerontocracy in Congress is just a symptom of it. Older voters seem to have used their political muscle very effectively to secure ever larger shares of the nation's wealth and the federal budget, while ignoring or blocking action on most issues that will impact subsequent generations.

fig6-1q22.jpg

The first two figures underscore a generational wealth gap. This figure highlights increasing inequality across the life cycle. Today, middle-age and older groups have much more wealth than same-age families did in the past, signaling a steeper life cycle of wealth on average.
 
One could argue the aging electorate is the root of the problem and the gerontocracy in Congress is just a symptom of it. Older voters seem to have used their political muscle very effectively to secure ever larger shares of the nation's wealth and the federal budget, while ignoring or blocking action on most issues that will impact subsequent generations.
Exactly.
 
Yes. The amount of people who are in charge who won't have to live through the horrors of climate change is disturbing.

It's also disturbing that you have senile people like Feinstein in high positions of power.
 
No. In most cases with age comes wisdom. But there are cases like with the current buffoon in the whitehouse that need to be put in a home for dementia patients. And keep him away from little girls.
Next time an idiot with the IQ of a potatoe, like current puppet, we need to not vote for him.
C'mon your being a bit hard on Trump
 
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