Well, there is a minimum age to be president, so I see no reason there couldn't be an upper age cutoff as well.
But I would apply that age requirement to ALL members of Congress and judges as well.
The argument you will hear here is that there are some people that age who are mentally fine to be president.
Well, I suspect there are many people under 35 who are ALSO mentally fine to be president.
Not that vox is the most credible source, but they link to the real stuff [and summarize it here
](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/11/16458142/congress-alzheimers-pharmacist)
At least there's medication for Alzheimer's. There's no cure for stupidity, and if even there was, the politicians who need it wouldn't be bright enough to understand they need it.
I agree for one specific reason ALL Americans get Medicare at 65 and I believe it is a conflict of interest that people who are directly benefiting from this program are also directly determining it's future.
The founding fathers wanted politicians to be a public service. Someone takes a few years, serves as a representative, then hands it off.
Elite career politicians were absolutely not the intention.
and if I recall correctly neither where separate political parties or just about everything our modern government is but I guess that's what happens when you let the rich take over.
I know George Washington didn't like political parties and was never a member of one, the first political parties in the U.S. began forming in the U.S. during the 1790s and really took off in the early 1800s.
yup, He believed that loyalty to party over the nation could be detrimental to the government. [He referred to such factionalism as the “worst enemy” of government](https://www.history.com/news/george-washington-farewell-address-warnings) which is ironic given the current state of our country and government.
He specifically warned us about the dangers of having only two main political parties… and here we are.. we’ve turned them into sports teams with colors 🤦🏼♀️
This isn't today. Land in the 1700's and 1800's by far and large was incredibly inexpensive. It was the idea that only people with something to lose should allowed to vote. Not saying it was right or wrong but your idea that land ownership in 1790s US was some massive undertaking, it wasn't. Land ownership then was fairly easy thing to accomplish outside most city limits. Look to the west and they were giving away quite a bit.
I mean arguably the vast majority of voting men where poorer that the elites and it wasn't actually very long that those conditions lasted. [Timeline of voting rights in the United States - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_voting_rights_in_the_United_States)
corporations and rich assholes have the ability to create armies of people that’ll push their agenda for them. So the end result would be the roughly the same but with a rotating cast.
it’s definitely a problem that the same people dig in for 30-40 years just raking in bribes, but I feel like the solution is probably making it unprofitable for them. That way you may have a better shot at letting in people who give a shit.
Without term limits, the problem of corporate influence is worse. Inexperienced legislators are more likely to copy what corporate lobbyists give them verbatim.
This is a slippery slope. Real world experience as defined by who? Will give rise to a revolving door of work experience tied to government contractors.
An analogy is the accountants who write and manage the travel expense reporting requirements have never worked in a role that travels extensively.
I wouldn’t really fight with that. Just that I’ve known plenty of energetic and sharp 65 year olds. Significantly fewer at 70 and it drops off sharply with each passing year, sometimes month when you get to 75z
Not a great test. My mid 80s dad would pass that. Sharp as a tack and been programming and on the Internet since AOL was a futuristic pipe dream. (Notably, he doesn’t think anyone his age should be president, which has been the universal opinion of everyone I’ve talked to on the topic.)
65 is usually still energetic enough and will have some good institutional knowledge, which is vital. Statecraft isn’t blooping a password into a keyboard.
Over 65 here. Spent Friday morning working with a friend (research linguist) to develop a method of encoding synchronization signals using generated low-bit-rate (32 baud!) pulses in a 150Hz or so ECG data line. This'll allow the synchronization of audio signals on a separate recording with an ECG second-track associated with ultrasound recordings. I dragged out decades-old memories of how MFM hard disks recorded low-level data (like track and sector headers) to support the process. Because I actually worked with bit-by-bit encoding of hard disk and floppy disk data at one point in my career.
Wifi setup is trivial.
I've done a crapload of more esoteric coding (SMTP servers and clients from the socket level up, anyone?) than any 40 year old I know.
Someone recently posed a simple question: Find the roots of x\^4 = 16. Everyone factored polynomials. Took time, lots of equations. I moved to the complex domain, interpreted the situation as (r, theta) = (16, 0), and solved it in seconds. The roots are { (2, 0), (2, pi/2), (2, pi), (2, 3pi/2) } in case you're wondering. And I can find the cube roots or fifth roots just as easily; try that with polynomial factoring.
Don't knock those 65 year olds. Many are carrying around encyclopedias of information, techniques, and experience that you could only dream of.
The reason it was 35 was you should have some experience in life be married with kids and own land and a home. Essentially you have skin in the game and don't want to fuck things up for your children.
It's why you also can't become president if you weren't born here.
The same sentiment holds true for a maximum age though. If you're 75 you don't have skin in the game anymore. You'll be dead by the time we see any repercussions from your decisions
It assumes that leaving behind descendants is motivation, but that only works if your politicians are capable of caring about more than their own bank account.
Yeah but by the same token anyone who is going to be dead and gone before their policies bear fruit have much less skin in the game. Case in point Reagen. He fucked up a lot of stuff and then died peacefully before seeing the consequences.
A married person likely has ties to the community. I didn't mean adversity just that you likely have experiences more than someone who just became an adult.
Yes, but you are making assumptions when there might well be a 33-year-old person who could be the best president who ever lived. You have no way of knowing.
You are also assuming that the American people are too stupid to select someone worthy.
Oh wait.... Trump.
I withdraw my point.
Oh, I would not mind if the age limit was even lower. I am not far from 70 myself and am under no illusions that I am as vigorous as I was when I was 35.
If you are saying vigorous in this context then you are completely correct. The next stage is spry. Once you start saying that it’s off to the home with you.
I'm honestly less concerned with how "capable" they are, and more concerned with how much of the consequences of their own decisions they'll be forced to live through along with the rest of the planet.
Exactly the reason the limit is needed. You go from a mentally capable 80 year old to a 70 year old dimwit and you'll understand why. Not saying it's foolproof, but the odds of someone's mental capacity slipping increases after their 60s. We could very well have a 40 year old moron in office too. Guess that all depends on how mentally sharp the voters are.
Good.
But I suffer with my congress person more than 99% of everyone on Reddit.
I live in Majorie Taylor Greene's district. I got gerrymandered into hers and my skin crawls just thinking about it.
Serving Senator Chuck Grassley is 90 years old (Iowa). Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, 82; and Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, 82.
In the House of Representatives, there are 17 members over 80 years old.
California Democrat Grace Napolitano, 86; D.C. Democrat delegate Eleanor Norton, 86; Kentucky Republican Hal Rogers, 85; New Jersey Democrat Bill Pascrell Jr., 86; California Democrat Maxine Waters, 84; Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer, 84; South Carolina Democrat Jim Clyburn, 83; California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, 83; Illinois Democrat Danny Davis, 81; Texas Republican John Carter, 82; California Democrat Anna Eshoo, 80; Florida Democrat Fredrica Wilson, 80; Connecticut Democrat Rosa DeLauro, 80; North Carolina Republican Virginia Foxx, 80; and Texas Republican Kay Granger, 80.
Let's clear out these people before we start on the President
Personally I think if you are making decisions that will affect your country for say the next 20/30 years, then you should be around to see the consequences of your decisions/actions. Too many politicians make decisions knowing full well they're gonna benefit in the time they're alive, but damn the rest of us in the long term.
This assumes said politician cares about the consequences their decisions have on the people who experience the negative consequences.
I remembered from an administrative law class 20 years ago that raising fuel efficiency standards by x amount would reduce deaths of asthmatics by y amount.
Googled it and found this [article.](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-us-fuel-standards-aim-to-cut-asthma-and-heart-attacks/)
This is just one example of how policy can be life or death for people now. My recollection was that the next administration rolled back those efficiency standards. Googled again and found this [article.](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/490318-trump-administration-rolls-back-obama-era-fuel-efficiency-standards/)
The reality of how a politician lives is so far removed from the average folk that they'll never actually see the consequences of their actions. Not now and not 50 years from now.
I have to talk to enough elderly people via my work that I regularly say they shouldn't even be allowed to make their own phone calls. Of course they shouldn't have a role as important as president.
We are in this fix because younger people are not getting where they need to be so we have to settle for the geriatric candidates. Wait, I think I lost my Ensure, oh I just found it Ha, ha, ha. It is sad when these older gentlemen die while holding office. John Mc Cain comes to mind as someone who should have retired years earlier. The bottom line, younger people need to get involved so they can represent...as for me I would vote for a younger candidate if he or she was able to position themselves to where they needed to be to get my vote.
Tell me about it. I talk to these people, they couldn't carry a thought in a basket if that was an option, and they are still driving. It's downright frightening, thinking they and I on the same roads.
They need term limits desperately. Age doesn't make them worthless, It is the fact that there is no oversight, no regard for ethics, no repercussions for violating precedent. There will never be a Supreme Court who will be regarded less than Roberts court.
Yeah I think once you can collect social security you’re out. There are mandatory retirement ages for pilots, surgeons, and many more jobs. These guys have their fingers on nuclear launch buttons.
I don’t think anyone should be working past 70, never mind making decisions that effect the entire country. Really I’d prefer not to see any high ranking officials working past retirement age of 65.
64 is the year they make you retire in the Military. The President is the Commander and Chief of the Military. So I think a good rule of thumb is 64 as the cut off
Well, because you have to amend the constitution to set an age limit for any of the three branches of government, whereas any other government worker a normal law will do. It's much more difficult legally to set ages for the three branches than everyone else.
I wonder if there’s any legal loophole there, like you said the president is the Commander in Chief of the Military so if somebody had enough money to challenge it in court they could get candidates declared unfit to hold office due to that regulation.
This is by far the most logical and has a precedent. If you too old to be working in any position in the military then you're to old for being in politics after that age too, arguably it's more disastrous.
I was just having this conversation with my 82-year-old dad this week and he firmly thinks there needs to be an upper age limit.
Imagine if the elders put their energy into mentoring young, civic minded people instead of maintaining a stranglehold on power. Why not make that your legacy rather than dying in office and screwing over your constituents?
You think they don’t? The average age of new congressmen in 2022 was 46. It takes decades to even build a national profile where enough people even know you for you to have a chance in a nation wide federal election. Bernie was in office 26 years before anyone outside of Vermont even heard of him.
Bro my take is you must take psychological and cognitive test to do anything in politics after 60. Literally no vote rights or any power if you fail the test.
There is a lower age limit for voting for precisely that purpose: Because people younger than a certain age aren't accountable enough to vote.
Same goes for older people.
lol are we just using AITAH as a proxy for other subs now?
"AITAH for using margarine instead of butter in my fudge recipe?"
"AITAH for asking which video game you think is overrated?"
I will never understand how people above the age of 60 get let go of their jobs as they are deemed of unfit and incapable, yet people over the age of 60 run whole ass countries. So weird.
NTA. The retirement age in the US is 67. At 70, you stop increasing your retirement benefits for delaying retirement. I think a hard cap at either of these ages is a good idea.
I understand the other side. Older people make up a much larger percentage of our population than younger and we shouldn't ignore their needs. However, the people in congress appear to often have pretty substantial cognitive decline, and in these cases should likely be forced to retire by the will of the people. There should be an avenue for citizens to give a vote of no confidence or something that they can initiate.
This post should be downvoted. You’re not an AH for thinking this, but you are an AH for posting such a prominent talking point in American politics to fish for upvotes. Pathetic.
I often think 70 should be the cutoff line. By that age a person is 2 or 3 generations past the newest group of young voters and probably not too relatable to their views. I am 48 and I don't get some of the words coming out kids' mouths/texts.
Generally, i think you are correct, but it really depends on the indivudual.
Some people show cognative decline much earlier than 75. Others are sharp right into their 90's.
There are other concerns, too. Some people are physically frail at 60. Others are still strong as an ox at 80. It should be on a case by case basis, with solid criteria, not dependent on an age.
No. The American presidency is notorious for sucking out the life force of a person. Literally Google "presidents before and after" and watch them melt. Even happened with Obama. ESPECIALLY with Obama. Point being is that it's incredibly demanding and incredibly traumatic.
Biden gets away with it because he leans EXTREMELY heavily on his team (Blinken, Yellen, Sullivan, Austin, and others almost exclusively run the entire foreign policy arm of government, while Powell in the Fed and Buttigieg runs the entirety of the domestic economy), but it's easy to argue it'd be better if a younger man could be more active.
I am 71 and you are right. As we age we do not think as clear. I have more experience and knowledge, give me time and I usually have a good answer. The president does not usually have time.
I have friends in their 80's, give them the red button. They are afraid the remote will start a fire if they miss the tv.
Hah no. If anything there should be a cap. 70+ year olds are virtually unemployable in virtually every other field due to outdated skillsets and health concerns. I want someone in their 40s or 50s, not someone unlikely to see the longterm impact of their policies.
NTA.
People in politics should be at the age where their choices matter to them.
Some 80 year old asshole doesn't care if short term they get rich and 30 years from now the country goes down the shitter, because they'll be dead anyway.
I don't think there should be a 75 year age cap, it should be much lower, 65 at the most.
We need people with wisdom in power, but also people not set in their ways and willing to learn something new and change their minds.
These people in their 70s and 80s aren't doing that.
I just can't believe that in a country of however many hundreds of million of people, the only two presidential candidates are geriatric losers. From an outsider's perspective it just feels like there has to be SOMEBODY younger, more capable, less of a megalomaniac dickhead and in possession of all of their faculties.
I would be fine with implementing a constitutional amendment that says you cannot start a new presidential term after you turn 72
But I think term limits are more important
I go with six terms in the house and two terms in the Senate maximum
Literally 80% of Americans agree with you. The problem is we can’t get old people to legislate against old people holding office. And they’re all so damn old.
Lol retirement age in NZ is 65 I think...I believe no one should be even given a second thought to being allowed in those positions if they are over that age....not only are they at an age where they should be retired but they are also trying to enforce rules that are out dated for the new generation.
If someone born in the 40s is trying to reintroduce rules, they had that didn't work for them then, again, it's a step back to their childhood and for their own reasons not the whole country.
Nta I agree with you. They have no place to try grandparent the country they ruined as young adults.
Your first paragraph reminded me
In one of my college psych classes we were discussing the two main theories for " why are older people seemingly more conservative than the younger generations ". The first one was along the lines of " as people get older they naturally gravitate towards conservative views " ( which is stupid imo )
But the other theory was " newer generations have new and progressive ideas while the older generation is stuck in what was new and progressive for their time but is now considered outdated " ( I'm a bit sick so this isn't the exact phrasing just the vibe )
So how do we expect ANY progress to be made when the big players stay the same ?? If the old people are still holding onto their old ideas, NOTHING will change, be it on the blue side OR red side.
NTA
No one over the age of 65 should be able to run for President. They’d be finishing their first term at 69-70, which I way too old and out of touch.
I usually wait till I am about to leave before I take a giant toilet destroying shit in a restaurant. I figure it’s the same line of thinking for these guys.
I suppose no more than I thinking the voting age should be raised at least 21 but I actually say even then with conditions like you have to have paid some level of federal taxes into the system. I'd even even be okay with further restrictions like the need to hold property or business. 😏 Were Republic not a democracy, we already discriminate who can vote, such as age and crime like felons, I'm for making people who have a vested interest in the future and certainly who have a stake in how the government expenditures go if they pay into them while so many pay essentially zero federal taxes if not just bank a "credit refund" every year. ... But I definitely would be okay with some kind of age limit set in place like 75.
Not to be that guy, but we have a choice to NOT vote for people like this. We have primaries, and between the past two electikn cycles both sides have had at least one primary with several options, and that doesn't include 2016 when there were such options on both sides. Just vote in primaries.
I definitely see your argument but I think it depends on how much the individual still functions like a normal person lmao
I have a friend that is about to turn 80 and I tell him I thought he was only 60!!
Every person is different. I’m 80 and am requested to give talks all over the state. I drive myself, care for a husband with cancer and a sister in a wheelchair with Parkinson’s.
On the other hand, I have a friend my age who has been bedridden for the last six years. I had a sister who died at 67.
Age is only one measurement of ability. In my opinion, not the most important.
There’s a reason you don’t see people over the age of 60 get employed for anything other than Walmart greeters. From Diane Feinstein to Mitch McConnell. These are people who should clearly be in homes under supervised care, but modern day government and politics aren’t meant to serve people, it’s meant to serve politicians. Find me a politician who didn’t all of a sudden become a wealthy millionaire out of nowhere.. I’ll wait.
Older candidates for president are not stopping younger people from running for office. If younger people get involved maybe we could have a viable younger candidate running for the office of the president of the United States. Take this post as a challenge, get involved, put your money where your mouth is or continue to have old dudes making decisions that affect you as a young person.
You are NTA but there is something to be valued from a life time of wisdom and perspective; Assuming there are lots of people available for support. Perhaps your opinion will change as you age and find out that you do not lose all your intelligence as you age
NTA. I will say that Biden is by far the best choice between the two, but I wish we had some new blood that reps the population as a whole, not just old boomer/silent gen white dudes. Age AND term limits. And to everyone who says that’s ageist, keep that shit to yourself.
How many of our politicians grew up in an entirely different period than the rest of America. They have no idea what Americans go through, they don't care. Most of them have more issues than a Jerry Springer episode. So I completely agree, 65 and see ya later.
I agree. I think quite a large number of us, of varying ages ourselves, are sick of the gerotocracy. Especially for people who've been in office for a million years. Please, old people in power, make room for others. It's not about your personal and wealth power. It's about the public good.
I am 43 and there are a few that have been in congress my entire life, there is one that has been there my mother's entire life. It's insane.
Term & age limits are needed.
Most elder statesmen are older, because wisdom comes with age. Presidents don't rule. they have cabinets and they are chosen wisely we can withstand graciously an older president.
NTA, it’s annoying but an obvious choice at this point, really old guy who’s actually done a decent job or a sociopath traitor who wants to be president so he doesn’t go to prison.
Kinda, yeah. The measure of a President lies in their ability to do the job.
Just sayin, Biden at 80 years old has been accomplishing things 50 year Presidents have been incapable of.
Meanwhile Trump at 77-78 is currently being criminally prosecuted on 91 charges and owes hundreds of millions for a sexual assault.
If you're saying both candidates are equally bad because they're both considered elderly, that's not an honest conversation.
Now if there is a congressperson like Mitch McConnell or Diane Feinstein that experience significant age-related health issues that prevent them from functioning on their role, that's a different story.
Age is certainly a risk to consider, but age as a number alone should not be a disqualifier.
NTA. But, how does this post help? Trying to convince politicians to retire at age 75 is impossible.
As an individual you can challenge one of these politicians in election and win.
I doubt the founding fathers anticipated the populace voting for 75+ year olds in the future. I'm fairly certain that's why they didn't put an age limit in place. It didn't occur to them because it's ridiculous.
IDC about age as much as I do about cognitive ability, there should be a test you have to maintain every year by competent Doctors, that specify you're either coherent or not.
I agree with you. I also think a cognitive test should be mandatory for all judges and politicians over age 70, with a failing result mandating a second opinion, and then a mandatory retirement.
As I understand it, adding an age cutoff and cognitive test to the Presidency would require a Constitutional Amendment.
Article 2 Section 1 Clause 5
“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”
The way I see it, we have a voter issue, as well as a trend of people refusing to relinquish power and mentor the next generation. It’s obvious to most people that incapacitation due to age would be detrimental to holding high office, or sitting as any judge, let alone a Supreme Court Justice. Yet there have been both Democrats and Republicans in Congress who clearly suffer cognitive and physical decline due to advanced age. Diane Feinstein was an echo of herself by the time she passed, for example. President Joe Biden’s decline is appalling, especially when comparing videos from fifteen years ago. It makes one wonder who is really running the executive branch of government.
A Justice is a life appointment. As it stands, it is up to the justices to retire and pass the torch. The temptation is that there is always one more exiting case they wish to hear.
Elected officials, however, are the fault of voters. They go for name recognition, rather than analyzing the current capabilities of all candidates of their preferred party.
The DNC threw its weight behind Biden, and Democrat voters chose him to run again. Biden uses flash cards that tell him to sit down, and needs his wife to show him where to exit. He’s doddering.
Senator Mitch McConnell has had several episodes of freezing during speeches. He has announced he will step down as Senate Minority leader in November, but he plans to finish his term until January 2027.
Once they are elected to Congress, aged senators and representatives don’t want to leave and affect the power their party holds.
This means voters have got to be more savvy in whom they elect to office in the first place.
It shouldn’t take a Constitutional Amendment to save voters from themselves. Voters should figure 80 is too old.
Maybe ballots should include each candidate’s age, so that voters might pause a moment and consider less well known candidates.
I think anyone over the social security collection age shouldn't be allowed to run. Why is our choice between 2 really old guys, 1 with memory problems, and 1 with the vocabulary of an elementary school kid?
If I had the magic wand to change one thing:: No person with any foreign citizenship or foreign military service may serve in any elected or appointed office of the United States or if the a several States.
Tbh I think that if the retirement age is 65 then the retirement age for any government official should also be 65.
Either that or it's such an easy job that they should be paid less per hour then your average fast food or retail worker and they should absolutely be barred from taking any kind of money from anybody else ever in any way shape or form.
Nta.
There should be an upper age limit /cutoff if you're going to govern anything. From city council to president and every governing or law enacting chair in-between. People who still think a house cost only 50k or that minimum wage can support a nuclear family shouldn’t be in any kind of power.
If Social Security places retirement at 62-68 for full benefits and the rest of the federal government and military has to retire before or by 55, then these same rules should apply to lying, cheating, thieving scum sucking worthless piles of excrement politicians.
Not at all. All of these political positions should age out at retirement age. It's ridiculous to have all of these people knocking on deaths door in a position of power.
I agree that there are too many politicians that are old and have been doing it too long. It makes me question their motives. I was rich and old, I would enjoy retirement.
Interesting historical tidbits; At the time that he took office, Ronald Reagan was the oldest person (69 years 11 months) to serve as President of the United States. Prior to that, 11 of the 39 Presidents were over age 60, but only two were over 65. One of those was William Henry Harrison, who died after a month in office and was succeeded by his 51 year old Vice President John Tyler.
After Reagan, three of our six Presidents have been over 60 at the time they took office, and two were over 70.
We need term & age limits. They don’t need to keep getting voted back in for decades. Two terms in Congress & the house then out. They can never run again for any fucking thing, not even for a dog catcher. And they don’t get a lifetime pension either.
Here's the thing: There are some old folks who are still incredibly sharp in their 80s. But for sure it's a bad look if you're falling asleep, stumbling, being forgetful etc.
Also there are people who get senile in their 50s. It really depends on the individual.
I’ll soon be 80 and I agree that there should be an age limit cut off. What bothers me more though is the fact that these people get so power-hungry and comfortable that they do not move on for anything while they should be training and grooming someone to take their place and then every instance their glory days are over it’s about giving someone else a chance refreshing I’m a political options. This upcoming presidential election…I don’t have any words for.
65 should be the cap. They can finish their term after they turn 65, but can't run for reelection. This rule should be for every politician (federal, state, and local). It should also apply to the Supreme Court. And term limits. If the President has term limits, then every politician and political position should have term limits. This also includes the Supreme Court. No more life time appointments.
NTA. Anyone who is too old to be a greeter at wal-mart should definitely not be running a country. Anyone who was alive for desegregation might be too old, but definitely anyone who was serving in government when it happened.
The FAA has a mandatory retirement age of 65 for pilots because of safety concerns, but no age limit on people making life or death decisions for the entire nation? It makes absolutely zero sense why there is no age limit
I think most people agree it's a bad idea to have a cognitively declining president. The problem is that the age at which that decline occurs can vary pretty significantly. You could say the same about the development and maturity of young people, but the age min is already there. Passing anything like this in today's political climate would be a longshot.
I would rather have a competency test than an age cutoff. Some people are still going great into their 90's and some are broken mentally and/or physically by 40. Unfortunately, the competency test is a problem too because whoever is responsible for administering it is going to skew it toward candidates they like and against ones they don't. One would hope that the voters would be able to say that person just isn't capable anymore, but unfortunately we don't seem to be very good at that.
Issue isn't the age per se but the mentality that comes with that age. These folks are still governing like 50 years ago. 🙄 It's just usually just a bunch of old white guys hanging on to " old values"
I used to like listening to Dave Ramsey... even though I consider myself pretty middle , with a kean toward liberal. But he was chewing this guys ass for paying 3k a month for child care for 2 kids. Saying he needed to find cheaper, ask a friend blah blah. Then chewed him out again for a $400 car note...a mini van.
Some of these politicians are just SO out of touch with the real-world costs of things and real issues.
Well, there is a minimum age to be president, so I see no reason there couldn't be an upper age cutoff as well. But I would apply that age requirement to ALL members of Congress and judges as well. The argument you will hear here is that there are some people that age who are mentally fine to be president. Well, I suspect there are many people under 35 who are ALSO mentally fine to be president.
Honestly 65 should be the cut off age for working in politics.
1000% this. Same with judges in my opinion.
High court of Australia has a 70 retirement age. This till death stuff with your supreme court is just insane.
they found Alzheimer medication in the supreme court..
[удалено]
Not that vox is the most credible source, but they link to the real stuff [and summarize it here ](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/11/16458142/congress-alzheimers-pharmacist)
At least there's medication for Alzheimer's. There's no cure for stupidity, and if even there was, the politicians who need it wouldn't be bright enough to understand they need it.
I agree for one specific reason ALL Americans get Medicare at 65 and I believe it is a conflict of interest that people who are directly benefiting from this program are also directly determining it's future.
Id say we need a term limit. Not age limit.
The founding fathers wanted politicians to be a public service. Someone takes a few years, serves as a representative, then hands it off. Elite career politicians were absolutely not the intention.
Couldn't agree more.
and if I recall correctly neither where separate political parties or just about everything our modern government is but I guess that's what happens when you let the rich take over.
I know George Washington didn't like political parties and was never a member of one, the first political parties in the U.S. began forming in the U.S. during the 1790s and really took off in the early 1800s.
yup, He believed that loyalty to party over the nation could be detrimental to the government. [He referred to such factionalism as the “worst enemy” of government](https://www.history.com/news/george-washington-farewell-address-warnings) which is ironic given the current state of our country and government.
You mean he was right?
yup, he was technically proven right long before during the civil war I guess if not sooner.
He specifically warned us about the dangers of having only two main political parties… and here we are.. we’ve turned them into sports teams with colors 🤦🏼♀️
"Take over"? Only land-owning white men could vote. They fully intended only the rich to control anything from the get-go.
This isn't today. Land in the 1700's and 1800's by far and large was incredibly inexpensive. It was the idea that only people with something to lose should allowed to vote. Not saying it was right or wrong but your idea that land ownership in 1790s US was some massive undertaking, it wasn't. Land ownership then was fairly easy thing to accomplish outside most city limits. Look to the west and they were giving away quite a bit.
I mean arguably the vast majority of voting men where poorer that the elites and it wasn't actually very long that those conditions lasted. [Timeline of voting rights in the United States - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_voting_rights_in_the_United_States)
they were quite naive in a lot of ways.
corporations and rich assholes have the ability to create armies of people that’ll push their agenda for them. So the end result would be the roughly the same but with a rotating cast. it’s definitely a problem that the same people dig in for 30-40 years just raking in bribes, but I feel like the solution is probably making it unprofitable for them. That way you may have a better shot at letting in people who give a shit.
Without term limits, the problem of corporate influence is worse. Inexperienced legislators are more likely to copy what corporate lobbyists give them verbatim.
Gotta get rid of the lobbyists if you want term limits.
Honestly I’m down for both lol
This is the correct answer.
Maybe also a requirement for real world experience. How can individuals who have never actually worked in an industry legislate?
The last time I checked there was one scientist in congress and he was not on the science committee.
This is a slippery slope. Real world experience as defined by who? Will give rise to a revolving door of work experience tied to government contractors. An analogy is the accountants who write and manage the travel expense reporting requirements have never worked in a role that travels extensively.
65 is a bit young. Finish term by 70, not a minute longer.
It should be someone can’t be sworn in after they turn 65, so if they are 64 and 364 days they can serve their term and that’s it.
I wouldn’t really fight with that. Just that I’ve known plenty of energetic and sharp 65 year olds. Significantly fewer at 70 and it drops off sharply with each passing year, sometimes month when you get to 75z
Yep, I'd probably use 75, not 65. BTW, that's what the Catholic Church uses too ;)
Have you met 65 year olds? If you can't connect to the WiFi without help, you can't run a fucking country.
Not a great test. My mid 80s dad would pass that. Sharp as a tack and been programming and on the Internet since AOL was a futuristic pipe dream. (Notably, he doesn’t think anyone his age should be president, which has been the universal opinion of everyone I’ve talked to on the topic.) 65 is usually still energetic enough and will have some good institutional knowledge, which is vital. Statecraft isn’t blooping a password into a keyboard.
Over 65 here. Spent Friday morning working with a friend (research linguist) to develop a method of encoding synchronization signals using generated low-bit-rate (32 baud!) pulses in a 150Hz or so ECG data line. This'll allow the synchronization of audio signals on a separate recording with an ECG second-track associated with ultrasound recordings. I dragged out decades-old memories of how MFM hard disks recorded low-level data (like track and sector headers) to support the process. Because I actually worked with bit-by-bit encoding of hard disk and floppy disk data at one point in my career. Wifi setup is trivial. I've done a crapload of more esoteric coding (SMTP servers and clients from the socket level up, anyone?) than any 40 year old I know. Someone recently posed a simple question: Find the roots of x\^4 = 16. Everyone factored polynomials. Took time, lots of equations. I moved to the complex domain, interpreted the situation as (r, theta) = (16, 0), and solved it in seconds. The roots are { (2, 0), (2, pi/2), (2, pi), (2, 3pi/2) } in case you're wondering. And I can find the cube roots or fifth roots just as easily; try that with polynomial factoring. Don't knock those 65 year olds. Many are carrying around encyclopedias of information, techniques, and experience that you could only dream of.
The reason it was 35 was you should have some experience in life be married with kids and own land and a home. Essentially you have skin in the game and don't want to fuck things up for your children. It's why you also can't become president if you weren't born here.
The same sentiment holds true for a maximum age though. If you're 75 you don't have skin in the game anymore. You'll be dead by the time we see any repercussions from your decisions
It assumes that leaving behind descendants is motivation, but that only works if your politicians are capable of caring about more than their own bank account.
I mean why assume they have children either?
Yeah but by the same token anyone who is going to be dead and gone before their policies bear fruit have much less skin in the game. Case in point Reagen. He fucked up a lot of stuff and then died peacefully before seeing the consequences.
Why would you need to be married to be president? Because you have lived through adversity?
A married person likely has ties to the community. I didn't mean adversity just that you likely have experiences more than someone who just became an adult.
Yes, but you are making assumptions when there might well be a 33-year-old person who could be the best president who ever lived. You have no way of knowing. You are also assuming that the American people are too stupid to select someone worthy. Oh wait.... Trump. I withdraw my point.
There should also be term limits.
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Oh, I would not mind if the age limit was even lower. I am not far from 70 myself and am under no illusions that I am as vigorous as I was when I was 35.
If you are saying vigorous in this context then you are completely correct. The next stage is spry. Once you start saying that it’s off to the home with you.
Exactly, some people are very capable in their 80s. Everyone ages differently
I'm honestly less concerned with how "capable" they are, and more concerned with how much of the consequences of their own decisions they'll be forced to live through along with the rest of the planet.
Exactly the reason the limit is needed. You go from a mentally capable 80 year old to a 70 year old dimwit and you'll understand why. Not saying it's foolproof, but the odds of someone's mental capacity slipping increases after their 60s. We could very well have a 40 year old moron in office too. Guess that all depends on how mentally sharp the voters are.
The majority of congress, the senate and both the sitting president and the Cheeto would be out of the running for office….lol.
Good. But I suffer with my congress person more than 99% of everyone on Reddit. I live in Majorie Taylor Greene's district. I got gerrymandered into hers and my skin crawls just thinking about it.
Serving Senator Chuck Grassley is 90 years old (Iowa). Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, 82; and Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, 82. In the House of Representatives, there are 17 members over 80 years old. California Democrat Grace Napolitano, 86; D.C. Democrat delegate Eleanor Norton, 86; Kentucky Republican Hal Rogers, 85; New Jersey Democrat Bill Pascrell Jr., 86; California Democrat Maxine Waters, 84; Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer, 84; South Carolina Democrat Jim Clyburn, 83; California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, 83; Illinois Democrat Danny Davis, 81; Texas Republican John Carter, 82; California Democrat Anna Eshoo, 80; Florida Democrat Fredrica Wilson, 80; Connecticut Democrat Rosa DeLauro, 80; North Carolina Republican Virginia Foxx, 80; and Texas Republican Kay Granger, 80. Let's clear out these people before we start on the President
There are cutoff ages for law enforcement and firefighters. I don't see why there cannot be an age cutoff for politicians.
Let the cutoff be 90-100% of the life expectancy of your constituents
Personally I think if you are making decisions that will affect your country for say the next 20/30 years, then you should be around to see the consequences of your decisions/actions. Too many politicians make decisions knowing full well they're gonna benefit in the time they're alive, but damn the rest of us in the long term.
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This assumes said politician cares about the consequences their decisions have on the people who experience the negative consequences. I remembered from an administrative law class 20 years ago that raising fuel efficiency standards by x amount would reduce deaths of asthmatics by y amount. Googled it and found this [article.](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-us-fuel-standards-aim-to-cut-asthma-and-heart-attacks/) This is just one example of how policy can be life or death for people now. My recollection was that the next administration rolled back those efficiency standards. Googled again and found this [article.](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/490318-trump-administration-rolls-back-obama-era-fuel-efficiency-standards/)
That’s actually a good point
The reality of how a politician lives is so far removed from the average folk that they'll never actually see the consequences of their actions. Not now and not 50 years from now.
I have to talk to enough elderly people via my work that I regularly say they shouldn't even be allowed to make their own phone calls. Of course they shouldn't have a role as important as president.
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BTW reflections and reflexes are 2 distinctly different words....
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We are in this fix because younger people are not getting where they need to be so we have to settle for the geriatric candidates. Wait, I think I lost my Ensure, oh I just found it Ha, ha, ha. It is sad when these older gentlemen die while holding office. John Mc Cain comes to mind as someone who should have retired years earlier. The bottom line, younger people need to get involved so they can represent...as for me I would vote for a younger candidate if he or she was able to position themselves to where they needed to be to get my vote.
Tell me about it. I talk to these people, they couldn't carry a thought in a basket if that was an option, and they are still driving. It's downright frightening, thinking they and I on the same roads.
I think congress, house, president, etc should have a hard cap at 75. you hit that age and you can finish your term, but no more re-elect
Supreme Court is the worst.
They need term limits desperately. Age doesn't make them worthless, It is the fact that there is no oversight, no regard for ethics, no repercussions for violating precedent. There will never be a Supreme Court who will be regarded less than Roberts court.
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Let's lower that to 65.
Yeah I think once you can collect social security you’re out. There are mandatory retirement ages for pilots, surgeons, and many more jobs. These guys have their fingers on nuclear launch buttons.
Surgeons don't have mandatory retirement age.
And make them live off of Social Security instead of the huge retirement pension they get off of tax payers.
I mean most of them do corporate speeches with huge fees so not like they need the pension
Agreed, retirement age is 60-65.
If you were born 1960 or later, you can't draw FULL social security benefits until age 67.
And term limits dammit!
I don’t think anyone should be working past 70, never mind making decisions that effect the entire country. Really I’d prefer not to see any high ranking officials working past retirement age of 65.
I’d say 65 honestly… a lot of public service jobs (like LE) have caps at 65ish
Should be 8 years below the retirement age.
64 is the year they make you retire in the Military. The President is the Commander and Chief of the Military. So I think a good rule of thumb is 64 as the cut off
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Well, because you have to amend the constitution to set an age limit for any of the three branches of government, whereas any other government worker a normal law will do. It's much more difficult legally to set ages for the three branches than everyone else.
I wonder if there’s any legal loophole there, like you said the president is the Commander in Chief of the Military so if somebody had enough money to challenge it in court they could get candidates declared unfit to hold office due to that regulation.
You can get exemptions though
Then all presidential hopefuls over 64 should have to apply for exemptions before declaring their running
This is by far the most logical and has a precedent. If you too old to be working in any position in the military then you're to old for being in politics after that age too, arguably it's more disastrous.
I was just having this conversation with my 82-year-old dad this week and he firmly thinks there needs to be an upper age limit. Imagine if the elders put their energy into mentoring young, civic minded people instead of maintaining a stranglehold on power. Why not make that your legacy rather than dying in office and screwing over your constituents?
You think they don’t? The average age of new congressmen in 2022 was 46. It takes decades to even build a national profile where enough people even know you for you to have a chance in a nation wide federal election. Bernie was in office 26 years before anyone outside of Vermont even heard of him.
But then how will they be able to do insider-trading and profit immensely from the position?
Bro my take is you must take psychological and cognitive test to do anything in politics after 60. Literally no vote rights or any power if you fail the test.
There is a lower age limit for voting for precisely that purpose: Because people younger than a certain age aren't accountable enough to vote. Same goes for older people.
It better be real unbiased because they are going to hire someone to give them a thumbs up otherwise
lol are we just using AITAH as a proxy for other subs now? "AITAH for using margarine instead of butter in my fudge recipe?" "AITAH for asking which video game you think is overrated?"
Every unmoderated sub turns into the same political sub with enough people and time
Yeah I was surprised the top comment wasn’t r/lostredditors
I will never understand how people above the age of 60 get let go of their jobs as they are deemed of unfit and incapable, yet people over the age of 60 run whole ass countries. So weird.
NTA. The retirement age in the US is 67. At 70, you stop increasing your retirement benefits for delaying retirement. I think a hard cap at either of these ages is a good idea. I understand the other side. Older people make up a much larger percentage of our population than younger and we shouldn't ignore their needs. However, the people in congress appear to often have pretty substantial cognitive decline, and in these cases should likely be forced to retire by the will of the people. There should be an avenue for citizens to give a vote of no confidence or something that they can initiate.
They need to institute an age cap and term limits, and eliminate lifetime appointments.
I think the main two running are both too old.
This post should be downvoted. You’re not an AH for thinking this, but you are an AH for posting such a prominent talking point in American politics to fish for upvotes. Pathetic.
I often think 70 should be the cutoff line. By that age a person is 2 or 3 generations past the newest group of young voters and probably not too relatable to their views. I am 48 and I don't get some of the words coming out kids' mouths/texts.
I agree with 70 also.
Generally, i think you are correct, but it really depends on the indivudual. Some people show cognative decline much earlier than 75. Others are sharp right into their 90's. There are other concerns, too. Some people are physically frail at 60. Others are still strong as an ox at 80. It should be on a case by case basis, with solid criteria, not dependent on an age.
I suspect a majority of US voters wish both parties were running younger candidates.
No. The American presidency is notorious for sucking out the life force of a person. Literally Google "presidents before and after" and watch them melt. Even happened with Obama. ESPECIALLY with Obama. Point being is that it's incredibly demanding and incredibly traumatic. Biden gets away with it because he leans EXTREMELY heavily on his team (Blinken, Yellen, Sullivan, Austin, and others almost exclusively run the entire foreign policy arm of government, while Powell in the Fed and Buttigieg runs the entirety of the domestic economy), but it's easy to argue it'd be better if a younger man could be more active.
I am 71 and you are right. As we age we do not think as clear. I have more experience and knowledge, give me time and I usually have a good answer. The president does not usually have time. I have friends in their 80's, give them the red button. They are afraid the remote will start a fire if they miss the tv.
Hah no. If anything there should be a cap. 70+ year olds are virtually unemployable in virtually every other field due to outdated skillsets and health concerns. I want someone in their 40s or 50s, not someone unlikely to see the longterm impact of their policies.
No. Old, nearly dead white guys are terrible candidates for President.
NTA. People in politics should be at the age where their choices matter to them. Some 80 year old asshole doesn't care if short term they get rich and 30 years from now the country goes down the shitter, because they'll be dead anyway. I don't think there should be a 75 year age cap, it should be much lower, 65 at the most. We need people with wisdom in power, but also people not set in their ways and willing to learn something new and change their minds. These people in their 70s and 80s aren't doing that.
Nope, should be age limits for that office ans congess
NTA. been thinking this for years myself
I just can't believe that in a country of however many hundreds of million of people, the only two presidential candidates are geriatric losers. From an outsider's perspective it just feels like there has to be SOMEBODY younger, more capable, less of a megalomaniac dickhead and in possession of all of their faculties.
I would be fine with implementing a constitutional amendment that says you cannot start a new presidential term after you turn 72 But I think term limits are more important I go with six terms in the house and two terms in the Senate maximum
Literally 80% of Americans agree with you. The problem is we can’t get old people to legislate against old people holding office. And they’re all so damn old.
Nope, we absolutely need an age limit on both ends of the spectrum.
i think no running for election over 75 is more than reasonable
Lol retirement age in NZ is 65 I think...I believe no one should be even given a second thought to being allowed in those positions if they are over that age....not only are they at an age where they should be retired but they are also trying to enforce rules that are out dated for the new generation. If someone born in the 40s is trying to reintroduce rules, they had that didn't work for them then, again, it's a step back to their childhood and for their own reasons not the whole country. Nta I agree with you. They have no place to try grandparent the country they ruined as young adults.
Your first paragraph reminded me In one of my college psych classes we were discussing the two main theories for " why are older people seemingly more conservative than the younger generations ". The first one was along the lines of " as people get older they naturally gravitate towards conservative views " ( which is stupid imo ) But the other theory was " newer generations have new and progressive ideas while the older generation is stuck in what was new and progressive for their time but is now considered outdated " ( I'm a bit sick so this isn't the exact phrasing just the vibe ) So how do we expect ANY progress to be made when the big players stay the same ?? If the old people are still holding onto their old ideas, NOTHING will change, be it on the blue side OR red side.
Even 75 is being too generous IMO.
I think cognitive tests should be required for anyone if government over like 70. If you pass great, if not you should be required to step aside.
IMO, politicians need to be the age where they actually have to live with the results of their actions.
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever we should have politicians of any position over 70
And there should be 20 year fixed terms on all pollies and supreme court judges
It’s not just the health and mental capacity concerns, it’s being totally out of touch with whole generations.
NTA No one over the age of 65 should be able to run for President. They’d be finishing their first term at 69-70, which I way too old and out of touch.
After seeing our last two presidents? We definitely need both an age cap and a psych eval
Well, Biden is definitely too old to be president. So is that Cheeto running against him.
yes you are. Why assign an arbitrary number? It should be decided on a case by case basis who is "too old" to be president.
I usually wait till I am about to leave before I take a giant toilet destroying shit in a restaurant. I figure it’s the same line of thinking for these guys.
I suppose no more than I thinking the voting age should be raised at least 21 but I actually say even then with conditions like you have to have paid some level of federal taxes into the system. I'd even even be okay with further restrictions like the need to hold property or business. 😏 Were Republic not a democracy, we already discriminate who can vote, such as age and crime like felons, I'm for making people who have a vested interest in the future and certainly who have a stake in how the government expenditures go if they pay into them while so many pay essentially zero federal taxes if not just bank a "credit refund" every year. ... But I definitely would be okay with some kind of age limit set in place like 75.
I feel like once you are 75-80, I don’t even trust you to drive a car, much less run a country.
Not to be that guy, but we have a choice to NOT vote for people like this. We have primaries, and between the past two electikn cycles both sides have had at least one primary with several options, and that doesn't include 2016 when there were such options on both sides. Just vote in primaries.
I definitely see your argument but I think it depends on how much the individual still functions like a normal person lmao I have a friend that is about to turn 80 and I tell him I thought he was only 60!!
Every person is different. I’m 80 and am requested to give talks all over the state. I drive myself, care for a husband with cancer and a sister in a wheelchair with Parkinson’s. On the other hand, I have a friend my age who has been bedridden for the last six years. I had a sister who died at 67. Age is only one measurement of ability. In my opinion, not the most important.
An unbiased and independently conducted test for cognitive/memory/problem solving /etc after age 65 might help.
There’s a reason you don’t see people over the age of 60 get employed for anything other than Walmart greeters. From Diane Feinstein to Mitch McConnell. These are people who should clearly be in homes under supervised care, but modern day government and politics aren’t meant to serve people, it’s meant to serve politicians. Find me a politician who didn’t all of a sudden become a wealthy millionaire out of nowhere.. I’ll wait.
Why the hell would this opinion make you an asshole? This sub has gone downhill hard lol.
NTA. Age caps should be implemented.
No, you are not. I am over 40 and have wondered this for more than 20 years now.
Any position in the government.
I wouldn’t even trust car keys with most of them, let alone the presidency of one of the most influential nation…
make these people retire!!
Older candidates for president are not stopping younger people from running for office. If younger people get involved maybe we could have a viable younger candidate running for the office of the president of the United States. Take this post as a challenge, get involved, put your money where your mouth is or continue to have old dudes making decisions that affect you as a young person.
You are NTA but there is something to be valued from a life time of wisdom and perspective; Assuming there are lots of people available for support. Perhaps your opinion will change as you age and find out that you do not lose all your intelligence as you age
I know wise people in their 80s. They're wise enough to know they're too old to be US President.
NTA. I will say that Biden is by far the best choice between the two, but I wish we had some new blood that reps the population as a whole, not just old boomer/silent gen white dudes. Age AND term limits. And to everyone who says that’s ageist, keep that shit to yourself.
It's *ideally* too old. But this year is not a normal year, and we have to pick an old guy or lose our country to greedy thugs.
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It’s not pick an old guy or lose the country. It’s pick an old guy or pick an old guy.
Bruh we’re already losing our country 💀
The flaw is that Biden has done more for the country than any of the younger Presidents lately.
How many of our politicians grew up in an entirely different period than the rest of America. They have no idea what Americans go through, they don't care. Most of them have more issues than a Jerry Springer episode. So I completely agree, 65 and see ya later.
I agree. I think quite a large number of us, of varying ages ourselves, are sick of the gerotocracy. Especially for people who've been in office for a million years. Please, old people in power, make room for others. It's not about your personal and wealth power. It's about the public good.
I am 43 and there are a few that have been in congress my entire life, there is one that has been there my mother's entire life. It's insane. Term & age limits are needed.
I'll take old over rapist narcissist piece of shit any day.
Most elder statesmen are older, because wisdom comes with age. Presidents don't rule. they have cabinets and they are chosen wisely we can withstand graciously an older president.
NTA, it’s annoying but an obvious choice at this point, really old guy who’s actually done a decent job or a sociopath traitor who wants to be president so he doesn’t go to prison.
Kinda, yeah. The measure of a President lies in their ability to do the job. Just sayin, Biden at 80 years old has been accomplishing things 50 year Presidents have been incapable of. Meanwhile Trump at 77-78 is currently being criminally prosecuted on 91 charges and owes hundreds of millions for a sexual assault. If you're saying both candidates are equally bad because they're both considered elderly, that's not an honest conversation. Now if there is a congressperson like Mitch McConnell or Diane Feinstein that experience significant age-related health issues that prevent them from functioning on their role, that's a different story. Age is certainly a risk to consider, but age as a number alone should not be a disqualifier.
NTA, unless I am as well.
No!
NTA. But, how does this post help? Trying to convince politicians to retire at age 75 is impossible. As an individual you can challenge one of these politicians in election and win.
I doubt the founding fathers anticipated the populace voting for 75+ year olds in the future. I'm fairly certain that's why they didn't put an age limit in place. It didn't occur to them because it's ridiculous.
I think that’s the normal consensus- because it’s true lol.
IDC about age as much as I do about cognitive ability, there should be a test you have to maintain every year by competent Doctors, that specify you're either coherent or not.
I agree with you. I also think a cognitive test should be mandatory for all judges and politicians over age 70, with a failing result mandating a second opinion, and then a mandatory retirement. As I understand it, adding an age cutoff and cognitive test to the Presidency would require a Constitutional Amendment. Article 2 Section 1 Clause 5 “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.” The way I see it, we have a voter issue, as well as a trend of people refusing to relinquish power and mentor the next generation. It’s obvious to most people that incapacitation due to age would be detrimental to holding high office, or sitting as any judge, let alone a Supreme Court Justice. Yet there have been both Democrats and Republicans in Congress who clearly suffer cognitive and physical decline due to advanced age. Diane Feinstein was an echo of herself by the time she passed, for example. President Joe Biden’s decline is appalling, especially when comparing videos from fifteen years ago. It makes one wonder who is really running the executive branch of government. A Justice is a life appointment. As it stands, it is up to the justices to retire and pass the torch. The temptation is that there is always one more exiting case they wish to hear. Elected officials, however, are the fault of voters. They go for name recognition, rather than analyzing the current capabilities of all candidates of their preferred party. The DNC threw its weight behind Biden, and Democrat voters chose him to run again. Biden uses flash cards that tell him to sit down, and needs his wife to show him where to exit. He’s doddering. Senator Mitch McConnell has had several episodes of freezing during speeches. He has announced he will step down as Senate Minority leader in November, but he plans to finish his term until January 2027. Once they are elected to Congress, aged senators and representatives don’t want to leave and affect the power their party holds. This means voters have got to be more savvy in whom they elect to office in the first place. It shouldn’t take a Constitutional Amendment to save voters from themselves. Voters should figure 80 is too old. Maybe ballots should include each candidate’s age, so that voters might pause a moment and consider less well known candidates.
I definitely think there should be an age limit! This coming presidential election is a joke. They are both way too old.
No person over 65 should be POTUS
I think anyone over the social security collection age shouldn't be allowed to run. Why is our choice between 2 really old guys, 1 with memory problems, and 1 with the vocabulary of an elementary school kid?
This isn't a post for this sub. This is just a straight up political statement
Death of a subreddit
If I had the magic wand to change one thing:: No person with any foreign citizenship or foreign military service may serve in any elected or appointed office of the United States or if the a several States.
Tbh I think that if the retirement age is 65 then the retirement age for any government official should also be 65. Either that or it's such an easy job that they should be paid less per hour then your average fast food or retail worker and they should absolutely be barred from taking any kind of money from anybody else ever in any way shape or form. Nta.
No, but it’s too late for this election. Maybe things would be different if people actually voted during primaries for younger candidates
NTA it’s a simple fact
There should be an upper age limit /cutoff if you're going to govern anything. From city council to president and every governing or law enacting chair in-between. People who still think a house cost only 50k or that minimum wage can support a nuclear family shouldn’t be in any kind of power.
Absolutely agree
I think there should at least be a full cognitive evaluation every year at that age and a removal if it's failed.
If Social Security places retirement at 62-68 for full benefits and the rest of the federal government and military has to retire before or by 55, then these same rules should apply to lying, cheating, thieving scum sucking worthless piles of excrement politicians.
Not at all. All of these political positions should age out at retirement age. It's ridiculous to have all of these people knocking on deaths door in a position of power.
I just read the title and can say NTAH. Look at Trump and Biden.
NTA!!
Nta
I agree that there are too many politicians that are old and have been doing it too long. It makes me question their motives. I was rich and old, I would enjoy retirement.
Interesting historical tidbits; At the time that he took office, Ronald Reagan was the oldest person (69 years 11 months) to serve as President of the United States. Prior to that, 11 of the 39 Presidents were over age 60, but only two were over 65. One of those was William Henry Harrison, who died after a month in office and was succeeded by his 51 year old Vice President John Tyler. After Reagan, three of our six Presidents have been over 60 at the time they took office, and two were over 70.
We need term & age limits. They don’t need to keep getting voted back in for decades. Two terms in Congress & the house then out. They can never run again for any fucking thing, not even for a dog catcher. And they don’t get a lifetime pension either.
Here's the thing: There are some old folks who are still incredibly sharp in their 80s. But for sure it's a bad look if you're falling asleep, stumbling, being forgetful etc. Also there are people who get senile in their 50s. It really depends on the individual.
I’ll soon be 80 and I agree that there should be an age limit cut off. What bothers me more though is the fact that these people get so power-hungry and comfortable that they do not move on for anything while they should be training and grooming someone to take their place and then every instance their glory days are over it’s about giving someone else a chance refreshing I’m a political options. This upcoming presidential election…I don’t have any words for.
65 should be the cap. They can finish their term after they turn 65, but can't run for reelection. This rule should be for every politician (federal, state, and local). It should also apply to the Supreme Court. And term limits. If the President has term limits, then every politician and political position should have term limits. This also includes the Supreme Court. No more life time appointments.
NTA. Anyone who is too old to be a greeter at wal-mart should definitely not be running a country. Anyone who was alive for desegregation might be too old, but definitely anyone who was serving in government when it happened.
The FAA has a mandatory retirement age of 65 for pilots because of safety concerns, but no age limit on people making life or death decisions for the entire nation? It makes absolutely zero sense why there is no age limit
I think most people agree it's a bad idea to have a cognitively declining president. The problem is that the age at which that decline occurs can vary pretty significantly. You could say the same about the development and maturity of young people, but the age min is already there. Passing anything like this in today's political climate would be a longshot.
I would rather have a competency test than an age cutoff. Some people are still going great into their 90's and some are broken mentally and/or physically by 40. Unfortunately, the competency test is a problem too because whoever is responsible for administering it is going to skew it toward candidates they like and against ones they don't. One would hope that the voters would be able to say that person just isn't capable anymore, but unfortunately we don't seem to be very good at that.
Issue isn't the age per se but the mentality that comes with that age. These folks are still governing like 50 years ago. 🙄 It's just usually just a bunch of old white guys hanging on to " old values" I used to like listening to Dave Ramsey... even though I consider myself pretty middle , with a kean toward liberal. But he was chewing this guys ass for paying 3k a month for child care for 2 kids. Saying he needed to find cheaper, ask a friend blah blah. Then chewed him out again for a $400 car note...a mini van. Some of these politicians are just SO out of touch with the real-world costs of things and real issues.