General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIs Bernie Sanders to old to run for President?
Honest question.
ETA: If you have no problem with his age great! neither do I, but with that said I don't to hear any shit about the age of our possible female candidates. Fair is fair.
still_one
(92,372 posts)FSogol
(45,524 posts)Would he appeal to mainstream America?
cali
(114,904 posts)FSogol
(45,524 posts)Even though I don't feel he'll gain much traction outside of the Northeast, he'll do us a valuable service by pushing the party to the left during the primaries. I wish him luck.
I do not want to see him run as a 3rd party candidate.
djean111
(14,255 posts)And did we "elect" someone from Texas twice? Arkansas twice?
I think the region thing is just a little bit of a straw man.
FSogol
(45,524 posts)from Democrats from Texas, Arkansas, Virginia, and such places to get elected. How many Democratic Presidential candidates from the Northeast have failed to get elected in the last half of the 20th century - the present?
djean111
(14,255 posts)Also, as a Democrat, I would not vote for a Republican if they lived next door, were from my state, or any other circumstance regarding geography.
FSogol
(45,524 posts)As for who Democrats vote for, that is irrelevant. To win a party must inspire and capture the votes of people outside their party.
On edit: HRC has more national notoriety due to being Sec of State, first lady, and the object of GOP hatred.
antiquie
(4,299 posts)I'm on the opposite coast from Senator Sanders, and I would vote for him in a heartbeat. A few of my friends share their extra bucks with him. We support his philosophy and goals.
William769
(55,147 posts)And his age doesn't seem to be a problem with a lot of people but I keep hearing age seems to be a problem for our possible female candidates.
I just want to get to the bottom of this and once and for all take this question out of the equation for all candidates or make sure the question is held for all candidates.
antiquie
(4,299 posts)but in the wrong place, duh.
Seriously, on age, I am younger than both but am way too old to have the stamina required for the position. I think we need to judge each person's suitability independent of age. I truly believe John McCain has been too old for at least thirty years.
William769
(55,147 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)LawDeeDah
(1,596 posts)I know what you are getting at and it certainly is a reality that women's ages are pecked at more than a man's but I don't find that sentiment here on Democratic Underground to any worrisome extent, that I have seen, because whoever attempts that gets straightened out real fast.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I believe so Sanders and Clinton can use experience and wisdom as their points which does appeal.
think
(11,641 posts)Autumn
(45,120 posts)Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)If he doesn't run that means no prominent progressive will be raising issues at the national level during the 2016 election. Once again we will have a whole election season without any significant progressive input.
BeyondGeography
(39,377 posts)He would be taking the oath at age 75. It's sad that we have to make these kinds of concessions, but lots of things are sad.
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)hold his opponent's youth and inexperience against him.
mmonk
(52,589 posts)Rhiannon12866
(205,857 posts)Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)No one is too old to run, but yes his age will be a factor during the primaries as will his choice of VP, many here thought McCain was too old to be President
I just don't see the country electing someone, regardless of party, in their late 60's or early 70's to be President. For that matter we have only had 5 Presidents 64 and older at the time they assumed office.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_age
On edit: I think it is highly unlikely that our next President will come from Congress, I expect that the next President will be someone sitting in a governor's chair right now.
antiquie
(4,299 posts)and keep the candidates honest.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)Certainly President Obama was on no one's list in November of 2006 and I doubt McCain was either.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)I am very active in senior groups, deal with lots of senior in the 80's and some in the 90's. Which sex is in highest number, women by a long shot. Facts point to women out living men by a few years. This is not the point with Bernie, his socialist stand on issues is the problem, he may fair well in Vermont, this will not be the case in the rest of the US. A president needs to view the world in a complete horizon, not just a small section, a wide peripheral vision is required. He suffers from tunnel vision.
William769
(55,147 posts)And I have no problem with him running for President (although I think it would be a lost cause but it is his right to do so).
I guess what I am trying to say with my OP is don't attack possible female candidates about their age unless you are also going to do it to the male candidates.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)it is a different standard.
CK_John
(10,005 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)Response to William769 (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)Age is not an issue for me with him, Warren, Hillary, Biden, etc.
There's candidates I prefer over others, but age is not the reason why.
brooklynite
(94,703 posts)Xyzse
(8,217 posts)The question is... "Running Successfully", and that is always hard to quantify.
See, McCain was old, but he ran kinda successfully until he lost to Obama. I'd never vote for him especially since he included a 140 lbs drag anchor on his campaign named Sarah. He would not have lasted a year given all the things going on at the time, as he was acting quite erratically.
One is never too old to run.
Tuesday Afternoon
(56,912 posts)Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)Clinton. Sanders. Warren. And now people here are talking about Jerry Brown? Any one of those four would be the oldest Democrat ever elected to the presidency; two of the four would be the oldest person, period.
I find myself wondering how we ended up here. How the party that supposedly embraces progress, that supposedly looks to the future, and that definitely relies of youth as the key to its national success, can only seem to generate excitement about sexagenarians and septuagenarians?
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)One factor is that the 2008 runner-up for the nomination is still interested eight years later, but is of course that much older. It's a similar dynamic to how the Republicans ended up with McCain in 2008, after he lost out to Bush in 2000.
Another factor is that Obama chose Biden. Obama was presumably looking to who would help him win, who would be a good VP, and who would be a good President if he succeeded to the office, rather than who would be a good candidate in 2016. If Obama had instead chosen, say, Sherrod Brown (elected to the Senate only in 2006 but before that 14 years in the House plus posts in Ohio state government), then Brown would now be considered much more of a prospect than Biden is. (On Inauguration Day in 2017, Biden will be 74, Brown only 64.)
Finally, Warren has attracted attention as the fresh face, but she came to politics unusually late in life. She was 63 the first time she won an election. (Compare Ronald Reagan, 55 years old when elected Governor of California, and John McCain, first elected to the House as a mere lad of 46.)
Thus it happens that the candidates leading these very early polls are all getting on in years by historical standards. I don't think it's because the Democratic Party has become hostile to youth.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)If they have a proven track record, like Brown does; speaks truth to power, like Sanders and Warren do; that's all that's important.
Maybe it's because I deal with ageism (and sexism) on a daily basis, but the "you're too old" argument tends to bug after awhile. If there are younger candidates who can get the job done, great; but don't dismiss others because they're past a certain milestone.
Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)That the fact that we seem not to have been building the party's next generation of leadership as well as the GOP has, and that may come back to bite us.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)the last three young men that held the post .
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)djean111
(14,255 posts)When I saw Bill Clinton on TV, in a campaign ad for Crist, he looked and sounded old and frail.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)fxstc
(41 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)I think he is young enough as in bright,sharp and of a clear mind .
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)And before this OP, I can't recall seeing any criticism of candidates lately based on age *or* gender.
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)than any of the candidates selling stale, predatory Third Way policies.
ladjf
(17,320 posts)He not only spoke all day, but presented all sorts of historically accurate accounts of the American political history. The man is a walking encyclopedia of facts.
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)and some of them were weeping.
America is so starved for someone who will tell the truth about what is being done to us.
ladjf
(17,320 posts)In addition to his other virtues , he appears to be politically fearless.
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)handling PR and manipulation.
I have been incredibly impressed at his ability to keep a laser focus on what's important and reject the constant attempts by corporate media to disinform and divert to their preferred narratives.
ladjf
(17,320 posts)HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)SamKnause
(13,110 posts)NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Kind of funny how people who are much more prolific in their posting are acting like they have never seen it. Although it is often phrased as "I was talking with a friend and they think Hillary is too old." I have seen the whole "friend said" thing over and over again.
gwheezie
(3,580 posts)I'm very disappointed withy generation. We grew up with vietnam civil rights women's rights gay rights and managed to forget all that and fuck the place up. And I want younger people coming to the forefront of the den party.
That being said I hope bernie runs.
jellen
(312 posts)Walker was interviewed in WI and said he could run for president 20 yrs. from now and still not be too old, then made a comment about Hillary's age, without actually mentioning her name.
wandy
(3,539 posts)"Old" to run for president.
Wait until the GOP has selected their operative and nominate a candidate the same age.
The exact same age!
If they are younger then they will be too "Young" to run for president.
This is what is meant when some say....
We should not let the teapublicans control the narrative!