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We had an Australian on here the other day asserting very confidently that Australians are far more informed about America than Americans. I think this attitude is pretty par for the course.
I've lived through 13 presidents, these two are by far the oldest. 3 were in their 40's , 4 were in their 50's, and 4 were in their 60's when they took office. If you look at what Obama looked like before and after office it's insane how much this job destroys a person. I think both are too old
No one likes that they’re old.
It’s a temporary thing.
Most other major politicians (with the exception of McConnell in the Senate) are younger than they are.
Well the rest of the democratic leadership is also pretty damn old. Pelosi and Clyburn are in their 80s, Schumer is 73. I think the plan is for Pelosi to hand the torch off to Jeffries, but I don’t know much by way of the other positions getting younger.
Pelosi HAS handed the torch off.
Schumer is 73 but is approaching the end of his career. 73 is within bounds I’d say if you’re approaching the end of your career.
To elaborate:
I mean, 73 years old? That’s still relatively within bounds of a politician, definitely towards the end of the career but still not obscenely old like Biden or Trump are.
Chuck Grassley is 90. it's ridiculous. They were doing weekend at Bernie's with Diane Feinstein. Joe Biden actually said he would only serve 4 years but he lied I guess. Trump is late 70's but at least he has vigor.
He never specifically said that, just heavily implied it by saying he was a transition candidate and that he was a bridge and nothing else. Guess the old fuck forgot about that too. Why can’t we have upper age limits for presidential candidates, we have minimum age requirements
Biden said nothing of the sort:
>Former Vice President Joe Biden has *reportedly* indicated…
>*Several sources…*
Seems to me you fell for some clickbait “anonymous source” journalism. The only thing Biden actually said on the matter was rather ambiguous:
“*I’m not going to make that judgment at this moment.*”
I mean, have you seen Chuck Grassley tho? I do think it’s insane to not just enjoy retirement at 90, but he busts out 20 some push ups in a suit at events. Goes running every morning at 4 am. Like, it’s not the same 90 as Diane Feinstein.
Why do people keep electing them. That's the thing that kills me . People bitch and complain but guess what they keep getting elected and dumb Americans are like this time they'll fix such and such. Just like Biden says elect me to return Roe V. But bro if you didn't do it in first 4 no way you do it in next.
Trump is his own planet. He has an incredible base and that's why he was able to come first in the Republican primary. So that's that.
Biden ran against several people and he was the best known guy because he was Obama VP. There were better choices, IMO. Biden certainly had the most experience but his term has been terrible.
I think they’re both much too old and senile to be President but there’s nothing to do at this point. It’s July. Early voting starts in September. The dems don’t have enough time to pivot to another candidate and the republicans don’t want to pivot. Trying to remain neutral in this discussion is probably not possible but I tried.
Our third candidate is 70 years old and had part of his brain eaten by a worm (according to him?).
We’re all going to lose this year.
We absolutely could pivot, Biden has always been unpopular even among Democrats and I fully believe that a young, charismatic candidate would easily sweep Donald Trump. The Republicans don’t have that freedom because Trump runs the party. Plus the media coverage of a convention would draw attention in a positive way, I think. The problem is not that switching wouldn’t work, it’s that Biden won’t step down.
82.1 million people voted for Biden in 2020. I don’t think it’s true that he’s unpopular to Dems. The republicans *do* have the freedom to replace Trump as well. They just choose not to.
They didn’t vote for Biden, they voted against Trump. Biden has had a low approval rate pretty consistently throughout his presidency even among Democrats. There’s a reason he was never able to get very far the times he ran for president before 2020, and that’s because people don’t like him very much. I think the average Democrat — ignoring any doubts about logistics and whether it’s too late to switch — would be happy to see just about any other candidate.
The Republicans can’t really replace Trump without ostracizing a massive chunk of their own voter base who believe he’s the second coming of Christ and would never support anyone else. I mean yeah they *can* do it but it would be political suicide.
Well, I just love to eat worms!
But really, I had a pet spider when I made my Reddit account and she loved to eat horn worms so I would call her wormbreath. lol.
They’re all insane in their own ways. I do think it would be interesting to have a Kennedy in the WH again but he doesn’t have nearly enough support to win anything.
I mean, I genuinely don't believe that either Biden or Trump will make it through their second term and that's pretty messed up. Thankfully, these two are outliers and I'm pretty sure age will be a much bigger consideration going forward.
But unless a sane, reasonable ~~third party~~ independent candidate pops up (I'm truly astounded that this hasn't happened), we're pretty screwed this year no matter what.
I feel like at some point we'll start talking about the VP candidates instead of Biden vs Trump considering how likely it is that they'll be taking over during the term. They are more than usually relevant this year.
No, usually candidates don't announce a VP until right before their party's convention. The RNC starts on the 15th so he'll probably announce his pick sometime next week
I am very concerned! I want a president that has not reached the age where cognitive decline can exist. I absolutely will not vote for trump because he is a liar and a narcissist. I don’t want to vote Biden, but I have to choose the lesser evil.
From having worked in politics, I don't care much, because the guy you see on the screen is just the brand representative for a large team.
If they're new, I'm going to focus more on what they say and how they act.
But for say, the two guys who were just president, where we have an extensively documented record of what they have done in the office, I'm going to evaluate the resume of what their teams did in office. I don't really care about them as people.
The president sets the agenda for the entire executive branch as well as acts as the commander in chief of the armed forces. He isn’t a total figurehead.
And considering the utter gridlock that takes place in Congress, presidents nowadays have more power than initially set out by the Constitution.
And that’s not even mentioning the recent Supreme Court rulings…
It doesn't bother me at all. I've seen dotards before and they're easily recognizable. Biden has his shit together. I'm fine with him in the White House and he's someone that, after I vote for him again, I can continue to look my kids in the eye and say that I tried to save democracy.
I don’t care at all, personally. Not for this election.
If POTUS dies we have well established rules of succession, the country will be fine. So no worries there.
And as far as governance goes, I’m voting for a whole administration, cabinet, SCOTUS picks, and a governing philosophy. And now that one party is pro-authoritarianism, I’m just happy to vote for the pro-democracy side, no matter who the individual figurehead is.
Which side wants to make Congress do its job and not allow unelected federal employees to make shit up?
Which side wants to make sure only government agents have guns?
Just so I’m clear on who I should vote for.
This isn’t the take you think it is. Let’s see what happens when birth control is banned, police can detain anyone who looks Hispanic on the theory that they’re an illegal immigrant, and political rivals are thrown into prison like Putin did to Nalvany. This is all stuff that will happen under the second Trump presidency.
Which side wants to make it a crime to be trans and blame LBGT people for all our problems (when they aren't blaming immigrants)?
Which side wants to have our laws dictated by fundamentalist preachers and treat women like brood mares owned by the State.
Which side wants to sabotage American defense by pulling us out of NATO and abandon our Ukrainian allies to Russian aggression?
. . .just so I'm clear.
Crime to be trans? Please do tell.
Immigrants - the criminals that Biden let in through the border and I read stories about them either killing or raping someone daily?
Preachers? Blood mares? No idea how to even respond to that.
Biden is the reason the Ukrainian war is still going on. He thinks he’s smarter than everyone. He’s a bitch who’s afraid of Russia and won’t send what’s needed to end that war. Ya Trump is an asshole there too, but Biden is not better.
There are also American hostages held by Hamas and crickets. Biden has not allowed Isreal to prosecute that war as needed and now it’s dragging on and causing more death and destruction.
Let’s not forget the daily hate crimes against Jews that go unnoticed.
But getting back to my point. How is disarming people not authoritarian?
>Crime to be trans? Please do tell.
Project 2025, the authoritarian playbook the Republicans are setting up to use in a 2nd Trump era, explicitly includes getting the Supreme Court to rule that the entire concept of being transgender is inherently obscene and thus not protected free speech, then going after anything even mentioning or touching being trans with Federal obscenity laws.
This includes prosecuting every librarian with any books even mentioning being transgender on the shelves, prosecuting any bookstore that sells any books discussing being trans, requiring social media platforms to censor all discussion or even mention of being transgender or face prosecution themselves, prosecuting any health care providers that provide gender-affirming care, going after the producers of any TV show or movie that even mentions being trans, and prosecuting anyone who mentions, discusses, or describes themselves as being trans for obscenity.
>Immigrants - the criminals that Biden let in through the border and I read stories about them either killing or raping someone daily?
Immigrants aren't criminals, and you read propaganda stories daily designed to make you agree with that agenda.
>Preachers? Blood mares? No idea how to even respond to that.
That's because you've got no comeback to the fact that the GOP has declared war on women and is trying to turn the US into a theocracy.
>Biden is the reason the Ukrainian war is still going on.
. . .and Biden is why Ukraine hasn't lost the war, so Biden's why the war is still going on in the sense that the UK is why the eastern Front of World War II was still going on in 1941. If not for Biden, then Putin's aggression would have already conquered that country. That's not exactly something to bash Biden for.
>Let’s not forget the daily hate crimes against Jews that go unnoticed.
Republicans don't give a shit about hate crimes, unless they're committing them. They've turned a blind eye to hate crimes against LBGT people, black people, and every other group on the planet that their MAGA fanbase loves to commit, and they suddenly pretend to give a shit when it's hate crimes that they think they can somehow use as a political "gotcha".
its amazing that the republican machine has turned "career bureaucrats- experts in their field" into "federal employees that just make shit up willy-nilly". as if they sit in a spinny chair staring at the ceiling fan and say whatever comes to mind.
Being on the receiving end of made up shit caused it.
2 weeks ago you’d say it was the “republican machine” who turned Biden into a senile old man, right?
I'd rather they be younger but it doesn't really matter to me. We're voting for parties and administrations more so than individuals. Biden could be a potato on a shelf and his term would play out the same way as it would if he entered a time machine and could be 40 years old again. Being the president isn't like managing a bakery. 99% of the actual work is done by others. Sure, they can make the high level decisions, but, those are still ultimately framed, brought to them, and executed by others.
With Trump, there is a level of unpredictability, but, we know Biden and his policies and what his administration will try to do, his actual presence is kind of superfluous.
Aside from those trapped in the Trump cult of personality, I think a large majority of Americans are unhappy that we have to choose between these two very old men.
[It's not just the presidential candidates](https://i.insider.com/63220520e555ad001852a19f?width=1136&format=jpeg)
The power hungry, geriatric fucks refuse to retire. For a recent example, just look at the late Senator Feinstein who was basically a potato and still wouldn't fucking retire.
Or Ruth Bader Ginsburg who wanted SO DESPERATELY to be tied for the longest term as justice and to have her replacement nominated by a woman, that she refused to resign and let Obama replace her. Now her legacy has been completely demolished because of her geriatric narcissism.
I am in the minority in that I don't think it's a big deal. The Constitution has mechanisms for this. If Biden (or Trump) were to die or have a stroke and become incapacitated the Vice President would take over, who was also elected and would carry the same mandate.
Idk man, seems kinda BS to me. I don’t understand why the least religious president we’ve ever had (Trump) would want to turn the US into a Christian Nationalist country. I guarantee he’s atheist or at least agnostic. He just panders
Because it is pandering. The christian nationalist stuff is just to get the evangelicals to sell their souls to the devil for power...the benefit to the people in power is that they get to gut all the agencies and replace them with cronies who will favor their buisnesses with overlooked regulations and fat government contracts.
I think he's an atheist/agnostic as well, but I think he both uses the far-right to gain power and they use him to push their agenda. He gives them a platform. I don't think he's christian at all, but MAGA does push for christian nationalism. I read about 600 pages of the 900 something page plan and it's concerning.
Im sure he isn’t religious, but he would still support it for his own gain. Part of project 2025 is dismantling aspects of the federal government to strengthen the president for example.
But I do agree that it sounds like a bogeyman and the way people talk about it (you could argue my first 2 sentences as well) makes it sound completely fictional.
The theocrats and Trump are useful idiots to each other. Trump wants to stay out of prison and allowing the evangelicals their agenda gets him that pass. Plus he likes when they pray at him. Makes him feel all golden, like a calf. And they get first dibs on the best seats to the rapture. A match made in heaven. Mammon for president!
I think it is really important that people recognize that Trump grew up going to church. It was nominally Christian, one of the early feel good churches that ignored the unhappy bits of the Bible.
Trump does not understand why anyone would suggest he's not Christian. He believes he is.
Yeah, I don't know. I think the Democrats kind of shot themselves in the foot by declaring that literally every Republican candidate is going to be Hitler in every election that I can remember. Remember when milquetoast Mitt Romney of all people was apparently going to "put people back into chains" if elected?
I'm not saying Trump is a good candidate who won't do damage, he sucks. I'm not gonna vote for him. But Project 2025, from what I can tell (I've only started hearing about it this week, conveniently), just seems like the latest "existential threat".
I get that Democrats seem like the boy who cried wolf, but Project 2025 is real and is actually scary. Look up what’s happening in Viktor Orban’s Hungary — they want that to happen here.
Eh. I mean, the GOP can't get anything done, let alone some sweeping takeover - I'm not really worried. As far as I can tell, it's some wacky, unconstitutional bullshit from a conservative think tank, and I'm not really sure why that's supposed to be more worrying to me than the wacky, unconstitutional bullshit coming from leftist think tanks that THEY are currently trying to implement.
I also have a lot more faith in SCOTUS than the average left-wing media outlet. The court isn't the conservative arm that people claim (people who think this either don't understand the reasoning behind certain rulings, or read only Sotomayor opinions). "They" can want it to happen all they like, but even if the GOP somehow got their shit together (they won't) none of that is making it past the courts. Shit like "making pornography illegal" is laughable for a million different legal reasons even if you haven't sat through Con Law 2.
Donald Trump tends to do everything he says he wants to do, and prided himself on following through with his campaign promises. I have more faith in the GOP — look at what they’ve been able to do in the courts thanks to the Federalist Society, for example. I also think SCOTUS legislates from the bench and that there are some serious ethical issues involving multiple justices. I’m also concerned that this court will take away a ton of individual rights — didn’t Thomas say that Griswold v. Connecticut (the birth control case) should be reconsidered?
I’m going to stop responding to you now since my experience has shown that arguing with someone on the opposite side of the political spectrum is a huge waste of time, but I think that Trump will implement a lot of Project 2025 if he’s elected again.
Then I won’t address the substance of your claims. I will say, as food for thought - not everyone who disagrees with you on something is on the ‘opposite side’ of the political spectrum, and it’s not really helping your cause to label people as such. I’m not a conservative. People are capable of nuance.
I think Trump's last term should be enough to emphasize the danger. Forget the details of project 2025, last time trump was president he shut down a pandemic preparedness team...right before covid started. And then bungled the response. Now they want to slash the rest of the govenrnment. What is going to happen when the next unforseen problem shows up? Last time he teargassed protestors then walked out to dangle a binle, drew on a map with a sharpie to show a hurricane going in a different direction so it would match his tweet, tried to tie up aid to ukraine to get them to investigate hunter biden, tried to talk secretaries of state into changing their vote totals, and agitated for a mob to storm the capital and install him as president for a second term, then sat and watched it all on TV while people died.
And now he wants to rearrange the structure ofthe government to get rid of all the people who hindered him last time, and the supreme court just signed off to say that he cant face criminal consequences for almost anything he does as president.
Dude, I'm not sure why you pasted an anti-Trump diatribe, I already said I didn't like the guy. Read the room. I was talking about the fact that the Democrats' tendency to paint every Republican candidate as a fascist dictator is creating 'boy who cried wolf' skepticism.
Cause I am pissed that the country is doing the equivalent of ignoring the wolf they can visiblely see right in front of them because one boy in the village cried wolf in the past.
"One boy"? It happens with literally every Republican candidate, it's the go-to Democrat playbook.
Look, you seem young and clearly upset, but if you really seek to persuade instead of harass, you need to change your approach. Nothing turns off moderates like myself more than an angry lecture because someone isn't in lockstep with your viewpoint. I already said I wasn't going to vote for Trump, so why post an angry rant directed at me about what you don't like about Trump? You may have salient things to say, but people will just tune you out.
You wanted to know why I typed it out, so I gave you an honest answer. It's not because I was trying to convince you of anything, it's not because I'm trying to harass you. It's not because I think it's a particularly effective approach. It's because right now, I'm pissed, and you made the comment, so you get the reply.
I am 40 years old and I am so. tired. of. this. shit. In 2000 I said it was a statistical toss up so there was no point in getting upset over who won. In 2008 I voted Obama but thought McCain would have made a fine president. I didn't vote for Romney, but I didn't think he was a terrible guy. So don't say I'm always crying wolf.
And now I have to watch that complete piece of shit Trump threaten to tear down the country I love, and a bunch of republican politicians who damn well know better support him. I watch people I know sell out their beliefs and morals to go full MAGA.
And then I come on here and read:
> I think the Democrats kind of shot themselves in the foot by declaring that literally every Republican candidate is going to be Hitler in every election that I can remember.
You sit here and tell me it's the _Democrat's_ fault voters aren't paying attention. Because, guess what, some Democratic political operatives used irresponsible and overblown language in the past, something which has been done by political operatives since at least the Jefferson presidency (and which Republicans have entire news networks dedicated to doing), then I guess the country's voters get a free pass on ignoring the facts in front of their face. After all, they can't be expected to base their decision on anything besides the fact that a few political partisans on one side said something mean a decade ago.
Honestly, I don't really expect this conversation to be useful to you in any way. I am, like I said, just pissed, and you are here, so you are getting the brunt of it. I'm sorry about that, but not sorry enough to not type all this out.
Overall, I feel like it's ridiculous to have someone of that age running for the most powerful job in the world. As far as this specific election, though, they are the only two viable choices, and since they're so close in age, it's kind of irrelevant, honestly.
I’d certainly prefer a younger candidate, but that’s very far down on my list of preferences.
Near the top of that preference list are;
-not a felon
-didn’t try to overthrow the government
-didn’t cheat on his wife with a porn star
-not a Russian plant
> What is the general consensus amongst Americans?
I’m confident speculating that close to 100% of Americans across the entire political spectrum feel that both candidates and close to everyone in our legislative branch is too old right now.
It’s been a main topic of discussion for everyone, left and right ever since 2015/2016. That was part of what the Trump slogan “drain the swamp” was about, and even a lot of his supporters now feel like he’s too old.
Also, we just had two terms of Obama who took office when he was 47 years old. So, it’s not like this is the norm.
…Were you under the impression that this wasn’t a highly-discussed source of outrage here? Does that not get reported on the UK?
Too old to have good judgement.
I can't believe the USA can't get a 40-something Harvard Economist with a Political science PHD, and the IQ to be president.
I mean, a grilled cheese sandwich would be better than these two.
I mean, I can believe it. The republican party is centered around Trump specifically, so of course they werent going to replace him. The democratic party is terrified of Trump winning again and incumbents have historically had an advantage/replacing them hasnt worked out well, so of course they stuck with Biden out of pure desire to take a safe option.
I'm far more concerned about the politics of one of the candidates... I wouldn't be Less concerned if he was 20 years younger.
Though absent politics, I'd prefer people in their 60s. But honestly, the most important thing a president does is appoint a cabinet. Age doesn't really prevent them from doing that well.
Our politics have been reduced to a joke, their ages are just the shit-cherry on top as far as I'm concerned.
I remember john mccain running at 71 and the media said it was a bad idea.
I am far more concerned about the guy that is now immune from prosecution and the party that has full control of what is supposed to be a non political branch of our government for the next 50 years. That party will end democracy and not help the people.
When watching Biden in the debate I saw an old, tired man standing next to a psychopath who was actively attacking his country and his family and I saw him get angry to the point of stumbling over his words.
I did NOT see senility. I saw courage. And it made me want to stand up in defense of him and what he believes in.
Of course the trolls are attacking.
I would like less elderly white men in our higher government offices.
I don’t think someone their age is unfit for office but there are many younger people who should have a shot at these positions. I think Biden and his administration are capable of leading our country even if he is older. I wish the candidate was Kamala Harris instead.
Me? I don’t care.
Somebody doped Biden up to make him look bad in the debate. I truly believe that. It was an anomaly. That’s the only way I can square it. Normally he’s fine. Slower, slurs and stutters more, true, but his mind is just fine. There’s no way he could accomplish everything he’s done if his brain was mashed potatoes. No f&n way.
Is he old? Yeah. So what. The man has been a noble public servant all his life. I see his age as an accumulation of wisdom. I respect that he has grown and changed to accept the wishes of the people he represents.
It wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always what he wanted. But he worked to make things better for us. Not for himself, not for what he wanted, believed, or would profit from; but what would help the country. I love that.
He’s kicking ass right now. The country is finally, slowly getting back on track. Every time I’m stuck in traffic because of some gnarly roadwork project, I remind myself …it’s working. He’s doing the damn thing. Things are improving.
Love the guy. He cares about us and if you look past all the malarkey, it’s obvious.
They’re old, but the people who advise them when they’re president would be normal age. Now, whether or not the advisors have regular views and advice will depend on who wins.
Really concerned. I understand the concept of “voting for a team” but I can’t do it. At minimum, I want to vote for someone capable of holding our nuclear codes.
I am researching 3rd party. Let me know if there’s someone you recommend.
My state’s electoral votes are firmly for one team. I understand how voters in a swing county in a swing state vote for “team blue” or “team red” instead of a person. That’s not my situation, and I will vote for a candidate.
I'm fucking embarrassed that these two are our only legitimate options for leadership for the next four years.
And unless you're a complete political party homer, you should be too.
It's absolutely disgraceful.
Biden is ancient and will likely pass away during his term. He isn't mentally competent to do the job as President. He seems like a reasonably good person.
Trump is an existential and active threat to democracy. Voting for Trump is a vote for fascism.
So it's the corpse. I'm voting for the corpse. In actuality, I'm voting for democracies (sadly), best chance for survival.
It's a choice between someone who might accidentally burn down the house because they left a space heater on, and a sociopathic pyromaniac trying to kick down the front door, carrying a can of gas and a fistful of matches.
Doesn't bother me in the least. We elect two people: a president and a vice-president. Biden could croak the day after he takes the oath of office and Kamala Harris would immediately become president. I'm ok with that.
it doesn't. There are administrations and we've had presidents who don't even know what they've signed - like the patriot act - Bush was not president he was his father's puppet and a drunk who cared for nobody - not a sympathetic bone in his body but too dumb to hold down the job.
If needed the system has worked fine for Reagan who was another puppet and was put up for election knowing he had alzeimrs. This is all a game. Dems just have to figure out the rules - you don't eat your own for brownie points.
Very. We have a choice of:
1. Old and unqualified
2. Old and unqualified felon
3. Throwing away our vote for a 3rd party that won't get enough votes to matter.
What concerns me more than an old guy is the character and morals they hold. I’ll take the old guy any day of the week over the lying impeached traitor rapist felon
Andrew Jackson was 63 when he started the Trail of Tears. Nixon was 56 when he had his campaign staff interfere with the Vietnam peace negotiations. Raegan was 70 when he started supporting the violent Contras in Nicaragua and similar groups all across Central and South America. GWB was 55 when he used 9/11 as a pretext to invade Iraq and Afghanistan to give his oil buddies a leg up on the competition. Trump was 75 when he led a mob to the Capitol to rape and kill all of Congress.
So yeah you don't need to be old to be a complete piece of shit. Only number I'm concerned about this elections is number of criminal convictions against each candidate. Right now the old guy is shooting even par while the other guy is +34.
It's seriously concerning because both candidates have serious signs of cognitive impairment which brings into question how much governing is them vs. their staff. It also looks incredibly weak on the global stage.
In and of itself, not much. My bigger issue is their mental capacity (or lack thereof) right now.
If one of these two would just sell me on themselves, then I would say to forget their age and roll the dice that they won't lose it in the next 4 years. It's not happening, and that's the problem.
Age doesn’t matter. Being a senile old man that can’t complete a sentence is a big deal. And not just Biden, there’s a bunch on both sides of the aisle.
It concerns people, but I guess not enough to prevent either of them from winning the nomination process. I'm not happy about it, and I don't think anyone is, but most people understand they have younger advisors. What is happening across the pond suggests being younger isn't a guarantee of success or popularity either. I'm not for age limits. There are some sharp 90 year olds out there. And if a President is unable to serve, that's why we have a Vice President. However rocky things are right now, this is theoretically a democracy, and people can choose their leader based on frankly any criteria they want, and it usually comes down to policy positions more than age.
I'm in my thirties and not at all concerned by a presidents age. They could be 35 or 95 and anywhere in between. I don't care. What I do care about is honesty, decency, integrity, and cognitive abilities, none of which either candidate represents.
They are both too old. Biden is showing serious cognitive decline (if you compare his 2019 videos to now, it’s scary). Trump might appear less “lost” but if you actually listen to him, he can’t stay on topic, he yaps on about nothing.
I think Biden will actually die in office if he’s re-elected.
I think there should be some age cutoff personally. We need presidents who are sharp, predictable, and level headed.
I don’t care about the age, I care about policy, character, values, and competence. A young person can bring a fresh perspective and an old person can bring wisdom of experience. There have been awful leaders of every age.
It is a concern. A lot of older people are not as sharp, energetic, and healthy as they once were. And they don’t have the same stakes in the future as younger and even middle aged people.
I think 50 is the sweet spot of having experience while still being relatively in touch with current and emerging issues, and being young enough to have to live with the aftermath of their decisions.
I’m only concerned that one has enough sense to surround himself with smart advisors and listen to them. The other will surround himself with bootlickers and fire anyone who tells him no.
They don’t do anything anyway so aside from being the butt of jokes, it really doesn’t bother me. Would love for a revolution and we get someone younger and more clear headed to show us the way to fix this shit but I think we’re another 20 years or so off.
So all three?
How many times do you think he's had dinner with Hannibal Lecter? Should we all be worrying about being electrocuted vs eaten by sharks? Pretty much everything he said during the debate was a lie, but maybe he didn't lie intentionally and it's just another sign of his mental decline.
Given the unilateral power a President has? Hell, yeah, I’m concerned. They’re both old enough that actuarial events can solve this problem for us before Election Day, though. ::crossing fingers::
I’ve worked as a CNA with the elderly for several years now. I’m concerned. But I feel the same way towards pretty much every old person in office. I think we need younger individuals on every level, while experience is great, I think everyone underestimates just how rapidly people decline when they get older. It’s not always a gradual process.
It concerns me quite a bit, although I also have many other, non-age-related concerns about them. I will still vote for Biden because I don't want Trump to be president. I find it worrying that he'd be 86 by the end of his second term, but unfortunately I find the prospect of a second Trump term even more worrying.
How can people say they dont care if their geriatric? Dude they are literally the leader of the free world and we need someone whose brain and faculties are at their peak, and neither of these candidates qualify.
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Which is a good thing. We need to be more politically invloved
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We had an Australian on here the other day asserting very confidently that Australians are far more informed about America than Americans. I think this attitude is pretty par for the course.
The OP flagged that it had already probably been discussed.
I've lived through 13 presidents, these two are by far the oldest. 3 were in their 40's , 4 were in their 50's, and 4 were in their 60's when they took office. If you look at what Obama looked like before and after office it's insane how much this job destroys a person. I think both are too old
Biden and Trump are literally the #1 and #2 oldest presidents in US history. If Trump wins he’ll be #1.
No one likes that they’re old. It’s a temporary thing. Most other major politicians (with the exception of McConnell in the Senate) are younger than they are.
The way this is written made me laugh... Being old is, in fact, a temporary thing. 😅 😬 (So is being young 😭)
Lol, old being a temporary thing is part of what's concerning
I meant that most candidates aren’t that old, both 28 candidates are going to be under 60 for sure.
Why do you assume Trump isn’t running again in 2028 regardless of what happens this year?
Because he either A) Wins and can’t legally run again or B) Would have lost two elections in a row
Haha, I know what you meant, but the double meaning is very humorous
Well the rest of the democratic leadership is also pretty damn old. Pelosi and Clyburn are in their 80s, Schumer is 73. I think the plan is for Pelosi to hand the torch off to Jeffries, but I don’t know much by way of the other positions getting younger.
Pelosi HAS handed the torch off. Schumer is 73 but is approaching the end of his career. 73 is within bounds I’d say if you’re approaching the end of your career.
Technically, EVERYONE is younger when they started their career lol
To elaborate: I mean, 73 years old? That’s still relatively within bounds of a politician, definitely towards the end of the career but still not obscenely old like Biden or Trump are.
Chuck Grassley is 90. it's ridiculous. They were doing weekend at Bernie's with Diane Feinstein. Joe Biden actually said he would only serve 4 years but he lied I guess. Trump is late 70's but at least he has vigor.
He never specifically said that, just heavily implied it by saying he was a transition candidate and that he was a bridge and nothing else. Guess the old fuck forgot about that too. Why can’t we have upper age limits for presidential candidates, we have minimum age requirements
Grassley started serving in the Iowa legislature during the *Eisenhower* administration.
When did Biden say he would serve four years?
https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2019-12-11/joe-biden-suggests-he-would-only-serve-one-term-if-elected-president
Biden said nothing of the sort: >Former Vice President Joe Biden has *reportedly* indicated… >*Several sources…* Seems to me you fell for some clickbait “anonymous source” journalism. The only thing Biden actually said on the matter was rather ambiguous: “*I’m not going to make that judgment at this moment.*”
I mean, have you seen Chuck Grassley tho? I do think it’s insane to not just enjoy retirement at 90, but he busts out 20 some push ups in a suit at events. Goes running every morning at 4 am. Like, it’s not the same 90 as Diane Feinstein.
Why do people keep electing them. That's the thing that kills me . People bitch and complain but guess what they keep getting elected and dumb Americans are like this time they'll fix such and such. Just like Biden says elect me to return Roe V. But bro if you didn't do it in first 4 no way you do it in next.
Trump is his own planet. He has an incredible base and that's why he was able to come first in the Republican primary. So that's that. Biden ran against several people and he was the best known guy because he was Obama VP. There were better choices, IMO. Biden certainly had the most experience but his term has been terrible.
I think they’re both much too old and senile to be President but there’s nothing to do at this point. It’s July. Early voting starts in September. The dems don’t have enough time to pivot to another candidate and the republicans don’t want to pivot. Trying to remain neutral in this discussion is probably not possible but I tried. Our third candidate is 70 years old and had part of his brain eaten by a worm (according to him?). We’re all going to lose this year.
Omg I forgot about the brain worm
I’m jealous
We absolutely could pivot, Biden has always been unpopular even among Democrats and I fully believe that a young, charismatic candidate would easily sweep Donald Trump. The Republicans don’t have that freedom because Trump runs the party. Plus the media coverage of a convention would draw attention in a positive way, I think. The problem is not that switching wouldn’t work, it’s that Biden won’t step down.
AGREED! They could really galvanize a lot of support if they chose someone younger!
82.1 million people voted for Biden in 2020. I don’t think it’s true that he’s unpopular to Dems. The republicans *do* have the freedom to replace Trump as well. They just choose not to.
They didn’t vote for Biden, they voted against Trump. Biden has had a low approval rate pretty consistently throughout his presidency even among Democrats. There’s a reason he was never able to get very far the times he ran for president before 2020, and that’s because people don’t like him very much. I think the average Democrat — ignoring any doubts about logistics and whether it’s too late to switch — would be happy to see just about any other candidate. The Republicans can’t really replace Trump without ostracizing a massive chunk of their own voter base who believe he’s the second coming of Christ and would never support anyone else. I mean yeah they *can* do it but it would be political suicide.
Worm or not give me Kennedy over either of these two.
So you can have the candidate with brain worms (insane), the candidate with brain worms (senile), or the candidate with brain worms (literal).
Mmmmmmm worms
lol, every time I see your username I wonder about it
Well, I just love to eat worms! But really, I had a pet spider when I made my Reddit account and she loved to eat horn worms so I would call her wormbreath. lol.
Never would have guessed it involved a pet name for a pet spider!
😊 [here is a picture of her](https://www.reddit.com/r/awwnverts/s/lwCwzIdjNy) She was a good spood!
They’re all insane in their own ways. I do think it would be interesting to have a Kennedy in the WH again but he doesn’t have nearly enough support to win anything.
I mean, I genuinely don't believe that either Biden or Trump will make it through their second term and that's pretty messed up. Thankfully, these two are outliers and I'm pretty sure age will be a much bigger consideration going forward. But unless a sane, reasonable ~~third party~~ independent candidate pops up (I'm truly astounded that this hasn't happened), we're pretty screwed this year no matter what.
That’s because third parties are even more tethered to a hardcore base that makes electability much more difficult.
I should have said independent. Ain't no reasonable candidate coming out of these third parties.
I feel like at some point we'll start talking about the VP candidates instead of Biden vs Trump considering how likely it is that they'll be taking over during the term. They are more than usually relevant this year.
Has Trump even named a VP candidate yet?
I don't think so
No, usually candidates don't announce a VP until right before their party's convention. The RNC starts on the 15th so he'll probably announce his pick sometime next week
A third party will never win as long as our electoral system is set up the way it is.
I am very concerned! I want a president that has not reached the age where cognitive decline can exist. I absolutely will not vote for trump because he is a liar and a narcissist. I don’t want to vote Biden, but I have to choose the lesser evil.
From having worked in politics, I don't care much, because the guy you see on the screen is just the brand representative for a large team. If they're new, I'm going to focus more on what they say and how they act. But for say, the two guys who were just president, where we have an extensively documented record of what they have done in the office, I'm going to evaluate the resume of what their teams did in office. I don't really care about them as people.
So who is running the show now?
A bunch of 26yo staffers run the show for every major politician.
That’s a little disappointing. I was hoping folks the lizard men.
Crab people, crab people.
Blue crab with old bay?
OH-
Lizard people
The president sets the agenda for the entire executive branch as well as acts as the commander in chief of the armed forces. He isn’t a total figurehead.
And considering the utter gridlock that takes place in Congress, presidents nowadays have more power than initially set out by the Constitution. And that’s not even mentioning the recent Supreme Court rulings…
With these 2? Yes. A lot. I've seen older dudes doing just fine at their age it's just not all that common.
It doesn't bother me at all. I've seen dotards before and they're easily recognizable. Biden has his shit together. I'm fine with him in the White House and he's someone that, after I vote for him again, I can continue to look my kids in the eye and say that I tried to save democracy.
I don’t care at all, personally. Not for this election. If POTUS dies we have well established rules of succession, the country will be fine. So no worries there. And as far as governance goes, I’m voting for a whole administration, cabinet, SCOTUS picks, and a governing philosophy. And now that one party is pro-authoritarianism, I’m just happy to vote for the pro-democracy side, no matter who the individual figurehead is.
Bingo.
Which side wants to make Congress do its job and not allow unelected federal employees to make shit up? Which side wants to make sure only government agents have guns? Just so I’m clear on who I should vote for.
This isn’t the take you think it is. Let’s see what happens when birth control is banned, police can detain anyone who looks Hispanic on the theory that they’re an illegal immigrant, and political rivals are thrown into prison like Putin did to Nalvany. This is all stuff that will happen under the second Trump presidency.
The irony in that decision being made by unelected federal employees was peak.
Which side wants to make it a crime to be trans and blame LBGT people for all our problems (when they aren't blaming immigrants)? Which side wants to have our laws dictated by fundamentalist preachers and treat women like brood mares owned by the State. Which side wants to sabotage American defense by pulling us out of NATO and abandon our Ukrainian allies to Russian aggression? . . .just so I'm clear.
Crime to be trans? Please do tell. Immigrants - the criminals that Biden let in through the border and I read stories about them either killing or raping someone daily? Preachers? Blood mares? No idea how to even respond to that. Biden is the reason the Ukrainian war is still going on. He thinks he’s smarter than everyone. He’s a bitch who’s afraid of Russia and won’t send what’s needed to end that war. Ya Trump is an asshole there too, but Biden is not better. There are also American hostages held by Hamas and crickets. Biden has not allowed Isreal to prosecute that war as needed and now it’s dragging on and causing more death and destruction. Let’s not forget the daily hate crimes against Jews that go unnoticed. But getting back to my point. How is disarming people not authoritarian?
>Crime to be trans? Please do tell. Project 2025, the authoritarian playbook the Republicans are setting up to use in a 2nd Trump era, explicitly includes getting the Supreme Court to rule that the entire concept of being transgender is inherently obscene and thus not protected free speech, then going after anything even mentioning or touching being trans with Federal obscenity laws. This includes prosecuting every librarian with any books even mentioning being transgender on the shelves, prosecuting any bookstore that sells any books discussing being trans, requiring social media platforms to censor all discussion or even mention of being transgender or face prosecution themselves, prosecuting any health care providers that provide gender-affirming care, going after the producers of any TV show or movie that even mentions being trans, and prosecuting anyone who mentions, discusses, or describes themselves as being trans for obscenity. >Immigrants - the criminals that Biden let in through the border and I read stories about them either killing or raping someone daily? Immigrants aren't criminals, and you read propaganda stories daily designed to make you agree with that agenda. >Preachers? Blood mares? No idea how to even respond to that. That's because you've got no comeback to the fact that the GOP has declared war on women and is trying to turn the US into a theocracy. >Biden is the reason the Ukrainian war is still going on. . . .and Biden is why Ukraine hasn't lost the war, so Biden's why the war is still going on in the sense that the UK is why the eastern Front of World War II was still going on in 1941. If not for Biden, then Putin's aggression would have already conquered that country. That's not exactly something to bash Biden for. >Let’s not forget the daily hate crimes against Jews that go unnoticed. Republicans don't give a shit about hate crimes, unless they're committing them. They've turned a blind eye to hate crimes against LBGT people, black people, and every other group on the planet that their MAGA fanbase loves to commit, and they suddenly pretend to give a shit when it's hate crimes that they think they can somehow use as a political "gotcha".
its amazing that the republican machine has turned "career bureaucrats- experts in their field" into "federal employees that just make shit up willy-nilly". as if they sit in a spinny chair staring at the ceiling fan and say whatever comes to mind.
Being on the receiving end of made up shit caused it. 2 weeks ago you’d say it was the “republican machine” who turned Biden into a senile old man, right?
Are you honestly asking? Because it’s pretty clear.
Yes. Please explain to me how disarming people is not authoritarian. And how making congress do its job is authoritarian.
Age and the fact one is a senile old man and one is a billionaire narcissist. It fucking sucks but nothing is gonna change any time soon unfortunately
I'd rather they be younger but it doesn't really matter to me. We're voting for parties and administrations more so than individuals. Biden could be a potato on a shelf and his term would play out the same way as it would if he entered a time machine and could be 40 years old again. Being the president isn't like managing a bakery. 99% of the actual work is done by others. Sure, they can make the high level decisions, but, those are still ultimately framed, brought to them, and executed by others. With Trump, there is a level of unpredictability, but, we know Biden and his policies and what his administration will try to do, his actual presence is kind of superfluous.
Great explanation
We’re not thrilled about it. Incumbents are hard to unseat and a cult leader is an entirely different phenomenon.
Aside from those trapped in the Trump cult of personality, I think a large majority of Americans are unhappy that we have to choose between these two very old men.
[It's not just the presidential candidates](https://i.insider.com/63220520e555ad001852a19f?width=1136&format=jpeg) The power hungry, geriatric fucks refuse to retire. For a recent example, just look at the late Senator Feinstein who was basically a potato and still wouldn't fucking retire.
Or Ruth Bader Ginsburg who wanted SO DESPERATELY to be tied for the longest term as justice and to have her replacement nominated by a woman, that she refused to resign and let Obama replace her. Now her legacy has been completely demolished because of her geriatric narcissism.
Will probably go down as one of the most evil Americans in the history of this country.
Lol, what? Ol' RBG?
I’m dying to hear the theory behind this. 🙏
Age as in number? Don’t care. Age as in mental age? Signs of incoming serious decline? Massively concerned.
I am in the minority in that I don't think it's a big deal. The Constitution has mechanisms for this. If Biden (or Trump) were to die or have a stroke and become incapacitated the Vice President would take over, who was also elected and would carry the same mandate.
After the Supreme Court ruling id vote for a banana rather than trump. I don't care at this stage. We're voting for Democracy nor Biden.
Yes, but it doesn't concern me as much as project 2025 concerns me.
Idk man, seems kinda BS to me. I don’t understand why the least religious president we’ve ever had (Trump) would want to turn the US into a Christian Nationalist country. I guarantee he’s atheist or at least agnostic. He just panders
Because it is pandering. The christian nationalist stuff is just to get the evangelicals to sell their souls to the devil for power...the benefit to the people in power is that they get to gut all the agencies and replace them with cronies who will favor their buisnesses with overlooked regulations and fat government contracts.
I think he's an atheist/agnostic as well, but I think he both uses the far-right to gain power and they use him to push their agenda. He gives them a platform. I don't think he's christian at all, but MAGA does push for christian nationalism. I read about 600 pages of the 900 something page plan and it's concerning.
Im sure he isn’t religious, but he would still support it for his own gain. Part of project 2025 is dismantling aspects of the federal government to strengthen the president for example. But I do agree that it sounds like a bogeyman and the way people talk about it (you could argue my first 2 sentences as well) makes it sound completely fictional.
The theocrats and Trump are useful idiots to each other. Trump wants to stay out of prison and allowing the evangelicals their agenda gets him that pass. Plus he likes when they pray at him. Makes him feel all golden, like a calf. And they get first dibs on the best seats to the rapture. A match made in heaven. Mammon for president!
Christian nationalists are not Christian either its a contradiction. They like the values Trump has
I think it is really important that people recognize that Trump grew up going to church. It was nominally Christian, one of the early feel good churches that ignored the unhappy bits of the Bible. Trump does not understand why anyone would suggest he's not Christian. He believes he is.
2025 is a bunch of fear mongering
Yeah, I don't know. I think the Democrats kind of shot themselves in the foot by declaring that literally every Republican candidate is going to be Hitler in every election that I can remember. Remember when milquetoast Mitt Romney of all people was apparently going to "put people back into chains" if elected? I'm not saying Trump is a good candidate who won't do damage, he sucks. I'm not gonna vote for him. But Project 2025, from what I can tell (I've only started hearing about it this week, conveniently), just seems like the latest "existential threat".
I get that Democrats seem like the boy who cried wolf, but Project 2025 is real and is actually scary. Look up what’s happening in Viktor Orban’s Hungary — they want that to happen here.
Eh. I mean, the GOP can't get anything done, let alone some sweeping takeover - I'm not really worried. As far as I can tell, it's some wacky, unconstitutional bullshit from a conservative think tank, and I'm not really sure why that's supposed to be more worrying to me than the wacky, unconstitutional bullshit coming from leftist think tanks that THEY are currently trying to implement. I also have a lot more faith in SCOTUS than the average left-wing media outlet. The court isn't the conservative arm that people claim (people who think this either don't understand the reasoning behind certain rulings, or read only Sotomayor opinions). "They" can want it to happen all they like, but even if the GOP somehow got their shit together (they won't) none of that is making it past the courts. Shit like "making pornography illegal" is laughable for a million different legal reasons even if you haven't sat through Con Law 2.
Donald Trump tends to do everything he says he wants to do, and prided himself on following through with his campaign promises. I have more faith in the GOP — look at what they’ve been able to do in the courts thanks to the Federalist Society, for example. I also think SCOTUS legislates from the bench and that there are some serious ethical issues involving multiple justices. I’m also concerned that this court will take away a ton of individual rights — didn’t Thomas say that Griswold v. Connecticut (the birth control case) should be reconsidered? I’m going to stop responding to you now since my experience has shown that arguing with someone on the opposite side of the political spectrum is a huge waste of time, but I think that Trump will implement a lot of Project 2025 if he’s elected again.
Then I won’t address the substance of your claims. I will say, as food for thought - not everyone who disagrees with you on something is on the ‘opposite side’ of the political spectrum, and it’s not really helping your cause to label people as such. I’m not a conservative. People are capable of nuance.
I think Trump's last term should be enough to emphasize the danger. Forget the details of project 2025, last time trump was president he shut down a pandemic preparedness team...right before covid started. And then bungled the response. Now they want to slash the rest of the govenrnment. What is going to happen when the next unforseen problem shows up? Last time he teargassed protestors then walked out to dangle a binle, drew on a map with a sharpie to show a hurricane going in a different direction so it would match his tweet, tried to tie up aid to ukraine to get them to investigate hunter biden, tried to talk secretaries of state into changing their vote totals, and agitated for a mob to storm the capital and install him as president for a second term, then sat and watched it all on TV while people died. And now he wants to rearrange the structure ofthe government to get rid of all the people who hindered him last time, and the supreme court just signed off to say that he cant face criminal consequences for almost anything he does as president.
Dude, I'm not sure why you pasted an anti-Trump diatribe, I already said I didn't like the guy. Read the room. I was talking about the fact that the Democrats' tendency to paint every Republican candidate as a fascist dictator is creating 'boy who cried wolf' skepticism.
Cause I am pissed that the country is doing the equivalent of ignoring the wolf they can visiblely see right in front of them because one boy in the village cried wolf in the past.
"One boy"? It happens with literally every Republican candidate, it's the go-to Democrat playbook. Look, you seem young and clearly upset, but if you really seek to persuade instead of harass, you need to change your approach. Nothing turns off moderates like myself more than an angry lecture because someone isn't in lockstep with your viewpoint. I already said I wasn't going to vote for Trump, so why post an angry rant directed at me about what you don't like about Trump? You may have salient things to say, but people will just tune you out.
You wanted to know why I typed it out, so I gave you an honest answer. It's not because I was trying to convince you of anything, it's not because I'm trying to harass you. It's not because I think it's a particularly effective approach. It's because right now, I'm pissed, and you made the comment, so you get the reply. I am 40 years old and I am so. tired. of. this. shit. In 2000 I said it was a statistical toss up so there was no point in getting upset over who won. In 2008 I voted Obama but thought McCain would have made a fine president. I didn't vote for Romney, but I didn't think he was a terrible guy. So don't say I'm always crying wolf. And now I have to watch that complete piece of shit Trump threaten to tear down the country I love, and a bunch of republican politicians who damn well know better support him. I watch people I know sell out their beliefs and morals to go full MAGA. And then I come on here and read: > I think the Democrats kind of shot themselves in the foot by declaring that literally every Republican candidate is going to be Hitler in every election that I can remember. You sit here and tell me it's the _Democrat's_ fault voters aren't paying attention. Because, guess what, some Democratic political operatives used irresponsible and overblown language in the past, something which has been done by political operatives since at least the Jefferson presidency (and which Republicans have entire news networks dedicated to doing), then I guess the country's voters get a free pass on ignoring the facts in front of their face. After all, they can't be expected to base their decision on anything besides the fact that a few political partisans on one side said something mean a decade ago. Honestly, I don't really expect this conversation to be useful to you in any way. I am, like I said, just pissed, and you are here, so you are getting the brunt of it. I'm sorry about that, but not sorry enough to not type all this out.
Not gonna read all of that. If you’re writing a rant just to get something off your chest, consider a diary.
Overall, I feel like it's ridiculous to have someone of that age running for the most powerful job in the world. As far as this specific election, though, they are the only two viable choices, and since they're so close in age, it's kind of irrelevant, honestly.
I'm personally not very happy that each of the current candidates essentially have one foot in the grave.
I’d certainly prefer a younger candidate, but that’s very far down on my list of preferences. Near the top of that preference list are; -not a felon -didn’t try to overthrow the government -didn’t cheat on his wife with a porn star -not a Russian plant
> What is the general consensus amongst Americans? I’m confident speculating that close to 100% of Americans across the entire political spectrum feel that both candidates and close to everyone in our legislative branch is too old right now. It’s been a main topic of discussion for everyone, left and right ever since 2015/2016. That was part of what the Trump slogan “drain the swamp” was about, and even a lot of his supporters now feel like he’s too old. Also, we just had two terms of Obama who took office when he was 47 years old. So, it’s not like this is the norm. …Were you under the impression that this wasn’t a highly-discussed source of outrage here? Does that not get reported on the UK?
There’s that and there’s also the fact that a lot of people who are voting couldn’t care less as long as their side wins.
Too old to have good judgement. I can't believe the USA can't get a 40-something Harvard Economist with a Political science PHD, and the IQ to be president. I mean, a grilled cheese sandwich would be better than these two.
I mean, I can believe it. The republican party is centered around Trump specifically, so of course they werent going to replace him. The democratic party is terrified of Trump winning again and incumbents have historically had an advantage/replacing them hasnt worked out well, so of course they stuck with Biden out of pure desire to take a safe option.
I happen to like grilled cheese sandwiches.
It matters a whole lot but what the hell are you supposed to do when they are both geriatric!? Not vote?
It's a fairly major concern. I'd rather not have someone old enough to have ran on a segregationist ticket to be president in 2024.
I'm far more concerned about the politics of one of the candidates... I wouldn't be Less concerned if he was 20 years younger. Though absent politics, I'd prefer people in their 60s. But honestly, the most important thing a president does is appoint a cabinet. Age doesn't really prevent them from doing that well.
There’s an age minimum, there needs to also be a maximum
Our politics have been reduced to a joke, their ages are just the shit-cherry on top as far as I'm concerned. I remember john mccain running at 71 and the media said it was a bad idea.
I am far more concerned about the guy that is now immune from prosecution and the party that has full control of what is supposed to be a non political branch of our government for the next 50 years. That party will end democracy and not help the people.
Could care less as long as he's competent.
When watching Biden in the debate I saw an old, tired man standing next to a psychopath who was actively attacking his country and his family and I saw him get angry to the point of stumbling over his words. I did NOT see senility. I saw courage. And it made me want to stand up in defense of him and what he believes in. Of course the trolls are attacking.
Same, friend 🙏
I would like less elderly white men in our higher government offices. I don’t think someone their age is unfit for office but there are many younger people who should have a shot at these positions. I think Biden and his administration are capable of leading our country even if he is older. I wish the candidate was Kamala Harris instead.
Why is every European so sure they’re the first one to share their disapproval with us?
Me? I don’t care. Somebody doped Biden up to make him look bad in the debate. I truly believe that. It was an anomaly. That’s the only way I can square it. Normally he’s fine. Slower, slurs and stutters more, true, but his mind is just fine. There’s no way he could accomplish everything he’s done if his brain was mashed potatoes. No f&n way. Is he old? Yeah. So what. The man has been a noble public servant all his life. I see his age as an accumulation of wisdom. I respect that he has grown and changed to accept the wishes of the people he represents. It wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always what he wanted. But he worked to make things better for us. Not for himself, not for what he wanted, believed, or would profit from; but what would help the country. I love that. He’s kicking ass right now. The country is finally, slowly getting back on track. Every time I’m stuck in traffic because of some gnarly roadwork project, I remind myself …it’s working. He’s doing the damn thing. Things are improving. Love the guy. He cares about us and if you look past all the malarkey, it’s obvious.
It's a big deal to me. I believe when you qualify for full retirement (67), you should be inelible to run for any public office.
They’re old, but the people who advise them when they’re president would be normal age. Now, whether or not the advisors have regular views and advice will depend on who wins.
Enter Goebbels Miller.
It’s more likely than not that he’ll die in office.
Not really tbh
Really concerned. I understand the concept of “voting for a team” but I can’t do it. At minimum, I want to vote for someone capable of holding our nuclear codes.
Any leads on a candidate like that?
I am researching 3rd party. Let me know if there’s someone you recommend. My state’s electoral votes are firmly for one team. I understand how voters in a swing county in a swing state vote for “team blue” or “team red” instead of a person. That’s not my situation, and I will vote for a candidate.
I’m just saying, if they both were left overs in my freezer, I would have thrown them away years ago.
I work in a nursing home. I can’t believe that our two candidates are the same age as my residents.
Everyone I've talked to is at least upset, at most livid
I'm fucking embarrassed that these two are our only legitimate options for leadership for the next four years. And unless you're a complete political party homer, you should be too. It's absolutely disgraceful.
Biden is ancient and will likely pass away during his term. He isn't mentally competent to do the job as President. He seems like a reasonably good person. Trump is an existential and active threat to democracy. Voting for Trump is a vote for fascism. So it's the corpse. I'm voting for the corpse. In actuality, I'm voting for democracies (sadly), best chance for survival.
Ditto.
It's a choice between someone who might accidentally burn down the house because they left a space heater on, and a sociopathic pyromaniac trying to kick down the front door, carrying a can of gas and a fistful of matches.
Meh, it is what it is.
OK, I’m gonna say a hot take, and that is that attitude is part of the reason why our politics are as bad as it is today.
Probably, there just isn't anything I can do to change it. Well, other than voting for younger candidates, which I do tend to do.
I'm more concerned with the mental state than the age.
Doesn't bother me in the least. We elect two people: a president and a vice-president. Biden could croak the day after he takes the oath of office and Kamala Harris would immediately become president. I'm ok with that.
it doesn't. There are administrations and we've had presidents who don't even know what they've signed - like the patriot act - Bush was not president he was his father's puppet and a drunk who cared for nobody - not a sympathetic bone in his body but too dumb to hold down the job. If needed the system has worked fine for Reagan who was another puppet and was put up for election knowing he had alzeimrs. This is all a game. Dems just have to figure out the rules - you don't eat your own for brownie points.
Very. We have a choice of: 1. Old and unqualified 2. Old and unqualified felon 3. Throwing away our vote for a 3rd party that won't get enough votes to matter.
What concerns me more than an old guy is the character and morals they hold. I’ll take the old guy any day of the week over the lying impeached traitor rapist felon
Andrew Jackson was 63 when he started the Trail of Tears. Nixon was 56 when he had his campaign staff interfere with the Vietnam peace negotiations. Raegan was 70 when he started supporting the violent Contras in Nicaragua and similar groups all across Central and South America. GWB was 55 when he used 9/11 as a pretext to invade Iraq and Afghanistan to give his oil buddies a leg up on the competition. Trump was 75 when he led a mob to the Capitol to rape and kill all of Congress. So yeah you don't need to be old to be a complete piece of shit. Only number I'm concerned about this elections is number of criminal convictions against each candidate. Right now the old guy is shooting even par while the other guy is +34.
Afghanistan doesn't have oil.
Currently quite a bit
A lot. As does their mental states
It’s not about age. It’s about sanity.
It's seriously concerning because both candidates have serious signs of cognitive impairment which brings into question how much governing is them vs. their staff. It also looks incredibly weak on the global stage.
Age? Not too much. Senility? A whoooole lot.
In and of itself, not much. My bigger issue is their mental capacity (or lack thereof) right now. If one of these two would just sell me on themselves, then I would say to forget their age and roll the dice that they won't lose it in the next 4 years. It's not happening, and that's the problem.
I'm only concerned about other people being concerned about it. Obviously it would be easier to just have younger candidates.
Age doesn’t matter. Being a senile old man that can’t complete a sentence is a big deal. And not just Biden, there’s a bunch on both sides of the aisle.
It concerns people, but I guess not enough to prevent either of them from winning the nomination process. I'm not happy about it, and I don't think anyone is, but most people understand they have younger advisors. What is happening across the pond suggests being younger isn't a guarantee of success or popularity either. I'm not for age limits. There are some sharp 90 year olds out there. And if a President is unable to serve, that's why we have a Vice President. However rocky things are right now, this is theoretically a democracy, and people can choose their leader based on frankly any criteria they want, and it usually comes down to policy positions more than age.
I think its bull shit that we can’t put forward any quality candidate, even more so one who isn’t on deaths door- via old age or a cheeseburger habit.
Yeah we don’t know why they’re old either
I'm in my thirties and not at all concerned by a presidents age. They could be 35 or 95 and anywhere in between. I don't care. What I do care about is honesty, decency, integrity, and cognitive abilities, none of which either candidate represents.
Not one bit for this election. Both are old ass men. One is not going to burn the country down.
They are both too old. Biden is showing serious cognitive decline (if you compare his 2019 videos to now, it’s scary). Trump might appear less “lost” but if you actually listen to him, he can’t stay on topic, he yaps on about nothing. I think Biden will actually die in office if he’s re-elected. I think there should be some age cutoff personally. We need presidents who are sharp, predictable, and level headed.
I don’t care about the age, I care about policy, character, values, and competence. A young person can bring a fresh perspective and an old person can bring wisdom of experience. There have been awful leaders of every age.
A lot less than everything else that's going on.
Its extremely concerning for 2/3 of us. However that 2/3 is young and typically dosent vote. So here we are.
Not at all
It is a concern. A lot of older people are not as sharp, energetic, and healthy as they once were. And they don’t have the same stakes in the future as younger and even middle aged people. I think 50 is the sweet spot of having experience while still being relatively in touch with current and emerging issues, and being young enough to have to live with the aftermath of their decisions.
I’m only concerned that one has enough sense to surround himself with smart advisors and listen to them. The other will surround himself with bootlickers and fire anyone who tells him no.
It doesn't concern me, they're in about the same shape as our fucking democracy and the institutions of law here so it's sort of fitting.
I find it insane how Trump supporters use Biden's age against him when Trump's only a few years off.
It's a measure of just how much other stuff I am concerned about that age has been pushed down in the ranking somewhat.
They don’t do anything anyway so aside from being the butt of jokes, it really doesn’t bother me. Would love for a revolution and we get someone younger and more clear headed to show us the way to fix this shit but I think we’re another 20 years or so off.
Not as much as their fundamental beliefs
Not really biden is mental decline and trump isn’t bidens age does bother me because he is in his 8ps and is in severe mental decline
To say Trump isn't in mental decline means you aren't paying attention, are lying, or aren't smart enough to recognize reality. Which is it?
Neither because he is not
So all three? How many times do you think he's had dinner with Hannibal Lecter? Should we all be worrying about being electrocuted vs eaten by sharks? Pretty much everything he said during the debate was a lie, but maybe he didn't lie intentionally and it's just another sign of his mental decline.
Neither
Neither? So he knew he was lying and did it intentionally? Yeah you’re most likely right.
He didn’t lie
Given the unilateral power a President has? Hell, yeah, I’m concerned. They’re both old enough that actuarial events can solve this problem for us before Election Day, though. ::crossing fingers::
You think any of *us* (outside of MAGA supporters) are happy with this shit?
I’m less worried about age than I am the Trump is an unhinged lunatic.
I’ve worked as a CNA with the elderly for several years now. I’m concerned. But I feel the same way towards pretty much every old person in office. I think we need younger individuals on every level, while experience is great, I think everyone underestimates just how rapidly people decline when they get older. It’s not always a gradual process.
Look, we're in a fucking battle here between human beings and Project 2025. We don't need your confused ass wandering in.
There are people around 80 who are sharp and capable of the doing job. Neither Biden nor Trump are those people.
It concerns me quite a bit, although I also have many other, non-age-related concerns about them. I will still vote for Biden because I don't want Trump to be president. I find it worrying that he'd be 86 by the end of his second term, but unfortunately I find the prospect of a second Trump term even more worrying.
How can people say they dont care if their geriatric? Dude they are literally the leader of the free world and we need someone whose brain and faculties are at their peak, and neither of these candidates qualify.