Regarding age limits on candidacy

[LSFL]

There are lower limits on being able to hold office. Should there be mandatory retirement at a predetermined age? The youth are often saddled with the decisions of a demographic that will not live to see the consequences of their vote. See Brexit exit polls as an example. People with nothing to lose often make poor choices.

[beachbum bob]

1. if young voters refuse to participate by voting, or running for office

what happens is more of their fault than anything else.

[LSFL]

2. I hear you

I nag my kids until they vote. But not everyone can do that. But think of Reagan, drooling thru the last three years of his term. If you can be too young can you be too old? Eventually they will take your drivers license from your demented old ass, but as long as you can catch a ride to the capitol you can impose your lunatic whims on millions?

[canetoad]

3. Using ageism to avoid the nasty truth

The system failed when tRump became the nominee. There are no two ways about it. This man was unqualified, unprepared, of dubious morality and .. aw shit, too many things to mention to describe how he should never have been endorsed by the GOP.

This is the failure that needs to be addressed. How did he get so far? Where were the voices of reason in the republican party?

Being from a country with a parliamentary system, a fucker like trump would never have made it past the party pre-selection stage. That means he would have to run as an independent, at his own cost. If, by some fluke, he gained pre-selection and got himself elected to a seat, he then has to work his way up, either by joining one of the major parties or being an extremely exceptional independent.

The failure lies squarely on the GOPs shoulders. They accepted him as a candidate, he's their albatross now.

[rock]

6. Notice that his age, per se, was not a factor

His competence and abilities were.

[TheFrenchRazor]

18. but young people should be allowed to impose their will on older people? WTF? nt

[MichMan]

4. What current members of congress or the SC are you referring to? nm

[LSFL]

10. none in particular

I was just thinking that politics is the only job that you can keep no matter how infirm you become. Mandatory retirement is not necessarily a bad thing when one is in a position to do lasting harm.

[WePurrsevere]

5. No... IMO & experience, age isn't as important as health and ability.

Death comes at all ages, so does ill health, dementia, etc so I'm not going to use someone's age against them and miss out on someone who would be a great progressive leader. Do I consider it? A bit yes, but I'm not an ageist so I won't dismiss someone 'only' because they're over XX years any more than I do if they're under one.

If we're worried about a president dying due to age or health, that's one of the reasons why choosing a good VP candidate is important.

[MedusaX]

7. Placing upper age limits would be the equivalent of taking aspirin for an appendicitis...

The lack of genuine and effective representation will need to be addressed through an overhaul of the campaign funding system.

When campaign spending is limited (capped)
Then there is no need for huge reservoirs of funds to be gathered from special interest groups & industry moguls ....

When no campaign needs requiring huge cash flows are present, then there is less opportunity available for candidates to 'profit' from the sale of their allegiance to groups whose interests are not reflective of the candidates' constituency.

When candidates can no longer easily sell their allegiance, then the overall profitability of the Party Leadership is naturally limited....

When the overall profitability of the campaign process is limited at all levels...
then the incentives for gerrymandering are decreased substantially.

When gerrymandering no longer leads to access to huge sources of cashflow/profits, then districts can be established by the physical structure of the communities to be represented.

When candidates choose to run in a system which does not provide opportunities for campaign profitability ....
then policy position/platform, personality, and community connectivity become the keys to a successful campaign....
rather than who has the most money available to spend on attacking the other candidates.

When candidates are elected based on their policy positions, personality, and connectedness to the community which they represent ....
then the elected representatives will actually reflect their respective communities....

thus, no need for arbitrary age limits.

[redstatebluegirl]

8. Not the problem.

The issue is all of the dark money in politics, the apathy of many people who don't vote, the voters who don't read anything but internet news and memes and do not have the education to understand issues when they do read. Lots of things wrong, age isn't one of them. We got Trump for a lot of reasons, he is incompetent for a lot of reasons. Not all people his age are nuts like he is. Many young people on this site and others were following Bernie as the Messiah and he is no spring chicken.

[LSFL]

9. ok guys

Thanks for the input. My intent was not to be ageist. Maybe i should have suggested a thourough psychological vetting each time they run. For everyone. God knows Paul Ryan and his ilk are relatively young but are nuttier the squirrel turds.

[Jake Stern]

11. While upper age limits for political candidates is iffy

I am all for it with judicial appointments. The upper maximum (at least unofficially) should be 50 for any candidate for federal judges and SCOTUS.

One of the big points that conservatives made in support of Gorsuch was his age

[MichMan]

12. So any judge older than 50 will be forced to retire?

That would eliminate all the current SCOTUS justices other than Gorsuch (and he is 49)

So Trump gets to appoint the entire court? Great idea

[Jake Stern]

13. Sorry should have been clearer

At the time of nomination

As for being forced to retire ours is one of the few high courts with lifetime appointments. For example justices on Canada's Supreme Court have to retire at 75 as do justices on the UK Supreme Court.

[TheFrenchRazor]

17. what a crock of sh*t. nt

[Jake Stern]

19. Classy response

On a side note, I stand by my opinion. Don't like it? Well you're just going to have to make peace with that shit on your own.

[JudyM]

20. Under your "rule" we would not have had our most brilliant Dem Supreme Court justices in recent

memory. William Brennan, my personal favorite. Thurgood Marshall. Harry Blackmun. Then the list goes on with Sotomayor, Kagan and um, Notorious RBG who was past her 60th BD when appointed.

Your rule doesn't stand up to even the lightest level of scrutiny, which makes it even more transparently ageist.

[Ilsa]

14. I think anyone elected president over age 60, or if

they turn 60 in office, should be required to have a semi-annual physical for disclosure by two objective sources (Army doctor or something), not the same doctor they've used for years. Although, they can keep that doctor for periodic complaints, provided that doctor discloses findings to the other two doctors.

[milestogo]

15. If Trump were 30 years younger would he still be an asshole?

[TheFrenchRazor]

16. um, NO. younger, less experienced people are not some kind of master race, that the rest of us must

step aside for. sorry. but if you would like to give up your position in society so that an older person may take it, you are free to do so.