Why are all these senile old men in power?

[Marthe48]

Can't remember? Don't recall? No wonder the U.S. is falling behind. Other countries get young people in power. We have a bunch of old farts.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

1. Wet farts at that!

[Marthe48]

2. :)

n/t

[kimbutgar]

4. +100

[Historic NY]

3. Viagra......

blood rushes to the little head.

[Bleacher Creature]

5. Senile old men voters?? NT

[nikibatts]

6. Because they are white and racist and sexist...and that has been the history of power in the USA

[Solly Mack]

7. Pretty much.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Yep. They're features, not bugs.

[pamdb]

8. senile old men

Because senile old men, and women, vote them into power over and over again. Plus, they have the money.

[wildeyed]

10. Because that's where the big money wants them.

A bunch of tired old men with giant egos who lost any shred of ethics long ago. Our government is so very broken right now. The abysmal performance of McCain and his ilk are the symptom of a deep decay. No way guys like that would hold on in a healthy democracy.

[L. Coyote]

11. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Egnever]

12. Because young people don't vote

[defacto7]

20. This....

[jberryhill]

31. There are a lot of barriers to young people voting

[defacto7]

32. Help me out...

Like??
Is it like voter suppression? Can't get to the polls? Fewer voting places?

[jberryhill]

34. How long did you live at a permanent address when you were 19-23?

Practically the entire college population is living away from the place where they have their driver's license. That takes a chunk right off the table, since residency requirements and registration deadlines are often crafted to exclude resident students from being considered qualified to vote.

Young people move frequently. If you have to live in a district for x months to vote in that district, then you aren't going to be voting - and, again, especially if you are renting a place with others, the lease is signed by someone else, and there is no utility bill in your name.

A lot of young people use their parents' address for a lot of "formal" purposes, and especially if they are still claimed as dependents, etc.

Where was the first place you lived when you moved out, and how long did you stay there?

[defacto7]

37. Good points...

I may not be the best person to prove your point with those questions, but I do get the idea.

As for me, I lived at 5 different addresses during that time one being with parents. I moved out at 17 and lived on campus for a year. Also signed up for the draft. So by 18 I was on the books and registered to vote in that state. Changed states a couple of times. I voted in 4 states between 18 and 23 if I remember. It was not long after the amendment in 1971 so it dates me a bit.

For the record, I've always been a liberal Democrat and I'm closer to a socialist now than I was when I was 18. So if I die soon it won't be helpful to the cause of progressives to lose my vote or activism.

[MineralMan]

42. When I was 18, the voting age was 21.

At 21, I registered to vote, using my parent's address, because I was serving in the USAF. Through 1969, I requested absentee ballots for every election by mail and voted in every election, including local ones. I didn't find it difficult to do at all. I thought it was so important to vote that I got the information I needed to vote absentee and met all dates for requesting those ballots and voting.

As far as I am concerned, voting is, and always has been, one of my most important priorities. That's what I did between 19 and 24 years of age. After that, I had an address of my own and immediately registered to vote at that and every subsequent address where I've lived.

Why wouldn't young people do what I did? It seemed important to me.

[jberryhill]

44. That's great you had a steady paycheck at that age

Not everyone lives your life, and it is also not 1969.

In 1969, you could read the obituaries, find a dead person your age, go over to the public records office, get a copy of their birth certificate, head over the DMV and get a driver's license.

I mean, hey, what's the problem with needing a utility bill, proof of residence such as a signed lease, etc., needed to bootstrap into a voter registration? I do all that.

I also imagine that if your kids maintain their legal residence in your state, that you fly them back from school in order to vote. I mean, why doesn't everyone do that.

You are old enough to understand that not everyone is you.

[MineralMan]

46. I voted absentee at that time. I got paid $256 per month in 1969.

I didn't fly home to vote. I sent a request for an absentee ballot by the deadline for that. Then I voted and returned my ballot by mail to the county where I was registered.

It wasn't difficult. It cost 13 cents to mail each thing. I asked my parents for the address where I needed to request an absentee ballot, since I didn't have the Internet so I could find out or register online.

I don't expect people to be like me. I expect people to vote if they are eligible to do so. If they don't, I wonder how much they really care about who runs the government.

I did not need to fake anything to get my driver's license. I got it on my 16th birthday and presented my original birth certificate to get it. I registered to vote while on leave and visiting my parents.

I have voted in every election since I was 21 years old. Every election, including local bond elections and city elections. I consider it part of my duty as a citizen, and as a right I am unwilling to skip.

I care. I vote.

[jberryhill]

49. I I I I I I I

I can't imagine someone who cannot understand that their life circumstances differ from others.

Yes, you had a steady paycheck and Uncle Sam as a full time babysitter. Got it.

[MineralMan]

50. I'm quite certain that my life circumstances differ

from yours. I'm certain they are unique to me. You do not know my life circumstances or history, nor do I know yours. For me, that is irrelevant. Nobody asked me about my life circumstances at any polling place. Nobody asked me about them when I registered to vote. Nobody asked me when I mailed off my application for an absentee ballot.

For four years, I was in the USAF. I'm 71 years old. The rest of my life varies widely, in terms of my circumstances. And yet, despite everything, I managed to vote in every election. I've also assisted literally thousands of people to register to vote. I've also driven hundreds of people to polling places.

At election time, I'm all about people voting. All people. I don't ask them who they're voting for. I just ask everyone to exercise their right to vote. I'm not seeing a valid argument from you, frankly.

[cwydro]

45. I voted from the first time i was eligible.

It's not that hard.

[jberryhill]

48. So did I

However, the "everyone should be like me" theme is popular today.

States have quite a few wildly varying deadlines and requirements for voter registration.

I can say that in my state, if you are a freshman from out of state, you are not going to be voting here, since residence since September is insufficient, and the registration deadline is before school starts. Besides, if you are renting a room in a house on an informal basis (as if often the case) you aren't going to be able to establish residence in my state by the time the election rolls around anyway.

My 20 somethings have changed their residences more times than I can count.

But because one of my kids, who has been living hundreds of miles away at college, was registered to vote at my address, we DID get the notice that he was going to be arrested for not showing up for jury duty here. Why? Because he's registered to vote here, and that's where they get the jurors. So the deal is that if you register to vote where I live, and then you move away (and somehow don't de-register yourself from here), then you'll commit a criminal offense by "being somewhere else".

It is a LOT harder than it was 30 or 40 years ago, depending on your state's enrollment system. If you are in a shared living arrangement like a lot of young people are, you aren't going to have your name on a utility bill, etc., and your tax forms will reflect where you lived last year. Many young people cannot provide documentary proof of their current residence, and that's a fact which is independent of your particular life experience.

[cwydro]

52. Excuses.

Most just can't be bothered.

[Ilsa]

13. They know they can't take it with them,

and they they have one foot in the grave (and another on a banana peel) they just don't give a fuck anymore about what's left behind. They don't even care that it's a world left to their grandkids, but if they grandkids are rich enough, that's good enough.

[Kleveland]

14. Because it is a virtual phallis, since they don't have a functional one.

They can fuck something, and unfortunately, it is US.

[lostnfound]

15. It's not a bug, it's a feature. Like our crappy voting machines. Nt

[bresue]

16. And why not term limits?

[Marthe48]

21. I'd be ok with mandatory retirement age

but I hate to throw quality hands-on experience out the window. It doesn't seem like a lot of recently elected officials understand what they are representing or why. And often don't care, seem more interested in what's in it for them than in leadership, loyalty, and nurturing democracy (or republic)

I think that more than term limits, we need intensive vetting of candidates, including background checks and medical exams from a panel of doctors. And enforce the emoluments clause, so the rich people who pass the vetting process do not make money by being a public servant.

Since we are seeing where the U.S. Constitution is vulnerable to attack from within, we should strengthen the weak spots. Who knew that all it took to bring down America was a concerted attack from a combination of enemies within the legislative and executive branches? There was a checks and balances system built in, that has been destroyed simply by ignoring it.

[FiveGoodMen]

53. Term limits force you to get rid of the good people

[yallerdawg]

17. In Montgomery, Alabama...

the first call-in to our local 5PM CBS affiliate expert political pundit asked," If Sessions can't recall stuff from a few weeks ago, and a month ago, and 6 months ago - does he have dementia?"

The pundit - who had just said Sessions cleared his name today - chuckled and replied, "Good question!"

[jalan48]

18. They are there to represent their sponsors views. nt

[relayerbob]

19. Who else would sign up to work for Trump?

[bdamomma]

22. I don't want to

insult anyone here but I do not see any diversity in this predominate all white rich golden sachs men cabinet

[Phoenix61]

26. That's not insulting

It's discerning.

[Marthe48]

40. You are right. There is no diversity

and in order to thrive, the U.S. needs to have representatives from all races, religions, cultures.

[58Sunliner]

23. Have you noticed that if you are a Republican your age does not matter?

You carry water and shill for power and money. Corruption knows no age. These older ones have just been at it longer and are more entrenched.

[ecstatic]

24. Sessions is a joke, an embarrassment. nt

[defacto7]

25. One of the oldest in history...

Maybe because the young aren't interested in running.
Maybe because the young aren't voting.
Maybe because older people in the US are more likely to vote, work for, and support their interests in government and thus their antiquated opinions about life get used by conservatives both young and old to control the message for a buck.

I don’t know how old you are but if you're younger, why don't you run for some office?

[Marthe48]

36. I'm 64

My husband died in Jan. After some time passes, I'll be more active. I volunteered for Gore, Kerry, and HRC v Obama, in 2008, but then began babysitting my grandkids, so I stepped away from my political activity.

[defacto7]

38. We're about the same age..

[Marthe48]

41. Would you run?

I am sorting things out, and running for public office has crossed my mind. Even just to have a dem on the ticket so the R isn't running unopposed.

But I'm not young. If I ran, I'd certainly reach out to younger people encouraging them to get involved. And try to pass the torch before I wasn't my best

[defacto7]

54. I admire your desire to keep the ball rolling...

Yes, the way things have evolved politically I probably would, but I'm not capable of running. I am capable of supporting candidates. I live in one of the reddest states in the country but also in a small oasis within that red and we have some really capable young progressives running in the coming election. If anything there's a bit of hope living in Utah, in the largest city, center of Moronism 60% and conservative Catholics 30%, whose mayor is a lesbian woman and in my district a young progressive lawyer running for city councel who stands for social and economic justice and against GW deniers. He and his husband live in my neighborhood. 10 years ago this would have been unheard of. Honestly, we seem to have a good thing happening for the first time ever. I wouldn't want to take away their momentum with my sexagenarian energy. 😉

[Marthe48]

55. So many young people

accept diversity in all its glorious array. I'm in S.E. Ohio, which used to be blue, but like WV, has turned red. I grew up near Cleveland and like so many urban areas, it remains blue. Last time I voted, I was disappointed how many r's ran unopposed.

[Phoenix61]

27. Repubs court those with money and power

Typically, the older you are the more you have of both. The Dems stopped courting anybody, at least here, and stopped getting elected.

[defacto7]

35. a lot of truth in this...

Money and survival from pre-WWII to a living standard to keep up with after the war. Then Vietnam... starting too loose... turns into faith in extreme religiosity or faith in greed. In the 60's the rise of the core Libertarians/JBS plan to undermine all social government in favor of oligarchy... then they take advantage of the populous hooked on greed, create division, bide their time and voilà... here we are... DT and a congress average age of 61 and a lot of youth disillusioned with government.

[smirkymonkey]

28. I would really like to know the answer to that question.

The only thing that reassures me is that they will all be dead soon.

[Marthe48]

43. Many of the Dems are getting up there as well

but they seem to hang on to their mental faculties as time goes on. Maybe because they aren't batshit crazy when they first get elected?

[democratisphere]

29. redumbliCONs will employ taxidermists and vantreliquists to keep popular

old fart representatives in office.

[slumcamper]

30. Because the people ELECT them.

The question is better phrased, "Why do voters continue to elect these senile old men?"

Answer that.

I'd begin by suggesting that the Democratic Party (1) needs to sharpen a message, (2) needs to inspire people to VOTE, and (3) needs to field candidates whose appeal extends beyond single-issue voters.

I think this is an organizational failure on multiple levels, and frankly I'm beginning to feel embarrassment at the ineptitude of our leadership at all levels.

There. Pillory me, WTF.

[BarbD]

33. You need money to run for office.

Or, have the kind of job where you can take time off to attend the sessions. One does not generally begin public office in Washington, you generally begin in State government and the pay is usually not enough on its own without a supplemental income. Out of all the professions, lawyers usually can take time away from their firms to attend legislative sessions. This is why we have so many lawyers in politics. The best political office is United States Senator because you have a six year term and don't have to be continually campaigning and begging for money.

[bluestarone]

39. one of the biggest problem

is just lately the us supreme court ruled unlimited contributions THAT KILLED US in my opinion

[onenote]

47. Because we keep electing them? Including Democrats.

If you're going to complain about the age of those in government, be prepared to look inward.

Of the 20 oldest members of the House of Representatives, 18 are Democrats. Of those, seven are women. Among the "elders": John Lewis, John Conyers, Maxine Waters....

Compare the House Repub leadership with the Democratic House Leadership

Ryan - 47
McCarthy - 52
Scalise - 51

Pelosi -77
Hoyer - 77

On the Senate side, where the average age of a member is 62, it's closer. McConnell is 75 and Cornyn is 65, while Schumer is 66 and Durbin is 72.

[nycbos]

51. So I tied an onion to my belt which was the style at the time.

[RadiationTherapy]

56. My experience in campaigns: It takes a lot of money and time to be a candidate.

To have those resources; to be able to run for an office or be a part of a campaign, one has to be sure they aren't risking their livelihoods, their homes, their health insurance, and home life stability. Just as most people are two paychecks from homelessness or one medical emergency away from bankruptcy, those most able to participate in politics are largely the already-most-privileged. That is to say, older, wealthy, white, cis, hetero, males.

This is my short answer.

[HughBeaumont]

57. It's like my 69 year old mom said on Mother's Day . . .

"Look around at any 70 year old MAN you know. Doesn't matter what race, political affiliation, disposition, whatever. Would you want that 70 year old MAN running your country?"

It's part that . . . and part (like it was mentioned above) rich white male third basers being the only ones capable of running in an election in the 2000s, the odd exception tossed in here and there. Nominate mostly rich white male third-basers to run everything . . . and you'll get a country that almost exclusively CATERS to rich white male third-basers.