Obama: "At some point, you age out. You're not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going..."

[demmiblue]

Obama: "At some point, you age out. You're not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through. I'm not making a hard and fast rule here, but I think Democrats do well when we have candidates who are plugged into the moment. To the zeitgeist. To the times."

Obama: "At some point, you age out. You're not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through. I'm not making a hard and fast rule here, but I think Democrats do well when we have candidates who are plugged into the moment. To the zeitgeist. To the times."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-02-16T20:57:12.519Z

[legallyblondeNYC]

1. Sen. Schumer - I think he means you....

After all, you're not a wartime consigliari.

[newdeal2]

6. But on the flip side, Pelosi was perhaps the most effective person we had in Congress

I think most Republicans would even agree.

And she was both old and pretty rich at the time so not that connected with the average person Obama is talking about.

But she wasn’t the figurehead of the party. That is what we are currently lacking to take on Trump.

[3Hotdogs]

9. And Bernie is still agin' but not out.

[flashman13]

12. This has nothing to do with chronological age. We are talking about replacing people that still carry the ideas of 20th

century politics. The old ways of thinking and politics do not meet the demands of the moment.

We need leaders that are willing to fight Trump, hammer and tongs at every turn, to drive him and his MAGAt mob out of power and restore democracy and the rule of law.

We also need leaders willing to put the oligarchs and corporations in their place so that we provide for the needs of the many, not the wants and comfort of the few. That means driving money out of politics and breaking up the monopolistic power big business.

Schumer and Jeffries, et al, are not up to the task. They are both too beholding to old ideas and the donor class.

[hamsterjill]

2. This old lady wholeheartedly agrees.

Obama “gets” it and I am SO glad to see him more often in public settings the past couple of weeks.

[msongs]

4. here in hawaii my situation is stable. I know there are many people around me who are stressing

I live on a budget and so long as my health is ok Im getting along fine. I donate to several local charities who are more capable of reaching those in need than any random donations.

[CBHagman]

5. I need to hear more of the conversation, but want to mention something here...

...and what I'd mention is that people of all ages play key roles in society generally and in politics specifically. Yes, I know people are going to cite specific examples of politicians they believe should have retired years ago, but ageism is one of the acceptable bigotries in the United States, and "acceptable" does not mean "defensible."

And as a voting bloc, older adults have been more likely to participate in the political process than younger adults have been. I have not studied the reasons behind that, but beware of anything that dehumanizes older adults. That is not what the former president is doing, but other people do in fact dehumanize older adults.

[surfered]

7. 60s civil rights and Vietnam War. 2001, Iraq War. 2016-now, Republicanism crazy and Trump.

I should be “aged out,” but I’m not, dammit! The fight goes on!

[Prairie Gates]

8. There was a great editorial in the NY Times today trying to bring some common sense to

body positivity. The claim, anyway, is that the body positivity movement became so radical in its claims that it denied even basic health considerations. There were activists saying "the word health is fatphobic," and "obese is a slur," and other pretty out there claims.

I think a parallel shift needs to happen with more radical claims about agism. Certainly, there is agism, and it must be combatted. But people should also retire. It's bonkers to have 80 year olds as the leaders of our political parties. Seriously, just retire.

[3Hotdogs]

10. Bernie should hang it up?