Is Bernie Sanders to old to run for President?

[William769]

Honest question.

ETA: If you have no problem with his age great! neither do I, but with that said I don't to hear any shit about the age of our possible female candidates. Fair is fair.

[still_one]

1. no

[FSogol]

2. The better question: Is he just a regional candiate?

Would he appeal to mainstream America?

[cali]

26. He just might. Let's find out.

[FSogol]

42. I have no problem with Sanders joining the Democrats and running.

Even though I don't feel he'll gain much traction outside of the Northeast, he'll do us a valuable service by pushing the party to the left during the primaries. I wish him luck.

I do not want to see him run as a 3rd party candidate.

[djean111]

29. Never once have I found knowing the state a candidate comes from the least bit interesting.

And did we "elect" someone from Texas twice? Arkansas twice?
I think the region thing is just a little bit of a straw man.

[FSogol]

43. The south has an advantage in the electoral college. Thus, it is easier

from Democrats from Texas, Arkansas, Virginia, and such places to get elected. How many Democratic Presidential candidates from the Northeast have failed to get elected in the last half of the 20th century - the present?

[djean111]

45. Funny thing is, I consider Hillary is from New York, which, to me, is more northeast than not.

Also, as a Democrat, I would not vote for a Republican if they lived next door, were from my state, or any other circumstance regarding geography.

[FSogol]

47. The topic is Sanders. Who brought up Clinton?

As for who Democrats vote for, that is irrelevant. To win a party must inspire and capture the votes of people outside their party.

On edit: HRC has more national notoriety due to being Sec of State, first lady, and the object of GOP hatred.

[antiquie]

3. He is only six years older than Hillary.

I'm on the opposite coast from Senator Sanders, and I would vote for him in a heartbeat. A few of my friends share their extra bucks with him. We support his philosophy and goals.

[William769]

6. Don't get me wrong I have no problem with Mr. Sanders running for President

And his age doesn't seem to be a problem with a lot of people but I keep hearing age seems to be a problem for our possible female candidates.

I just want to get to the bottom of this and once and for all take this question out of the equation for all candidates or make sure the question is held for all candidates.

[antiquie]

9. I was addressing the regional issue,

but in the wrong place, duh.

Seriously, on age, I am younger than both but am way too old to have the stamina required for the position. I think we need to judge each person's suitability independent of age. I truly believe John McCain has been too old for at least thirty years.

[William769]

10. Agreed and back atcha.

[freshwest]

37. Add to that he never grew up so bomb-happy John's a flop either way...

[LawDeeDah]

39. I hear the age thing for Biden, Sanders, too.

I know what you are getting at and it certainly is a reality that women's ages are pecked at more than a man's but I don't find that sentiment here on Democratic Underground to any worrisome extent, that I have seen, because whoever attempts that gets straightened out real fast.

[yeoman6987]

12. The Republican candidate will be Gen X

I believe so Sanders and Clinton can use experience and wisdom as their points which does appeal.

[think]

4. No. He is not too old to run for president /nt

[Autumn]

5. No.

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. I suppose it would help if he was ten or twenty years younger - but he is not

If he doesn't run that means no prominent progressive will be raising issues at the national level during the 2016 election. Once again we will have a whole election season without any significant progressive input.

[BeyondGeography]

8. Obviously

He would be taking the oath at age 75. It's sad that we have to make these kinds of concessions, but lots of things are sad.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

11. Bernie doesn't strike me as the sort of person who would

hold his opponent's youth and inexperience against him.

[mmonk]

31. +1

[Rhiannon12866]

41. +2!

[Lurks Often]

13. No, but since he won't get the nomination it's a moot point

No one is too old to run, but yes his age will be a factor during the primaries as will his choice of VP, many here thought McCain was too old to be President

I just don't see the country electing someone, regardless of party, in their late 60's or early 70's to be President. For that matter we have only had 5 Presidents 64 and older at the time they assumed office.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_age

On edit: I think it is highly unlikely that our next President will come from Congress, I expect that the next President will be someone sitting in a governor's chair right now.

[antiquie]

18. I want Bernie in the primary to pull the Party left

and keep the candidates honest.

[freshwest]

38. That would fit the model othe than RFK and BHO. Can't think of any Govs, though.

[Lurks Often]

46. Doubt any of us here predicted either party nominee 2 years out since maybe Gore

Certainly President Obama was on no one's list in November of 2006 and I doubt McCain was either.

[Thinkingabout]

14. There is not an age limit on running for president except for being 36.

I am very active in senior groups, deal with lots of senior in the 80's and some in the 90's. Which sex is in highest number, women by a long shot. Facts point to women out living men by a few years. This is not the point with Bernie, his socialist stand on issues is the problem, he may fair well in Vermont, this will not be the case in the rest of the US. A president needs to view the world in a complete horizon, not just a small section, a wide peripheral vision is required. He suffers from tunnel vision.

[William769]

16. I believe all views should be heard.

And I have no problem with him running for President (although I think it would be a lost cause but it is his right to do so).

I guess what I am trying to say with my OP is don't attack possible female candidates about their age unless you are also going to do it to the male candidates.

[Thinkingabout]

17. Exactly since facts point to women living longer but for females this is a continual problem,

it is a different standard.

[CK_John]

15. Is moderate Mitt too old since he will be the probable GOP candidate???

[freshwest]

40. Media is pushing Jeb who's younger. Mitt's still miffed and won't run, probably.

[bigwillq]

20. No

Age is not an issue for me with him, Warren, Hillary, Biden, etc.

There's candidates I prefer over others, but age is not the reason why.

[brooklynite]

21. To old to run? No. To old to GET ELECTED? Maybe.

[Xyzse]

22. No, no one is too old to run for President.

The question is... "Running Successfully", and that is always hard to quantify.

See, McCain was old, but he ran kinda successfully until he lost to Obama. I'd never vote for him especially since he included a 140 lbs drag anchor on his campaign named Sarah. He would not have lasted a year given all the things going on at the time, as he was acting quite erratically.

One is never too old to run.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

23. He is just fine.

[Proud Public Servant]

24. You do have to wonder how WE became the AARP party...

Clinton. Sanders. Warren. And now people here are talking about Jerry Brown? Any one of those four would be the oldest Democrat ever elected to the presidency; two of the four would be the oldest person, period.

I find myself wondering how we ended up here. How the party that supposedly embraces progress, that supposedly looks to the future, and that definitely relies of youth as the key to its national success, can only seem to generate excitement about sexagenarians and septuagenarians?

[Jim Lane]

25. I think it was just happenstance.

One factor is that the 2008 runner-up for the nomination is still interested eight years later, but is of course that much older. It's a similar dynamic to how the Republicans ended up with McCain in 2008, after he lost out to Bush in 2000.

Another factor is that Obama chose Biden. Obama was presumably looking to who would help him win, who would be a good VP, and who would be a good President if he succeeded to the office, rather than who would be a good candidate in 2016. If Obama had instead chosen, say, Sherrod Brown (elected to the Senate only in 2006 but before that 14 years in the House plus posts in Ohio state government), then Brown would now be considered much more of a prospect than Biden is. (On Inauguration Day in 2017, Biden will be 74, Brown only 64.)

Finally, Warren has attracted attention as the fresh face, but she came to politics unusually late in life. She was 63 the first time she won an election. (Compare Ronald Reagan, 55 years old when elected Governor of California, and John McCain, first elected to the House as a mere lad of 46.)

Thus it happens that the candidates leading these very early polls are all getting on in years by historical standards. I don't think it's because the Democratic Party has become hostile to youth.

[AngryOldDem]

34. Age shouldn't matter.

If they have a proven track record, like Brown does; speaks truth to power, like Sanders and Warren do; that's all that's important.

Maybe it's because I deal with ageism (and sexism) on a daily basis, but the "you're too old" argument tends to bug after awhile. If there are younger candidates who can get the job done, great; but don't dismiss others because they're past a certain milestone.

[Proud Public Servant]

44. My concern is less age

That the fact that we seem not to have been building the party's next generation of leadership as well as the GOP has, and that may come back to bite us.

[B Calm]

27. What are the age requirements to run?

[orpupilofnature57]

28. NO!!! Until he stops breathing, or stops thinking, and just cajoles, solicits, and lies like

the last three young men that held the post .

[grahamhgreen]

30. Ask a millennial. No.

[djean111]

32. Funnily enough, when I see Bernie on TV he seems strong and vibrant and passionate.

When I saw Bill Clinton on TV, in a campaign ad for Crist, he looked and sounded old and frail.

[AngryOldDem]

33. No. Not at all.

[fxstc]

35. not too old

[olddots]

36. is Bernie young enough ?

I think he is young enough as in bright,sharp and of a clear mind .

[woo me with science]

48. No.

And before this OP, I can't recall seeing any criticism of candidates lately based on age *or* gender.

[woo me with science]

49. Looks much more vibrant to me

than any of the candidates selling stale, predatory Third Way policies.

[ladjf]

50. Do you recall his filibuster speeches a few years back?

He not only spoke all day, but presented all sorts of historically accurate accounts of the American political history. The man is a walking encyclopedia of facts.

[woo me with science]

52. I was in a group of people,

and some of them were weeping.

America is so starved for someone who will tell the truth about what is being done to us.

[ladjf]

53. Usually filibuster speeches are time wasting junk. But not in Sander's case. He's a good one.

In addition to his other virtues , he appears to be politically fearless.

[woo me with science]

54. +1 Politically fearless *and* incredibly skilled at

handling PR and manipulation.

I have been incredibly impressed at his ability to keep a laser focus on what's important and reject the constant attempts by corporate media to disinform and divert to their preferred narratives.

[ladjf]

55. We keep agreeing with each other. He might be the smartest politician on the hill. nt

[HereSince1628]

51. If he breathes, he leads.

[SamKnause]

56. No

[NCTraveler]

57. We have both seen a number of people state that Hillary is too old.

Kind of funny how people who are much more prolific in their posting are acting like they have never seen it. Although it is often phrased as "I was talking with a friend and they think Hillary is too old." I have seen the whole "friend said" thing over and over again.

[gwheezie]

58. I tend to want someone younger than I am

I'm very disappointed withy generation. We grew up with vietnam civil rights women's rights gay rights and managed to forget all that and fuck the place up. And I want younger people coming to the forefront of the den party.
That being said I hope bernie runs.

[jellen]

59. Hillary is bothering Scott Walker.

Walker was interviewed in WI and said he could run for president 20 yrs. from now and still not be too old, then made a comment about Hillary's age, without actually mentioning her name.

[wandy]

60. There is only one way to be sure a Democratic candidate is not too........

"Old" to run for president.
Wait until the GOP has selected their operative and nominate a candidate the same age.
The exact same age!
If they are younger then they will be too "Young" to run for president.

This is what is meant when some say....
We should not let the teapublicans control the narrative!