McCain has 3 kids old enough to run for President.

[Vickers]

And one of them is older than Obama.

Pretty wild, huh?

[jody]

1. Do you have problems with people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, etc? n/t

[Vickers]

3. No.

:shrug:

Why do you ask?

[jody]

6. What was the point of your OP? IMO we Dems face enough divisive, polarizing issues without age. nt

[Vickers]

7. Mentioning he has 3 kids old enough to be President is divisive?

:shrug:

Man, some folks are just ITCHIN' to be offended!

[jody]

10. May you live many years and gather wisdom that helps you tolerate youngsters. n/t

[Vickers]

11. Thank you!

:hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:

[snooper2]

17. 70's + serving in elected office...

Times change and people usually don't...

Also, if you are in Congress for 30 years you think you would have been bought and paid for by then?

[jody]

22. IMO age isn't the problem for McCain or Obama, the question is who can lead a polarized nation? n/t

[Indenturedebtor]

24. And I would offer that I don't want a 30 year old or a 80 year old running the nation

Both would be a risk for different reasons and to pretend otherwise is disingenous.

[jody]

27. I know people in their 70s & 80s who are much healthier than those decades younger. Each person

should be evaluated based on her/his physical and mental ability not some artificial age limit, "to pretend otherwise is disingenous {sic}."

[Indenturedebtor]

29. It's not just a question of physical health

Aging has certain less than desirable effects on the brain. Not to mention the fact that McBushy doesn't even know how to use the "series of tubes"... the man clearly hasn't been keeping up with the times.

[jody]

30. I can live with our disagreement, I say judge each candidate by her/his qualifications and you say

judge candidates by their age.

Have a great day, :hi:

[Breeze54]

31. Wow! So everyone "at a certain age" is no longer viable in your world...

because "Aging has certain less than desirable effects on the brain" for everyone?!

What a sad, little, unenlightened, un-enriched, lacking wisdom and experience, world you live in. :(

[Indenturedebtor]

35. I'm not saying that 70 year olds can't be professors

Or perform other mentally strenuous tasks. But for President I want a younger more nimble mind. Sorry but for me it's an issue... Brains have to ripen and unfortunately they also go the other direction. One can hold back the tide of deterioration with rigorous mental excercise but it's a simple medical fact that brains deteriorate with age.

Not to mention that I'm of the opinion that we need a fresh perspective from someone who grew up in a completely different time. I want someone with a stake in this planet and nation's future to be making decisions that affect both.

[Breeze54]

36. You're mixing age with issue's. Senator Ted Kennedy is on the ball and he's 77.

My great Aunt was still playing the stock market and winning at age 97 !!!

She'd probably have talked circle's around you at that age and later. She died at age 103 !!

[Indenturedebtor]

37. When do you think she was sharper? 97 or 45? n/t

[Breeze54]

38. She improved with age and was on top of politics, the economy and public policy until she died.

Very smart woman and sharp as a tack until the day she died of natural causes, in her sleep.

[Indenturedebtor]

39. Truly an exceptional woman then. Certainly had something going that was

better than 99.9% of the species.

The rest of us lose mental acuity as we age though.

[Breeze54]

40. Not true... 'Mental acuity in seniors improving, study suggests'

Mental acuity in seniors improving, study suggests

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/21/mental_acuity_in_seniors_improving_study_suggests/

By Alice Dembner
Globe Staff / February 21, 2008

The brain function of Americans 70 and older appears to be improving, according to a study that found a smaller percentage of seniors with serious memory and language problems in 2002 than in 1993.

The finding, which researchers say is still preliminary, parallels an improvement in physical functioning among older Americans that is well documented.

"If this study is indeed confirmed and replicated, then it says that cognitive decline associated with aging is malleable," said Richard Suzman, director for behavioral and social research at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the study. "There may be interventions that can be brought to bear to accelerate the trend.

It's potentially very good news."

Although the study does not mean that every individual will live healthier into old age, it does suggest that as a whole, people are functioning at a higher level for longer periods. That could mean that more people will be able to live independently later in life, said Suzman.

More........

[Indenturedebtor]

41. "malleable" - bendable not breakable. Some jobs are too important to trust the young or old with

And I would be classified as young having just turned 29. :shrug:

[Breeze54]

42. You are young.

:eyes:

I have a kid older than you and he's young.

[Indenturedebtor]

43. Ah so age does have bearing eh?

Or it doesn't ;) Have to decide one way or another no?

Did you know that by the age of 5 your ability to learn a new language is estimated to be over 90% less than at the age of 3?

That's not to say that 5 year olds can't learn new languages. Just that you're better off teaching them when they're 3.

For another seemingly non related facts that I find it relevant to share:

"Indigenous" cultures around the world employ elders as advisers to the leaders of their tribe. Wisdom is invaluable... so is the quicker mind of relative youth. Just something to consider.

[Breeze54]

44. Chronological age is different from mental age.

Good try though. Last I heard, presidents aren't required to do heavy lifting. That's something
that should fall to the the physically stronger person. But presidents can and do do heavy mental
lifting, not something all 29 year olds would necessarily be able to do either.

Interesting fact. Seems we're in agreement then. ;)

"Indigenous" cultures around the world employ elders as advisers to the leaders of their tribe.

Hence a President must be over the age of 35 and usually is past 50. ;)

[Indenturedebtor]

45. An advisor is not a leader

Respectfully: argue until your face turns blue but the reality is that the older you get the less able you are to learn new things. Some are able to do better than others at learning new things, and at retaining what they've already learned. But in my opinion (mentally) a leader should be ready to take advice from multiple sources, quickly get up to speed on the relevant factors of the situation (reassess as necessary) and then figure out the best way forward.

Neurons are constantly dying off from the moment we are born. At some point that starts to affect performance. It's a medical fact.

Not to mention the fact that while our general standard of education has been declining in this country for a long time, the good education of today is better than the good education of yesterday.

[Breeze54]

46. I didn't know I was "arguing"... I thought we were having a discussion....

I guess that goes to show that the young are not in full control of their emotions
and seem to be quick tempered and probably wouldn't do well serving as president.
Perhaps an older, more contemplative, methodically thinking person is the ticket.

Have a great night! :hi:

[Indenturedebtor]

47. Hah "argue till your face turns blue" is a saying :P

If misused I appologize.

But yes I agree that 30 year olds probably shouldn't be president.

[Breeze54]

48. No worries... I can't stand McLame either.

:toast:

[Indenturedebtor]

49. I know hehe and I hope you know I'm not trying to call older people stupid/senile

Just saying that different ages of the brain typically show different strengths and weaknesses. Most great breakthroughs in math come in the 20's, literature 30's, and so on. I want a pres in 40's - 50's (all other factors aside) because I think that's a good age for a combination of flexible thinking and wisdom. :shrug:

[Breeze54]

2. It's not his age; it's his policies. n/t

[Vickers]

4. I didn't mention his age...I mentioned the age of his kids.

Hope this helps.

:thumbsup:

[Breeze54]

16. "Pretty wild, huh?".... His age is well known and it's implied in your OP.

I've known many octogenarian's that were sharp as tacks. He just doesn't seem to be one of them.
And no, I don't think it's "pretty wild". Five out seven of my fathers children were old enough to be
president when he was 76, except myself and my younger brother and I was only 3 years away from
qualifying and my brother 4 years.

[Vickers]

19. Well, he certainly isn't very sharp.

I actually started looking at this after reading about one of his kids bailing on a bank that is have some *ahem* trouble. I started looking at his kids in Google and the internets and Wiki, and it just struck me as remarkable that he had 3 kids old enough to be President...it seems like a crazy statistic (and one even Reagan can't claim).

Hey, what was the age range of your dad's kids? Because believe it or not, McCain has a kid born in 1991...that's a 42 year difference in ages.

Of course his oldest kids are from his 1st wife's previous marriage...you remember, the one he dumped?

Hey, that's another thing he'd have in common with Ronnie...we'd have our second divorced President!

:patriot:

In other words, this is NOT about McCain's age, in spite of how folks want to interpret it.

:hi:

[Breeze54]

28. My brothers and sisters are

63, 62, 61, 58, 56, 53 & 51

Many people back in the 30's and 40's married late in life due to the Depression and WWII.
So, they had children later on in life. My father was 44 years old when I was born and I'm
second to the youngest.

[redqueen]

5. Dang...

yeah... that's pretty wild.

[tuckessee]

8. What are you saying?

Obama's too young & inexperienced to be POTUS?

[Vickers]

9. I'm saying that McCain has 3 children of a legal age to be President.

Hope this helps.

:thumbsup:

[AZ Criminal JD]

12. It doesn't help

You are raising age as a divisive issue. Should we reject older voters?

[Vickers]

13. The age of his children is divisive?

:shrug:

"Should we reject older voters?"

Only if they are Republicans!

(j/k)

[treestar]

14. McThuseleh is well past retirement age

And old enough to be Obama's father, obviously. He would also be the oldest person ever to be sworn in as President (if he had a chance of winning).

There are people who could be effective at 72, but as POTUS? That's not exactly a slide. And if there is anyone who could handle it, it's not McSame.

[redqueen]

15. But we shouldn't talk about it!

Or we are bad liberals! :P

[Breeze54]

18. Ted Kennedy will be 77 next year. his Date of Birth is February 22, 1932

Should we make that a talking point?

[Vickers]

20. We should demand that Kennedy abandon his White House run!

:crazy:

[Breeze54]

23. I think he'd make an awesome president at age 77 !!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[treestar]

21. He's not running for President

There are Supreme Court Justices who get up there and stay in the job, and a Senator could be up there, still past retirment age but with the Supreme Court you know they are staying to keep from creating another vacancy for * to fill with some right wing nut like Scalia.

But look at Reagan; it's not a party thing. McThuseleh isn't disqualified by age alone, but he isn't a person who is on top of his game at his current age.

[Breeze54]

25. I agree and said so upthread.

It's not his age that's the issue with McLame, it's his policies and his apparent
lack of knowledge about geography and economics, among other things.

[redqueen]

26. Similar thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3689482

[LeftishBrit]

32. Well, I hope they don't!

The Bush dynasty is enough.

[Vickers]

33. Ha! Best reply yet.

:thumbsup:

[dsotm-wywh]

34. Yeah, but how old is his...

mistress? You know he's probably got one. It's about time for him to upgrade to a younger model.