It's been mentioned over and over. There was a whole thread about it within the last 24 hours -- http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025828709.
William769 started the thread because of hearing the age issue raised about female candidates, but if I cared enough to search, I could find posts expressing concerns about Sanders's age.
One general fact is that the Democratic field in 2016, as best we can predict it now, skews markedly older than our field in 2008. Here's a comparison, 2008 candidates versus the notable 2016 prospects, each with the age at the next Inauguration Day:
Democratic field from 2008, with ages as of January 20, 2009
Mike Gravel, 78 years old
Joe Biden, 66 years old
Chris Dodd, 64 years old
Dennis Kucinich, 62 years old
Hillary Clinton, 61 years old
Bill Richardson, 61 years old
John Edwards, 55 years old
Barack Obama, 47 years old
Some possible Democratic nominees, with ages as of January 20, 2017
Jerry Brown, 78 years old
Bernie Sanders, 75 years old
Joe Biden, 74 years old
John Kerry, 73 years old
Hillary Clinton, 69 years old
Howard Dean, 68 years old
Elizabeth Warren, 67 years old
Sherrod Brown, 64 years old
Brian Schweitzer, 61 years old
Sheldon Whitehouse, 61 years old
Andrew Cuomo, 59 years old
Martin O’Malley, 54 years old
I agree that Hillary Clinton will face some opposition from people who think she's too old. (Some of those raising this criticism will be hypocritical Republicans who, in 2008, supported the then-72-year-old John McCain.) It's not limited to her, though. Jerry Brown has overseen a phenomenal turnaround of the nation's largest state. If he were 20 years younger he'd certainly be getting mentions. Joe Biden would also be considered more likely to run, and more likely to win, if he were younger.
The open question is how the electorate will treat this point. Our culture does extol youth and, compared with other cultures, downgrades age and experience. On the other hand, improvements in medicine mean that people can stay healthy and active longer. Most voters probably know people in the 65+ bracket who are still quite healthy and sharp. A sexagenarian or septuagenarian candidate who appears knowledgeable and in command, especially in televised debates, would greatly limit any damage from the age issue.
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