How Old Should a President Be? With So Many Choices, Democrats Are Sharply Divided

[uawchild]

HAMPTON, N.H. — As a young adult, Ronnie Werner protested the war in Vietnam, fought for civil rights and supported a 42-year-old Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy, in her first election in 1968. Forty years later, her home served as the local headquarters for then-Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, as she urged her fellow Democrats to embrace new leadership.

That was then. Now, as Democrats grapple with the possibility that President Trump could win four more years in the White House, Ms. Werner feels that betting on the next generation is a risk she can’t afford to take.

“We’re in such terrible straits that everything I’ve worked for my entire professional, personal life is about to go down the toilet,” said Ms. Werner, 72, as she waited to see former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at a pizza parlor in Hampton, N.H. “Young people, I think they are hungry for change and they deserve change, but they don’t know how scary this is.”
...
Meanwhile, younger candidates have made their age a central part of their primary message, arguing they’re better prepared to embrace the new solutions needed to tackle issues like climate change, health care and the changing economy. A survey released by the Pew Research Center this month found that just 3 percent of Americans say candidates in their 70s are ideal for the office.

“The world has changed so rapidly and we need what comes with a generational shift — new ideas, new approaches, new ways of doing things,” said Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, 45, who describes his age as one of his strongest assets.


Mr. Buttigieg has made “intergenerational justice” the central theme of his candidacy, often saying he worries about what the United States will be like in 2054 — the year he will be Mr. Trump’s current age.

In an interview, Mr. Buttigieg said he references that year to try to encourage Democrats to look beyond defeating the president.

“What’s helpful, I think, with the generational energy that a young candidate can bring, is being able to put a very quick face on the urgency of dealing with things for the future,” he said. “When we’re trying to design that world, substantively, it points you to a place that’s more favorable turf for Democrats.”

Historically, Democratic nominees and presidents have been younger than their Republican counterparts. The two Democratic nominees who have won the White House since 1992 — Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama — cast themselves as agents of generational change.


https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/09/us/politics/2020-democractic-candidates-ages.html

This is a detailed and balanced article on the age issue. It's an honest depiction of the difficult choices facing all Democrats this primary season.

Well worth the read.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I think the question should be re-tooled as "How experienced should a President be?"

[uawchild]

3. An interesting tidbit from the article

The age difference between the youngest candidate (Pete Buttigieg at 37) and the oldest (Bernie Sanders at 77) is forty years.

The largest such age span in US political history.

[emmaverybo]

6. Wise meme! And really should be a question. nt

[Kurt V.]

2. I'm not looking for generational change. I'm looking for change that will last generations.

[PoliticAverse]

4. At least 35 years old (at the time they take office). n/t

[George II]

5. A president should be as old as the one who gets the nomination and the most votes in November*

*barring Electoral College shenanigans.

[emmaverybo]

7. terrific response.

[frazzled]

8. Old enough to know better

[Initech]

9. I don't care.

I don't care how old someone is, I don't care what nationality or gender they are. I just want someone who is the best to represent our country and guide it out of this incredibly dark turn that we've take. And I want whoever is going to be the right person to do that.