Posted on 04/10/2019 4:10:23 AM PDT by Kaslin
Whatever their differences, the two front-runners in the Democratic presidential race, Joe Biden, born Nov. 20, 1942, and Bernie Sanders, born Sept. 8, 1941, share one common trait: They are too old to be president.
Biden, leading the RealClearPolitics average of polls, will be 78 years old on Inauguration Day 2021. Sanders, No. 2 in the field, will be 79. Both would be older upon taking office than Ronald Reagan was when he left office after two terms.
Voters are clearly open to older candidates. President Trump, born June 14, 1946, is the oldest president ever to take office -- 70 years old on his Inauguration Day, a few months older than Reagan when he took power. And, of course, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, born Oct. 26, 1947, who, had she won, would have been the same age as Reagan -- 69 -- upon taking office.
Americans elect a president with the understanding that he or she might serve eight years. If that were the case with a President Sanders, he would be 87 years old on leaving office, and a President Biden would be 86.
There's no doubt both are vigorous men. But having a president pushing 90 would be a new experience in American politics.
According to actuarial tables maintained by the Social Security Administration, the life expectancy of a 70-year-old man is 14.30 years -- enough time to serve two terms and move on to physical decline. The life expectancy of a 78-year-old man is 9.33 years -- enough to last two terms and not a lot more. The life expectancy of a 79-year-old man is 8.77 years -- barely enough to make it out of the White House.
Of course, each man might live to 100. None of us knows. But given their age, the issue is more than just whether each candidate might be a voice from the past, or out of touch with today's concerns. The issue is whether they are simply too old to handle the rigors of the presidency.
The Republican candidate, President Trump, will be 74 years old on the next Inauguration Day. What is unknown is whether Democrats will choose a candidate who is even older, or whether they will give voters a generational choice. First, though, the Democratic Party has to go through a generational reckoning of its own.
The party has a host of candidates who are of prime age for the presidency. In third place in the RealClearPolitics average is Kamala Harris, born Oct. 20, 1964, who will be 56 on Inauguration Day. Next is Beto O'Rourke, born Sept. 26, 1972, who will be 48 (just a bit older than Barack Obama was when he took office).
Next is the candidate who would be the oldest in the Democratic race were it not for Sanders and Biden. Elizabeth Warren, born June 22, 1949, will be 71 on Inauguration Day -- older than Trump was when he took the oath of office. But given the experience of Reagan and Trump, and the candidacy of Clinton, Warren appears within the accepted range of presidential age.
Continuing down the Democratic field, there is Cory Booker, born April 27, 1969, who will be 51 on Inauguration Day. Then Pete Buttigieg, born Jan. 19, 1982, who will turn 39 the day before the inauguration and is the subject of endless profiles noting that he would be the first millennial president. Then Amy Klobuchar, born May 25, 1960, who will be 60 on Inauguration Day. After that, all the lower-ranking candidates are in the same prime age.
All are in the zone. And all stand apart from Sanders and Biden.
The former vice president has taken a lot of heat for things he said and positions he held 30 and 40 years ago. He's also in the middle of a #MeToo mess over his too-familiar way of touching people. Sanders, too -- the man who honeymooned in the Soviet Union -- can seem the product of an earlier era.
But there is a much simpler point to be made about Biden and Sanders. They are too old to occupy the nation's highest office -- not because they are out of touch or because their records are out of line with today's sensibilities, but because they are just too old.
For those who respond, "Well, what about Trump?" remember: If the president serves two terms, he will leave the White House at 78, the oldest ever in office. But that is the age that Biden would begin his presidency. And Sanders is a year older.
Will Democrats realize that and nominate a candidate who draws a clear generational contrast with President Trump? In another age, Biden or Sanders might have been a plausible nominee (although both have tried and failed). But not now.
This is obvious. I’ve been saying the same thing since 2016.
Two old white men, whom Oprah said need to just die, are leading the primaries.
Kind of ironic after all the screaming about old white men from the left
Could be part of Hillary’s plan. The ticket could be Biden/Clinton. She could never win against Trump but could succeed Biden easily, not much campaigning being at the bottom of the ticket which she would like.
I think that at least having half of the ticket younger is important if one has any sense of mortality. If an older person is best at the top of the ticket, then put them there, but part of demonstrating that they are best is giving you a reasonably reliable sense of what will happen if they cease to be best during their term. In that situation it is more important that one be sure of the VP in a number of ways, including vitality.
Biden/Clinton-—you can Depends on them.
LOL! Hillary still feels she was robbed and it was her turn. Question is who is calling the shots, if all the younger lefties flame out, she will look like a moderate choice.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, I did that one way back in 2010.
“Face It: Biden And Bernie Are Too Old To Be President”
Fixed it
Face It: Biden And Bernie Are Too Stupid To Be President
Fixed Better:
“Face It: Biden And Bernie Are Too Too Stupid and too liberal To Be President”
Fixed Ultimate:
Face It: Biden And Bernie Should have never been President - at any age.
Stupid, liberal, anti-American jerkisms are not related to age. Zero was much younger and just as bad for the country.
Voters are clearly open to older candidates.
Bullshit !
After waiting through The Obama years she can now point to BIden and say I’m with him.
> if all the younger lefties flame out, she [Hillary] will look like a moderate choice <
As would Mitchelle Obama.
Byron York, handicapping the Dhimmicrat field because he’s been a never-Trumper since 1972.
Are you suggesting Mayor Buttplug might become president through the back door?
Al Gore Junior is probably waiting in the wings for all of them to knock each other out.
He could even trot Tipper Gore back out onstage.
They are still married and she hasn’t died off.
But he’s Delaware’s kind of “jerk”.
“Two old white men, whom Oprah said need to just die, are leading the primaries.”
My theory for these two old goats running is by winning the POTUS they will have the best medial resources around them 24/7. And, thereby remain alive awhile longer than they otherwise might. Neither are going to become president. But, it’s to our (GOP) advantage for them to stay in the race for as long as possible. So, run run Bernie and Joe, lol!
Age is not the reason that neither should get elected even as dog-catcher. Shees!
Most of Congress Critters are too old to be there and tons are too stupid to be there
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