Should presidential age be lowered?

So, I've been thinking about this lately and it seems to me that a younger president might be better suited for the job.

The youth of the country are the ones who will be most impacted and have to deal with the consequences and I think that somebody younger might be more in touch with the younger generations. Age doesn't always mean wisdom.

Now, I'm not saying some frat-boy straight out of college or high school, I'm thinking somebody in their late twenties to early thirties.

The age limit for a candidate is 35. I think it could be lowered a little bit.

Anybody else's thoughts?

[edit on 1-7-2008 by flyingwoody]

I feel that it should not be lowered. There is a lot to be said for experience and maturity. I'm 32 and marvel at the idiotic things I believed and did when I was even 5 years younger (don't even get me started on my late teens/ early twenties, lol). So imagine how I will feel when I am 40!

Being president is such a big job that is takes a person who is experienced in not just politics, but in life. Yes, I do have plenty of life experience now, but again, reflect back a bit on what you were thinking and doing when you were 24 years old. We've come along way, yes? Also, I think a lot of us calm down as we get older.

--Just my take on the ideal president.

reply to post by flyingwoody


Oh, no! If anything it should be raised. Life experience is one important factor that gets very little/no airplay.

I agree with what you said, age is not a factor in wisdom. But to a degree a lack of wisdom is a sign of not understanding the problems people face.

Surely you agree when one hasn't faced the problem they can't offer a reasonable, common sense solution.

Good points everybody, I'm just tired of having somebody in office who is so unconnected to my generation that it seems like either every problem with society is blamed on how "out of control" we are when really times have just changed, or we just can't realize how good things are. Obviously things aren't good at all.

Originally posted by flyingwoody
Good points everybody, I'm just tired of having somebody in office who is so unconnected to my generation that it seems like either every problem with society is blamed on how "out of control" we are when really times have just changed, or we just can't realize how good things are. Obviously things aren't good at all.

I understand completely. During the Bush senior/Clinton election, Bush refused to go on MTV to discuss his policies. Clinton showed up and was polite, never talked down to anyone, and even laughed with the members of my generation sitting in the audience. Clinton went on Arsenio Hall and played the saxophone in his band. I was thrilled by all of this, and truth be told, he won me over by talking to me/us. That was the first time I truly ever listened to a politician, and not just because it was the first election I could vote in.

I understand. I really do. Truly I mean no offense to anybody, but from my viewpoint, I am so very tired of older white christian men trying to pretend they know anything about me and what I go through on a day to day basis. They are disconnected in such a major way that is depressing.

The older generations aren't disconnected from your generation, after all you were raised by those generations and have benefited from their largess.

If anything, older adults are disconnected from youth culture, but that is only because adults have better things to do than keep up with every trend that comes down the pipe.

You might also remember that it is the older adults who make youth culture possible, because the older generations are where wealth and expertise reside.

I'm not knocking the young, but every person who you think is out of touch with you really understands you better than you can even imagine.

I know that this seems silly, but one day you will wake up and some little smart-alec punk will call you an old man and you will then know how connected you really are and how disconnected you were when you thought you were so connected.

Originally posted by Alora
I understand completely. During the Bush senior/Clinton election, Bush refused to go on MTV to discuss his policies. Clinton showed up and was polite, never talked down to anyone, and even laughed with the members of my generation sitting in the audience. Clinton went on Arsenio Hall and played the saxophone in his band. I was thrilled by all of this, and truth be told, he won me over by talking to me/us. That was the first time I truly ever listened to a politician, and not just because it was the first election I could vote in.

I fell for that schtick, too, but it took me only a few years to realize how horribly gulllible I was.

If nothing else, Clinton taught me a lot about the difference between substance and fluff.

Looking back, that whole hipster routine was just smoke and mirrors for what was a morally corrupt adminstration that gave our enemies the confidence to attack the US on 9/11.

Well out of curiosity, how old are you? When it comes to connecting to a generation, that's not the Presidents job, he's not supposed to be groovy with the latest pop culture or knowledgeable about new electronics.
His job is help his country, something we haven't seen in a while, sure, but it's not based on age.
Sure, ti may help if he's up to date on the new generation, but keep in mind, at one point he was up to date, and it's more important to me to have someone who knows what he's doing, who has experience in matters pertaining to a Government role or presidency, than whether I can connect to him through my generation.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The older generations aren't disconnected from your generation, after all you were raised by those generations and have benefited from their largess.

(sniped for space)

I know that this seems silly, but one day you will wake up and some little smart-alec punk will call you an old man and you will then know how connected you really are and how disconnected you were when you thought you were so connected.

Well spoken and I do agree, on most points. My parents raised me to be one particular religion ONLY (or else!), to believe that interracial relationships are wrong, that homosexuality is wrong, and that women starving themselves to be skinny is right.

I disagree on all of those things, as does my younger brother. In fact, most people my age, at least in my experience, broke away from this train of thought. We broke away from how the older generation's way of thinking on several different points. In that manner, I believe that we have yet to have a president who is in touch with my generation and what we want or how we think.

And I believe the OP is younger than I am so on that level I understand where he is coming from.

Anyway, this was not intended to be an argument against what you were saying, only a clarification, given with respect.

None of these bafoons have done a decient job to this day. My nephew could do a better job and he would work for Gerber food!

Wait, maybe that's not a good idea. He would have Gerber food sent to all the homeless shelters and third world countries.

Originally posted by RuneSpider
Well out of curiosity, how old are you? When it comes to connecting to a generation, that's not the Presidents job, he's not supposed to be groovy with the latest pop culture or knowledgeable about new electronics.
His job is help his country, something we haven't seen in a while, sure, but it's not based on age.
Sure, ti may help if he's up to date on the new generation, but keep in mind, at one point he was up to date, and it's more important to me to have someone who knows what he's doing, who has experience in matters pertaining to a Government role or presidency, than whether I can connect to him through my generation.

As I understand it, this thread isn't about trends or slang. I, for one, feel left out of many elections, and in fact, many politics. Not because the politician doesn't carry an iphone or doesn't use slang, but because it seems their focus is on an older generation and/or a different financial class.

The younger generation cares, too. We really do, but we are not cared about or cared for by politics.

This might surprise you, but I rebelled against my parents and the older generation, too.

The big surprise came when learned through sad experience how right they were about so many things.

I haven't reverted to the dogma of their day, but now both their strengths and weaknesses are much more clear to me than when I thought I knew everything.

Age is really a blessing and it's a shame you have to live so long to find that out.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
This might surprise you, but I rebelled against my parents and the older generation, too.

The big surprise came when learned through sad experience how right they were about so many things.

I haven't reverted to the dogma of their day, but now both their strengths and weaknesses are much more clear to me than when I thought I knew everything.

Age is really a blessing and it's a shame you have to live so long to find that out.

I agree that older generations have a lot of wisdom to be shared. I apologized that I didn't add that before, and I apologize if I offended. My grandfather taught me the value of hard work and, as he told me, "Any honest work is good work." My grandmother taught me the value of love and forgiveness and not hanging on to the pain of the past. Blessed wisdom indeed!

Our ideals my be different, but I think at the core we are more similar than different. I also think that we can teach one another.

No, 35 is young enough. Most people don't really mature until they are about 35-40. The teen years is where people are most immature. The twenties (college years) is when they start drinking, partying, and doing other crazy things.

If anything, there should be a max age, like 65, to prevent senile old men from taking office.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The big surprise came when learned through sad experience how right they were about so many things.

I think that happens to everybody. I figured out just how wise my dad is just a few years ago.

No way should the age be lowered, if anything it should be raised. As another poster said, I'm 32 and I can't believe some of the things I did just 10 years ago. I imagine when I'm 42, I'm going to think the same thing...hopefully not as severe as looking back at the 22 year old me though.

Alora, I agree with just about everything you're saying. You are right on what my purpose was with this thread. I am 17 so legally I can't vote yet but next year is my year and I would like to see somebody who I can feel connected with, Ron Paul had a little bit of that going for him.

Now, for everybody who says that the age should be raised I disagree with that because very rarely do we see somebody 35 yrs or around that age running/elected.

I also agree that there should be an age cap. We don't need another dinosaur in office.

If anything, they should rasie it. Think about it, when the law was made 35 was pretty 'ripe'. when 50 or 60 was old, 35 was a lot closer to old age than middle age. as it stands, 35 is the begining of middle age. Also, things are a lot more complex now, 35 years wise is not the same as it was a couple hundred years ago.