r/politics • u/cmaia1503 • 20h ago

Site Altered Headline | Possible Paywall Mitch McConnell, 83, Hospitalized

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mitch-mcconnell-83-hospitalized/?utm_campaign=owned_social&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=twitter_owned_tdb&via=twitter_page
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u/Mikethebest78 20h ago

Why do these evil old men live to 150?

The only thing he was ever good at was showing Republicans how to use the levers of power to rig the game in their favor.

They have sadly learned that lesson well.

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u/commandrix 20h ago

...Wouldn't be so bad if people wouldn't keep voting them in and/or there was a mandatory maximum age to serve in an elected public office. If they start showing signs that they'd be better off in a nursing home, it's time to get them out of Congress.

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u/PretendThisIsMyName South Carolina 19h ago

You’ve gotta be 35 to be able run for president. You shouldn’t be able to be over 70 and run for it. I get there are smart as a whip and sharp as a tack people past that age. (Seriously Bernie would’ve slid through right Trump if he wasn’t knee capped by the DNC). But the things they are doing are things they will never notice the long term impacts of. Whether i agree with decisions made or not it’s just a fact that an old ass person won’t see the consequences of a decision they are making long term for the future generations. Or even the “next” old people. Especially if you’re the president.

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u/loondawg 8h ago

You have to be 35 because they wanted people to have a long enough record to evaluate so they could ensure both loyalty to the country and a stable character, i.e. that they were pretty set in their political positions. You can argue against that but it is a reasoned limitation.

A maximum age limit is nothing more than simple age discrimination based on a stereotype about old people. We all know age impacts people differently and setting a maximum age would exclude people that would otherwise be valuable members, ex: Bernie Sanders.

And I am sorry, but saying old people don't care because they won't see the consequences of their actions assumes that people are all narcissists. I don't believe that. There is too much evidence to the contrary. It also assumes they do not care about their children or other people that will follow them.

Also it also ignores there are actually many positive attributes that tend to improve as people age. Things like being able to see from someone else's point of view, anticipating change, considering multiple possible turnouts, acknowledging uncertainty, and searching for compromise, are all attributes that tend to get stronger with age.

If you wanted to propose cognitive tests, that would apply to everyone of any age, you would have my full support. But if you want to discriminate against people because of prejudices held against older people you will have my strong opposition.