Experts Expound: The age issue

Age played a major role in Joe Biden stepping away from another campaign, but he is just one of many state and federal elected officials of advanced age, including Republican nominee Donald Trump. So the question for our expert panel is this:

Should there be an age limit for elected officials?

“We should not have an age limit for elected officials.  It is a case by case situation the voters can decide.”

“There already is an age limit. It’s called a ballot. Think someone is too old to serve? Don’t vote for them. And don’t listen to 80 year old Mick Jagger either then.”

“Geez, if we did that, there would be an effort to extend it to lobbyists. Of course, we all know some lobbyists who should have been put out to pasture at 40. Seriously, we all age differently. Most people know when it is time to leave.”

“No. Leave it to the voters. Frankly, I have more faith in the cognitive abilities of most elder electeds than I do in some of their coked-up younger colleagues.”

“I don’t care how old they as long as they don’t act like they are 2 years old.”

“I believe there should be an age limit for running for president, who among all elected officials is a singular figure who is at the top of the governmental hierarchy. We witnessed Reagan experiencing the obvious effects of Alzheimer’s in his second term, and now Biden’s readily apparent cognitive decline even in his first term. I’m not sure what the age limit should be, but Catholic bishops — who have a hell of a lot less authority than a president — must submit their resignations when they turn 75. Perhaps that should be the age limit for running for president, too. If there is a minimum age for running for president in the Constitution, there’s no reason there can’t be a maximum age as well.”

“We age-gate for qualifications to run for congress (25) US Senate (30) and President (35).  There is a strong argument that we should be age-gating at the other end too.  We see age gating requiring retirement at 65 for some military, pilots, and some CEOs (GE, Exxon, Altria, Intel). I don’t know what should be the age limit, but it does seem like there would be a benefit to having some point at which we say “thank you for your service” and let these folks enjoy their retirement.”

“As someone already noted, people age differently, and we have two examples from California of how that plays out. Jerry Brown was still a viable governor at 80, but Diane Feinstein was dysfunctional for most of her final term. Joe Biden is fast approaching dysfunction. Rules such as this can’t be tailored to an individual candidate; they must be generalized. In that context, there should be a cap for a presidential candidacy — probably 75, perhaps even 70.”

“I would set an end bracket for Governor and president candidate at 70.”

“Chronological age is not a perfect barometer of biological age. Super agers are running corporations and marathons into their 80s while early onset dementia takes its toll on performance well before the age of 65. Many professions require mandatory retirement at ages ranging from 57 to 70. It would make sense to establish upper age limits for all elected positions and judicial appointments.”

“Why isn’t anyone comparing this to the age of most US Senators?”

“To pick an age is arbitrary. Make the salaries, benefits and privileges of elected office less appealing and you won’t have career politicians.”

“I think there should be a felony limit.”

“Hey, hey that’s crazy talk! I’ll turn 70 next year and I could totally run this country, especially now that the bar is so low.”

“Political parties should seriously consider age when selecting presidential candidates, even without an “official” age limit in place. The intense demands of the presidency require peak physical and cognitive stamina—attributes that naturally decline with age. Both Democrats and Republicans should prioritize candidates who can endure the rigors of office and connect with younger generations. Ignoring these realities risks not only ineffective leadership but also alienation of voters seeking dynamic, equitable and forward-thinking representation. Prioritizing vitality and contemporary relevance in their candidates is crucial for the future success and credibility of any major political party. WILL Democrats and Republicans undertake this task, which would require them to engage in introspection, progressive thinking, and consideration of voter frustrations at a level that typically proves elusive? Unfortunately that seems to me about as likely as an official change to the requirements.”

“We need fewer constraints, not more. (Arnold would have saved the GOP, and US democracy in general, from today’s craziness but he was born outside the US…so here we are). Let everyone run, and let the voters decide. Because, America.”

“I think it is the right of voters to weed out by age and other criteria who they believe should be elected.  While I wish more elected officials would know when it is time to get off the stage, setting an age limit would be extremely difficult if not impossible to do.”

Our panel of experts: Elizabeth Ashford, Hector Barajas, A.G. Block, Barry Brokaw, Samantha Corbin, Jon Costantino, Richard Costigan, Tim Foster, Rex Frazier, John Howard, Fiona Hutton, Gale Kaufman, Steven Maviglio, Mike MeCey, Paul Mitchell, Barbara O’Connor, Jack Ohman, Kassy Perry, Matt Rexroad, Garry South, Paula Treat, Micah Weinberg, Bill Wong, Daniel Zingale