# There should be an age limit on the Presidency. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 4, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698 "2019-09-04T18:03:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/41 "2019-09-05T22:49:05Z")
Yet another vote for: You can’t set a specific number, because “too old” happens at such different ages for different people. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/42 "2019-09-05T22:51:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Yet another vote for: You can’t set a specific number, because “too old” happens at such different ages for different people. But think of how _fun_ it would be to say that you can’t run for public office after the age of 45! The effects on the political parties would be amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/43 "2019-09-06T00:56:50Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > But think of how _fun_ it would be to say that you can’t run for public office after the age of 45! Don’t trust anyone over 30. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/44 "2019-09-06T14:16:19Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > What is up with Americans and their politicians? > Do they think people get smarter as they age? (Have they met their grandparents?) I think a lot of it is that there’s a sort of age-pyramid going on. You can get elected to lower level positions like city council, state legislator, etc… in your mid-late 30s. Then from there, you step up to state senator/Federal rep/mayor now that you have experience, and then after some amount of time in that position, you’re now considered experienced enough to run for Governor / Senator / VP. Then after you’ve done that, you’re generally considered experienced enough for President. Few people make it that high without being in their fifties at least, most are a little bit older. You do get politicians who skip steps- Bill Clinton, for example, went from State Rep, to State Atty. General to Governor of Arkansas by the time he was 31, and stayed Governor for another 10 years, and then got elected President at 46, making him one of the youngest in recent decades. Barack Obama was similar- he went straight to the Illinois Senate to the Federal Senate, and then to the Presidency by the time he was 47. They are unusual though. And a lot of voters like the idea of politicians who were successful in their own right prior to being a politician, so you can add in a decade or so there for people to run their own businesses, etc… prior to becoming a politician. TL;DR- it’s not so much a love of older people, it’s a perception that someone who’s say… 45 rarely has enough experience in weighty enough positions to qualify to be President. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/45 "2019-09-06T16:16:49Z")
> [@bump](#): > > TL;DR- it’s not so much a love of older people, it’s a perception that someone who’s say… 45 rarely has enough experience in weighty enough positions to qualify to be President. There were huge, or at least very loud, criticisms of Kennedy, Clinton, and Obama for their perceived lack of experience. They were three of the five youngest to be elected. Eisenhower, Reagan, and Bush 2 were three of the six oldest before Trump and while some grumbling accompanied Reagan, their ages were not issues. Some people did have doubts by the end when Eisenhower had a series of strokes and heart attacks and other medical issues and Reagan was clearly in the first stages of dementia. Even so, they had about a 105% chance of their being elected to a third term if that were possible. > [@The\_Librarian](#): > > What is up with Americans and their politicians? > Do they think people get smarter as they age? (Have they met their grandparents?) No, I never met my grandparents. The last one died when I was seven months old. I’m going off to my safe space, put on an ASMR video, and hug a pillow. Meanie. Will no one comfort the grandparentless? ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/46 "2019-09-06T23:59:47Z")
> [@BeagleJesus](#): > > I think there is a huge problem in American politics where the older generation(s) simply refuse to let go of the reins and allow the younger generations to take the country in a direction they would like to see. In my limited experience, the older you get the more likely you will be satisfied with treading water and working hard to maintain the status quo and I am sick and tired of having to wait for the old guard to die before we can get some fresh blood into the political machine. > > I would drop the minimum age requirement to 21 and I would cap the max age at 55 for ALL elected positions as well as SCOTUS. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in the same position in 2019 as Joe Biden was in 1973. Both elected to Congress at the age of 29. Unless she decides to run for president immediately once she turns of age (and wins) I suspect you’d want her to have as long a career as he has because if she does then she’ll have accomplished an agenda you want. ---
**Author:** ![bionic\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@bionic\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bionic_man)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/47 "2019-09-07T04:31:07Z")
Don’t we have 90 year old judges on the supreme Court. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/48 "2019-09-08T02:25:27Z")
> [@bionic\_man](#): > > Don’t we have 90 year old judges on the supreme Court. No Glad to see reading is not a lost art. 🆒 > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > … > More than HALF the justices on the Supreme Court are over age 65 (Sonia Sotomayor is 65, Samuel Alito 69, Clarence Thomas 71, Stephen Breyer 81, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 86. The Pope is 83 and Queen freakin’ Elizabeth is 93. ---
**Author:** ![sps49sd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sps49sd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sps49sd)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/49 "2019-09-08T04:20:40Z")
Age discrimination is a thing. But not in this thread. > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Can we stop trying to end every debate about election rules with “You would need an amendment!” Apparently, some posters need to be reminded. ---
**Author:** ![kirkrapine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@kirkrapine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirkrapine)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/50 "2019-09-08T05:37:59Z")
There should be an age limit of 70 for **all** federal officials – executive, legislative and judicial. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/51 "2019-09-08T14:10:09Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Can we stop trying to end every debate about election rules with “You would need an amendment!” Why would we, when most of the proposed changes do, in fact, require an amendment? ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/52 "2019-09-08T14:13:30Z")
> [@Osano](#): > > Why? We already had a Regan who was known to have Dementia very early on and he is hailed and one of the best Presidents of the modern era. I would be very interested in cites that Reagan was “known” to have dementia “very early on.” Meanwhile, back in the real world, there were some suspicions that he had dementia late in his second term. ---
**Author:** ![kirkrapine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@kirkrapine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirkrapine)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/53 "2019-09-08T17:34:55Z")
> [@Osano](#): > > Why? We already had a Regan who was known to have Dementia very early on and he is hailed and one of the best Presidents of the modern era. “Hailed as” != “was.” [_Tear Down This Myth._](https://www.amazon.com/Tear-Down-This-Myth-Distorted-ebook/dp/B001QIGZHC/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=tear+down+this+myth&qid=1567964067&s=gateway&sr=8-2) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/54 "2019-09-08T20:03:11Z")
I’m opposed to any restrictions on being president. If you’re a 20 year old Canadian-born convicted felon and you can get enough votes, power to you. I do support maximum age restrictions on SCOTUS positions since they are unelected. ---
**Author:** ![Barack\_Obama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/55 "2019-09-09T00:22:21Z")
Then there should also be a maximum age limit on voting. ---
**Author:** ![BeagleJesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5daacb/32.png) [@BeagleJesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeagleJesus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/56 "2019-09-09T13:49:55Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in the same position in 2019 as Joe Biden was in 1973. Both elected to Congress at the age of 29. Unless she decides to run for president immediately once she turns of age (and wins) I suspect you’d want her to have as long a career as he has because if she does then she’ll have accomplished an agenda you want. I am an AOC fan. I like where she chooses to focus her attention and I love the energy and passion she brings to the table. That being said, if/when the time comes where she cannot or will not bring the energy and passion or her agenda changes from “_how can we move forward_” to “_how can we maintain the status quo_” I would hope that she is self aware enough to realize it’s time to walk away and hand the reins off to someone younger, more energetic and passionate with an agenda that looks toward the future. Hopefully she will be able to step aside with grace and work to help guide the next generations instead of trying to “rule” the next generations in a manner that is all to common these days. I’m in my mid-forties now and I have often found myself apathetic to the voting process as it has often felt like a choice between a hodgepodge of old people who are more interested in forcing others to live by their rules and don’t give a shit about anything the younger generation(s) care about. If we want more young people to actively and enthusiastically participate in the democratic process we need to give them the space and opportunity to get involved and create their own agenda. And the only way to create the necessary space is to force the older generation to walk away. I know this is probably coming off as ageism and I do apologize for that. But in my opinion, after you reach a certain age you need to face the uncomfortable fact that the future does not belong to you and you shouldn’t be the one to decide how we get there. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/57 "2019-09-09T14:26:16Z")
> [@Barack\_Obama](#): > > Then there should also be a maximum age limit on voting. Why? Surly you don’t think that voting for someone is equivalent to actually holding a high stress elected position…do you??? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/58 "2019-09-09T14:27:41Z")
> [@BeagleJesus](#): > > I’m in my mid-forties now and I have often found myself apathetic to the voting process as it has often felt like a choice between a hodgepodge of old people who are more interested in forcing others to live by their rules and don’t give a shit about anything the younger generation(s) care about. I used to think it was a generational gap that was the problem, but the older I get, the more I’m thinking that the real problem is that politicians’ first duty (as they perceive it) is to get re-elected and/or enrich themselves, or recently with the Tea Partiers, loyalty to a specific ideology. So you get elected officials whose goals often run counter to what’s best for their constitutents, either because they’re busy doing what’s best for themselves, or they’re busy adhering to some sort of ideological concept without regard for the real world. I tend to think that’s a bigger deal overall than whether or not there’s a lot of concern among middle-aged and older politicians about student loan debt among millenials. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/59 "2019-09-09T18:07:12Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Why? Surly you don’t think that voting for someone is equivalent to actually holding a high stress elected position…do you??? 😕 Bigotry is Bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698/60 "2019-09-09T21:35:04Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Why would we, when most of the proposed changes do, in fact, require an amendment? Because when the response to the question “would this be a good idea if we could somehow enact this into law” is “it’s not currently the law”, then that’s threadshitting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-an-age-limit-on-the-presidency/839698.md?page=4)