# What "old news" candidate would you like to see again? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 21, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530 "2015-01-21T23:18:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/21 "2015-01-22T01:40:22Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think age should be a non-issue unless a candidate is showing that his age is a problem (snip) Harry Truman? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/22 "2015-01-22T13:31:24Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I’ll put in the first four names, two Democrats and two Republicans: > > Democrats: Tom Vilsack- was a good governor who was actually the first candidate to jump into the 2008 race and promptly went nowhere. He was also considered a possible VP contender if Clinton won the nomination. ALthough he certainly won’t be President in 2016, I do think Clinton should keep him on her short list should she win the nomination. > > Bill Richardson- probably the most qualified man to be President in the country. Two term governor, Secretary of Energy, UN representative. He was overshadowed by the big three in 2008: Obama, Clinton, Edwards, but with Clinton the only big name in the race, I believe Richardson would be able to rise above the other candidates to be Clinton’s main competitor if he got into the race. Hopefully he’ll receive consideration as VP as well. > > Republicans: Tommy Thompson- absolutely negative charisma, he’s anti-charismatic, actually a little creepy looking, but he’s got experience and accomplishments. > > John Kasich- all right, he’s a fairly well known name and likely to run, but he did have a failed bid for President in 2000 I believe. > > Since Kasich is already taken seriously as a contender for the nomination, I’ll throw in Tim Pawlenty. And John Huntsman while I’m at it, even though he seems to have burned his bridges with the Republican base. No fair channeling David Broder! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/23 "2015-01-22T13:38:08Z")
No love yet for Howard Dean? A genuine liberal, smart and articulate. What’s not to love? I like Bill Richardson, but I have heard that he has zipper issues. No need to take a chance on bimbo eruptions during a campaign. How about Fred Thompson? He could get the US to take out a reverse mortgage and pay our bills that way. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/24 "2015-01-22T13:44:38Z")
I’ll add my name to the Al Gore group. I can’t believe he’s only 66 - that means he was a mere 44 when he became Veep. Here’s my take on the age issue for Presidential candidates: as long as they look like they’re in good shape now, I wouldn’t worry about it unless they’d be \>80 by the end of their second\* term. After 80, not only does dementia get to be a more frequent problem, but health starts being a crapshoot in lots of other ways. \*Why second term? Because on the whole, we’ve got a rather strong predisposition for re-electing Presidents. We re-elected Reagan by a huge margin in 1984, even after that imaginary drive down the Pacific Coast Highway in his first debate with Mondale should have been a big hint. (ETA:\*\*) So while we technically elect a President for four years, chances are good that we’re electing a President for eight years. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/25 "2015-01-22T13:49:43Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Gary Hart. His wounds were entirely self-inflicted, but that was one smart dude with tons of qualifications. Nazarene College, Yale Divinity School, Yale Law. Was a US Attorney and a two term Senator. He also played a key role in the early days of the electronic revolution. He understood what was going on. > > I wouldn’t mind seeing Sarah Palin run again, just for the comedy. Palin & Bachmann. Come for the laughs, stay for… more laughs. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/26 "2015-01-22T13:58:02Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Palin & Bachmann. Come for the laughs, stay for… more laughs. Ah yes, the Bachmann-Palin Underdrive. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/27 "2015-01-22T16:54:56Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Unfortunately, however . . . Jerry Brown is now 76 years old. > > That’s gonna be a problem with any “old news” candidate. People are already saying **Hillary** is too old, and she’s only 67. He may be old, but he’s spry. Why, I saw him flip kick a mugger off a pier just last weekend! ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/28 "2015-01-22T17:14:08Z")
Howard Dean ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/29 "2015-01-22T17:15:56Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think age should be a non-issue unless a candidate is showing that his age is a problem. I’m not surprised you think this, since Republicans would never win again if all young people voted. We don’t like politicians who don’t understand the internet. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/30 "2015-01-22T17:44:56Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > He may be old, but he’s spry. Why, I saw him flip kick a mugger off a pier just last weekend! Spry old Moonbeam, you know he’s doing alright… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/31 "2015-01-22T19:17:47Z")
[Bill Bradley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bradley). Smart policy wonk and I still agree with his positions on gun control reform, healthcare, campaign finance reform and income tax reform. He just picked a particularly bad time to try - he may have had more success when first approached in '88 (against Al Gore in 2000 democratic primaries and we all know how that ended anyway). Sadly at this point he’s probably also in the “too old” lane and doesn’t seem really interested in re-entering politics anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/32 "2015-01-22T21:13:29Z")
**rogerbox** , I thought it was obvious that **adaher** meant age of the candidate, not age of the electorate. There’s no reason young voters can’t vote for an old candidate, or vice-versa. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/33 "2015-01-23T00:54:59Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > I’m not surprised you think this, since Republicans would never win again if all young people voted. We don’t like politicians who don’t understand the internet. This time around the Republican is likely to be a young guy, the Democrat a senior citizen. So I guess you’re voting Republican? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/34 "2015-01-23T01:00:14Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > This time around the Republican is likely to be a young guy, the Democrat a senior citizen. So I guess you’re voting Republican? Two things… what young guy is likely? Secondly, do you really think people vote for the candidate closer to their age? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/35 "2015-01-23T01:07:03Z")
No, I do not think age is much of a factor. I think it’s an attack angle for opportunistic critics, but little more than that. As long as we’re dealing with candidates under 80 who don’t seem positively decrepit I just don’t see it as an effective issue. Bob Dole lost because he was running against a very popular incumbent. John McCain lost because he was running to succeed a very unpopular incumbent. And Ronald Reagan won. I’ve never seen the age issue actually be effective in a campaign. That’s not to say it can never be an issue, but whenever it’s been brought up it’s usually been handled adequately. And because it’s one of those issues that all older candidates can anticipate, I’m sure they figure out before running if they can assuage concerns. BTW, it looks like Jerry Brown has decided he’s not going to run: > **[Brown Says He Won't Run For President In 2016](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jerry-brown-president_n_4602940)** > > Brown Says He Won't Run For President In 2016 However, it does look like he intends to be governor of California into his 80s. Good for him and good for California. Governing CAlifornia is like governing a nation(it’s got an economy the size of France). It’s a big enough job. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/36 "2015-01-23T06:41:51Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > This time around the Republican is likely to be a young guy, the Democrat a senior citizen. So I guess you’re voting Republican? I won’t vote for Hillary Clinton no matter what, I would rather go third party. I am okay with the elderly who have informed internet policy, can you name any? I have heard it said John McCain’s wife has to print out his emails for him or some such…no one that out of touch belongs in national office, their time has passed, since they’ve had 30+ years to learn how to use a damn computer. In the information age we live in, someone who doesn’t have the basic skills for computing that are part of every day life, is unlikely to be the type to lead us into the future effectively. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/37 "2015-01-23T06:49:50Z")
Huntsman but he says no way, which is a darn shame because he’d be the perfect candidate for an independent like myself > **[Huntsman on 2016 run: No thanks](https://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/jon-huntsman-2016-111678)** > > The former Utah governor ran a short-lived presidential campaign in 2012. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/38 "2015-01-23T06:56:33Z")
Whether a candidate can use email has no bearing on their ability to be President. John McCain may not have known how to send an email but he knew enough to fly a fighter jet. I don’t think his technical ability was in doubt. I’m sure the rather ancient Clintons aren’t internet savvy either. They have people for that. Ditto for Bernie Sanders and Liz Warren. Martin O’Malley probably knows a lot, after all, he started a program to make the performance of government programs open to the public. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/39 "2015-01-23T09:28:54Z")
I don’t care whether or not a candidate can use email or even a mouse, so long as they can articulate views on subjects like SOPA, PIPA and net neutrality. Perhaps the time has finally come for [Vermin Supreme.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermin_Supreme) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530/40 "2015-01-23T09:54:25Z")
I’d bet that the only views 90% of Congressmen can state on those things without extensive preparation from their staff would be, “The industry wants this bill.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-news-candidate-would-you-like-to-see-again/710530.md?page=3)