Should the age restriction on the Presidency be eliminated or modified?

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Isn't it ageist discrimination? It's an outdated stipulation for potential candidates..the old excuse that they "don't have enough experience until they are 35" is arbitrary and non-sense. What if someone younger does have the experience? It was put into place well before discrimination laws were put into place and I don't see how or why this should still be a restriction on candidacy. The excuse that one doesn't have enough experience is used anyway against all candidates...shouldn't that be up to the voters to decide? I would think that a challenge to this may get overturned in the Supreme Court...and perhaps also the rule that you must be born in America to run. If you are an American citizen, then so what? Every candidate is going to be vetted and all the dirty laundry will be aired regardless so I really don't see why it is needed nor legal to have these laws in place.

I want to hear Higher Learning's thoughts on this. Certainly, I'd expect the major parties and candidates would smear a younger candidate to high heavens but I don't see why they shouldn't be given the chance to run, both on merits and because I don't find such laws to even be legal if challenged in court.

 

[DEAD7]

Lowered maybe, but eliminated... nah.

 

[Truth200]

End up like a Monarchy getting ruled by a 5 year old brehs....

 

[tmonster]

Isn't it ageist discrimination? It's an outdated stipulation for potential candidates..the old excuse that they "don't have enough experience until they are 35" is arbitrary and non-sense. What if someone younger does have the experience? It was put into place well before discrimination laws were put into place and I don't see how or why this should still be a restriction on candidacy. The excuse that one doesn't have enough experience is used anyway against all candidates...shouldn't that be up to the voters to decide? I would think that a challenge to this may get overturned in the Supreme Court...and perhaps also the rule that you must be born in America to run. If you are an American citizen, then so what? Every candidate is going to be vetted and all the dirty laundry will be aired regardless so I really don't see why it is needed nor legal to have these laws in place.

I want to hear Higher Learning's thoughts on this. Certainly, I'd expect the major parties and candidates would smear a younger candidate to high heavens but I don't see why they shouldn't be given the chance to run, both on merits and because I don't find such laws to even be legal if challenged in court.

your brain is not fully formed until you are at least 25 years, I think 10 winters worth of thinking with a fully grown brain is not to much to ask as a criteria for running a country

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

End up like a Monarchy getting ruled by a 5 year old brehs....

your brain is not fully formed until you are at least 25 years, I think 10 winters worth of thinking with a fully grown brain is not to much to ask as a criteria for running a country

ok. so don't vote for them. do i think a 25 year old would get elected? no. but why should they not have the ability to run? theres a lot of science about senior citizens and mental/physical deficiencies..should they not be allowed to run either?

 

[88m3]

End up like a Monarchy getting ruled by a 85 year old brehs....

 

[Truth200]

ok. so don't vote for them. do i think a 25 year old would get elected? no. but why should they not have the ability to run? theres a lot of science about senior citizens and mental/physical deficiencies..should they not be allowed to run either?

Do you think age 35-55 would be appropriate?

 

[tmonster]

ok. so don't vote for them. do i think a 25 year old would get elected? no. but why should they not have the ability to run? theres a lot of science about senior citizens and mental/physical deficiencies..should they not be allowed to run either?

wow man I never thought of it that way, if only there was some vetting process to prevent senile octogenarians from controlling office of the POTUS. maybe they could hld forums where they are questioned publicly, or maybe even an assistant president who could take over if that ever happened to a sitting president or something like that

you have good ideas
you should pitch them to your local official, maybe it will go up the ladder to SCOTUS, good luck

 

[Truth200]

Obama became President in his 40's and i think that is an appropriate age range.

Face it even white people didn't wan't a John McCain in his 70's and that's why Obama won.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

wow man I never thought of it that way, if only there was some vetting process to prevent senile octogenarians from controlling office of the POTUS. maybe they could hld forums where they are questioned publicly, or maybe even an assistant president who could take over if that ever happened to a sitting president or something like that

you have good ideas
you should pitch them to your local official, maybe it will go up the ladder to SCOTUS, good luck

the point is everything you said to discredit younger people can be applied with similar information on older folks as well.

i dont think id support a candidate younger than 30 necessarily but what im saying is i dont know why they should be excluded by law. how did that vetting process go with "i dont know how many houses i own" mccain? how many 80 year olds run? youre exaggerating.

the same vetting process would be used to determine if a younger candidate was worthy or not.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

why are you guys talking about monarchies and 5 year olds? did i say anything about term limits? do i think a 5 year old should be able to run, would win a nomination or win a presidency?

 

[Truth200]

the point is everything you said to discredit younger people can be applied with similar information on older folks as well..

Not life experience in regards to understanding the world.

 

[tmonster]

the point is everything you said to discredit younger people can be applied with similar information on older folks as well.

the brains of older people are not fully formed?

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Do you think age 35-55 would be appropriate?

i think the best candidates are appropriate. age shouldnt be a factor as much as credentials, policy and ability to hold office in reasonably good mental and physical health. if there happens to be a person who is 30-34 etc who would have a decent shot of winning a nomination and is considered to have potential to be a good president should he/she be elected then they should be able to run. same goes for those over 55.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Not life experience in regards to understanding the world.

you are missing the point. im talking in terms of law. why shouldnt they be able to run? people could just not vote for them or the major parties could simply not support or endorse them.

does sarah palin have a good understanding of the world? she was a VP candidate and may run in the future. most people think shes not a good candidate and doesnt understand the world so she will not, in all likelihood, get a nomination for Prez or win the presidency. Are you telling me its impossible for someone who is 30-34 to not have a better understanding of the world or be a better president than Sarah Palin? All types of crazies run for president all the time. They generally dont get any significant votes.