Presidential age limit amendment support?
- Thread starter seminole97
- Start date
Leave the Constitution alone. If you think someone's too old for the job, don't vote for him/her.
Can we add term limits to Congress while we're at it?
The founding fathers wrote into the Constitution a minimum age to be POTUS, so there could also be an argument made for an age maximum too.
There also wasn't a term limit for POTUS, and after FDR, one was put into place via an amendment, so its not impossible to think this could happen. Biden and Trump are making a great case for the debate.
I’m not opposed, but I have a sense the presidential limit would garner more support alone.
The average age of the 118th Congress is 58 years old, …the average age of newly-elected Congress members being 47.
The average age of senators in the 118th Congress is 64 years old, this is unchanged from the 117th Congress. There are 54 senators older than 65.
I was trying to word it such that the oldest age at which someone would serve as president was 69.
Pure coincidence.
People start their mental decline at different ages, and mental decline can be slow or rapid.
I'm ok with the age limit of 70 for any elected position in the Federal government. Meaning, they may not run after age 70, but they could finish out a term over the age of 70.
This still allows for people older than that if they have a specific expertise or connection that is useful to get something done, particularly with foreign policy.
This still allows for people older than that if they have a specific expertise or connection that is useful to get something done, particularly with foreign policy.
I was talking to my dad about this a couple of weeks ago. He (just turned 84) said "I'd rather have a 20-something as POTUS than someone my age"
I agree with him.
I agree with him.
I'd be good with that. Get rid of the likes of Grassley, Biden, Trump (it would preclude him from running again), Pelosi, etc al.
Here is my problem . . . This shouldn't need to be a law this should just be something the voters are able to hash out for themselves.
Putting in a age limit in place just helps with the symptoms, it doesn't cure the disease.
The disease is that our entire system, the way we elect people including our presidents is broken, it's messed up, it's barely democratic.
We need ranked choice voting and we need proportional representation. We need a system which encourages multiple parties because our 2 party system only encourages the parties to run bad candidates who have either been in the party forever and it's "their turn" or they just please the urges of the base.
We need to cure the disease.
Putting in a age limit in place just helps with the symptoms, it doesn't cure the disease.
The disease is that our entire system, the way we elect people including our presidents is broken, it's messed up, it's barely democratic.
We need ranked choice voting and we need proportional representation. We need a system which encourages multiple parties because our 2 party system only encourages the parties to run bad candidates who have either been in the party forever and it's "their turn" or they just please the urges of the base.
We need to cure the disease.
I should have included that the age limit would apply to Federal judicial appointments as well, even though those aren't elected positions.
Getting rid of gerrymandering and stopping private money to fund campaigns will eliminate most of your issues here. We'd still be a two party system but the elected officials would be far more moderate as they would actually need to appeal to their voters, not Mr. Moneybags and the corporations.
It would help but the primaries will still encourage that parties select people because they have hung around forever or people who will go out of their way to please the base.
There is 2 parties . . . All they have to do is convince you that they are less bad than the other party.
But I might word it as not being able to run for office if you would turn 76 in your term. A senator couldn't run after turning 68. A president after 71. A representative after 73.
The thing is, the two parties tend to swallow any of the other parties that might spring up. I'm not sure any other system outside of a Parlimentary system will change that. Parlimentary systems have their own issues so I'm not sure they are better. They are better for more than two parties, but they still essentially form a single party to form a government.
But that gets things done. We vote for gridlock and then bitch about gridlock. A parliamentary system it gives everyone in the ruling coalition a seat at the table. Sure isn't perfect but it's better than we have.
But I might word it as not being able to run for office if you would turn 76 in your term. A senator couldn't run after turning 68. A president after 71. A representative after 73.
I'm in agreement and would be happy with a year or two up or down either way, but for heaven sakes I'm for including the Supreme Court in the conversation, maybe something like 75.
They form a single voting block but if you don't have an outright majority with one party you usually have to negotiate with the other parties on the legislation in order to get their continued support.
But we don't need a parliamentary system to have multiple parties. We just have to change our system from single member district first past the post to proportional representation and allow ranked choice voting for president.
I’m good with 18 years for the SC and you’re out. Stagger them so every presidential term has two potential spots.
Well, I'm 74 and I would be happy if federal and state government had an automatic retirement age of 70. They should have grifted enough by that age.
But I might word it as not being able to run for office if you would turn 76 in your term. A senator couldn't run after turning 68. A president after 71. A representative after 73.
I'm really getting tired of the iron clad Constitution. Parsing words, looking at things that are there or not there. It was 250 years ago!
Here is an actual real life video of a species that relied a little too much on something they thought was their Constitution.
Here is an actual real life video of a species that relied a little too much on something they thought was their Constitution.
I would be fine if the president had to be under 65 when inaugurated. Better off if the presidency was one 6 year term, considering the bulk of the second term is usually spent campaigning to get re-elected.
As far as congress, if we cant do term limits, the last term should be the one started before turning 65.
And cut the welfare queens off when their “service” is complete. No reason they should be sucking on the taxpayers teat for life
As far as congress, if we cant do term limits, the last term should be the one started before turning 65.
And cut the welfare queens off when their “service” is complete. No reason they should be sucking on the taxpayers teat for life
