Should there be a disqualifying upper age limit to become president? Should there be an age limit for presidents? - Every vote is a voice The most common answer among the choices presented in the CBS poll was 70 years old, with 4 in 10 Americans picking that option. But that system can also lead to certain perverse incentives, including remaining in office even amid obvious signs of mental decline. I've known some people sharp in their mid-90s. the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, there was little public debate about the age requirements and no discussion about the age requirement for the presidency. 'I hope there's an age limit': Jimmy Carter says he couldn't have At the time, he was the oldest person ever to claim the Oval Office, and many wondered then whether he was too old. Those who say there should be an age limit are split in regard to what it should be. In an earlier debate, Reagan had seemed fuzzy on facts. He told CBS 60 Minutes that his answer to the age question is, "Watch me," citing his schedule and energy level. The issue could also be taken up in a national convention called for by a two-thirds vote from state legislatures. 4 status, as well as for judges who retired directly from active The Constitution has provided, that no person shall be eligible to the office, who is not thirty five years old; and in the course of nature very few fathers leave a son who has arrived to that age, he said in A Native of Virginia, Observations upon the Proposed Plan of Federal Government.. A minimum requirement of 35 for President for example has no real basis in any accepted scientific measure or anything like that. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Nonetheless, a governing document should not presume luck in the genetic lottery. The less obvious reason House Republicans want to impeach Biden, Both parties must learn to govern for modern existential threats, The New York Times seems puzzled by Bidens low approval ratings. Arguing for a minimum age of 25 to serve in the House, George Mason one of Virginia's delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 said his "political opinions at the age of 21 were too crude and erroneous to merit an influence on public measures. But electing individuals in their mid- to late 70s, with all the demands and pressures of todays office, is more a roll of the dice than we ought to be comfortable with. And even if the public had access to thorough and honest medical records of the candidates, those records cannot guarantee a presidents future mental and physical health. Geometry nodes, how to select the boundaries of mesh islands? Qualifications for the Presidency | Constitution Annotated | Congress Experience from 30 years ago might just as well be a detriment to good judgement. It takes time to accumulate, especially in today's world. 3 No-Brainer Reasons to Claim Social Security at Age 67 I access YouGov products and services as a business. If the voters elect someone, they do so with the understanding that the President will serve at least another four years and evaluate for themselves if that is too old. ; A person who meets the above qualifications could still not be qualified to hold office if that person has . @jamesqf At the rate world is changing, experience is increasingly overrated. "It's fair to ask about anything that's reasonable, including age," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, who just turned 81 this month. Prior to the most recent presidential elections, former President Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to seek the presidency run for office, she said. All Rights Reserved. Gary Schmitt is a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute. "That often takes decades. Some lawmakers aren't willing to discuss age caps in Congress. The arguments in favor of limiting the country's oldest people from serving in public office involve a series of distinct concerns: that younger people need to be better represented in politics, that humans typically experience cognitive and physical decline with age, and that with both technological innovation and societal change, it's simply time for a new generation with more intimate knowledge of these issues to be given the chance to lead. Why the U.S. Doesn't Have a Retirement Age for Judges - The Atlantic 71 Percent of U.S. Senators Out if Age Limits Imposed on - Newsweek It may feel like the Senate has always been full of wizened elders, but this is actually a very recent development: And McConnell, the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history, also voted in favor of term limits both times. And apparently the participants at the convention that wrote that document in 1787 were not at all concerned with an upper limit. Even Torres noted that alongside his desire for new "opportunities for a new generation of public servants," there were signs of younger generations beginning to dislodge incumbents. And wait. Biden asks Congress for $24 billion in more Ukraine assistance | CNN You might also remember that the framers of the Constitution had among the delegates 81 year old Ben Franklin. Shouldn't there be an age limit on who can run for president? Polls have found even Democratic voters express doubts about whether he's too old for the job. experience must total 80. "life tenure" provisions for their apex coult actually impose age limits.ll One scholar testified . He's already 89. The constitutional age requirements for federal office35 for president, 30 for senators, 25 for representativesmake sense. asked Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, who at 88 is among the Senate's most elderly lawmakers. Some have proposed age limits for elected officials amid concerns about America's gerontocracy. The average age of U.S. Last month, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted, Let's set an age limit after which you can't run for political office, perhaps a number just below 70.. Seniority is used to determine who gets first choice at offices and, more important, who gets to chair committees. Holding that [the state] couldnt exclude Lindsay from the ballot, despite her admission that she was underage, would mean that anyone, regardless of age, citizenship or any other constitutional ineligibility would be entitled to clutter and confuse our electoral ballot. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is 64 years old, recently suggested that elderly congress members undergo regular cognitive tests. These concerns stem from reports of Biden falling, sometimes mixing up countries and dates and making other small blunders. There are mandatory retirement ages for some other jobs, such as airline pilots (age 65) and in most U.S. states, judges. The majority and minority leaders of the Senate Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell are 72 and 80, respectively. Residence. One thing Americans agree on? Our politicians are too old. Bush, to succeed him. Drawing that exact line (at say, 70) will admittedly be judged as being arbitrary. Our analysis found that if senators over 60 were barred from holding office, 71% of current senators would be ineligible to serve. The question of Reagan's fitness had been very much in the air prior to that meeting in Kansas City. Senators Polls Aging Joe Biden A YouGov poll released. Sen. McConnell followed this unprecedented snub by eliminating the filibuster for a Republican nominee and confirming two controversial justices nominated by President Donald Trump.9 Regular. (E.g. Most people died before they were old enough for age related dementia to be a major concern. Voters Say They'd Prefer New Faces To A 2020 Biden-Trump Rematch, White House doctor gives Biden a good bill of health, Son Suggests Reagan's Alzheimer's Began In White House, With midterm losses, Trump's climb to the nomination could be steeper than he'd like. "I don't think Senator Dole is too old to be president. But service ceilings aren't entirely alien to politics: Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia require state-level judges to retire when they reach a certain age, generally 70 to 75. Republicans, more recently, have expressed interest in instituting committee term limits beyond just their party. Perhaps when life expectancy was shorter, the Constitutions framers thought there was no need to put a cap on how old a person might be to be president. (E.g. Did he have any questions in his mind about his ability to function if deprived of sleep during a national security crisis? assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. "Or as we like to call it in the Senate: middle-aged.". It's the age of his ideas that I question," Clinton said. Methodology: YouGov surveyed 27,797 U.S. adults for a poll on January 14-18, 2022. But aside from the power amassed within the halls of the US Capitol, the power of incumbency in one's home district can often ensure that upstart candidates have a hard time mounting a credible challenge to those longtime incumbents. Here's why that won't happen anytime soon. Grassley went on to easily win reelection to his eighth term, extending his mark as the longest serving Iowa US Senator in history. And Trump, 77, is just three years younger than the current president. An individual has to be at least 35 years old to hold the office. Then, 38 state legislatures would have to approve the change. And Pelosi is said to have her own adage on how that power changes hands. Can a 13 years old be a president? Age-related declines in vision and hearing, the ability to endure stress, and the increased risk of medical emergencies rank among the reasons. First, the President and Vice President must be 35 years of age or older when assuming office; a Senator must be 30 years of age, and a member of the House must be 25 years of age. In practice, age is frequently raised as an issue in the Presidential nomination process and in Presidential elections, although it is hard to identify a particular election in which it was a decisive factor. In the absence of an age cap, term limits offer another potential solution, though that too would require going through the arduous constitutional-amendment process. I What makes my artificial intelligence indestructible, but containable? In 2019, former President Jimmy Carter expressed concern over the age of the presidential candidates in the 2020 election, stating: "I hope there's an age limitIf I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I don't believe I could undertake the duties I experienced when I was president." 1 Because dementia does not affect all people, and of those affected, not all are affected at the same age. "She has a command of the institution.". President Joe Biden is asking Congress for more than $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs as he works to sustain support for the war amid signs of softening support among Americans. And there's an asymmetry between the parties when it comes to the seniority system; Republicans, unlike Democrats, impose six-year term limits for chairmanships and ranking members. "This has always been an open place, and it should stay that way.". Do any Republican Senators oppose replacing Justice Ginsburg on the Supreme Court before the election? The Captain Morgan campaign claims that Under 35s can do anything: Except be President, and it lists some very famous business people who currently cant run for President. How old are the candidates running in 2024? - USA TODAY "And just as that community is growing, we are going to ensure that they aren't represented in Congress?". He's been involved for a long time so he has great knowledge of the issues, and the challenges we face.". An analysis of the current 117th Congress revealed that its the oldest, on average, of any Congress in at least the past 20 years. Only three others before him were in their 70s while in the White House. But she declined the role, and Senate Democrats elected the 72-year-old Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington to the job instead. It only takes a minute to sign up. If the answer is no, then. With Leahy's retirement, Feinstein would've been next in line to be president pro tempore, according to long-standing tradition. "Those who DID wait and are in leadership (or next in line for it) are incentivized to protect the automatic seniority system as much as possible because of their sunk time cost." Republicans (64%) are slightly more likely than Democrats (57%) and Independents (60%) to say there should be a maximum age requirement. Each set of discussion . Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made the idea a core pillar of his "Contract with America" in 1994, and a majority of House members even voted 227-204 for a constitutional amendment that would have imposed 12-year limits on members of Congress six two-year terms for House members, two six-year terms for senators though that fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority necessary to begin the process. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. That's it. taxes for Social Security or Medicare. "I think it depends on the person too, a lot of times. Meet the long-shot candidates in the crowded 2024 presidential field. Image source: Getty Images. 1. Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, argued that, even if Biden's age has not affected his ability to do the job, "some members of the public may nonetheless believe he is not mentally sharp enough or that he lacks the necessary physical stamina.. David Longstreath/ASSOCIATED PRESS Yet. NOW WATCH: Watch how Joe Biden has aged from 1974 to 2022, aging of America's top political leadership, floated by long-shot political candidates, but can't yet serve in the nation's highest office, current Congress is the oldest in the nation's history, controlled roughly 56% of the seats in both chambers, would have to call for a constitutional convention, "diminished" senator representing California, would've been next in line to be president pro tempore, elected the 72-year-old Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington to the job instead, again voted against instituting the limits, some Democrats trying in vain to limit Pelosi's tenure in 2018, instituting committee term limits beyond just their party, hope to hold a constitutional convention for those very purposes, recently completed his annual 99-county tour of Iowa, will most likely be replaced by a woman less than half his age. About one in 10 say it should be some other limit. If he returned to office, he would be 82 by the end of that term. "Age has already been a constant topic, really since the last election," Matthew Schmidt, a politics expert at the University of New Haven, told USA TODAY. Those requirements havent changed since the Constitution was written in 1787 and went into effect in 1789. That doesn't mean Torres doesn't see a problem. (He was carried to and from the sessions in a sedan chair. Christie: Social Security, Medicare cuts are a necessary political Jimmy Carters grandson says former president, first lady are in the final Trump campaign bills DeSantiss listless vessel remark as Hutchinson says Trump may not qualify to be president, citing 14th Amendment, Las Vegas under state of emergency as Tropical Storm Hilary approaches. And while former President Jimmy Carter, who's nearly 98, once casually suggested an age limit because he couldn't undertake presidential duties even if he were "just 80 years old," others may reach a different conclusion. Asked about age limits by Insider at the Capitol, the 34-year-old Republican Rep. Peter Meijer a man known for facing down tough political questions demurred. The Constitution already specifies a minimum age to become president: 35. How old is too old to be president? | The Hill Term, age limits are needed for presidents, Supreme Court, Congress Would a group of creatures floating in Reverse Gravity have any chance at saving against a fireball? Breakingviews - Cox: It's time for an age limit on the presidency As the average age of elected officials has risen, some have questioned whether we should restrict individuals over a certain age from holding office. The short answer is that no one thought to include such provisions in the United States Constitution that was adopted in 1789, and that it is very hard to amend the United States Constitution (although one amendment that partially addresses this concern, the 25th, has been adopted). As frustration mounts with the aging of America's top political leadership, a simple, seemingly straightforward solution to the problem has slowly gained currency: age limits. The one discussion of note involved two important Founders: James Wilson, a future Supreme Court Justice, and George Mason, a constitutional dissenter. On one hand, age can bring wisdom and experience, which can be enormously helpful when facing challenges on the global scale, Chervinsky said. The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote. United States presidential eligibility legislation - Wikipedia That doesnt mean that a few underage people havent been admitted to the Senate, despite the Constitutions intent. Plus, those who do pay attention, who are the most engaged, are just as likely to overlook signs of serious agingeven senilityin their desire to see their favorite candidate win. 62 that the "nature of senatorial trust" required a "greater extent of information and stability of character," and that age 30 represented a "period of life most likely to supply these advantages. Presidents are also being elected at older ages than in the past; at 70, President Donald Trump was the oldest to take office, though his record was quickly surpassed by his successor, President Joe Biden, who took office at age 78. Seniority itself isn't necessarily a negative attribute; over time, members may develop institutional knowledge and close working relationships that allow them to be more effective legislators. At the time, it was the widest age gap between the two major parties' nominees since before the Civil War. Time magazine drew the candidates on cartoon horses running down a track with the headline: "A Real Race? Is there no age limit for a president? Ask the lawyer Well, it's going to get younger when I leave," he quipped to Insider. ", "So people wait. There are no age requirements for Supreme Court Justices. How old are the third-party candidates running in the 2024 election? by May 2019 during the lead-up to the 2020 election, White House, however, has rejected criticism about Biden's age, saying he is, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. There's overwhelming support for an age limit on the president and Today, the age limits on the presidency and Congress havent been successfully challenged in court. Requirements to be president of the US: Here's what you need to know. Genes and ones lifestyle obviously matter. Stirewaltisms: It's Time for an Age Limit for Federal Office | American ", Noting the "more advanced age" required of senators versus representatives, James Madison, it is believed, argued in the unsigned Federalist No. Why aren't there upper-age limits for government officials in the US? Can punishments be weakened if evidence was collected illegally? The U.S. Constitution imposes three eligibility requirements on anyone thinking about running for president. ", President Biden, campaigning with gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore in Bowie, Maryland, on the eve of the U.S. midterm election. She also warned that a momentary lapse in memory or focus does not necessarily mean someone is experiencing significant cognitive decline. The lower age limit has been raised from 50 to 65, with some younger vulnerable groups also eligible. "I think in the end the voters should be able to choose, and if they think someone is too old, then they can make that choice.". Wasn't he? But members of Congress young and old alike balk at the idea, suggesting alternative fixes. Sign up for notifications from Insider! He deflected the issue with humor, saying he wouldn't exploit his opponent's "youth and inexperience.". Why the effects of aging are detrimental to being the U.S. president. "People live longer now and are more capable in their later years because they're healthier than in the past," Schmidt said. wanted more income was the most popular reason cited for retirement The mystery of Vivek Ramaswamy's rapid rise in the polls It was 40 years ago that, at the age of 69, Ronald Reagan was elected President and one month later would turn 70. Access audience intelligence, brand tracking and research about your sector. This is a position help by both the left and right, although opinions differ on how to best enact on this (e.g. While no lawmaker ventured to endorse age limits in interviews with Insider, many reflected on an underlying system that prioritizes tenure and seniority over other potential measures of political acumen, generating a political leadership that skews older. Age of candidacy laws in the United States - Wikipedia Ailshire's research has shown that while many older individuals will start to experience physical declines in their 70s, there are people who avoid these declines. The ad stunt does raise a question with an interesting constitutional background. That's not being cruel, that's being . If the limit were70, 30% would be ineligible. An answer that does not take into account the poor medical outcomes of the 1700's and that those with diseases would die and would not have hospice care and other medical treatments to keep one alive and functioning but impaired. Biden, whos 80, has said in multiple interviews that hes capable of reelection and has even turned his age into a punchline. 2023 National Constitution Center. And Torres squarely blamed the lack of term limits for the gerontocracy of which he spoke, though he stopped short of endorsing the idea. Madison talked about the need for senatorial trust which required greater extent of information and stability of character that the senator should have reached a period of life most likely to supply these advantages., Madison also discussed some points that some scholars believe led to the age requirements: a distrust of foreign influence and a fear of families trying to put children in place in federal office to serve in a hereditary manner.
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