Is McCain Too Old to be president?

[richw76]

Is McCain Too Old to be president?

I understand he's the presumptive Republican nominee, but this guy is really old. I watched an Obama rally this morning, and the guy looked light, confident, and energetic.

He's had maybe one full day off the last few months.

Then there's McCain He Looks very good for 70 but he's still 70.

I know Reagan didn't take office until he was 70 but things seem different now than in the 80's.

Back then he could be the big idea man and get good managers to take care of the daily chores. And if soemone messed up they had plenty of news cycles to fix it.

Reagan had other problems due to the onset of alzheimers etc.

But is a 70 something even if in perfect health up to the rigors of the US presidency as it is today?

 

[YULitle]

I think the current president proves that ANY further questions of a persons qualifications to be president outside those required by the constitution are null and void.

 

[ChipNCharge]

Is McCain Too Old to be president?

I don't know, but it should be an interesting election: the old white guy vs the young black Socialist.

 

[TennisNB]

I don't know, but it should be an interesting election: the old white guy vs the young black Socialist.

As long as we're calling candidates names...

Old White Guy Owned By The CEO's vs. Young Black Socialist Who Is Good For Peace In The World.

 

[drakulie]

Young Black Socialist Who Is Good For Peace In The World.

Hmmm, "peace"??? Anyobody who for 20 years attends the sermons of a racist, who hates America, is surely not going to be considered for a nobel peace prize anytime soon.

 

[10sfreak]

Hmmm, "peace"??? Anyobody who for 20 years attends the sermons of a racist, who hates America, is surely not going to be considered for a nobel peace prize anytime soon.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't be so sure of that, Drak...

 

[10sfreak]

As long as we're calling candidates names...

Old White Guy Owned By The CEO's vs. Young Black Socialist Who Is Good For Peace In The World.

Ah yes, the Messiah has arrived!!! Pfftttt!

 

[quest01]

I believe McCain is able and ready to take on the job as President of the United States.

 

[xpaulinabearx]

i think he's going to die in office.
jk

 

[CanadianChic]

Personally, I don't know why a 71 year old man would even want to work but whatever. Reagan was 69 when inaugurated and held two terms.

 

[Ben42]

I believe McCain is able and ready to take on the job as President of the United States.

Right after his nap, otherwise he gets cranky.

 

[JRstriker12]

Personally, I don't know why a 71 year old man would even want to work but whatever. Reagan was 69 when inaugurated and held two terms.

I don't think Reagan was "there" for much of his second term.

Is he too old? As long as he's in decent health, probably not.

Also, if he gets tired, Bush set up a nice vacation schedule for him.

 

[10s talk]

no, his mother is a healthy 96

 

[superman1]

Hmmm, "peace"??? Anyobody who for 20 years attends the sermons of a racist, who hates America, is surely not going to be considered for a nobel peace prize anytime soon.

You really think Wright would have been such a renowned pastor if all his sermons had been like that? I doubt Bill Clinton would have invited him over to the White House for spiritual guidance.

 

[richw76]

You really think Wright would have been such a renowned pastor if all his sermons had been like that? I doubt Bill Clinton would have invited him over to the White House for spiritual guidance.

I agree but, to be fair I must point out that it does not appear Wright was ever a "spiritual advisor" of the clintons.

It's been reported that after the Lewinski stuff came out Bill wanted to look like he was sorry and "got him some Jesus" so he envited about 100 ministers to the white house for a "Prayer Breakfast" with the media.....

From eye witness accounts Bill spent about 30 seconds with everyone did his photo ops with preachers, and then they left the whole thing took about an hour.

Supposedly Bill did get marrital counceling during that period from 3 diff pastors but non of them were Wright.

 

[richw76]

Personally, I don't know why a 71 year old man would even want to work but whatever. Reagan was 69 when inaugurated and held two terms.

no, his mother is a healthy 96

No dobt he has some good genes that Lady is actually still really sharp I saw an interview with her about 3 months ago.

As for Reagan maybe I used him as an example on purpose to push my own agenda..... but by his own admission he was a big idea guy and had very little to do in the daily activities of running the government.

And Drakulie If you've never had a friend that sometimes ran his mouth and said in appropriate things when you weren't around but was a good person you can condemn Obama. I think most people including myself have been in that situation and didn't automatically throw away there friend.

Back to the topic My grandfather was lucid and active all through his 70's the thing is at his age When something does go wrong it tends to progress extremely quickly.

I hope he runs with someone younger that could step in as president if neccessary. Then I would consider voting for him... if he's running against Hilary.

 

[Serve em Up]

I hope McCain picks a good Veep.

 

[BeHappy]

what if he dies?

 

[scotus]

Not to worry. I don't think McCain would take advantage of his opponent's youth and inexperience.

 

[quest01]

what if he dies?

If McCain dies as President, then the Vice President would be appointed President.

 

[spikyblackhair]

Seeing as how being President is one of the most stressful jobs in America and Presidents look like they age about 10 years per 4 year term, I'd say McCain is too old.

Reminds me of Andropov and Chernenko.

I really like McCain as a person, but unless Obama goes nuts, I'm probably not going to vote for him.

 

[BeHappy]

If McCain dies as President, then the Vice President would be appointed President.

And what if he dies?, what happens then?

 

[power_play21]

I think the current president proves that ANY further questions of a persons qualifications to be president outside those required by the constitution are null and void.

hah, he sure lowered the bar didnt he?

i think he's going to die in office.
jk

correction: i think hes going to die in office
NO jk

what if he dies?

then he's dead.

 

[Serve em Up]

And what if he dies?, what happens then?

Than it's President Pelosi.

 

[Swissv2]

If McCain is voted president, then look to things pretty much staying the way they are now.

 

[BeHappy]

Than it's President Pelosi.

What if, through the miracle of modern technology, she gets pregnant and has to step down?, then what?

 

[superman1]

If McCain is voted president, then look to things pretty much staying the way they are now.

The country is in absolute horrible condition, but leave it to Americans to find any excuse to nominate the wrong person. This West Virginia coverage is just making me shake my head - an entire state of people who probably think Obama is a Muslim radical. We're not out of the woods yet. Obama has a lot of work to do.

 

[richw76]

The country is in absolute horrible condition, but leave it to Americans to find any excuse to nominate the wrong person. This West Virginia coverage is just making me shake my head - an entire state of people who probably think Obama is a Muslim radical. We're not out of the woods yet. Obama has a lot of work to do.

I'm not judging, but I do have some facts on WV.

95-98% Caucasian
Percent with High School Diploma 70% vs. 80%(rest of US)
Median Household income 30k vs 45k(rest of US)
Persons below poverty line 18% vs 12%(rest of US)

Highest percentage in the country of Non working adults: This means they are either retired or on disability/public assistance.

Also, Their growth rate for college educated adults is in the -% meaning All the smart people go to school and get out as soon as they can. and No one moves there on purpose.

****In other words lets be real. There's a segment of the population that exist in great numbers in West Virginia that If No lies were told on Senator Obama, and he Did 4 Tours in Afghanistan, and was captured and escaped, and was a governor of California. And went hunting, and blah blah blah. They still wouldn't vote for him until he wasn't black anymore.

 

[10sfreak]

I'm not judging, but I do have some facts on WV.

95-98% Caucasian
Percent with High School Diploma 70% vs. 80%(rest of US)
Median Household income 30k vs 45k(rest of US)
Persons below poverty line 18% vs 12%(rest of US)

Highest percentage in the country of Non working adults: This means they are either retired or on disability/public assistance.

Also, Their growth rate for college educated adults is in the -% meaning All the smart people go to school and get out as soon as they can. and No one moves there on purpose.

****In other words lets be real. There's a segment of the population that exist in great numbers in West Virginia that If No lies were told on Senator Obama, and he Did 4 Tours in Afghanistan, and was captured and escaped, and was a governor of California. And went hunting, and blah blah blah. They still wouldn't vote for him until he wasn't black anymore.

Rich, I agree with what I've bolded - in fact, I'm counting on that to help keep the democRATS from winning the WH. There ARE some people who, no matter the qualifications, would never vote for a black or female President. The flip side of that coin is that, there are plenty of blacks who, no matter how disqualified a black candidate is, would vote for him no matter what - purely because he's black.

 

[richw76]

Rich, I agree with what I've bolded - in fact, I'm counting on that to help keep the democRATS from winning the WH. There ARE some people who, no matter the qualifications, would never vote for a black or female President. The flip side of that coin is that, there are plenty of blacks who, no matter how disqualified a black candidate is, would vote for him no matter what - purely because he's black.

I disagree, I think that the fact that Barack is black is one of many attributes that appeal to black voters. If Barack was a white charismatic intelligent canidate maybe named Bill..... many blacks would vote for him.

Unless you're saying all White people are only voting for McCain because he's the only white guy left.

There have been other black candidates in the past and outside S. Carolina no one of any race voted for them in primaries.

 

[drakulie]

Obama has a lot of work to do.

Like>>>>>>>> changing everything about himself.

Fact is, all 3 candidtes are horrible (Obama, Hillary, Mcain). But out of those 3, I would take Mcain over the other 2 any day of the week. Hillary, to me is the least trust worthy. Obama has too many question marks, and is way too far to the left. At least with Mcain, we know what we are getting.

 

[quest01]

Who would have thought Obama who has virtually no experience and is only a junior senator will become the Democratic nominee. I'll have to admit, it really is fascinating. However McCain will win because the majority of American citizens want victory in Iraq, they want to keep taxes low, and they want to reduce the amount of illegal immigrants from crossing our borders.

 

[spikyblackhair]

As long as the current account deficit remains this high, we're screwed no matter what we do.

 

[AM28143]

American citizens want victory in Iraq

What do you mean? What exactly is a victory in Iraq?

they want to keep taxes low

For whom? Obama has only talked about raising tax rates for the rich.

and they want to reduce the amount of illegal immigrants from crossing our borders.

Most. But McCain, as far as I know, hasn't proposed a plan to eliminate the flow of illegal immigration.

Bush's approval rating--last I checked--is below 25 percent. And McCain, for the most part, is running as Bush's sucessor (on the issues at least). Therefore, I'd say McCain should be the one worrying.

-Adam

 

[10sfreak]

I disagree, I think that the fact that Barack is black is one of many attributes that appeal to black voters. If Barack was a white charismatic intelligent canidate maybe named Bill..... many blacks would vote for him.

You think they (blacks) would vote for bill over obama? Not a chance...

Unless you're saying all White people are only voting for McCain because he's the only white guy left.

Actually, I haven't mentioned white people, so no, I am NOT saying that whites are only voting for McCain because he's white...

There have been other black candidates in the past and outside S. Carolina no one of any race voted for them in primaries.

And there were plenty of blacks who voted for jesse jackson and al sharpton over bill in the primaries. Proving, in my opinion, that some blacks will vote for ANYONE who's black...

 

[NLBwell]

McCain had one of the few jobs tougher than being president - POW to the North Vietnamese. He'll be fine. He understands that it's not all about him.

 

[spikyblackhair]

He wasn't over 70 when he was a POW.

 

[35ft6]

Well, he didn't know the difference between Shiites and Sunni, so he's either mentally slipping due to age or of sound mind but just incredibly uninformed for somebody who wants to be a world leader. Either way, not good.

 

[AM28143]

Past the age of 65, one’s cognitive abilities usually diminish rather rapidly (sorry Chess). Old people (past 65) can’t analyze, interpret and decipher information as effectively as younger people. This is why schoolteachers, CEOs, and professors are often encouraged to quit their jobs as they near 70 years of age--mentally, they’re incapable of dealing with the difficulties associated with working. People, including old people themselves, have mostly accepted this, and realize that grandpa, though maybe wiser, isn't necessarily smarter, and therefore can't deal with the evolving society surrounding him as well as younger individuals.

Therefore, I find it strange that everyone is fine with electing a 72 year old man to the most stressful and important job in America. In this increasingly complicated world shouldn’t the president, the leader of the “free world,” be someone who won’t mentally fall apart throughout his term? In short, ain’t MCCain too old?

-Adam

 

[scotus]

Well, we have another candidate who thought she and her daughter were under attack from snipers. So we have at least two candidates with mental problems. I don't really have a problem with that.

 

[ChipNCharge]

Like>>>>>>>> changing everything about himself.

Fact is, all 3 candidtes are horrible (Obama, Hillary, Mcain). But out of those 3, I would take Mcain over the other 2 any day of the week. Hillary, to me is the least trust worthy. Obama has too many question marks, and is way too far to the left. At least with Mcain, we know what we are getting.

We know exactly what we'd be getting with Barry Obama: a classic tax-and-spend liberal.

 

[superman1]

You think they (blacks) would vote for bill over obama? Not a chance...

Actually, before the primaries, the polls showed that Blacks vastly preferred Hillary to Obama. They were all very skeptical about Obama.

Then they actually saw him on TV, saw his speeches, and saw that he could win with White voters. That, combined with Bill Clinton's remarks which implied that Black voters are blind and will vote for whoever is Black made 90% of them move to Obama.

The fact is, voters who are more involved with the process prefer Obama, voters who aren't as involved and only know about the process based on talking to other uninvolved people and reading e-mails and turning on the news once in a while and being bombarded with the Rev Wright stuff are the people who prefer Hillary, in general.

Maybe it all balances out. Hillary gets and loses votes because she's a woman, Obama gets and loses votes because he's Black, and McCain...gets votes because he's a White male. Okay, maybe it all doesn't balance out.

 

[richw76]

You think they (blacks) would vote for bill over obama? Not a chance...

My only point was Blacks like most voting Blocks will vote for the candidate they identify the most with, running on the platform that could benefit them the most. At one point that person was Bill Clinton.

The Truth is by almost any measure Barack's and Hilary's proposed policies are almost identical. So, it's possible that gender or race could be a tie breaker.

I'm black and for me it was not the tie breaker. I looked at the Clintons bad acts, the fact that many Republicans seem to hate them personally, and the fact that she pushed through a ton of Pork projects for her Wall street buddies, and decided we would get more of the same with Hilary.

Barack is really moving people and raising a TON of cash. If he's able to really mobilize and excite the masses no congressman or senator would stop the will of the people becasue they would be out in the next election.

Time will Tell if that's a good thing or not.

Actually, I haven't mentioned white people, so no, I am NOT saying that whites are only voting for McCain because he's white...

But you are comfortable with declaring the motives of black people? How many black people have you discussed this with? What were the responses?

And there were plenty of blacks who voted for jesse jackson and al sharpton over bill in the primaries. Proving, in my opinion, that some blacks will vote for ANYONE who's black...

So you are saying the ONLY quality a voter could see in Jesse Jackson is his race...... People like you make me proud.

I don't know why people vote the way they do. But it's interesting how in many states like W.V, NC, Kentucky etc they regularly vote Against there economic interest. Because a candidate is against abortion, or has an NRA sticker on their limousine.

 

[35ft6]

Well, we have another candidate who thought she and her daughter were under attack from snipers. So we have at least two candidates with mental problems. I don't really have a problem with that.

Absolutely right. And I don't plan on voting for either of them.

 

[Legend of Borg]

Hmmm, "peace"??? Anyobody who for 20 years attends the sermons of a racist, who hates America, is surely not going to be considered for a nobel peace prize anytime soon.

That's not fair to Obama. It's called guilt by association and its very common today.

 

[HyperHorse]

I'm quite disturbed that people actually think a guy like McCain should be president.
Yeah, before you even think of voting for him, think of the wasted $2 trillion or so surplus that Bush wasted on the war effort in Iraq, plus all the silly tax cuts for the rich and all the alternative energy programs that Clinton had in place, which then dumbass Bush cut..
And I had someone off here tell me Bush said the other day they should start digging new oil wells to keep the price of oil down.
Voting for McCain? You guys are nuts. McCain is just Bush with a different face. Yeah, a vote for the "american war hero" is a vote for making the global warming issue even worse..
His presidency will only help to serve the oil companies in Texas, not for the people or the greater good of making our planet a liveable place.
Grow a brain people...

 

[NLBwell]

Gee, hyperhorse, you are really hyper. You've also memorized a lot of wacky talking points.

 

[alienhamster]

Hmmm, "peace"??? Anyobody who for 20 years attends the sermons of a racist, who hates America, is surely not going to be considered for a nobel peace prize anytime soon.

Jeremiah Wright has never said he "hates America." And regardless, Obama has dissociated from him. You may not *believe* Obama, but I've still seen no evidence that Obama ascribes to any of Wright's more divisive views, or that he "hates America," or that he is anti-peace.

To answer the OP: I'm really split on this one. I'm not opposed to the idea of someone +70 in the White House, but on some days McCain really does look "off." For example, he's mixed up the Sunni/Shia thing several times now at official events both here and abroad. I don't think he has dimentia or anything, but he doesn't always seem totally on his game.

 

[CanadianChic]

I fail to understand the significance of age at this point in U.S. politics. Seriously...Bush is considered to be too stupid to be president yet he survived two terms. I believe just about anyone would be an improvement at this point so why quibble over age?

"And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq." --George W. Bush, to Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008

 

[spikyblackhair]

why quibble over age?

Because I'd like to know that a candidate is actually capable of being alive and being President for the term I'm electing him for. It might not matter depending on who the running mate is, though.