Democrats are too old.

[Self Esteem]

I'm sure this post will go over well but hear me out.

With the unfortunate news of Rep. Connolly. passing, that marks the third Democratic House member to die in office THIS YEAR ALONE. We're only in May! All three were older. That's on top of three congressional Democrats who died in office last year and the high-profiled death of Dianne Feinstein in 2023.

The youngest of those seven who passed was Donald Payne, who passed at 65 from a massive heart attack.

The last Republican congressperson to die in office was Jackie Walorski, who was in her 50s and died from a car accident in 2022.

Every other death has been an older Democrat.

Not only does that impact the margins, especially if Democrats want to take back the House and keep what will likely be a razor-thin majority if they do in 2026, it impacts perception.

This isn't even getting into the Biden news - the questions about his mental fitness and the fact he now has an aggressive cancer.

It's scary optics that absolutely hurt Democrats.

The reality is that the party's image is that of an out-of-touch one with leaders who refuse to give up power or pass the torch to the next era.

It was, for a long time there, Democrats appeared to be the party of the youth - while Republicans were the older hanger-ons.

Not so much anymore. Which is remarkable considering the Republican president is an old man!

But the face of the party, whether you think they're crazy or not, isn't. It's people like Vance and other younger members.

It's not Mitch McConnell anymore.

The Democrats? Jeffries is a great start - but Schumer is much more visible as senate leader.

The party needs to do a better job promoting the youth.

Connolly was was added to the House Oversight Committee earlier this year, despite knowingly having cancer, over AOC.

There has got to be a better way to promote younger members of the party because they often are the best at communicating the message.

I look at AOC or Jasmine Crockett and they're the ones I see making the point that some of these older Democrats struggle making.

I'm impressed.

Democrats need to realize it's not 2005 anymore. The older members of the party might be effective at compromising and deal making but right now, that isn't what we need from the opposition.

We need fighters and outsiders.

[randr]

1. Not enough young people are politiacally aware

Most have no idea what the parties stand for or have accomplished.

[EYESORE 9001]

5. Not that it was a whole lot better a half-century ago or longer

Even during the height of societal turmoil over civil rights and war for fun & profit, I believe a majority preferred not to give politics much thought. I ran with a crowd who espoused progressive beliefs, and the consensus was that most people just don’t GAF. Until their personal ox gets gored, that is.

[Ars Longa]

57. It is way, way past time to call for Chuck Schumer

to pass the torch to a new generation of leadership.
Nancy Pelosi did it....

[Keepthesoulalive]

2. Then the American people have to get involved

Stop trying to find easy answers to complex problems.Go to your committee meetings, donate to viable candidates, beware of Trojan horses, learn civics and realize politics and governing requires hard work ,not just voting every 4 years.

[k_buddy762]

3. An unpopular opinion

but a correct (and necessary) one.

I agree.

[Keepthesoulalive]

13. Young doesn't mean good for the party

People who are involved in the mundane things like eating nasty food at cookouts, going to small nooks and crannies to meet constituents, learning policies and working at your day job to put food on the table. Running for office takes commitment and if they are not doing the things that i mentioned before, you should look at who is financing them. Sinema

[stillcool]

4. My Senators Warren and Markey are older

I would not like to see Warren step down because of her age. Her mind is much too valuable. My Congressman is like twelve to me. You'd love him. We get what we vote for, and what we choose not to re-elect. I don't know where you live, but the Democratic Party in my state is how we win elections. It's why we have safe places for immigrants, it's why we have high taxes that contribute to education, and infrastructure, and the environment, and health care, and helping families and seniors, and farming and fishing industries and on and on and on. Then you have other states that vote for who they like, that make it harder for people in my state to attend any of the plethora of universities we have, to get healthcare from any of the top-notch medical facilities, to find a job with a living wage after all the global monoliths have been given free reign to do whatever they want. But yeah....Democrats are too old.

[RobinA]

6. It's Only Scary Optics

if you are only looking at Democrats. To me a scary optic is that it appears we don't have a 1st Amemdment anymore in this country.

[Omnipresent]

7. They're old, because they never want to leave.

Losing power and going home sucks!

[JI7]

8. There are many younger democrats . You picked out some that died

that most people who aren't already into politics know nothing about.

The problem with the Democratic party is people nitpick over things and think "if we only had this or that we could .........." instead of just supporting the party and bringing up the positive things.

There were many young democrats like Beshear and Shapiro that were being considered for VP.

[kentuck]

9. I would agree that we need a youth movement in the Party.

The seniority system has hurt the Party, in my opinion.

After Biden's debate with Trump, there was no one to step forward to lead the Party. They were hesitant to ask Joe to step down, After all, he was the only one that could defeat Trump. And if something happened to him, Kamala was a very capable leader to take his place. But that was where we were at, in my opinion.

Republicans think they would love to run against someone like AOC, sort of like Democrats thought they would love to run against someone like Donald Trump. We should not write off our young leaders. They should be promoted.

I will say it now. I think Chuck Schumer needs to be challenged as Senate Leader. Also, I think the Committee Chairs also need to be challenged. We need to change by advancing our youth movement, in my humble opinion. We do not need to worry about what Republicans think about it.

[RoeVWade]

10. I don't worry about ageism in Congress because there are few to none not already set for life if they leave.

Worry about the older people who need Social Secretary to survive. IMO, the older ones should be nurturing a replacement.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

11. It's time to hand over the keys to AOC.

[JI7]

12. So let's run AOC and Crockett on the national ticket

There is a thread where someone suggested AOC and Buttigieg. Anytime people bring them up the response is we can't win with them.

There are people even saying AOC can't winn statewide in NY.

[hamsterjill]

15. But will the young people get off their butts and get to the polls to vote for these two?

Hell, I'm ancient with one foot in the grave. I like AOC and I like Pete. I'd LOVE to see them elected, but I don't think they have a shot.

I think young people are too busy standing in line at Starbucks being all boogie and don't want to take the time to fight for democracy. Is that a shitty opinion? Absolutely. But in my own area and in my own circle - some of which are recent coworkers between the ages of 22 and 35 - I promise you, they don't know what the hell is happening, and they don't care.

So, are there enough young, interested people out there who would actually show up at the polls and vote? And don't give me statistics from the last election because (obviously) whatever that was, was not good enough to win.

[PatSeg]

49. I wish I could say you're wrong,

but honestly, you usually can't rely on young people getting out and voting on a regular basis. I remember being young, idealistic, and progressive. I used to have great conversations with like-minded young people, but often there was far more talk than there was voting.

I recall all the enthusiasm among young voters during the 2008 presidential election - "Yes we can!" Unfortunately, come the mid-term elections, so many of them stayed home. Not nearly as exciting. With younger voters, it tends to be a once and awhile event, but with older voters, it becomes a habit.

[SocialDemocrat61]

45. In the 90s many said Schumer couldn't win statewide.

They claimed that a Jewish liberal from Brooklyn could not beat an incumbent senator. Yet he did. And no republican has won a statewide election in New York for over 20 years. So if AOC is the Democratic nominee for senate, she will probably win. The trick will be getting the nomination. If the state party re-nominates Schumer or nominates someone, she may not get the chance to run in the election.

[Hugin]

14. At least the Democrats announce when a serving member passes or are AWOL...

Unlike the Republicans who never seem to get around to it.

(See: Kay Granger in TX)

[betsuni]

16. WHY DON'T DEMS STOP STATUS QUO AGING, ILLNESS AND DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY SHOULD BE LIKE THE NICE YOUNG REPUBLICANS!!!!!!!!! WE NEED OUTSIDERS WHO ARE NOT HUMAN!!!!!!!!!

[Sympthsical]

17. Age is a problem. But there's also a charisma vacuum

Perhaps the two are related, but there's no one really engaging in our leadership either. We have some really good politicians, make no mistake, but in the age of mass media - particularly social media - who are people all about?

We're a party that had Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Relatively younger politicians that had that it factor. They had that aura. That force of personality. Even the older politicians in our history typically had a force of personality. Someone like LBJ who you knew was present in a room or FDR who didn't just suck up all the oxygen - he was the oxygen.

That's gone. We somehow became a party of technocratic pencil pushers and careerists who forever hang around waiting for the promotions they feel they're owed. Even when you agree with what our politicians are saying, it just never sets the blood aflame in people. Jeffries may be a good Speaker - I have no idea if that's true - but whenever he gets out there to make a statement or tosses out some press release, it's like I just got a letter from a landlord that gets set on the kitchen counter and ignored.

The careerists just don't want to make space for those personalities to emerge and thrive. All the space is taken up by the uninspired.

Bernie is our most charismatic politician with the average voter. I know large portions of this space don't like to hear it, but it's true. Go into any political area with Democrats and liberals under 50, and they're talking about Bernie. AOC is probably second on that list, with Crockett and Buttigieg moving up the list.

But the party has a very difficult time allowing space for these people. The careerists have all the power, the hands controlling the machinery, the money and donor base (who are not our friends) to maintain their positions (and all the wealth and dynasty that goes with it) that disallows for movement and growth.

Elder statesman can be that while not in office. They can guide, give advice, and exercise influence outside of office. Wouldn't that be grand? To retire and then have that reputation that you're still one our most valuable assets?

Instead, they stay forever. Instead of reverence, they earn resentment. Instead of forward movement that comes with the natural change of generations, we get stagnation.

Setting aside the policies, what's the appeal for people? This killed us in 2024. How many more elections would we like to keep scoring this own goal?

[JustAnotherGen]

32. This makes me wonder

Who the specific young people are.

Bernie is our most charismatic politician with the average voter. I know large portions of this space don't like to hear it, but it's true. Go into any political area with Democrats and liberals under 50, and they're talking about Bernie. AOC is probably second on that list, with Crockett and Buttigieg moving up the list.

But the party has a very difficult time allowing space for these people. The careerists have all the power, the hands controlling the machinery, the money and donor base (who are not our friends) to maintain their positions (and all the wealth and dynasty that goes with it) that disallows for movement and growth.

The thing about the 'rising tides lift all boats' ideology is that the Democratic Party Base has 165 years of evidence that this is never the case. Sanders himself has been there 35 years.

Crockett in particular 'Sees Us'. Bernie simply doesn't see the Democratic Party base - he's only required to when he runs for President. When he does see us, he uses language that rejects us as pragmatic moderate oligarchs and millionaires and billionaires. He can't relate to us and does not WANT to. He won't admit that Black women are a HUGE chunk of the working class and the working poor.

Trump wins a second time: Now we have a problem where the party base has moved from 'pragmatic/moderate' -

To I want my pound of flesh, I want blood, this is my physical survival - tear this entire fucker down and rebuilt without ANY of the old bullshit we've had shoved down our throats for 160 years.

Someone on here who joined around the same time I did messaged me: Are you okay? You have gone dark. Yep - I sure have. I'm okay with secession, blood letting, violence - as long as my family is free and more important - Comes First in the new society - the Great Society that Lyndon B. Johnson promised us.

I want a new Great Society - not another bullshit 'new deal'.

The person who wins in 2028 or when the regime falls (seeing Don Jr feels called to run for President so we could be looking at 5 to 10 years to overthrow this regime) - Will speak to the vengeance a large number of Black women want. We've turned the cheek too many times - it's now time to start punishing people.

[Sympthsical]

39. Identarian politics has created a Democratic coalition that is extremely fractious

And once they stop working, as we saw with the Latino community and a portion of Black men in 2024, the Democratic party starts having some serious problems.

This "divide everyone into their constituent identities" form of politics just plain doesn't work anymore. It's no longer the 2010s, and it's time to find a different angle of attack for the world we live in rather than the imaginary one wished, created, and insulated in ideological enclaves that both have no tangible relationship with the average voter and barely end up serving the people in minority communities who are not in the upper echelon of professions. We've spent too long trying to be all things to all people instead of having a vigorous core that does have something to give to everyone, to address commonalities.

I live in California. I see these old politics again and again and again. California. The bluest of the blue, where Republicans are not even a whisper of a hope of a dream electorally. Things are not improving. It's the same people, with the same promises, with the same appeals to identity communities, and I have not seen their lives improve. I have not seen their economic situation improve. I have not seen the education their children receive improve (California is 37th in the nation, wtf?!).

You have to reach a point where you look and realize, "This is clearly not working. Clearly." I don't know if anyone's been to Oakland or Richmond or L.A. lately, but it is . . . not great.

California has been a space where these identarian ideologies have been allowed to flourish for at least 20 years. It's not getting better. Living conditions have gotten worse as politicians make their cynical little appeals.

What will make them better? Strong unions with an emphasis on minority membership and participation. An education system that is accountable and not solely based on the wealth of the location. Housing policies that do not solely benefit the upper middle classes. Do we get that? No. What we get is, "I see you." Great. They see you. They don't help you, but hey, at least there was a shout out at the concert.

I'm done with all this. I see the young people in my family struggling in ways I never did - and I'm in my fucking 40s. This isn't some wish for the 1950s. This is a wish for even 2000 over what we have now.

I'm ready to take a wrecking ball to the system and get some serious reform. And that's going to require the old guard being pastured.

We need a party that not only looks like us but lives our lives. I do not get a sense from the top level that they have clue one what life is like for working people in this country. And I think our politics reflect that. It needs to change very quickly, or the 2030's are going to be a brutal fucking decade.

[JustAnotherGen]

47. I'm 52

I've lived in NY and NJ - aside from living in West Germany as an officers brat.

When you say This "divide everyone into their constituent identities" form of politics just plain doesn't work anymore. I boil that down to Identity Politics.

I'm 52. Identity Politics is not going away for Black Americans in my lifetime. 92% of Black Women and 78% of Black men voted for Harris.

I'm voting for Ras Baraka in June - because of the color of his skin. I'm proud of it. It was always between him and Spiller for me. Why?

I just watched Trump get elected because of the color of his skin and white grievance. In order to get rid of Black Consciousness - you need to get rid of the Race Card. And the Race Card is solely in the deck because white Americans want it there. White Americans are mollycoddled and told that they can have excuses for why they aren't making it in their home environment - and all of those excuses are because that non-white/non-Christian/non-male, etc. etc. person took it from me.

They have this luxury because they are the default setting.

Until the dominant culture (white Americans) understand that their grievances are petty racist bullshit - you can't get there. I'm not going to budge. They destroyed Americ. It's on me to shove those grievances out of my way - and go behind their back to build America in a way that works. They've not been able to do it since our inception, they have ZILLIONS of chances, and they just don't know what they are doing.

I would also say - having worked for Global Crossing when the bubble burst - things were really really shitty in the early 2000's. So bad I testified to the SEC and FBI and got blackballed for several years as a result. Then in 2009 while at VZW headquarters - I had a younger male making more than me when I took over a team.

I guess? It's never been good for Black women. But we aren't given the grace to complain or bemoan. When we fail it's on us. We are not now and have never been 'allowed' to state that the Dominant Culture is responsible for outcomes.

That changed in November 2024. Now we can say it. We are hated in America anyways - might as well give them a reason to REALLY hate us.

We saw that evil vile Russian lover get elected ONLY because he's white. We know what those people are - and I want everyone who voted for him to suffer.

[Sympthsical]

59. You'll get no argument from me

That the Black community - and Black women very especially - have been getting the short end of the stick always and forever.

However, where you and I differ is what policy goals should be pursued and the politics that go along with them. You have a right to feel how you feel, because I believe every word you say about your own experiences. I also know that you are only scratching the surface.

However, the political approach you ascribe to is dying. It's nearly dead. Its apex was probably the early 2010s when everything came down to identity politics. When we watched neo-segregationists starting to get footholds on campuses, that was the first time I said "Uh oh" when it came to party direction.

It's not progressive. It's regressive. It's going backwards but slapping on a coat of ideological paint that makes it seem progressive.

People cannot be at each other's throats. And we are right now. We're at each other's throats within our own party. Community pitted against community. The wealthy using the inherent divisiveness of this compartmentalization against any kind of unity that might be achieved. It stymies progress.

What is the end game here? Particularly when we look at demographic shifts. Latinos are rising and will eventually become the most populous racial demographic. The fastest growing racial demographic is AAPI. The fixation on "All the problems are white people" and using that kind of Manichean approach to politics is about to be mooted.

So that approach, that compartmentalization as an ethos has no political future. By focusing so very hard on the idea that the only thing that matters is our identity, we have inevitably created a kind of "every community for itself" intraparty tension that can only be held together by the most talented of politicians. We don't have anyone like that right now, and all the little cracks are showing.

It's gotta be something else. Otherwise it is going to be a long, slow slump into a mediocrity that grows worse by the day and perpetuates systems that have disallowed minority communities to thrive as they're should. To thrive as they're owed.

[JustAnotherGen]

69. We have another difference

We are in a Culture War - not a Policy War.

People don't vote on policy - that's from a different era.

People vote on tribal instinct. The moment that determined I would be a Democratic Tribe member for life?

"Don’t get sick. If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly." - Alan Grayson in 2009.

That's a culture war statement. He effectively demonized evil people.

I don't want to come together. I want a Civil War.

ETA - 5 Black American gun clubs exist in my posh county in NJ that didn't exist a year ago. Folks are learning new skills while they are resting.

[progressoid]

62. This...

And I'll add a lack of media savvy.

[brush]

18. Oh, please. At least mention nearly 80-year-old trump and even older Mitch McConnell...

and all the other old republicans in office before you just go off on Democrats...on a site that's supposed to promote the Democratic party. This is a violation of the DU TOS.

Dens are no older than the republicans. And it's always been that way. Why not advocate for teaching and encouraging younger Dems on how to run for office instead of blanket criticizing the entire party?

[Self Esteem]

20. I literally mentioned both in my post.

[brush]

34. You did? Sorry I have little patience for posts bashing Dems with lines like this...

"The last Republican congressperson to die in office was Jackie Walorski, who was in her 50s and died from a car accident in 2022.

Every other death has been an older Democrat."

Especially ones who respond by saying "I literally mentioned the repugs are are old too.

It makes on doubt the sincerity of the poster.

[EdmondDantes_]

37. So you doubt their sincerity after you didn't accurately read what they posted?

I mean that's definitely a take, but it seems like you're just looking for a reason to get angry given the circumstances.

[brush]

40. Apparently you didn't read both of my posts.

as I did go back read the rest of the OP bashing Dems, on this site which is supposed to support Dems. I read the rest while holding my nose.

And yeah, I doubt the sincerity of OPs the bash the entire party while giving short shrift to the same issues repugs have with a president in rapid mental decline leading it.

[Keepthesoulalive]

22. Some democrats

Believe John Wayne is going to come over the hill and rescue us. John Wayne was Hollywood fantasy.
There are no easy answers, democrats must work ,sacrifice and stick together. We won’t stop watching media outlets that do not have our best interests. We think a certain pundits book is truth because we don’t want to filter corporate bullshit. We must stop being passive hand wringers and get involved.

[Hugin]

23. Yes, involvement is key.

Enable those around you.

[Arazi]

35. That's just factually not true

There are currently 16 octogenarians in the House of Representatives, and 13 of them are Democrats

[brush]

38. You too? Pls read post 18 and 34. Trump is nearly 80 and Moscow Mitch is even older.

As are several other rethugs.

Dems don't have a monopoly on older pols. Wonder why some Dems on this site love to talk about how old Dems are but don't rail about old rethugs.

[JustAnotherGen]

48. I'm going to say something radical brush

Donald Trump only got elected because he was a white man who tapped into white grievance. And a LOT of young white men in particular voted for him for that reason.

The racist voter doesn't care about age - they care about who is telling them they want to 'kick the others' and make them 'feel their pain'. I think that entire generation of young white men are lost to us.

Also - I keep reading they can't get laid - so it's not like they are going to have kids who they instill their prejudices into.

[brush]

60. I agree with you on the reasons trump won....Palestinians for trump, Latinos for trump, young white men for trump etc..

I do however, still take issue with the OP bashing Dems being too old when both major parties have just about as many older leaders.

[yardwork]

19. This senior citizen agrees with you.

Young people - my kids among them - view the Democratic Party as out of touch and beholden to big money and old ways.

We saw the bad effect of old thinking on Harris's campaign, which started out fresh and got bogged down, I suspect by older long-time DNC advisors and strategists. Their strategies are stuck in the 1970s.

We need young people who know how to talk to other young people, know how to use social media effectively in a campaign.

[Beringia]

21. Old tree make way for young tree

[delisen]

28. I have never seen old tree uproot itself for young tree. nt

[Ping Tung]

24. What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy. Voltaire

I'm 81 and agree with Voltaire.

[cornball 24]

25. I am in total agreement with you!! The younger people are inheriting this mess.

They are the ones who should be taking responsibility and making the decisions that will impact THEIR lives. I am sick and tired of these selfish old coots who, in my opinion, care only about themselves. BTW, I am 83!

[JustAnotherGen]

50. You are near the end

I'm at 52.

They never talk about the $4026 a month I was supposed to get if I retired at 67. It takes into account the fact that I was modeling as a child as well as my 20 years of highest earnings. That came at the expense of family, relationships, my health, etc. etc.

If they fix it . . . if they are sooooooooo good - then they better figure out how they are going to get me the money on my printout I requested.

My number one issues in 2026 are Voting Rights, the SALT Cap, & Social Security. I don't think young people can relate - because a lot of them don't vote.

[NoMoreRepugs]

26. Schumer standing down IMMEDIATELY would be a tremendous start to the process of revamping leadership.

[Paladin]

27. Hey, it's not our fault that Republicans are immortal. (nt)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

36. Typo: you added a "t" to "Immoral".

and yes, it's not our fault Repugs are immoral.

[betsuni]

54. Never dying is something to get worked up about, not too many House Dems dying this year or 13 not dying fast enough

or whatever the hell this bashing is.

[Polybius]

29. Are Democrats older than Republicans?

What's the average age of Democrats in the House and Senate? How about Republicans?

[Ol Janx Spirit]

43. They are actually very similar....

"In the House, the 30 newly elected first-time Republican representatives skew a bit older than their 31 Democratic counterparts: The median age of freshmen House Republicans is 51.7, compared with 50.2 for first-time Democrats in that chamber.

Overall, the median age of House Democrats is 57.6, while the median age of House Republicans is 57.5.

In the Senate, the median age of all Democrats is 66.0, a bit higher than the median for Republicans (64.5)."*

Even though America is currently older than ever, the median age of an American is around 39 years old.** This makes the House on average 18 years older than the average American; while the Senate is 26 years older than the average American.

* https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/16/age-and-generation-in-the-119th-congress-somewhat-younger-with-fewer-boomers-and-more-gen-xers/

** https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/

[Srkdqltr]

30. We need people who are younger, more savvy about tech not afraid to push for upgrades and to modernise the government

systems as needed. Look at the traffic controller tech failing because its old and not upgraded. I'm sure that isn't the only system .
Trump and his minions take advantage of media as needed and are not bound by what went before.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. F.Y.I. Young people die too. Cancer, heart disease, and stroke don't care what age you are.

[AStern]

33. They seem to be afraid that younger Democrats aren't as conservative

Hence the pushback against David Hogg and AOC

[JustAnotherGen]

51. You mean against Malcom Kenyatta

The 34 year old Black male PA Assembly Member (won at 27) that received 298 votes to Hoggs 214 but STILL has to go through the election process again?

Like - is 34 too old? Or is like? 25? Like - how old is like 'old'?

[AStern]

55. Appreciate the reply, but the tone feels a bit off.

The point was about how younger, more progressive Democrats often face resistance from the party establishment. That includes folks like AOC and David Hogg.

We can debate the dynamics without turning it personal.

[betsuni]

56. Kenyatta has been put in the Status Quo Establishment binder and cannot be progressive, young, or good.

Those are the rules.

Like when Nina Turner ran against Shontel Brown; because Brown was in the Establishment binder Turner and supporters accused Democrats of being terrified of a strong progressive woman of color (even right here). Pointing out that Brown was also a strong progressive women of color just didn't sink in. (Of course when Turner lost she blamed rigging and corruption and "evil money" and burned all the bridges with the conspiracy theory blow torch those types like.)

[AStern]

58. I'm not even a fan of Nina Turner--her style wasn't for me--but

dismissing all criticism of the Democratic establishment as sour grapes or conspiracy is missing the point.

The concern isn’t that Kenyatta or Brown aren’t good people or progressives. It’s that when the party machine backs a candidate, there are often unspoken limits on how far they can push real change. That’s a fair concern, not a fringe one.

We should be able to talk about the structural barriers to progressive reform without reducing it to bitterness or bad faith.

[meadowlander]

66. This gets to the point. It's not an age thing. It's a "soul of the party" thing.

When I was young in the late 70s/early 80s, the Democrats were unabashedly the party of the young, the working class, minorities, the counter-culture. It was cool to be a Democrat while the Republicans were greedy out-of-touch old fogies and God-bothering hypocrites.

Then in the 90s with the Clintons, the party shifted significantly more towards the middle to try to appeal to economic conservatives and to solicit more campaign contributions from corporations. And it worked for a while because it convinced the majority of people that the Democratic party was a safe pair of hands that wasn't going to do anything too crazy to crash the economy.

And all the party leaders now are of that generation. And don't want to admit that that approach isn't going to work anymore if Trump is eating into our base among blue collar workers and non-college educated voters. So they don't want to give up power because they are afraid that the next generation of leadership will swing the party back towards its traditional values (or even further to the left) which may mean more difficulty fundraising and appealing to middle of the road voters.

But what is the point of fundraising if you have no message or core values - if you can't just say plainly "the rich need to pay more taxes to support social programs that create the work force and social conditions that enabled them to get rich in the first place".

Everyone knows that's the truth but many core elements of the Democratic party are losing faith in the party's willingness or ability to fight for those values. And they see that personified in octogenarian party leadership and its reluctance to fight fascism full-throatedly for fear of scaring off the donors.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

41. When I came of political age in the 80s, I looked at the two parties...

...and saw nothing but (mostly older) white men in the Republican Party, and I saw in the Democratic Party a group of people of all ages and colors that included both men and women. I remember thinking that the only way America could effectively make policy for everyone was for the government to look like everyone--not just white men.

I still strongly believe that today. Democracy means you don't get what you want, but if the government looks like the country you should get what is best for everyone.

"In the House, the 30 newly elected first-time Republican representatives skew a bit older than their 31 Democratic counterparts: The median age of freshmen House Republicans is 51.7, compared with 50.2 for first-time Democrats in that chamber.

Overall, the median age of House Democrats is 57.6, while the median age of House Republicans is 57.5.

In the Senate, the median age of all Democrats is 66.0, a bit higher than the median for Republicans (64.5)."*

Even though America is currently older than ever, the median age of an American is around 39 years old.** This makes the House on average 18 years older than the average American; while the Senate is 26 years older than the average American.

Making sure that Democrats propose good policies that are relevant to all voters depends greatly on finding ways to encourage the Democratic Party to look more like America at large.

* https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/16/age-and-generation-in-the-119th-congress-somewhat-younger-with-fewer-boomers-and-more-gen-xers/

** https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/

[EdmondDantes_]

42. I have some objections to this

The n of Congressional people dying is really small. That makes the death rate a really hard indicator to use given it's largely statistically insignificant.

But also the average age in this Congress is functionally identical in the House and only 1.5 years in the Senate.

"Overall, the median age of House Democrats is 57.6, while the median age of House Republicans is 57.5.

In the Senate, the median age of all Democrats is 66.0, a bit higher than the median for Republicans (64.5)."

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/16/age-and-generation-in-the-119th-congress-somewhat-younger-with-fewer-boomers-and-more-gen-xers/

Yes leadership is older, but that's the seniority system and people generally don't like to give up power especially when they still feel like they are doing good.

And as you note Sanders is effective at speaking to people and rallying them and so is Trump. It's not just age. Yes it's often easier as a younger person, but it's also easier for extroverts. I'd need several days to recover from one of those massive rallies as an introvert.

[mike_c]

44. 100% agree

I'm seventy, and I completely agree! We desperately need a younger, bolder, more dynamic democratic party with an alternative vision of life in America. We need strength, not slogans.

[Celerity]

46. Also, we need to stop having seriously ill or unhealthy incumbents/candidates selfishly run when they know they are in

bad shape health-wise.

These are the last House reps to die in office:

5 dead in the last 10 months now, 3 starting since just this March, all are elderly Dems.

All were not in good shape when they ran for re-election (or in Turner's case he was replacing another one, Jackson Lee, who had just died, and then HE died after serving only 2 months).

[H2O Man]

52. 2008

Obama was young.

Recommended.

[Self Esteem]

63. Clinton too when he ran...

Remember 1996 when Clinton was up against Dole?

The optics were decidedly against Dole because of the age issue.

Dole was 73 that election!

Younger than Schumer.

[H2O Man]

68. Good call!

[Wanderlust988]

53. My issue is that they are not in great health, but want to die in office

That's the problem. They think they are royalty and will never step down from their 'duties'.

[Self Esteem]

64. I don't disagree with that...

They're hanger-oners who would rather die in office than hand over power.

[Hekate]

61. So what office are you running for? Or encouraging youngsters to run for?

You know the drill: start local with “nonpartisan” offices like School Board so people get to know your name and face — and so people who already know you will vote for you. City Council next. You don’t get to be US Senator on the first pass like JD Vanceunless you have a billionaire sugar-daddy like Peter Thiel.

Encourage those youngsters.

[Self Esteem]

65. Huh?

You seem to be under the impression that the only issue is that Democrats aren't electing younger people to office - that is only part of the issue. There are plenty of standouts already elected - three I mentioned in my post. The big issue is that the party itself seems to expect younger elected leaders to sit in the back until it's their time and when the hell is that going to be?

I already mentioned Democratic leadership passed on AOC to be the top Dem on the oversight committee. They instead went with the dying Connolly.

The leader of Senate Democrats is 74 years old and wholly out of touch it seems.

The Democratic Whip is 80 years old.

It doesn't really matter how many Democrats are elected if they're relegated to the back bench.

It's time to have the younger members become the face of the party. Schumer absolutely should stand down - as Pelosi did. He should have in January when the congress was seated.

[W_HAMILTON]

67. Then the youth should follow their own advice and "earn their votes."

Spoiler alert: shitting on the people and party whose votes you need to get elected to the position you want is not a good way to "earn their votes."