Maybe Dems will do better if we got somebody under 70 to run things.

[Atman]

It's really sad. The Republicans are kicking our asses despite horrible ideas, and I'm convinced it's partly because of the messengers. Sure, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, the "young guns," are all terrible human beings, but to young voters 'they look like us.' They have a message that nothing is working with these old people in charge, and it resonates! So what do Democrats do? We put up Bernie and Hillary and Nancy and Joe. All the old folks you dread seeing when you go home for Thanksgiving. Are there really no young, charismatic Democrats left? If we don't get some new blood and new energy we might as well hang it up now.

[crazycatlady]

1. Pete Buttigieg (sp?)

Young and charismatic. We need more like him.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

33. I hadn't heard about him until the recent DNC chair race

Was excited to learn that he's from Indiana. The Democratic Party would do well to encourage him to run for Governor in 2020. If you think that the national party bench is bad, I'm not even sure we have much of a party left in this state except in some local areas. After Bayh was termed out and O'Bannon passed away, our party has been pretty defunct here. Donnelly is our only statewide officeholder left here and he's up for re-election in 2018. So far, all the big name Republicans are refraining from challenging him, which is a good sign that he can win re-election.

[lagomorph777]

55. Never mind (sp) - try to pronounce it!

I have heard so many mangled versions of it, and I have no idea what it's supposed to be. Maybe he needs to change it to something more appealing - "Butterfinger?"

[crazycatlady]

57. I've heard it at 'booty judge"

If that is the case, change your name. The last thing he wants to be known for is judging people's backsides.

[lagomorph777]

59. "Booty Judge" is what Trump does.

Seems like a liability for a Dem.

[littlemissmartypants]

132. But edge edge.

For those singing along at home. That's the pronunciation.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. I absolutely agree.

Among the reasons I wasn't crazy about Hillary in the very first place, was I felt she was already too old, too same old same old. Bernie Sanders, while a couple of years older, at least seemed to have some new ideas.

There has not been a newcomer to the national Democratic scene since Bill Clinton, over a quarter of a century ago. Instead of pushing for Hillary to run again in four years (a truly terrible idea), we should be looking around for new, younger faces. We need new, younger leadership.

It's time the Boomers moved from the national scene.

[exboyfil]

5. Look to the younger Senators and

Governors. Whoever runs needs to have some level of gravitas.

Sanders, Clinton, and Warren are all too old. Possibly one could be a VP candidate.

Ideally someone from the upper midwest. My current favorite is Amy Klobuchar.

[DFW]

14. No newcomer since Bill Clinton in 1992? Not one?

I seem to remember an obscure Illinois State Senator around the time of the Iraq invasion who made a really stirring keynote speech in Boston in 2004 when Kerry was nominated.....what WAS his name...it'll come to me any moment now.....

We have the talent. But not everyone is an instant media star. Some will have to work at it. We boomers are only too happy to cede the national scene. So, here it is! The national scene, gift wrapped! Come 'n' get it!

Uh, hello? Anybody home? National scene anyone?

THAT's why Hillary ran and won the nomination. Howard said back in 2009 that no one over the age of 50 should be running for President. If he was backing Hillary, it was because he despaired of anyone younger (and with a serious chance) of stepping up before time ran out. Actually, he was kind of hoping Kirsten Gillibrand might make some noises, but she didn't.

Let's hope some of our younger talent is at least thinking about it already. Don't worry about "electability." If the USA can elect Donald Trump to the presidency, then we can elect a garden hose. Nothing wrong with a young, untried, but well-meaning, dynamic greenhorn. I seem to remember it working the last two times we tried it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

63. Okay, I somehow managed to forget Obama.

*Facepalm*

What I do recall quite clearly was that in 2002/03 a lot of people were saying Gore, Gore, Gore.

And then in 2006/07 a lot of people were saying Kerry absolutely had to run again.

Reaching all the way back to Hillary in 2016 was a vast mistake. And to suggest that she or any of the old guard should run in 2020 is to prove that those doing the suggesting don't really get history.

Hillary started raising huge sums of money in 2013 in an eventually successful effort to intimidate every other possible candidate. We were bludgeoned by her inevitability and are paying the price.

Among the many problems with Trump is his age. He's too old for this job. Period. He certainly looks like a heart attack waiting to happen.

Every time I see some serious suggestion that the human life span could be extended to several hundred years, I can only think of how awful it would be to have one generation in power for that length of time. We need replacing, both on a personal and societal level. I really hope that in the next couple of years new Dems show up. And, at least as important, people here or anywhere else in the political sphere don't get stuck on one or two candidates really early.

[karynnj]

19. Have you forgotten Barack Obama so quickly? He was certainly a newcomer in 2004 ... and in 2008

In addition, unlike Clinton, he really was not someone the old boy's network chose as the new upcomer. He used an incredibly lucky break, that he shared a friend with Senator Kerry and that person suggested Kerry check Obama out in 2004, leading to Obama's wonderful speech.

I think there are many younger Democrats, now holding Senate. House or Governor's seats. This is still months after a disappointing election. At this point in other years, there was the same looking back at familliar names - because the new names have yet to emerge. In fact, you mention Clinton. In 1992, it was hoped Mario Cuomo would run and the field was mocked as Mario and the 7 dwarfs. Yet, within a year, Bill Clinton was elevated by winning the nomination. (Note that many of the others were really credible candidates including Tsongus and Jerry Brown.) Not to mention Clinton chose a young VP, who had been a not very successful 1988 candidate.

I assume our nominee will be someone who emerges as a clear, attractive voice to Trump over the next two years. Considering Trump's start, there will be many times when a Democratic response is needed. I could list the Democrats I see possibly emerging ... but I KNOW that would be a list of people the media has already focused on. Remember that in February 1989, you likely had not heard much about Bill Clinton - even though the NYT had profiled him and he was given the keynote speech in 1988 - and unlike Obama, he did NOT exactly blow it out of the park.

I think Bernie did as well as he would ever do in 2016 - as I believe that part of his vote was anti-Clinton (fair or not) and he was very early on the only alternative. I doubt he will run in 2020 -- and if he does, the shock will be how much worse he does. I do not think that Biden or Clinton will run again. I do think their ages - no matter how energetic and healthy - will make them less likely to win. However, I DO think that as soon as they start polling - if they are included - they will poll well against people will little name recognition.

At the moment, I think we need to work on 2017, 2018 Governor and Congressional races. People thinking of running will be trying to develop their campaigns under the radar - which is where they should be. We also need to restate what our values are -- and the various memos that Obama had all his Cabinet write on their accomplishments is a good place to start. What was done are things weshould mostly be proud of -- we should claim what was good and valuable, fix other positions and look to see who can make these things resonate. I am confident that some potential leaders will inspire various groups of people. Those people will emerge as possible nominees -- or at least spokespeople for the nominee.

[greatauntoftriplets]

36. Ever hear of Barack Obama?

Or Martin O'Malley?

[democrank]

3. Jason Kander?

[KittyWampus]

6. besides other more substantial things... the camera loves Jason Kander.

[exboyfil]

10. Pro-gun Midwesterner

With a military background and progressive ideas.

A bit young. Too bad he lost the Senate race.

[exboyfil]

4. You have a real point

Folks like Corey Booker, Martin Malley, the Castro brothers, Amy Klobucher need a forum.

Tom Perez and Keith Ellison are two more.

[chillfactor]

8. agreed....

they are the future of our party.

[tblue37]

28. Gavin Newsome? nt

[brush]

42. Kamala Harris and Antonio Villaraigosa, both from California also

This OP seems it should have been posted a year or two ago before the election instead now nearly four months after.

I'm glad it was left up so people could respond.

It seems as if the poster hasn't heard of any of the younger Dems who either got elected in November or are emerging now.

Perez and Ellison are also part of the new Dem leadership, and didn't we just get a huge win in Delaware in what was supposed to be a close race? I'd say that was the "trump effect" starting to set in.

[Atman]

67. The poster has worked for many of the younger dems.

I've got both the Castro brothers in my portfolio, as well as Kirsten Gillibrand. Also Gabby Giffords, but she's probably not in the running anymore. Julian is at least getting some face time in the news, keeping himself out there. I wish Kirsten was out there every day, getting herself in front of the cameras as much as the Congressional Deplorables do. I've heard of all of the younger Dems. The trouble is, I'm a wonk/junkie. But most of America only watches Fox "News" and maybe some network crap, so they never hear these names until some backroom power brokers have already decided who they want on the ticket.

We should have our best and brightest out there NOW, not waiting until six months before the mid-terms. Make some noise. Beat down the bullshit from the right-wing flak machine. We're not doing that.

[putitinD]

7. someone much younger, with their future AHEAD of them. Not already behind them. Not al

ready set for life (rich). We need someone about 40 from a modest background.

[crazycatlady]

12. Kirsten Gillibrand?

[Blue_true]

68. I think Gillibrand and Van Hollen are perfectly positioned.

Forties or early fifties with a lot of experience at the national level. Klobuchar is also well positioned. Most Democratic Governors are too old, except for the Governors of Montana and Colorado.

[crazycatlady]

69. how old is Roy Cooper?

[enough]

9. Weird how the oldest guy ever to become president is now in office.

That said, I agree with you about the dems, and I'm over 70 myself.

[Atman]

11. Superficiality.

He's a tv star. He's famous. He talks like a drunken frat boy. He tweets...Hillary is your mom who doesn't know how to set up her own email. Bernie still sends telegrams. It's not hard to understand.

[geek tragedy]

34. by running explicitly on a promise to turn the country backwards nt

[FSogol]

13. Martin O'Malley. n/t

[greatauntoftriplets]

37. + 1,000

[loyalsister]

92. I think he's laying groundwork

He's staying involved, watching and talking about every 45 misstep, etc and spending time in Iowa. I like him. There's something slightly romantic about a candidate who started at the city council level.

[HughBeaumont]

15. We'd better do something.

The GOPee has two prominent young-uns in Cruz and Rubio.

True, they suck the chrome off a trailer hitch on just about every issue . . . . but they aren't the "same old boring white guys" the GOPee is known for. Appeal to the Latin Community (why, I don't know) is another attribute both share.

I think the reason we don't have a youth movement is that power is not that addictive to our younger persons interested in politics as opposed to the GOP. I imagine the potential venom they'll have to deal with from a complicit media (compared to the relative free-passes Republicans get) doesn't help much either.

[Beartracks]

41. I had just gotten a mouthful of soup....

.... when I read, "suck the chrome off a trailer hitch."
LOL

================

[HughBeaumont]

44. Sorry.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

46. Add to that: "suck hard enough to bend light" and

"suck a basketball through a garden hose."

[rzemanfl]

105. "...start a Harley..."

The trailer hitch line is from Willie Nelson in "Electric Horseman."

[rzemanfl]

102. That is not the usual context for the comment. n/t

[NurseJackie]

16. Not long ago, this type of criticism and thread would be considered to be "ageist" ...

... I guess times change, huh?

[Hortensis]

22. Way over the "agist" line. Valid discussion, but it needs

to step carefully. Maybe substituting "black" and "white" for old and young would illustrate the point for some.

But, hey, this is the trumpster era, all pretenses of respect and equality freely abandoned.

[NurseJackie]

26. You're correct. That you've observed is often reflected in jury decisions as well.

Hashtag sad.

[tblue37]

29. I am 66, but I agree with the OP. nt

[Hortensis]

48. Kind of a blanket insult to people whose lives are

all behind us, surely? I agree more younger people need to elbow their vigorous, competent in spite of inexperience ways in. But there's no halfway on most of these posts. Old = worse than useless, a liability.

Btw, some here were anxious to get 53-year-old Keith Ellison elected and rejected 35-year-old Buttigieg out of hand. Yet apparently Ellison was going to be officially old and worthless before he finally got some high-octane experience in national politics under his belt, even if chairing the DNC was his next step.

[tblue37]

50. Unlike the GOP, the Dem leadership doesn't do enough to get new people

into the pipeline at the local and state level and then promote them and support them financially, so we don't have as deep a bench of younger political office holders with a national profile.

[Hortensis]

54. The GOP focused on putting ideological extremists

Last edited Tue Feb 28, 2017, 03:59 PM - Edit history (1)

in office, though, Tblue37, their interest in age being to keep them there for a long time.

Black money could reelect a useful 70-year-old as easily as a 35-year-old. This wasn't about "inclusiveness" or representing the interests of younger generations, even 0.001%.

Forgot to mention, they had all those open seats because they used black money to purge from office moderate and traditional conservatives who would have strenuously objected to their plans for the nation.

Btw and fwiw, these people are profoundly incompetent at and unsuited to running a democratic republic at any age. As John Dean, former Goldwater Republican and close, inside observer of the Nixon White House sadly notes, they rule like hogs at the trough. Actually, he put it far more impressively, but I don't feel like going and grabbing the book. He did say that 40 years of observation is that they inevitably "rule" for their own benefit, rather than "govern" for the people's good.

Not that we couldn't use more younger generation people, just my knee-jerk reaction to admiring anything the Republicans are doing these days. Even when it sounds good, you can be very sure the real reasons are bad.

[geek tragedy]

43. Politicians who have been in DC have a shelf life, if they've been there too long

then they're not credibly positioned to say they can bring a change to the way things are done.

That will very often correlate with age.

Also, while age doesn't affect a person's ability to do the job, it does affect their electability (especially if they're a Democrat).

[JCanete]

62. Yeah, being pragmatic is one thing. Denigrating respectable, very mentally spry, wise, seniors

as people you'd rather not be around, is certainly a recipe for a smarter and more compassionate party going forward. Even if this were a path to successful politicking it would represent a shallower, less empathetic, less intellectually curious, version of our party.

[TheFrenchRazor]

106. actually, this argument has always been quite popular here; wrongly, IMO. nt

[Act_of_Reparation]

17. They remind me a bit of the generals during the First World War.

Warfare changed, but the people leading the armies could not or would not see it.

[DefenseLawyer]

18. Give me someone brutally honest, strong in his or her convictions and smart

I don't care about age, gender or race. Identity politics is not the way forward.

[Talk Is Cheap]

20. It's not the age of the person that matters...

...rather, it is what their policies are, their experiences, their history, and their beliefs...

For some reason, people ignore the 'elder statesperson'.

[George II]

21. What? Do you know how old the person is who was "elected"?

That is a very ageist post. From a 69 year young person who is "younger" than many 40 year olds, I'm highly offended.

[skylucy]

40. +100 I agree! I'm 63 and my parents are almost 90. I read that post (and some of the other posts

in agreement) and thought WTF?! I'm going to hold my tongue and not tell them to go F themselves.If they live long enough to become one of those "old people" who they think are so useless and should be kicked to the curb, I hope they learn some lessons along the way. They sure don't have a clue about life right now.

[AngryAmish]

23. Weiner is available.

[SFnomad]

24. If you want someone less than 70 to run, they need to start making a name for themselves now

If they don't, by the time 2019 comes around, someone with name recognition will take the lead and be tough to displace. It takes name recognition and the ability to raise money to win the nomination. Someone with only one (or neither) won't get the job done.

[onenote]

25. You think Paul Ryan is "charismatic"?

And do "young voters" really think guys in their mid to late 40s "look like us"?

Seven of the 8 oldest members of the Senate are Republicans.

There are a number of "under 70" Democrats who are up and coming leaders, in my opinion: Cory Booker, Tammy Duckworth, Kristen Gellibrand, Kamal Harris, Tammy Baldwin, Julian Castro, Tim Ryan, Eric Garcetti.

[gopiscrap]

27. agreed

[Demsrule86]

30. Its really bad that some who called themselves progressive want to

blame Democrats who have no power to stop Trump for not stopping Trump; some who didn't even vote for Hillary I suspect (no not you) I mean it is always easier to attack Democrats then fight GOP's for some...elections have consequences and you need experienced people from blue blue districts to slow down Trump...you won't stop him unless you get out and vote in 18 and 20.

[LanternWaste]

31. If we reduce ourselves to a pageant, then we have lost.

Age is simply commercial branding. The experience of years does not deny new concepts.

'New blood' is nothing more than another absurd bumper-sticker targeted to the lowest common denominator. If we reduce ourselves to a pageant, then we have lost... regardless of your fortune-cookie wisdom.


"Are there really no young, charismatic Democrats left?"
How difficult it must be to simply find out on one's own, though that would deny the display of self-serving cleverness, regardless of what you're hanging up.

[geek tragedy]

38. Democrats who have been elected* President since WWII:

JFK
Carter
Bill Clinton
Obama

*Truman and LBJ became president via succession not election

Carter was the old man of the group when elected, at 52.

Very hard for a party to say it's about the future when it's run by a gerontocracy

[loyalsister]

93. Seems like when there is a measurable difference the younger candidate wins

The exception being Reagan who managed to portray a youthful image and was also the beneficiery of his opponent's bad luck and unhappy domestic circumstances.

[geek tragedy]

94. Republicans are the party of going backwards, of living in the past.

So they can do pretty well with older candidates.

We're the party of the future.

[caroldansen]

32. Trump is 70. He will be 71 in June. So, thats not it. But good thought.

[DonCoquixote]

35. er, tell that to Bernie

Bernie did not "look like us" but he sure talked liked many of us, and that is what mattered.

[former9thward]

125. I would tell that to Bernie.

And I voted for him in the primary. The fact is that Clinton never seriously attacked Sanders because she knew she had the nomination in the bag from the time she announced. Republicans never attacked Sanders because they knew he was never going to be the nominee. If he had been the nominee he would have been attacked for his age all over the place.

[Vinca]

39. That's exactly what my husband said about an hour ago when Nancy Pelosi appeared on the TV.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

45. We politic with the leaders we have, not necessarily the leaders we want

We need leaders with experience as well. I'm also tired of the notion that we need to have these awe-inspiring "charismatic" leaders. We need smart, intelligent people running the country, not personalities. We're not always going to get a Barack Obama or Bill Clinton every election but we still need intelligent, competent, and well-qualified people like Al Gore, John Kerry, or Hillary Clinton to run and, more importantly, to win so that we can make progress. If people can't take five seconds and tell that any one of these aforementioned past Presidential candidates are more intelligent and capable of running this country than somebody like George W. Bush and Donald Trump, then we have bigger problems than "old" and "bland" candidates.

[Atman]

95. Al Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.

You just named the residents in my mom's assisted living center. Except they would never live there because they're rich as shit. And my mom died six weeks ago.

It seems as if Democrats think "celebrities" are names we remember from when we were children. What's wrong with Julian Castro or Kirsten Gillibrand? Why do keep going back to Grandpa's knee?

[karynnj]

120. Your insults are unnecessary here -- not one of these three Democratic leaders are even close to

needing assisted care, nor are many people at their ages. I agree that they should not run in 2020 -- unless for some currently unknown reason they are the best chance and there is a ground swell of popular enthusiasm. Not to mention, these people did NOTHING to deserve your condesention. Gore likely informed more people in this country on the dangers of global warming than anyone else. Kerry was the key person to getting the Iran deal, which starved off a likely war, and in getting the Paris Climate change accord done. Clinton has been an icon to women deserving equal rights internationally. Now, I never met your mom or her peers, but I seriously doubt their accomplishments rise to this level.

I hope that all three of these people have many years of good health and are able to continue to contribute. (By the way, both Kerry and Biden are taking positions leading efforts at Yale and Unniversity of PA (and University of Delaware) respectively. I hope that both will use what they have learned to mentor the leaders of the future. Biden, Kerry, Gore and HRC deserve the respect they have earned for things they have fought for. That does NOT mean they should run again, but they do not deserve this derision.

[frazzled]

47. Whoa. I'm not 70 yet, but ...

"All the old folks you dread seeing when you go home for Thanksgiving"? Really? Let me let you in on a secret: they're probably not so thrilled to see you either. And they'd be happy if you'd relieve them of the task of making all those pies and scraping their fingers peeling chestnuts for the stuffing and having to make an extra dish, yet, to feed to your vegan girlfriend, or whatever. So don't go home if you dread it so much. They do all the work, you show up. With dread. Why not make your own Thanksgiving dinner?

I'm a bit aghast at the ageism here. I embrace multi-generationalism: everyone has something to offer, whether it's fresh ideas or experienced wisdom, youthful energy or hard-won strategic knowledge. I come from the generation that said not to trust anyone over 30, which was probably the most ridiculous slogan a movement ever adopted. Because we all got over thirty really really fast.

If some young leaders come along to pick up the mantle, I'm all for it. But THEY have to go out and do it, and they have to earn it. The people you are bemoaning in your post were all democratically elected, and they all worked hard to get there. They weren't crowned by some imaginary cabal of octogenarians. They weren't appointed. If someone wants to replace them, no one is going to hand it to them on a silver platter. They have to achieve it. They have to get elected, and then they have to win the support of their peers in government.

I don't understand what you are complaining about. You are posing a crazy conspiracy theory about the power of the old people, when in reality, it is the absence of the young. Get over it and get working if you want something to happen. You'll be 70 before you know it.

[skylucy]

58. +100 and AMEN.

[JCanete]

61. the tone deafness of someone who will one day, if lucky, be old and disrespected. Almost certainly,

if those values get passed down.

[TheFrenchRazor]

109. dontchaknow, ageism is cool and edgey (sp?).... good post. nt

[MineralMan]

49. And how old is Tom Perez again?

Keith Ellison? Remind me, won't you?

Thanks for yet another ageist post. Enjoy your day, won't you?

[Amimnoch]

51. Yeah! Ageist and aegism policies work!

I will not pander to stupid youth who want someone based on their youth.
I will not pander to stupid adults or elderly who want someone based their age.

Anyone who votes for a president because they "look like you", or because they are "relatable" are fucking useless tools in my book.

How about taking the time to learn what a candidate stands for, their record on issues, and just making an informed fucking decision based on that?

No patience or time for people who are so damn shallow to base their votes on such simplistic shit.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

84. Useless tools vote too.

Basing your selection of candidate an whom you think the voters morally should vote for in an ideal world, rather than on whom they actually will vote for, is not logical.

[Amimnoch]

123. So do racists, misogynists, homophobes.

Compromising morals to support a candidate that is less qualified just because they are younger.. or older... or prettier.. or more aesthetically appealing is what isn’t logical.

[crazycatlady]

91. My state reelected a senator at 84

He would go on to serve most of his term but died with 18 months left in it. He was briefly replaced by a Republican until the special election (a Wednesday in October).

The silver lining is that a charismatic young Democrat now holds the seat.


Diane Feinstein is in her 80s. If she doesn't retire, she is elected to serve a 6 year term. There's a much better chance that a younger candidate will live through a 6 year term than someone in their 80s.

[JI7]

52. no. it's mostly white people that vote republican . especially old white men

Young people are supporting dems.

[Thrill]

53. Tim Ryan was up for the challenge

And they didn't even take him seriously against Pelosi

[HockeyMom]

56. Obama was in his 40's

That is probably the perfect age. Middle Aged. Just enough experience, yet can still appeal to both the young and the old.

However, the age of the candidate isn't quite as important as the message and how much excitement a candidate can generate. Obama did that. WHO were Bernie's most ardent supporters? YOUNGER people. They liked his message and probably related to him as a Grandpa figure, probably better than a PARENT figure to people in their 20's and 30's.


I'm 68 and my kids are in their 30's. We all voted for Bernie in the Primary and Hillary in the General. Sorry to say this, but Obama, Bernie, and even Trump who I despise, have far more charisma in their little fingers than Hillary has in her entire body.

It comes right down to the entire package not just age.

[Blue_true]

70. Hillary was too private (the Press called her secretive).

She resisted releasing meaningless information for only reasons that she knows. Her failure to release that information early and fully and explain it ultimately allowed things that should have never been an issue to become one. Was Hillary held to a different standard than Trump or Bernie were, yes, but her penchant for privacy inflicted damage that only she caused.

Lastly, Democrats that run for office that have a cheating spouse had better be prepared to explain why they divorced that person or why they chose to remain married to him or her. Republicans can get away with being unfaithful or having an unfaithful spouse because their base voters are completely deluded and supply them with support regardless - Democrats don't have that luxury, their base voters demand accountability and are turned off when their politicians don't seem to be responsive to moral issues.

[wordpix]

72. what press called her secretive, Breitbart and Faux? Links, pls

[LenaBaby61]

85. tRumputin's nasty, racist, sexist, and dumb-as-a-bag of hammers ...

"Sorry to say this, but Obama, Bernie, and even Trump who I despise, have far more charisma in their little fingers than Hillary has in her entire body."


To me, tRumputin doesn't have ANY charisma whatsoever, and especially not in those tiny fingers of his. He's an old, sour, nasty, pathological, racist perverted disgusting POS. I see no charisma at all there.

Secondly, rethugs didn't have a problem getting tRumutin into the White House. But then again, they voter purged, voter-crosschecked, voter-suppressed and ruskie interfered the Dems to get him into the White House.

Lastly, Dems better lawyer up and mount some kind of attack like yesterday and be extremely concerned about how badly a tRumputin DOJ with a kkk sessions as AG will REALLY allow voter suppression, voter-crosschecking and darn right STOP Dems from voting for ANYBODY in 2018 & 2020. I didn't even ponder what role the ruskies will be "ALLOWED" to have in our next set of big elections coming up, because if putin doesn't get his WAY, tRumputin KNOWS we'll all may be seeing those smoking gun taxes of his, courtesy of his boy toy and puppet master putin tang.

[eleny]

60. something told me not to visit du today

i should have listened to my 70 year old intuition.

[SharonClark]

64. Your sentiment is good but your cause and effect fails

I agree, the Dems do need younger people to be more actively involved in the Party, especially running for office at the state house level. We need more variety among our candidates and we need to build the next generation of leaders.

But using Ryan and Rubio as examples, who lost in primaries to a old white man, doesn't prove your point. Neither does implying that young people don't vote for Dems because the Dems are old.

[delisen]

65. So how do you explain Trump winning and Rubio losing?

[Blue_true]

66. We need to get younger as a party. Old politicians should

either retire or act as advisors to younger leaders.

[wordpix]

71. I was very impressed with the 35 y.o. vet-mayor running for DNC

has a difficult name so I forget. I was hoping he'd win the chair

[Bucky]

73. Get off my lawn, punk!!

[Paladin]

74. More ageist bullshit? Really?

Sorry, I'm not in the mood for it. Ever.

[Atman]

77. Your mood doesn't matter.

Reality matters. It has nothing to do with ageism. It has to do with viable candidates who will appeal to the broadest possible audience, and get younger voters energized. Or can stick your head in the sand and call it ageism.

[BainsBane]

75. Hillary Clinton, Obama, and Perez are all under 70

[Willie Pep]

76. I really like Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards

I know that Edwards is too conservative on social issues for most people here but I think he is a great example of a young-ish (he is 50) Democrat who I think can win in red states and really inspire people. I suggest watching some of his speeches, they are really great, a mixture of liberal populism and easy-to-understand policy talk.

Edwards probably would not get through a presidential primary but I think he would make a great VP pick.

[Cha]

78. Your post is offensive.. " All the old folks you dread seeing when you go home for Thanksgiving."

I for one loved my old folks .. they're gone now. And, I'm older. Thinking my grandkids love seeing me as I do them.. and my kids.

[greatauntoftriplets]

81. Wish I could see some of the "old folks" at holidays, too.

And, like you, they're all dead -- my parents, aunts and uncles. All but one of my first cousins from my mother's side (they were much older than me). I still have the three first cousins on my father's side, but they live far away.

What kills me is that I have some questions now that I didn't have before and there's no one I can ask.

[Cha]

83. I know, greataunt.. I would love to have more conversations with

them now!

[Paladin]

87. I was hoping we'd left behind all the ageist shit with the campaign. How sad, I was wrong. (nt)

[Cha]

89. There's always going to be somebody who likes to

broadbrush and label.. thinking they know the answer.

"It's gotta be the old folks fault!!!"

[greatauntoftriplets]

88. I did an Ancestry DNA test last summer.

I'd love to talk to my parents about the results, not that there was that many surprises, just to get their reactions.

In particular, I have lots of questions for my father now that a cousin on his side who has done significant research in the family found me a few weeks ago. There are lots of stories and questions that he may be able to fill in. Stories that I wish I could tell him.

[Cha]

90. Good for you! So many questions..

and I'm the oldest now.. only see them in my dreams.

[greatauntoftriplets]

98. And I'd love to see the expression on his face when I told him I'm 5% English.

He was about half Irish and had a thing for the English, not helped by the time he spent there during WWII.

[Cha]

103. Neat.. I have some English, Irish, Scottish, French, Ojibwa..

in me, too.

Just a little melting pot.

[greatauntoftriplets]

110. I'm a melting pot, too.

Irish, Luxembourgisch, French, Swiss and German.

But according to Ancestry, I'm 52 percent Western European, 24 percent Irish, 11 Italian, 8 percent Iberian, 5 percent British and a trace of Scandinavian.

[Cha]

111. Wow.. i should get that done some day!

11% Italian!

[greatauntoftriplets]

113. It was really interesting.

I think the Italian is a result of Romans spreading across Europe back in the day.

[JTFrog]

112. Most likely intentional.

Considering some past antics.

[Cha]

114. ..

smdh

[JTFrog]

116. You and me both, lol.

[Cha]

117. ***

Frog

[JI7]

127. yup

[hibbing]

79. Gavin Newsom? n/t

[ciaobaby]

107. Gavins got my vote.

[butdiduvote]

80. I'm in my 20s and was thrilled to have Hillary's experience in the White House

Maybe this is unique to me, but I don't dread being around old people for the sake of it. There are different types of older people, just like there are different types of younger people. Some use their life experience to become stagnant and nostalgic for the past. Others, like your Hillarys, use their experiences to take in new knowledge and adapt to come up with new strategies and solutions along the way.

I'm sorry if my generation is really that simple-minded that we as a whole think, "THAT one looks like me. I want that one," but I'm not convinced we are.

To be honest, I think many of us younger folks just don't know how. This election showed me just how much about the world I don't know. I'm not smart enough to run for office. I wish I were.

[Atman]

100. I don't dread being around old people for the sake of it.

Hell, I'm 57. I'm an "old people." My point should be obvious. All Democratic candidates are very old. We keep putting forward very old people in an American culture which celebrates youth. It's more of a marketing questions. Why do we keep pushing Moxie to people who drink Red Bull?

[smirkymonkey]

82. Seth Moulton (D-MA)

https://moulton.house.gov/

I also like Katherine Clark (D-MA), but we obviously couldn't run them on the same ticket. However they are both starting to make a name for themselves and are very progressive.

[coco22]

86. We need more than one and..

more spokespeople with the fire and smart,quick witted, who won't back down and apologize about every damn thing,but we still need older congress people who know the history too..

[loyalsister]

96. Definitely

For practical reasons especially. For some reason we have been talking candidates running at an age when we hope to be retired, largely because we know our bodies are naturally not functioning as they did previously.
It only makes sense to have a presidential candidate who relates well culturally to the age groups who are the majority of everyday workers, parents, etc.

[kentuck]

97. Youth will be served.

There is no need to rush.

[pnwmom]

99. DT is older than Hillary and he got elected. n/t

[LisaM]

101. If Hillary and Nancy and Joe were at my family's Thanksgiving....

I wouldn't dread going at all! I'd look forward to it!

In fact, I always enjoyed seeing my grandparents and their friends, too, but there were modern, lively people who liked to throw back a few cocktails, get dressed up for special events, and enjoyed good food.

I've always enjoyed all-age gatherings myself.

[TheFrenchRazor]

104. um, no. with age comes wisdom; if you were older, you might know that... nt

[Atman]

108. Dumbest comment yet.

I'm "older." I think you missed the point of my OP. I'm older...why do Democrats keep forwarding people who could be my grandpa, and I'm 57? Who are we trying to attract to the party? The Oxygen Tank lobby? The HoverRound fanatics? What's wrong with wanting NEW BLOOD and some fresh energy?

[TheFrenchRazor]

115. 2nd part was a joke, but seriously, do you plan to know *less* 10 yrs from now, or more?

with age DOES come wisdom, IN GENERAL. yes there are older people who are stupid, but i'm sorry, i don't want teenagers running this country, and i most certainly would not exclude older people from the leadership of this party and country; i welcome them. it's pretty sad if dems can't win without a glitzy, "charismatic," "young" candidate; doesn't say much for the party, or its voters.

[JI7]

126. you think young people are into paul ryan and rubio. shows how much you know

About what actual younger people want.

[Atman]

130. That's not what I said.

But I do see lots of young people leaning GOP, because we've given them no reason to stay with us. We remember history, we lived it. They don't even get history taught in school anymore. Republicans are younger and are yelling "Yay America!" What are we offering them?

[JI7]

131. young people vote democratic these days more than ever

[CountAllVotes]

118. State Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. Deputy Majority Leader

Ted Kennedy, Jr. -- Liking him a lot as of recent. Might check him out!



http://senatedems.ct.gov/kennedy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_M._Kennedy_Jr.

Many are still around and there are some newer folks out there!

[Warpy]

119. Well, it would be nice if "older and wiser" were part of what we're looking for

Republicans just seem to get older, never any wiser.

I do agree that we need to work on local elections a lot more and go back to the 50 state strategy to get some new blood into the party.

[JI7]

121. did you support Omalley in the primary ?

[JI7]

122. you must not be a young voter yourself because they are NOT supporting Ryan or Rubio

[classof56]

124. As Golda Meier said..

...when elected Israel's prime minister in 1969: "70 is not a sin."

Now that I'm IN my 70s, I like that quote even more than I did then.

I don't attribute tRump's problems to his age as much as I do to the fact that he's a sociopath. I figured that out when I read The Art of the Deal 'way back when. I hope my creaking old bones hold together long enough to see him out of office, but meanwhile, I'm sickened at the wreckage he's leaving in his wake. If he's what appeals to young voters, I give up. Kinda.

[bekkilyn]

128. So what I'm hearing here is that it doesn't matter if people are terrible with horrible ideas...

...so long as they're not old. Being young, hot, and charismatic is what really counts when it comes to running the country.

Er...it is important for people of all ages to run things so that we have a country that is inclusive of people of all ages. Yes, we need young people, but we need old people too. It's called diversity.

And what's even more important, the Democratic party needs a strong message other than #notrepublican or #nottrump. Many people have no real clue what Democrats stand for anymore and that doesn't help Democrats win elections, regardless of what ages they are.

[SoCalDem]

129. While I DO agree, there is a more important factor

C H A R I S M A...

can't fake it
can't buy it
can't borrow it
can't co-opt it from another

you either have it, or you don't..whatever your age

O'Malley is as exciting as a three day old bologna sandwich.

and please..my ONE wish.. we need someone who understands that if you have a microphone you do not need to yell..