The hate that dares speak it’s name.
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Disliking old people because they are old- not good. Disliking politicians that have amassed too much power, wealth and control of our country because they have been in positions of power for decades, and who are therefore old-not so bad? Realizing that there are a lot of such politicians-not so bad?
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While we’re waiting on the Roe decision and so many others - Kavanaugh, Coney- Barrett, Gorsuch.
Elders all.
Richard Spencer and the Tiki Torch Militia?
Elders all.
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But we disagree with those judges’ positions, not their ages. There are plenty of boomers who are still (again) fighting the good fight against fascism and the current crop of tyranny. Boomers are no more monolithic in their views than any other demographic.
You want change? Stop white guys from holding office for 20 years.
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Why just white guys? And really, change in and of itself isn’t the goal. Changing from a reasonably functional democracy to an authoritarian theocracy would be a change, and there seem to a lot of people who would embrace it. The reasons politicians keep getting re-elected are more complicated to solve than just term limits.
One doesn’t need to agree with his idea of forced retirement at a certain age to recognize that we’ve got some perverse incentives in place for some politicians to hang on to their jobs longer than they probably should. Plenty of older senators are still doing great (go Bernie!) but some others, not so much.
The Senate, in particular, is set up in such a way that the chamber’s rules and traditions (not the Constitution) grant more power to senior Senators. So some long-time Senators may feel that they’d be letting down their state by retiring and being replaced by someone with less power.
As always, it’s generally a good idea if the politicians in power more-or-less reflect the demographics of the people being governed. Yes, you’d expect them to be a bit older than the population at large but not way, way older. Currently only 12% of the Senate is under 50, the average is 64, and the Senior Senator that represents a state with 39 million people (more than the bottom 21 states combined) is 89, and by all accounts has been doing her job a lot less effectivity lately. It’s not ageism to note that this demographic shift in the senate is skewing the chamber’s politics and perspective.
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People who have lost capabilities and can no longer serve at the highest levels should all retire from Congress regardless of their age.
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Absolutely. But as I noted the rules and traditions of the Senate discourage that because a state would be giving up the power that comes with seniority. So those structural advantages that come with seniority should be eliminated.
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Most voters don’t rate seniority as the most important reason to vote for candidates.
Edit:
And the Senate should be eliminated.
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Is that a serious question?
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But they do rate the results and benefits that a Senator brings to their state, which is directly tied to the power that comes with seniority. A number of long-time Senators throughout history kept their jobs in part because they served in positions directing appropriations on the Ways and Means committee or similar powerful assignments they got due to seniority. Those things are inextricably linked in the current structure of the Senate.
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Because they are often the problem? 
Far too many white men fail up, and fuck things up for the rest of us. Racism and misogyny ensures that keeps happening, no matter what damage it does.
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I don’t see current evidence supporting this. Things now are ideologically driven.
Regardless- it shouldn’t be a factor in limiting enfranchisement based upon age. You want to change the structure of the Senate - start a thread about that.
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Definitely not the most important, but before she showed us who she was during the Trump era, I did weigh seniority when deciding whether to vote for Collins or her opponent. To be clear, this was back when she at least appeared to have a moral compass. Just my two cents.
And agreed, the senate should be done away with in its current form. Just imagine what this country would look like now if all those bills passing in the house could be enacted?
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Captain Obvious answer: they have been in charge for basically the last 200 years, and this current state of fuckery is where our society has ended up because of cis-het White male supremacy.
They’ve done a shit job, it’s time to let someone else drive.
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It’s reparations to everyone else.
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Worth considering.
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I love this idea, but I think it should be evidence-based, because this will effect all politicians, not just the ones who are there now. So:
- What is a reasonable term limit for politicians that allows them to get shit done but not dig-in just to hold their jobs?
- At what point does age start to play a factor in things like: Number and quality of questions asked in comittee / involvement in legislation / advocacy for their specific riding / etc?
That way, you’re not just turfing the old guard, but also making sure the new guard doesn’t just become the old guard later.
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