Why are American Politicians So Old?

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With a number of prominent US politicians entering in their 80s (and showing signs of fragility) many are beginning to wonder if American politics is just getting too old. So let's explain why US leaders are so old and then unpack if it's a problem.
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[@damckissen]

As an American I feel it really just boils down to the fact that our leaders have a stranglehold on the system and refuse to let go

[@vinny4765]

This. I don't understand how anyone can feel represented by what either side is offering and I really have to conclude that what we want doesn't matter.

[@antonidas3812]

@@vinny4765 You do realize you can have more than two parties? If you think neither of the dominating two can represent you, you just vote for whatever small parties you want. And if those parties get enough votes, they will become dominating parties. This happened in US and UK history before, and I don't see there are institutional restrictions to stop it from happening again.

[@tomrogue13]

People just vote for a name they recognize as well so more likely we get another Biden or Trump or a McConnell in the Senate and a pelosi in the House than someone newer and younger

[@dx-ek4vr]

@@antonidas3812 First Past the Post system, combined with Gerrymandering from both parties complicates things here in the US.

[@grimaffiliations3671]

that's why we need ranked choice voting

[@jordonbooman9913]

Being born in the middle of WW2 and still tryna be president in 2024 is wild

[@purplesprigs]

Nothing screams, "I am an ignorant loser!" quite like "tryna."

[@jordonbooman9913]

@purplesprigs yeah because winners go around youtube comment section correcting people's grammar 🤣. Bet you have loads friends

[@debilman9065]

@@jordonbooman9913 Winner? My guess is that he lost his job as a teacher so now he has no teenagers to "put down" for petty reasons like "incorrect grammar"

[@Herobeans]

​@@purplesprigsNothing screams "Ignorant Loser" than spending time correcting the grammar of a youtube comment with the manners of an edgy teen. You're a little boy

[@thecafcl8409]

"Aaaahhh he used tryna, whatsoever shall I do"

[@GeliCarlosJ]

If there's a minimum age there should be a maximum age. These people are closer to deaths door than to the people they're making laws for.

[@roddbroward9876]

Sadly it's the old people in Congress themselves who get to change the rules in the first place.

[@soccerguy325]

Being forcibly ejected should have to do with mental acuity, not age alone. Otherwise that's straight-up prejudice, and we shouldn't stand for that.

[@peterfireflylund]

@@soccerguy325you can (and should) make the exact same argument regarding minimum ages.

[@Okhan97]

@@soccerguy325 Then can you explain why there is a minimum age to be president?

[@danielcavender1092]

@@roddbroward9876ordinarily yes, but we have a way to get around it… an article 5 convention

[@matthewitt5354]

As an American, I'd also like to add gerrymandering. Those elected have incumbency rates far higher than approval ratings, in part because districts are made to be secure, so there's no pressure to remove old, poor performing, or other unpopular representatives/politicians.

[@wanali4504]

You could also include how justices can stay in office for life and how legislators can be elected for an infinite amount of terms

[@personnesenki4521]

Term limits would mitigate gerrymandering. You're never going to get completely unbiased district maps, especially when you have constituencies which do not want to be lumped into the same district. Term limits would also fix the issue of senators holding office for life, except that the best solution there would be to repeal the 17th amendment. But sadly, neither will happen.

[@vincentcrowley5196]

​@@personnesenki4521 wouldnt term limits give the incumbent less incentive to perform well if they cant stand for re-election?

[@personnesenki4521]

@@vincentcrowley5196 It would do the opposite. If politicians knew that they had to live under the same laws they imposed on us, they would have an incentive to create better laws.

[@fhita1]

The United States has an age limit for military officers. They must retire during the year of their 64th birthday. It should be the same for politicians. Geriatric politicians have no incentive to make the best long term decisions to creating a better future for the country, because it's not their future.

[@carlflaherty2215]

Even law firms (the closest parallel in the real world) require retirement at 68.

[@pritapp788]

"Geriatric politicians have no incentive to make the best long term decisions to creating a better future for the country, because it's not their future." You mean they'll favour ideas like lockdowns and run an economy based on real estate speculation? No way, I can't believe such a thing has ever happened anywhere and it can't possibly happen in the future either.

[@Exiled.New.Yorker]

100% agree. But every time it's been brought up they start shrieking about age-ism and shut the whole conversation down. We have a lower limit of 35, we need an upper limit of 65. Theres enough bound hides on the seats, we dont need more IN the seats.

[@ASMRDoodlez]

There used to be an age limit of 70 for unelected officials of some sort, but when J. Edgar Hoover turned 70, Nixon got rid of it.

[@gregorybond2859]

Because over the years they slowly build up their power base. They do not want to give it up.

[@Kalimdor199Menegroth]

@@momytik Ardern and Sanna more or less fit the multi-party political system than the two or one party system. The guy already explained this dichotomy. A state that has multiple parties able to complete in elections and gain seats in the Parliament are more likely to have younger politicians in their ranks and their internal bureaucracy is not as big. But in the case of the US, you have two political parties that are very big and the US is also a continent-size state. It takes a longer time to build a base there than in your average European state that has a small fraction of territory and population than the US does. In regards to Pita, I assume you refer to the Thai guy who is popular nowadays. But Thailand isn't exactly your average democracy. It is more of an electoral autarchy, with the monarchy and the military holding tight reigns of political institutions and elections. The regime in Thailand is becoming unpopular with the masses, and in general, popular unrest is lead by younger individuals, as opposed to the older generation who is more supporting or maybe tolerating the status quo. Jokowi comes from a country that has a far younger population than the US. The median age in Indonesia is 30. In this situation, since most people are around the 30 year old age gap, they are more likely to vote for a younger guy. Jokowi is 50 now, but he became president at 41.

[@mpittard21]

Also the lobbyists they have relations with on a consistent basis do not want the person they have cultivated to retire.

[@FormerlyHshjdigli]

​@@Kalimdor199Menegrothtldr

[@coyotelong4349]

@@mpittard21 Yep, that too And lobbyists in general have so much power over our politics now thanks to the Citizens United ruling

[@Exiled.New.Yorker]

Everyone who chose this answer, chose correctly.

[@mircallakarnstein5564]

One factor I think you’ve left out is the sheer expense of American elections. Since the 2010 Citizens United decision, the amount of money spent on US elections for Congress and the presidency has more than doubled, largely due to dark money. Wealthy donors are less likely to take a risk on new names if an incumbent is available since they’ve already proved their electability. This encourages people to stay in office longer. Add onto this the amount of time it takes for politicians to make the wealthy connections they need and the years start adding up.

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

Biannually throwing the gdp of small countries at one another.

[@Copyright_Infringement]

Hmm yes today I will SPEND MILLIONS ON 3 CAMPAIGN ADS

[@kevinconrad6156]

The incumbent reliability is also known to the wealthy donors. New candidate performance might disappoint them. Need to get the big money out. Than fix the demographic mess that is the Senate and the Electoral College.

[@mattevans4377]

So basically, corporations run the USA. And yes, I know I'm stating the blindingly obviously.

[@Exiled.New.Yorker]

@@mattevans4377 I'll let you wear the Captain Obvious badge today. :D

[@MagicNash89]

Social mobility in politics had degraded and its a bad state of affairs that needs to change or the consequences are severe.

[@greyghost2492]

I suspect that the biggest reason why Dems have trouble getting anyone younger is because they're realizing now just how deeply radicalized younger Democratic voters are. They're afraid of what will happen if they hand the reins over to the likes of AOC, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

[@BlitzkriegOmega]

The fact that our youngest president was born in 1961, and that he is the ONLY president born after 1946 is...concerning. It paints a picture of a society that has not allowed for any real changes in power-structure long enough that multiple generations have been functionally disenfranchised.

[@TheClocktowerCrew]

As an American, me and a large majority of Americans support age limits on the House, Senate, Congress, and the Supreme Court. 70 is the accepted cap. The current people in power are so old they can’t differentiate politics and personal bias

[@khadyadjisall5708]

70 is extremely old. The retirement age for most jobs is around 62-65 max. A 70 year old should not be ruling one of the most powerful country in the World, if not the most powerful. Biden should be in a retirement home.

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

See the problem is we can't tell them *WHAT* to vote on. So it's rarely even brought up.

[@waldamy]

​@@khadyadjisall5708after moving to the Netherlands, I was shocked to realise that my expected retirement age is 72. So I wouldn't say that 62-65 is maximum retirement age, especially depending on a country. But also after 60 most politicians are too disconnected from the problems of society and most of their voter base, so something like 65 age limit should really be implemented.

[@khadyadjisall5708]

@@waldamy I am an italian citizen living in France. The retirement age in France is 62. Last year we had huge protests across the country because many (my myself) think that 62 is simply too much. In Italy the situation is even worse, the retirement age is 67 for both male an female as of 2023. Before that, there were differences female would retire before the male, many of my female teachers retired at age 63. My dad is 56 years old, he worked for the same company for 27 years. He’ll retire at age 63, and this just because he has some health issues. I look it up on google just to be sure. The general retirement age is EU is 67 years, but generally if one has given sufficient contributions it is possible to retire as early as 62.

[@ArcaneCannonChey]

I think 60 should be the cap, as that would make them retirement age when they leave a four year term.

[@Mike-kc5ew]

As an American, I can say that if there's a minimum age to be elected, then there should be a maximum age as well. There are some very mature individuals who are under the minimum age limit, that we don't have a problem telling, "you'll have to wait for your turn." Just the same, we need to let those who have passed a certain age (while there are some older individuals who remain competent), that it is past their turn.

[@ultraweed8376]

Imagine THE superpower country, including the most poweful military, run by a bunch of grandpas with dementia😂

[@natedogg890]

It's truly a cruel joke

[@electrikpikachujm69]

Why is the Word imagine here

[@ladiddas]

No need to imagine, that’s how it is, and it’s fucking infuriating.

[@lokensicarius9347]

Basically Rome 2.0, Old people grinding the country into oblivion for a quick buck.

[@Historyandlegends789]

Note a joke - it’s here and now

[@personnesenki4521]

Because sadly, the Founding Fathers never imagined that career politicians would be a thing. They were used to dealing with monarchs who got the job by way of inheritance. If they realized this, they would have included term limits in the Constitution.

[@--julian_]

why hasn't anyone changed it since tho? why are these founding fathers so untouchable?

[@personnesenki4521]

@@--julian_ it's not for lack of trying. The process of amending the Constitution to allow for term limits would require that currently non-term-limited politicians to vote to term limit themselves.

[@KonaduKofi]

Age limits*. People can easily ignore term limits.

[@personnesenki4521]

@@KonaduKofi technically there are already age limits 🤣 Term limits have the added effect of forcing retired legislators to live under the laws they pass. It might encourage them to suck less.

[@personnesenki4521]

@@--julian_ and another thing... George Washington voluntarily limited himself to two terms as president and other presidents respected that until FDR. So I'd guess that a good number of the Founding Fathers believed in limited years of service and a return to private life, but they thought that most had the integrity to respect that.

[@mikaelsza]

Interesting... Here in Brazil, when politicians get closer to the 80s, they support younger people, mainly their children, to rise in power through elections. American politicians do desire to "Rest In Power"!!

[@dealbreakerc]

As much as I'm not in favour of political nepotism, there is something to be said for having politicians that are at least close to the age of the people they govern. Ideally a party will have elected members from a wide range of demographics (not just age but also race, culture, socioeconomic status, etc.). Of course the leader can't be both young and old, but someone in their middle age (30s-50s or maybe early 60s isn't that far removed from being a young adult themselves and at least is more likely to be somewhat in touch with the realities faced by the future of their country.

[@soccerguy325]

What? You mean like your 80-year-old president?? (who I think is great, btw)

[@LeoDas688]

Same in India

[@mikaelsza]

​@@soccerguy325I mean senators and representatives!! Labor's Party (PT) didn't had anyone carismatic enough to defy Bolsonaro as Lula who had run 2 mandates!! He tried to push Haddad, now Minister of Finances as a successor in 2018 but it didn't worked!! And for Bolsonaro, he will support somebody in his place next election because he is prohibited (at least now) to run!

[@soccerguy325]

@@mikaelsza Aah, so perhaps sometimes our elder politicians should be respected and valued, eh? 🤔

[@euanduthie2333]

We're now able to apply an old Soviet joke to the USA: "In olden times, power was passed down from father to son. Today, power is passed from grandfather to grandfather."

[@bbenjoe]

Fun fact: in some countries there is an age limit for the top job. For example, in Bhutan the king has to retire at age 65.

[@electrikpikachujm69]

You know its bad when a monarchy is better than a "democracy" 💀

[@KenMathis1]

*Young people:* "I don't bother to vote." *Also young people:* "Waaa... Why don't politicians listen to us?" Voting percent ============ 18-29: 43.4% 60+: 71.4%

[@SmileyBMM]

Yep, when I'm voting at my local polling station, I'm often the only person under 40 there. It's not like voting is some huge challenge here either, early voting is super long, at tons of easy to access local buildings, and open for long hours. I'm also in a pretty purple county, so every vote counts for district elections.

[@michaelcoward1902]

It's almost as if being told that your opinion is invalid for your entire life has a detrimental effect eh?

[@KenMathis1]

@@michaelcoward1902 "Booo hooo.... Someone said something bad about me so I'm going to do the one thing to justify what they said." Not voting is stupid. Own that fact.

[@landonl958]

Here in the states, we prefer our politicians to look just as they act: like a nutsack.

[@sashabraus9422]

Easy: "My grandaddy voted for X, my daddy votes for X, my brother 20 years my senior votesifor X, so who am I to deny tradition and vote for Y?"

[@PMickeyDee]

I know this is a trope, but who b America actually votes like that?

[@ChinnuWoW]

Who are you to deny tradition? Someone who can think for themself instead of letting others think for you. I guess most aren’t like that tho. Most people are sheep.

[@remlapwastaken8857]

This video is great. I'll leave my 2 cents as this; those that are guaranteed not going to live to see the consequences of their actions should not be making policy decisions for the people who are most likely going to have decades left to see the repercussions of said actions.

[@milesjolly6173]

Agreed.

[@grimaffiliations3671]

depends what the policies are, biden is older than trump but will have a significantly better influence on the future than trump

[@pritapp788]

@@grimaffiliations3671 I won't say he's a bad President (Biden), but he's done nothing to address challenges faced by his younger countrymen and there is little in the policies he pursues to indicate a long-term orientation. The consequence will be a dwindling nation because of dropping birth rates and increasing poverty, and increased dependence on large scale immigration.

[@Ammothief41]

If Biden was the one making policy and not simply doing what he's told then you'd have a point. As is, I have no idea how old his handlers are, do you?

[@grimaffiliations3671]

@@Ammothief41 i could claim trumps votes were all russian bots, we'd have the same weight to our words

[@Bravo-oo9vd]

4:49 Despite making up only 20% of the population, boomers make 50% of all congressional politicians.

[@andrepovoa988]

They're also the ones who vote the most. So they tend to choose people who they identify more as, just like anyother person... maybe the youth should start voting en masse, including the party's primaries, to assure younger canditates are put foward

[@doujinflip]

Younger folks are held back by work requirements, family demands, and voter suppression tactics like mysteriously dropped applications and lack of access to the "right" type of ID. Retirees by contrast have all day to watch the news and get in line to vote, sometimes even having sponsored assistance with at-home registrations and free rides to the polling place. Just making election days a holiday would go a long way in getting working adults out to vote.

[@JosephSolisAlcaydeAlberici]

Americans generally never consider politics as profession, but rather vocation, so since they abhor professional politicians and prefer to elect someone who is already wealthy without adequate training of being a politician, it dissuades younger people from choosing politics as the preferred profession. In Europe, politicians are mostly professional politicians who entered politics in their teens as student government leaders or activists, unlike in America where most politicians are already in their 30s or 40s when they enter politics for the first time and already had professional experiences that may affect the way of legislating in the US Congress.

[@Exiled.New.Yorker]

You are factually incorrect. 1. Politicians are largely seen as a career offshoot from studying law. the large majority of our politicians are lawyers. 2. Most politicians begin working in their field while still at Uni, volunteering as campaign workers for other politicians, and in state or municipal politics. They often have mentors at State level. 3. The reason they have money is because through #2, they have build a small power/fiscal base to expand from.

[@Exiled.New.Yorker]

My Gran was an active party member and was a local club bookkeeper delegate for the Dems a few times. Ronald Regan's election was seen as an anomaly. But as we have seen since, it's a track certain people seem to be able to cross over to, if they're politically aware enough and have a big enough base. It's like performers have a key thats accidentally so close, it fits another lock.

[@VonGoldfinger]

Yeah but the downside of Europe is that you get a bunch of 20 yr olds with absolutely no life experience that want to lead society. A recipe for disaster. Politicians should be mature people with professional and life experience not some kid fresh out of college.

[@Evenst3vn]

Politics SHOULD be a vocation and not a career. This is why European politicians are so out of touch and constantly going against the will of their own constituents (e.g. immigration). At least most American politicians have some real life experience before they get into office.

[@loganleroy8622]

Yeah no that’s not how people rise to power in the US.

[@Mustapha1963]

I think a big part of the reason is that, with seniority comes more power. Most, if not all, chairs of the various House and Senate committees are among the longest-serving legislators in their respective chambers. House and Senate leadership tend to be among the longest-serving legislators, and they get to appoint members of the chamber's various committees. If you're a senior member of either chamber, you get to funnel more pork barrel spending back to your state or district. Sadly, I don't think that we can trust the voters to turn these aged politicians out. The power of the incumbency is such that it is next to impossible to unseat someone who has been there so long. Term limits are going to be the answer, but there is zero chance that these men and women will do anything to voluntarily give up the power they've taken decades to amass. It's going to take an Article V Convention of the States to do it.

[@MsJubjubbird]

well because the seniors have been there so long, it is hard for new talent to get their face out there. I think some of the seniors still have it and are very valuable. Good for them if they enjoy having work to do. Some of them less so. How do you discriminate?

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Nothing physically impossible about it. Just have enough voters to VOT THEM OUT!

[@Jedsa009]

US Politicians also have access to better healthcare than most Americans, which means they painfully tend to live longer than they should be. For example, Henry Kissinger died at age 100, while Americans’ life expectancy is 77.

[@hasinabegum1038]

78 now

[@PMickeyDee]

1. Kissinger never held elected office. It's a bit of a misnomer to call him a politician. 2. I'm pretty sure he only lived that long is because the devil didn't want him

[@bicker31]

Uh you might want to understand how "life expectancies" are calculated before commenting. This is not a valid point

[@PMickeyDee]

@@bicker31 it is valid insofar as it is pointing to a glaring discrepancy in American society. Current and former (federal) politicians tend to live longer, healthier lives than the average American because of their access to healthcare. This isn't a politician thing so much as it's a wealthy/elite thing. Going back to politicians though HW Bush was 94, Reagan was 93, Carter is 99, Ford was 93, Senator Feinstein was 90, Bob Dole was 98.

[@bicker31]

@@PMickeyDee lol you are very obviously making a ham handed effort to change the topic to your pet issue. Not valid at all, as you virtually admitted

[@zurielsss]

It’s ridiculous that American supreme judges are allowed to practice law until death.

[@MsJubjubbird]

Agreed. In Australia seventy is the mandatory retirement age for judges. You get a nice pension and I'm sure, if you still want to work, you could get a job consulting or anything you want with a resume like that.

[@michaelcoward1902]

Imagine going through an entire revolution to get rid of one king, only to then lumber yourself with 12 of them.

[@troybaxter]

I can understand why they made it this way. The founders didn't want justices to be beholden to whatever party is currently in power, and to ultimately judge based on the law/Constitution. There are definitely flaws to this system, but it is definitely better than the alternative of terms where the judiciary system becomes either beholden to the current regime or an ever changing public.

[@The_king567]

Not really

[@domkieran8077]

​@@troybaxter I fail to understand this notion. Supreme court justices are blatantly partisan and vote a particular way, and are meticulously picked by partisan presidents who make sure they will vote accordingly.

[@mclovin6537]

I wish there were more parties in America. The 2 party system sucks

[@sazidafnan5015]

It would never work. America is designed to have a 2 party system

[@doujinflip]

We'd have to change the winner-take-all voting system so that results don't naturally converge on exactly two sides (the one winner, and the collection of all losers). Ranked-choice polling is promising and some places already institute it for local elections, but some states of a certain bent have already preemptively banned it too 🟥🗳

[@The_king567]

Most of the world has a 2 party system

[@xeanderman6688]

When my dad said that Biden is old and he shouldn't have run, I told him that Trump is also old. He dismissed it and said that he's younger and better. Now he agrees, since he saw Trump's age affecting him.

[@dvferyance]

Yes I agree Trump is in better health but he is still old and there is no telling what his condition will be in 2028.

[@dain6250]

I might add a dynamic that is a bit particular to the younger generations at the moment: We just don't have time or money to be interested in getting into politics. Most people under 50 do not have the financial stability or wealth our parents or grandparents did, and we spend most of our time just staying afloat instead of taking a more active part in politics. How is a young person supposed to be active in the city council, spearhead ballot initiatives, or use spare time to explore the feasibility of a political campaign if they have to spend their off hours doing Uber Eats so that the rent gets paid this month? That's not to say nobody goes into politics, there are some young politicians in congress, but I do not personally know any peers in my generation who could afford to take on the risk of a political campaign at the expense of their regular income.

[@user-wq1dt7li2x]

Minor nit pick from the intro; The House of Reps is a part of congress, not a separate body. Congress is both the Senate and the House of Reps

[@mattmahoney8659]

Money. You forgot money. Most, if not all, of our current older politicians have a lot of wealth and affiliations with even wealthier donors. Most of us in the younger generations don't have the kinda if money needed to run sucessfully and we don't want to rely on the same wealthy donors that prop up our current electorate.

[@thegrumpydragon7601]

Need age limits It’s literally a nursing home

[@MartijnterHaar]

Did you ever do an explainer on why Japan, which should be a democracy, functionally is a one party state? Even though Japan is a pretty important country, I've never seen a good explanation on this in Dutch media. Only some "East Asian collectivist culture" handwaving. Might be a nice idea for an explainer for the whenever the next elections for the Diet are.

[@caim3465]

All societies are collectivist, this is why they are societies.

[@koharumi1]

​​​​​@@caim3465usa America isn't very collectivist however

[@gregtall4839]

No one party governs japan, it's actually a coalition of two or more. It's not easy for a single party to get enough seats to form a majority The current ruling party has a "big tent" philosophy. For decades it has merged with other parties to maintain a majority but they lost the election in 2009 and won in 2012. The other reason is that the party tends to get rid of the leader before an election which boost favoribility if ratings are low. They also have and aging conservative demographic that's in their favor.

[@felixb6]

The LDP is absurdly well-connected with all sorts of corporate and local interest groups across Japan. When the opposition DPJ was in power, they failed to govern effectively because they failed to get these interest groups to cooperate. No other party can really come close to matching the LDP's reputation of ensuring overall stability and economic success. For this reason, Japanese people continue to vote for them despite their frequent corruption scandals.

[@gregtall4839]

@@felixb6 the DPJ won because people wanted change. They had high approval ratings until they lied about Fukushima and mis managed the desaster causing distrust. The GDP grew to 6 trillion, and suicide rates fell because they encourage people to seek therapy. If japan had set election dates I'm sure the LDP would've lost alot more elections.

[@CivilWarMan]

1:07 "Trump also made a series of gaffes that suggest he's not as sharp as he was in 2016, and has definitely been less articulate than he was four years ago." Quite a statement considering he was about as sharp as a bowling ball in 2016. And during his administration he also presented quite the dilemma to translators for non-English news sources. They had to choose between translating what they thought he was trying to say, which some believed was deceiving their audiences by presenting him as more articulate than he was, or translating what he was literally saying, which was technically more accurate but would often make the translations complete gibberish due to his frequent mispronunciations and his tendency to wander off topic mid-sentence.

[@larryalvares1369]

Simple answer: they refuse to retire

[@kamal-hassan]

"why are US politicians so old?" keeps showing statistics till the end of the video we already know, we are here for the answer

[@davidty2006]

Isn't the MINIMUM age for US politicians like 30 or somthing?

[@corgg2]

It missed one important fact. Each district in the House is less competitive than ever before.

[@louisjefferies2733]

The weird thing about the the two party system is the same doesn't really apply to the UK. In the UK most MPs seem to fall into Gen x or a millennial with of cause very few new boomers and we even have 2 Gen z MPs. Even in the Cabinet there is only one boomer and increasingly Ministers who are joining cabinet in there late 30s

[@system700]

Covering Japanese situation would offer a more interesting perspective on this topic!

[@pyroyergen5986]

i feel that despite the value people with as much life experience can add to a sensible conversation, young people in politics will provide much higher value, we are in a rapidly changing world and those that have an understanding of the here and now and the near future have so much to offer in guiding us all through the times we live in yet they are always ridiculed for the silly trends like eating tide pods and tinder addiction. Pensionable aged folk have so much to offer but arent equipped to deal with a world on the cusp of an AI takeover or many other things of the digital age. furthermore is its the youngers that will live it for much longer, surely they should be allowed to sculpt their own future?

[@soccerguy325]

While that is partly true, keep in mind that some of our older politicians (Bernie, Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, etc.) are among our most progressive, while many of the younger ones (Matt Gaetz, DeSantis, Boebert, etc.) are among our worst.

[@scottgleeson4905]

So, we have extended life expectancy by decades with modern medicine, but we are not prepared to our social expectations for valuing the work of the older generation, should they wish to continue to contriibute it. This is what I hear when I see people make claims about how more youthful voices are better equipped to do ... well, it seems just about everything according to some people. Age is something I want in people who wish to wield power, frankly.

[@pyroyergen5986]

@@scottgleeson4905 i never said the more experienced generations should be excluded from office, more that there should be a stronger representation of the youth. most polticians are over the age of 50 yet most of the population are under 50. I work with a man thats 90 and we all idolise the fella as hes been in the job longer than many of us have been alive. He is great at what he does but there are many things we understand that other younger folk are better at doing. when we divide our labour accordingly to ability we thrive as a team.

[@vladutzuli]

@@scottgleeson4905 You can't really get further removed from the day to day realities of the governed than old rich people such as Trump or Biden. They literally come from a different time, they don't understand the most pressing current concerns, they don't understand the potential dangers and/or applications and underlying principles of the technologies that are rapidly changing our way of life, they...simply have no way to get it. In reality one must aim for an even mix of old and young in order to harness the wisdom of a life lived with the knowledge and lived experience of the here and now that the young have. Otherwise you cannot have a dynamic society that looks forward rather than backwards.

[@pritapp788]

You are 100% right but we've lost that battle. The boomers are the largest generation - in terms of numbers - and they'll keep calling the shots.

[@lilesmw]

As an American, well said in such a short period of time. Why I follow all your channels.

[@hglbrg]

You get to choose: 1. Be in politics until you die and during that time have money, privilege, power and relevance. Food to eat, warm housing and people can't shove you in a retirement home. 2. Be a pensioner in the US with no money, privilege, power or relevance. Hardly afford food, bills and if you are lucky your children will at least pay for you to be mistreated in a retirement home rather than alone in a house they can't wait to sell. The politicians have hollowed out every shred of dignity and ability to live a decent life as a non-working American. You really expect them to become part of that without at least some millions in the bank first? There's your answer I think.

[@yar0607]

the USSR was ruled by old people before it collapsed

[@ilonat8373]

Not really Gorbachev was 50 years old at the time.

[@felman87]

US also has somewhat high minimums to be an elected member of Congress. 25 for Rep and 30 for Senate with President being 35. Whereas the minimums in Canada, UK, France and Germany are all 18. So, if you graduate and are eager to get into politics, you're going to have to wait a bit before running. Your options are to work with other campaigns and members until you hit the right age.

[@Dave_Sisson]

In all western countries, young people who want to go into politics usually serve a sort of apprenticeship by working in think tanks or political staffers. They learn the basics that way. It is exceptionally rare for anyone to be elected to office before their late 20s.

[@arwelp]

@@Dave_SissonActually it’s not that unusual for people to be elected in their mid-20s. Exceptionally, Mhairi Black was elected to the UK Parliament in 2015 when she was 20, Wyatt Roy was the same age when he was elected to the Australian Parliament in 2010, while Pierre-Luc Dusseault was elected to the Canadian Parliament at 19 years 11 months in 2011. Jack Sargeant was 23 when elected to the Welsh Senedd in 2018, but that was unusual in that he was elected to the seat his father had, after his suicide.

[@Dave_Sisson]

@@arwelp Fair point and great research. But I suspect all those kids were representing political parties in places they did not expect to win (except for the Welsh one). So their victories were flukes. I wonder how many of them went on to have a career in politics as opposed to serving one or two terms and then leaving politics forever?

[@arwelp]

@@Dave_Sisson Mhairi Black has announced that she will not stand for re-election at the next general election, by which time she will have been an MP for about a third of her life, and she is the current deputy leader of the SNP in the House of Commons. Wyatt Roy may have been helped by a gaffe by his main opponent just before the 2010 election, though he was re-elected in 2013 before losing his seat in 2016. Dusseault was re-elected in 2015 but was beaten in 2019. Jack Sargeant was re-elected in 2021.

[@freddytang2128]

Feel like some people aren’t comfortable with age limits because of the perception of ageism. And yet nobody says it’s ageism when there’s minimum age limits on president and senators

[@zephodb]

As an American... The Elder generation is 'in', the gen X didn't have the population and/or inclination to become 'major' in politics... and the Millenials have the numbers but they tend to be crazy, while the Zs haven't gotten there yet.

[@pritapp788]

At least somebody who sees it as it as: the key role of demographics and cohort sizes. I just don't think the Millennials are as large a cohort as you claim though. We're talking roughly about people born over 1981-95, and family sizes had already fallen back then. Whereas boomers grew up in households full of siblings, leading to them having a chokehold over the economy and politics once they became adults.

[@JinKee]

This is what Strauss and Howe called "The Fourth Turning."

[@mikesands4681]

The Japan is not dominated as much by the single party LDP as it used to be. Moved to a two party with, back and forth about 15 years ago.

[@Hideyoshi1991]

I think the LDP has only lost two elections in the entire history of the country, so they aren't going away any time soon unfortunately.

[@ipikluninja91]

I love the videos by TLDR. Very comprehensive. I had a feedback. While the median age statistics in the US was shown, with respect to the European statistics only a statement was shown not the actual statistics. It would have been more credible/accountable if we actually compare the two regions.

[@andriivelychko5828]

I was waiting for an unPRESIDENTedly senior joke.

[@Frazier16]

Age to me isnt as big as an issue as cognitive function. You can be in your 70s and 80s and be very articulate.

[@General-F]

That's the most correct answer I have ever heard. Age doesn't matter to me. Your brain is still there and not fumbling, that's something we need to keep in mind.

[@Maas_Grande]

I care about age because the values you hold closest tend to crystallize and shift only slightly over time, and they covered the issue of younger people having different priorities. I do agree that cognitive function is more important than maximum age, and a better corollary to our past would be comparing previous governments against the life expectancy of that period. Like #1 was 57 when elected and 67 when he died. Plenty of presidents lived a very long time after their term, but 65ish was a normal time to die of old age in the period, and we were electing people very near that age frequently.

[@DralhaEureka]

I agree, but when it comes to addressing the issue we either have to set a hard, broad age limit or employ cognitive testing. Requiring politicians to pass cognitive tests seems like a great idea on its face, but it runs into issues with medical privacy and having the cognitive tests conducted by an impartial provider. Will politicans get to use their own doctor? Will the party in power be able to abuse the rule to eliminate their competition by having them deemed to be senile?

[@traumgeist]

Next video: Why do British politicians have such awful haircuts?

[@Nonamearisto]

0:11 "Congress and the House." You mean "The Senate and the House."

[@Daivd1111]

I'm not even 30 and all I want is to retire, meanwhile these rich old dudes out here grinding...

[@MrMomo182]

The root of Senate is the same as senile.

[@peterfireflylund]

Yes, they are SUPPOSED to be old ;)

[@fsc5013]

We're too busy paying off our student loans that we don't have time to play politics 😅😭

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

Odds are, half of them are getting kickbacks from your loan provider.

[@edsr164]

Funny, there was a time when it wasn’t like that, it was the opposite. There was a time when US politicians were extremely young for european standards

[@David-yy9kl]

Yup! My friend and I talk about this often. These politicians are too old

[@Rryki]

RIP TLDR US you will be forgotten

[@bobmcbob9856]

“One party democracy” is an oxymoron. It’s either a dominant party democracy or a one party state. If it’s the former you’re doing a disservice to Japan. If it’s the latter you’re calling an undemocratic state democratic, likely because you’re used to associating Western aligned states with democracy, but the two don’t have to go hand in hand and you CAN call our Japan for being undemocratic

[@zurielsss]

Japan still had the structures of voting in a democracy, they had smaller parties which gain a few seats here and there. They are describe as one party because people mostly vote for one political party.

[@shubhamsagarsingh9451]

@@zurielsss it's a dominating party democracy. The same party wins

[@bobmcbob9856]

@@zurielsss Well that’s literally a dominant party system, not a one party one

[@rizkyadiyanto7922]

​@@bobmcbob9856basically 90% undemocratic. not 100% undemocratic but pretty close.

[@Sorinoir]

As a post soviet states citizens, i welcome our US fellas into gerontocracy club.

[@adambruha4258]

"unprecedentedly senior" is the best insult I’ve heard in a while

[@dustinabigan2776]

I feel like one factor may also be that there's still the notion that age/seniority = experience/better leadership. I'm not saying that's a 100% fact or fiction or that people who think that way are wrong. But just have enough people believing that one demographic is objectively is always better than another (regardless of beliefs, stands, platforms, and maybe even the mental fitness ot lead) and you get a situation like this. And the problem is that this kind of idea is difficult to break down because only older people are at the higher ranks in the government. But for you to say that anyone whether they're in their 40s or 70s is fit to lead, you need a young person to take charge, but that in itself requires you to first show that age doesn't matter. And then you go back to square 1.

[@bmo3778]

I'm sad to realize that we live in the age that your first sentence cannot stand alone; it had to be accompanied by your second and third. I am grateful to be educated and critical enough to digest and understand your meaning, even without reading the rest of the paragaph

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

​@@aaronrothwell6504at the same time two of the youngest senators, 26 and 36 respectively, have been attempted to be removed multiple times since achieving their office. Regardless of the fact they were voted into office by their constituents.

[@nutmaster7794]

That same way of thinking applies to doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Why hire the young guy with limited experience when you can hire the experienced and knowledgeable expert

[@grnarsch5287]

I would prefere the median age graphic to start at age 0 would make it easyer to understand i think

[@FlopplesTheGnome]

There should be a minimum retirement age to hold office. ATC has a mandatory retirement age of 55 due to cognitive decline. Surely lawmakers should have the same restriction?

[@Baddy187]

Shimon Perez was president way into his 90's. Some people age like wine, others like milk. But even the best wine has a best by date.

[@LordDim1]

The post of President of Israel is an entirely ceremonial position with no power whatsoever. Totally different to the US presidency

[@getsomeboy321]

You also need to be picked by AIPAC so you can get on the ballot

[@ComradeHellas]

Gerontocracy :D

[@TimAllen624]

I pissed myself but sarcastically

[@stevejohnson3357]

I once had a political science professor who said that some dictators live longer than they have any business doing. For them, it's a kind of anti-aging tonic. But in democracies, it's a matter of building alliances over time. That's how the Democrats were saddled with Hillary Clinton who was known to be a poor candidate.

[@jamesgames3969]

I’ve been saying it since AOC came into popularity, we need more people like her, on both sides of the political spectrum. Old people are too stubborn, less likely to compromise. They govern with a 20th century mentality

[@SmileyBMM]

Shame she became a hypocrite and fell in line. Liked her more when she stuck to her principles, even when I disagreed with her stance.

[@ASMRDoodlez]

I like Matt Gaetz.

[@troybaxter]

Too bad AOC is actually an idiot.

[@rizkyadiyanto7922]

​@@SmileyBMMhypocrite how?

[@SmileyBMM]

@@rizkyadiyanto7922 One example is that during lockdowns she vacationed to Florida a lot without a mask. Nbd if she didn't also rail against the state many times and heavily supported mask mandates.

[@michaela9079]

I hope you guys bring back the tldr US channel

[@Wilhelmofdeseret]

Their US coverage is horrible. They discontinued it for a reason.

[@SuchDarkness]

they made a podcast episode about why they phased it out

[@cmdrblahdee]

Channel feedback: I like the news desk, but I don't like the soft focus used there. It makes me think my eyes haven't completely woken up yet.

[@Jonas_M_M]

This debate is so vibe-based.

[@roddbroward9876]

If you really want to come across as an impartial news source, it wouldn't hurt to cover such gaffes being a thing in both sides of the political aisle.

[@walkingcarpet420]

Yeah there's dozens of times where Biden is showing his extreme age and obvious mental decline, but they show a clip of Trump sort of joking about Obama's 3rd term as a 'gaff'.

[@phoebus86]

It's interesting since the founding fathers had the opposite problem. Some of them were too young.

[@ymeynot0405]

@TLDRNewsGlobal You left out $$$-Money-$$$. It takes a lot more money to run in the USA and getting donations from big donors requires you to have a track-record with them.

[@dudelehhh]

Hello!! What happened to TLDR daily?!!

[@Ar1AnX1x]

I think one of the biggest reasons is that the longer a politicians' in DC and involved in politics the more people are gonna know him and it increases their chances of winning and specially considering money and investment in them really matters too, the more they're in DC it means the more they've done favors for companies and rich people which means the more of them are gonna invest in the politician which drastically improves their chances, people forget how important that money line is, which is why money in politics aka Lobbying should be outlawed, like it used to be half a decade ago and back then companies had a lot less power because of that

[@tomlxyz]

But that also applies to other countries, yet their politicians aren't as old

[@kimjongun6746]

'Cause we believe every job needs a qualification, except politics#ThirdParty#NeitherDemocRATSnorRepubliCONS.

[@NutiketAiel]

Lol. Love that he mispronounced "gerontocracy" while a pronunciation guide was on the screen.

[@recurse]

I just noticed the ring! When did Jack get married and who's the lucky guy? Mazel tov! 🥰

[@blakebauman9654]

It's a bit disingenuous to only show a clip of Trump. It creates the impression that somehow Trump is showing his age more than Biden, which is not what the cited polling suggests.

[@AwesomeHairo]

Plus, Trump wasn't confusing Biden with Obama.

[@cgt3704]

To put this into perspective, when Gorbachev was made leader of the USSR, he was one of the youngest members of the Communist party, despite the fact that he was 54 years old. Hope US doesnt reach that point.

[@tiredox3788]

We need to do something about these old politicians quick

[@connormclernon26]

I’m going to go with “baby boomers refusing to let go of power,” for 1000 Alex

[@SmileyBMM]

And young people settling for old candidates at the voting booth, or worse not voting at all.

[@The_king567]

That would be wrong so please never vote

[@Toohotmittens]

No president should be over 60, no congress member should be over 65.

[@Balibaliadashi]

Why didn’t you put that into the Constitution? Oh. Because your opinion doesn’t matter.

[@davidty2006]

little difficult when their minimum age is ridiculessly high.

[@soccerguy325]

Sorry but that's a seriously dumb take. You seriously think Bernie should have been forcibly ejected from Congress in 2006?

[@peterfireflylund]

@@soccerguy325yes.

[@soccerguy325]

@@peterfireflylund Well that's dumb 🤣

[@Head0.25s]

It's not just the US, politicians in general are of older age, mostly above 60

[@chrisdavis6264]

I don’t understand that. I seen my grandma and she isn’t all sharp. These people need an age cap.

[@navneetshyam1335]

I am lucky to comment so early. In politics life starts at 65 years.

[@psammiad]

Just look at "young" politicians like Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert or George Santos. Maybe that's why.

[@damonharrison2614]

I think that has more to do with their party than age.

[@Kalimdor199Menegroth]

Matt is an absolute Chad though. We love him.

[@grievetan]

its not just US. Putin is 71 years old.

[@damnkris]

That's not really comparable, obviously dictators who don't ever leave get old after a while

[@Rude_i_Wredne]

@@damnkris Americans are this close to figuring out that a two-party system with single seat districts is not a democracy.

[@tomlxyz]

​@@Rude_i_Wredneit's not a fair democracy but no single politician holds remotely as much power as Putin.

[@simonspeechley2859]

Congress consists of both the Senate AND the House - you said across Congress (S & H) and the House. A confusion of terms.

[@ReeceDee]

I thought Simon Whistler's hair had grown back. 🤣

[@FATHOLLYWOODB123]

You're making stuff up, no one is complaining about Trump's age. I have never heard that once, and I live in NYC. It's only Biden's age people are complaining about. Mainly because of his instances of falling, jumbling speech, and lack of self awareness. Trump didn't suffer from any of those issues. Your claim that "both sides agree" is a false defense for your self-proclaimed neutrality. We can see through it. Just be honest and straightforward.

[@mango2005]

There was the one where Trump accused Biden of starting WW2. Also "2 Corinthians"

[@FATHOLLYWOODB123]

@@mango2005 congratulations you found 2 for trump, I can find hundreds for Biden.

[@TheStrateqist]

I never thought I'd hear the phrase: "Trump [...] has been less articulate than he was four years ago." But here we are. And it still sounds like a joke. 😂

[@PMickeyDee]

Go listen to him now. Four years ago he could string nonsense together in a way that it sounded like a loosely coherent statement, if you didn't actually think about what you'd heard. Now I'd be surprised if he could string together "person, woman, man, camera, TV"

[@rtperrett]

It’s strange that TLDR just all of a sudden the news blends into the advertisement at the end. 7:42 it was such an abrupt transition that I was shocked that it was all over with. And why no mention of proportional representation that most European countries use except France and the United Kingdom.

[@user-vo9wd6tx6c]

Probably because the income/wealth gaps between young and old in America are enormous. Boom-erica is unimaginably wealthy whereas Zoom-erica is a 2nd or even 3rd world country.

[@iwannabeyourdog4195]

The more I learn about US politics the more I am interested in anarchism

[@Ofthehunt]

Then go move to Somalia and tell me how it is

[@eris9062]

@@OfthehuntI see you have a very refined understanding of political philosophy, anarchism ≠ anarchy, not in the way you’re thinking at least

[@Ofthehunt]

@eris9062 I see your very refined in the ways of mental gymnastics

[@theanarkiddie4569]

@@Ofthehunt no, you are simply wrong here. Anarchism became associated with chaos and disorder in the 19th century, as the state’s response to anarchist tactics such as propaganda of the deed. as a political movement, anarchism has always stood for the abolition of social hierarchies (e.g. opposing both capitalism and the state), not chaos and disorder.

[@crimsonterror5795]

I don't mind the elderly, since they are more wise and more open to negotiation then younger politicians.

[@alexeistrife56]

. . . Lmao. Nice shitpost, dude.

[@crimsonterror5795]

@@alexeistrife56 Insult me all ya like, it doesn't change the fact I'm right.

[@atrocious7766]

That's rather delusional thinking.

[@rizkyadiyanto7922]

in asia probanly. not in the west.

[@crimsonterror5795]

@@rizkyadiyanto7922 Ever heard of Vivek Ramaswamy? Doesn't seem like a wise and compromising politician to me. The only real quality the old politicians lack is charisma. All other things the elder have, and more. Strawmanning isn't a strong argument as this video implies.

[@eambriz86]

Consequences of money in politics…creates a two party system only and eliminates the chance of a third party

[@AlexAnteroLammikko]

"Unprecedentedly senior" is one hell of a way to say old as fuck :p