ToughDiamond wrote:
Trump, the younger of the two, claimed in the same breath that there's no such thing as global warming and that China is to blame for it. I prefer to look more deeply than a chap's chronological age when I try to assess how fit they might be to lead.
There are also checks and balances on presidents. If one goes bananas then with a bit of luck their colleagues will relieve him of his duties in time to prevent a devastating blunder. Personally I prefer a more democratic system anyway, where no one person is credited with supreme executive power for long enough to sink the boat, indeed I suspect that it would be good if no one person ever had supreme executive power at all.
In the UK, relatively young Boris Johnson was pretty clearly incompetent at his job (prime minister). When he nearly killed himself because of the reckless personal risks he took with Covid, some people worried that while he was incapacitated in hospital, there would be a terrible power vacuum and the UK would be like a headless chicken. But things went on much as before.
Of course age isn't the only factor in whether someone is qualified for such positions, It's not even one of the most important, but it is still an important factor and one that has to be taken into account.
You also don't seem to understand the main issues with having geriatrics in the most powerful positions. The main concern is not that they go suddenly completely senile (although Regan did develop Alzheimer's while in office). Geriatrics all suffer from decreased abilities to varying degrees as well as significant increases in risks of serious complications, such as strokes, broken bones, heart attacks, death, ect.. There are good reasons why most people retire in their 60's.
The office of POTUS is quite possibly the most demanding job in the world. It is also critically important. Aditionally, replacing a president part way through their term (whether they died or for any other reason) can be quite disruptive and should not just be seen as a reason why it is ok to put unfit people in the position.
20 Nov 2022, 12:47 am
