Jul 6, 2026, 6:23 PM@eldersea That's what made the whole "Biden is old" thing so absurd, *the whole field* was incredibly old, unprecedentedly so.
- Jul 6, 2026, 6:23 PM
Replies
- Jul 6, 2026, 6:23 PM
@eldersea There's better reasons to hate Biden, anyway.
the elder seaeldersea@expressional.socialJul 6, 2026, 6:24 PM@xgranade Aren't Biden, Trump, and Sanders all within like 2 years of each other? Warren is up there too, I'll grant Harris isn't but she was the outlier in being younger and a cop.
- Jul 6, 2026, 6:32 PM
@eldersea Yeah, exactly, there's no meaningful distinction between their ages at that point — they're *old*.
- the elder seaeldersea@expressional.socialJul 6, 2026, 6:33 PM
@xgranade I know there are issues with having term limits and age restrictions, but there are significant issues with *not* having them and, well, *gestures vaguely*.
- Jul 6, 2026, 6:35 PM
@eldersea I mean, yeah, I don't think it's ageist to say that when the youngest contender for the presidency breaks the former record for the *oldest* contender, something has gone terribly wrong.
- the elder seaeldersea@expressional.socialJul 6, 2026, 6:39 PM
@xgranade We have to have some sort of term limits across positions. This is crazy time. But there are so many benefits in the house and senate so they stay, and some of them die in office! WTAF.
There should be a Thank You For Your Service thing that you get after X terms or Y years above a certain level, and then you are out. We have a government by and for the people who won't be alive in 10 years. This is insanity.
Edit: typo
- Jul 6, 2026, 7:04 PM
@eldersea Yeah, and I'm not even against older candidates in principle, but it really shouldn't be the case that younger generations get *no* representation, nor that candidates with major outstanding health issues that are directly relevant to their positions get in without mitigations for those issues.
We're not talking about employment here, after all, we're talking about the functioning of government itself.
- Jul 6, 2026, 7:05 PM
@eldersea I'd never want to say that if you're disabled or have chronic health issues, you can't serve in government. Only that if your disabilities or chronic health issues *directly* impact your ability to govern, it is relevant to make mitigations for that impact available, and for voters to be able to demand that those mitigations are used.
- Jul 6, 2026, 7:07 PM
@eldersea E.g. if your health issues might render you entirely unable to serve (I say as someone with chronic exhaustion due to long COVID), then having a clear criteria as to when someone else can take over, and making sure voters know who that person would be? Yeah, that's a reasonable mitigation, I think!
- the elder seaeldersea@expressional.socialJul 6, 2026, 7:14 PM
@xgranade I get that experience counts! But so does ability to function, as you well articulate.
I've also dreamed of some sort of system that grants more votes based on some combination of experience and expected remaining life. I know that functionally it'd be nigh impossible to implement, but I would love to see it. Those with a longer stake in the world should impact it more!
- Jul 6, 2026, 7:16 PM
@eldersea Yeah, though the flip side is that there's plenty of shitheels my own age or younger. I hate sharing a generation with Shaprio, Rufo, etc.
Also trashfires like the puriteen movement and what have you.
I take the point, though.
- the elder seaeldersea@expressional.socialJul 6, 2026, 7:19 PM
@xgranade Yeah, and they're a combination of educational failures and, um, biological failures? Whatever you call sociopathy. Plus, I suppose American culture encourages grifts, so that happens a lot more.
- Jul 6, 2026, 7:20 PM
@eldersea I mean, kids now are exposed to a truly overwhelming amount of propaganda and fascist-owned media bubbles. I do not envy kids trying to reach a kind and informed understanding of the world when it's not just TV and newspapers lying to them, but every way they have of even talking to their immediate friends, let alone YouTube radicalization pipelines.
- the elder seaeldersea@expressional.socialJul 6, 2026, 7:46 PM
@xgranade Thankfully, I escaped the current "need" for social media. I had some way back in the day, but don't do it on a personal basis anymore. Obviously I'm here, but this isn't forcing al gore rhythms on me, and it's very easy to block bad actors.
It's really kind of nuts how hard it is to find easily verifiable true information on the internet these days. UGH.
Edit: and most chat programs are mined for data to sell stuff to them. What a world.