Are The Current Presidential Frontrunners Too Old?

Mike Norris Co-Editor The American Dossier Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was treated for blockage of an artery his campaign announced forcing the Democratic presidential candidate to indefinitely cancel future appearances. As of Wednesday evening Sanders was still recovering in the hospital in Las Vegas where he was in town for a series of campaign events. Jeff Weaver the Senators longtime senior advisor released a statement saying: During a campaign event yesterday evening Sen. Sanders experienced some chest discomfort. Following medical evaluation and testing he was found to have a blockage in one artery and two stents were successfully inserted. Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days Weaver continued. We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice and we will continue to provide appropriate updates. Sanders hospitalization is likely to shift the publics focus on the age of the leading presidential candidates. The three leading Democratic candidates as well as President Trump are all in their 70s. Sanders 78 is the oldest candidate in the 2020 presidential field and would be the oldest president ever elected if he were to win. If he were to be successful in his second bid for the White House he would shatter the record set by Donald Trump when he was elected in 2016 at age 70. Sanders is so old that on the day he would take the oath of office to become the 46th president he would be older than every other two term president leaving office. Sanders health made headlines last month as well after he cancelled three events in South Carolina after losing his voice taking two days to recover. Former Vice President Joseph Biden 76 is a year younger than Sanders and has already fielded attacks over his age and health. If he wins in 2020 he will be 78 years old when he takes office. That would also make him the oldest first-term president in American history. Biden has long been plagued by health issues. In 1988 he suffered a burst aneurysm and underwent 13-hours of emergency surgery. The then-senator was so close to death that a Catholic priest began to administer the sacrament of last rites. Months later doctors caught a second aneurysm before it burst. Biden then took a seven-month leave from the Senate following the surgery. In 2003 Biden had his gallbladder removed. In 2008 doctors discovered that Biden had an irregular heartbeat. Biden has also raised eyebrows for the increasing number of blunders he has made on the campaign trail. After the Democratic debate Biden told debate viewers to go to Joe30330" instead of text JOE to 30330." Recently Biden compared poor kids" with White kids." In the last Democratic debate Biden made a puzzling reference to inner-city mothers having a record player on at night. President Trump 73 has faced questions about his own health. Trump a fast-food fan and late-night tweeter who doesnt exercise regularly was told by his doctor earlier this year that he needed to lose weight and stick with cholesterol-lowering medicine. A third top Democratic contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is 70. This election cycle is not the first time that a presidential candidates age has been a topic of discussion. During the 2016 presidential campaign Hillary Clinton then 68 received intense scrutiny when she was seen needing the help of aides after she contracted pneumonia while campaigning. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) faced questions about his age when he ran for President in 2008 at age 71 against then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) nearly 25 years his junior. A candidates advanced age should never become a campaign issue as long as the candidate remains sharp. History shows us that Senator McCain would have survived his presidency. Conversely a robust appearing Bill Clinton had to have heart surgery at age 58. According to polls most Americans agree. 6-in-10 Americans said that they would be willing to vote for a candidate at 70. Those same Americans however would be more excited to vote for a younger candidate. A June poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reported that approximately one-third of Democratic voters said they would be more excited to vote for a younger candidate. Only time will tell if the current presidential frontrunners are too old to maintain an aggressive campaign schedule. Until the race is over one question will always remain in the background: Is the current field of presidential candidates too old? After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division Mike attended Florida State University where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University where he received his Masters in Political Management. Mike is currently attending the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where he is pursuing his Juris Doctorate. Since 2004 Mike has worked in the Florida Senate where he was one of only two Chiefs of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mikes eighth as a Political Consultant. Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods Michigan with his rescue Pit Bull Ike. http://www.whitefalconconsult.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/norrismichaelj/