Does anyone else think that having to be 35 to be president is age discriminatory? I mean, what if the worlds greatest leader is 29, but he dies when he's 34? We could have great Americans that would really benefit our counrty that are younger than 35. Y not let them run?

I, personally, don't think that the age limit is all that great. There are probably some 24 year olds who are more mature and politically in tune than a person in their 50s. Maybe we need a younger president. Age isn't always the most accurate measure of intelligence or experience in a certain area. The public knows what they want and what's best for them. For instance, more people voted for Gore than Bush. But Bush got into the White House. See what I mean?

Even speaking purely practically, the stars may very well align to create such an individual. All a person has to be to become president is well-liked; and, like I said, there's no saying that a youngster with an intuitive understanding of politics wouldn't be fit for the job, regardless of political background. I just wonder what the other party would do, having no political record to examine for any flaws under a microscope.

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Hopefully, some bright 20-year-old out there who is more than ready to run for President will take it upon him/herself to make it an issue.

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So, in that case, you're talking about having some kind of savant here. Even then, they'll be luck to have a masters degree. They will have no job experiance, no political experiance, and have only been legally able to vote for 2 years. They're not even old enough to drink.

People just don't up and run for president. A person who is 35 will have at least held some sort of office, job, or what have you that will give them some qualification. They're also very likely to be settled down with a spouse and family, and have seen a decent amount of political events pass by them.
It's not about pure principle, it's about practicality.

lol... yeah thats what the U.S..... a 14 year old President

Realistically, people of all ages exhibit different levels of experience, education, and general wisdom. Some people just seem to possess an intuitive understanding of the world around them. In general, yes, I would have to agree that older people are more qualified; however, there are bound to be a couple bright, able "youngsters" who would make fantastic presidents. But yes, to be fair, if Joey were elected in November, I might be able to see things your way real fast.

The only reason this is "not an issue" is because nobody is willing to look at changing it. It has come to be accepted as something like a law of science. Hopefully, some bright 20-year-old out there who is more than ready to run for President will take it upon him/herself to make it an issue.

Until then, I'll continue my rants on these forums nobody of any importance will ever read.

You guys would be speaking differently if good 'ol Joey Dauben were elected in November.

Realisitcally, you can't expect a person to have the experiance, education, and general wisdom to run the country at a young age. 35 is pushing it. Have you ever seen a case of a legitimate candidate not being able to run due to age? JFK, our youngest president, was nowhere near the age limit.

This is not, and never has been an issue.

think about it like this if a person who is 18 is considered responcible enough to vote then they are old enough to run for president or what ever... because no 18 year old kid would do it as a prank or something... if you are responcible enough to vote then you are responcible enough to run for a higher political possion if you think that you are capible!

We could just as easily have some older Yahoo nuke the planet. I agree with you whole-heartedly, Wildcat, and have been complaining about this myself for years. It is my opinion that the most qualified person should be elected, regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, background, education, etc.

Of course, you could argue that a 12-year-old would then run for President, and maybe he would. But, realistically, how far would he get? Anyone should be allowed to run, and if he/she can win over the majority of America, they should be allowed to be the President.

So we don't have some young yahoo nuke the planet.