The 2020 Presidential Election - Convention & General Election

[knapplc]

 

Because as of 2014 the average male life expectancy in America was 78.9 years old

This is true of an infant male born today. But a 75 year old man in reasonably good health can expect to live a few more years. Bernie, on average, can expect to live to age 87. LINK

 

So he could expect to live out an eight-year term. But in what mental capacity?

[RedDenver]

 

 

Because as of 2014 the average male life expectancy in America was 78.9 years old

This is true of an infant male born today. But a 75 year old man in reasonably good health can expect to live a few more years. Bernie, on average, can expect to live to age 87. LINK

 

So he could expect to live out an eight-year term. But in what mental capacity?

 

Better than the current POTUS, so an upgrade.

[BigRedBuster]

If you are serious about that comment, I don't see one being better than the other.

 

1) Trump in current condition.

 

2) Bernie with onset of dementia or Alzheimer's.

 

 

Now, the REAL scary idea is if Trump stays in office for 3-7 more years and suffers from dementia or Alzheimer's.

[Nebfanatic]

Does every elderly person get dementia? I was unaware of that. Is Bernie showing signs? I understand where you guys are coming from, but some people do maintain strong minds until the day they die at 99 years old

[Moiraine]

I prefer Bernie with dementia to Trump the way he is. I would trust the people Bernie surrounds himself with a lot more.

[BigRedBuster]

Does every elderly person get dementia? I was unaware of that. Is Bernie showing signs? I understand where you guys are coming from, but some people do maintain strong minds until the day they die at 99 years old

If you met my father right now you would think...."wow...he has a strong mind for his age".

 

That isn't the same as him having the mental capacity to manage the free world. And...no....he has not been diagnosed with dementia.

[BigRedBuster]

I prefer Bernie with dementia to Trump the way he is. I would trust the people Bernie surrounds himself with a lot more.

I would prefer to have neither.

[Moiraine]

 

 

I prefer Bernie with dementia to Trump the way he is. I would trust the people Bernie surrounds himself with a lot more.

I would prefer to have neither.

I agree, but honestly I just want whoever can beat him and not be an a-hole. My standards are low at this point.

 

My mom is 70 and getting noticeably more forgetful. And I think we need someone younger who won't make similar mistakes to Hilary with the e-mails. We need someone who has some kind of inkling on how to defend us against cyber attacks, imo. Or who is willing to hire people who do.

 

On a barely related note, maybe we should have a branch or sub branch of the military that doesn't have physical requirements and only does computer related things. But I don't know much about how the CIA/FBI work and how much of that they do.

[RedDenver]

If you are serious about that comment, I don't see one being better than the other.

 

1) Trump in current condition.

 

2) Bernie with onset of dementia or Alzheimer's.

 

 

Now, the REAL scary idea is if Trump stays in office for 3-7 more years and suffers from dementia or Alzheimer's.

I'm mostly joking. I think Nebfrantic sums it up best:

 

Does every elderly person get dementia? I was unaware of that. Is Bernie showing signs? I understand where you guys are coming from, but some people do maintain strong minds until the day they die at 99 years old

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason. If we do elect Bernie, then we also need to be comfortable with his VP pick. But that should always be the case.

Nine presidents did not serve out their full term of office. Four died in office of natural causes (William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin Roosevelt). Four were assassinated (Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy). One, Richard Nixon, resigned facing the threat of impeachment.

So roughly 20% of all Vice Presidents have had to take over. Is Bernie really at any higher of a risk than that?

 

If there's a candidate you like better that's one thing, but to not vote for someone because they might have a problem is silly. There's always a chance something might happen.

[TGHusker]

If you are serious about that comment, I don't see one being better than the other.

 

1) Trump in current condition.

 

2) Bernie with onset of dementia or Alzheimer's.

 

 

Now, the REAL scary idea is if Trump stays in office for 3-7 more years and suffers from dementia or Alzheimer's.

Trump already suffers from schizophrenia

[Enhance]

I imagine a lot of people are in the "anyone but Trump" camp, but for me, Sanders would need to take a more moderate approach to his politics if he were going to get my vote. I wouldn't vote for him just to beat Trump. It's the same reason I didn't vote for Hilary despite my dislike for Trump.

 

Furthermore, I do find Sanders' age a concern. The rigors of the office, combined with the age he'd be, would make me uncomfortable.

 

I seriously hope the Democratic Party hinges this fight on someone other than Sanders.

[Enhance]

If there's a candidate you like better that's one thing, but to not vote for someone because they might have a problem is silly. There's always a chance something might happen.

Yes, but humans weigh decisions based on chance and probability all the time. You probably choose to go to certain stores at night based on the ones likely to be safest. You probably choose to take a certain path to work because it's likely the most efficient.

 

Similarly, I would have reservations about a president who is just beginning their first term in their 80s. It's just one contributing factor, though. I wouldn't base my decision entirely on age. As I said in post #71, Sanders' policy ideas are more of an issue to me than his age.

[RedDenver]

 

If there's a candidate you like better that's one thing, but to not vote for someone because they might have a problem is silly. There's always a chance something might happen.

Yes, but humans weigh decisions based on chance and probability all the time. You probably choose to go to certain stores at night based on the ones likely to be safest. You probably choose to take a certain path to work because it's likely the most efficient.

 

Similarly, I would have reservations about a president who is just beginning their first term in their 80s. It's just one contributing factor, though. I wouldn't base my decision entirely on age. As I said in post #71, Sanders' policy ideas are more of an issue to me than his age.

 

People are talking about Bernie having dementia (of which alzheimer's is the most frequent form). If we're talking probabilities, 80-84 year-olds have a 6% chance of developing dementia. As I said, 20% of Presidents haven't completed their term. So the chance of Bernie getting dementia is much lower than the chances any candidate will not finish their term. If that's a contributing factor for you, just remember there's a 94% chance it won't happen.

 

And I'm all in favor of policy ideas being an issue for all candidates.

[Enhance]

Forgive me if I missed it, but are there actual concerns that Bernie has dementia, or people just speculating that it's a problem he may encounter?

[Danny Bateman]

It would be derelict to not mention that the guy currently sitting in the White House has displayed behaviors consistent with multiple different types of neurological/mental health conditions.

I'd think that'd be important to anyone who worried about Sanders's condition.