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Democrats’ struggles could be partly because they’re just too old, says Obama (www.politico.com)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/politics@lemmy.world
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“There is an element of, at some point, you age out,” the former president said.

Former President Barack Obama is urging the Democratic Party to invest in younger candidates if it wants to come out victorious in the 2026 midterm elections and, eventually, the 2028 presidential election.

In an interview with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen that was published Saturday, the 64-year-old said part of the reason his own elections were so successful was because he was young at the time.

“I’m a pretty healthy 64, feel great, but the truth is, half of the references that my daughters make about social media, TikTok and such, I don’t know who they’re talking about,” he said. “There is an element of, at some point, you age out. You’re not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through.”

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[–] 2 points 8 months ago (1 child)

I disgree with the sub-point about plan-making. I'm 50, but thanks to health issues^[thanks to undiagnosed ADHD and our lack-of-healthcare system in the US] I'm not likely to last another decade^[Six heart attacks, a pulmonary embolism, kidney failure so I'm on dialysis]. But while I do think about my probable looming death somewhat, I don't fail to make any plans because of it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to live forever - until I don't. I mean, that's what my brain thinks.

But I don't think most of them probably think about death until they get ill.

I'm not so worried about old people in politics - I think there should be a mix of young and old. You need strong young voices pushing for progress, and you need old experienced voices who have seen all this shit before and know how to deal with it.

What we don't need in politics is control by our oligarchs, which is what we have now that's broken our democracy.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    …and you need old experienced voices who have seen all this shit before and know how to deal with it.

    The problem with this is that the majority of Biden’s experience, just as an example, is of a world that no longer exists. Most of his life literally predates the internet.

    His experience doesn’t include crippling college debt. It doesn’t include wage slaving at poverty levels.

    It doesn’t include a time when you couldn’t afford a house if you had a job- any job.

    Doesn’t include a time where you needed a 4 year degree to be an intern in the copy room.

    Doesn’t include a time when loyalty to a company wasn’t repaid with more exploitation.

    Doesn’t include a time where the us government could be the fascist bastards we are today.

    And that’s part of how we got here.

    Not only is the lived experience of most people in their 80’s fundamentally irrelevant to the modern world- it’s actively hurting us. Never forget that people like Biden allowed the oligarchs to exist, allowed the closet fascist party to fester into the openly fascist party.

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