Thad Cochran, Joe Biden & Bernie Sanders.

[henster]

This article seems pretty relevant to the two potential candidates, Cochran is 79 around the same age as Biden & Sanders would be in 2020. I think the age issue will be a bigger issue, I know everybodies health and body is different but at 80 these issues are pretty common.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/18/thad-cochran-says-not-retiring-senate-243918

[Lord Admirale]

I think Cochran will be defeated in the primary, considering that it went to a runoff that he barely won in 2014.

[Rookie Yinzer]

The Senate needs term limits. This is ridiculous.

Neither Sanders nor Biden have to serve a second term. If people are truly uncomfortable with their ages then they will not vote for them. This is not the same as an entrenched incumbent stubbornly refusing to give up his/her seat.

[DrScholl]

Cochran clearly has memory issues and that was evident in the 2014 primary. Sanders apparently has some issues and his wife was pulling the strings (that was a rumor). Biden seems like he is still in good shape.

[Alabama_Indy10]

The Senate needs term limits. This is ridiculous.

Neither Sanders nor Biden have to serve a second term. If people are truly uncomfortable with their ages then they will not vote for them. This is not the same as an entrenched incumbent stubbornly refusing to give up his/her seat.

Refusing to give up their seat? The people could just vote them out.

[Rookie Yinzer]

The Senate needs term limits. This is ridiculous.

Neither Sanders nor Biden have to serve a second term. If people are truly uncomfortable with their ages then they will not vote for them. This is not the same as an entrenched incumbent stubbornly refusing to give up his/her seat.

Refusing to give up their seat? The people could just vote them out.

Yes. Cochran has a Titanium R seat. He won't exactly be taken out in a D wave. They also have advantage of high name recognition, intimidating donor advantages, and state party support that keep stronger candidates from primarying them.

[gerritcole]

The Senate needs term limits. This is ridiculous.

Neither Sanders nor Biden have to serve a second term. If people are truly uncomfortable with their ages then they will not vote for them. This is not the same as an entrenched incumbent stubbornly refusing to give up his/her seat.

Refusing to give up their seat? The people could just vote them out.

Yes. Cochran has a Titanium R seat. He won't exactly be taken out in a D wave. They also have advantage of high name recognition, intimidating donor advantages, and state party support that keep stronger candidates from primarying them.

That's unfortunate but you can't take power away from the people - if they're happy with him, they'll re elect him. term limits are an arbitrary creation that serve no purpose.

[60+ GOP Seats After 2018 GUARANTEED]

The Senate shouldn't have term limits. Why? Because the Senate is LITERALLY meant for old people.

The word "senate" comes from the Latin word "senatus" which LITERALLY means the "assembly of elders." The Senate in Ancient Rome was all old people for example.

The word "SENior" and yes - even the word "SENile" - originates from the Latin word "senex," which is how they get SENator as well.

So the Senate IS supposed to be full of the elder folks of the government.

[Sestak]

The Senate shouldn't have term limits. Why? Because the Senate is LITERALLY meant for old people.

The word "senate" comes from the Latin word "senatus" which LITERALLY means the "assembly of elders." The Senate in Ancient Rome was all old people for example.

The word "SENior" and yes - even the word "SENile" - originates from the Latin word "senex," which is how they get SENator as well.

So the Senate IS supposed to be full of the elder folks of the government.

Also I don't think anyone wants a legislative house full of 6-year long lame ducks.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Also I don't think anyone wants a legislative house full of 6-year long lame ducks.

I suppose your right about this point. I didn't think of this. It is still frustrating to see people clearly on the decline physically and mentally refusing to concede their seats to other people. I guess that's just how it has to be.

[Virginiá]

Refusing to give up their seat? The people could just vote them out.

Sure, but I think that that doesn't do justice to some very real realities of the American political system. Not only do Senators like Cochran and often the party itself work to keep down potential intra-party challengers, but voters are often very incumbent-friendly for no real reason other than that person has been in office a long time. All of this makes it pretty difficult for anyone, Republican, Democrat or Independent, to unseat them.

Personally, I would even settle for a limit as high as 3 terms. That is 18 years. Throw in a maximum age limit and we would really be getting somewhere. This isn't really a partisan idea. I know it's highly unlikely a Democrat would ever win a Mississippi Senate seat, except for maybe some freak Vitter-like scenario. This is about maintaining a government that has at least some unobstructed flow of new ideas on both sides of the aisle, and isn't bogged down by extremely old generational incumbents who simply refuse to let a new generation have a shot at molding the future of the country they, not the old people, will inherit.

So the Senate IS supposed to be full of the elder folks of the government.

Including people who are so old that they can't even think straight anymore? Elders doesn't necessarily mean those who have been there ~30 years and/or are literally dying in office. There is a difference.

[60+ GOP Seats After 2018 GUARANTEED]

Including people who are so old that they can't even think straight anymore? Elders doesn't necessarily mean those who have been there ~30 years and/or are literally dying in office. There is a difference.

Lol I was actually going to add "but perhaps 80 IS too old?"

But it's hard to say. After all, the word literally means being old. In fact, it means the OLDEST members of society. So literally having 80 year olds IS how the Senate is supposed to be.

What do you think of simply repealing the 17th amendment and going back to having state legislators select Senators? Too partisan to do today?

[Virginiá]

What do you think of simply repealing the 17th amendment and going back to having state legislators select Senators? Too partisan to do today?

Yes, for one, I object in part because I want a say in who my Senators are. The fact that so many legislatures have majorities reinforced by gerrymandered maps really doesn't help, either. I know some states would lean a certain way regardless, but those kinds of maps harden party majorities and thus would add Senate seats to the long list of things gerrymandering has infected.

I also strongly object on the basis that people don't pay nearly enough attention to their state government, particularly legislators, to fulfill their role in this process. Everything is national, orbiting around the president. There are not even close to enough voters who are sufficiently informed about what is going on in their state governments to be able to hold them accountable.

Either way, this is kind of a moot point. I doubt there could ever be enough support to do away with direct elections of Senators. There would need to be a broad, national consensus for such an amendment to be ratified.

[henster]

Things like dementia can come really sudden at that age in addition to other health problems. Something as simple as a fall at Biden or Sanders age could be devastating. What if something like what happened to Bob Dole in '96 happened during the GE?

[UWS]

I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. - Ronald Reagan

After all, John McCain is re-elected last year at 80 years old and even though he suffers brain cancer, I think he can at least complete his six-year term since his mother Roberta McCain is still alive today at 105 years old so they are sharing good genes.

[Virginiá]

After all, John McCain is re-elected last year at 80 years old and even though he suffers brain cancer, I think he can at least complete his six-year term since his mother Roberta McCain is still alive today at 105 years old so they are sharing good genes.

I don't know:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/19/health/gupta-mccain-glioblastoma/index.html

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It's possible, but good genes and his mother's age is irrelevant here. He is at the mercy of this type of cancer now.

[Bidenworth2020]

The Senate shouldn't have term limits. Why? Because the Senate is LITERALLY meant for old people.

The word "senate" comes from the Latin word "senatus" which LITERALLY means the "assembly of elders." The Senate in Ancient Rome was all old people for example.

The word "SENior" and yes - even the word "SENile" - originates from the Latin word "senex," which is how they get SENator as well.

So the Senate IS supposed to be full of the elder folks of the government.

wow. i think we hust found common ground

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

I'm against term limits.  Folks need to not be shy about voting out incumbents, and incumbents are more vulnerable to PRIMARY challengers then they were 60 years ago. 

Cochran's 2014 primary win was due to eligible black voters participating in the runoff election  This was a great thing, IMO, for black voters, because it gave them a Titanium R Senator who is indebted to them for his re-election.  I bet that Mississippi's black leaders get a warmer reception from Thad Cochran (as well as better results) than Alabama's black leaders get from Shelby or Strange.