GOP's 'Young Guns' Actually Not So Young: Average Age Just Under 50

Not everything comes as advertised in the GOP. Take the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" program, for example. Advertised as a program "dedicated to identifying, recruiting, and mobilizing a new generation of conservative leaders," the Daily Beast reports Friday that the average age of these supposed "Young Guns" is nearly 50.

Thing is, the "new generation" isn't actually all that young.

In fact, the current crop of the 22 Young Guns looks very much like the old generation of conservative leaders. These upstarts together average an age of 49.6 years old--two months shy of the average age of new members who joined Congress in 2008. And those current reps are no spring chickens themselves. According to one analysis, the 111th Congress is the oldest, on average, of any since 1907.

More than half of the Young Guns, having celebrated the big 5-0, are already eligible for an AARP membership. Only two of the group's designated candidates--Martha Roby, who is running for Alabama's 2nd District, and district attorney-cum-reality-television star Sean Duffy, who is running for the open seat in Wisconsin's 7th District--are under the age of 40.

Where do "Young Guns" draw the line? If the current batch of candidates is any indicator, 62 year-old Steve Pearce, currently vying for his old seat in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District might serve as the cutoff, though there have been no reports as to whether he will lose his "Young Gun" status after a certain age.

The Daily Beast also decided to tap conservative wunderkind Jonathan Krohn for his views on the GOP's unusual definition of "young."

"The Republican Party is trying to make sure that when they get young guns, they don't get naive guns. They want to try to stay with guys who have been in the game for a while," Krohn said.

If this is the case, maybe the GOP would be better off not touting this group's bygone youth, and instead settle for calling these candidates "Guns." Simple, snappy and a great symbol for the GOP.

Comments

[monk2000]

11:35 PM on 06/13/2010

LOL!!! To the decrepit rethuglicans they are young.

[orange county man]

08:28 PM on 06/13/2010

And they have chipmunk teeth!

[Laplase75]

08:24 PM on 06/13/2010

Steve, I'm sorry.

[Rob Horton]

08:15 PM on 06/13/2010

One can only hope that our country is awakening from its long national nightmare of equating conservative with "good" and liberal with "evil." Granted, it will take some time for the grogginess of a long mindless sleep to wear off, but I look forward to a long period of wakefulness where at least the debate can be respectful and we can elect true patriots who will be able to put aside partisan labels to do what needs to be done to move our nation forward. Maybe the graying of the "young guns" is a sign that this is about to happen...

[poaster]

08:09 PM on 06/13/2010

That reminds me GAP is running a sale this week.

[orange county man]

08:30 PM on 06/13/2010

And Sears is selling large space heaters.

[pophearts]

06:00 PM on 06/13/2010

LOL, that picture is gold. No one wants to be a Republican until they're middle aged.

[Moe Sislak]

03:19 PM on 07/13/2010

So true, if as many 18-30 year olds voted as those over 65, they're be like 20 Republicans left in the house and maybe 3 or 4 in the Senate. I'm saddened by those my age, I try to get a many to vote since here in AZ we can do early ballet without giving a reason. I voted for Obama 2 weeks before election night.

[phylsboutique]

04:17 PM on 06/13/2010

Pictured in this article is Steve Pearce from New Mexico, a want-a-be congressman. He's NOT liked by New Mexicans and will fall down hard in the general election. Go Dems!

[Duppy]

01:30 PM on 06/13/2010

LOL.............young people should run fast from this absolete party with not a single progressive bone. If it were up to them we would be back living in and stay permanently living in the 1800s.

[monk2000]

11:37 PM on 06/13/2010

Obsolete.

And you're 100% right.

Hopefully rethuglicans die out, as a party, soon.

[Littlewords]

01:08 PM on 06/13/2010

GOP's 'Young Guns' Actually Not So Young: Average Age Just Under 50

Truer by the day, especially with the senior lilly white teabagging dance the GOP has been doing.

[socialmistfit]

01:03 PM on 06/13/2010

Hm... Notzy Pelosky and Harry Knuckle Reid... there are a couple of youngsters leading the Democrats.

The symbolism of the Democraks is made young by lots of plastic surgery, Botox and natural life expectancy.

[Littlewords]

01:08 PM on 06/13/2010

Tro11 alert.

[kareemachan]

02:58 PM on 06/13/2010

And not particularly good at it either. ;-)

[libster4]

04:45 PM on 06/13/2010

Your name says it all.

[Billar]

11:59 AM on 06/13/2010

The GOP likes to use symbolism a lot. The young eagles, Rangers, Log Cabins, Patriots etc. Yet these Rushpublicans fail to step up for the betterment of our country.

[dems08]

11:08 AM on 06/13/2010

the majority of young people think the pub party is an old people's joke

[Billar]

11:59 AM on 06/13/2010

I agree. Fanned

[dems08]

11:06 AM on 06/13/2010

50 is the new 20...

NOT!

[bernikitty]

10:52 AM on 06/13/2010

.....bald, bad teeth, canary-eating, goofy grin, viagra poppin, aarp card-totin papaw.

THIS is what the gop considers a young gun?

among other things, a young gun, by definition must be YOUNG...

[pecosdog]

12:27 PM on 06/13/2010

62 is young for the teabag crowd. You seen those old coots rattling their dentures and messing their depends at those angry Geritol rallies?

[Tails]

06:19 PM on 06/13/2010

I myself have heard a few people talk about what a pleasure it was to vote for Grant.

[Duppy]

01:31 PM on 06/13/2010

LOL........

[bruinlover09]

10:36 AM on 06/13/2010

Actually in the Republican Party, he is a young gun. How old is John McCain, Richard Shelby, Hayley Barbour and Mitch McConnell? It is a backwards looking party, who it make sense that its young guns are in their 50s