McCain's Problem: Not Age, but Condition

Barack Obama versus John McCain. One of the first things that supporters of Obama ought to realize is that attacking, belittling or characterizing John McCain by emphasizing his age is a mistake. It is a mistake that may backfire and cost them a lot of votes with seniors in this country.

I don't know about you, but everywhere I look in our society, people over sixty-five are making profound contributions to their chosen fields. Architecture, writing, journalism, painting, education, corporate leadership, law, medicine. You name it. With the exception of actually performing in fields such as sports or ballet, for example, men and women that are John McCain's age are not only contributing, they are at the top of their game.

The problem with John McCain is not his age, it's his condition. McCain's true lack of the abundant energy required to function as president, even performing the job on the most basic level, is what must be questioned. Perhaps McCain could have served in the 1950s, back in a time when the job was significantly less complicated than it is today. However, the world has grown far more dangerous and complicated in the last decade. (I know this because the Bush administration has worked incredibly hard for eight years to convince me of this.) The world today requires that we have a president who has the mental and physical capability and stamina to face issues such as terrorism, global warming and the energy crisis we are currently steeped in, not to mention the link between all three.

John McCain had a relatively brief and less taxing battle for his party's nomination than Barack Obama did. He has had time to rest up. Get mentally fit. Study his notes and come out swinging once he had a clear target. And what have we witnessed thus far? What kind of shape will John McCain be in come September or October, after weeks of stress and pounding from his adversary, who seems right now to be indefatigable?

McCain's ideas are too old, not the Senator himself. McCain's view of this country, his view of the world, are too old. There may be a seventy-two year old Republican Senator/ war hero who has most or all of what it takes to lead this country out of these difficult times. John McCain is not that man.

Comments

[mero909]

I wonder if Mr. Baldwin would be talking about McCain like this if he would have ran for Vice President with John Kerry back in '04?

[neoprimordial]

I wonder how many people here would vote for John McCain if he had the same talent for statesmanship and instinctual leadership skills as Barack Obama. I agree that trying to suggest that McCain is too old is a weak strategy, but I also don't believe it's even worthwhile to suggest that his energy level won't be up to demands of the presidency. He has people he can delegate to, and he can hire more if he feels he needs to. That's why they're there. The problem with McCain is the problem with most of the candidates who have run for the office of the president this season: they are, for the most part, mediocre leaders or non-leaders. They don't have a distinctive vision that people will want to get behind, the capacity to effectively lead people in a direction they may not necessarily want to go, or the integrity to be in it for more than just the power & money (like Dick & Dubya), or some other corrupting influence. McCain gets into office and we will have four more years of what we've gotten from the Republicans for the last quarter century. Obama, at the very least, shows a strong potential for actual leadership. No one is perfect, after all, but I'd put my money on Obama long before I'd put it on McCain as to whose presidency would be most effective. I don't think McCain is worth even discussing anymore.

[nanton29]

I must add though that I would be concerned about those surrogates whom he will delegate responsibility to. So far, we've had a few disasters a la Black, Graham, Sanford, Carly. Just imagine this for a moment , Carly is the veep and has to assume the role of commander in chief. She ran HP into the ground as a chief executive and is now in charge of this country... phew, just the thought makes me want to hug my kids a little tighter.

[Garvagh]

Great advice to Obama! John McCain clearly lacks an understanding of the Middle East today, and is unable to keep track of the various factions and interests competing for power etc. Rather than master the material, in the manner of George W. Bush we see McCain engaging in fatuous sloganeering and intentionally deceptive manipulations of the truth as part of a continuing scheme of scare-mongering.

McCain as president would be a national calamity.

[Scooter2]

Mr or Mrs Garvagh----McCain might be a national calamity, but Obama would be a national disaster. Which do you want?

[Stew118]

McCain and his campaign are utterly and completely tired and not in the physical sense. This election is not about the lesser of two evils- it is about reality vs. ideology, and the choice, my friends, is no choice at all.

[emmaspeaks]

John McCain looks weak. He's not vibrant, on top of things or stand tall. Its right to say its the condition. And the writer who talks about his sense of humor is right on. I find his jokes insulting, not funny. That's not the man I want portraying my country. Please get him to stop repeating things..who is he talking to?

[Mariel]

I agree with Mr. Baldwin.

The Repubs should rethink who they are going to nominate. There were several better candidates. For instance, Huckabee and those guys from California and Arizona, forget their names unfortunately.

[VivaZapata]

I am almost ten years younger than McCain and for my age in good shape. Nevertheless, I wouldn't pretend to have the requisite energy to adequately do the job of president. Baldwin is right about condition more than age, but there's no denying that there is a natural deterioration process that does matter. If a wise, old man were truly wise, he would want someone other than himself to become president.

[whatsthatsound]

The problem with McCain is that he's way scary. His "sense of humor" wouldn't exist without cruelty and crudeness as raw material. You meet guys in their thirties and forties who are the same way. Vote for them for president? Not on your (or mine, or anybody's) life!

[annis]

Great point about the sense of humor.

And, thanks, Mr. Baldwin. I've thought this and argued it for months. McCain does not have either the physical energy nor the intellectual sharpness (much less the depth) needed for this position.

[gmarie]

Thank you, Mr. Baldwin for stating that we do ourselves no service when we make flippant comments about the elderly. It's unkind. And rude. And terribly short-sighted! Every time some younger person arrogantly calls McCain "Gramps" or makes even less flattering comments about his age, I fume, and want to retort that getting old is one thing that the poster will not be able to avoid - at least not in any desirable way! ;)

That said, thanks also, to those in their 60s and 70s who posted RESPECTFUL thoughts about McCain's age as it relates to his ability to be president. I, too, feel that the job would be too stressful for most at his age, gees for many at my age of 53! I noticed a huge change in my stamina once I entered mid-life and was quite surprised by it. As another poster mentioned, one has only to look at how Clinton and Bush have aged as POTUS to see the level of stress this job levels on its occupant.

What scares me most about McCain, however, is his temperament. I can"t imagine anyone who has yelled, "F**k you!" at committee members in the Senate or who has called their own wife a "c*nt" in front of reporters being allowed anywhere near the proverbial "red button"!!!

[doc3osh]

In the world of politics, where every nuance is replayed a thousand times over, Mr Baldwin is probably right that "condition" is a better word to use than "age". But to some degree he also misses the point: Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Artists over 65 all have the option of taking a day off to recharge whenever they want. The POTUS does not: it is perhaps the single most demanding job on the planet. Knowing that "a lot of seniors make profound contributions to their chosen fields" is not enough: Senators "contribute"-- the POTUS must RUN THE SHOW at top form 100% of every day. Yes, many seniors live life at the far right side of the Bell curve-- but the other 99.9% retire by age 70! McCain truly is TOO OLD for this particular job. If stated politely, this should not be offensive to anyone, senior or otherwise: Saying he is too old to be POTUS is not the same as saying he's too old to contribute to the betterment of our country as a Senator, for example. He just happens to be applying for a ridiculously demanding job. Any senior that is offended by that need only ask themselves whether they feel they themselves could do the job of President. I am quite sure I couldn't.

[truthinreporting]

Thank you, Alec, for this post. I've read your writings a couple of times and I think you're right on. We would do well to follow your advice about the age issue. I agree completely with what you wrote.

[misanthropexlife]

Thanks to both Alec and gmarie! People are looking at this completely wrong! His age isn't the main factor here... it's his mindset and his inability to be as vibrant as Obama. Barack is in perfect shape to run this country, whereas McCain's ideas and tactics actually frighten me. The only reason to vote for McCain is if you want four more years of Bush. They are nearly the same person.

[WeCanFixThisMess]

There is nothing more exhausting than trying to pander to everyone. (You have to work 10 times harder.) McCain is out there every day tap dancing as he shifts positions, sculpting his "I'm a multimillionaire yet regular guy, former POW" image, doing daily damage control from his own gaffes, calming himself down when some jerk with a point pisses him off... I don't know how he drags himself out of bed each morning.
No matter how old he is, what can't be denied are those befuddled looks as the wheels turn that makes him resemble Clarence from It's A Wonderful Life. Obama has the breezy quality that the McCain of 2000 has long lost. McCain would sleep right through that 3 am call.

[TXfemmom]

I know people McCain's age who are mentally sharp and have abundant energy, but McCain's health is crap and his mental abilities are being hardened by age. His natural temper, nastiness, and antagonism is being magnified, which we see as people age, in many cases. Just think what his personality and abilities would be four years from now.

[Scarllatti]

Did McCain inherit those too?

[flatus]

France was easily overrun by the Nazis in part due to the fact that its military leader was a World War I relic. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it?

[researcher]

kind of like we did not learn from vietnam :-)

[musselmanm]

Hey we saved the world from the domino effect of Communism!
Even though we lost. The domino crud was a bust for the Commies.

[booksnmore4you]

He's clearly in no mental condition to be president. Never has been. It's only worse now that his mind is deteriorating with age. Yes, WITH AGE.

[dawlishgal]

I am 73, and while I like to delude myself that my brain works as well as ever, there is the additional problem of energy. When something needs doing, I have the luxury of procrastinating until I feel a surge of strength, (and, hopefully, clarity). And, if I just don't feel like doing any serious thinking or worrying, I can always do the Scarlett O'Hara thing.

The president of the United States has no such luxury. The person who takes on that job must be in top-notch shape mentally AND physically, ready 24-7 to deal with every and any emergency. Even if there are NO expected emergencies, we do need that preparedness and youth.

So, Mr. Baldwin, don't worry about offending me.

[starfire426]

Loved your answer..one filled with lots of wisdom, which for the most part comes with advancing years. I, too, know my limitations, at the ripe age of 50-something. I find that my clarity of mind is probably as good as it ever was, however, my energy level is not always on the same par.

I, like you, sometimes suffer the Scarlett O'Hara syndrome ("I'll thnk about that tomorrow"). I have all these "to-do" things in my head and celebrate it as a success if I can ahceive getting half of them accomplished. McCain needs to take a page from our playbook...he's just not up to snuff for the rigors of the campaign nor the White House!!!

[Angus703]

Good point, I know plenty of older people who are still contributing to their fields, but McCain doesn't seem to be able to get things straight without looking to one of his aides, and I think he may have a simplistic view of foreign policy, just because you have been in the senate for years and served on the Armed Services committee does not mean you know what you are talking about when it comes to foriegn policy.