Murtha tackles McCain’s age
As regular readers know, I’ve been fascinated with the implications of John McCain’s age on the presidential campaign. For all the talk about Americans’ comfort levels when it comes to an African-American president or woman president, there’s ample evidence that voters are even more concerned with a septuagenarian president.
Howard Dean recently noted that the DNC doesn’t plan to touch this during the general election, saying, “There is somewhat of a higher ethical bar on what we do. We don’t have any Lee Atwaters or Karl Roves on our side.” Dean noted, however, that in recent focus groups, voters kept bringing up the issue, unprompted.
Publius noted the other day that Dems can focus on the issue, but in a subtle way. For example, Barack Obama recently said, “John McCain is an American hero. We honor his service to our nation. But his priorities don’t address the real problems of the American people, because they are bound to the failed policies of the past.” Obama didn’t come right out and say, “He’s really old,” but by connecting McCain and the “the past,” he’s sending a signal.
Today, John Murtha tried a less subtle approach.
Rep. Jack Murtha, who has endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, introduced the New York senator at a Washington appearance Wednesday with the observation that Sen. John McCain is too old to be president. “It’s no old man’s job,” said Murtha.
McCain is 72, three years younger than Murtha, a powerful Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania. Murtha said the demands of the office were too much for men of their age.
If he were elected, McCain would be the oldest first-term U.S. president in history.
“…[T]his one guy running is about as old as me,” said Murtha. “And let me tell you something, it’s not [an] old man’s job. I mean the campaign, the stress, so forth.”
Well, that’s certainly one way to give the issue some traction.
The McCain campaign wasn’t happy with Murtha.
McCain’s campaign immediately condemned Murtha’s remarks, saying trail activities like his late-night talk show appearances should eliminate any voter doubt about the Arizona senator’s stamina for the office, in a statement that did not mention Clinton, taking aim instead at Barack Obama.
“I think people will evaluate John McCain through the type of campaign he is running, whether it is through appearances on shows like Letterman and Leno, whether its through the fifteen hour days on the campaign trail,” McCain’s senior advisor Steve Schmidt. “He’s a person who’s in great physical shape, who has outworked every other campaign on the Republican side, and you know, has a much tougher and demanding schedule than Senator Obama.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I found this response a little odd. Is Obama keeping a light and relaxing schedule? It doesn’t seem like it, so I’m not sure what that’s about.
More importantly, McCain’s age isn’t cause for concern because he can appear on Letterman? That’s the response? McCain must be in good shape for a 71-year-old man because he can stay up until 11:30?
As for Murtha, it’s smart for him to make the charge that McCain’s too old to be president because he’s older than McCain. If Obama or Clinton made his remarks, it’d come across as offensive and insulting. But if a fellow septuagenarian says this, it’s harder to accuse him of ageism. Murtha is effectively saying, “I’m too old to be president, and so is he.”
Ole John McCain is either getting senile or getting stupid. You decide.
McCain’s schedule is so grueling, he doesn’t have time to read the GI bill.
Just a small point:
Letterman tapes his show at about 7pm EST.
So he’s not even up that late.
“I think people will evaluate John McCain through the type of campaign he is running, whether it is through appearances on shows like Letterman and Leno, whether its through the fifteen hour days on the campaign trail,” McCain’s senior advisor Steve Schmidt.
First, I believe Leno and Letterman are taped around 5pm so its not like McCain is literally on their shows at 11:30pm. Second, since he is a senior citizen it is likely he gets up at 5am and goes to bed around 8pm and thus sucessfully putting in his 15 hour day.
McCain must be in good shape for a 71-year-old man because he can stay up until 11:30?
As others noted, Letterman and most other late night shows — Conan, Daily Show, etc. — are taped around 5pm.
I guess the Early Bird Special applies to TV too.
McCain is up at all hours…peeing.
Frankly, I wonder if McCain will even make to the election. After one or two of his famed temper tantrum meltdowns, the probability for stroke or heart attacks rises exponentially, — and the circus has only begun.
I was recently informed that my employment contract would not be renewed based, in part I believe, on my age — and I’m 23 years younger than McCain. So, I’m a little sensitive to the age issue. That being said, I’m not the president of the united states (and you should be grateful for that). No matter how old his mother is, people just don’t have the same capacities in their 70’s as the do in their 50’s and 60’s. Despite my personal discomfort about the issue of age discrimination, I don’t want a cranky old man as president of the United States. Subtle (and not-so-subtle)reminders of his age will be inevitable in this election and I think they should be.
Somebody should sit on Steve Schmidt’s head, because it won’t take long for the Obama Campaign to compare their candidate’s schedule to his and make McCain look as old as he is.
But I disagree with Steve. Murtha really should NOT have brought this up this way. Subtle is better.
Or trying to.
Fixed.
After seeing Ronald Reagan’s mental decline in his latter years, I am not comfortable with electing someone even older as President. So McCain’s age is a valid issue, like it or not. We’re not talking about the sort of ageism where anyone over 50 is considered past their prime, we’re talking 72 where, well, we are past our prime.
It’s also obvious that WHO McCain picks as a running mate will have a significant impact upon a public that is already showing concerns about his age. I wonder who he’ll select, Leiberman? Keyes? Rove? With those kinds of possibilities and the problem of voter concern, the mind boggles. 😉
I’d have to say I heartily disagree with Lance @9. If subtle was truly a better way of communicating with Americans, British humour would be much more popular than it is in the US.
With the difficulties in getting messages out through the middleman – MSM – “in your face” is the only semi-reliable way to ensure the general public gets it. But there are different ways of doing “in your face”, some that are offensive and others that aren’t, and Murtha’s statement is a great example of the latter.
That’s why McCain is taking the Forgotten America bus trip, to determine where he left his car keys,
Actually, Letterman tapes his show about the same time Leno does – 6pm local. The whole thing is done before dinnertime. Plenty easy for an old man to make it to.
People who would believe that the Letterman show is actually being done when they’re watching it probably also believe everyone on the show just makes up what they say as they go along and that Dave knows an awful lot of jokes.
Robby-D said: “I’d have to say I heartily disagree with Lance @9.”
Really? You don’t think that Obama simply standing next to McCan’t isn’t going to do it?
Everybody in this campaign has been careful not to be overtly Racist, Sexist or Ageist. I doubt that’s going to change.
I agree with jayinge @ #13.
What would be the party procedure if a presidential candidate died prior to the election?
So McCain’s aide thinks we should be impressed that McCain can stay up until 7 PM?
I guess this is the same crew that thinks we’ll be impressed by a guy who can’t tell Shiites from Shinola.
Kinda funny to think about Dems tiptoeing around about McCaincient’s age when the Republicans will dump big tubs of crap all over Obama when they get the chance.
McCain’s mentality would be objectionable to me in a Republican half his age.
I believe the letterman show is shot in the early evening.
And I can tell you as a constituent of both McBush and Rick Renzi-neither one has shown up for their day job in quite some time. I could be wrong, though,I don’t thik McBush has been to the senate at all this year except for the SOU.
After Bush, it would be great to see a president “grow” in office. Not much of the presidency seemed to rub off on GW. If Bush grew at all, it was weedy. With McCain, we could very possibly see a president decline in office. How heartening would that be when the next president will need all the gumption possible to handle the shit Bush is leaving behind? We shouldn’t be pussy footing around this issue. Mac Cane is just too creaking old.
Dale @6
I’m a senior citizen and your comment made me blow gin through my nose!!
Feels much worse than milk or coffee. Great point.
(It’s cocktail hour at my house)
I don’t know about anyone else, but I see a man who is obviously old, and he looks very tired, if not actually sick. I wonder if he can actually make it through the campaign. Also, he can’t think on his feet, and respond with clear, articulate position statements in response to questions. He often appears confused, and tries to get through tough questions with lame jokes. He repeatedly relies on the same scripted responses to questions.
Has anyone else noticed these things?
No doubt, Johnny couldn’t get any better in home care than in the White House. A VP from Florida would be a natural addition. Shuffleboard and dominoes anyone?
This is blatant ageism, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves! I expect some rejections, some repudiations, and even a denouncement or two.
We all know that John McCain’s mother still takes European vacations; if that doesn’t prove that he’s got a lot of good years left in him, i don’t know what will. Look at him, he’s like a spring chicken…though we haven’t seen him dance on Ellen yet, which is a shame.
Seriously though, this is another negative of the long Dem campaign. The Dem candidate should be out campaigning for the general now, and forcing McCain to keep up in order to wear him down.
Where’s the Bible crowd? The guy’s already 2 yrs past his alloted span…
Sorry to make you waste some perfectly good gin, howardjk @23. 🙂 Happy hour!
libra said:
Where’s the Bible crowd? The guy’s already 2 yrs past his alloted span…
True, but they claim their guys can go on for hundreds of years.
Maybe the Presidency is McCain’s retirement plan. He’d be waited on hand and foot and have entire hospitals at his beck and call.
Dean and the DNC are thinking of this the wrong way. There’s nothing wrong with discussing his age in an appropriate way. He is, after all, definitely an older individual at 72. It’s one thing to discuss his age in relation to the physical and mental stresses of the job, but it’s quite another to say that he is a doddering old fool simple because he is 72. Once the Democrats start doing that, I’ll reject their tactics, but until then, it’s fair game.
I agree that there needs to be a distinction when it comes to the age. I know several people in their 70’s who are bright, active, and fun to be around, with all their mental capacities still intact. However I do not think that can be said about McCain.
He ‘looks’ old – scarred from cancer,
He ‘acts’ old – limited range of motion due to torture
He ‘sounds’ old – when talking about things when a lot of people were not born yet or still in diapers.
He doesn’t remember a lot of things – which reminds people of ‘Alzheimer’ and dementia.
and as a joke
He probably ‘smells’ old – if you come too close to his depends.
I think the more people will see him next to a young and vibrant Obama the faster they realize that it is worth considering his age and the consequences of his slow slide into … fill in the blank.