redblueamerica.com

You’ve been seeing a lot of ads with spry, old people lately.

Whether the ad is for Viagra, Ameriprise Financial, or Cialis, those 70-somethings are out there running marathons, jumping out of planes, running with the bulls in Pamplona and having hours of acrobatic sex.

Ok, so I’m exaggerating a little… but just a little.

These ads are targeted to aging Baby Boomers. They (we) want to believe that the years haven’t taken their toll. They (we) want to believe that we are not so different than we were in our thirties.

But, deep inside, we know the truth. Our joints tell us a different story. Our bladders tell us a different story. Our eyes (and reading glasses) tell us a different story. Our memory lapses tell us a different story… if we can remember it.

Which brings me to the John McCain presidency and the issue of age. While it may be politically correct to dance around the issue, there are some real issues surrounding a candidate who would be 72 at the time of his inauguration.

Sure, experience and wisdom count for a lot. But they don’t change the fact that we are no longer at the top of our respective games. There have been dozens of studies on the effects of age. While we all want to believe that 70 is the new 50, the facts just don’t back it up.

A study released in March, conducted by a joint team from Duke University, the University of Michigan, the University of Southern California, the University of Iowa and the RAND Corporation, found that over one-third of people over 70 suffer from memory loss. In millions of cases, that memory loss is profound. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers over 70 are more likely to be involved in fatal traffic accidents than any other age group except teenagers.

Actuarial tables from the National Center for Health Statistics Life showthere a 14% chance that a 72 year old white male will die in the next 4 years. It can be assumed that if that white male has already had enormous physical stresses in his life, including torture and four bouts with cancer, those percentages might be a bit higher.

Whether we like to admit it or not, age is a major factor in the McCain candidacy. The physical, mental and emotional demands on a president are tremendous. Unless you are George W. Bush, this is a 365-days-a-year job, one with precious little time for relaxation or rejuvenation.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many people in their seventies, eighties or even nineties, who are still accomplishing great things. We have had great literature, great art and great thinking from those well into their later years.

While there are many people in their seventies who remain at the peak of their mental prowess, those people aren’t seeking to become the president of the United States.

As anyone with an aging parent, friend or relative knows, mental and physical decline can happen virtually overnight. Can we afford to have a leader, a Commander in Chief… the most powerful man in the world, at anything less than 100%?

Think about it.