With race certainly a factor for Barack Obama, and gender a factor for Hillary Clinton, John Mc.Cain has an issue that will be just as prickly to get around as the two Democrats, and that is his age.
Mc.Cain will be 72 years old come election day, and a new poll out this morning, and reported by MSNBC says a full 25% of voters say they will be less likely to vote for Mc.Cain because of his age.
The only other person you can compare this to is Ronald Reagan. The job of president ages you in a hurry, and Reagan took afternoon naps, was in bed for the night around 9PM, and by the sixth year of his second term, he was tired, run down, his energy sapped and he looked every bit like an 85 year old man. By the end of his second term, Bill Clinton looked like he aged 25 years.
If Mc.Cain wins the presidency, (A thought that horrifies me), I dare say he will only be a one term president. I can’t see him making a run for a second term simply because I doubt he would last with a second term. This is a job for younger men or women, with energy to burn.
When the Republicans exploit race and gender,(and you know they will), the Democrats have the age issue. In simple terms, Mc.Cain’s age is a liability to him. Democrats would do well to bring it up every chance they get.
