General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Al Franken Would Make a Great President [View all]TexasBushwhacker
(20,131 posts)I'm not saying it wasn't a factor at all, but I believe other things were bigger factors. I heard people mention McCain's age and cancer history, but they were truly frightened at the thought of Palin being a heartbeat from the presidency.
The thing that cooked Bush's goose was the "Read my lips. No new taxes." and then raising taxes. That and his horrible choice of Dan Quayle as VP.
The economy was recovering in '96, so it was an uphill battle for Dole under the best of circumstances. With Perot still in the mix, it wasn't the best of circumstances. Plus, Dole was chosen as the Republican nominee because it was "his turn". That rarely works out well for either party.
I absolutely did not hear anyone mentioning Romney's age as an issue. I did hear people having a problem with his Mormonism.
I think age isn't an issue much for Republican's because they are the party of old ideas, the status quo. With the Democrats, I think new ideas are more important than newer bodies.