Thread by @Cajsa

My family has had plenty of nonagenarians and centenarians. My uncle cleared an acre of birch forest and put in a garden when he was 94. My mother was 90 when she tripped while walking her daily mile. She got a concussion that killed her.

My greataunt eloped in her late 90s. She was 106 when she died. Her last words, "Why are you all whispering. I ain't dead yet." 🤣

My oldest cousin retired from the USPS when I was 7, so I think you should understand that I grew up with geriatrics...and many were very fit.

But here's the thing, one of the things that go as people age is their ability to learn new things, take in new information, what they call fluid intelligence. So people can be as sharp as ever on the old stuff, but not process the new well. This is normal, not senility

A president needs highly functioning fluid intelligence. No matter how good their crystallized intelligence is, the job of president is about nothing but new information and taking in new ways of thinking.

Both Biden and Sanders show they are weak at incorporating the new. Sanders, in particular, seems to not have incorporated new ways of thinking in 30 years. This is not good. This is normal aging, not like Trump who seems to have something wrong with him, seriously wrong

To people who say it is ageist to question the wisdom of nominating Biden or Sanders, there are other considerations as well, but I have no interest in a one-term nominee. None!

It is not ageist to note that cognitive processes slow down, multi-tasking becomes difficult, learning new things is difficult. Just as there is a minimum age requirement, common sense should demand a reasonable maximum age.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK3885/

& yes, there are exceptional seniors whose mental acuity remains startling, but even RBG is not taking on a NEW job, but performing work that requires the skills she acquired long ago. Fluid intelligence is not a requirement for her work, it is for the presidency.