“There is an element of, at some point, you age out,” the former president said.

Former President Barack Obama is urging the Democratic Party to invest in younger candidates if it wants to come out victorious in the 2026 midterm elections and, eventually, the 2028 presidential election.

In an interview with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen that was published Saturday, the 64-year-old said part of the reason his own elections were so successful was because he was young at the time.

“I’m a pretty healthy 64, feel great, but the truth is, half of the references that my daughters make about social media, TikTok and such, I don’t know who they’re talking about,” he said. “There is an element of, at some point, you age out. You’re not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through.”

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    7 hours ago

    Isn’t that what he’s referring to with this quote.

    “There is an element of, at some point, you age out. You’re not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through.”

    His entire point wasn’t that older candidates aren’t in on the latest tech trends. His point is that older candidates are out of touch with "the immediate struggles that folks are going through.”

    I grew up very poor, and that helps me be able to sympathize with the struggles of folk under the boot of a rigged system. I was also able to fight my way out of poverty and I have not had to live with those struggles for decades. Just because I can sympathize doesn’t mean that I truly understand. I’m out of touch. The same applies to old, establishment, politicians who are decades removed from the days they struggled to help their communities.

    • 7101334@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      You don’t need to be “connected directly to the immediate struggles” to understand polling, such as that a resounding number of Democrats and Independents condemned Israel’s genocide in Palestine or that a resounding number of Democrats (idk about Independents) support abolishing ICE.

      They are owned by Zionists, and they are owned by private prison oligarchs. It’s not because they were too old to understand. It’s because they’re compromised by foreign agents and moneyed interests.