Bernie Sanders Calls Nikki Haley’s Age-Based Competence Test for Politicians “Absurd”

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The senator asserted, “I believe we should also be combating ageism. We are fighting racism, we’re fighting sexism, we’re fighting homophobia.”

Republican Nikki Haley’s suggestion to demand mental fitness exams for political candidates over the age of 75 was mocked by Hon. Bernie Sanders as “absurd.” This past week, the former governor of South Carolina announced her candidacy for president and put forth the notion that “generational change” is required in politics.

“As you may know, former ambassador Nikki Haley is running for president, and she suggested that legislators over 75 years old take a mandated mental competency exam. You’re 81. Do you find that offensive? During a Sunday interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, host Margaret Brennan posed the question to the senator, “Are you in agreement?

In response, Sanders referred to the idea as “absurd.”

That, in my opinion, is ludicrous, Sanders added. “We are battling against homophobia, sexism, and racism. I believe we should combat ageism as well. Trust individuals, observe them, and decide for yourself whether they are competent or not.

Sanders continued, saying, “Older individuals, you know, you look at the individual, I don’t think you make a blanket statement. There are a lot of 40 year-olds out there that ain’t especially competent.”

When Trump boasted that he “aced” a cognitive test given by the White House physician, assessments of mental competence became a hot topic throughout his presidency. she wants.

If Haley gets her way, Trump, who is 76 years old, would have to pass a mental capacity exam. As would President Joseph Biden, who is 80 years old, and Sanders, 81. Haley, though, would be exempt at age 51.

Yet, according to experts, cognitive tests might not always be able to determine if a person is qualified to hold office. Several cognitive tests are timed, and we are aware that brain processing decreases with advancing age. According to Carolyn Aldwin, the director of the gerontology program at Oregon State University, “so you can come out seeming disabled, even though you’re not really.

Cognitive tests “don’t always determine that you have ability,” another expert, David Nace, chief of geriatric medicine at University Pittsburgh Medical Center, told Slate.

One of the few ways Haley has so far set herself apart from Trump is by supporting a required age-based proficiency test. Haley has declined to discuss the political differences between the previous president and herself in numerous interviews.

Senators other than Sanders mocked Haley’s suggested competency exam. Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono remarked, “I think she should evaluate her own mental capacity.” Come on, how many times has she claimed to be opposing Trump then kissing his ring the very next moment?

 

 

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