Ageism

Just for Fun? New Blog Aims at McCain's Age

Posted by: Anti-Ageism Task Force

Thursday, April 24, 2008—Democratic strategist Steve Rosenthal has just started a blog called Younger Than McCain, and produced an accompanying video "just for fun" that delights in a show-and-tell of things younger than the Republican presidential hopeful. Some examples: FM radio, the Golden Gate bridge, color TV, Velcro.

Interestingly, a large number of the 123 comments Rosenthal's blog has received to date seemed to find the video either offensive or simply pointless. Below are a few of our favorites:

I hope I'm as vigorous and intelligent at 72 as McCain is than you are at 55. He recently hiked the Grand Canyon...
Get a life! A 55 yr old making fun of 72 yr old. Wow! You really showed him...
Maybe you should consider having a little respect for your elders.
I am eleven days younger than McCain and know from personal experience that some people are old at 55 and others young at 71.
I really don't think McCain is that old. Now, if he were pushing 80... that might be another story.
So, judging by your eagerness to belittle McCain based on his age, will you discriminate against Obama and Clinton based on race and gender, as well? This is ridiculous and such a waste of time.

In an earlier poll we ran about the issue, 66% of our readers believed that age doesn't matter as much as health in a presidential candidate. Yet, according to a nonpartisan "fact tank" Pew Research Center, 50% of people polled in February of 2007 said they would be less likely to vote for someone in their 70s.

Rosenthal's blog and video are already making waves, having been the subject of articles in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. CNN's Jack Cafferty's even took it a step further, asking viewers to send in their own lists of things that are younger than McCain.

Partisan politics aside, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Watch the 90-second video, then click "Add Comment" below.