Does it blow your mind every Democratic candidate of the past 44 years is still alive?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

LBJ had hardening of the arteries, many Prez smoked during their yrs in office, now that smoking is on the downtrend, no it doesn't surprise me. 

[Flyersfan232]

Kind of impressive, especially as only four Republicans from that timespan still are.

Dole and Romney are the only living candidates who never became President.

Al gore tank guy Mondale and kerry would like a word

[Flyersfan232]

Kind of impressive, especially as only four Republicans from that timespan still are.

Dole and Romney are the only living candidates who never became President.

Al gore tank guy Mondale and kerry would like a word

And Hillary

[brucejoel99]

But I never hear about Mondale and Dukakis in the media. They are quiet. We hear about Gore because of the environment issues and we hear about Kerry because he was secretary of state.

They've certainly kept a very low profile. However, there was a report on 60 Minutes a few years ago about electroconvulsive threapy for patients battling depression. In that report, the Dukakises were interviewed, because Kitty Dukakis (Michael Dukakis' wife), is a patient who receives electroconvulsive therapy as part of her treatment. This is probably the only time that Dukakis has made a notable media appearance in recent years.

And Gore and Kerry were both featured in media reports last year, in the context of the presidential election. Gore appeared in a virtual chat with Biden to offer his endorsement, while Kerry was one of Biden's staunchest supporters in the primaries and actually went to Iowa to campaign on his behalf. He later was one of the speakers at the Democratic National Convention.

FiveThirtyEight and ESPN produced a short documentary about the infamous tank photo-op in 2016, including an interview with Mike Dukakis himself (although I understand that 538 is not exactly a notable media appearance for people who aren't political junkies like us).

I don't know about Mondale, although it should be noted that he had his own late comeback to relevance when he became the Democratic replacement candidate for Senator in Minnesota in 2002 after Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash.

Dukakis occasionally pops up on the news in Boston every now & then for spending his free time cleaning-up litter on the streets of Boston, but the last time that I can recall him actually being in the news for anything political was when he was the heavily-favored appointee to fill the Senate vacancies created by Ted Kennedy's death back in 2009 & then Kerry's ascendancy to the State Dept. back in 2013, though I guess Deval Patrick must have something against him or something, because he didn't appoint him on either occasion.

As for Mondale, he's definitely kept himself on the down-low. The last things I remember him being in the news for are endorsing Klobuchar because Minnesota, his appearances on Carter Center panels (which, y'know, have generally been newsworthy only because they're team-ups between the earliest-serving President & their VP who are both still alive), & the lunch he had with Biden & Pence a few years back when he accompanied Tina Smith to her swearing-in - conducted by Pence, of course - on the same day that Biden accompanied Doug Jones to his (i.e. "a historic get-together on the Senate floor today as 3 VP's gathered..."), all of which feel like you kinda have to be a political junkie to actually notice & remember having heard in the news.

[Samof94]

Give it 5 to 10 years and Carter, Mondale, and Dukakis will all be dead. Not being morbid, just the youngest is Dukakis who is 87.

Former presidential candidates older than 80:

Dole (born in 1923)
Carter (1924)
Mondale (1928)
Ed Clark-Libertarian (1930)
Dukakis (1933)
Ralph Nader-Green/Reform/Independent (1934)
Ron Paul-Libertarian (1935)
Andre Marrou-Libertarian (1938)
Pat Buchanan-Reform (1938)

For presidents, Carter will die one day soon, and then Clinton, Bush, and Trump were all born in 1946 (so all are 74 now). Biden born in '42, Kerry in '43, Romney in '46, Hillary Clinton in '47, and Gore in '48. Quayle in '47 and Lieberman in '42. Yes, the Baby Boomers and their antecedents really believed in running the world forever (Pelosi born in '40, Hoyer in '39, and Clyburn in '40).

But I never hear about Mondale and Dukakis in the media. They are quiet. We hear about Gore because of the environment issues and we hear about Kerry because he was secretary of state.

I never hear about Gore or Kerry now.

Kerry was one of Biden's staunchest supporters in the primaries and actually went to Iowa to campaign on his behalf.

You can look at the results, a lot of good Kerry's endorsement did Biden in the Iowa Caucus.

Dan Quayle has absolutely disappeared from public life after his 1996 presidential run. He really wasn't even discussed much at George H.W. Bush's funeral. (Saw a post on Facebook last night that said Quayle was elected Vice President in 1988. He's 5 years younger than Biden.)

Kamala Harris is basically a Gen Xer for all practical purposes even if she is a little before the line.

[jimrtex]

Curiously, Carter's three siblings lived at an average of 56 years, and all died of pancreatic cancer, as did his father who died at 58. His mother did live to 85, but based on family history, being alive at 96 is quite unusual.

Well, there are outliers to every family. Carter is clearly the outlier in his.

Yep. It is super amazing that he is alive given his family history.

[Cokeland Saxton]

TIL Bob Dole is still alive

[Skill and Chance]

No.  From McGovern until Biden, Dem nominees tended to be substantially younger than GOP nominees. 

[Calthrina950]

No.  From McGovern until Biden, Dem nominees tended to be substantially younger than GOP nominees.  

George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 is the exception to this. He is nearly two years older than Al Gore and nearly three years younger than John Kerry.

[brucejoel99]

No.  From McGovern until Biden, Dem nominees tended to be substantially younger than GOP nominees.  

George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 is the exception to this. He is nearly two years older than Al Gore and nearly three years younger than John Kerry.

Trump would also be such an exception, being only a year older than Hillary & 3-&-a-1/2 years younger than Biden.

[Podgy the Bear]

Curiously, Carter's three siblings lived at an average of 56 years, and all died of pancreatic cancer, as did his father who died at 58. His mother did live to 85, but based on family history, being alive at 96 is quite unusual.

Well, there are outliers to every family. Carter is clearly the outlier in his.

Yep. It is super amazing that he is alive given his family history.

A major reason why Carter is here today is Rosalynn.  As was HW with Barbara, Reagan with Nancy, and Ford with Betty.   Long, happy marriages work!

That--and better health practices--are why we are seeing our ex-Presidents make it well into their 90s. 

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Learned recently that prior to being elected president in 1868, Ulysses Grant had only ever voted once beforehand, for James Buchanan in 1856.

Grant was the only Republican elected prior to 1896 to have not been a Whig Party member as far as I can recall. He was very apolitical and their might have some dislike for Fremont involved in his vote as both served in the Mexican War, that would tend to complicate matters. Worth looking into because there might have been a bad interaction between the two or just a general dislike for him.

[Frodo]

Bob Dole and Jimmy Carter are the only living presidential candidates who are from the generation that fought in World War II (or could have).  Everyone else are Baby Boomers, or from the Silent Generation (Joe Biden), or are arguably border-line Generation X (Barack Obama).  

[Calthrina950]

Bob Dole and Jimmy Carter are the only living presidential candidates who are from the generation that fought in World War II (or could have).  Everyone else are Baby Boomers, or from the Silent Generation (Joe Biden), or are arguably border-line Generation X (Barack Obama).  

Walter Mondale is also a member of the Silent Generation, as is Michael Dukakis.

[Calthrina950]

Sadly, in the time since this thread was created, Mondale died. His death means that 1996 is now the earliest presidential election in which both major-party candidates are still alive. Given Bob Dole's cancer diagnosis and his advanced age, this may not be true for much longer.

[Samof94]

Sadly, in the time since this thread was created, Mondale died. His death means that 1996 is now the earliest presidential election in which both major-party candidates are still alive. Given Bob Dole's cancer diagnosis and his advanced age, this may not be true for much longer.

2012 seems to be the only election where both tickets feature a current elected official on them.