Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley suggested that the “entire Congress” should be made to undergo mental competency tests as questions continue to be raised about the fitness of several members of the nation’s geriatric political leadership class.
The former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations appeared on Sunday’s edition of “Face the Nation” on CBS where she discussed the second public incident of octogenarian Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) freezing up during a press conference last week.
Haley, who has staked out her position on elderly leaders, including criticizing the advanced age of both likely opponents in next year’s election, Joe Biden who will be 81 years old, and former President Donald J. Trump, who’ll be a spry 78, described the tests to anchor Robert Costa.
(Video: YouTube/Nikki Haley)
“I am completely for term limits. I’m completely for mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75. And I’m not saying that to be disrespectful,” she said. “Here, you have Mitch McConnell, who’s done great service to the country. You have Dianne Feinstein, who had a great career. You’ve got Nancy Pelosi, who’s been there a long time. At what point do they get it’s time to leave?”
Stating that the aged leaders need to step aside and let younger people move into the job, the candidate said that moving out the oldsters isn’t about politics.
“This is not just a Republican or Democrat problem,” Haley said. “This is a congressional problem. And they’ve got to know when to leave. It is time to pass this down to a new generation of conservative leaders that want to take our country to a better place.”
Pressed on whether she thinks that it’s time for the Republican Senators to “have a leadership shakeup” to replace the obviously struggling McConnell, she again said that the age problem is about both parties.
“I want this for Republicans and Democrats. I want to make sure that they all know it’s time to go,” Haley said. “There’s a reason the American people want term limits. It’s because they don’t want people staying there forever. They don’t want people drunk on the power.”
Costa then brought up the subject of the competency tests which she has advocated for.
“I think there should be mental competency tests. And I don’t care if they’re for everybody 50 and older. I don’t care if they’re for the entire Congress,” Haley replied.
“These are basic tests, Bob. These are, tell us where you were born. Name four words that start with the same letter. How many grandchildren do you have? These are basic questions that anyone should be able to answer. And the way you do that is just, when a candidate files to run for office, incumbent or newcomer, they have to give their financial disclosures,” she continued.
“They should also give a notice from the doctor that tells about their mental capacity,” Haley added. “I think that we need that. We can’t stand watching Dianne Feinstein sit there and be told by an aide how she should vote. We can’t worry about Mitch McConnell being frozen at a podium. We can’t have Joe Biden forget where he is.”
In another television appearance last week, this one on Fox News, Haley described the Senate as “the most privileged nursing home in the country” after McConnell’s latest incident.
Nikki Haley: The Senate is ‘the most privileged nursing home in the country’ https://t.co/EQLxyT3Uvz via @BIZPACReview
— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) September 1, 2023
“Our enemies are watching all of this,” she told Costa. “And every time they have an instance like that, America is less safe, because our enemies think we’re out of control. And that’s got to stop.”
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