Audio: Krystal Ball on the Randi Rhodes Radio Show

Last week Krystal Ball joined John Elliot, filling in for Randi Rhodes, on the Randi Rhodes Radio Show to discuss foreign policy and the tremendous momentum that she has built up in her race to secure the Democratic nomination for the House of Representatives in the 1st Congressional District.

At 28-years old, if elected to the House, she would be the only woman under the age of 40 elected to Congress, since Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) and Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) will turn 40 next year.

…I’m amazed at the fact that we don’t have a larger number of younger people elected to Congress…After all, the decisions made today will impact this younger generation in the years to come… According to the Congressional Research Service:

The average age of Members of the 111th Congress is among the highest of any Congress in recent U.S. history. The average age of Senators at the beginning of the 111th Congress is 63.1 years, approximately 1.5 years greater than that of the 110th Congress (61.7 years) and three years older than that of Senators in the 109th Congress (60.1 years).

The average age of Members of the House, including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, is 57.0 years, over a year older than that of Representatives in the 110th Congress (55.9 years), and almost two years older than that of Representatives in the 109th Congress (55.1 years). The average age of all Members in both Houses is 58.2 years.

The average age of the new Members of the House, including a Delegate and the Resident Commissioner, is 49.7 years. The average age of new Senators is 57.1 years.

The U.S. Constitution requires Representatives to be at least 25 years old when they take office. The youngest Representative, as well as youngest Member of Congress, is Aaron Schock (R-IL), 27. The oldest Representative is Ralph Hall (R-TX), 85.

…After giving it further thought, I think it is essential to have a more diverse Congress, in terms of age…After all, shouldn’t we have folks close to our soldiers ages, you know the one’s being sent off to war, providing their viewpoint on these sort of critical decisions…It isn’t like many members of Congress are making decisions to send themselves off to war…

…I’m also sick of hearing republicans pointing out her age…They don’t seem to have a problem with Representative Shock (R-IL), 27….They seem to think he is the greatest things since sliced bread…Could it be that she is a woman and a smart one to boot…

In recent weeks Krystal has been endorsed by Congressman Doug Filner, Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, a quite impressive accomplishment for a first time office seeker. Her democratic opponent is also retired second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, which makes this endorsement ever more meaningful.

Her campaign has show tremendous momentum too, having raised nearly a half million dollars. This is an unheard amount of money in a district that hasn’t been competitive for democrats in a long while.

Krystal continues to garner national attention, having recently appeared on Lou Dobbs radio program; MSNBCs “Morning Meeting” with Dylan Ratigan; and the Randi Rhodes Radio Program.

Krystal is a King George County native and a successful small business owner (educational software), along with her husband. You can learn more about Krystal at http://www.krystalballforcongress.com/site/about/.