Why are seniors a largely republican contituency?

[cali]

Is it that they're easier to dupe?

Is it that they're more racially bigoted, as a demographic?

Is it that they're more conservative?

And yes, for the past few years, seniors have been a republican constituency.

http://prospect.org/article/republicans-senior-moment-0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/in-florida-and-ohio-seniors-back-romney-over-obama-on-medicare/2012/08/23/acab7ab6-ed50-11e1-9ddc-340d5efb1e9c_blog.html

http://www.classwarfareexists.com/why-are-seniors-voting-for-republicans/#axzz24Sn2CBGJ

[Fumesucker]

1. This explains it I think.

[Scuba]

2. We're not.

[cali]

5. yes, seniors are indisputedly more republican

obviously not all seniors are, but the majority vote repub.

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Really? We are?

[RebelOne]

38. My question also.

I am a 73-year-old white Democratic woman.

[NNN0LHI]

4. Majority of anti-union assholes who voted for Reagan twice are seniors now 30 years later

Not all. But most of them. When Reagan fired the union air traffic controllers in 1981 these voters were stomping their feet they were so happy.

I think that has a lot to do with this.

Don

[southernyankeebelle]

7. I think you are right. One Reagan did that I think it was a turning point for union workers.

I try to tell people if it weren't for unions you wouldn't have the things in the work place you have today. Reagan destroyed the middle class. I never liked Reagan as president even though he wasn't a mean spirited man like all republicans today are. I have always been a dem. I am a senior citizen and I am never going to change.

[HughBeaumont]

13. YEP. The infamous "Reagan Democrats"

I should know, because my bagger dad is one of them, unfortunately. Cable is tuned exclusively to Faux McPravda, every time I go there. Ever watch that station? They speak on a fifth grade level not only in dialogue, but in reassuring absolutes. This is all about conditioning; it's all about reaffirming a racist, hateful narrative, it's all about tossing the red meat, it's all about telling them what they want to hear. Sad.

[NNN0LHI]

16. A larger percentage of independents voted for Reagan than Democrats

Amazing, isn't it?

Don

[HughBeaumont]

18. And they even had an Independent RUNNING in 1980.

Did people just hate Carter THAT much to elect a guy that would eventually destroy America?

[NNN0LHI]

20. No, they liked the racist dog whistles that Reagan was using is what did it for them

When Reagan began talking about the Cadillac driving woman using food stamps he was playing their tune.

Don

[The Magistrate]

32. Exactly, Sir

These are the people who bought all that 'damned hippies and uppity negroes ruined this country' swill Reagan peddled to paper over the swindle he and his big money owners were perpetrating on them, and now they are in their dotage....

[greymattermom]

6. they (we) don't get how much the pubs have changed

Most of their info comes from tv and they remember Eisenhower. The Republican brand isn't spoiled for them. I'm s senior, but my mom doesn't know how to use a computer and her new husband watches FOX. She did tell me that the Republican party called her and asked her to change her party affiliation. Her response was "I'm a Methodist, do you want me to change my religion too?"

[woodsprite]

8. With my in-laws, it's that they've found

Religion. I think they are repubs because the repubs
Wear their religion on their sleeves, whereas Dems are
Rather quiet about it, even if they are religious.

There is also still hoping they hit it rich enough to be
able to use some of the Repub tax schemes AND the
minorities vs whites going on too.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. But that's what I don't understand.

Today's seniors were around during FDR and the New Deal. They saw the prosperity after the Depression ended, the rise of the middle class and the suburbs. And Johnson with the Great Society with Medicare.

They've reaped the benefits from a variety of democratic administrations and non-conservative republican administrations.

I don't understand how they would vote for candidates who will offer much less to them and to their children and their grandchildren.

I could understand if they didn't have memories of better times and better programs.

[ananda]

17. Think racism and white entitlement.

nt

[no_hypocrisy]

22. I guess fear and paranoia trump security.

[YoungDemCA]

34. I think a lot of it started during the 1960s

When their kids challenged the old generations' social norms. Vietnam, Berkeley and Free Speech, counterculture in general, the New Left.....

Also, a lot of people give themselves credit for their success. America has an individualistic culture, especially when it comes to economics. So they don't look at it as "reaping the benefits."

And to be fair, the John Birch Society and such were big during the late 50s/early 60s....

[SDjack]

10. I didn't know that. Must be that we like the taste of dog food. nt

[enough]

11. Fear of change and a more respectful attitude toward media.

I say this as a senior myself, with four very old parents-in-law only recently deceased, who did NOT become republicans in their old age.

But I think those are the two main reasons the majority of seniors are republicans. They tend to believe the mainstream media much more than younger people. Some part of them believes "They wouldn't be allowed to say that on the air if it wasn't true. It must be true."

And the pace of change, especially social change (including racial) just gets to be too much to accommodate as you get older and more and more tired.

The politicians/corporations/media know exactly how to play to this, and that is what they do, all the time.

[KharmaTrain]

14. Fear Is A Major Factor...

I see part of the situation as being generational...my parents, who were depression kids, grew up Democrats based on FDR and the New Deal...a generation later (those born in the 30s) came of age during the Eisenhower years and tended to be more conservative (especially those who were sucked up into the Red Scare of that era)...they're still fighting "communists" and Russia is still the Soviet Union. The post WWII generation (Vietnam) were larger and more liberal...followed by the Raygun kids of the 80s and now the Clinton kids of the 90s (more liberal). Call it yin and yang...and if you look at voting in breakdown by the decades people are born you'll see party voting and affiliations reflecting on this.

I see fear driving a lot of people into believing the right wing lies and talking points. As we grow older we seek more certainty in our lives and rushpublicans offer that. They have simple answers for every problem that sound good when you need a quick affirmation. They also have people to blame that makes one feel superior and avoids having to accept or assume any responsibilty.

Cheers...

[HughBeaumont]

12. I'm going with 1 and 2.

Senior baggers are, by and large, former "Reagan Democrats". And we know what card from the bottom of the deck they all played/are playing . . .

[Lasher]

15. Democrats Do Best Among Generation Y and Baby Boomers

This is from a 2009 Gallup study:

From a broad perspective, Republicans face a deficit among Americans of all ages. At no single age does the percent Republican exceed the percent Democrat. Still, the range of this Democratic advantage (% Democrat minus % Republican) is quite large, extending from an 18 percentage point Democratic advantage among those 21, 23, and 25, down to just a to 3-point edge among those 39, 43, and 69.





http://www.gallup.com/poll/118285/democrats-best-among-generation-baby-boomers.aspx

[HereSince1628]

21. The half generation front of the boomers were born in the 30's and 40's

I sort of wonder how their political world view was shaped when they were young people. It was a time of American military greatness and the post-war economic boom.

Contrast that with boomers, just getting to retirement age, they watched and maybe participated in the protests against American militarism, the civil rights, environmental, and women's rights movements, and the great inflationary period of the 1980s

I sort of don't expect to see republican political trends among seniors continuing as more socially progressive boomers enter their ranks.

[eridani]

19. Here is a partial answer from Strengthen Social Security

Social Security and the Future of the Democratic Party
Preliminary research from Strengthen Social Security

1. Public support for Social Security is very high – it is a core value for people so Democrats take it away at their peril.
• Numerous surveys show that 75% to 80% oppose cutting Social Security benefits to reduce the federal deficit. The public understands it has no relationship to the federal deficit because they pay special taxes for it.
• 2010 election eve/day poll showed STRONG opposition to Social Security cuts – 73% Democrats, 72% Independents, 72% Republicans, 61% Tea Party.
• 7 out of 10 voters oppose raising the retirement age. It is especially strong among blue collar voters: non-college men and especially non-college women, which are core labor constituencies in the key battleground states.

2. Democrats have limited credibility on Social Security issue at this point in time.
• Democrats used to crush Republicans when voters were asked: who do you trust to better handle Social Security? Today, they are losing badly to Republicans.
• Election Day 2010 voters favored Republicans on Social Security 31% to 28%. But
• Oct. 2006 poll: 48% Democrats to 20% Republicans
• Oct 2002 poll: 43% Democrats to 20% Republicans
• Oct. 1998 poll: 44% Democrats to 21% Republicans
• Same pattern is true for Presidents:
• Obama on 2010 Election Day: Voters said Republicans could be more trusted than Obama on Social Security by 33% to 26%.
• Bush in 2005: Democrats in Congress were favored over Bush on Social Security by 50% to 37%.
• Clinton in 1995: He was favored over Republicans in handling Social Security by 53% to 34%.

3. A damaged Democratic brand on Social Security will spell electoral disaster in 2012 and beyond.
[This section is still being researched; we are looking at Senate races to make the strongest case. Obama believes he can win in 2012 even with a large loss among seniors, as long as he comes close to replicating his large surge in 2008 (a big if), although they have not said how large the seniors loss can be.]
• Democrats will not win seniors in 2012, but we must hold down our losses to a manageable level – maybe a 10% advantage for Republicans – if we are to hold (or at least minimize losses in the Senate and make up lost ground in the House.
• 2006: Republicans had no advantage among seniors – 49%-49%, when Democrats won big in congressional races.
• 2010: Republicans had a 21% point advantage among seniors – 59% vs. 38%.
• 2008: Republicans had an 8% point advantage among seniors – 53% vs. 45% in a wave election favoring Democrats
• 2004: Republicans had a 5% point advantage among seniors – 52% to 47%
• 2000: Democrats had a 3% point advantage among seniors – 50% to 47%
• 1996: Democrats had a 7% point advantage among seniors – 50% to 43%
• Beyond 2012, Republicans will have an easier time garnering the support of baby boomers if Democratic support for Social Security becomes blurred, an outcome that could impact national politics for many years.

4. Cutting Social Security will demoralize the Democratic base.
• It will be very hard to motivate activists in the party if the President leads the effort to cut Social Security. It will be seen as a betrayal of everything we have worked decades for.
• For unions in particular, the union leader’s credibility with its own members will be at great risk if the President leads the effort to cut Social Security.

5. The President can and should build support for his reelection and congressional Democrats by embracing Social Security as a crucial component of the economic security of American families. He should emphasize that:
• In an economy that is increasingly risky, it is the only program American families can count on to provide effective life insurance for their young children, disability insurance and retirement protection.
• Social Security as a core part of his commitment to protecting the middle class.

6. Protecting Social Security would be a bipartisan bonanza for the President and regain ground lost due to Republicans on Medicare.
• The President wants to be seen as working with Republicans. Why not ask them to join him in pledging to not cut Social Security. He will hit a grand slam with the public, which wants no cuts to the program and would like both parties to work together to protect the program. It will be a surprise move to the Republicans and put them in a box.
• Republicans were very effective in the 2010 campaign skewering Democrats as Medicare cutters. This was probably the single greatest attack Republicans had on Democrats with older voters. This could happen again with Social Security. The way to get this age group back is to go on offense on Social Security.

[Lasher]

26. Thanks for this objective reply.

Blaming seniors for our losses, as I have seen elsewhere in this thread, is not a winning strategy.

[Arkansas Granny]

23. I don't understand it and I'm a senior myself.

[RKP5637]

29. I don't get it either. Some seniors go with what will hurt them the most. It's really not hard to

follow what is going on anymore, but some just don't want to hear it ... sometimes I think they think everything is just going to go along just fine, but they are really going to get duped.

Many IMO are too trusting and don't realize they're being played for fools and marks by those working to deprive them of a better life, or keeping the one they have.

[kctim]

24. 2 reasons

1. The older you are, the less government you had involved in your personal life. It used to be individual and community, now it is government and society.

2. The older you are, the more you have, the less you want.

[standingtall]

25. I think the main reasons

Is in fact racism. Not all of them, but for most of them race does play a factor. Also the corruption of the gospel by the religious right. So called evangelist. Their issue for getting involved in politics was the abortion issue. I believe in the bible, and see nothing wrong with abortion, because I don't believe you have a soul until you breathe as Adam didn't become a living soul until the breath of life was breathed into his nostrils. Please refrain from attacking me. The last time I discussed religion as was immediately attacked, and accused of being a religious fundamentalist. I am a progressive, and I believe my political leanings are consistent with my faith. I think the likes Pat Robertson are nothing more than false prophets. I prefer the teachings of Menno Simons. My theory is after the so called evangelist got involved in politics due to the abortion issue. The business wing of the republican party got a hold of them, and they now have learned to hate the poor. Which is about at unchristian as you can get. My grandmother is nearly 90 years old, taught Sunday school for over 30 years, and she voted for Obama.

[cthulu2016]

27. Older people are conservative by nature

Even some of us old lefties are conservative/traditionalist in that sense... revering the values of our formative youth, which were sometimes more liberal than what we have today.

In East Germany older voters are likelier to be communists.

Older people have the most wealth but earn the least, so hanging onto what they have is key. And they are liklier to view social standards of the 1940-1960 era as "correct" in that way people tend to view the values they grew up with as correct.

[Progressive dog]

28. Good question

Disclosure-I am a senior and receive medicare and social security.
Probably, on average, they are easier to dupe. Met several who blamed TARP on Obama and also believed that if the money had just been given to the people, we each would have gotten $250,000. Math skills in decline or never had any?
Many parts of the country still kept minorities (especially African Americans) out of their public schools. "Separate but equal." My guess is that racial bigotry does play a part.
I know longer know what conservatism is, so I think that's a ambiguous question. If you mean the conservatism based on the fire and brimstone in the Bible, probably they are more conservative.

[hamsterjill]

30. The party of yesteryears

I can only relate what I hear from the seniors who I know and interact with. I'm defining "seniors" here as people who are over 65.

They haven't realized, in my opinion, how much the Republican party has changed. They were Republicans in the 80's, etc. and they stay out of habit. Change is hard, and especially harder as we age.

The problem that I see with so many of them is that they are unwilling to listen to and digest obvious facts that would prove to them that the Republican party is NOT the party that they think it is.

Just my own observations. And I know plenty of seniors who are also Democrats and will be at the poles to vote when they open!

[Mojorabbit]

31. My dad was a life long republican

till W came into power. He told me that these people were crazy and scared the crap out of him and he voted for Kerry the next time. First time ever voting Dem. He recognized that the party had changed big time. Perhaps some have not.

[YoungDemCA]

33. My grandfather is a Tea Party supporter

I chalk it up to being the son of a self-employed insurance salesman,, and having an older brother who bullied him and told him he was "no good", and being influenced by McCarthyism, and being a young father in the 1960s during the time when "everything went to hell" (his words, basically), and never really enjoying whatever job he had at a particular point in time.

He has a lot of fear and anger, and now that he's getting closer to his final day, I get the feeling that he has real regrets. He didn't take care of himself, either physically or financially, and he is completely resigned to his Bircher-esque view that America is turning into "socialist hell."

I actually feel kinda sorry for him in many ways....his worldview is so ingrained in him, and so wrapped up in fear and anger, that he will not entertain other viewpoints.

[musiclawyer]

35. My theory

1. TV is main source of information ( bad)
2. Seniors all graduated from HS in 1964 or earlier. This was the ozzie and Harriet era. White male entitlement. They are not the hippie pot smokers for the most part. Their parents were mad men.
3. Reagan legacy/southern strategy realized.

What this means is that quickly, very quickly, the U-65 pot smokers and people who knew and liked pot smokers etc, vietnam war protest folks, will be filling the role of seniors. This group is exponentiallly more savvy about getting information from places other than tv. Reagan is understood in a more realistic light. And the more agnostic, and internet native millenials will be replacing the current seniors. GOP in its current form is dead man walking.

[redgreenandblue]

36. Cause they're racist, anti-choice and anti-gay.

[NNN0LHI]

37. Being racist and anti-gay are not necessarily mutually inclusive of one another

My completely racist parents vacationed with a gay couple every year during the 1960's.

All four of them were unabashedly racist. And proud of it. That was their common ground.

Don