For aging GOP voters the times they are a-changing

[Panich52]

National Memo

The gains of vile rhetoric are short-lived. But the prejudices that are animating so many aging GOP primary voters are more enduring.

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 http://link.nationalmemo.com/5390d3d3dd52b8141a0aafe52vccu.1wmk/VbOOSUmOjTWcN0_VA8fcc

[edhopper]

1. Why do so many people on SS and Medicare

vote for people who want to end them?

[Cirque du So-What]

2. My theory

They're reasonably sure of dying before any changes would affect their benefits. Typical 'I got mine' behavior of those who don't give a damn about anyone else.

[Popcorn 51]

3. They think the media is making it up.

They are life long Republicans and still trust the brand so they think their TVs are lying.

[Johonny]

4. They think the cuts will be only to the leaches, but the good people will be immune

Food stamps, workers comp, unemployment, minimum wage hikes, social security, medicare etc... those are for hard working folks (whites), not for leaches and illegals. That's there mentality or at least every Conservative voter I knows mentality. That the GOP hates poor and middle class white people as much as everyone else poor or middle class they never seem to get. There too busy hating fictional people they think are bringing them down. They are currently outraged minimum wage is going up. Racism seems to be a strong part of the mix as to this answer.

[JHB]

6. Pretty much a combo of the answers above...

They deride Democrats for "senior scare" tactics, as if Republicans wanting to cut SocSec and Medicare was a baseless boogeyman, but every time conservative Republicans saw the opportunity, they went for it.

Piled on that, they've spent decades working their base's prejudices that all our woes are due to a vast army of moochers living on government handouts, and since they don't think of themselves that way, they're shocked to discover that the people who want to cut these programs consider it a handout too. "Wait, when I elected you to cut waste, that didn't mean me!"

[newfie11]

8. That's been a question I've pondered for years.

I'm now a senior and all my close friends are Dems.
I live in a red red state (western SD) and most people here are repugs and vote in their own worst intrest.
It's the lemming syndrome, follow others mindlessly.

[SheilaT]

9. I think that a lot of them honestly don't understand where their SS and Medicare comes from.

If you google "Keep your government hands off my Medicare" you get lots of images. They just haven't a clue.

Similar misunderstanding about Social Security. A lot of people think that the money they personally paid in is in an account with their name on it, and that money is disbursed to them. They don't realize that it's a pay as you go system, and the money they paid in went out to others while they were working, and now the money they get is coming from people currently working.

Keep in mind that most voters are low information voters, and they only know what they see on Fox News. Next year, when primary season is in full swing, and then later during the general election, they will only know what they see in ads. The very vast majority of people watch several hours of commercial TV every day, and they're inundated with advertizing of all kinds. What I like best about not owning a TV is that I almost never see any advertizing, and it's especially wonderful during election season.

[patricia92243]

5. The aging ones have passed on those attitudes to their children, sadly.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

7. Plus, a generation has grown up with FUX "News" and RW hate radio.

I work with some of them.