Why Did Kerry Lose SENIORS?

[liberalpragmatist]

Did we not hammer social security enough or medicare? Some pundits have speculated that gay rights tilted them to Bush.

It seems to me that seniors were a crucial part of the Dem coalition that unexpectedly didn't come home on Tuesday. I don't know what the margins were, but probably the senior vote could've tipped Florida and Ohio to Bush.

[arcos]

1. People aged 60+ voted for Bush 54%- 46%

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1312520

[Drifter]

11. They were mislead ...

Seems to be the story line for most of what AWOL does.

Cheers
Drifter

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

15. Guess they don't want their flu shots for the next four years or

any more social security checks, medicare, etc.

[Fla Dem]

21. Number of reasons...

They don't want to rock the boat......Bush is a known factor. Some elderly don't like change.

War President.....the old don't change horses mid-stream. Also some were probably around during WWII, they elected FDR 3 times. Sense of patriotism.

Values...older generation particularly uncomfortable around gays and minorities. They are afraid of encountering openly gay couples at the local mall. Thinks Bush will keep them in the closet. Out of sight out of mind. Also very disgusted with the open sexuality of today's youth, promiscuousness, and vulgarity. Think Bush can legislate it all away. Who knows, maybe he will in the Patriot Act II.

God fearing...guess they are closer to the end and want to make sure they are on a good footing with their God. So if Bush tells them God put him in the White House, they sure aren't going to reject him.

Just my musings. I too am amazed at the percentage of elderly who voted for Bush. I thought they would have been more concerned about medicare and SS.

[Ivote]

2. Most couldn't handle long lines

I suspect they left when they saw how long they were

[Catherine Vincent]

7. What's the deal with the long lines?

My parents went to their polling place and they just waltzed right in. When I heard some folks in Ohio waited 9 hours to vote, I thought..wtf? How come the polling places that have the long lines don't create a few other polling places in the area to ease the long lines?

[hangemhigh]

3. Mom, Dad, STFU about your healthcare costs.

Don't want to hear another word of it. You voted for him. Eat it up.

[GreenArrow]

4. senility?

So much for age bringing wisdom.

[LibDemAlways]

5. Seniors who voted for the chimp are either

millionaires or senile. Talk about voting against one's self-interest. This is cockroaches for Raid territory.

[deadparrot]

6. I'm sure the religious thing gets to a lot of them.

My grandmother has three sisters (all raised Democratic by a widowed mother working four jobs), and all of them except her have jumped ship to the Republicans because they think they'll burn in hell fo voting for a Democrat.

[wysi]

9. Now...

... they'll just live in one while they are waiting to shuffle off this mortal coil.

[autorank]

8. Sorry to say, 54% of them are dumb shits!

Seriously, how on earth can they see a 17% hike in Medicare premiums, a bogus drug discount program and turn around and vote for this guy. It is stunning. The seniors of the 'greatest generation' knew how to vote their pocket books. Remember, Nixon indexed Social Security to the cost of living index in order to get the seniors of that generation. He knew what they wanted and he delivered. They returned the favor. A slight majority of this generation of seniors are dumb shits!

Corporate America controls the media and we get manufactured news.
Corporate America now controls the voting machines and we get manufactured elections.

[brook]

10. I dunno...

but I'd guess that 2/3rd of the seniors I work with daily voted * - I find them narcissistic, greedy and vapid. Did I mention, catty and nasty? This is a rethuglican stronghold. I don't mean to imply that all seniors are like this. Hell, I'm a senior. I just happen to be on the 'working end' of the relationship with them. They regard me as the "help". I happened to be wearing a black sweater and slax today and one of the viperesses slunk up behind me and hissed: " Are you in mourning?" I felt like shoving her cane up her ass - but I just smiled and said "No" and went about my work.

I have, during the last few months, reminded them that they wouldn't be enjoying the fruits of my labor if it weren't for the Democrats. I even reminded them that Cheney voted against "meals on wheels", which we are patterned after. Their ox isn't being gored. The food's there and so am I. It's that simple, I think.

[Tangledog]

12. Theory on that

Note that the "blues" tend to congregate around urban areas, which are by nature more diverse (I'm tired of that word but can't think of another one). It's a little harder to hate "them" when you see enough of "them" every day to realize that "they" aren't all shitheads.

Increasingly, retired people congregate in gated or age-restricted communities, which are prone to loss of contact with people with different life experiences and an obsession with "our hard-earned rights" vs. "what everybody else in the world gets away with". Classical Freepthink. All unnaturally isolated communities develop peculiarities which have been lumped under the term "incestuous amplification", the tendency of a group to adopt the characteristics of its more extreme or instigating members.

(BTW, I really am a cranky old geezer. I'm eligible for AARP, though for philosophical and ethical reasons I decline their monthly offers to join.)

(on edit: left out a word, like I didn't use enuff already)

[JHBowden]

13. Democrats folded on prescription drugs last year

eom

[cubsfan forever]

18. Uh, no.

That would be the rethuglican congress snuffing out any reasonable plan by attaching riders to the bill unacceptable to Dems, thereby holding the prescription drug initiative hostage.

Professor 2

[booksenkatz]

14. Maybe dog food tastes better than we thought. nt

*

[DemMother]

16. I read earlier today that it was the "values" issues, or as we prefer to

call it in the reality-based community--hateful repub homophobia. Sorry I can't remember where I saw it--I'm getting loopier as the day wears on.

[spooky3]

17. Most of them (not all) are richer on average than the average American

and are relatively comfortably and securely (per Census statistics). They have better health care coverage than even most insured Americans (thanks to Democrats). It is a myth that most live hand to mouth, though those that do have very stressful lives with less chance to escape than younger people. Social security will not run out of money while they're alive, they won't be sent to Iraq, they won't have to pay off the national debt, many have better pensions than younger people do, their houses are paid for and in some cities have greatly increased in value over the past five years, they don't have as many job worries, and many even have prescription drug benefits from their former employers or other plans.

Please don't reply with posts on individual exceptions to this; I know you're right, but I am talking about the averages. These averages help explain that many seniors ARE voting their (misguided, short-sighted) self-interest if they believe that Bush will not change their status quo.

[marlakay]

19. My mom 77 and I talked today

she said she told her doctor off today because she knew he was republican. She doesn't understand why but I think my younger daughter who is 22 understood it better when she said, mom we just have to face the fact that a good part of america is very conservative and not very smart.

[Hippo_Tron]

20. Seniors are going to get a rude awakening when they have no SS benefits

Because it's gonna be privatized.