There’s something going on with seniors: It is now strikingly clear that they have turned sharply against the GOP. This is apparent in seniors’ party affiliation and vote intention, in their views on the Republican Party and its leaders, and in their surprising positions on jobs, health care, retirement security, investment economics, and the other big issues that will likely define the 2014 midterm elections.
We first noticed a shift among seniors early in the summer of 2011, as Paul Ryan’s plan to privatize Medicare became widely known (and despised) among those at or nearing retirement. Since then, the Republican Party has come to be defined by much more than its desire to dismantle Medicare. To voters from the center right to the far left, the GOP is now defined by resistance, intolerance, intransigence, and economics that would make even the Robber Barons blush. We have seen other voters pull back from the GOP, but among no group has this shift been as sharp as it is among senior citizens:
—In 2010, seniors voted for Republicans by a 21 point margin (38 percent to 59 percent). Among seniors likely to vote in 2014, the Republican candidate leads by just 5 points (41 percent to 46 percent.)
—When Republicans took control of the House of Representatives at the beginning of 2011, 43 percent of seniors gave the Republican Party a favorable rating. Last month, just 28 percent of seniors rated the GOP favorably. This is not an equal-opportunity rejection of parties or government
— over the same period, the Democratic Party’s favorable rating among seniors has increased 3 points, from 37 percent favorable to 40 percent favorable.
—When the Republican congress took office in early 2011, 45 percent of seniors approved of their job performance. That number has dropped to just 22 percent
— with 71 percent disapproving.
—Seniors are now much less likely to identify with the Republican Party. On Election Day in 2010, the Republican Party enjoyed a net 10 point party identification advantage among seniors (29 percent identified as Democrats, 39 percent as Republicans). As of last month, Democrats now had a net 6 point advantage in party identification among seniors (39 percent to 33 percent).
—More than half (55 percent) of seniors say the Republican Party is too extreme, half (52 percent) say it is out of touch, and half (52 percent) say the GOP is dividing the country. Just 10 percent of seniors believe that the Republican Party does not put special interests ahead of ordinary voters.
—On almost every issue we tested — including gay rights, aid to the poor, immigration, and gun control — more than half of seniors believe that the Republican Party is too extreme.
So not only is the GOP base dying off, there are many of them who are simply fed up and leaving on their own, with few younger voters to replace them. Damn, do I love this!
This is why Rand Paul is working so hard to reinforce his Libertarian credentials. Because he believes that the younger voters, who simply don't want anybody to tell them what to do, and who are disillusioned with Obama, will support him.
But the facts are that Paul is too far Right even for the base, and once his screwy ideas see the harsh light of media examination, they will frighten most voters away. Especially the older voters.
And if, by some miracle, he DOES manage to get the nomination he will look like a mental patient standing next to the well coiffed and carefully prepared Hillary Clinton in a debate. Who, by the way, would be a VERY attractive candidate for those elderly voters who had just walked away from the GOP.
Wow, wouldn't THAT be must see TV?
Seniors have the time to research, and a lot to lose if the Republicans get their way to cut everything that seniors depend on. Also, many seniors were educated before the Republicans began gutting public education, so they can think critically about things.
ReplyDeleteAnd write and TALK (not tet or facebook to their senior friends.
Delete4:06 nailed it. They also have historical perspective (many of them remember FDR and HST) and can see through the tea party BS.
Deletehttp://paper.li/seniorsboomers/1358739691
Deletetwitter news on seniors...
From my perspective (66 years old), senior women are very disgusted with GOP attempts to turn back/block all the women's rights gains they worked so hard for including access to contraception, abortion rights, and equal pay for equal work. In addition, the political activity and influence by evangelicals, catholics, and other so-called christian organizations, some seniors are also starting to realize that the bible is a book of mythology.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the younger seniors, newly retired, were politically active as young people and now have more time to do research, as Anon at 4:06Am says, and they are more than willing to back it up by not voting against their own interests and those of their respective families.
DeleteA lot of newer seniorsw have older teens and young adult grandchildren. Those grandchildren would not have health care if it were not for the ACA. I know as my daughter is still on my health care due to ACA. Her grandparents are NOT GOPers, they are independents, as are we, and they vote after they find out what the candidate stands for not just the letter that is after the candidates name.
I'm not worried about RAynd Paul at all, he's a product of the media, same as Sarah. All Sound and Fury, not electability.
ReplyDeleteGood news about the great Awakening, the GOP has been tone deaf for too long.
Bitches you should be worried about Rand Paul. He is going to be the next President. I love how he calls you libs out on all your bullshit. Just wait, he is going to get this country back on track. You dems and your president have had your fun. Times almost up bitches, enjoy the next few years.
Deletehahahahahaha. I see whatever you and Aqua Buddha were indulging in last night hasn't worn off yet.
Delete@ Get the gimp;
DeleteI like SOME of the principles of the libertarian movement, like small government, less involvement with foreign wars.
The problem is that the far right Teaparty Taliban want to impose their religious and social issue lunacy on our secular Republic.
Rand Paul may or may not be some flavor of "Christian" but if he has any hope of getting the "purity" stamp of approval from the extremist end of the Teaparty, he's going to have to LEAVE libertarian principles behind.
A true libertarian would not vote to ban abortions, marginalize LGBT folks, or make birth control illegal because the whole point of small government is to BUT THE FUCK OUT OF OUR BEDROOMS and personal lives
Rand Paul's bullshit answer on the Civil Rights act is a good example of his prevarication.
You can rant and rave, and call your fellow citizens "bitches" and spew pejorative shite at the "libs", but just think about the tidal wave of women and minority voters that are going to stick it to the next white male bigot they nominate for Repub President.
Want to engage in constructive dialog, or just bloviate in your fascistic Koch brothers utopian vision of repressive and stupid dialogue?
Come on back and we'll talk, unless you're a gun totin' rill 'Mericun who thinks that you can roll back the clock to the 1950's America.
Thanks for your comments Dr. Ron but your son is NUTS!
Delete>>He is going to be the next President.
Deleteyeah, like Romney is gonna win in a LANDSLIDE!
yeah, like Sarah Palin will run for president in 2012.
yeah, like Obamacare would be Obama's Waterloo.
yeah, like President Obama would be a one term president.
yeah, like you've even got an ounce of credibility.
You right wingers carry on about how it's gonna be, and pretty much every time, you're WRONG. All you sound like is a jerk with nothing better to do that troll a liberal blog. Sad, really.
Rand Paul will never be president of the United States, just like his father, he's an extremist. He's a joke. He's a pot stirrer, a loud mouthed, thin skinned throwback sucking on Ayn Rand tits. You can predict until your turn blue, but it ain't gonna happen. Ever. And you can take THAT to the bank.
Rand Paul is dumber and less charismatic than his father. Every time he opens his mouth, he contradicts or embarrasses himself. He's a disaster waiting to happen.
DeleteAnd the GOP's answer to address this...curtail early and absentee voting with a little help from their good friends at ALEC.
ReplyDeleteExcept that seniors have the time and inclination to be able to vote during those limited hours.
DeleteOops, they forgot about that, didn't they!
I have to laugh when I read about senior citizens because I am one! And I don't relate to much that is written about us. It is beyond my imagination that people who grew up with the social issues and advantages we had (and no, I'm not rich) could ever support the GOP. I'm glad these others are coming around.
ReplyDeleteWhether they like a black man in the white house or not, most are fair enough to be disgusted with the way the GOP tries to block his every effort, and tries to make mountains out of molehills (they would all know that expression).
ReplyDeleteThey’ve looked into the ACA themselves and don’t find it frightening.
They’ve finally accepted that THEY will never be part of the one percent, and the one percent doesn’t care about them. That’s a particularly good picture of two old people turning their backs and walking away. This will keep me happy all day; I’ve been fighting this battle for years.
+ 1
DeleteSpeaking as a woman in her '60s, the entire abortion debate really took hold after 1973, and I well remember -- as do other women my age, I believe -- what life was like before then, just after the Pill was invented, just after the Griswold v. CT decision (a married couples' right to privacy in their bedroom). Not that we wanted abortions, but that religious fanatics wanted to take away that choice, for ourselves or our friends, our sisters. Poor and rich.
DeleteWe also remember the Freedom Riders. My father traveled from New York to Alabama to join the Selma - Montgomery march. We listened to Martin Luther King in Washington in 1963 -- live. We well remember his assassination in 1968, as well as Robt. Kennedy's, just two months later. I'm old enough to well remember the day JFK was shot; I was watched tv when Jack Ruby shot Oswald.
We lived through Vietnam, saw classmates die or come back wounded for life.
We lived through Watergate, and learned that the GOP had lied and committed illegal acts. That President Nixon got out by the hair of his chinny chin chin from going to jail.
We lived through Iran-Contra, and the proof that Ronald Reagan knew what was going on (or should have) and that Geo. H.W. Bush definitely did, but never was called to account for this monstrous government activity.
Many of us believed the Geo. Bush administration before he declared war on Iraq. We wanted to believe it would be a fast and not expensive exercise. Eleven years after the Afghanistan and ten after the Iraqi wars began, the cost in lives (ours and theirs) and to our economy is so overwhelming it's hard sometimes to think about it. To comprehend the magnitude of the deception and incompetence.
We may have flirted with some GOP ideas off and on while we were making our careers and thought their fiscal policies were in our best interest. But we've seen now, through almost two generations, the shambles in which the Republicans left us and want to continue to do.
We don't have two more generations to help to make things right. We thus are looking at our lives, and the lives of our children and grandchildren, and the lives of our communities and country,
and we're deciding that the Democrats will do a better job in helping to make right what has gone so terribly wrong.
6:16 AM - I'll be 56 next month and you speak for me! VERY well stated.
DeleteAnd they've seen their children and grandchildren actually able to attend college, or have heath insurance. Many have used retirement years to travel. They see how well socialized medicine is working for other countries. And they aren't afraid of "ferriners."
Delete6:16 -
DeleteWhat many Republicans seem to forget is that, while they may still have a pretty good grip on the older seniors, the younger ones are of the generation that fought for women's equality and civil rights.
They were the generation that was participating in sit-ins, and had a natural distrust of the government telling them how to behave in their private lives. They were the generation that thought serving in the Peace Corps was more worthwhile than fighting in a country on the other side of the world.
And, most importantly, they were a generation that was all about LOVE, not hate.
As someone who is rapidly approaching that stage of my life, I don't see how the support of the hateful, destructive policies of the GOP can do anything but shrink.
That's good news! Maybe now there's a break of sanity and a realization getting through. The GOP did not show empathy. It is run by healthy strong pampered men and women full of hormones who cannot put themselves in anyone else's shoes.
ReplyDeleteWhen life/sh!t happens, which it most likely will do in everyone's life, people need to have the peace of mind to know there'll be a safety net for them. The senior taxpayers have paid their dues all their lives. They know that life can take a drastic turn in hours and their lives are suddenly in financial insecurity.
One stroke, one heart attack, one life-changing diagnosis, can turn a whole family into a downward spiral. Even if seniors, who are comfortable and living on a fixed income/pension have no needs, their adult children may become disabled suddenly or very sick or experience job loss; either way, whether it's the senior parents or the adult children and grandchildren, a family is affected by disaster and the unaffected members have to pull together and help out.
I don't think the GOP crowd, or the wealthy talking heads on right-wing media, think this through. They're like termites trying to ruin and eat away every foundation that President Obama's administration sets. They are vultures, picking flesh off the bones of the weary and sick. What a bunch of egomaniacal immoral disgraceful disrespecters/of/their/elderly political PARTY in this post-industrialized era, (and the self-claimed exceptional best nation on earth) these selfish leaders are.
6:16 AM What an eloquent statement. You express my experiences better than I could have. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWell, the rePUKES realize that. That is why they are insisting on their gerrymandering. Redistricting all over, making sure that the rePUKEliCON districts are more numerous than the Democratic ones, having viewer polling places in democratic districts, with shorter voting times, etc, etc...
ReplyDeleteKUDOS TO YOU, 6:16! Thank you for being very eloquent in stating those points.
ReplyDeleteYour words in every republicans' ears! May EVERYBODY think about this before they vote. And VOTE WE MUST, ALL OF US!!!
Thank God! I'm agnostic but good news like this tells me there might just be some divine intervention at work here. I wondered when the "right's" message would finally piss off "my age group".
ReplyDeleteRemember how the Republican National Committee threatened NBC and CNN to call off their planned Hillary Clinton projects lest they not get any of the Republican primary debates in 2016? Well, if the RNC is serious about taking a stand, the party may end up limiting its debates to other networks, but mainly Fox News. There’s just one teensy, tiny, little problem:
ReplyDeleteFox Television Studios may be producing NBC’s Hillary miniseries.
The New York Times broke the news late Friday, which will almost assuredly not be followed by threats to boycott debates on Fox.
Leslie Oren, a spokesman for FTVS, as the studio is known, confirmed that NBC is in “the early stages” of discussions to bring the Fox unit in as the production company on the as yet unnamed mini-series, which will star Diane Lane as Mrs. Clinton.
“There is no deal yet,” Ms. Oren said. But should a deal be completed, FTVS would become the distributor of the film internationally. FTVS is the production arm of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment group.
Naturally, the argument here would be, “Fox News and Fox Entertainment are two completely different things! Don’t judge one for what the other is doing!”
Exactly.
The Times report also reveals some of the behind-the-scenes work leading up to NBC acquiring the project. It was initially brought to to the company Endgame, before being pitched all around Hollywood, and eventually getting picked up by NBC. NBC then got in touch with Fox Television Studios to produce the project, having more experience than NBC’s own Universal Television Studios in creating “long-form” projects.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-tv-studios-may-be-producing-nbcs-hillary-clinton-miniseries/
We can point a finger directly at Sarah for why some of the seniors are turning away from the GOP.
ReplyDeleteThis morning Queen Grifter on so aptly named Cashin' In...
http://therightscoop.com/full-interview-sarah-palin-on-cashing-in-im-on-team-rand/
There IS wisdom in age. Why would they continue to support the GOP- a party full of entitled, unselfaware, unfeeling, mercenary, bigoted, mean-spirited, hypocritical thugs? Maybe the moronic chair of the party will ban seniors from attending town halls, debates or (horrors) even be on a panel of questioners. Many of our most talented journalists and broadcasters are up there in age. Goody!!! The GOP has some other vast group to resent, suppress and ignore. It's what they do best, after all.
ReplyDeleteAmen...
DeleteFoiled Again: Starbucks Appreciation Day for gun fondlers was DOA
ReplyDeletehttp://freakoutnation.com/2013/08/09/foiled-again-starbucks-appreciation-day-for-gun-fondlers-was-doa/
Why any woman or senior citizen would vote for ANYONE in the Republican party is beyond me. Especially on the national level in the U.S. Congress and a member of the House. Mitch McConnell (Kentucky - up for reelection) and John Boehner (Ohio) need to lose their seats! The two of them are nothing more than obstructionists. And, the United States Congress has an 8% approval rating currently, which is horrible!
ReplyDeleteRepublicans are against women's rights and want to decrease the amounts seniors obtain via their monthy Social Security (SS) and Medicare (medical). They also want to decrease or alter benefits in Medicaid for the poorer folks in our nation!
Remember seniors, when you worked, you paid into your SS and therefore EARNED receiving it at 62, 65 or 70! They are closing down women's clinics in many states by defunding them or making rules to operate them too difficult. (Republican led state legislatures are doing this currently!)
Pay attention to the Republicans you have in your State Legislatures and in your state and local governments. Vote the Republicans out as they are probably up to no good in those areas too.
BE AN AWARE VOTER. RESEARCH BEFORE YOUR GO TO THE POLLS AND CAST YOUR VERY IMPORTANT VOTE!
Meanwhile, In The Echo Chamber Of Rand Paul's Mind...
ReplyDeleteCan we stop pretending that Rand Paul is anything other than a massive embarrassment my state is stuck with until 2017?
http://zandarvts.blogspot.com/2013/08/meanwhile-in-echo-chamber-of-rand-pauls.html
I live in a retirement community and almost everyone I know is a conservative Christian Republican. I see a slight moderation in some of their views, esp. when they learn they have a gay family member or one with a pre-existing condition, but I am very skeptical that this will translate into voting Democratic. They may disagree with the party on a lot of issues, but they also equate Democrats with godlessness. I have been told that I cannot be both a Christian and a Democrat (I am a liberal Democratic Episcopalian). Until the Democrats make a better case for themselves, that is the killer.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why many Democratic leaders don't say that in fact their policies are more Christian than the Republicans. Abolishing poverty, taking care of your fellow neighbor, treating everyone equally--that's right out of the Bible. They are, in fact, universal values, not solely religious, but there is nothing wrong in explicitly tying them together.
Better to be thought godless and act like a Christian then to proclaim you're a Christian but contradict that doctrine in your acts.
Delete(I won't say act godless because many "godless" people act better than some Christians. )
I think this is more an example of shifting population.
ReplyDeleteThe old Republican seniors are dying off and the new seniors (AARP starts at 55) are baby boomers many of whom were Democrats all along.
I'm going to be 59 this year and have been a democrat since Reagan was Governor of California. Now I'm a senior. But I'm still a Democrat.
Personally, I think this is a good thing.
TV may try for that 18-24 demographic but it's seniors have more discretionary income. They aren't all on social security. But they are of the generation that isn't all about "ME" but actually cares about others and will do the right thing even if they don't benefit from it personally.
Yep, the Republican party is in trouble. I'm in menopause but that doesn't mean I'm not outraged at the Republican war on women regarding birth control and abortion. Neither pertains to me personally, but as a woman I am outraged and vote accordingly.
I predict we'll see a lot more of that in the coming years as the old seniors pass replaced by the new, more liberal seniors.
I totally agree. I'm 55, and I see my neighbors and parents making wise choices, living healthier, longer lives and staying productive. As we get older, we start thinking of what kind of world we want to leave our kids and grandkids. Now, more than ever, the Democratic Party is more aligned with our values, the GOP, or what's left of it, is stuck on stupid.
DeleteBeing a Senior,I refuse to resemble that remark......they lost me the minute Bush and his bumblefingered Presidency wandered on the scene....well on second thought,when Reagan and his bumblefingered Presidency wandered on the scene....actually,oh never mind....you get the picture.
ReplyDeleteIf my 83 year old lifelong Republican mom voted for Obama twice, you can bet there be some changes afoot!
ReplyDelete