Conspicuously missing from the discourse of the presidential campaign is the topic of aging, as Naomi points out here. In fact, if you are specifically looking for the candidates stances on aging issues, you have to go directly to their respective websites, because it does not get much, if any, play in the media. And I find that I really need to address this, in part, because of CNN’s exit polls that say Clinton benefited the most from the over 65 vote. That boggles my mind, because as the oldest front-running candidate, she has said the least on aging issues.
For 12.7% of elder women and men in Tennessee, and the 12.4% of elders across the nation, the lack of attention on aging issues is negligible. Most often aging is coupled with health care and Social Security. I went over to Women’s Voices for Change, where they interviewed John, Barack and Hillary on elder health care. Aging women, especially, should read these over. Months ago, when John Edwards first released his health plan, I stated that I believed it had the best chances of being adopted, even though there is growing support for a true Universal Single-Payer health plan. Note, his health plan was the most comprehensive at it’s release. And while Hillary talks a good talk, she falls short of the health issues that most pertain to the aging population. Barack, also take baby steps, thus falling short of the health issues our aging population most needs addressed.
But, to find information on other aging issues, you have to go to each of the candidates respective websites. To find information on aging issues at Hillary’s campaign website, you have dig deep, because when they are included, you’ll find them with other issues. For instance, she address Predatory college loans, under Strengthening the Middle Class, but what about predatory lending to elders???? She mentions nothing of the predatory lending abuses to elders that I can easily find. John Edwards specifically address predatory lending to elders.
Barack is also negligible on addressing elders. I don’t know about you, but his idea to protect and “honor” seniors sucks the big one. Sorry, but many seniors do have to work part-time jobs because their Social Security checks don’t stretch through the month. Barack’s idea of honoring seniors is to expand volunteering? Guess what? Volunteer positions don’t pay the bills. Yet, John Edwards recognizes this. Barack says he’ll fight to strengthen the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, but so does John, and if you read both, John goes much farther to protect elder workers, like the aging workers being forced to retire early.
For elder women, Hillary conspicuously leaves out that when women work for an average of 77 cents for every male dollar, SS for that woman will be significantly less. Kudos for her effort to fight for paycheck fairness, but there are millions of women that are living the lasting effects of age, wage and employment discrimination right now. What does she intend to do for these women?
Damn it to hell, I realize that the youth vote is extremely important, but so is the growing elder vote. Elders are more likely to vote, and are also very likely to have their votes disenfranchised with the growing Voter ID acts gripping states.
Out of the three democratic candidates (is Gravel even still running?) the two front-runners cannot even comprehensively address the issues that most matter to the growing elder population. Only John does, and he has been effectively disenfranchised by the media. Since elders don’t apparently matter to the media, and the front-running candidates, it is up to the elder population to get out the information that of the democratic candidates, John Edwards has the best understanding of their needs.
