Barack’s Senior Problem
I haven’t entered this fray much, but I really had to address this from CNN.
“I have to say if you look at and I know my staff has talked about this: If you look at the numbers, our problem has less to do with white working class voters, the problem is, to the extent there is a problem is with older voters,” Obama told reporters. “They are very loyal to sen Clinton. And I think part of that is they’ve got a track record of voting for not just Sen. Clinton but also her husband.”
“We need to make sure on issues that are important to them — like prescription drugs or pension and retirement security — that I’ve got a strong track record on those issues and very specific plans to make sure that they are getting the kinds of help that they need,” he also said. “And if we do that effectively, which you know we have tried to do it in all the states.”
Well, guess what? Months ago, his “plan” for honoring/helping seniors had few points — help pay for fuel in winter and urge seniors to do more volunteering. Any other point was buried in other issues. In fact, issues on aging are lumped with Social security, and still are at his site. Nothing has changed on his campaign site, that I can see, since January.
I don’t think Barack’s lack of a strong showing among older voters has to do with these voters “loyalty” to Clinton. While this may be anecdotal, from what I’m hearing, and note this is mostly from women my age and older, is that for every person that loves Barack, three more cannot stand his arrogance and simply do not trust him, and at the same time don’t want to see the Clinton’s back in office. What it does come down to, is that this portion of the aging population is looking at voting for the lesser of two evils. They are already familiar with the Clinton’s. Being familiar is not the same as being loyal.
The point of all this is that it is Barack’s message and how that message is delivered that is his problem with the aging population. To say that these people are simply Clinton loyalists ignores the problem.
Filed under: 2008 Elections, Crones/Elderly | Tagged: 2008 Elections, aging, Barack Obama, hillary Clinton, seniors
my questions on AGING, added to those at a forum for candidates’ representatives were recorded on my blog on april 19. http://www.womensenews.org/ who put on the event, tell me that both candidates response was “we’ll get back to you.”
you and i and all who are going to vote for the dems no matter what deserve better than this. john edwards could do it without urging. please explain..
[...] Crone Speaks discusses older voters predilection toward Hillary Clinton as opposed to Barack Obama: I don’t think Barack’s lack of a strong showing among older voters has to do with these voters “loyalty” to Clinton. While this may be anecdotal, from what I’m hearing, and note this is mostly from women my age and older, is that for every person that loves Barack, three more cannot stand his arrogance and simply do not trust him, and at the same time don’t want to see the Clinton’s back in office. What it does come down to, is that this portion of the aging population is looking at voting for the lesser of two evils. They are already familiar with the Clinton’s. Being familiar is not the same as being loyal. [...]
see the Clinton’s back in office
This point always kills me. Hillary Clinton is not Bill Clinton. Actually I think because of the times, because time has passed, Hillary will be more progressive than Bill. They don’t share the same DNA. They are not a two headed monster. Hillary Clinton is Hillary Clinton.
And Obama’s problem is, he has not done his time in the trenches. He has nothing basically nothing. And he acts as if he says he has enough it will come true.
Kitty, but, they’re married and when a couple is married a man always rules the house.
I think the two-headed monster comes in because Hillary was an active First Lady, and did not resign herself to being a show-piece, or hiding.
Hmmm. I am a white male in the senior age group. I conversely assumed HRCs strong support in my age group came from women strongly in favor of a woman president/and Clinton brand supporters. I think “distrust” of Obama is highly subjective. A comparison of campaigns and discourse puts the Obama in a favorable light no matter how bitter one is that his opponent seems to have come up short.
Misogyny and privilege from the white male.