GBONEWS: Senior Voters Swing; New Republic’s Geezer-ism; Elder Ballots Shade Blue; Social Security Worse Under Trump Plan; 50-Plus Cat Ladies Vote Women’s Rights; CNN: Campaigns Defrauding Dementia Patients; & More.
GENERATIONS BEAT ONLINE NEWS
E-News of the Journalists Network on Generations.
October 29, 2024 — Volume 31, Number 10
EDITOR’S NOTE: GBONews, e-news of the Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), publishes alerts for journalists, producers and authors covering generational issues. If you have difficulty getting to the full issue of GBONews with the links provided below, simply go to www.gbonews.org to read the latest or past editions. Send your news of important stories or books (by you and others), fellowships, awards or pertinent kvetches to GBO News Editor Paul Kleyman. [pfkleyman@gmail.com]. To subscribe to GBONews.org at no charge, simply sending a request to Paul with your name, address, phone number and editorial affiliation or note that you freelance. For each issue, you’ll receive the table of contents in an e-mail, and links to the full issue at www.gbonews.org. GBONews does not provide its list to other entities.
In This Issue: Doubling Down on Journalism. (Billionaires, Generals and Fascists, Oh, My!)
1. ELECTION SPECIAL
*** Senior Vote Swinging Blue;
*** New Republic’s Geezerism;
*** 50-Plus Women for Harris;
*** Centrist Think Tank: Social Security Worse Under Trump Plan;
*** CNN: Campaigns (Mainly Trump’s) Defrauding Dementia Patients.
2. THE CONFERENCE BEAT
*** Gerontological Society of America Gratis for Media in Seattle, Nov. 13-16;
*** 2024 What’s Next Longevity Innovation Summit, National Press Club, Washington, DC December 9-10.
1. ELECTION SPECIAL: THE SWINGING SENIOR VOTE
It has to be the “Duh” finding of 2024: The American Psychological Association’s survey showing that seven in 10 people are stressed out by this election. With due respect to those fine social scientists, saving democracy is high on the U.S. ballot, but as much for relief in these roiling twenties as for a human-sized result. Stress? How about four less years?
That noted, growing old has gotten a pretty bad rap over the past couple of election cycles. Yet, as khaki-clad poll parsers have calibrated demographic balloting for every statistical hanging chad, one voter segment has emerged as a presumptive October surprise.
For anyone not paying attention to those most apt to slap on an “I Voted” sticker, rain or shine, the largely ignored older adult demographic has been edging toward the blue side of the electoral ledger for the first time in decades. Could the 65-plus set prove to be the biggest swing state of this election?
The “GEEZER” Republic?
At The New Republic, Timothy Noah’s GEEZER-tagged column of Oct. 23, reported, “Older Voters Might Save Kamala Harris’s Bacon.” (Gotta wonder if TNR’s file of standing headlines ever included other prejudicial epithets, maybe “CHICKS,” “FATTIES” or “DARKIES.” Ageism, what ageism?
Even though Noah’s reporting on the numbers is worth a scan, the bias down his 66-year-old nose is clear in the story’s Dek – “It’s great that younger voters support Harris, but 2024 could be the year the gerontocracy votes itself out of office—and keeps a decrepit extremist away from the White House.” So, extremism in defense of profits and ego is not vice enough, while age is presumed to have no virtue, right?
More straightforward reporting comes from Newsweek: “Are Older Voters Kamala Harris’ Secret Weapon?” by Katherine Fung (Oct. 9, 2024).
She wrote, “There is tremendous focus from both campaigns on the roughly 41 million Gen Z voters, who will be eligible to vote . . . But there’s another demographic that’s been overlooked. . . . [Vice President Kamala Harris] has recently taken the lead among America’s oldest voters from former President Donald Trump, a New York Times/Siena College [shows].
“Harris is leading by 2 points among those 65 and older, with 49 percent support to Trump’s 47 percent.” (This poll’s overall tally nationally, updated to Oct. 26, showed Harris up 49-48.)
A Quote: Fung wrote, “[Older voters] have been overlooked,” said Nora Super, who served as the executive director of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. . . “Within the next five years, one out of five Americans are going to be over the age of 65.”
Stats Matter: “Over 70 percent of voters 65 and older said they were ‘almost certain’ to cast a ballot this November,” Fung reported, “compared to just 54 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds . . . , according to the Times/Siena poll.”
Social Security? Fung continued, “Pollsters found that 57 percent of voters 50 and older say Social Security either is or will be a major source of income for their household, making it unsurprising that nearly 80 percent of older Arizona voters ranked the issue as ‘very important’ to them.
“It really doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, an independent or Democrat. Social Security is a big issue,” [said Bob Ward, a Republican pollster]. “This is an extremely competitive issue for candidates to talk about. The other thing we learned in the survey is when candidates talk about Social Security, they are inclined to get older voters.”
Fung added, “Veteran political consultant Robert Creamer pointed out that Republicans‘ controversial Project 2025 blueprint proposes a number of policies that are unpopular among seniors that include cuts in Social Security, privatization of Medicare and raising the retirement age. Still, Ward and [AARP pollster Jeff Liszt] found that in battleground states, Democrats only have a single digit advantage when it comes to Social Security.”
The ‘Old Conservatives’ Myth
GBONews’ editor is hardly surprised. Far from the myth long echoed by mainstream writers that people get more conservative with the years – so stated by Noah in his TNR piece — close observers of senior voters know that Democrats have short shrifted seniors’ issues in recent decades. If you stiff them, they won’t come.
In particular, Barak Obama, whose campaigns at first successfully vied for youth, shrugged off senior concerns. As president, Obama—just as Bill Clinton had done a decade earlier—proposed cuts to Social Security, as part of a bipartisan “Grand Bargain” on the federal budget that the GOP rejected.
And according to the Center for Politics, Obama, in his 2012 reelection bid against Sen. Mitt Romney, posted the worst Democratic showing among elders (GOP’s 56% to the Dem’s 44%, a 12% loss) since the Dems started losing older adults after the 2000 election. (Although this article was published in April, before President Biden stepped down, scroll do to the chart showing senior votes in past elections.)
Candidates Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, partly pulled that back, each losing 65+ voters by 7%. I believe a key campaign facet was that each campaigned more on strengthening Social Security and, especially, increasing services and supports for elder care.
Currently, Harris seems to have been closing the gap somewhat more with promises, such as covering home care, vision and hearing aids.
The Older “Cat Ladies” Truth
Other age-related factors: How about the 50-plus “cat lady” vote, thanks to GOP Veep candidate J.D. Vance. In her Health Journalism blog for the Association of Health Care Journalists, our colleague Liz Seegert, posted, “Why unmarried women over 50 may be a crucial voting block in the presidential race,” (Yes, grammarians, that should be “bloc.”)
Seegert wrote, “A recent AARP poll shows that women 50 and older, regardless of marital status, lean towards presidential candidate Kamala Harris over former President Trump by 54% to 42%. Solo agers are slightly more supportive of Harris than married women (56% to 51%).”
She went on, “Women over 50 made up a quarter of the voting-age population but cast 30% of all ballots in the 2020 election. This cycle, women ages 50 and up are the largest bloc of swing voters, perhaps even more so than during [the 2022] midterm elections, according to the poll.”
Seegert stressed, “Journalists should be speaking to this demographic as they report on key health and aging issues impacting the election, such as Medicare, Social Security, drug prices and the economy.”
How this all shakes out by the morning of Nov. 6 – or in courtrooms days or weeks later — remains tossing through our nights. Prompting a turn of interest, though, may be findings from the center-right think tank, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).
Trump Plan “Worsens” Social Security
As Lindsey Reiser reported on CBS’s “Daily Report” (Oct. 23, 2024), “Donald Trump is trying to take us backward, a new analysis suggests. Former President Donald Trump’s economic proposal, should he win the election, could speed up when the Social Security Trust Fund runs out of money. … Right now the [trust fund] is projected [not] to be able to pay its debts by 2034.
With Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic proposals the CRFB says that wouldn’t change if she became president. If Trump’s plans are enacted, the group estimates insolvency would happen three years sooner.”
Reiser interviewed the organization’s policy director, Mark Goldwin, who explained that Trump’s proposals, such as eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits, cracking down on immigrants, and imposing the tariffs widely, would “significantly worsen the Trust Fund, actually expand the shortfall by 40% to 50% and make Social Security insolvent 3 years earlier, in just 2031.”
Goldwin added that Harris plan “wouldn’t make a major change to the overall outlook.” Under current law, that is he said, with no changes by Congress during the next nine years, such as in taxes, revenue increases or benefit reductions, Social Security would have to reduce pension benefits by 23%.
He emphasized, “Under [Trump’s] plan that would take place in six years, and it would be actually a 33% benefit cut. . . It could be pretty sizable. We could be talking about $20,000 or more over the course of a year for a typical couple.”
With all of the “trust us” claims by either party, CNN telecast this sobering story for anyone aggravated by online hustles, especially by supposedly legitimate companies and organizations.
A new CNN investigation, “How elderly dementia patients are unwittingly fueling political campaigns,” Anderson Cooper said in introducing the report that it “uncovered dozens of elderly Americans, including many suffering from dementia, being exploited by unsavory political fundraising tactics. We’re talking about millions of dollars lost, and for some, their entire life savings.”
Campaigns Bilked Seniors with Dementia
CNN’s reporter Kyung Lah stated, “Groups representing both parties are involved, but the biggest beneficiary of the small dollar donations from unwitting donors identified by CNN was Donald Trump.”
She said the exposé found, “A sample of just 52 elderly donors, many who suffer from dementia or cognitive decline, gave away more than $6 million of their life savings, the majority to Donald Trump, and other Republican candidates.” Often, the elders unknowingly had their bank accounts shunted for recurring “donations” of $5 or $10 at a time by the Republican fund raiser, WinRed, or, to a lesser extent, the Democrats’ ActBlue.
Come Nov. 6, will America “normal” breathe easy again? Will fraud rule the law of the land? Pardon me while I take a deep breath; and please let me know if I’m getting blue in this old face.
2. THE CONFERENCE BEAT
*** Media Registration for Top Age-Research Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 13-16: The Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) will provide reporters free registration at its Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 13-16, 2024. Complimenting the thousands of live sessions and research “Poster” papers, will be press presentations and a Friday evening media meetup and journalists reception.
GSA’s huge conference, the largest in gerontology, offers journalists a treasure chest of stories minted in hundreds of sessions that will present new research, policy analyses and practice innovations, by many of its attending 4,000 experts on aging from 50 countries.
The Opening Plenary keynoter, Wed., Nov. 13, 4 p.m., will be Richard J. Hodes, M.D., offering insights from his 31 years directing the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.
GBONews subscribers planning to be in the Puget Sound area can sign up now for a Press Registration. That allows you to search the conference sessions by topic areas, presenters’ last names, and keywords. If you have questions, contact Todd Kluss at tkluss@geron.org.
The Press Room this year at the Seattle Convention Center (Room #305 with presentations in #303) will serve as an operational base and schmoozing salon for reporters covering the meeting. Media folks can use the space for networking, conducting interviews, and consulting with GSA’s communications staff.
Thurs., Nov. 14 — Press Room Lunch and Book Event
* 12 Noon Lunch – Hear the latest from the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research. The RCMARs (pron: RIK-marz), funded by the National Institute on Aging, are located at 18 major universities. There emerging doctoral scholars are investigating a wide range of health and social issues involving ethnic elders.
* 4:30 p.m. — Presentation of The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond, by Debra Whitman, PhD (W. W. Norton & Company). Whitman is AARP’s chief public policy officer and a former staff director for the Senate Special Committee on Aging, has long led much of AARP’s research on retirement.
Friday Journalists Meet-Up and Reception
We’ll start on Fri., Nov. 15, 5 to 6:15 p.m., in Seattle Convention Center Room 303. Grab a beverage and circle up the chairs, as we go around to find out who else is covering the conference and what they’re focusing on.
Then GSA will welcome everyone in the Press Room (#305) to mingle over wine, non-alcoholic drinks and hearty hors d’oeuvres.
Don’t hesitate to contact GSA’s Todd Kluss, if you have any questions or problems, such as in getting on the free registration or searching the online conference schedule: tkluss@geron.org, (202) 587-2839.
*** 2024 What’s Next Longevity Innovation Summit, National Press Club, Washington, DC December 9-10, 2024. The theme for this business and technology conference’s 7th year in the nation’s capital, is “Transformation of Care: Where Policy, Investment, AI and Innovation Meet.” (See the agenda and full roster of presenters on the conference website.) Foremost among presentations will be tech-and-aging journalist, Laurie Orlov, on her new report, “AI in Senior Living and Care,”.
Leading the keynote panel on “Innovators in Caregiving” will be Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer.
Of particular interest in the wake of the election will be “Public Policy and Innovation at the Federal, State and Local Levels,” moderated by Lance Robertson, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging in the Trump administration. Among those on the panel will be Greg Olsen, acting director, New York State Office for the Aging, and Democrat Ronald Tae Sok Kim, of New York City, who became the first Korean American member of the New York State Assembly in 2012.
Journalist Julie Halpert (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.) will moderate the panel, “Health Equity: What It Is and Why It Matters.” It “will explore how digital platforms and innovative strategies transform health and digital equity for a broader socio-economic demographic.”
Conference founder and host, Mary Furlong will moderate, “What Investors Are Looking For” in the caregiving sector.
Furlong’s panel and others highlight the latest developments in business models and products that can help reporters sharpen their questions for examining emerging technologies, including their accessibility.
“Aging Policy Trends for 2025” will feature Bob Blancato, long a trusted leader in national aging policy and advocacy. will provide an overview of aging policy trends. The national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, Blancato will divine what to expect for older Americans in 2025.
Reporters can request complimentary media registrations from Elyse Dasko, edasko@daskocommunications.com. And cc it to furlong@aim.com.
The Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), founded in 1993, publishes Generations Beat Online News (GBONews.org). JNG provides information and networking opportunities for journalists covering generational issues, but not those representing services, products or lobbying agendas. Copyright 2024 Paul Kleyman. For more information contact GBO Editor Paul Kleyman.
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