Posted on 12/15/2005 9:15:48 PM PST by indianrightwinger
Republicans Risk Losing Key Voting Bloc Senior Citizens' Unhappiness With Issues Has Implications for Midterm Elections By JOHN HARWOOD Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL December 15, 2005; Page A4
WASHINGTON – While President Bush has high hopes for today's elections in Iraq, his Republican Party faces a different challenge at home: quelling the political insurgency among elderly American voters like Virginia Renfro.
"They should shake [Washington] up a little bit," says Ms. Renfro, 68 years old, a retired school-cafeteria worker in LaPorte, Ind. Displeased with Mr. Bush's Social Security ideas, confused by Medicare's prescription-drug benefit and unhappy with illegal immigration, Ms. Renfro isn't sure she will vote again for her fellow Republican, Rep. Chris Chocola, in November's midterm elections.
The new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll makes clear that Ms. Renfro has plenty of company. In a period of broad-ranging public discontent, that among senior citizens stands out as most worrisome for Republicans aiming to keep control of the House and Senate in the fall.
"They're a pretty cranked up bunch and they've got to be handled with enormous care by incumbents," says Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who helps conduct the Journal/NBC survey. So far, adds his Democratic counterpart Peter Hart, "the Bush administration has done more to alienate them than to gain their support."
The results can be seen in Americans' attitudes toward Congress 11 months before Election Day 2006. By a 65%-19% margin, Americans age 65 and above disapprove of the performance of Congress; those under 65 are also negative but less lopsidedly, 58%-27%. Moreover, senior citizens say by 47%-37% that they want Democrats rather than Republicans to win control of Capitol Hill. Those under 65 prefer a Democratic victory by a narrower 45%-39% margin.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
And now you know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey says.
I doubt she even knows what they are.
I agree with Virginia Renfro: Bush wasted too much time and political capital too early on social security reform, the Medicare prescription drug benefit is a Big Govt. boondoggle, and ILLEGAL immigration goes without saying for most FReepers.
Just wondering when the last time a poll was reported on that showed Democrats with a problem? If not, then why are they in the minority?
(They don't want more grandkids either - they want them aborted instead... right.)
I see the MSM is already starting its war of invented BS against republicans and its still almost a year away from the 2006 elections.
How soon till MSNBC hires Dan Rather? Probably by March so they can ramp up the crapola train as early as possible.
And she thinks a Democrat will get her free drugs and deport the Mexicans? HAHAHAHA!
I'll believe it when I hear it from Michael Barone, not the WSJ.
It's not the WSJ that's the problem, it's writer John Harwood. He is nothing but a stooge for the Democrat Party. Like Howard Fineman of Newsweek, he doesn't have a clue. And.....as a senior citizen myself, I can assure you that little old lady mentioned in the article knows nothing about the "Medicare" drug plan. If one exercises the supplement ($37.00 per month) on the drug plan through Social Security, the drug plan is not a bad deal overall.
That makes a sense voting for the democrat to fix illegal immigration. I'm sure chacola's left wing marxist democrat is very tough on illegal immigration.
Never underestimate the stupidity of the voter.
I am willing to bet that chacola is much better on immigration issue than his dem opponent.
I don't understand how people can be so dumb. Do they really think the party of dean that calls anybody a racist for bringing up illegal immigration is going to fix it.
I can't think of one democrat that is against illegal immigration. They are the party of Dean.
Maybe she needs a dose of reality with ted kennedy in charge of the laws of this nation.
John Harwood is anti-Bush. Do you remember his doom and gloom predictions before the 04 elections?
The article is a bit too much but there is truth in the observations of Medicare people who had to shift to the prescription drug program from state programs. It is more complicated and has higher up-front costs. Bush should have left well enough alone here. IMHO he made a bad program worse.
The two are often mutually exclusive in Conservative circles, such as that here at FR.
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