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McCain Aims For Age Backlash Among Seniors
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Candidate
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| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP Jun 06, 2008 03:20pm |
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| Category | Blog Entry |
| News Date | Friday, June 6, 2008 07:15:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The McCain campaign is clearly trying to push the age card, and create an age-based backlash among senior, at this point.
This isn't the first time this week that the McCain campaign is actually trying to emphasize McCain's age. In a much discussed article at Daily Kos, Markos wondered why the McCain campaign is making no attempt to whiten McCain's teeth. The answer is simple: the McCain campaign is actually trying to emphasize his age, and they are spoiling for an identity-based fight over ageism is an attempt to win more senior votes. This is something they have been doing for at least a month now.
McCain's attempt to force an age-based backlash actually makes perfect sense. Seniors tend to be the most socially conservative voters, and senior Democrats will be Obama's most difficult group when it comes to securing the party's base. Over the past few months, the national media has repeatedly mocked McCain's age, and so it won't be hard to point out that he is being attacked on ageist grounds. Also, the Democratic nomination campaign demonstrated that candidates can have real success among certain identity groups if they are perceived to be attacked in ways related to that identity group. If the perception of sexist attacks against Clinton can help her among women (as I think most observers will agree was the base in New Hampshire), and if the perception of racist attacks against Obama can help him among African-Americans (as I think most observers will agree was the case in South Carolina), why can't the perception of ageist attacks against McCain help him among seniors?
Seniors are the key swing vote in this election, and we all know that they vote in droves. Also, the two oldest states in the country, Pennsylvania and Florida, are key swing states. |
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