THE DAILY BLADE: There May Be Snow On The Roof, But There's Still Fire In The Furnace
President Barack Hussein Obama was never popular with seniors, and they vote at a higher rate than any other demographic. Exit polling showed that Obama and McCain split the vote amongst those in the 45 - 64 age bracket, but that McCain won the votes of the 65+ crowd 53 percent to 45 percent. When the results are broken down by age and race, McCain won the votes of whites 45- 64 by 56 percent to 45 percent, and the votes of those 65 years and older by 58 percent to 40 percent. Seniors are in open revolt over plans to cut Medicare to help pay for healthcare “reform,” which does not bode well for Dems in the 2010 midterm election.
“Many of the nation's gray panthers have a new fire growing in their bellies, attending town halls, writing letters, and shifting the balance of political power as polls show them moving to the GOP,” reports The Washington Times:
A poll two weeks ago found Republicans winning on a generic ballot among seniors, after recent polling had found that 46 percent of seniors identify themselves as Republicans, 33 percent as Democrats and 22 percent as independents.
"Almost every poll we do when we break it down by age, President Obama is least popular with seniors. That is definitely the age group that he is having the most problem with," [Public Policy Polling spokesperson Tom Jensen] said. "If not for those senior citizens, Democrats would have the lead on a generic ballot. But overall, American voters say 45 to 41 that they will vote Republican next year and it's the seniors who are making that happen.
"What makes it even a bigger implication for the midterm elections is because seniors cast a much larger percentage of votes in midterms than they do in presidential years," he said. "Not only are they leaning more Republican these days but they are also likely to be a much bigger slice of the electorate in 2010 than they were in 2009."
While Obama never captured the senior vote, he is in danger of losing the youth vote, argue columnists Dick Morris and Eileen McGann in a New York Post op-ed:
Requiring everyone to buy insurance will impose a massive tax on all who now are uninsured. …
The poor will still have Medicaid. But for those earning more, the required premiums will be worse than any tax increase. For example, CBO estimates that when the program is fully implemented - by 2016 - an individual earning $32,400 a year would have to pay $4,100 in premiums before getting any subsidy. With deductibles and co-payments, he'd have to shell out $5,600 a year, or 17.3 percent of his income. A family of four, making $80,000 a year, would have to pay about $10,500 in premiums alone - with deductibles and co-payments, up to $15,000 or just under 20 percent of income.
And if they don't buy insurance, they'll face federal fines that begin to approach these same premium levels. They won't be able to buy what they truly need - catastrophic-only coverage at a lower premium - that won't satisfy ObamaCare's "minimum insurance" mandate.
The young and uninsured will catch on: This bill is designed to force healthy people who don't have health insurance - and may neither need nor want it - to buy it anyway, in order to raise the money to subsidize those who do need it. …
As former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush Karl Rove points out:
Today, Mr. Obama's approval among young voters is down 10 points since July, according to Gallup polls. It may drop more when those voters discover that the plan put out by Sen. Max Baucus (D., Mont.) this week would fine them up to $950 a year for not being insured. Young people are 9.9% of the population. Fining them only antagonizes them.
According to a recent Rasmussen telephone survey of 504 uninsured voters, 35 percent are opposed to ObamaCare, with 26 percent saying they are strongly opposed:
Perhaps the most striking thing about the results is how much they mirror the results of those with insurance. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of uninsured Republicans oppose the plan while 88% of Democrats favor it. Those not affiliated with either party are evenly divided.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters without health insurance are Democrats and 24% Republican.
Forty-four percent (44%) of the uninsured are politically conservative, 26% moderate, and 27% liberal. Uninsured liberals overwhelmingly support the plan while most uninsured conservatives are opposed. …
One of the stated goals of the legislation is to provide health insurance coverage for the uninsured. The results of this survey provide a reminder that the uninsured are not a homogeneous group. While most support the plan, it is significant to note that many do not. One reason may be that some have chosen to do without insurance and object to the provisions that would force them to purchase coverage. Another factor may be that many see their uninsured status as temporary.
Here’s the kicker, according to Morris and McGann: “Having the uninsured - the stated object of Obama's compassion - turn against his reform would be the most lethal cut of all.”
Separated At Birth?
Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi and NY Gov. David Paterson:
Though Gadhafi called President Barack Hussein Obama “our son” during his U.N. address, the resemblance between him and Paterson is striking. Maybe this is the real reason Paterson just shaved off all his facial hair. Not to “begin anew with a clean face - and a clean slate,” as New York magazine has it. And not, as Paterson told reporters, to symbolize how serious he is about trimming the budget: “Additional deficit means additional cutting, and it’s likely before the end of this process you will see me bald.” Bearded, Paterson’s poll numbers were just about as low as you’d expect Gadhafi’s to be.
Editorial Note: Paterson, who recently blamed racism for his unpopularity with voters, had this to say about Obama giving him the cold shoulder during his visit to NYC, and reportedly trying to force him to step aside so that a more viable candidate can run for the governorship in 2010:
I understand the president’s concern, but I understand the concern of staff members at the White House. If you look at it from their perspective, they haven’t exactly been able to govern in the first year of their administration the way other administrations have, where you would theoretically have a period in which the new administration is allowed to pass some of the needed legislation.
So: Is Paterson a racist for dissing Obama or is Obama a racist for dissing Paterson? Silly Stiletto: Only whites can be racist.
Comments