As the Wrong Wing has written about many times before, the older generation of Americans tend to romanticize the past. They think of times gone by as the good old days, when American morality was strong, when people worked hard and long and were able to succeed. As a result, they tend to vote Republican, preferring to conserve America rather than vote Democratic to progress it. Why then does Mitt Romney hold such disdain for this crucial voting block?
Yep, he said you think you’re a victim.
First, there was his selection of Paul Ryan for running mate, whose efforts to reform Medicare, the system that keeps many of our senior citizens alive and well, were not actually misguided. There is a lot of room for improvement within the system. Yet his specific idea — the voucher system which studies show would not adequately pay for the medical care that most seniors need — is not the right idea. It further pushes healthcare towards the private sector, and eliminates crucial help for the people who need it the most. Plus it enforces the current insurance system, which might be the most counter-intuitive way to provide people with medical care that the world has seen since the days of rubbing garlic in wounds for its magic healing powers.
The selection of Ryan has probably lost Romney the crucial state of Florida, since seniors are rightfully scared about what would happen should they lose their healthcare so that millionaires can pay less taxes.
But Romney has also been on the closed door campaign trail discussing the now infamous 47% who he says are dependent on the government and feel they are victims. None of the proud, hard working senior citizens that we know feel they are victims of anything. They are thankful that they lived in America, and are thankful that they can enjoy the twilight of their lives without fretting over decisions of whether to take their medicine or eat dinner. They paid their dues to society, and deserve to have society work for them.
Romney’s comments from that May fundraiser are one of many, and his utter disrespect for such an admirable portion of Americans, who served in wars, who built the foundation we stand on, and who believe in America without needing to put it on a campaign slogan sticker, means that Romney has lost the support of one of his strongest constituencies.
