• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Sunday, January 17, 2021
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home National

‘Anti-American Democracy Sentiments:’ Why Seniors Are Abandoning Trump

Deon Feng by Deon Feng
11/20/20
in National
A man holds a "Biden Harris 2020" campaign poster in a golf cart.

A resident of The Villages, Florida, holds a "Biden Harris 2020" campaign poster, as he participates in a golf cart parade. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

On October 7, hundreds of seniors paraded America’s largest retirement community at an event to drop off ballots for the upcoming election. Most of them drove in golf carts — the preferred method of transport — while honking and clapping in constant cheer. Hundreds of vehicles festooned with signage, balloons, and flags patiently fill the road, queuing for miles.

Located in Sumter County, Florida, The Villages is home to some of Trump’s most loyal supporters. But during this parade, the golf carts were embellished in blue decor and signs reading “End the Trumpedemic.” These people were not delivering ballots for Donald Trump, but for his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

This was an unprecedented sight in The Villages, an old and predominantly white community that gave almost 70 percent of its vote to Trump in 2016.

Yet as the Presidential Election looms near, the Biden campaign is gathering more momentum among seniors. And that is not just happening in The Villages. This trend is occurring all over the United States.

The Dwindling Support Base 

In a poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College Research Institute in early October, Biden led Trump by 9 points among citizens over 65. That number jumped to 16 in a Quinnipiac poll and to 21 in a CNN/SSRS poll. This was a bloc that voted 52 percent for Trump in 2016. In fact, no Democrat presidential candidate has won over the elderly constituency since Al Gore two decades ago. Trump’s decaying popularity with senior Americans illustrates a significant threat to the strength of the GOP.

Historically speaking, old voters have the highest turnout rate compared to other age groups. According to the US Census Bureau, the bloc showed up at a whopping 70.9 percent during the last presidential election, as opposed to the 46.1 percent amongst voters between 18-24. Seniors consisted of more than one-fourth of the electorate in 2016, and their reliability renders them an enticing demographic during elections.

“Senior citizens in the United States of America always play a huge role in the presidential elections,” Jeff Brauer, Professor of Political Science at Keystone College, told The Globe Post. “They are super voters.”

On top of their turnout consistency, retired citizens also happen to concentrate more in crucial battleground states of this election, including Florida. Swing states like Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida have larger shares of 65+ residents than the national average, according to the 2020 Almanac of American Politics.

Both parties are highly conscious of elderly Americans’ importance to the race and are vying for their support on the campaign trail.

Donald Trump clapping with a huge crowd behind him
US President Donald Trump claps during a campaign rally at The Villages Polo Club in The Villages, Florida on October 23, 2020. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

“I will protect you, I will defend you, and I will fight for you with every ounce of energy and conviction that I have,” said Trump during a crowded campaign rally at Fort Myers, Florida on October 13. “My administration is working every day to give our amazing senior citizens the care, support, and respect that you deserve.”

On the same day, a masked Biden gave a speech to 50 socially-distanced retirees at a care center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. “To Donald Trump, you’re expendable. You’re forgettable. You’re virtually nobody,” he told them, adding that “the only senior that Donald Trump cares about is the senior Donald Trump.”

Not Just COVID-19

This battle for seniors’ attention conspires under the shadow of COVID-19. And although the pandemic is a salient issue for vulnerable demographics, there are many other reasons for Trump’s slipping grasp on older voters.

Chris Stanley, president of The Villages Democratic Club, said that to a degree, residents are upset about Trump’s mishandling of the virus. “To a larger degree, they’re just horrified by the tweeting and the lying and the, you know, anti-American democracy sentiments,” she told The Globe Post.

Steffen Schmidt, Professor Emeritus in Political Science at Iowa State University, explained that “older voters still tend to have what we call ‘traditional values.’ President Trump was expected by many of them to ‘start acting presidential’ once he won the election in 2016. That has not happened. In fact the president’s behavior has been more brash and bullying. That’s a turnoff for many older voters.”

Another reason can be accredited to the Biden campaign vowing to protect Social Security, improve Medicare, and lower prescription drug prices, which are among the top five election issues for Americans over 50. 

Schmidt told The Globe Post that seniors are horrified by “the threat of them losing the Affordable Care Act and of Medicare being changed,” concerns that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

For Sibyl Dunlap, an 80-year-old from Arizona with pre-existing health conditions, healthcare is indeed “the number one thing” these elections. Dunlap was a Republican for many years, but is now the vice president of the Sun City Democratic Club. In this election, she is more involved than ever in her club, which has seen a spike in membership “ever since Trump became president.”

“Trump has made it clear to all of us seniors that we are the scapegoat, we are the ones that are okay to die,” she told The Globe Post.

Joe Biden also possesses an idiosyncratic moderate history, a potential point of appeal for those who are wary of radicalism. As an older voter herself, Dunlap believes in Joe Biden’s “ability to work across the aisle.”

Professor Brauer from Keystone College explained to The Globe Post that seniors are generally more conservative, so “if they’re going to vote for a Democrat, that Democrat has to be a moderate, centrist Democrat for them to be comfortable with casting that vote. And Joe Biden definitely checks off that box.” 

Even the former vice president himself is aware of this. During a speech after violent clashes between protestors and far-right militias, he rhetorically asked the audience, “do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters?”

Having lived in a time before political hyper-polarization, older voters are also more accustomed to vote switching.

 “I’ve always voted for the person more than the party,” said Dunlap.

One reason seniors, a breakout demographic for Biden, could be more "elastic" than other voters: they grew up in an era when more people voted for the candidate (as opposed to the party).

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 6, 2020

Losing by Numbers, Not by Loyalty

Although Trump is slipping in the polls, he is not slipping in loyalty. 

Dunlap has heard of many incidents of Republicans taking down Democratic lawn signs and vice versa. Whereas party affiliations “just didn’t matter in life” before, it is now the cause of family splits and friendship breakups. 

A similar animosity manifests in The Villages. While the community’s Democratic Club president Stanley and her organization are attracting more supporters by day, she is also receiving a lot more hostility from devout Trump supporters, who still make up the majority in The Villages. Stanley described how people would casually lean over from their golf carts and tell her that she is a “baby killer,” or else call her names for wearing a mask and a blue shirt. According to Stanley, this occurs on a regular basis.

Chris Stanley holding a blue t-shirt that reads "Joe Biden '20"
President of The Villages Democratic Club Chris Stanley. Photo: Nathan Bullock/provided

Much of The Villages knew of a different way of talking politics. Stanley herself remembers a time when Americans cared more about policy rather than party. Now, she observes that “people are so entrenched that party politics has become part of their personality.”

The Villages brands itself to residents and developers as Florida’s Friendliest Hometown, but more Villagers are starting to doubt the accuracy of this title. In an op-ed to the local newspaper, a resident stated that “‘until the day comes when the forces we see jousting with one another put down their placards and verbal assaults of one another, The Villages cannot be, and will not deserve to have the moniker, the ‘friendliest hometown.’”

Stanley believes that Trump will still win The Villages this year, but “he won’t win as decisively.” Biden’s newfound popularity among seniors makes Stanley “cautiously optimistic” that Biden will win Florida. Although her club is in the minority, Stanley says that membership has been higher than ever. As the country approaches November 3, she is still tirelessly organizing Zoom sessions and events, in hopes that her community and country can return to a more united state.

“Hopefully we can get back to those days,” Stanley said, “but it’s not going to happen overnight.” Not even on Elections Night.

ShareTweet
Deon Feng

Deon Feng

Related Posts

The filing was submitted by Justice Department lawyers on Thursday, January 14.
National

US Rioters Sought to ‘Capture and Assassinate’ Lawmakers at Capitol: Prosecutors

by Staff Writer
January 15, 2021
Biden proposes raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Business

Biden Unveils $1.9 Tn Economic Plan as US Recovery Buckles

by Staff Writer
January 14, 2021
President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.
Opinion

Threatening Democracy: The Choice Between Progress and Extremism Has Never Been So Clear

by Peter Bloom
January 13, 2021
Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.
Opinion

American Democracy Will Prevail

by Saad Hafiz
January 13, 2021
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
World

EU Supports US Returning to Iran Deal Under Biden

by Staff Writer
January 11, 2021
The Har Gilo settlement in the West Bank, with the city of Jerusalem seen in the background, October 13, 2020.
Middle East

Netanyahu Orders New Settlement in Israeli-Occupied West Bank

by Staff Writer
January 11, 2021
Next Post
Rescuers search for survivors in rubble

14 Dead, Buildings Collapse as Major Quake Hits Turkey, Greece

a garbage dump collapse that killed 32 people in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Returns Illegal Waste to Britain After Court Order

Recommended

The filing was submitted by Justice Department lawyers on Thursday, January 14.

US Rioters Sought to ‘Capture and Assassinate’ Lawmakers at Capitol: Prosecutors

January 15, 2021
Biden proposes raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Biden Unveils $1.9 Tn Economic Plan as US Recovery Buckles

January 14, 2021
Senegalese soldiers from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, July 24, 2019.

UN Peacekeeper Killed in Mali, Seven Wounded: Spokesman

January 13, 2021
President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.

Threatening Democracy: The Choice Between Progress and Extremism Has Never Been So Clear

January 13, 2021
Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.

American Democracy Will Prevail

January 13, 2021
People march against climate change in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on October 13, 2018.

NGOs Accuse France of Climate Inaction in Landmark Court Case

January 13, 2021

Opinion

President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.

Threatening Democracy: The Choice Between Progress and Extremism Has Never Been So Clear

January 13, 2021
Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.

American Democracy Will Prevail

January 13, 2021
Pro-Trump protester in front of Capitol Hill.

Riots at Capitol Hill: Darkness Before the Dawn?

January 8, 2021
Volunteers are given the Moderna vaccine on August 5, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan.

Who’s First-in-Line for the Vaccine? A Classic Problem in Medical Ethics

December 30, 2020
A sorghum farmer inspects her small grains crop thriving in the dry conditions in March in the Mutoko rural area of Zimbabwe

The 10-Year Food Systems Revolution Must Start Now

December 22, 2020
Playing the Un-Naming Game in New York Is Harder Than It Seems

Pandenomics: The High Cost of Living While Undocumented in the United States

December 22, 2020
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post