this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2024
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Former President Donald Trump is losing older voters to Vice President Kamala Harris, a new poll shows.

A survey released by Emerson College on Thursday revealed that the majority of voters over 70 are supporting Harris, 51 percent, over Trump at 48 percent.

Those results show a major breakthrough for Harris, who has been able to surpass Trump's lead with older voters. Just last month, with President Joe Biden still in the race, 50 percent of voters over 70 supported Trump, while 48 percent of the age group backed Biden.

The over 70 category includes both baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, as well as the silent generation, anyone born between 1925 and 1945.

Don't get complacent! Vote!

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[–] negativenull@lemmy.world 185 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Project2025 wants to make cuts to SocialSecurity and Medicare, two things that Boomers rely on heavily.

[–] Theprogressivist@lemmy.world 107 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] Limonene@lemmy.world 13 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

They only want to tax employee benefits above $12,000. The point of it seems to be to limit how much health insurance people get, so it limits their access to healthcare.

If all employer-provided health insurance was taxed (not just the amount above $12,000) it would be a good thing in the long run, because it would disentangle health insurance from employment.

[–] TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee 31 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

it would disentangle health insurance from employment.

Not unless there's a viable alternative..... If put into effect today it would just be the equivalent to a giant cut for 15 million people.

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[–] TOModera@lemmy.world 6 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (3 children)

Wait, sorry, I'm an accountant in another country; you guys don't tax employee benefits? Lucky.

Based upon the down votes, I am adding an edit: Lucky because it can get nit picky for an accountant, not lucky because your government doesn't care for you. But I mis spoke and it was off topic, so I accept my comment wasn't appreciated.

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 41 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

We don't tax them because they are an end run around having universal healthcare paid through taxes. If it was taxed, we might just decide to go single payer through taxes instead and that would cut into insurance provider profits!

[–] TOModera@lemmy.world 12 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

Yikes, thanks for the info. I think I misspoke, I just find the taxing to be nit picky as a process, and my sympathy that your country doesn't provide Healthcare.

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[–] dhork@lemmy.world 26 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

In spite of what Republicans say, the overall tax burden in the US is lower than most other developed countries:

https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-do-us-taxes-compare-internationally

Our taxes generally pay for fewer services, though, so we get to pay more for things like our absurd health care system, which ties the ability to afford health care to being employed.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 10 points 4 weeks ago

Instead of taxes we have exploitative business practices...

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[–] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 30 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

And yet 48% boomers support GOP. Smh

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 35 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Stupid people vote against themselves over culture war issues that don’t affect them. They don’t think. They just get angry.

[–] TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org 13 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Common symptom of chronic lead poisoning. Remember the era the boomers lived in.

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[–] zephorah@lemm.ee 75 points 4 weeks ago (4 children)

Removing social security and or Medicare would quite literally kill a lot of these people. WTF did they think would happen?

[–] ech@lemm.ee 38 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

These people have been voting against their own well-being for decades.

[–] APassenger@lemmy.world 13 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I think they expect it to gradually sunset and not impact them. Then they can leave "less of a deficit" for their kids.

I'd rather have the entitlements.

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[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 17 points 4 weeks ago

People don't vote for Trump for rational reasons. They vote for him to have their hate and resentment validated.

[–] sar1n@infosec.pub 16 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (2 children)

Except they are being lied to about medicare and social security NOT being cut

Edit: i pulled this from r/conservative

[–] JustARegularNerd@lemmy.world 10 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I genuinely had to stop and think if that image was satirical, but nope, it's real

[–] sar1n@infosec.pub 7 points 4 weeks ago

Right? I was doing the same thing when i first came across it. Definitely not satirical

[–] SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 8 points 4 weeks ago

1 and 2 are already a lie. They can't deport migrants because their voters need cheap migrant labor to not go out of business, and it would go against point 3, keeping things affordable. And they need the bogeyman. If there is no migrant threat there are no votes.

But nobody said the people voting for them were rationally thinking about these points.

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[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 57 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

My guess is that many Boomers were slow to realize just how awful he is. Those who were lifelong Republicans just voted R out of habit. They thought the news stories were noise and exaggerations, like so much “news” is nowadays.

In some cases, they’ll never vote for him, or anyone associated with him, ever again. Trump has done major, long-term damage to the Republican Party by making it all about him, and saying the quiet parts out loud FAR too often. Personally, I’m okay with that.

[–] sharkaccident@lemmy.world 22 points 4 weeks ago

In some cases, they’ll never vote for him, or anyone associated with him, ever again.

I was an independent for a long time. Mostly voted D but did my due diligence on local races to see if the R had something of value. After the blind acceptance of R to switch to MAGA I"ll never vote R again. Ever.

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 11 points 4 weeks ago

Also it’s been nearly 10 years of listening to his garbage. Many of the oldest and worst have died both from the usual suspects and the covid he did very little to stop. Just another reason on the pile of reasons why people are turning on them.

[–] Unlocalhost@lemmy.world 50 points 4 weeks ago

Make sure he loses your generation too, VOTE!!!

[–] nkat2112@sh.itjust.works 39 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

President Joe Biden still in the race, 50 percent of voters over 70 supported Trump, while 48 percent of the age group backed Biden.

Even under Biden running, felon Drink Bleach having only a 2% margin on the boomers - his base - could not have been that comforting.

But, gee, is it ever much better with Harris! Rock on!

I won't get complacent. I'll vote. Have a great day!

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[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 30 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I wonder why. Someone else pointed out plans to cut medicare and social security, but that's not new for Trump or the GOP; they've been fucking those programs up for at least 20 years, and that never bothered boomers and Republican silent gen before. What changed?

[–] I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 24 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (2 children)

I'll take a guess that it's because he's been repeating himself so often. They've tuned out any media not in their bubble, so all the reports of what a shit stain of a person he is are ignored or dismissed. But his own rallies? His own interviews? His own statements? He just keeps bringing out the same tired arguments and complaints that he has for the last 8 years, and he is much lower energy now. And it's happening often enough that they can't fully ignore it. He has finally committed the most unforgivable cardinal sin to them, he has become boring.

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 13 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah, you may be right. We've had, what, almost a decade of candidate/president Trump now? Even the most successful TV shows in history are pretty much out of gas by this point, there's just not really anything left to say that hasn't already been said. Even Fox news shakes up its talking heads every now and then, and it has the advantage of being "news" (massive sarcasm quotes there). Trump isn't bringing anything new to the table, it's the same old dog and pony show, and the tricks have gone stale. Makes sense.

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[–] TheFonz@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago

He's starting to sound like a broken record. A bitter, angry, broken one. At first his brand of populism was very fresh and charming to the right. But like the other right wing populist counterparts in Europe, I think Trump too is getting tiresome to listen to. It's been ten years of the same shtick and not much to show for it.

[–] Assman@sh.itjust.works 30 points 4 weeks ago (4 children)

See, I thought he lost them to covid

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 16 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

The ones that masked up and where scared shitless because they took it seriously will not vote trump.

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[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 24 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

It's remarkable how much the Demographic landscape has shifted since like 2012. Boomers are no longer the biggest generation; that was probably accelerated quite a bit by coronavirus.

Ultimately, with more diversity and the death of boomers the Democratic path to victory — despite the electoral college — requires only that Democrats energize their own core base and pull over some Independents with contagious enthusiasm. No compromise needed with the likes of far-right Republican extremism. Their platform is largely irrelevant and deeply unpopular.

[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 12 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I think the newer generations growing up with this utter garbage platform of the GOP will really hurt their electability in a few years to the next few decades as the younger generations reach voting age

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 16 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

Definitely! You may recall that Republicans performed an "Autopsy report" following their 2012 losses and concluded that they would need to moderate their platform and appeal to minorities in greater numbers. But instead, the party went the exact opposite way and hitched a ride with right-wing extremism under Trump. In the short-term they road high off enthusiasm of bigots and the ignorant... But that can only be sustained for so long. Now they've forked themselves between catering to racist sexist bigots versus moving back to the center. The problem is the more they shift in one direction, the more the other group abandons them.

Ultimately Democrats adopted any noteworthy substantive policy that Republicans once had, so it's a dying party lashing out like a rat in a corner.

And if it wasn't for the Electoral College, the Citizens United decision, and Gerrymandering, the party would've been relegated to History next to the Whigs long ago.

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[–] InternetUser2012 20 points 4 weeks ago

Apparently between project 2025 and having a eyeliner wearing couch fucker as a running mate is enough to sway some voters. Good news, now don't believe the hype and VOTE!!!!

Volunteer to give rides to those that wouldn't be able to vote without it.

[–] I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 18 points 4 weeks ago

It's like one of them finally stood up and shouted "My God, the Emperor has no clothes!"

[–] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 17 points 4 weeks ago

Imagine that, people who grew up in the shadow of the Holocaust might not like fascists.

[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 8 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

I think we may have entered an alternate universe.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 6 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

We may be be leaving the alternate universe we entered around 2015.

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[–] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago

They finally figured out he’s crazier than they are.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 5 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Technically, everyone is losing baby boomers and the silent generation.

[–] 14th_cylon@lemm.ee 6 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (6 children)

Not what the phrase mean in this context. The ratio I'm which they distribute the remaining votes is changing. So, one of the sides is losing more of them than the others.

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 3 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

silent generation. how many of them are left? I think you would have to be over 82 but let me check.....meh. according to wikipedia currently the youngest would be born in 45. I think that has varied and might have been anchored to the even sounding 5 year point. Anyway we are talking octogenarians and older. I mean I know folks are living longer but what percentage of the population is that? ill check....gah can't even find. Lots of how 65+ is growing but that group is mostly boomer who are the largest generation born for the US. Then of those 80+ how many can vote (not have the right to but have the capacity). I guess they did not want to just say boomers and saying boomer at older but 65+ is used a lot maybe they should just use that.

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