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The elderly
Topic Started: Nov 5 2008, 11:42 PM (405 Views)
Dandandat
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Time to put something here
Obama spent a lot of during his acceptance speech talking about the wisdom of Ann Nixon Cooper a 106 year old women; He was parsing her for he wisdom a courage and making it clear that these things that came with her age and the cumulated experiences she had over that time. That’s a very powerful message; having the listener accept the wisdom and courage of the elderly and look upon it to inspire us in our actions.

Obama
 
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135


What I find ironic however is that the elderly quite decidedly pulled for McCain this election.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#USP00p1
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Dwayne
Profanity deleted by Hoss
Ironic? How?
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somerled
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Admiral MacDonald RN
Did they ? I heard they went the other way and wound up very close for the 65s and overs as a lot of them rely on their investments which have been damaged and even become worthless under Bush's watch and seniors (50 yo +) favoured Obama overall nationally too.

But here is an exit poll , that shows what one set of data indicates :

http://abcnews.go.com/pollingunit/exitpolls

48.1% of over 50s went to Obama (weighted avg)
51.1% of over 50s went to McCain

Not a lot in it.

But wait , don't a lot of your fellow travellors say polls are worthless anyway ??

Edited by somerled, Nov 6 2008, 12:02 AM.
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Dandandat
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Time to put something here
Dwayne
Nov 5 2008, 11:47 PM
Ironic? How?
That Obama would invoke the wisdom and courage of the elderly to explain why his change is needed when the elderly does not agree with him.
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Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I think that's an overgeneralization Dan. There are several elderly people I know who support Obama.
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Dandandat
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Time to put something here
somerled
Nov 5 2008, 11:49 PM
Did they ? I heard they went the other way and wound up very close for the 65s and overs as a lot of them rely on their investments which have been damaged and even become worthless under Bush's watch.

http://abcnews.go.com/pollingunit/exitpolls

Did you look at your link

Over 65

Obama: 45%
McCain: 53%
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Dandandat
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Time to put something here
Dr. Noah
Nov 5 2008, 11:51 PM
I think that's an overgeneralization Dan. There are several elderly people I know who support Obama.
Yes but I know 53% more elderly then 45% that supported McCain.
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Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
Looks like a fairly even split to me.
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Dwayne
Profanity deleted by Hoss
Yes, I guess that seems ironic...

As for Dan's statement being a generalization... So what? He's talking about the plurality of the elderly and just sums it up by calling it 'the elderly', such as the rhetorical use of the word 'we'.
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Dandandat
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Time to put something here
Dr. Noah
Nov 5 2008, 11:55 PM
Looks like a fairly even split to me.
I see 53% to 45% is an even split

but 52% to 47% is a clear mandate.
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somerled
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Admiral MacDonald RN
Dr. Noah
Nov 5 2008, 11:51 PM
I think that's an overgeneralization Dan. There are several elderly people I know who support Obama.
Or fixed in their ways and a lot of them still in Cold War Mode - watch out for those commies under the bed folks .
Edited by somerled, Nov 6 2008, 12:07 AM.
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Dandandat
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Time to put something here
somerled
Nov 6 2008, 12:03 AM
Or fixed in their ways and a lot of them still in Cold War Mode.
Not according to Obama, and since the cold war never came up as a campaign issue, I’m not quite sure what you mean.
Edited by Dandandat, Nov 6 2008, 12:05 AM.
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somerled
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Admiral MacDonald RN
Dandandat
Nov 6 2008, 12:04 AM
somerled
Nov 6 2008, 12:03 AM
Or fixed in their ways and a lot of them still in Cold War Mode.
Not according to Obama, and since the cold war never came up as a campaign issue, I’m not quite sure what you mean.
No , not that I have heard (doesn't mean it wasn't invoked) - just by essence of McCains military past - the Viet Nam was a hot part of the Cold War was it not - McCains military past was pushed ad nausium like it was relevant to now , so there is a connection that lot of people would likely have made), and people on your side have also used the word socialism like it is something bad ad nausium and continue to do so (and a lot of your side do not the difference between communism and socialism or that matter fascism even seen this in other threads here at Sistertrek.
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somerled
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Admiral MacDonald RN
Dandandat
Nov 5 2008, 11:53 PM
somerled
Nov 5 2008, 11:49 PM
Did they ? I heard they went the other way and wound up very close for the 65s and overs as a lot of them rely on their investments which have been damaged and even become worthless under Bush's watch.

http://abcnews.go.com/pollingunit/exitpolls

Did you look at your link

Over 65

Obama: 45%
McCain: 53%
Oops my mistake , weight averages are actually :

50+ 48.49056604% went to Obama.
50+ 50.20754717% went to McCain.

Still bugger all in it for the 50+ age group in any realistic sense.

here's the calc wav = sum (fractionx%)/sum(fraction).


Attached to this post:
Attachments: wav_poll.xls (19.5 KB)
Edited by somerled, Nov 6 2008, 12:37 AM.
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Dandandat
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Time to put something here
somerled
Nov 6 2008, 12:15 AM
Dandandat
Nov 6 2008, 12:04 AM
somerled
Nov 6 2008, 12:03 AM
Or fixed in their ways and a lot of them still in Cold War Mode.
Not according to Obama, and since the cold war never came up as a campaign issue, I’m not quite sure what you mean.
No , not that I have heard (doesn't mean it wasn't invoked) - just by essence of McCains military past - the Viet Nam was a hot part of the Cold War was it not - McCains military past was pushed ad nausium like it was relevant to now , so there is a connection that lot of people would likely have made), and people on your side have also used the word socialism like it is something bad ad nausium and continue to do so (and a lot of your side do not the difference between communism and socialism or that matter fascism even seen this in other threads here at Sistertrek.
If you say so; however McCains war stories are much more simply put into contacts of how he has served his country. In fact Vietnam the conflict itself was never talked about; the stories where left pretty generic. So I’ll have to give the elderly a little more credit than that. They may be elderly but that does not make them porn to illusionment.

Since the cold war was not fought over socialism but rather communism; I don’t see why the elderly would be any more or less educated about this then younger people, yet they broke from the tender of the younger crowd. So again ill have to give them more credit than that.

as for people here; we don’t have many (if any?) one over 65 here, so I don’t see the relevance.
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