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Greedy Granny is dead.
Long live Goody-Two-Shoes Granny.
The first-ever national poll targeting grandparents indicated yesterday that older voters--a huge, but far from monolithic voting bloc in next week's presidential election--care as much or more about policies' impact on future generations as they do their own personal interests.
The poll of 1,161 registered voters, including 568 grandparents interviewed by phone from Oct. 15 to 18, was commissioned by GrannyVoter.org and performed by Ipsos-Public Affairs. It shows that even on Medicare and Social Security, 73 percent of grandparents will vote based on either the interests of their grandchildren or a combination of their own interests and those of their progeny. Of that 73 percent, 21 percent said they'll vote solely on the interests of their grandchildren.
On other issues, the percentage of grandparents who say they are taking the interests of their progeny into account are even higher:
Diplomacy and international cooperation: 89 percent.
Terrorism and national security: 84 percent.
The environment: 83 percent.
The deficit: 81 percent.
And when asked if they agree with the statement "I am voting on issues that personally affect me in the near term, as well as issues that have long-term implications for [my grandchildren's future/future generations]," a total of 94 percent of grandparents said yes.
Former Colorado Democratic Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder, a Grannyvoter.org founder, said during a telephone conference with reporters yesterday that the poll sends a message that grandparents will hold politicians responsible for decisions that affect their grandchildren's future.
"Politicians of late have gone out and divided voters into different groups and decided they only need to have one message per group," she said.
She said those politicians think to themselves, "The greedy grannies--those are the ones we have to talk to about the price of their pills and protecting Social Security."
"But that's not our main motivating factor," Schroeder said.
Steven Apicella, chairman of the Stafford County Republican Committee, said: "I think grandparents are certainly concerned about their own well-being, especially as Americans get grayer and more baby boomers become eligible to join the AARP. But I also think grandparents are equally concerned about their kids, grandkids and the future of our country."
Apicella said the most active members of the Stafford Republican organization are grandparents--many still in the work force.
"Even so, they still find time to promote Republican candidates and issues," he said. "From what I have heard and seen, older Americans are very active in their communities, and they typically vote, especially in comparison to other age groups. I suspect they have learned many life lessons, including that elections really do matter."
Sixty-one-year-old Brenda Ely, a Spotsylvania County Democrat who said she's old enough to be a grandmother, but isn't yet, said: "Older voters worry about the world they will leave for their children and grandchildren. Even today, it is getting harder and harder for the young to enjoy the job security and advancement opportunities that we did.
"I fear that if the country continues on the path that we are on, there will be two classes of people," Ely said.
Linda Johnson, a Stafford Democrat, said grandparents can vote their own interests, and still help their grandchildren in doing so.
Without adequate health-care coverage, she said, grandparents "could be a burden on their own children, which would be a burden on their grandchildren, as well."
Jonathon Myers, a Stafford Republican, said it's impossible to say definitively if grandparents are going to vote according to their own concerns or for their grandchildren.
"I believe that each individual is going to cast their vote based on the accumulative effects of their particular life experiences," said Myers, an Iraq war veteran and father of twins. "For example, a senior citizen who may have served in the military during World War II or Korea may find that they are more strongly influenced by the issue of national security and/or national defense. A senior citizen who is on a fixed and limited income may focus more strongly on issues concerning Social Security.
"Likewise," Myers said, "some of our older citizens are going to be steadfast in their positions as they have had many years to develop them. I don't think that you can generalize the voting intentions of all senior citizens or grandparents, just as you wouldn't for the rest of the general population."
But Becky Reed, a Stafford grandmother and Democratic activist, said many issues in this election will directly impact her grandchildren.
Reed said what she called "Bush incompetence" in Iraq could have a great impact on future generations, along with decisions on the environment and the national deficit.
"I think Bush's record on the environment is appalling," she said, adding that his decisions in that area are "very hard to understand" when it comes to potential impact on children and grandchildren.
Mary Catherine Bateson, a cultural anthropologist at George Mason University and a GrannyVoter.org founder, said, "Our sense is that all too many decisions in America are made on a narrowly short-term basis.
"Even as we live longer as a society, we think shorter," she said. "It's important to plan beyond our lifespans.
"For us," Bateson said, "our children and grandchildren symbolize a way of thinking about the future."
She said today's generation of grandparents doesn't fit the old stereotypes of the frail Victorian grandma in a rocking chair or the stereotype of what she called "the greedy geezer."
"Older Americans are not just living longer," Bateson said, "they're living healthier and with more energy, and they represent a brand new group of people."
To reach MICHAEL ZITZ: 540/374-5408 mikez@freelancestar.com