AMAC: Seniors Need To ‘Get Involved’ in the 2012 Presidential Elections

April 26, 2012 - PRLog -- BOHEMIA, NY, – “Older Americans can be the most powerful, most decisive voting bloc in this year’s presidential elections,” Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens, said.  “We need to get involved in politics, big time, in the coming months and do what we did in 2010 when we turned Congress and the administration’s socialist agenda upside down.”

Senior voters are credited, to a large extent, with changing the makeup of the Congress two years ago.  Although the over-50 generation accounts for between 11% and 14% of the population, in 2010 they accounted for more than 25% of all Americans who voted.

“It was a beginning and now we must follow through.  The importance of the 2012 Presidential Elections cannot be overstated.  Our very lives depend on the outcome.  Think about it.  The future of Social Security and Medicare depend on how serious we take the campaigns of the various politicians vying for office—especially those seeking the presidency.  Think about the rapidly rising costs of gasoline, heating oil, food and the other necessities of life,” Weber admonished.

The AMAC chief said that participating in the primaries process underway now is not too soon to start.  He exhorted seniors to make an effort to understand the platforms of each candidate, to learn as much as they can about their backgrounds, their integrity and their dependability.  

“Most important, seek out any hidden agendas they may have.  Voters cast their ballots blindly for Barack Obama in 2008, not fully understanding that some of his policies were contrary to basic American values, healthcare being one of them,” Weber noted.

He said voters must find the national and local candidates “who say what they mean and mean what they say” and support those individuals as best you can.  “Contribute to their campaigns, if you can.  Volunteer to work for them.  Get your friends and families interested and involved.  And then, vote.”

Weber cited comments made by Jim Firman, president and CEO of the National Council on Aging, and urged AMAC members and the rest of the nation’s 40 million Baby Boomers to heed Firman’s words: "America's seniors have never been a group to stay silent.  Collectively, they can help raise the voices of millions of older adults and fight for much-needed services and supports for our most vulnerable population."

NOTE TO EDITORS: Dan Weber is available for telephone interviews on this issue and other topics important to older Americans.  Please contact John Grimaldi at jpgrimaldi@verizon.net to set up a chat.

ABOUT AMAC
The Association of Mature American Citizens [http://www.amac.us] is a vibrant, vital and conservative alternative to those traditional organizations, such as AARP, that dominate the choices for mature Americans who want a say in the future of the nation.  Where those other organizations may boast of their power to set the agendas for their memberships, AMAC takes its marching orders from its members.  We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests, and offering a conservative insight on how to best solve the problems they face today.