Goodbye Boomers, Goodbye Election

My timing, which is usually very poor, seems to be right on the mark for a change. My editorial of 8/4/12, which warned Mitt Romney of the dangers of ignoring the baby boomers, was published just days before the Republican presidential candidate did just that. He chose Paul Ryan as his running mate, a man who wishes to privatize social security and turn medicare into a voucher system.

Romney has quite possibly done nothing less than cost himself the election. He was poised to win by capitalizing on the country's poor economy and high unemployment. Now he is likely to lose because he will alienate the boomers.

It is very hard to come up with a scenario whereby the Republicans take the White House without winning Florida. And, Romney cannot take Florida without winning over a large majority of the state's many seniors who will view Ryan's, and therefore Romney's, economic plans with distrust, if not outright fear.

Even if Ryan can help Romney take Wisconsin (a possibility that is doubtful at best; Wisconsin has not gone Republican in a presidential election since Ronald Regan) the gain of 10 Badger State electoral votes pales in comparison with the loss of the Sunshine State's 29.

In all fairness, Ryan's plans to downscale social security and medicare would not affect those boomers who have already seen their 58th birthday. What he is effectively trying to do is split the boomer vote in half, between those boomers born on or before 1954 with those born after that year.

The attempt is not likely to succeed. A 57 year old boomer is not any more likely to embrace Ryan's plans than is a 58 year old.

In essence, Romney's selection was a poor one. He may well have solidified his base by selecting a Tea Party favorite. But, in doing so, he ignored the concerns of the baby boomers and thereby put his presidential campaign in serious trouble.