Rich Old White Men -- Still the Problem

The latest New York Times-CBS News poll identifies the demographic group with the highest level of support for John McCain: rich old white men. Coincidentally, they are also the people who control Wall Street, Congress, and the White House.

The poll defined "old" as "45 or older." Many will take issue with that definition, but those old white men supported McCain over Obama 48-42 per cent. White men under 45, in contrast, supported Obama, 50-43. And white women supported Obama, 45-42, whatever their age.

The poll also shows that rich white people are even more likely to support McCain - no surprise. Here the poll defined "rich" as earning $50,000 or more. Most will take issue with that definition, but those rich white people supported McCain 49-42. (The poll did not provide separate figures for women and men among rich old white people- probably their sample was not big enough.)

White Protestants are even more likely to support McCain, according to the poll: they split 55-34 for McCain. White Catholics in contrast supported Obama, 53-46.

Extrapolating from these figures, we can conclude that rich old white Protestant men are the base of McCain's support -- and thus the number one problem in American politics today.

The poll did contain some signs of progress, even for old white men: fewer of them support McCain than supported George W. Bush four years ago. 62 per cent of old white men voted for Bush in 2004, according to the poll, while only 48 percent plan to vote for McCain this year - a switch of 14 per cent of old white men from the "problem" category to the "part of the solution" group.

The shift away from the Republicans among old white men was dwarfed by the figure for young white men. Their support for the Republican candidate fell from 62 percent in 2004 to 43 per cent today--a whopping 19 percent switch away from the "problem" category. Young white men today prefer Obama, 50-43.

Another recent poll shows Obama winning more white voters than any Democrat in three decades. The Gallup Poll shows 44 percent of non-Hispanic white voters supporting Obama. Politico's David Paul Kuhn calls that "the highest number for a Democrat since 47 percent of whites backed Jimmy Carter in 1976." It's more than Bill Clinton got in 1996, when he won the support of 43 per cent of whites and 38 per cent of white men. The peak support for a Democrat among white voters was for Lyndon Johnson in 1964, who won more than 50 per cent.

The New York Times-CBS News poll was released October 24 and showed that the split among all registered voters was 52 per cent for Obama, 37 for McCain.

Comments

[sandrarita]

I'm not to impressed with a poll that considers an income over $50,000 a year as rich. In today's dollars, I think $50,000 is almost considered the low end of the middle class, at least in California where I live.

[lvdragonlady]

First off, whoever "they" are they need to redefine their age groups.
Old = over 70
And for anyone who studies history 'old white men' have ALWAYS been the problem............

[Rgo]

While I am 60 and voting for Obama, some of the most inane emails are coming to me from members of an investment club. They certainly think all white males over 45 are voting for McCain.
However, of late I have noticed only one member keeps circulating the garbage he gets from somewhere on the internet.

[bosse]

Yes in one of myy calls to CO I ended up talking to a very rich( older!) I am 68 man. He was so sure McCain was the man, even tho he couldnt explain why or how, burt he was sure the Democrats will ruin the economy, give away money to the non workers etc. He said he sees a man, that collects welfare and nevr worked. I told him as a good citizen he should report this to the authorities or give him a job.

[TrooAmerican]

Any of you folks White or Black, that dont quite realize the extent of the pain that blacks in America have lived with, experienced themselves, or experienced life after segregation, you should try to empathize with the woman described in the Below Passage from OffTheBus NorthCarolina Early voting.....

"Most people seem happy, and African-Americans seem downright giddy," she said. "One woman told me she'd gone to her family's ancestral home, collected soil from the ground where her grandparents had walked, and rubbed a little bit of it on her ballot. She wanted them to share in this experience with her."

If that doesnt exemplify the absolute weeping thats gone on for men and women of color in the united states over this historic moment for them, then there is no other.

For white people its been a Win Loss record of what 43 to 0 Old white men to some other gender/race. Its time to change things up.

[lvdragonlady]

All you say is 'oh so true'.....

TIME FOR CHANGE
VOTE EARLY

LET'S MAKE HISTORY

[TrooAmerican]

This is a very true Conclusion.

My uncle is 78, a lifelong union democrat and is refusing to vote because of "that one" being not white.

People seem to fail to realize that Segregation just ended a little while ago.
40 yrs ago is a tiny amount of time for an entire nation to move on from calling all of one race (blacks) names just because of their color vs, how they act. Or like in the case of my uncle and my mother (69yrs) they see a black person act low class, and they call all blacks low class and hang onto that for years. They see a white person act low class and they just say "that person is low class" and forget about it the next day.

Racism wont go away in this country completely ever. Theres racism on all sides of every race.
however, White racism and self superiority, and fear of losing power to "non whites" wont be lessened enough for decades until people who are in their 50s and up are gone.
That would be near the last of the generation that grew up when it was OK for whites to make blacks use separate water fountains, separate bathrooms, segregated buses, restaurants, schools, and public places.

[lvdragonlady]

I am over 50, white, female and resent the age limits you have mentioned.
I have never ever been racist, but have been on the receiving end of some of the hatred because of my friends...........
I think a fairer age would be 65, but not 50.

Note - the 50 crowd were part of the hippies............... :-)

[TrooAmerican]

you can resent the age range of being in your 50s all you want. it doesnt take away from the FACT that if you are in your 50s, you were a child being raised during the end of the period in this country where it was OK to segregate and Open racism in public was the norm in many parts of this country, even in the north.
I dont know what it is you want from facts.
I didnt say all people in any range are racist, just thats the range where that was still prevalent, and its true.
And its only slowly gone away in public and in law enforcement since.

[twisted-european]

I don't get it - the same people pretending to be of Christian faith deny the rest of the population a compassionate, caring government. Twisted GOP logic, if you ask me ...

[phoenix1234]

Why do some white folks chose to become so offended when people speak the truth about what some OTHER white folks have done/are doing. If you are not a wealthy man with power, then obviously this article is not talking about you. If you are 45 years old or older, you know you are too old to become a police officer or fireman etc.. Notice that the insurance "for ole folks" on t.v. include your age group. so why do you chose to become offended? If you are not a racist or sexist, just acknowledge that these things are really happening and move on, to do otherwise is nothing more then trying to justify the disgusting actions of others. Stop muddying the waters. become a part of the solution!

[thebigbike]

Im guessing this was a response to my post ....--( and I dont think I said I was offended) . for the purposes of message targeting etc it makes sense to distiguish over 45 white men with an income over 50,000 a year.. but we had better get past being insulted when some one else is insulted by the tone of voice and the choice of language we use tyowards them. if it makes them feel denigrated we better figure out a way to get across out message so that it WILL BE HEARD. other wise we are just gonna be in the same republican echo chamber. A declaration that someone or some class of persons is "racist" or sexist or "money-ist" might well make them feel insltued yeah its a quick way to distinguish "us" from "them , but it's just not doing very much to bring us together. seems to me like that's a problem we need to be working on . You won't gain your freedom from the master using the master's tools

[thebigbike]

If
they (rich white men)
are the "problem" and I find myself included in that category ( 61 retired with adequate income from investments, military veteran, worked in agri-biz most of my career starting off as a ranch hand....of southern white backgorund living in the reddest part of a blue state..... also, gay married - to my partner of 30 years and an atheist) ... then we better be finding some ways to make sure they feel respected included and empowered ("buy-in"- as they say on THAT side of the divide) in the process we are all going to have to be a part of rebuilding this country..... the Obama campaign of itself has been exemplary in doing its best NOT to play on the politics of division, but a lot of my fellow democrats of a more urban and "contemporary" background feel justified in marginalizing right back, at the people who marginalized them/us. Understandable but will it work?

[jonwiener]

If you are a gay 61-year-old ranch hand in a red state, married to your partner, you are NOT part of the problem -- you are part of the solution!

[amessenger]

And why is it that we should be concerned with McCain's over 45 White Base. Aren't their numbers insignificant by comparison? Yes, I believe so, but that is only if you believe so after hanging-chads and the Supreme court Election of 2000; after the Diebold Black e-box voting machines that can be infected with intentional vote dropping script in 33 states; after the voter suppression denying people their right to vote in Ohio 2004 and the non-counting of provisional ballots; after the Gov. Chris economic measures to cut costs in Florida right now by shrinking voting stations, days and hours of availability to where people have to stand in the heat for 5 hours, after the RNC approaching the White House to disallow (as if that ----- has the power to do so) in New Mexico saying that SSAN and Driver's Licenses don't match data bases, therefore votes must be cast provisionally and not counted until they meet each and every minuscule criteria. These are the prevaricating, puritanical, feau patriot over 45 white men that we need be concerned about. They will stop at nothing.

[UdvarHazy]

OK--so I'm a white, Protestant, 83-year-old, registered Republican.

I've already voted, by absentee ballot.

I voted, proudly, I might add, for Barack Obama!

Any questions?

[bosse]

Thank you sir! You are a true patriot who voted according to the facts you know and not the color of the candidate etc. I wish many more use their ballotts, all of them.. and take part in this vital election, as AMERICANS! Many rep and Dem congressmen change parties, according to their cahnces of wining in the next election. I think a smart person a well informed person would vote his/her conscience for the good of the country. All religions and all decent pople expect one to treat oue neighbor as well as we expect to be treated. This is oneplanet we are living in one big family. Let us make it better, let us not find fault, but find the good in each other. Let us help the brothers that are struggling, here and abroad , and not kill some one far away from our shores

[Downwithdumbness]

No wonder Palin was such a seductive (and sexist) pick for the VP slot. She's an old white guy fantasy. A young white guy fantasy too, but the aging white viagra guys needs more confirmation of their declining virility. Kathleen Parker got it mostly right here on the Palin pick. (BTW, to the victimized hyper sensitive white guys posting here today, sexism means treating men and women differently. The mindless Palin would never have been picked if she was a man. That is a FACT that no one can dispute).

[NABNYC]

I was just thinking about this the other day. There is a very small group of privileged white men who have more than their fair share of everything. And many of them have had more than their fair share their entire lives. Yet they continue grabbing more for reasons that are hard to understand. I know someone who comes from a privileged background, has more than he'll ever spend, yet he's constantly whining about wanting more. I think they need the $800 shoes to make themselves feel good, because that's the only thing they ever learned at daddy's knee -- get more than the other guy.

I just counted the number of women on our local court: 15%. Less than it was 5 years ago. The rest are all white men, and they do everything in their power to continue excluding women and minorities. Women and minorities represent 70% of the population? Yet these privileged white men never had to compete against others. They got their privileges not because of hard work or brains, but because they live in an apartheid system in which the majority were denied even the opportunity to compete for the job. These men look out for themselves and they are horrified to see their power being taken away. If not today, then soon. Not soon enough for me.

[sammdphd]

Ironically, poor uneducated white people are also for McCain

[propitiousmoment]

Because they buy the rich-white propaganda that it is in their interests to de-regulate and cut taxes for the rich. People who wake up and realize that they are merely perpetuating the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of those who already have it, soon leave their ranks. Formal education is not strictly necessary for this to occur, but it helps.

[TrooAmerican]

they are also the groups that for some reason all their poor lives, have been told that somehow if they give all their money away to the rich people (their gods) that it will trickle back down to them ...at some point.
Coincidentally, its also their religion to hand over everything they've got to televangelists because they also tell them the same things.

odd.

[bosse]

That is true and amazing. I hear people on TV being afarid of Obamas" so called" money re distribution fear" which is being repeated on and on. Many who complain seems to have no more than 75 or 100, 000. and talk as if they are millionaires!! and worry about his tax plans, which is going to help all, in truth; are helping the poor folks that like to be called middle class( a mortgage of 80% and car loans, credit card debts etc< income of 50K!) Folks you havenothing to worry. Keep thinking you are middle class!

[carolclaire]

Jon is absolutely correct. But don't worry a solution is coming.

2010 is the year estates can be inherited tax free. In 2011 the estate exemption reverts to
the old level from before the Bush tax cuts.

So..., in 2010 many "rich, old white guys" may "succomb to the passage of time". There estates
will pass tax-free to their heirs, who will be young and rich, and therefore Obama supporters.
With those stubborn, rich, old white guys gone to their reward, Obama should be easily reelected.

A word of advice to rich, old white guys for Obama--in 2010, hire a taster!

[propitiousmoment]

Sheesh, all you have to do is put it into a trust.