FDR's Grandson Says Happy Birthday to Social Security by Knocking McCain

Posted by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake at 4:58 PM on August 14, 2008.

The AFL/CIO has a new flyer hammering John McCain on his wealth and his contempt for Social Security.

It's going out to seniors in battleground states and is part of a critical effort because as the WaPo notes, Obama has a voter age gap that could be troublesome in places like Pennsylvania. He may have the hearts of all voters ages 18-29 (63% nationwide), but with 33% of white voters over the age of 65 he's lagging behind Kerry 2004 (44%) and Gore 2000 (46%):

With polls showing Obama dominating among those under 40 and running even among middle-aged voters, Republican John McCain's lead among those 65 and older is the main reason he remains close overall. His margin is largest among older white voters without a college education, accounting for much of Obama's problem with the white working class.

As Digby notes, McCain's negative ads are pointed directly at this demographic.

It's also the 73rd birthday of Social Security, which makes it only slightly older than John McCain. The DNC has released a video of Roosevelt's grandson talking about how important and successful the program has been.

Tagged as: obama, john mccain, social security, fdr, kerry gore

Jane Hamsher is the founder of FireDogLake. Her work has also appeared on the Huffington Post, Alternet and The American Prospect.