The elderly edge in political activism (Op Ed, Analysis)

Those over age 65 will turn out in far higher percentages in November than those under 30. They will also have a far greater presence among campaign donors and, in many places, among volunteers. Given that the population over age 65 is an exceptionally large age cohort, retirement-age voters will be more highly influential on the election result than the young will be.

Finally, and maybe most important, because of their more conservative tilt and their religiosity, they fit less easily into Senator Obama’s brand of secular liberal Democratic politics. After all, these were supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Democratic primaries.