Seniors: An increasingly politically motivated demographic

The New York Times: A Silver Tinge To The Political Ring
It's hard to come by numbers to describe how many retirees are going into politics. But organizations on the left and the right say that this year's election may be an especially active one for people of retirement age. It is the first presidential contest since the advent of the Tea Party movement, which has been driven largely by voters age 65 and older. And factors like President Obama's health care overhaul, which survived a Supreme Court challenge this summer, and the vice-presidential candidacy of Mr. Ryan, a leading advocate of changes to programs like Medicare and Social Security, have sharpened the debate on issues especially important to people of retirement age, the fastest-growing age group in the United States (Zernike, 9/11).