Members of Grandparents for Obama shows the Illinois senator has support among older Americans too. They posed outside Monday's Senior Caucus at the Colorado Convention Center. (Photo courtesy Nancy Mitchell/Rocky Mountain News.)

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Two separate groups form to help elect Democratic candidate the next president

In the grand scheme of things, it appears that Barack Obama has both ends of the spectrum covered.

Not only does the Democratic candidate for president have an organized group of grandparents supporting him, but now there is a group of grandchildren looking to do the same.

Grandparents For Obama started six months ago with the grassroots efforts of a Washington State man. The group now has local chapters in nearly 40 states as it tries to rally grandparents to elect Obama.

And although the name says "Grandparents," the group is distinctly dedicated to grandchildren.

“Older citizens are concerned about security of their retirement, but are even more concerned about their children’s and grandchildren’s future," says Daniel Roy, the retired university administrator from Belfair, Wash., who started Grandparents For Obama. "They do not want to leave a legacy of endless war, bad economy and indebtedness, a failing educational system, lack of access to proper health care, and a deteriorating environment. They want new direction.”

Roy started the group in signature Obama style — by reaching out via the internet. He created Grandparentsforobama.org, and then watched as Bruce Little, a grandparent and travel agent from Camarillo, Calif., joined and re-designed the portal into its current slick, media-friendly destination.

Daniel Roy, founder of Grandparentsforobama.org and Michelle Obama's Mother

Little handles communication for the group. Grandparents For Obama has grown big enough that it now has a Steering Committee that conducts weekly teleconferences. The group attended both the Democratic National Convention in Denver in late August, and the AARP National Event and Expo in Washington, D.C., the first week of September.

"We're feeling like we're making a difference," Roy told Grandparents.com. "There's been a groundswell of support for Obama. We don't want to leave the world in a bad place for our grandchildren."

While Grandparents For Obama's mission is to make the world a better place for grandchildren, a group of grandchildren are trying to encourage grandparents to put that into action. Jewish Grandchildren for Obama was recently organized by Los Angeles-based writer Jessica Emerson-Fleming.

Like Grandparents For Obama, Jewish Grandchildren for Obama is a grassroots effort aimed at young Jews. On the site, Emerson-Fleming describes her mission as simple: "To arm you with the information and answers you need when faced with older Jewish friends and family members who are not planning to vote for Obama on the basis of Israel and 'Jewish' issues."

In a blog posting on the site, Emerson-Fleming wrote that according to USA Today, “Jewish voters could tip battleground states” in the November election (June 4, 2008). Moreover, current polls suggest that Obama commands about 60 percent of the Jewish vote, at least 15 points below the percentages recorded by recent Democratic presidential candidates. … The central focus of our plan is encouraging younger voters (like YOU!) to make weekly calls to their parents, grandparents, and other relatives to discuss the election — especially in battleground states with high Jewish populations."

Emerson-Fleming has also put the group on Facebook. Vist the site here.
 

To read about how baby boomers will play a role if Sen. McCain is elected, click here.

These days, the election's on everyone's mind — including ours! So from time to time, Grandparents.com reports on political issues that pertain to grandparents and grandchildren. We make every effort to keep this coverage 100 percent impartial — meaning, we are not affiliated with nor do we support a particular party, campaign, or organization. What we do support is every grandparent's right to know about the issues that affect them. We think it's great that so many grandparents are getting involved in the election, and, as always, we'll do our very best to keep you informed.

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