Daily Gut: Thank You, Old People

So right now the public option part of Obama’s health care reform bill is in free fall, and many are blaming Republican opposition. Which, of course, is giving the Republicans way too much credit. Fact is, the people you have to thank for this surprising turn of events are old people.

Thank you, old people.

It reminds me of my Macbook. See, mine’s been having problems for the last six months and I keep planning to take it in, but I never do. Instead of walking a few blocks to the Apple Store on a sunny Saturday, I waste the day watching Top Chef marathons in my underwear.

Now, compare that to my mom. I got her a Macbook for her birthday last year – but somehow within a few weeks of owning it, she touched a button, causing everything on her desktop to disappear. Only old people can seem to find that hidden button.

Anyway, she hopped in her car and drove her 84 year-old butt to the store. Although it was just five miles away, it took her an hour to get to the place–but the point is: she got there. And that illustrates a key lesson we’ve learned in this health care debate.

Old people may be slow, but they always show.

Pre-election, the media became so obsessed with the youth vote, that we overlooked the sheer determination of the elderly. And it left the pols caught like deer in a mobilized scooter’s headlights. How ironic is it that the folks most easily called to action are those with the poorest of hearing.

The fact is, young people talk a big game, but they often don’t show up to play. I can’t remember how many times I’ve signed up for a Sunday charity fun run, only to miss it because the night before I fell asleep in a hedge. But hey, it’s the thought that counts.

See, with the exception of those in the military, the young can’t prioritize for crap. Old folks, however, always show up for the things that matter: church, world wars, dinner (sometimes early). Meanwhile all those youngsters enamored by hope and change didn’t think beyond the bumper sticker – for it’s just too boring to question whether the government might turn your hospital into a post office with bed pans.

So, all in all – if it wasn’t for the elderly, the one thousand page-plus bill would have passed without anyone reading it. And that makes old people cool. They read it, so the rest of us didn’t have to. Thank them, and remember that one day you’re going to end up just like them – if you’re lucky.

TONIGHT: Courtney Friel, Mary Walter, Joe DeVito and the legendary Neil Hamburger! Plus Ab News!