During the infamous August 2009 town hall meeting in Winterset, Iowa, Senator Chuck Grassley framed the political culture of fear that has grown up around our senior citizens, saying, “there's some people that think it's a terrible problem that grandma's laying in the hospital bed with tubes in her and think that there ought to be some government policy that enters into that… I think that that's a family and a religious and/or ethical thing that needs to be dealt with. And there's some fear because in the house bill there's counseling for end of life. And from that standpoint, you have every right to fear…we should not have a government program that determines you're going to pull the plug on grandma.”

One could argue that this answer to a question about undocumented immigrants is at the core of the Republican tactic of fear mongering. The questioner asked Senator Grassley, “Why is it fair for an illegal immigrant to be eligible for health care over an older American who has paid taxes all their life.” It is hard to see the connection between “end of life counseling” and the fairness of undocumented immigrants receiving health care. Senator Grassley ignored the question and turned the discussion to stoke the fears of Iowans. This reflects the tendency to treat seniors as helpless victims in a society where government seeks control over their lives. If a person talks to octogenarians, there is a different view of how things work.

In half a dozen discussions about the midterm elections with Eastern Iowa octogenarians this week, the fear expressed was that their peers could not see that there is something wrong with Senator Grassley. If they supported him previously during his long career as an elected official, they believe it is time for him to retire because he is “off,” a peculiar usage that reflects there is something wrong, without defining exactly what it was. That Roxanne Conlin was challenging the incumbent was welcome. Talk to octogenarians and it is clear that they are far from the helpless victims the senior senator's language in Winterset made them out to be.

In surviving each day, seniors next challenge is combating isolation. In some communities, they venture out, hip surgery, canes, walkers and all, and experience life. They read newspapers and watch television. During one interview, the phone rang four times and three of the calls were from people my friend did not know. They are the targets of marketing schemes and scams, and politicians seek their votes. Like all of us, they adapt to the conditions in society as best they can, with concerns about family, security, health care, government and isolation. Because so much of their time is spent stationary and alone, the world comes to them.

A recurring concern was that friends they had known for a lifetime had become racist, using the “n” word to describe President Obama and succumbing to the fear mongering of talk radio, FOX News and political advertisements. They were worried about others, but not about themselves, for they felt able to resist falsehoods to seek the truth. While the sample of people was small, one suspects this is more true than not among this cohort.

My advice to readers is to talk to a senior you know. What you may find is that they are engaged in society and would welcome a discussion about politics, or anything. Many remember the time before the United States became a society of consumers and that perspective would serve us well in the post-Reagan era.

Most importantly, make sure the seniors you know are informed about what is at stake in this election and vote. Make sure you tell them about Roxanne Conlin, even though they probably already know.