ABSTRACT
Media accounts of the political power of seniors commonly portray them as dominating the policy-making process. The following quotes are typical of media descriptions of the power of senior interest groups: “There may be a more feared special interest organization in Washington than AARP. But no one has the same capacity to fill congressional mailbags or jam the switchboards as does this 33-million member big business” (Hall, 1995, p. 4); senior interest groups are “the 800-pound gorilla” of politics (Mufson, 1990, p. A1); “Championing the cause of the elderly is one of Washington’s growth industries” (Anderson & Van Atta, 1990, p. C19).
