At the end of the day, one of the most politically active voters in the country, seniors, will know who stood with them and who didn't.
Through developing trusting and respectful relationships with the boys in our lives, we can help boys to value and acknowledge their relational capabilities, which they may otherwise learn to discount or overlook. We can also offer and model for them definitions of maturity, masculinity, health and success that will enable them to remain grounded in their self-knowledge (e.g. as they encounter societal pressures to conform to group and cultural norms), and to form relationships that will sustain rather than constrain them.
Democrats are fighting fire with fire. Our principled stance on Medicare and Social Security is absolutely no different than the Republicans' stance on no revenue increases without cuts.
Boys' connections—to other people and to their selves—can enable them to think and act of their own volition and to resist overly restrictive norms and expectation when they are faced with pressures to conform.