Via Meadia Walter Russell Meade April 20, 2012 Millennials Turning Away from Obama One of the biggest political stories of 2008 was the rise of the Millennials as an electoral force. As “Obamamania” swept the nation, college students across the country abandoned their usual political apathy and volunteered for the Obama campaign in droves, canvassing, phone banking and harnessing the power of social media. This youth enthusiasm paid dividends for the Obama campaign, and was reflected in the vote totals: Obama beat McCain among 18-24 year-olds by a whopping 34 percent, winning 66 percent of the vote. That excitement is gone. A new _Public Religion Research poll_ (http://publicreligion.org/newsroom/2012/04/millennial-values-survey-2012/) shows that while Obama _still leads_ (http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/04/poll-obama-down-points-from-among-millennials-121113.html) in the 18 to 24 age group, his lead has fallen dramatically to 7 percent. And those who still support him are less enthusiastic; Politico recently discussed the _“tepid” support_ (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73835.html) for Obama on college campuses, where few students are still interested in issues like the Iraq War, which dominated the discussion in 2008. The army of student volunteers that propelled Obama in 2008 is unlikely to materialize this time around. The Obama camp may be alarmed by these results, but it shouldn’t be surprised. This is an Administration that has been focused on protecting the status quo. Here, as in Europe, the reigning blue system taxes and marginalizes the young to support the privileges of the established. As the economic downturn grinds on, issues like the Iraq War have been replaced with concerns about the economy. Obama’s policies have done little to help Millennials navigate the new economic conditions, and they are beginning to notice. Via Meadia would love to see genuine competition for the youth vote. America is failing the rising generation, and it would be good to see both Republicans and Democrats thinking hard about how to make this a more future-oriented, pro-opportunity country. Unfortunately, we’ve heard very little talk along these lines in this election so far. This is a shame. Today’s youth should be demanding more from their politicians. ------------------------------------------------- Selected Comments-- What do you think of the youth’s response to Ron Paul? ...I’m amazed that an Old Right libertarian can attract thousands of kids at public universities (including Berkeley!). Do you think that this is a passing phase, or an indication of a shift in politics going forward? --- It seems to me that the best scenario for young folks going forward is job growth, entitlement and tax reform and education reform (including affordable career training.) Sounds to me like the Republican platform. I think their attachment to Paul or Johnson is just a bit of youthful rebellion. Obama is no longer hip and Republicans are the epitome of stodgy. Libertarianism has the advantage of being consistent, which young folks with little experience tend to like, but it is just not well-suited to deal with the complications of this fallen world. Paul and Johnson sound sensible in some ways, but in many others they live in la-la-land. Oddly, Democrats now seem to be the party of conservatism in the sense that they cling to the rapidly sinking blue model of government and fight innovation and reform. Some states are catching on, however. As Instapundit would say, “Faster please!” As usual, though, there is no hope for California under the leadership of Governor Moonbeam. --- Remember, these are not the SAME students as four years ago. Those who arrived in autumn ’08 will graduate in a few weeks. Graduate with a useless degrees and more debt than your average small business,but they’ll be gone. This crop of students has seen little besides the anachronistic propaganda of their professors and a deepening sense that the nation and the economy will have nothing to offer them when they leave. Of course they’re de-motivated. --- The 18-35 demo don’t [ doesn't ] vote. When they do vote, they vote Democratic. Why should either party pay any attention to them, singly or collectively? They suffer from the same poor political reasoning that plagues blacks as a voting bloc, and is begin[n]ing to befuddle Latinos as well. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
