I think it takes working and paying taxes, while others in your same extended family work the system and use your hard earned money for life, instead of working.
Writing for Politico, Sean McElwee said millennials “are racially apathetic” and “simply ignore structural racism rather than try to fix it.”
EXACTLY. Racism exists all over the planet; it always has and it always will. Trying to 'fix' racism doesn't achieve any goals and sometimes it can worsen a situation. The best way to minimize racism is to ignore it. Affirmative action and anti-discrimination movements only drive racist feelings and behaviors underground, and in turn makes them more sinister and dangerous. I think the term 'you can't fix stupid' applies here. That said, you can certainly ignore stupid, allow stupid to interact with more stupid, and move on to bigger and better things. The younger generations in this country understand this better than ever before because they've watched the failed efforts of their elders. Racism is alive and well and going nowhere. Read the YouTube comments lately?!
EXACTLY. Racism exists all over the planet; it always has and it always will. Trying to 'fix' racism doesn't achieve any goals and sometimes it can worsen a situation. The best way to minimize racism is to ignore it. Affirmative action and anti-discrimination movements only drive racist feelings and behaviors underground, and in turn makes them more sinister and dangerous. I think the term 'you can't fix stupid' applies here. That said, you can certainly ignore stupid, allow stupid to interact with more stupid, and move on to bigger and better things. The younger generations in this country understand this better than ever before because they've watched the failed efforts of their elders. Racism is alive and well and going nowhere. Read the YouTube comments lately?!
2
The college aged voters are going for Bernie in a big way. Female twenty somethings who are familiar with Clintons' past, are rejecting her. I think a lot of college voters will stay home if Clinton is the Dem. candidate, and not vote.
2
Maybe one reason support for Trump reduces as people get younger is that youth still remember when their parents wouldn't have let them get away with saying something like "He started it!" or calling someone "dopey". Trump's support seems to peak among those old enough that they have forgotten that they wouldn't have let their children behave the way he does.
1
Do you have any stats on how dedicated millennials are to any specific political party? I believe that millennials are more likely to vote for a candidate they believe in - not because of political party. I don't have anything to back up this assumption though. If my assumption is correct, what is happening now isn't a bad omen for the GOP. It is a bad omen for any political party and could possibly push America towards a no party system.
1
If George Washington were here, he'd earnestly explain why political parties are bad for a republic. Just sayin'.
2
The problem isn't Trump. It is the people who vote for him. Address those people with the sensible facts and believable solutions to our country's ailing problems, and... well, you may not like what you hear. Because it will likely be stern and caustic replies that reject the cogent and logical arguments and instead follow the venting of anger and frustration.
Our long running anemic funding of education in this country has finally caught up to us. It's not pretty. In fact, it's downright scary and woefully shameful.
Our long running anemic funding of education in this country has finally caught up to us. It's not pretty. In fact, it's downright scary and woefully shameful.
3
It mostly doesn't matter if young people reject Trump. They are the least experienced and the least likely to vote--and once the "Pied Piper of Free Stuff"--Bernie Sanders is knocked out of the race by Hillary, that vote will stay home--as it should.
Unfortunately, for the American political process, our young are a product of a failed education system--a system which substantially lags behind every other advanced nation--yet does its best to brainwash students to view Socialism favorably. Luckily, for those of us who would be called on to pay for all this idealistic, misguided nonsense, the youth vote is rather meteor-like, burning intensely, for only a short period.
While college students may find it exciting to fire up a bong and then attend a Sanders rally--don't expect it to translate to big numbers at the polling booth--unless Sanders adopts a "free marijuana" platform. On further consideration, perhaps we can expect that anytime now.
Unfortunately, for the American political process, our young are a product of a failed education system--a system which substantially lags behind every other advanced nation--yet does its best to brainwash students to view Socialism favorably. Luckily, for those of us who would be called on to pay for all this idealistic, misguided nonsense, the youth vote is rather meteor-like, burning intensely, for only a short period.
While college students may find it exciting to fire up a bong and then attend a Sanders rally--don't expect it to translate to big numbers at the polling booth--unless Sanders adopts a "free marijuana" platform. On further consideration, perhaps we can expect that anytime now.
2
While most college students today are 18-25 years old, scientists tell us that in two or three decades most of them will be middle-aged & will start voting, if they haven't done so already. And the worldview they grow up under shapes their politics for decades afterwards. A lot of those kids who grew up under Reagan are still voting GOP today. (Go figure). Kids today grew up under the first black president and a GOP willing to destroy the nation's credit rating and repeatedly pull the emergency brake on the Federal government in order to somehow make him not be president. Plus they seem to hate immigrants, and their Supreme Court gutted the '64 Civil Rights Act enforcement mechanisms, and hundreds of thousands of people in, e.g., North Carolina discovered recently they're not allowed to vote without an ID the state won't give them....
These kids, they may be colorblind, but they're not stupid. Not in denial about race or sex or gender; we're the ones still in denial. Try asking one. For all these reasons and others--climate deterioration, the 1%, the college-loan racket--oh, and Drumpf--most are primed to be left-wing voters for the rest of their lives, because it turns out the GOP burned their own party down when they tried to govern by playing with matches. Oops.
Speaking for all aging Democrats, I just want to say, sarcastically, thanks. Hope the nation & planet last long enough for them to unscrew some of the stuff we screwed up.
These kids, they may be colorblind, but they're not stupid. Not in denial about race or sex or gender; we're the ones still in denial. Try asking one. For all these reasons and others--climate deterioration, the 1%, the college-loan racket--oh, and Drumpf--most are primed to be left-wing voters for the rest of their lives, because it turns out the GOP burned their own party down when they tried to govern by playing with matches. Oops.
Speaking for all aging Democrats, I just want to say, sarcastically, thanks. Hope the nation & planet last long enough for them to unscrew some of the stuff we screwed up.
4
@ Sloper......Scientists, huh? Really?
I was one of those left-wing college kids once--when I was at the University of Vermont--and Bernie Sanders was the Mayor of Burlington. I probably would have even voted for him back then--had I been a resident of the city.
But then..I grew up, got a job, started paying taxes--and quickly got sick of being seeing 40+ percent of my paycheck confiscated to pay for all of those lovely "free things" Sanders has always promised.
I'm older--and I know better now. What happened to you? Why did the wisdom of adulthood never visit your frontal lobes?
I was one of those left-wing college kids once--when I was at the University of Vermont--and Bernie Sanders was the Mayor of Burlington. I probably would have even voted for him back then--had I been a resident of the city.
But then..I grew up, got a job, started paying taxes--and quickly got sick of being seeing 40+ percent of my paycheck confiscated to pay for all of those lovely "free things" Sanders has always promised.
I'm older--and I know better now. What happened to you? Why did the wisdom of adulthood never visit your frontal lobes?
1
You do realize, Jesse, that most of that 40% is actually going to the defense budget? I'm still waiting for someone to ask Trump how much more he thinks he needs to give the Pentagon to drag our military from the abyss he thinks it's in, given that we already spend way more than anyone else on it.
1
Young people get their fill of war through video games which if nothing else point out the futility of armed conflict when it comes to solving social problems.
The killing and maiming of war and terrorism is anathema to them and may above all be the reason why Trump who is at best equivocal enjoys any and Sanders who judging by his latest comment regarding foreign entanglement has a clear popular majority among youthful voters.
Even given the madmen and the few women who have joined them in their terroristic activities, the world is fortunately changing from the old guard highly destructive militaristic approach to the only reasonable course of action which demands peace as both the beginning and end point of problem solving.
What is surprising to me is that Mrs Clinton apparently cannot divorce herself from policies which are clearly becoming outdated with every day that passes.
The world belongs to the young among us who understand their future is being stolen and unless real 'hope and change' ushered in by our sitting President is carried through they will be for all intent and purpose enslaved by debt that they did not incur.
The sooner our nation accepts this inevitable change the better it will be for all of us and the world in which we all live.
The killing must stop and peace will become the norm.
The killing and maiming of war and terrorism is anathema to them and may above all be the reason why Trump who is at best equivocal enjoys any and Sanders who judging by his latest comment regarding foreign entanglement has a clear popular majority among youthful voters.
Even given the madmen and the few women who have joined them in their terroristic activities, the world is fortunately changing from the old guard highly destructive militaristic approach to the only reasonable course of action which demands peace as both the beginning and end point of problem solving.
What is surprising to me is that Mrs Clinton apparently cannot divorce herself from policies which are clearly becoming outdated with every day that passes.
The world belongs to the young among us who understand their future is being stolen and unless real 'hope and change' ushered in by our sitting President is carried through they will be for all intent and purpose enslaved by debt that they did not incur.
The sooner our nation accepts this inevitable change the better it will be for all of us and the world in which we all live.
The killing must stop and peace will become the norm.
3
Young voters don't have a good trak record for actually voting. I'm counting on them to come to the polls in large numbers and vote, no matter who the Democrats nominate. The idea of a President Trump or a President Cruz is terrifying.
5
The track record of voting is a lot better in Presidential elections than in local or congressional elections. Similarly if you look at the extremely high turnout in the Irish marriage equality referendum and the Scottish independence referendum (and extremely high youth participation in both), it shows that low youth turnout is more to do with a sense of powerlessness than apathy. Young people are passionate about issues, but Washington politics-as-usual just seems not to matter. As far as I'm concerned, Congress has become a completely irrelevant waste of space and besides, your vote doesn't matter because of gerrymandering, so why bother? A lot of young voters feel the same.
The more a young person thinks their vote matters, and the more directly they can see the impact of their vote, the more likely they are to use it. I think the threat posed by the extremely right wing (and now with the Republicans making an extremely wrong political calculation by obstructing the Supreme Court nomination) means that youth turnout will be higher than people are predicting. Trump may inspire a lot of awful things, but apathy is not one of them.
The more a young person thinks their vote matters, and the more directly they can see the impact of their vote, the more likely they are to use it. I think the threat posed by the extremely right wing (and now with the Republicans making an extremely wrong political calculation by obstructing the Supreme Court nomination) means that youth turnout will be higher than people are predicting. Trump may inspire a lot of awful things, but apathy is not one of them.
My daughters have friends of all ethic origins and sexual preferences and they do support a colorblind society. Wasn't that the goal?
4
Maybe Millenials aren't so much "color blind" as rejecting identity politics. They may have decided that class is stronger signifier in capitalist society. Hence the appeal of Sanders' campaign.
5
The millennials who are drawn to Bernie for reasons only they can adequately explain have indicated in polling done by Rock The Vote/USA Today that 65% would not vote for HRC, 20% would not vote at all, and 9% would vote for trump. This cohort is not want Democrats want for the long term because they're fickle and will blow with the wind.
1
It's more a matter of them not wanting the new liberalism of the establishment Democrats.
3
I understand that millennials are actually turning to Cruz as their only chance for finding a job. It makes sense to me. Plus, he'n not as old as their grandparents.
Most millennials I know understand that the only way a government can create jobs is by increasing taxes, and they don't want that. They're not as naive as you think.
As a supporter of HRC, the real question is whether "young people" will actually support and VOTE for anyone other than Bernie Sanders.
Right now most young Sanders supporters are acting like stowaways on a kamikaze plane, i.e., stating they'd rather a Republican be elected President or, at a minimum, go fishing on election day before supporting Clinton when she wins the nomination. Unfortunately, these are the one's that, obviously, didn't take enough high school or undergraduate math courses and still actually believe that Sanders can overtake HRC when delegates are being awarded by the individual states on a proportional basis.
Hopefully, this demographic will be pragmatic enough to vote for someone that can actually be elected and govern rather than sit out an election and be guaranteed eight (8) years of political purgatory.
My bet is they won’t.
Right now most young Sanders supporters are acting like stowaways on a kamikaze plane, i.e., stating they'd rather a Republican be elected President or, at a minimum, go fishing on election day before supporting Clinton when she wins the nomination. Unfortunately, these are the one's that, obviously, didn't take enough high school or undergraduate math courses and still actually believe that Sanders can overtake HRC when delegates are being awarded by the individual states on a proportional basis.
Hopefully, this demographic will be pragmatic enough to vote for someone that can actually be elected and govern rather than sit out an election and be guaranteed eight (8) years of political purgatory.
My bet is they won’t.
3
This is a comment for Upshot and not necessarily for posting here. Today's political analysis (no comments permitted) suggested that Bernie Sanders's 1M spending in Washington accounted for his 73% victory there. This stat was in isolation, however; no mention of Clinton's expenditures in any state was made. Could Upshot please do a nice state-by-state chart of dollars spent by the various candidates and votes received? In particular, I'd like to see the two variables joined--dollars spent per vote received by each candidate, state by state. Thanks!
9
Bloomberg's spending per vote to win the NYC mayoral office may last for years as some dismal sort of record.
The differences in the voters is not so much young vs old, it is those who are facing a rough future vs those who have enjoyed a good life. While young people are very passionately for Bernie (as they were for Obama), Bernie also has a strong following in middle-aged white, working-class men who feel they have been shafted by the trade policies of the last 30 years. They are the ones who would vote Trump if Hillary became the nominee.
The really sad thing in this discussion so far is Bernie is promising necessary things which other countries have accomplished and cherish as part of their social compact. Hillary is promising to do whatever it takes to get your vote and there is no telling what her real agenda is. Donald Trump is playing a populist, with mostly Liberal social agenda and a lot of hot air on the issues. Yet even educated voters, such as NYT readers are convinced Bernie's plans are not feasible. Hillary's shifting promises are somehow achievable, that she can make a Republican Congress pass her agenda (Benghazi, anyone? Whitewater? Hello?) and of course Trump.
Henry Ford said, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." People are choosing to believe America cannot do a thing, and will prove themselves right. Despite Obama and his excellent job, they will believe the lady who said he was naive and the man who said he was ineligible. I hope I am wrong. But it does not look that way so far.
The really sad thing in this discussion so far is Bernie is promising necessary things which other countries have accomplished and cherish as part of their social compact. Hillary is promising to do whatever it takes to get your vote and there is no telling what her real agenda is. Donald Trump is playing a populist, with mostly Liberal social agenda and a lot of hot air on the issues. Yet even educated voters, such as NYT readers are convinced Bernie's plans are not feasible. Hillary's shifting promises are somehow achievable, that she can make a Republican Congress pass her agenda (Benghazi, anyone? Whitewater? Hello?) and of course Trump.
Henry Ford said, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." People are choosing to believe America cannot do a thing, and will prove themselves right. Despite Obama and his excellent job, they will believe the lady who said he was naive and the man who said he was ineligible. I hope I am wrong. But it does not look that way so far.
7
Does it mean nothing to you that Sen. Sanders's proposals are totally unfeasible given our gerrymandered Congress, and that the majority of economic scholars believe that his extremism on economic policy would be harmful to the country? And how about the fact that he seems relatively unfamiliar with foreign policy and does not have the temperment to seriously negotiate with foreign leaders possessing vague and complex agendas?
Also, you condescendingly write in regards to Sec. Clinton, "Benghazi anyone, hello?" Are you complaining that she didn't fight hard enough for the money the American Embassy in Libya asked for that Congress wouldn't grant them? I honestly don't know what you are ascribing blame to her for, other than perhaps what I mentioned.
And Whitewater? Really?
Also, you condescendingly write in regards to Sec. Clinton, "Benghazi anyone, hello?" Are you complaining that she didn't fight hard enough for the money the American Embassy in Libya asked for that Congress wouldn't grant them? I honestly don't know what you are ascribing blame to her for, other than perhaps what I mentioned.
And Whitewater? Really?
4
I am writing this as a Christian and this is why I cannot vote for Donald Trump, it’s not that he is not Christian, but the fact that he says he is, when he isn’t, that’s a huge red flag for me! Also, Proverbs 16:6-7 says “A fool’s lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.” And Proverbs 19:1 “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.” I know we are not choosing a pastor for president, but the president of our nation should at least meet minimum requirements of ethics, decency and decorum. Seems that Trump would bring the country to such levels of strife that we are seeing the greatest civil war in history, because the 12+ millions of people he says he would deport are not going to be sitting around waiting for it. NOOO!!
5
I really like your bible quotes. I am not a Christian, rather an agnostic, but after posting this I shall go and read Proverbs.
The USA is my father-in-law land, where I spent an extremely important part of my life. My 3 children were born there and all 3 have dual citizenship.
One of the things I always was happy about in the US is the 1st amendment and the bill of rights and how this prohibits laws "respecting an establishment of religion". It seems that only the non-religious candidate fully respects this and is not about to lie and pretend.
The USA is my father-in-law land, where I spent an extremely important part of my life. My 3 children were born there and all 3 have dual citizenship.
One of the things I always was happy about in the US is the 1st amendment and the bill of rights and how this prohibits laws "respecting an establishment of religion". It seems that only the non-religious candidate fully respects this and is not about to lie and pretend.
3
Dear Laura. I completely agree with you. I am a retired Evangelical pastor who lived in Holland during the Nazi occupation from 1940-1945. I won't repeat here what I wrote on UTUBE about a week ago. Trump reminds me too much of Hitler. What is utterly sad to me is that Evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are in favor of Donald Trump. Have they lost their souls? Jesus called the King Herod in public a "FOX". In Matthew 23 he pronounced his seven-fold woe upon the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. No wonder they condemned him to death. Of course, he conquered death. I would like every Christian who thinks that they could vote for Trump, to read Philippians 2:1-11 about the Humiliation and Exaltation of Jesus
2
Voter turnout is the key.Young people would have to actually get out and vote.
They also have to prepare for voter suppression i.e check laws re residency(school address vs family home address),ID's.
They need to check the integrity of their local voting apparatus and staff.
All of this has to happen well before November.
They also have to prepare for voter suppression i.e check laws re residency(school address vs family home address),ID's.
They need to check the integrity of their local voting apparatus and staff.
All of this has to happen well before November.
7
"Respondents said they viewed socialism as a more compassionate political system than capitalism, by 58 percent to 33 percent. ...those under 30 were the only group that rated socialism as better than capitalism."
Well, here's where the last 8 years of GOP demonizing is plainly backfiring: They are far too young to have known (purported) socialism in the Eastern Bloc, and so what they know of socialism is two things: 1. Barack Obama was constantly called a socialist, and younger voters generally like and approve of Obama. 2. Bernie Sanders is speaking to their frustrations and worries, and has policy prescriptions that make sense.
Well, here's where the last 8 years of GOP demonizing is plainly backfiring: They are far too young to have known (purported) socialism in the Eastern Bloc, and so what they know of socialism is two things: 1. Barack Obama was constantly called a socialist, and younger voters generally like and approve of Obama. 2. Bernie Sanders is speaking to their frustrations and worries, and has policy prescriptions that make sense.
15
Excuse the terminology, but nutjobs like Trump and Cruz are just filling the Republican leadership vacuum that has developed over the last decade. People with an urge to lead tend to be those who are by nature creative. Real leaders want to innovate, to promote change for the better regardless of their ideology. But the further the GOP lurches to the right, the less "conservatism" resembles anything creative and the more it becomes a digging-in of the heels, an attempt to stop change. Why would a real leader step up under those conditions? This is a perfect recipe for the rise of an authoritarian like Trump or an obstructionist like Cruz. The GOP has no one to blame but themselves -- you can only be The Party of No for just so long before normal humans lose interest and want to move on.
20
I am confused by what I read, and my admitted ignorance of the true nature of the "average American voter", as well as Trumpophiles, precludes me from being any sort of expert. But taking the long view to November, the Republican Party on the national campaign level is a lost cause, and a lost cost, they don't even have unity in the Tea Party contingent any longer. A bunch of quibbling old biddies, completely out of touch with the dazzling prism of the new millennial culture, that will soon eat them alive and spit them out as fish food.
1
I would not be overly optimistic about the young. They indeed may be rejecting Trumpism, and so we may escape this perilous moment. But they may be rejecting Trumpism because he is, ultimately, a voice of the old, mouthing slogans the young hear from great-uncles.
In other words, before we applaud the young, we have to ask ourselves if we are so sure they would be as dismissive of Trump's brand of rabble rousing if the messenger wasn't so clearly such a tacky relic.
I am not ready to be so optimistic. We are dodging a bullet here, maybe, but that gun is always primed in the basics of human nature. The youth may save us, but only this time, and maybe not next time.
In other words, before we applaud the young, we have to ask ourselves if we are so sure they would be as dismissive of Trump's brand of rabble rousing if the messenger wasn't so clearly such a tacky relic.
I am not ready to be so optimistic. We are dodging a bullet here, maybe, but that gun is always primed in the basics of human nature. The youth may save us, but only this time, and maybe not next time.
4
First of all, LOVE your avatar icon thingy. Classic! But the, uh, "age-old" issue with young voters is their tendency to blow off actually voting. It's as if they think it's sufficient to just have an opinion -- or perhaps they cynically think their vote won't really make a difference. We need to make sure they understand that they can make a difference in the political process. It's cool to vote!
1
Both my husband and I are getting more liberal with age. We live in a conservative state and we haven't seen Oklahoma progress in our lifetime. With the Republicans it's all oil all the time. And, once again, the state is flat out broke.
22
I believe my Dad called it "Mortgaging your Future". If this be true, the Grand-Ole-Party may sacrifice the South for at least a generation. What the Civil War entrenched, Mr. Trump is giving away, with a flourish of Campaign-Pitched-Battles. Oh, and G.O.P., congratulations on birthing this baby. You’re even managing to drive this Oldster into the opposition camp.
4
People pass through stages in life where politics can be more important as hormones become less important and prosperity more important. Sir Winston Churchill said that to not be liberal at 20 showed the lack of a heart and to not be conservative at 30 showed the lack of a brain.
1
Churchill -- or Republicans of his era like President Eisenhower -- wouldn't recognize today's Republican Party, so this comment is wholly irreverent to the current presidential contest. Eisenhower believed in peace, warned against military adventurism, supported infrastructure improvements like the Interstate Highway System, and governed with a maximum marginal tax rate of 91 percent. No way Churchill or Eisenhower would have lent any support to extremists like Cruz or Trump.
34
Actually he never said that...to him (and to everyone else outside the US) classic liberalism is more or less what we'd call libertarianism.
2
Yes, but to be conservative enough to back the current cast of contenders requires one to be closer to brain dead!
7
If Clinton (or Sanders) wins, it will be the sixth time in the last seven presidential elections that more people voted for the Democratic candidate than voted for the Republican candidate. That tells you all you need to know about the appeal of the Republican "brand," regardless of age.
17
Huh? Did you forget Bush Sr and Bush Jr (2004)?
I am middle-aged and have definitely not gotten more conservative as I've aged. I'm more liberal now because I'm an educator and have seen, for years, the effects of the systemic inequalities and how stacked the deck is against the poor. I've also gotten more skeptical of those who try to claim the "Christian" mantle. If you really want to be Christian, work to make the system work better for the poor and alienated. If you're not interested in that, I don't want to hear about your Christian values anymore.
85
My 20 year old daughter is a Bernie supporter and I like him, too. However, unlike my daughter, I've become cynical. Bernie says all the right things and he's passionate and thoughtful and...he'd never be able to pass any piece of legislation because of the intractable republicans.
17
Not only republicans, but even some of the democrats will oppose his stuff. Sanders will achieve nothing, zero, zip in terms of legislation. The only thing Sanders has achieved is that he became the proof that the electorate wants a change in the political and social system. He's got wonderful ideas, none of which will get implemented during our lifetimes. Maybe our children will live to benefit from them.
7
This is why we plant trees even though we may not enjoy fruit or shade for 20 years. Someone will benefit if we water, feed and prune them.
#BernieSanders2016
#BernieSanders2016
14
And you think those same republicans will go along with Hillary?
2
How do you impress upon voters in their formative years that they must look to the future and look very hard? The efforts to stall the future such as the Republicans are attempting with their attacks on Social Security and Medicare are probably just too far away to awaken these newly developing voters. What a shame.
All this is made worse when the Arizona voters are locked out of the voting booth by Republican backed laws, passed to restrict voters and nothing more.
As an 80 year-old, I'm not immune to these abuses to voting rights, but I regret the damage being done to my younger cohorts.
Conservatism, as presented by the Republicans is the most damaging concept presented politically in as long as I can remember. And America, remember, this isn't just about a President; it is equally about a Congress that can do more than sit on its heels and refuse to move forward.
All this is made worse when the Arizona voters are locked out of the voting booth by Republican backed laws, passed to restrict voters and nothing more.
As an 80 year-old, I'm not immune to these abuses to voting rights, but I regret the damage being done to my younger cohorts.
Conservatism, as presented by the Republicans is the most damaging concept presented politically in as long as I can remember. And America, remember, this isn't just about a President; it is equally about a Congress that can do more than sit on its heels and refuse to move forward.
46
All this info is fine and good, but the most important thing to do in November is to vote.
If no one is at least registered to vote before November, the rest is irrelevant.
Republicans also have issues with attracting women, and racial minorities, especially African Americans.
If African Americans and women come out to vote in large numbers, especially in the large states and swing states, Trump could get a shellacking the likes of which the USA hasn't seen since Mondale lost badly to Reagan in 1984.
If no one is at least registered to vote before November, the rest is irrelevant.
Republicans also have issues with attracting women, and racial minorities, especially African Americans.
If African Americans and women come out to vote in large numbers, especially in the large states and swing states, Trump could get a shellacking the likes of which the USA hasn't seen since Mondale lost badly to Reagan in 1984.
19
"All this info is fine and good, but the most important thing to do in November is to vote.
If no one is at least registered to vote before November, the rest is irrelevant."
I couldn't agree more. I would also add that in all the jurisdictions where anti-voter laws have been enacted, especially those regarding voter id, that everyone sees to ensuring two things:
1. Get registered;
2. Ensure you and your neighbors have their photo ID according to the laws in your jurisdiction.
After your candidate is elected, then if you are so inclined (and I hope you will be), see to it that all those oppressive anti-voter laws are repealed in your jurisdiction.
If no one is at least registered to vote before November, the rest is irrelevant."
I couldn't agree more. I would also add that in all the jurisdictions where anti-voter laws have been enacted, especially those regarding voter id, that everyone sees to ensuring two things:
1. Get registered;
2. Ensure you and your neighbors have their photo ID according to the laws in your jurisdiction.
After your candidate is elected, then if you are so inclined (and I hope you will be), see to it that all those oppressive anti-voter laws are repealed in your jurisdiction.
10
What is going to get young voters for Sanders out to vote in the general election if Sanders is not the candidate? I am an old liberal and I'm not voting for Clinton as I didn't in 2008. She's had our life times to fire me up and it ain't happenin'.
7
Please vote. If you don't, and she is the nominee, it's a vote for Trump or Cruz. Even if you don't like Clinton, it's time to step up and choose the better option.
29
I, too feel that Sanders is a true progressive vs. Clinton, and I plan on voting for him in the NY primary. But, in the fall, I will vote for Clinton if she is the Democratic nominee. A refusal to vote for Clinton in the fall is the same as a vote for Trump, and that would be a disaster for the country.
37
@scratchacker, heed Someone's sound advice: don't vote for the Republican candidate by withholding your vote for the Democratic candidate. Voting rights come with responsibility, even when it means holding your nose while casting your vote.
11
I don't know about the model cited that suggests people's politics stay firm. I was pretty liberal in my 20s voted straight Democrat from age 19 in '96 when I voted for Clinton to Obama in '08.
Now? I don't think I'd vote for another Democrat as long as I live.
Now? I don't think I'd vote for another Democrat as long as I live.
2
It would be more edifying if your provided your reasons. From my perspective it would seem that your choice is nothing short of bizarre.
20
What's a Republican? Just an old liberal with experience. People become more conservative as they get older and enter the real world, pay taxes, and realize that most liberal concepts are just theoretical feel-good phooey like the Easter Bunny.
1
I was born in 1941. That's quite a lot of experience. Once I was a Republican (the now rare liberal variety). Then I saw what happens when Republicans have actual power -- Reagan, Bush #1, Bush #2, the Gingrich House, the current House and Senate. And Republican-lite under Clinton. I have done just fine economically, but as people grow older, they often become less selfish. I would sooner eat three-day old roadkill than vote Republican. They aren't actually conspiring to ruin the country, but that would be the eventual effect of the policies they espouse. They have done major damage already. Look at the Case-Deaton study for an important example.
43
This is a researched topic, and there is extensive evidence that this cliche is just not true. Some of that evidence is cited in the piece we are commenting on. For another example, the Greens in Germany were for a long time strongest with the cohorts that came of age in the early 80s.
6
"What's a Republican? Just an old liberal with experience."....Is that also supposed to explain how they got stupid? Trump, Cruz; seriously?
16
This article cites no evidence that Ted Cruz would do any better with young people than would Donald Trump. Maybe the problem is not with the candidate but with the party?
19
All three of my kids have voted or will vote in this year's primary. All three are under 24. All three view Trump with contempt, but they also have no time for a party that denies science and wants to restrict reproductive rights to people wealthy enough to pay for them. Their issues, as expressed to me, are global warming, environmental action, gender rights, and race relations. There is simply no way the GOP, in its current form, could attract any of them.
93
My two 20+ year olds both make unsolicited monthly donations to Trump. Many of their Bernie friends have Trump as their second choice.
7
Politics aside...I just don't understand giving money to a guy who's filthy rich and brags about it to boot.
8
Anyone who can hold in his brain Trump and Sanders as alternatives has a very confused one and is not listening to what either one is saying. In all respects Sanders is the anti-Trump, both in personality and proposed policies. Sanders will never consider gathering 11 million undocumented immigrants and ship them out. Sanders intends to raise taxes on the wealthy, not lower them. Sanders wants America to be better, not bring back a mythical America the great (when women and non-white males new their place).
1
sounds extremely illogical,
yet darkly funny at the same time...
yet darkly funny at the same time...
1
They don't, but you should remember Tricky Dick and why the Midnight Massacre matters in this Snowden era. How quickly we forget unpleasant truths about ourselves.
But I'll register Republican because my parents never dared. Republicans for Hillary!
But I'll register Republican because my parents never dared. Republicans for Hillary!
6
Good for them. We older folk are supposed to be wiser, but young people often demonstrate better judgement. Maybe the advantage in experience is more than offset by the fear, insecurity, and prejudice that come with age.
12
As a young voter, I can say that most of the assumptions in this article are correct. I don't think I have a friend who likes Trump at all, nor Cruz. The only one my friends and I seem to be able to deal with if he becomes president is Kasich, since he's a moderate (well, at least out of the remaining GOP candidates). But they don't like Clinton either, but only because of her past records. We all like Sanders though, since he's actually been fighting for the same things for decades like income inequality, climate change, and healthcare. Even my friends who lean more Republican than Democrat would rather have Sanders become president than Trump. And yes, Trump's racial and gender problems have also hurt my friends' viewpoints of him, as they're appalled by his racist rhetoric relating to Mexicans and Muslims and his treatment of women (as proven again recently by his attack on Cruz's wife). While Trump may be the main perpetrator of the hate from the GOP, that side's rhetoric has burned many of my friends relations with the GOP and after this election, they're going Independent.
26
Sanders has been working for decades on health care? Historically, it's Clinton who has been at the forefront, as First Lady and as NY Senator. Look up the CHIP program, for goodness sake. Bernie talks a good game, but Clinton delivers. She will improve what Pres. Obama started.
8
"We all like Sanders though, since he's actually been fighting for the same things for decades like income inequality, climate change, and healthcare."....In all those years has he ever been effective? The problem is that he is a purist. Check out his votes on - GM/bank bailout, import/export bank, immigration reform - in each case Sanders voted against the measure, against the greater good, because they contained things that he could not accept in his purist political philosophy. Sanders is a great messenger, unquestioned integrity, but he would make a poor President - Presidents need to be pragmatic.
7
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/24/bernie-s/...
please look at this to get a more accurate view of Bernie's many accomplishments (I haven't researched Hilary's as carefully, but according to a recent Atlantic article, there isn't much "there there" as far as actual accomplishments.)
please look at this to get a more accurate view of Bernie's many accomplishments (I haven't researched Hilary's as carefully, but according to a recent Atlantic article, there isn't much "there there" as far as actual accomplishments.)
4
If someone asked you to name a delusional politician, what name would first come to mind? That should settle it.
4
Hillsry, no question. Behind Obama of coarse.
4
Whistling past the graveyard:
The "establishment" in the Fourth Estate, including the NYT and WAPO, keep giving a lot of space to all kinds of articles trying to convince the GOP that they better not nominate Donald Trump because that will be disaster for the GOP in November. After all, that was Hillary's own over-confident reaction when Trump entered the GOP race last summer. Now it is becoming clear that Trump not only has an excellent chance of winning the GOP nomination but also might even win in November. So now this article comes along and, in a stretch, tries out the pitch that, "even if the GOP wins in November", that "the young" will vote "decisively" for the Democrats and that that somehow "could imprint negative perceptions that last decades."
The "establishment" in the Fourth Estate, including the NYT and WAPO, keep giving a lot of space to all kinds of articles trying to convince the GOP that they better not nominate Donald Trump because that will be disaster for the GOP in November. After all, that was Hillary's own over-confident reaction when Trump entered the GOP race last summer. Now it is becoming clear that Trump not only has an excellent chance of winning the GOP nomination but also might even win in November. So now this article comes along and, in a stretch, tries out the pitch that, "even if the GOP wins in November", that "the young" will vote "decisively" for the Democrats and that that somehow "could imprint negative perceptions that last decades."
3
Where is it becoming clear that Trump might win in November? A poll from the Deseret News just showed Hillary and Bernie both beating Trump in Utah! Yeah, all the polls could be skewed, but...
12
So the youngsters go with the limp and ambiguous "colorblindness." What that suggests to me is that our culture's rabid anti-intellectualism can claim another victory; young people who are unable to appreciate the agonizing historical context of colonialism, slavery, sexism, etc., are not very well-prepared to combat such inclinations when they rise again, which they will. Meanwhile some red states want to prevent humanities majors from being eligible for government financial assistance. Not hard to see where decisions like that are taking us.....
9
I love these articles about "young voters" that are written by older people and commented on by older people. I'm 26, and I am not a thick-framed, eye glass wearing Bernie Sanders supporter. Some younger voters appreciate Donald Trump simply based on the fact that the GOP is spending tens of millions of dollars in negative ads in an attempt to stop him. Young people see that in our current political process, non-establishment candidates stand a zero-chance of ever becoming president. Donald Trump, hate him or love him, represents a group of people that are tired of the "business as usual" candidates like the Clinton's and the Bush's that are force fed down everybody's throats because they come from a lineage of corruption in D.C. You can laugh and poke fun at some of the whiny millennials that come out of college campuses, but we weren't the ones who elected the degenerates that allowed a 19 trillion dollar national debt to arise. At least young people want to see a non-preselected candidate.
13
I get (and support) wanting to get out of the business as usual slate of candidates. Even some of us older people get that!
But sometimes what you get is an unseasoned, bigoted, intellectually dishonest and lazy outsider who encourages violence towards those who disagree with him. You have to balance that against the establishment candidates, who, while definitely part of the problem, often are more well-versed on the ways government works, how to use diplomacy, and who understand you can't just bully your way through every single issue (if you want to get things done). Getting young candidates involved at the local and state level will go far more to achieve the aims of most young voters who are dissatisfied have than allowing someone like Trump into the Oval Office.
But sometimes what you get is an unseasoned, bigoted, intellectually dishonest and lazy outsider who encourages violence towards those who disagree with him. You have to balance that against the establishment candidates, who, while definitely part of the problem, often are more well-versed on the ways government works, how to use diplomacy, and who understand you can't just bully your way through every single issue (if you want to get things done). Getting young candidates involved at the local and state level will go far more to achieve the aims of most young voters who are dissatisfied have than allowing someone like Trump into the Oval Office.
41
Tess,
I, for one, would choose an unseasoned candidate over one that is controlled by corporate money and super PACs. I would also rather have a candidate that tries to push and "bully" his/her way through issues than one who is a lame duck and rips a "My fellow Americans" speech every single time he fails at national security, foreign policy, or federal budgeting. How many trillions has being "well-versed on the way government works" and "being nice" cost us? The Executive Branch doesn't require two decades of sitting in the Senate as a qualification. It does, however, require that you can create a budget that other people will actually approve.
CNN has been paid to run pro-Hillary ads on their website since 2013. Think, for a moment, about that kind of money being spent to tell you what you should like. As outrageous as some of Trump's sayings have been, he is not the presidential candidate that has broken federal law and cost American lives. The fact that you deem HRC more worthy for the Oval Office than any of the other major candidates is terrifying to me.
I, for one, would choose an unseasoned candidate over one that is controlled by corporate money and super PACs. I would also rather have a candidate that tries to push and "bully" his/her way through issues than one who is a lame duck and rips a "My fellow Americans" speech every single time he fails at national security, foreign policy, or federal budgeting. How many trillions has being "well-versed on the way government works" and "being nice" cost us? The Executive Branch doesn't require two decades of sitting in the Senate as a qualification. It does, however, require that you can create a budget that other people will actually approve.
CNN has been paid to run pro-Hillary ads on their website since 2013. Think, for a moment, about that kind of money being spent to tell you what you should like. As outrageous as some of Trump's sayings have been, he is not the presidential candidate that has broken federal law and cost American lives. The fact that you deem HRC more worthy for the Oval Office than any of the other major candidates is terrifying to me.
2
A Trump presidency might...
1) Destroy the Republican Party, which would be a good thing. With luck they'll spend years defending the remains while we, in the mean time, finally have a chance to get things done.
2) Unite the Democrats so that they finally drop this "identity politics" nonsense. It's turned into a form of bread-and-circuses to distract us while the .1% dig through our pockets.
3} If we're really lucky it will be the end of the two party system. Which, evidently, has left a large portion of the people feeling un-represented.
1) Destroy the Republican Party, which would be a good thing. With luck they'll spend years defending the remains while we, in the mean time, finally have a chance to get things done.
2) Unite the Democrats so that they finally drop this "identity politics" nonsense. It's turned into a form of bread-and-circuses to distract us while the .1% dig through our pockets.
3} If we're really lucky it will be the end of the two party system. Which, evidently, has left a large portion of the people feeling un-represented.
Young people keep polling for Bernie Sanders, but on election day he fails to win, reason why is the young people who poll so well, fail to show up to vote.
Had they showed up to vote, as hard as they show up to disturb rallies and slap horses, Bernie Sanders would be leading all candidates everywhere.
Had they showed up to vote, as hard as they show up to disturb rallies and slap horses, Bernie Sanders would be leading all candidates everywhere.
9
I am only 23 years old and I have voted in every election possible since I turned 18. That means primaries, special elections, and general elections. I have worked on multiple campaigns, as well as having majored in political science. Sure, perhaps not all of us Sanders supporters go out to vote. However, don't overgeneralize just because people like to abhor young voters.
20
Actually, that has been pretty consistent since forever--young people simply don't show up to the polls, no matter what the generation.
7
this is so false. young people vote when inspired. they voted for obama in 08. they're voting for sanders in 16. they'll vote for clinton if she's the nominee. if not for her then because they're sickened by the racist sexist hypocritical lockstep warmongering repubs led by trump.
2
Thoughts for younger readers/voters:
When you vote, you just may get what you vote for.
When you don't vote, you will always get what someone else voted for.
When you vote, you just may get what you vote for.
When you don't vote, you will always get what someone else voted for.
74
Brilliant in its simplicity, thank you.
4
There is one other choice that this article fails to mention..but this guy is not very attractive. He is not cool. He is not handsome. He does not promise free stuff like Bernie Sanders. He is not popular like Hillary Clinton. He is not rich like Donald Trump. He just believes in an old, dusty, outdated document called the Constitution that many college kids have never heard of. He talks about old, outdated ideas such as "we the people" and "freedom of speech" and "freedom of religion" and "freedom of the press" and "the right to keep and bear arms". He talks about such mundane ideas as “American sovereignty” while he argues cases such as “Medellin v. Texas” before the Supreme Court. This guy is not flashy and "everyone hates him", especially those in the corrupt political establishment. The con-man Trump calls him "Lyin' Ted”. That man is Ted Cruz. He is the only candidate that stands any chance at all of trimming the size of a corrupt out of control federal government and returning power to the states and to the people.
1
Bill, if Sen. Cruz loves the constitution and the Supreme Court so much why would he deny the President his right, under the constitution, to select a Supreme Court justice and threaten to filibuster that selection if he came to the floor of the Senate for a vote. Sen. Cruz uses the constitution like he uses the Bible. He cherry-picks the verses that already confirm his world view and ignores the rest of the text.
57
Ted Cruz may love the Constitution but he hates women, and lots of voters are women. G'night Ted.
19
Lyin Ted is one scary dude. Waiving the constitution in one hand, he wants to patrol communities based solely on their ethnicity. He is out for one thing--his own power. We would be plunged into the dark ages if he were to win.
39
On the subject of people becoming more conservative as they age, data from the General Social Survey from the National Opinion Research Center confirm the argument in this article that political orientations formed when young persist over the life cycle.
I aggregated together nearly 46,000 survey responses from the NORC surveys between 1972 and 2010 and calculated the percentage of respondents identifying as "liberal" or "conservative" by both their ages and by their birth cohorts following the division used by Pew (e.g., http://www.pewresearch.org/2009/12/10/the-millennials/). While the Baby Boomers have moved somewaht rightward over time, the opinions of the other age groups have remained remarkably static. See the tables at http://www.politicsbythenumbers.org/images/was-churchill-right.pdf
I aggregated together nearly 46,000 survey responses from the NORC surveys between 1972 and 2010 and calculated the percentage of respondents identifying as "liberal" or "conservative" by both their ages and by their birth cohorts following the division used by Pew (e.g., http://www.pewresearch.org/2009/12/10/the-millennials/). While the Baby Boomers have moved somewaht rightward over time, the opinions of the other age groups have remained remarkably static. See the tables at http://www.politicsbythenumbers.org/images/was-churchill-right.pdf
11
I'm scheduled to become 70 years old in a few weeks. When I was in college in the 1960s I demonstrated for civil rights, for a clean environment and against the war in Viet Nam. I am at least as liberal/progressive/left now as I was then, and I am not alone.
42
Michael N. Marcus - Back then I could do all those things and still be a Republican (a greater percentage of Republicans voted for Civil Rights than Democrats, the Nixon administration passed the Environmental Protection Acts, Johnson was responsible for escalating the Viet Nam War). Today I am the same person I was then; different party.
7
I'm with this guy Marcus. And WE are not alone.
2
"Jamelle Bouie came to a similar conclusion in Slate in 2014, saying young people were “committed to an ideal of colorblindness that leaves them uncomfortable with race, opposed to measures to reduce racial inequality, and a bit confused about what racism is.” He wrote that “a generation that hates racism but chooses colorblindness is a generation that, through its neglect, comes to perpetuate it.”
If we are colorblind, how can we tell whether there is "racial balance" in a particular subset of society? And why is racial balance so important that we have to reinforce people's bad habit of considering an individual's race to be important in order to bring about that balance? Our obsession with this goal does not seem to be producing good results, and perhaps we should rethink it.
If we are colorblind, how can we tell whether there is "racial balance" in a particular subset of society? And why is racial balance so important that we have to reinforce people's bad habit of considering an individual's race to be important in order to bring about that balance? Our obsession with this goal does not seem to be producing good results, and perhaps we should rethink it.
11
One prime reason for increasing conservative views with age is taxes. While young, one typically pays none or small amounts in taxes. As time passes and one has greater income, then one pays progressively higher amounts in federal, state, and local taxes. No surprise that as people face higher tax burdens they align themselves with politicians resisting further increases in taxation for whatever purpose.
6
You'll note that the article says that, according to the data, the hypothesis that people get more conservative as they age is unproven at best. There's significant evidence to the contrary.
Perhaps an equally unproven but testable hypothesis is that as we age we become more aware that we need each other and the social supports of a civilized society, and that libertarian individualism is ultimately an unsupportable way of life.
Perhaps an equally unproven but testable hypothesis is that as we age we become more aware that we need each other and the social supports of a civilized society, and that libertarian individualism is ultimately an unsupportable way of life.
36
While you're technically correct that as our incomes rise we pay more in total federal taxes, I have yet to meet someone who is well off who pays a higher percentage of his income in taxes than those in lower income brackets once you factor in all taxes paid (federal, state, payroll, and sales taxes).
15
Meh. Young people generally don't have much knowledge of or interest in politics. if Trump wins (big if) young people and everyone else's views of him will be based on how he does
4
I recall hearing/reading the same sentiments 52 years ago. We tried. I hope the millennials succeed.
Meh, indeed...
Meh, indeed...
4
I may only be 23 years old, but I have followed politics for most of my life. This may be my parents' doing, but I have a vast enough knowledge of politics old and new to be able to form an opinion. It's exhausting to read how much others say that young people don't have a clue. We are one of the most politically active generations in a long time and I know I don't like Donald Trump. Not just because of the fact that he's orange, misogynistic, racist (the list could go on and on), but because his policies and views do not align at all with mine. I may not love Hillary, but I know well enough to vote for her in the general election than to ever let someone like him be elected.
22
Congratulations!
Go out, get on line, go on the network, tweet, email, whatever and educate your friends and get them to vote!
Go out, get on line, go on the network, tweet, email, whatever and educate your friends and get them to vote!
4
The younger people have seen the results of Republican policies on their parents for the past 35 years. Why would they respect or trust a Republican candidate?
55
How grateful we must be to know that younger people are more intelligent, in the main, than the average Trump supporter. These people (the latter) are true step-n-fetchits, unworthy to be citizens of a democracy.
10
Lasting damage for the G.O.P.?
Sorry, Toni M., they deserve nothing less.
Sorry, Toni M., they deserve nothing less.
13
Totally ahistorical article! Goldwater was trounced overwhelmingly in 1964. Pundits declared the death of the Republican Party. But in 1968, Nixon was elected President, and in 1972 he was re-elected. Republicans have held the White House for a considerable fraction of the years since then.
The article is built on static polling and hypotheses.
The article is built on static polling and hypotheses.
2
To Michael;
The electorate has changed dramatically since 1964.
Alternate analysis: Since 1992 the Dems have won four out of six times, and carried the popular vote (though irrelevant) five out of six. In 2004 Bush II was re-elected with the smallest electoral college margin for any incumbent. In those six contests the Dems, win or lose, have always carried the same states and DC yielding, currently, 242 electoral college votes.
Finally, since 1964 the GOP has held the presidency for 54% of the years, and the Dems 46% - not a considerable fraction.
No forecast is perfect, and no trend is perfectly predictive. But here, the evidence supports the author's analysis.
The electorate has changed dramatically since 1964.
Alternate analysis: Since 1992 the Dems have won four out of six times, and carried the popular vote (though irrelevant) five out of six. In 2004 Bush II was re-elected with the smallest electoral college margin for any incumbent. In those six contests the Dems, win or lose, have always carried the same states and DC yielding, currently, 242 electoral college votes.
Finally, since 1964 the GOP has held the presidency for 54% of the years, and the Dems 46% - not a considerable fraction.
No forecast is perfect, and no trend is perfectly predictive. But here, the evidence supports the author's analysis.
30
The 1968 presidential election saw the first overtly racist presidential campaign that was the precursor to every other Republican/conservative presidential campaign, as well as most other offices as well.
Times change. Maybe people do, too...
Hope abides.
Times change. Maybe people do, too...
Hope abides.
13
I see the headline is about Trumpf again rather than Sanders's 31% vs. 11% for Clinton. Do explain why this discrepancy will not inflict lasting damage on the Democrats.
18
"I see the headline is about Trumpf again rather than Sanders's 31% vs. 11% for Clinton. Do explain why this discrepancy will not inflict lasting damage on the Democrats."
Sanders does not have the support of Black, Hispanic and female voters in key swing states. Up until a few months ago, he wasn't even a Democrat. Strictly speaking, the party owes him nothing. So how can he damage a party he and his supporters aren't really a part of? The lack of support from the party's base and the fact that he hasn't done any fundraising for the party over the years means he won't get the super-delagates.
Sanders does not have the support of Black, Hispanic and female voters in key swing states. Up until a few months ago, he wasn't even a Democrat. Strictly speaking, the party owes him nothing. So how can he damage a party he and his supporters aren't really a part of? The lack of support from the party's base and the fact that he hasn't done any fundraising for the party over the years means he won't get the super-delagates.
2
It's very hard to see why Trump rates a headline here. The body
of the article clearly shows Democrats winning the "brand" competition for young voters against any and all Republicans -- with Trump at the top of that very tiny heap. Why not just call it something like "Youth Imprints With Democratic Party Goals"?
of the article clearly shows Democrats winning the "brand" competition for young voters against any and all Republicans -- with Trump at the top of that very tiny heap. Why not just call it something like "Youth Imprints With Democratic Party Goals"?
28
This piece notes that the racial composition of the group of younger voters partially accounts for its liberalism. In my view it accounts for their common sense. They see their future reflected in those with whom they are most likely to encounter and interact. Thus, racism simply makes no sense.
23
We have crippled our own children by sending them to left wing progressive indoctrination camps called universities. They come out of school with crushing debt and very few marketable skills and most are unable to find a well-paying job. But even worse, they have not been taught the truth, have no critical thinking skills, and are unable to use logic and reason. They are taught to follow their emotions. Their minds have been damaged by progressive ideas that make them unable to deal with reality. They are taught that the government gives them rights. They are taught that it is OK for them to ask the government to steal the property of some individuals and give it to others who did not earn it. They are not taught the truth concerning what made America great in the first place and consequently how to return to that greatness. That is how we wind up with a Communist Bernie Sanders promising "free" everything, a murdering criminal Hillary Clinton who panders to blacks while making sure that they remain slaves in their ghettos, and a fraud and con-man Trump with ties to organized crime and the Russian mafia.
3
Those are some pretty out-there claims - do you have any sources for any of that?
13
Your critical thinking skills are not terribly persuasive:" That is how we wind up with a Communist Bernie Sanders promising "free" everything, a murdering criminal Hillary Clinton who panders to blacks while making sure that they remain slaves in their ghettos, and a fraud and con-man Trump with ties to organized crime and the Russian mafia."
18
You are as misinformed as the reactionary candidates you probably vote for. The vast majority of young people do not attend the kind of universities you scorn as liberal: mostly those people are already liberal, affluent, and upscale.
Many young people do not attend any institution of higher education at all, and of those who do, the majority start out in community colleges, often in conservative, small-town and suburban communities where I can tell you as a longtime teacher, a conservative or moderate political view prevails. Others attend second-tier regional universities, which are not much different politically from community colleges, and hundreds of thousands of students attend Roman Catholic universities or universities affiliated with conservative Protestant denominations. I can assure you that the many students at Brigham Young University, Pepperdine University, Liberty University, and hundreds of other colleges are hardly being exposed to liberal ideas at all.
Maybe you should do some research on American higher education and stop getting your information from biased sources, your own prejudices, or thin air. A good education teaches people to think critically about all political ideas.
Many young people do not attend any institution of higher education at all, and of those who do, the majority start out in community colleges, often in conservative, small-town and suburban communities where I can tell you as a longtime teacher, a conservative or moderate political view prevails. Others attend second-tier regional universities, which are not much different politically from community colleges, and hundreds of thousands of students attend Roman Catholic universities or universities affiliated with conservative Protestant denominations. I can assure you that the many students at Brigham Young University, Pepperdine University, Liberty University, and hundreds of other colleges are hardly being exposed to liberal ideas at all.
Maybe you should do some research on American higher education and stop getting your information from biased sources, your own prejudices, or thin air. A good education teaches people to think critically about all political ideas.
60
What a cheerful, encouraging article. Thanks, I needed that.
8
I understand your frustration but the simple fact is, not to act IS to act. Not to vote IS to vote. America was once the greatest nation on the face of the earth but now is in serious decline. Our national identity is being lost and our safety threatened by a failure to secure our borders, our economic and financial systems are in shambles, individual liberties are under attack, standards for behavior and personal responsibility are lower than most third world countries, and the US Constitution is hanging by a thread. Each past generation accepted their duty to fight for Constitutional principles. With our individual rights come duties and responsibilities. If we expect our children to have the same opportunities that we had, we must educate ourselves and become involved in the process.
5
"Constitutional principles" do not just apply to guns. They also apply to confirming Supreme Court justices appointed by a president elected by ALL the people, and a lot of other things.
23
There are multiple honorable approaches to constitutional interpretation, not just yours.
Though it is reassuring to know that you're out in the streets protesting Ted Cruz when he demands that we send occupation forces into Muslim neighborhoods, or when Trump promises to disregard treaties that are "the supreme Law of the Land" (Article VI) or when Republicans creatively conjure up workarounds to add costs to voting, notwithstanding the 26th Amendment; or when Trump (again) promises to disembowel the press's first amendment protections against libel claims.
Perhaps one day we'll be marching together!
Though it is reassuring to know that you're out in the streets protesting Ted Cruz when he demands that we send occupation forces into Muslim neighborhoods, or when Trump promises to disregard treaties that are "the supreme Law of the Land" (Article VI) or when Republicans creatively conjure up workarounds to add costs to voting, notwithstanding the 26th Amendment; or when Trump (again) promises to disembowel the press's first amendment protections against libel claims.
Perhaps one day we'll be marching together!
7
The millennials now have to take back our future. Trickle down economics, the increasing debt, climate change, ISIS - it's going to be a big job, and it's a good thing that the Sanders movement is helping them realize it. I hope that this generation will provide great leaders in government to succeed in this upcoming struggle, and in my opinion, Republicans are only increasing the speed of the shift to the left. Perhaps we'll see a New Democratic Political Era that will end the Era of Divided Government.
15
Yes, and if we are lucky America can become as great as the island nation Obama just visited. Americans, I am sure, would love to be as prosperous and free as the Cubans. I feel quite sure that Obama took copious notes from Castro while they were doing the 'wave" at a baseball game. In fact, Obama was so focused on learning all he could that he didn't allow himself to be distracted by things occurring in other parts of the world such as Muslim terrorists blowing people up in Brussels. And he must have begged Castro to help him understand how to deal with the greatest crisis mankind has ever faced. The one problem that if we don't fix it now, the world will cease to exist. "Climate change", formerly "global warming", formerly global cooling" is even more dangerous than the obesity epidemic and the rapidly increasing use of mind altering drugs.
4
Young people are turned off by cranky old Texans. Was Obama supposed to cancel his trip and come back to act as a human shield at the airport? Stop being silly.
70
oh, were you there in Cuba and overheard all of this? Did you see it on video? Did Obama or Castro call and share this intel with you? No? Okay, then your speculation is just your way of sharing your dislike of Obama and has nothing to do with reality and is skewing your reality. Obama is developing a relationship with a country that is extremely close to us, the way other nations have been doing for some time. It is in our best interest to have a positive relationship with Cuba, just like we do with China or other communist countries.
24
The optimistic voices in this article know kids who are getting a college education in presumably cosmopolitan, and therefore, diverse settings. Spend some time in rural, monochrome America, and it won't take long to find intolerant voices. A traveling salesman friend was recently in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (take a look at a map to see exactly how difficult it is to get there from any major city), and he was mildly assaulted at a bar while taking a client out for drinks for being a Muslim. He's a third generation Mexican-American with a beard.
32
Trump is the Bizzaro Reagan. Woohoo! GOP racism is now transparent.
8
"preferences in politics are typically set at an early age, with lasting influence"
I'm a 60 year old white guy who still hasn't gotten over Nixon trying to kill my generation because Vietnam was a personal embarrassment for him, so I think that hypothesis is probably correct.
I'm a 60 year old white guy who still hasn't gotten over Nixon trying to kill my generation because Vietnam was a personal embarrassment for him, so I think that hypothesis is probably correct.
99
Thank heaves YOUR hypothesis is wrong; I was raised in a bigoted, racist household and had a bigoted, racist extended family. Many of us learn when we're exposed to new ideas.
3
There will be no defeat for Republicans in Arizona if the Republicans are legally allowed to let stand that nasty piece of work that they pulled yesterday in Maricopa County.
Maricopa County, encompassing Phoenix and 40% Hispanic, has shut down enough voting stations that the ratio is 1 voting station to every 21,000 voters.
Here it is again: 1 voting site per 21,000 individuals.
Come November, that will be the norm again.
The only way that conservatives can win is to make sure that liberal/progressives are denied the vote.
If you can't even get in the booth, the other guy wins.
Start suiing those who are responsible - today.
They are counting on you to wait or to never sue at all.
Contact Loretta Lynch, Attorney General of the U.S. and demand an investigation.
Yesterday was a disgrace.
Maricopa County, encompassing Phoenix and 40% Hispanic, has shut down enough voting stations that the ratio is 1 voting station to every 21,000 voters.
Here it is again: 1 voting site per 21,000 individuals.
Come November, that will be the norm again.
The only way that conservatives can win is to make sure that liberal/progressives are denied the vote.
If you can't even get in the booth, the other guy wins.
Start suiing those who are responsible - today.
They are counting on you to wait or to never sue at all.
Contact Loretta Lynch, Attorney General of the U.S. and demand an investigation.
Yesterday was a disgrace.
160
Yesterday was a disgrace in Arizona, but there were also many long lines in mostly white and Republican parts of the county, such as the Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert, a highly conservative area.
Hopefully the new younger voters will be more likely to take advantage of early voting by mail in Arizona. When they sign up to vote, they should check the option of being automatically put on the mail-voter roll and they will get a ballot nearly four weeks before the primary or election day and can vote from the comfort of their home. Since they are used to doing things online, I hope they will take to this convenient option so they are not at the mercy of the incompetence of election officials at the polls on the day of the election.
Hopefully the new younger voters will be more likely to take advantage of early voting by mail in Arizona. When they sign up to vote, they should check the option of being automatically put on the mail-voter roll and they will get a ballot nearly four weeks before the primary or election day and can vote from the comfort of their home. Since they are used to doing things online, I hope they will take to this convenient option so they are not at the mercy of the incompetence of election officials at the polls on the day of the election.
12
Yes, Loretta will fix it. Loretta is such a wonderful guardian of the law that she is probably extremely busy preparing to prosecute Hillary for the murder of Americans in Benghazi and for the treasonous betrayal of America by exposing the most sensitive classified information our country possesses to the entire world via an illegal unsecure personal e-mail server. But making sure that everyone votes in Arizona is also extremely important. We must make sure that Loretta keeps her priorities straight.
5
Murder, Bill? That's not what the numerous inquiries concluded. Treasonous betrayal? Call me old fashioned, but I like to see proof of major accusations. From the analyses I've seen, the documents were not classified when they reached her, nor have I seen any evidence that unfriendly groups gained access to the information.
18
This does reflect my own experience of supporting a Democrat for the first time in 1964 (Johnson over Goldwater) and in subsequent elections continuing to vote Democratic at the national level. Of course, I would argue there were substantive policy and values reasons for that, but it's true that the first vote cast in a presidential election set a pattern.
8
I teach and talk to this demographic daily. As Monkovic points out, they are, for the most part, very inclusive. They're for women's rights, racial egalitarianism, and they respect peoples' sexuality--even if they don't identify with these causes explicitly. These issues are simply, as Hegel put it, Sittlichkeit: basic civility that does not need to be voiced.
But my sense is that this demographic also realizes the withering away of the nation-state under vicious capitalism. This has lead many of them to be very skeptical about the effectiveness of our national institutions--which have been fully captured by the gospel of money--or to believe in a type of politics that actually helps the public. This is also why they're turning out for Bernie Sanders. He's addressing systemic problems; the kind that little, feeble policy tweaks will only prolong or further entrench.
But my sense is that this demographic also realizes the withering away of the nation-state under vicious capitalism. This has lead many of them to be very skeptical about the effectiveness of our national institutions--which have been fully captured by the gospel of money--or to believe in a type of politics that actually helps the public. This is also why they're turning out for Bernie Sanders. He's addressing systemic problems; the kind that little, feeble policy tweaks will only prolong or further entrench.
84
Yes indeed. Karl Marx knew a lot more about the evils of capitalism than Adam Smith and the wonderful progressive institutions that employ you make sure that their students are thoroughly trained in the beliefs of the former and are not exposed at all to the latter.
2
You have a great deal to learn about higher education, Bill. If you looked at actual evidence, you would learn that a college education does not make students more liberal on economic issues. More educated people are more likely to believe in equal rights for women and less supportive of racial discrimination, but they are not more supportive of redistribution of income or other facets of economic liberalism. Sorry.
11
David you seem to have missed the entire point. Equal rights for women are nice. Equal rights for all Americans is even better. No honorable person believes in racial discrimination and does not need to spend thousands of dollars pursuing a higher education in order to learn that. Education is not supposed to teach students WHAT to think. It should teach them HOW think. As a matter of fact, most of those who consider themselves to be "well educated" are in reality "well indoctrinated" and "marginally educated". Sorry.
5
The problem isn't The Donald or the other nuts in the race, but the process that delivered us to this point. When politics becomes a public spectacle and victory becomes a matter of spending the most money to sling the most mud and spin the biggest tales, reality TV stars (and former First Ladies) naturally have the advantage. A sense of shame is only a disadvantage.
I'll be sitting this election out. Someone will win, but I don't want him/her walking around thinking that I am dumb enough to have voted for them.
I'll be sitting this election out. Someone will win, but I don't want him/her walking around thinking that I am dumb enough to have voted for them.
4
Then you have implicitly voted for the winner, and indicated that you want nothing in exchange for your support. Are you sure that this is what you want?
18
I vote.
Only those who vote have the right to complain. I hope not to hear from Tom for the next 4 years.
Only those who vote have the right to complain. I hope not to hear from Tom for the next 4 years.
23
Vote for Mickey, or Goofey, since you cannot vote for 'None of the Above'.
3
Bernie Sanders' commitment to economic justice, bending the curve on climate change, and a healthy future for all give young people a vision of hope. They see the vast chasm between working together for a hopeful future and the passive, trusting role Donald Trump encourages for his followers. The Republicans, and especially Trump, offer nothing to future generations besides more of the same divisive rhetoric and rigged economy that this age group rejects.
70
Those young people still vote and then become candidates and participate in the political process.
8
Trump, especially if successful, will surely put-off a whole generation of voters from being labeled as conservative. Nevermind that he`s the least conservative among the candidates, he still is that movement`s nominee. Just like my generation (I`m 29) that grew up during George W Bush`s tenure and as a result drifted more to the left, Trump will only accelerate this shift.
The 2016 election will be historic - there have only been two other times when a Democrat has been elected after two democratic presidential terms since 1828: in 1836 after Van Buren succeeded Andrew Jackson, and when FDR won three terms.
In other words, it`s a good time to be a Democrat.
The 2016 election will be historic - there have only been two other times when a Democrat has been elected after two democratic presidential terms since 1828: in 1836 after Van Buren succeeded Andrew Jackson, and when FDR won three terms.
In other words, it`s a good time to be a Democrat.
70
FDR won four terms
4
"After two democratic terms" was his point; hence, he is talking about FDR's third term only.
1
Followed by Truman's victory in 1948.
4