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ProSense

(116,464 posts)
9. First of
Thu Mar 1, 2012, 08:50 PM
Mar 2012

all, there are no polls showing Republicans with an advantage among youth voters.

Yet the article seems to imply that Democrats are moving away from party identification while Republicans are signing up youth. If they're shaking party identity, but still supporting Democrats that does no good for Republicans.

Then came Barack Obama, and Cecil fell in love. "The war thing was big," he remembers. "I had a friend who went to Iraq and died. Obama’s whole opposition to the war was very important to me." He packed up his car and drove all the way across the country to become an Obama organizer in New Hampshire, then Maine, then Vermont. Because he was good at it, he was named deputy field director in Oregon, then one of two deputies in a crucial Midwestern state. After the election, in Washington, he was one of the principles in setting up a major new national progressive activist group.

By just about any metric you can think of, Cecil is on the left. (He requested I not use his real name because his employer is keen on preserving a non-ideological reputation.) The Republican Party's positions on gay rights and its anti-immigrant tilt, as long as they persist, "will keep me from voting for any Republican candidate," he says. "Anything bigotry-based and hate-based is going to lose me." He speaks with distaste of the Republican Party's "whole war-hawk thing." And he adds that, 99 times out of 100, "I'm going to vote Democratic."

You could call Cecil a progressive. Just don't call him a Democrat. As intense as his alienation from the Republican Party is his disinclination to state any party identity at all. He says, "I feel more attached to a politics of hope and optimism than I do to the Democratic Party"

He's not alone. It's more and more the case that young people who identify with Democrats on the issues shy from labeling themselves Democrats. In 2008, members of the "Millennial" generation — demographers' term for kids born between 1981 and 1993 — identified as Democrats rather than Republicans by 60 to 32 percent. Now, those figures are 47 and 43 percent.

The turn away from party identification has been a long-term American trend: According to Gallup, 40 percent of Americans don't consider themselves members of a political party, compared to 36 percent in 2002 and 33 percent in 1988. But that trend has been all the more accelerated among young people — and even more so among young progressives. A study by Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in the key swing state of Nevada found that youth were 11 percent of registered voters in the 2008 election, but just 7.85 percent in October of 2011 – meaning a key Obama constituency in 2008 will have thinned out for 2012. More menacingly for Dems, those same researchers found that in North Carolina, a Southern state where in 2008 Obama scored an apparently historic map-changing victory, Democratic registration among 18-25 year olds was 300,000 in 2008 – and only 265,000 in 2011. Republican registration among the same age cohort is about the same. Nationally, Republican youth registration has gone up—which means that the Republican Party is bucking the trend: right-of-center kids seem perfectly happy calling themselves Republicans, at the same time that young lefties are becoming increasingly chary of being called Democrats.


The article jumps to a lot of conclusions. It cites some numbers, but give no solid numbers for Republicans. Again, unless someone can cite an increase in Republican support among young people, this article is a stretch.

They sound stupid ... like Nader supporters. JoePhilly Mar 2012 #1
Really? white_wolf Mar 2012 #2
It's easy to blame Obama. This system is so dysfunctional when indivdual Senators can prevent libinnyandia Mar 2012 #6
Failed to deliver? bayareamike Mar 2012 #7
Both parties are in the pockets of the rich. They just serve in different ways. white_wolf Mar 2012 #10
Republicans don't want you to vote. B Calm Mar 2012 #27
My phrasing was clumsy. Most are likely to vote... none will volunteer. Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #31
What kind of person expects a President to "deliver" things to them? treestar Mar 2012 #34
Oh please it is a common figure of speech. white_wolf Mar 2012 #35
He has delivered on him promises treestar Mar 2012 #85
How about the Patriot Act? white_wolf Mar 2012 #86
You make a good point loyalsister Mar 2012 #79
I expect politicians to "deliver" on their campaign promises, bvar22 Mar 2012 #84
Yes, calling these college educated youths (2 go to Columbia, 2 are at UCBerkeley, 1 graduated from Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #3
Yep, this is exactly the attitude people feel from this Party now. woo me with science Mar 2012 #4
Genius GOTV strategy. myrna minx Mar 2012 #11
I imagine we often subscribe stupidity to people LanternWaste Mar 2012 #74
They're not registering as Democrats. randome Mar 2012 #78
The complete opposite of my corner of the world. JNelson6563 Mar 2012 #5
That's cool. Which Occupy would that be? I'd like to follow their twitter feed and Face Book page. Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #16
Could be one of these The Straight Story Mar 2012 #26
I was asking for links to the specific Occupy group she was talking about. I'm following 75 or more Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #29
What a great idea! JNelson6563 Mar 2012 #69
Thank you for asking! JNelson6563 Mar 2012 #68
And in my neck of the woods, Le Taz Hot Mar 2012 #70
Sounds like your local Dem party JNelson6563 Mar 2012 #73
Well, thanks to modern medicine, Le Taz Hot Mar 2012 #75
I know the story, it's frustrating! JNelson6563 Mar 2012 #76
Fuck 'em! Nader & Ron Paul ain't happening....EVER! Tarheel_Dem Mar 2012 #8
Rick Perlstein is in his mid-forties and is a commtited Democrat. Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #13
First of ProSense Mar 2012 #9
The article doesn't imply "that Democrats are moving away from party identification.. girl gone mad Mar 2012 #15
That's ProSense Mar 2012 #17
Source from Pew... Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #30
That ProSense Mar 2012 #32
Y Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #33
As ProSense Mar 2012 #37
It is amazing how little political savvy is being expressed here. It is a remarkable statistic Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #18
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #12
Let's hope that those right wing Republicans will cough up cash for Obama like they did for Kerry... Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #14
+1 AnOhioan Mar 2012 #20
The difference is, the purpose of the Kerry $ was to put a Democrat in the White House. Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #40
+1... SidDithers Mar 2012 #44
If you are going to present unsubstantiated assertions as proof... Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #52
What unsubstantiated assertions? Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #56
Nijad Fares donated to $2000 to Obama in 2004 (Senate campaign). Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #61
Again, don't be facile. Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #65
Right wing Republicans $110,000 to Nader. $10,000,000 to Kerry. Piss poor attempt Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #66
I agree that everyone who involved with Nader's campaigns was wasting their time Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #82
"If that bugs you, you're at the wrong website" Tarheel_Dem Mar 2012 #72
Yep. Bad story repeating itself. nt bluestate10 Mar 2012 #22
So, you agree that John Kerry should have returned the $10 million he received from Republican Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #24
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #41
So you agree that John Kerry who accepted donations that were 5 times Nader's entire Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #45
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #49
See post numbe-r-r-r-r-r feeefty-tooooooooo! Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #55
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #57
With a stick! Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #59
IOKIYAR Aerows Mar 2012 #83
IOKIYAD Fumesucker Mar 2012 #58
GOP reliance on ‘culture wars’ turning off younger voters BumRushDaShow Mar 2012 #19
Glad to hear that the youth going to have their votes taken for granted and think for themselves. Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2012 #21
Potentially getting a republican elected President is fucking stupid. bluestate10 Mar 2012 #23
Oh, they are standing up for plenty of things, alright. Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #25
It sounds like they stand for the right not to buy into the establishment. Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2012 #28
Projection??? It would appear the problem is standing for things. TheKentuckian Mar 2012 #64
OBAMA BAD! REAL, REAL BAD!! Liberal_Stalwart71 Mar 2012 #36
Yeah that national youth registration for republicans fujiyama Mar 2012 #38
The Democrats really need to get some voices on a national platform to steal these issues. Saving Hawaii Mar 2012 #48
I actually think pot legalization would play very well nationally, especially w/ proper framing. Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #53
replies to this thread are perfect example of how NOT to try to re-engage these kids ibegurpard Mar 2012 #39
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #42
Let's do the time warp... YEAH! Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #46
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #50
I didn't bring up Nader and neither did Perlstein.... Luminous Animal Mar 2012 #60
Eat your peas.. Fumesucker Mar 2012 #47
I can sum up the Democrats' problem with young voters in three words: LetTimmySmoke Mar 2012 #43
I'll agree with you there. A lot of us old farts are tired of it, too. Warren DeMontague Mar 2012 #51
Purely anecdotal, but today at the Student Walk Out nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #54
This doesn't mean good news for the Repukes, young cons are likely to identify themselves as Repukes pstokely Mar 2012 #62
Please, this article is just a scare tactic Obamacare Mar 2012 #63
True, but today's GOP is "as relevant to what America is becoming as an ice pick in New Orleans." pampango Mar 2012 #67
Kick woo me with science Mar 2012 #71
This piece stands in stark contrast to young people AtomicKitten Mar 2012 #77
They may not be registering as Democrats, but you haven't shown me any polling Arkana Mar 2012 #80
Republicans have a REAL problem Aerows Mar 2012 #81
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