Younger Voters Rapidly Deserting Bush

[Nambe]

The Washington Post

Mounting concerns over the war and the sluggish economy have sent President Bush's popularity plummeting among young adults in the past four months, complicating his bid for reelection and challenging Republicans to increase their efforts to win over new or lightly committed young voters.

Four years ago, network exit polls found that Bush and Democrat Al Gore split the vote of 18-to-29-year-olds, with Gore claiming 48 percent and Bush getting 46 percent -- the best showing by a Republican presidential candidate in more than a decade.

But that was then. In the latest Post- ABC News poll, taken immediately after the Democratic National Convention, Kerry led Bush 2 to 1 among registered voters younger than 30. Among older voters, the race was virtually tied. About 1 in 6 voters in 2000 was between 18 and 29 years old. ..

Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[madrchsod]

1. jon stewart-howard stern effect

and of course the only jobs are temp to hire at 7-8 an hour with no benefits. most young adults can see bush is a complete moran...

[kodi]

13. chalk it up to the contrarian streak of young people.

same as it ever was.

bush did well in 2000 with young people in part because gore represented established ways, and bush was the outsider, the rebel.

now, bush is the establishment, and young people are skeptical of the established way of things.

[Zorra]

2. At 1 in 6 and 2 to 1, we have a winner. Bu$h is toast. Young folks

rarely get polled because they can no longer afford housing and telephones. This means that all the major national polls are skewed toward Bu$h because they poll mainly older voters, and that Kerry is actually leading by a larger margin than poll results indicate.

Woo-hoo!

[fizzana]

8. They have phones but they're generally cell phones and they

aren't around at home as much to receive polling calls. This confirms what I've been saying all along that after this election the polling companies are going to have to sit down and re-examine their entire methodology because they were so off the mark.

[Tansy_Gold]

71. It doesn't matter how many of them don't answer the phone

The pollsters have a pre-determined number of people they have to survey in each pre-determined demographic group.

They may have to call 15 people to get 12 pukes to answer, and then they're done.

If they have to call 500 people to get 12 Dems between 18 and 25, then they call 500 people.

It's the number of people who ANSWER that matters, not the number called.

I am called frequently on product surveys. The questioner always asks general demographic questions first: gender, married/single, homeowner/renter/live with family, age, income level, etc., etc., etc. About half the time, they only get through half the list and then politely tell me "We already have enough respondents in your category. Thank you for your time, and we'll call you again!"

The notion that pukes are "ahead" in anything because they're home to answer the phone is NONSENSE.

[rumguy]

3. THE FUTURE BELONGS TO US!!

[Cassandra]

5. Hey, don't forget about us older folks...

who have the sense to see the chimp for the simian he is.

[Kenergy]

33. I'm with you Cassandra...

I'm 50 and I see through shrub's lies.
I was walking down the street with my Kerry T-shirt on and
a guy who was in my estimation 65 y.o. said to me "make sure
you vote for Kerry".
I replied I certainly would.
We're not alone:-)

[Cassandra]

62. I just turned fifty and the nicest thing about that is...

when Repukes try to revise the history of Repuke administrations, that doesn't work with me because I was around and I remember.

[Geo55]

77. You mean....

REAGAN ... WASN'T ......GOD?

feeling a little crushed right now.

[Blue Gardener]

55. My Dad is 75

And despises Bush. He has screwed with the seniors way too much, and they are pissed.

[alittlelark]

6. The future RELIES on you

get your friends out there and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Just the opinion of a forty-some mommy;)

[Cloud]

12. Here is one young voter for Kerry

Since I am 20 this will be my first presidential election that I am eligible to vote in. I so can't wait to vote for Kerry. Of course the best part would be lurking at free republic on election night and watching the meltdown. It will be better than sex.

Of course 18-30 year olds are rarely polled. I have never been polled before.

[alittlelark]

30. I'm a forty-some who has also never been polled

and I live in the 94024 zip (big $), but have always been registered dem.

[rocktivity]

63. I'm really torn about what to do on election night

Since I've joined DU, I've spent them here at the computer with a bottle of champagne, which I drink either out of :) or :cry:. But this year, I think it would be really cool to go to a local DU gathering. What a dilemma!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Kahuna]

17. Yeah, Baby! Yeah!

[mom cat]

51. Good luck. We are leaving quite a mess for you to clean up.

:yourock:

[LauraK]

4. This was evident at the Portland rally yesterday.

The Oregonian interviewed teens too young to vote that were surprisingly informed and anxious to vote.

I doubt if a normal teen could get in to see dimson.

[Fone Book]

15. I'm 15 - I can't wait to vote

n/t

[caledesi]

20. Good for you Fone!

Gawd, when I as 15, I was so "out of it"...who cares who gets elected.

I admire you.

[K8-EEE]

39. Yay Fone!! My 13 y/o Is Like You, A Thinker!!

When I was in high school I loved our then-Gov, Jerry Brown. Those were the days!!

You know, the kids today are really, really smart. They always showcase the dumbass kids on the media but the kids I meet, they are so far ahead in their thinking than when we were their age.

Good on ya Fone!! We're counting on your generation to get us out of this mess.

[Dover]

52. My 17 yr. old niece has been working HARD for the Dems all summer

and is just absolutely SICK she can't vote! Works out her frustration by just getting real active for the Dems and organizing student political debates at school. She's also going into political science in college.

[Comicstripper]

66. I'm sixteen

And, since I can't vote, I'm doing my part to get kerry elected as well.
i've been volunteering at his national campaign headquarters in DC. i live in MD, a safe democratic state, so i've been commuting with friends to virginia, which is much closer, and signing people up as volunteers. there is a lot of "well, i dont like bush, but i sure as hell ain't votin' for kerry" sentiment this time around, and i genuinely think the kerry campaign will capitilize on this.
i am a new driver. the car i will be inheriting is a stick. as incentive for learning to drive it, my parents told me that i couldn't put my kerry bumper sticker on it until i could drive it by myself.
i learned it in three days.

[Dover]

70. It is so reassuring to me (middle aged ) to know our future will be

in such good hands. So proud of your generation stepping up to the plate. Makes me cry with tears of joy, relief, saddness for the task you will have....but assured you will all meet the challenges of your generation with strength, integrity and....I hope plenty of humor that is born of deep wisdom, to lighten the load.

[peacetalksforall]

7. Their job future is in India.

Slight clash of expectation.

[neonplaque]

9. I have 3 siblings under 30...

2 are for Kerry, 1 for Bush. The one voting for Bush is ignorant to politics and only votes Republican cause daddy told him they will save him on taxes. We're still working on him.

[Cloud]

23. Here is what you should tell the one who is for Bush

Tell him that Kerry will actually lower the taxes on the middle class and raise them back to Clinton levels on the top 2%.

If we stick with Bush's plan of tax cuts and deficit spending now we will only have higher taxes in the future to control an already outrageous national debt.

[neonplaque]

26. yes, but.. 'Dad' is in that top 2%..

so the point is moot. More money that stays in dads pocket now the more money he thinks will end up in his pocket in the future. It's hard to find an effective arguement with people who only think of greed and themselves and are ignorant and uncaring to how the policies they support effect everyone else.

[Blue Gardener]

56. Ask him how he likes the weather in Iraq

Or Afghanistan, or Iran. When the draft is re-activated, they could haul his ass over there too, especially if he has a skill they need bodies for.

[SoCalDem]

29. A "letter" I wrote to republicans

SoCalDem (1000+ posts) Mon May-17-04 05:22 PM
Original message

My dear Republican friends,


So, are you done being "played"??.... Have you "seen the light"??

Right about now, some of you must have noticed that your "boy" is tap dancing as fast as he can, yet he seems to be getting boos instead of rose garlands..

For 30 years, you have been "played". The people to whom you have trusted your futures, and your children's, have let you down...again..

....These fat-cats at the top of your "party" know full well that some of you don't like "dark people", so they have carefully crafted language that you lap up with a "wink, wink, nod, nod". They have no intention of carrying through with their carefully couched plans to re-segregate and return to the "good ole days" that they pretend to long for.. They like the days NOW.. They are making tons of money by rotating in and out of industry and government.

....The republican-masters at the top of the heap, got that way because THEY control the taxes that they pay. They throw the peons a bone now and then, and let them think that they too are getting a tax break...finally.. But Look at those utility bills, that college tuition bill, that grocery bill...look at the latest rent increase or the increase in property taxes.. That $10 extra every week in your paycheck doesn't BEGIN to cover the increases in the things you pay "hidden" taxes on. Roads are not free, power plants are not free,bridges are not free, city government is not free.. Taxes pay for these things, and when they revenues go down, the COST of those services to the public goes UP. It's a fact of life.The extra money you were supposed to have , to help boost the economy, just ends up in another rich man's pocket...along with the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tax cuts HE got.

....They know that some of you are truly religious, so they came up with a "bone" for you all too.. They ooze "faith" from each and every pore when they are talking to you all and asking for votes, but behind closed doors, they continue to cheat on their wives, abuse their kids, and do all the things that they profess to hate..like you do..

....They know how you all loathe the "welfare queens" ..Ronald Reagan told you all about them.. The ones with the fur coats and Cadillacs, out to collect their food stamps..She was a made up myth.. The real welfare queens are visible when the fat cats look in the mirror. They "rent" public land for pennies to graze their cattle...they take kickback subsidies for their corporations, and then they lay you and your friends off.. They tell you about all the wonderfully diabolical things they have in store for those "damned immigrants" , but they are the ones who offer jobs to them.. Why?? Because they know that the immigrants will be too afraid to dare ask for a raise, or bathrooms or decent wages, or health insurance..These workers get hurt on the job, and then have to go to emergency rooms. which raises the cost for all of us.. The reason they get hurt is because these same fat cats have bribed our legislators to "ease" the safety requirements on the job.. If you end up blind in one eye, it's no biggie to them.. you have TWO eyes..

....These same politicians know that if you ever got some truth , you might see through their lies, so they have made sure that the airwaves are chocked full of people who "sound reasonable", yet seem to always agree with only their ideas.. Didn't it ever strike you as odd, that no matter what time of day you turned on the radio for all those years, you rarely (if ever) heard an opposing opinion? These fat cats at the top, have tons of money, but they still needed to "push your buttons" to get you out to vote for them. They had to have a perpetual way to get your attention..and they needed to keep you "upset and angry" enough to turn out on election day.

About those buttons:

....Abortion is always a bell they can ring, and their Pavlovian supporters start salivating. Whether your unknown-to-you neighbor has an abortion, or does not, should be of little consequence to you, but over the years, they and their preacher friends have somehow convinced a lot of you, that by inserting yourselves into the crotches of all women, you are endearing yourselves to God Almighty. Do you really think that you are getting "extra credit" for screeching epithets at women who may be entering a clinic for a pap smear, or for encouraging "physicicide"?
Ask yourselves , truthfully, if you would welcome the child of YOUR 13 year old who was raped..or would you just quietly call a doctor-friend, who would "help" in such a situation?

....Guns are always a fun issue for them too. They know that a lot of their supporters are gun aficionados, so they try to scare you into thinking that the next knock on your door will be Ted Kennedy coming to collect all your guns.. Cars are registered, and yet, unless you miss payments,no one is coming to take your car away from you. In case you haven't noticed, there are democrats who like guns too.

....School vouchers are another interesting wedge issue, since it hits on several of their "issues". "Upper-Crusty" Private schools probably see the government vouchers as valuable as toilet paper for their little scions who attend, but for the storefront Bible oriented schools, these are manna from heaven.Vouchers themselves are not the problem, as much as they are a clever way to funnel public tax money into private enterprises, while weakening the public schools that most people choose for their kids.. This should be an issue for you to be on the "other" side. Taking public money for private use seems like something that fiscal conservatives would be against. Somehow, they have managed to convince a bunch of you that with that $3,000 voucher in your hand, it's "next-stop-Exeter" for little Jim Bob , jr... What that voucher will do for you is allow other fat cats like Bill (the Gambler) Bennett to sell some of his software so he can hit Vegas in style..Marvin (Asian girls have sex with him for free) Bush also is into the private school scams, so your vouchers help him too.

....School prayer is always good for a few hoots too. Every religious kid on earth has prayed in school, but organized prayer in school (unless it's a religious school) is NOT OK. This does not mean that God has no place in school. God can be in each student's heart and soul. Teacher-led or school sanctioned public prayer is NOT for public school, and deep down you know it. It's an interesting issue to drag out of the closet every election year.

The flip side of "your" issue is this... If Susie Jones can lead the Lord's Prayer, and all are expected to chime in, how will YOUR child feel when Mohamed leads the prayer from the Koran, or a Jewish child leads the prayer, or a Hindu child, or a Sikh child, or a Buddhist child? Will your child behave respectfully, or will they come home and after telling you, will YOU run to complain to the school board?? Like it or not, we ARE a pluralistic society, and the "new people" who have come here with their faith and customs, are allowed to have the same rights as you have.

....What if you found out that the two elderly "sisters" who have lived in your neighborhood for 30 years, are really not sisters? What if they had babysat for your kids, and you had invited them to Thanksgiving Dinner? What if you had liked them for all those years, and THEN you found out that they were gay? Does that make you a bad judge of character? Does that mean that somehow your children will "turn gay" because you found out about them? Will your marriage suddenly crumble to dust because someone you thought was an old maid, turned out to be a lesbian? Will they now expect you to "join them"?? or will they just be what they have always been...your neighbors. Ask yourself about your own children.. What would you really do if your own child was gay? Would you disown a 12 year old who told you he thought he liked boys "in that way"?? Does that make you a bad parent for raising him "wrong"??

....That brings us to the "wacky environmentalists" and their "junk science". Have you ever wondered why so much energy , money and attention is paid to discredit scientists who have spent their lifetimes trying to figure out how to save lives and make our health better? Why WOULD that be?? Hmmmm ..Maybe it's because the tale they are telling us contradicts the corporate masters of your politicians who allow these same companies to pollute your water, air and soil. Is it OK for your baby to get "a little" mercury, arsenic,plutonium, or any other toxins out there?? Do you know what your baby's "upper limit" is regarding tolerance of toxins.?? The "slow" child at 5, may have been poisoned as a baby, and you will NEVER EVER get an answer.. Isn't it better to try whatever it takes, to eliminate ALL toxins from our food chain, and from our air and water?? How is that a BAD thing?? To hear Rush & the gang, one would think that people who legislate for money and corporations who are in it for the money, actually do have your best interests at heart.. Do they?? Is it worth your health or the lives of your children, if they are wrong?? If the environmentalists are wrong, all you get out of it is cleaner air, cleaner water, safer food.. That's a BAD thing??

....Last but not least , we have that "icky" war thing.. I know that most of you wrapped yourselves in the flag with him, and probably thought that we did "need" to attack Iraq, but isn't it a shame that nothing has turned out the way he said they would..

Soldiers keep dying, and we are no closer to the Iraqi Dream that he told you all about.. You know the one.. The one where they race alongside the Humvee, throwing kisses and flowers.. Here are a few facts.. There never were WMDs..(well there were, but those were the ones that his Daddy gave Saddam, and Clinton destroyed 99% of them, and the rest were rusted pieces of junk)..

He KNEW there were no WMDs.. He LIED.. You all jumped for joy when Clinton was coerced into a lie about sex, yet can so easily ignore a BIG FAT UGLY LIE that has gotten almost 1,000 soldiers, and untold Iraqis killed..Shame on you !..There were ZERO Iraqis on the planes that crashed into our buildings..ZERO..ZERO..

Do you really believe, deep down in your bones, that George W cares one iota about the welfare of the Iraqi people?? Of course he does not. It's about enriching his contractor friends, and his daddy, and of course, himself..when he leaves office. It's about the "Grand Plan"..the one where the US controls the world.. It's almost a James Bond-like fantasy, only it's NOT A MOVIE.. Real people are spilling real blood,thousands of them, and the end game is not one that he could have predicted. He failed to plan for what happens after the tanks, and choppers, and Humvee..

The Iraqi people have been a civilization for thousands of years, and they are very capable of handling their own affairs. Lots of people around the world feel that OUR leader is a dangerous man. Should their feelings count for nothing?? If they had the military strength, what would happen if they decided to "remove" our leader? Would you take up arms against them?? Of course you would. This mis-adventure is turning out badly because it was unnecessary from the beginning.He was hell-bent to have his "war", even though he had a perfectly appropriate opportunity many years ago, but was too scared to go. He needed to be the wartime hunky president in a padded flight suit.. It's always about the photo-ops.

....If you sit down and play a game of "pretend" you will see the light.. Here's how you play.. Read any article and every time the word "Bush" appears, substitute "Clinton".. Do a "gut-check"..Tight, uneasy, angry,conflicted?..

You have been "played", but it's not hopeless. Imagine YOUR job out-sourced.. Imagine YOUR insurance gone... Imagine yourself homeless.. Imagine your own child stricken with a preventable cancer.. Imagine your own freedom ...gone.. It's almost there.. But there is still time..

No one is telling you that you MUST vote for Kerry, just that you take the time to think for yourself..analyze what you read.. Read foreign papers.. There is actually "news" in other places, and things that happen here DO affect them too.. They have a stake in what happens here..

It's called empathy.. Look it up.. It's helpful and it really does not cost that much.. The returns far outweigh the cost

[mom cat]

53. I just saved your letter and would have nominated it for front page.

Unfortunately , responces in threads are not eligible. perhaps you could update it a bit and repost in the editorial section. KEEP WRITING! :yourock:

[SoCalDem]

76. done.. see editorials :)

Thanks :)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=67964&mesg_id=67964

[Career Prole]

69. Bee-yoo-tee-ful! Standing "O" for that, SoCalDem!

Why don't you submit that as an article or start a thread with it so we can get it on the homepage somehow?

:yourock:

[SoCalDem]

74. I updated it and reposted it in editorials

Thanks for the kind words :)

[Career Prole]

75. Good move...there are lots of republicans who need to read

that letter. :toast:

[fortyfeetunder]

37. You tell that one Bush fan

he's voting himself a ticket to Iraq...and the sand flies really suck (blood)....

[mom cat]

50. Welcome to DU neonplaque..That is a neat name.

Sounds like your family is a landslide for Kerry. Good luck in converting the holdout! :hi: :toast: :dem:

[oly]

10. You must be kidding ...

racist, sexist, homophobic, insane religiosity. Why would gen-xers and yers be turned off? WOW, talk about an Oldsmobile.

[bluestateguy]

11. It's the draft

One candidate will conscript them into the military for more imperial military adventures, the other candidate will not.

[Kahuna]

14. Yep. Let's keep scaring the bejeezus outta 'em about a draft..

:evilgrin: That look they get on their face when you mention a draft if really funny. I really like to see it when I tell the girls that they could be drafted too. :evilgrin:

[NEDem]

40. YES! YES! YES!

From now on if you can get a young voter to talk politics tell them that * is serious about eh draft. It'll scare the shit out of them. Hell I'm too old and it scares the shit out of me.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

57. The important thing is to get them to the polls

scared or not. Get them there.

[tblue37]

68. When I informed a 19-yr-old

female friend of mine that Bush was planning a draft and that girls would not be exempt, she burst into tears. She is now a registered anti-Bush voter who talks to all her friends about this issue. before this, she was the type who said, "Oh, don't talk about politics. That is so boring!"

Polls show that 55% of college students believe Bush plans to bring back the draft.

[Skittles]

16. I'm impressed with the young people of America

they seem to know the score better than a lot of well-seasoned folk

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

18. Good news

Except that as a rule younger people don't vote. Back in 1972 the youth vote was supposed to send McGovern to the Whitehouse. Wrong!!!!!

I don't mean to be totally negative in 1992 a lot of young people turned out to vote for Clinton. Problem was, two years later they didn't bother to show up to the polls. The Repugs took over congress that year.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

19. ................................

[Feanorcurufinwe]

21. If a majority of 18-21 year olds vote, we'll win.

[Babel_17]

22. Hmmm, this could in part explain the recall of troops .....

..... from other parts of the world.

Bushco must know the race is beyond tight and they must do everything to minimize the credibility of the inevitable issue of the draft.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

25. Thought the same thing myself.

Only when threatened with the loss of his job does * do anything right.

[SpecialK84]

24. If I could have I wouldn't have voted for him last time either ...

Even at 16 in a very conservative family I recognized Bush for what he was. I don't claim it was clairvoyance (just common-freaking-sense) when I told my parents that if Bush became President we would no doubt be at war with Iraq by the end of his first (and only) term.

Luckily they have since seen the light and are voting with me, in my first election, for the right man for President.

[PlanetBev]

38. Welcome to DU, Special K

Ah, another young'n. Congrats on waking up your parents. If you're an example of your generation, I can sleep at night.

[berry]

41. Hey, that's great!

And your parents may have been conservative, but the fact that they listen to you and respect your views, and even came around means they were pretty special even before coming over from the dark side.

Oh, and welcome to DU!

[lebkuchen]

27. W/the large number of troops separating from the military

and the last incentives for enlisting in the army being usurped by the Bushies, young people need to be concerned. There will be a draft under a second Bush term.

[Arcturus]

28. Hey, I'm 18-29!

This is the second presidential election since I turned 18, but the first I'll be voting in. I couldn't vote in 2000 on account of being in the southern hemisphere at the time, and didn't get my absentee ballot until too late. My state voted for Gore anyway, fortunately.

[ArnoldLayne]

31. Alot of the ones I've talked to

in the steelmill where I work and my daughters friends in the 18 to 21 year range are worried about the draft being started up if Bush wins.

[nolabels]

35. Public Service Message

Serve Your Community and the Nation
Become a Selective Service System Local Board Member

The Selective Service System wants to hear from men and women in the community who might be willing to serve as members of a local draft board.

Prospective Board Members must be citizens of the United States, at least 18 years old, and registered with the Selective Service (if male). Prospective Board Members may not be an employee of any law enforcement occupation, not be an active or retired member of the Armed Forces, and not have been convicted of any criminal offense.

Once identified as qualified candidates for appointment, prospective Board Members are recommended by the Governor and appointed by the Director of Selective Service, who acts on behalf of the President in making appointments. Each new member receives 12 hours of initial training after appointment, followed by 4 hours of annual training for as long as he or she remains in the position. They may serve as Board Members for up to 20 years, if desired.

Local Board Members are uncompensated volunteers who play an important community role closely connected with our Nation's defense. If a military draft becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men, who submit a claim, receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service, based on Federal guidelines.

Positions are available in many communities across the Nation. If you believe you meet the standards for Selective Service Board Membership, and wish to be considered for appointment please visit our web site at: http://www.sss.gov/fslocal.htm
(snip)
http://www.thememoryhole.org/mil/draft-boards.htm

Really the way buffoon is headed I tend to believe not too many people of any age group are safe from him.

[murielm99]

46. I should get my husband to do this.

I think they need people like him on draft boards.

He is a vet for Kerry who hates this senseless war.

He was drafted during the Vietnam era, but they sent him to Germany to be in the signal corps. It was during the Prague spring when they beefed up the numbers of troops there.

We are a three generation military family. His uncle is a survivor of the Bataan Death March.

We could get a compassionate person on our draft board here. It might help.

Let's pray we don't need this.

[nolabels]

61. Couple things

My guess this was one of them feeler things things they do. Put the story out to gage the reaction by the public then get rid of it when it looks bad. One of reasons we can read about it is because a website like the Memoryhole (tne story is gone, click on the Memoryhole link) saved it for that reason. I am thinking you are kind of serious with your post (if not that's okay too, my fingers like the exercise early in the morning).

The other thing is they state the of a need not been prior or active military (some kind of head trip to try and make people think its fair).
This whole thing is political dynamite and thats why it is not being touched with a ten foot pole

You can only guess from putting two and two together what is really going on

US to redeploy 100,000 troops and shut bases

Peter Beaumont
Sunday August 15, 2004
The Observer

President George Bush will announce tomorrow that the US military will pull up to 100,000 troops out of Europe and Asia in the biggest redeployment since the end of the Cold War.

The plan will see a number of US bases in Germany closed down, and troops returned home or redeployed to Eastern Europe.

The redeployment - first reported by The Observer in February last year in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq - will be presented by Bush as a logical response to the war on terrorism when he addresses the 2.6 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars at its annual convention in Cincinnati.

In February last year, however, when the proposal was first mooted, Pentagon officials presented the closure of the bases in Germany as punishment for Germany's refusal to back the war in Iraq.
(snip)
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1283660,00.html

[milkyway]

32. The day after 9/11 I told my then 11-yr-old son here in NYC the one good

thing that would come out of 9/11 is that his generation would be much more politically and socially aware than the current young generation. In the last couple of decades the majority of young Americans stopped being as politically progressive as the previous generation. Youth culture moved away from politics and thoughtfulness. But I thought that the children of 9/11 would grow up to be strongly anti-war and place more value on thinking and knowledge. Rather than reflexively being pro-war, these kids will know the human tragedy of war.

I think that's what the poll is showing. If we can get through the current mess, I think the children of 9/11 will work really hard to make this world a better place for everyone when they're older.

[ksatriyakiller]

34. beautifully said.

from a 22 y.o.

[milkyway]

43. Thanks. Maybe I'm not getting a realistic view of things here in NYC, but

the kids I know (I have two sons, 14 and 11) are a lot more aware of things than my friends and I were at the same age. They also are very anti-war, almost instinctively against escalation, knowing it will lead to a never-ending war. They don't want to see more people suffer for revenge. For a while, youth culture seemed to honor those that could be the most loud and dumb. I think the kids who are growing up and coming of age with 9/11 as part of their consciousness will place a stronger emphasis on reason and human compassion. I see it in college-age kids also. They are becoming cool again, not just worrying about the next keg party.

We live in Manhattan, up toward midtown. We had a clear view of the WTC from our apartment. When the second tower was hit that morning, I ran back across town to get my kids out of school. Before heading home, I took them a block out of the way so that they could get a clear view of the WTC. All we could see was a monstrous cloud of black smoke drifting toward us--the towers had already collapsed. I told my kids that I wanted them to see it with their own eyes, not just filtered through television where it would almost seem not a part of real life.

Since that day I have become an increasingly strong believer in LIHOP. The thought of the bush cabal coming to New York to shamelessly campaign on top of the 3,000 dead bodies he's responsible for makes me sick. My kids and I will be out in the streets protesting these un-American thugs and their crimes against all humanity.

[Kixel230]

78. My opinion...

This is my first time posting on here, but I have been reading your thoughts for quite a while. I feel like I am reading my own thoughts some times! Anyhow, as a 26-year-old woman, I would say my peers have something a lot of older voters do not-flexibility. I consider myself an independent more than I do a democrat. We are not tied to the old party lines the way older voters may be. Granted, I am not saying that this mainframe is only for voters under thirty, but I think it's more predominant in our age group.

[0rion]

36. I'm going on a gloat fest come Election day when Kerry is pronounced......

WINNER!

[rsmith6621]

42. Just Like Daddy Did

Anyone remember Tabitha Sorens interview with daddy Bush in 1992 on the train??????

Daddy did a great job at showing his lack of concern for youth.....that interview was done in Aug.....the month the pundants believe the White House was going to belong to Clinton.

[DeepModem Mom]

44. Welcome to DU, rsmith!

[neverborn]

45. Too-young-to-vote here.

I'd vote Badnarik because of how atrocious some of Kerry's policies are, but I've been working for Kerry since he won the nomination (Super Tuesday).

We've got to get Bush the HELL out.

[dumpster_baby]

47. This election will set the GOP back far into the future

They have turned the young against them with the lies, deceit, warmongering, globalization, etc. How can any young person forget this horrid job market? And for those of us who suffered through the 89-93 job market, too, we now see the pattern.

A whole generation of voters are now against the GOP.

[DaveSZ]

48. <----young voter

Kerry's good points:

-Wants to raise the minimum wage
-Best environmental record in the Senate
-Will appoint judges who will respect civil liberties, civil rights, and the right to privacy (not pro-torture judges)
-I like his healthcare plan
-Believes in science and is not blinded by fundamentalism
-He can win

Kerry's bad points:

-He may carry out the same imperialistic foreign policies as * in Central America and the Mid East.

-Will probably not have the balls to enforce anti-trust laws like they should be, but I hope I'm wrong.

[moondust]

49. Nice to know

somebody is voting on Bush*s disastrous record rather than his bullshit.

[Solon]

54. I'm a 26 year old who voted straight Democratic since 18.

Back in '96 I registered as a Independant, but LOVED Clinton, considering my grandmother was invited to his last inarguartion, it was a no brainer. Voted for Gore in the second presidential election I participated in, too bad MO went for Bush, it was so damned close. I am VERY hopeful that MO will help deliver Kerry to the White House this time around.

[CRK7376]

58. Hope the trend

continues! My 15yo son says most of the kids he talks to in his high school are swinging toward the Democrats....hope he's correct, unfortunately most of the kids are still too young to vote....Few more years......

[iceman_419]

59. Remember though..

That the people who usually vote are older. While it is great, and not unusual, that Kerry is leading with the 18-29 year olds they still need to get out and vote. That is the number one thing I worry about, especially the minorities. We need to get them to the polls.

[BlueCollar]

60. No question about it

If we don't get our voters to either vote early or vote on election day, then all of it is just fluff

[truthisfreedom]

64. whenever you worry about your country, you vote DEMOCRATIC. that's a

freaking fact.

[goforit]

65. This would be common sense!!!........Cheers to the new leaders of US

[gatlingforme]

67. I am sure Bush and Co. can fix this by nullifying all votes in this

voter age range by discounting them all as "potential future felons"
and purge their registrations LOL. (hmm, he might try that too actually, which is in itself an example of how low I think of Bush)

edited for spelling

[PATRICK]

72. To add again some anecdotal

explanation. On video game boards that dwarf the size of political sites
the buzz among the young males is admiration for Kerry's war exploits, therefore character, for one thing. That is another reason why Bush is so desperately attacking the war record. Only on political flame fests do you get the contrarian Bush supporters who is more widely derided and mainly the subject of the funnier animations on the Internet. Only the illusion that the usually independent or "libertarian" male population on the Internet is Conservative is retained on news and political sites- probably with great artificial effort, more anger than enthusiasm.

If you believe Bush has a chance at youth support, women support, or any other group for that matter, then you must be following the wonderful sources that declared Chavez had lost the recall vote or maybe the Drudge
newsflash on the eve of election 2000 that Bush would win California.

[Katha]

73. I'm twenty

and I'd say a good 90% of the people I know in my age group are planning on voting for Kerry. They're excited to be able to get to the poll booths in November -- for most of my friends, and for me, this is our first presidential election.

Just wait and see, we'll turn out in droves on the 2nd!

[Eurobabe]

79. The youngin's will push K/E over the top

In my kid's circles (20 & 22/y.o. girls), only one of their friends is voting for Bu$h, (and he may be convinced to just sit it out, although F9-11 may flip him.) I meet him on Thursday, plan to practice the old Socratic method to poke holes in his skewed logic.