after my Texas dem Christmas party yesterday-a question for you guys

[w8liftinglady]

I had a really great time...met some fantastic people,brought my partner and two other dems in the wilderness....and noticed the mean age was 55.

No one under 40 there...no one.
Could be the make-up of my county...many are retired and long-time union and teachers.

Do you have a large youth base where you live?How do you build it?We have one public college,but the Democrats have no presence there(The r's do).


What works?

Just a simple question.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. we've been to events as well

and no, you are not nuts. But that is also a reflection of the lack of political activation of the youth in this country. Most folks really do not develop a political mind until their mid- thirties nor is it encouraged.

[jtuck004]

2. Maybe now, but some were developing it in their 20's during the 50's

and 60's, and the older folks had the guts and strenghth to educate them as to the history of collective action, socialism, and progressivism.

Much of that seems to be gone now, though I suspect college kids facing a mountain of debt and no jobs wouldn't
mind hearing how an oligarchy has pushed their sharp, rigid proboscis into the spirit and pockets of Republicans, Tea Partiers,
and Democrats and is busily sucking away any opportunity for a future.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Well I am talking of the now

Yesterday for whatever reason May Day came out, Haymarket. And I was called a LIBERAL, oh the horror, by the local southern boy who is a fan of the war between the states, I mean I remember them COMMIES never mind it was truly an... ANARCHIST revolt.... of course this guy is a FAN of Bedform Roberts... and why the horror should we even remember his most singular act?

So that is what we fight.

[jtuck004]

17. Sorry - my point being is that they still could, if the teachers

would come out of the woodwork. (And I am using teachers in the societal sense, more like organizers). People are still the same.

The biggest fight is people throwing off this stupid training in individualism and rememberbing that the best things we have ever done were because of community.

But it seems like everyone would rather yank each other's chain over labels and social issues while the few that exist at the end of the scale suck us all dry.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. I know and I try

but there are massive trends in the US that make this hard.

I try to speak to youth and speak of what matters... We need sit ins...

[Ken Burch]

3. Not that many now where I am(there was a huge influx during the Obama campaign

but of course, they've been discarded now that the party thinks it doesn't need them anymore).

Our national party has never forgiven young people for 1972. We've had an anti-youth political culture since then, even though ANY other possible Dem nominee would have lost just as badly as McGovern, especially once Nixon's China trip happened, INCLUDING Scoop Jackson. The post 1972-political record has shown that restricting Democratic politics to "the grown-ups" hasn't worked any better than letting the kids organize and make themselves heard.

[w8liftinglady]

4. I find that disturbing,as this is the base that can truly speak about the needs of the nation

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. It goes father than 1972

This country really does not trust the young to be mature enough to make decisions. Realize in Colonial America the AGE OF MAJORITY was not 21, but 25...

Just saying... there are near reasons why we don't trust the youth... 1972... but this anti youth culture is part of the national DNA.

[Imajika]

5. I'm guessing that young people on both sides...

...just don't dig political party holiday shindigs.

I mean, seriously, young people generally go to parties that are a bit more exciting.

[w8liftinglady]

6. truthfully,I don't see them at ANY TDW,TDP,ECDP meetings.

how does one activate this age group?

[pinboy3niner]

8. Bring back the draft

:evilgrin:

Not something I would advocate, though.

:hi:

[w8liftinglady]

10. LOL...only if they all get to go through boot camp-all of them

[boppers]

13. I hear that...

I still hang with a lot of folks in their 20's, and generally their ideas about what constitutes "party" have absolutely nothing to do with anything political, *unless* (and this is important) you're talking about the anarchists and revolutionaries... but they generally consider democrats to be capitalist/corporate tools, so they aren't very motivated to help. (To save you the effort of a profile click, this is in Portland, OR)

[Texasgal]

7. Travis Country Democrats

seen to have a pretty young group, ofcourse, we are In Austin with UT. Maybe that explains it.

[w8liftinglady]

9. I wish we would have seen a better dem turnout in tarrant County-UTA...but,then it's barton's distri

[noamnety]

11. I only know what doesn't work:

politicians that vote prowar, pro corporate handouts, pro tax cuts for the rich ...

I can't think of a reason that youth would be excited about supporting either major party right now. The problem isn't marketing; it's what the party is actually doing.

[w8liftinglady]

12. you have a good point.they have been bull$h!tted by both sides.

[tabbycat31]

15. That is on my agenda of things to do

I am frequently the youngest person (I'm 30 but look 23) at most Democratic events I attend. I usually try and bring a friend with me so we're not alone.

[TreasonousBastard]

18. Same thing here-- we had our party tonight, and not one under 40 showed up...

we're walking on air that the local party is "under new management" and reinvigorated by some great people.

But, as good as he is, the new chair is 70 and most of the rest of us not much younger. We have a lot of new blood, but we're not sure where the young blood is coming from.

[PeaceNikki]

19. Drinking Liberally.

http://livingliberally.org/drinking/

[w8liftinglady]

22. Oddly enough,DL is where we all met to begin with...they have since disbanded here...

[PeaceNikki]

24. Oh, that's too bad.

If I had the time, I'd start one closer to me.

[Codeine]

21. I'm forty and I'm usually the youngest guy at any area Dem gathering.

I'm not as disturbed by this as I am by the fact that at forty I'm also the youngest guy at our area swinger parties. :evilgrin:

[w8liftinglady]

23. lol..well..I like my men older,so it's all good with me...

[Odin2005]

31. That is definitely a generational thing.

us younger folks generally are not into swinging and polyamory, that is decadent nonsense Boomer and Xer parents do! :-) we like good stable relationships and families, regardless of one's sexual orientation.

[derby378]

25. Strong Democratic presence in Dallas - but that's about it

And yes, we do have some outreach to the youth, but I think a lot of them have been turned off by what they've seen in DC over the past two years.

[SheilaT]

26. As several others have pointed out,

it's really that the young'uns feel they have better things to do than hang out with us old codgers, especially at political events. When I was in my twenties and thirties I didn't pay much attention to politics. I didn't pay attention to who the governor of my state was, nor who my Representative and Senators were. Looking back, I'm appalled at my younger self.

The older I got, the more I cared, but I was well over fifty before I started getting involved in party politics in any meaningful way. And since I moved to my current state (NM) two years ago, aside from doing some volunteer work for the Tom Udall Senate campaign in '08, I haven't done anything other than vote.

[AnneD]

27. OK...this will get me flamed but....

recruit young women. Women and young girls are more incline to have a social conscious, and care more. They volunteer. Trust me, once you get them involved, the guys will show up, like bees to honey.

My young good looking daughter was brought up with solid Democrat values. We include her in our youth activities. Guys show up if she asks. Am I selling sex, no. But I remember my youth. Rallies were a great place to hook up as the kids say. And education and social consciousness was also accomplished. Make it fun and give the kids meaningful things to do.

Start by recruiting or forming a Young Dem group on a campus. Campaign as hard there as you would a general election. Have mixers etc. Have spontaneous twitter parties, etc. Let the kids of your members help.

[Ken Burch]

28. That's a perfectly reasonable suggestion. There's no reason why it SHOULD get you flamed.

n/t.

[w8liftinglady]

29. my friend is an instructor at a public college here...she worries about

repercussions....just for teaching the truth.

Let the kids of your members help.-um..most of their kids are my age-and I'm 50..I'm having a hard enough time getting my own kid involved...htere is simply no involvement from peers.I had him and his brother work on a county commissioner's campaign..they enjoyed that.I can't get my 20 year-old involved for shit.

Democratic principles should be celebrated,but are crucified instead.

How do you begin an on-campus group?Do you have to be a professor,or can it be an outside group?

[AnneD]

32. Rules vary from campus to campus.....

Some have faculty advisors some don't. The local Dems can offer a leadership grant to encourage involvement.

My daughter is VP of her student government. I was a single mom and couldn't find a sitter. I use to drag her with me. I didn't tell as much as lead by example. She has lead voter registration drives on campus, helped with election get togethers,etc.

Reach them through face book and twitter. Go find active college groups and ask what works. Yes there is apathy but there has always been. But one truism has been that the Dems had better parties when I was in school and as shallow as that seems, the fact that I had fun and met fun people is what drew and kept me in the party when I was a kid....Why do you think they call it a party.

[Odin2005]

30. There is probably unconscious age-segregation going on.

Old folks and younger folks congregating at different places. Younger folks are also more skeptical of party-based politics.