Young people don't vote when the people they would vote for are continually bashed.

[joshcryer]

It's rather simple, you hear it on the news, you see it on blogs, websites, why would you go out and vote for people that are bashed on a continual basis? By the left, no less? It doesn't help that the people they would vote for are running against lying Republicans who pretend to be what they're not.

This is the Republican strategy, cause divisive infighting within the Democratic Party, cause discord, and make sure that we eat our own. And, of course, it works, because yet again we're seeing the failure for young people to vote being placed on "poor leadership."

Then you get calls for purges, within the party, no less, and calls for creating a new party, it's all so perfectly designed to assure that young people (and minorities) don't vote when it matters most. Young people have a lot to fight for, but they're not fighting for it because they're disillusioned in the political process.

When you have Republicans like Mitch McConnell actually bashing Warren for not reigning in the banks, you know that Orwell has to be spinning in his grave. Just like what Gardner did in Colorado (top 10 most conservative person on choice, ran as a moderate). The Republicans are liars.

And the only way they win is to suppress the vote, by any means necessary. College kids having to vote off campus. Voter ID laws. False voter roles disqualifying thousands. Highly illegal mailers telling people wrong information about voting.

The loss in 2014 was not a lack of leadership, it was not because too many Democrats are "third way," it was not because "Democrats are too conservative." It was primarily due to Republican voter suppression tactics, and the best tactic that they have at their disposal is causing infighting through ratfucking.

[tkmorris]

1. You keep telling yourself that

It won't make it true, but hey, whatever keeps you warm at night right?

I think it's kind of sad that you point to infighting within the Democratic Party as a major problem, and then call people ratfuckers. Yeah yeah, I know you'll say that you are only calling Repubs that, but we both know you are really referring to anyone who makes any criticism of the Dems in any way. Most notably, Liberals right here on this board.

[msanthrope]

2. Indeed--who would want to vote for a President described on this board as a

"piece of shit used car salesman?" Not inspiring.

To the jury---you can google that phrase in the helpful little box on the upper right, provided by admin. A DUer really wrote that.

[Sheldon Cooper]

3. So, you would disenfranchise yourself because someone on the internet hurt your feelings?

Wow. Weird.

[Rex]

13. Not weird, desperation.

All the pathetic excuses are starting to turn stale.

[Sheepshank]

15. are you attempting to ignore the role of social media and it's impact

on the younger voter?

wow

[Sheldon Cooper]

24. You can call it whatever you want.

But it would be a cold day in hell before I'd voluntarily stop myself from voting because of something I saw on twitter or facebook or what the fuck ever.

People are being disenfranchised against their will all over the place and because someone got their nose out of joint over social media, for christ fucking sake, they're staying home from the polls??? What a big steaming pantload.

You can take your right to vote seriously and exercise it, or stay home and point the finger at everyone but yourself. The choice is yours.

[Sheepshank]

32. Oh I see where you are going

..because Sheldon Cooper, therefore everyone else.

[Sheldon Cooper]

33. That's exactly right, and don't you forget it.

[joshcryer]

22. Forums like DU aren't that relevant.

Not sure what you're getting at.

The general meme is spread by the MSM.

[Sheldon Cooper]

25. The MSM could have spent six months telling me that Obama eats live kittens

and I would STILL have gone to the polls and voted. If young people (or anyone else for that matter) did not vote, they have no one to blame but themselves. No one.

[joshcryer]

30. The Republican voter suppression isn't relevant?

[Sheldon Cooper]

31. Here is the opening sentence in your OP:

Young people don't vote when the people they would vote for are continually bashed.

That is what I am responding to. All the third wayers and 'rat fuckers' can go fuck themselves, I'm going to the polls. It's the adult thing to do.

[Ink Man]

34. I have two sons in college

and both voted by mail. Sorry, but I don't see college students being suppressed from voting. If they wanted to vote they did. My sons tell me that the only real issues the student are concerned about is pot and parties. If it's not about them they don't care. Very sad.

[JonLP24]

36. Legislatures have recently passed restrictions and registration reforms

including mail balloting which would help out a lot.

Registration and voting barriers
disproportionately impactTh
young
voters,
who tend to be much more mobile than
other groups and are increasingly
diverse. However, reforms such as pre
registration, portable registration, online
registration, same
day or Election Day
Registration, and early in
person voting
all have the p
otential to significantly
increase turnout among young voters

http://www.nonprofitvote.org/documents/2011/11/voter-participation-gaps-in-the-2010-midterm-election.pdf

People rarely talk about politics in social situations but younger voters overall support liberal policies and the gap on climate change is huge compared to older generations. There are wide turnout gaps, even including the poor or the higher the income the better the turnout.

[Orsino]

4. Sure sounds simple.

But young people never engage in the first place with candidates who don't articulate a message relevant to them. That's pretty simple, too.

[Sheepshank]

16. younger people are very engaged in social media

whether they "think" about politics per se is not in question. But they hear and see names and have lots and lots of baggage attached to that name. As fas as they are concerned the homework has been done for them, and when they vote, they vote with the information that have been exposed to.

[Orsino]

18. Instead of voting, maybe?

You may have explained Tuesday, after all. If our party leadership mistook retweets for ballots, some rethinking is certainly in order.

[joshcryer]

23. Sure.

But when it comes down to it the Republicans get a pass for reprehensible policy positions.

[ProSense]

5. You're exactly right.

That explains a landslide Presidential win followed by a pathetic midterm election, twice.

It's clear in 2010 and 2014 that older voters showed. Young voters, especially those at the younger end, likely heard a candidate dissing the President they elected and said: fuck 'em.

It's a theory.

The other theory is that young people are simply tuned into Presidential election years.

[myrna minx]

6. What was the Democtatic Party's message to youth voters this mid-term?

What was their strategy and out reach?
Senator Franken reached out to the youth directly about their horrible burden of student debt, and he won handily on a populist message that appealed to many groups.

Again, what was the Democtatic Party's message?

I agree that voter suppression is a huge problem and the disenfranchisement of our youth and especially African Americans in is new Jim Crow era is disturbing, but what is the Party doing to address these generational defining issues? Why is party leadership not expected to address these issues and the big bad evil left is responsible?

[Autumn]

9. There was one to young Hispanics it was "not now maybe some other time"

Maybe someone can collect the Democratic Party's message to ALL voters.

[Sheepshank]

17. there were several senators pushing student loan issues

there were even more pushing the right to love and marry whomever you wanted. There were others that talked about affordable health care and staying on family policy for extended periods. There were other that talked about immigration, other about pro choice. All subjects would be shut down by the Reps, and subjects that tend to 'speak' to the younger crowd.

It's in the nature of youth to have little foresight when it comes to the vote and politics. Social media has done a bang up job of suppressing the desire and feeding the apathetic mobilization to vote. Kids don't see the point, and a short visit to DU will confirm the constant haranguing about voting for the lesser of two evils.

[JonLP24]

7. So blame the left?

So young voter are hard core partisans?

2010 midterms when young voters who didn't vote were polled why most said work. Others were unfamiliar with registration process and knowing where to vote. A high one was "My 1 vote won't matter".

More than like lack of press is the reason.

[jeff47]

8. No. And stop making the same mistake.

We made the same mistake with the younger half of GenX. They're quite liberal. They support all sorts of liberal policies. We gave them third-way candidates that did not support their beliefs. They stayed home. And continue to do so.

Or to quote Truman:

If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time.

We're making the same mistake with Millennials. And they're not turning out, for the same reason.

We lost this midterm due to cowardice. Liberal causes like expanded gun background checks and reigning in the drug war won. Conservative causes like personhood amendments lost.

We've had an extremely strong economic recovery that our candidates ran in terror from, because it would require mentioning "Obama". We have a program so popular that McConnell had to lie about keeping KyNect while repealing Obamacare, but our candidates were terrified of mentioning Obamacare.

Our candidates gave young people nothing to vote for. So they stayed home.

[hobbit709]

10. Maybe they didn't vote because no candidate stood for anything they would vote for.

But yeah blame the people that weren't real enthusiastic about some of the choices caused everyone else not to vote.
I'd say the reason most of younger voters didn't vote had nothing to do with any lack of enthusiasm on the older voters part.

Ratfucking is blaming everyone else for YOUR problem instead of yourself. I voted and out of over 40 items on the ballot THREE of the ones I voted for won.
so just take your blame game and shove it.

[WillyT]

11. So... You Didn't Learn A Thing This Cycle...

2016 should be fun too, right ???

[Rex]

12. Kewl story bro!

Funny watching you carry water for the 'third way' and then mention ratfucking.

[joshcryer]

26. Udall is third way but just as liberal as Warren.

I had no problem voting for someone questioning the NSA and trying to fix climate change. The world is not black and white.

[cherokeeprogressive]

14. Insulate them from mean words, and make it possible to vote on Twitter.

Young Voter apathy problem solved.

[joshcryer]

27. Colorado has mail in voting.

And historical reg drives. Didn't help.

[G_j]

19. sorry, that's a Fail.

Nice try at hippie punching though...

[Oilwellian]

20. You said...

divisiveness is a republican tactic and then call fellow DUers ratfuckers.

[joshcryer]

28. You're projecting.

[Rex]

29. YEP.

So obvious it is sad to watch on a liberal website.

[Marr]

21. Enough with the childish excuses. If you lose, you employed a losing strategy-- period.

The party needs to take a good, long look at itself and re-tool. Its current direction is not a winning one.

All these cries of 'ratfuckers' and cheating and 'bashers' are nothing more than tantrums from people who do not want acknowledge reality.

[G_j]

35. +1000

[morningfog]

37. It really is that simple.