Can Democrats Get Millennials to Vote In 2018?

[DonViejo]

May 4, 2017 By Taegan Goddard

Ron Brownstein: “President Trump’s historically low approval ratings provide Democrats legitimate reasons for optimism about their prospects in the 2018 elections, especially in the House. But that confidence rests on a contradiction: Minorities and Millennials, the groups most alienated from Trump, are traditionally the constituencies least likely to vote in midterm elections.”

“That dynamic helped fuel the GOP sweeps in both the 2010 and 2014 contests under former President Obama, and offers a warning for the next one.”

“The challenge is especially urgent for Democrats because Trump divides younger and older Americans so sharply. Though Trump showed strength among blue-collar white Millennials, he carried just 36 percent of young people overall last November.”

###

https://politicalwire.com/2017/05/04/can-democrats-get-millennials-vote-2018/

[global1]

1. If The Dems Don't Get The Millennials Out To Vote In 2018 - The Millennials.....

will kill their future. They will have only themselves to blame when they don't have decent health insurance, medicare, social security, more wars, etc.

[Renew Deal]

2. What about Gen Z?

They have 3-4 years of new voters.

[Ninsianna]

67. Which one is Gen Z?

Sorry, I get the letters all mixed up.

[crazycatlady]

81. Post millennial

Generally born after 1995. (Today's young kids are a different generation). No official name yet but the one I like is the iGeneration. They're too young to remember 9/11. Their first presidential election was 2016.

Gen Z gets their name because millennials are often called Gen Y to follow Gen X.

Gen Alpha for the young children of today?

[Kirkwood]

3. Depends. Will the party be more than just the opposition.

Millennials don't care about party labels, and therefore have no loyalty to them.

You have to give them a reason to vote for YOU.

[still_one]

5. Gee, they don't have a reason to vote for Democrats. I guess issues such as Civil Rights, Women's

rights, environmental rights, workers rights, debt free college, healthcare, minimum wage are not reasons enough.

Sorry but this bullshit talking point that the Democrats don't "give you a reason to vote for them", is hogwash

[JI7]

7. yup one of the biggest bullshit lines used

And i dint know that poster but usually by trolls and uninformed types as an excuse.

To use it now with trump trying to undo as much of obamas agenda especially shows what bs that talking point is.

[still_one]

8. ............

[Blue_true]

9. Exactly. nt

[Kirkwood]

11. You're right. The Democrats should just carry on as usual.

These past 10 years have been nothing but success.

[still_one]

12. Do you want me to list what President Obama has done, or are you on an alternate wavelengh there

[Kirkwood]

18. We're talking about getting people out to vote.

And, the Democrats have lost over 1000 races since Obama took office.

[still_one]

19. That had nothing to do with redistricting I am sure, but regardless, the differences

between the two parties on the issues are no mystery

[Kirkwood]

21. That's just an excuse.

I'm trying to find a solution to get more people to vote for Democrats.

What is your plan, besides blaming losses on redistricting?

[still_one]

25. I gave the reason in my initial post which you said wasn't a reason to get people out to vote

Here, I will spell it out again:

Civil Rights, Women's rights, environmental rights, workers rights, debt free college, healthcare, minimum wage, and I can name a hell of a lot more reasons

If they don't care about those fundamental issues..........

[Kirkwood]

36. We're talking about Millennials, not all people.

And many Democratic politicians are not out there pushing for those things in your list.

They want Single Payer, not Obamacare.
They want money out of politics. They feel like almost all politicians are influenced by large donors.
They want a $15 minimum wage, free college, and help with student loans.
They want to reduce spending on the military, get out of wars, and stay out of all oversea conflicts.

They are interested in civil rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and workers rights, but they will only support the politician that pushes and fights for ALL of those things I listed above.

They have no loyalty to party and are turned off by politics. They care about policy only.

[still_one]

38. ok

[Me.]

51. They're Not Going To Get Everything They Want

No one does...so does that mean that their choice is then to sit the next election out?

[EllieBC]

30. Agree.

If these last few months aren't motivation enough I don't know what is.

[LenaBaby61]

27. You have to give them a reason to vote for YOU.

IF young folks are told and shown what this Don't Care bill does and they still don't vote, then they'll be slitting their own throats.

[Kirkwood]

29. They are not interested in what either party is doing if it isn't something they want.

Many are not fans of Obamacare because they see Single Payer as the best solution. They want a $15 minimum wage, free college, and help with student loans. Any politician that doesn't push for ALL of those things is not going to get support from Millennials.

I'm not telling you that I agree with them. I'm just telling you how many of them feel.

[LenaBaby61]

31. Nothing comes free or easy ...

In this life.

"I'm not telling you that I agree with them. I'm just telling you how many of them feel."

I hear you ^^^

Sad thing is that some Millennials think that life is easy. IT ISN'T.

[JHan]

52. For what it's worth

I'm a millennial and not much of what he typed resonated with me, but it does resonate with some of my peers.

I wasn't impressed with sanders free college for all plan, I'd much rather focus on k 12. There is a lot lost in the discussion about free college, full of hazy comparisons with Europe where the situation (and culture w.r.t to tertiary education ) is different and I'd rather incremental progress on a massive thing like healthcare. I don't care about weed, but I do want an end to the drug war and criminal justice reform.

It's very easy for me to vote for a democrat.

[Mariana]

53. Millennials know perfectly well that life isn't easy.

They also know it's a whole lot harder than it has to be, and that is not their fault.

They've heard the stories. They know Granddad bought a house and supported a family of six with a high school diploma and a factory job. They know Mom paid her own way through college by working weekends and summers. It's utterly impossible for most of them to do these things. College is ridiculously expensive. Health care is ridiculously expensive. Housing is ridiculously expensive. Transportation is ridiculously expensive. Etc. The minimum wage is a cruel joke. The Millennials have been well and truly fucked and believe me, they know it.

[Demsrule86]

48. If Trump and Zombie care, student loan shite isn't a reason...then they might well sit home and wait

to die or go to jail when they don't pay their loans...tired of hearing about them...use you brain...and vote for staying alive.

[joshcryer]

83. Obama WAS that candidate.

But once he got into office, like Trump, he found governance is really fucking hard. Meanwhile, downticket races went to absolute shit the entire time of his presidency, BECAUSE of his resolute desire to not fight fire with fire.

[PoorMonger]

4. All About The Candidate

Younger voters want to feel very connected I think; it means that if they aren't they'll stay home.

I am a grad student in my late 20's and was in a women's history class through the election. Of 30 students in there I'd say half of us were strongly Clinton. The other half were either indifferent or secretly Trump.

[PoorMonger]

6. Also

There were only 4 males of which I was the only vocal Clinton voter. Two of the others voiced soft Trump support and probably voted for him.

In context , I do live in Nebraska - though I had hoped that the Dems would have more allies on campus. I was definitely the most pro Clinton student - but I am also more comfortable speakig up too.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. Making Millennials reliable midterm voters will require a brutal changing of the guard

and I don't think we have the stomach for what is required, since it is basically telling people like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and dozens of others to step aside.

It also requires recruiting much better candidates for every single race.

[BannonsLiver]

14. Your last sentence is spot on and the most important IMO.

It's like the old football saying: it's not about the x's and the o's, it about the johnnies and the joes. Point being talent overcomes a lot.

[crazycatlady]

16. Candidate recruitment is up

There's a newly formed organization called "Run for Something" which exclusively focuses on training millennials to run for office.

Another major issue is that the older politicians don't focus much on the issues that are more millennial specific (ie student loans). A young voter could easily give up if the campaign is only focused on issues that matter to Grandma as opposed to themselves.

[still_one]

22. Really, you think Harry Reid should step aside. got it.........

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

42. If you want the young to get invested in congress and senate races, yes.

Two types of politicians resonate with millennials:

1. Socialist firebrands who promise to spend money on them. (Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders)
2. Political Rockstars (Obama, Trudeau)

There is no 3, but if there was it wouldn't be "not as morally flawed a human being as Paul Ryan" or "Paid his or her dues on committees for thirty years."

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

44. I have no excuse for forgetting that

I actually started out just saying Pelosi but at the last minute I thought that might be called sexist.

[Demsrule86]

49. Nancy Pelosi does a great job ...she is the best speaker ever and minority leader

Not one Democrat crossed over...not one...tired of hearing shit about Nancy...she is awesome...and Harry Reid retired... hadn't you heard? She is twice as good as Tip O'Neil ever was.

[Me.]

54. So Am I

There seems to be a running meme lately about that 'old, old Nancy Pelosi and how ineffective she is'. Getting tired of hearing that sexist nonsense. Everything that has asked of her she got/gets done.

[Ninsianna]

66. There does seem to be a contingent that is reflexively hostile to strong, effective

female leaders. It starts on the right and gets picked up by poorly concealed elements on the left. Same verbiage, and they all seem to appear at the same time.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

58. I honestly had forgotten that for a moment

I don't have a problem with Pelosi, but there are two paths to the millennials and that is leftist firebrands and political rockstars. We have remarkably few of either. I don't think we have the stomach for a purge so I am not sure what the way forward with them is.

[Demsrule86]

74. I have to tell you..millennials will grow up someday and until then forget about it...I have no

desire to cater to them...not even a little bit; they don't live in the real world...so sadly they are now going to find out the consequences for their actions because they didn't want to vote for the only candidate that could save their entitled asses...they are all about some idealized version of life with little compassion for the poor or anyone else... most will figure it out...the ones that don't screw them...run on issues they care about but no pleading for their votes and we will not get rid of competent leaders like Nancy because they really don't like old people except maybe Bernie.

[HughBeaumont]

76. Shyaaaa, good luck winning elections with that attitude.

Because if there's ANYthing a potential voter wants to hear, it's that they need to "grow up" . . .

[Demsrule86]

78. We won't win elections if we cater to those who are never satisfied anyway...we put out our

platform and run on the issues...and if we lose elections...then those who are never satisfied can find out what real misery is by living under this version of conservatism. They have a choice. But I think millennials are smarter than that...I have three in my household...and they will be fine and so will the Democratic Party in the end...the stuff that some who want to purify the Democratic Party tout.. campaign money (like united will disappear now that the GOP will have two vote SCOTUS majority by fall most likely) and this 'purity' quest does not amount to anything useful; just more attacks on Democrats while giving Republicans a pass and fodder for GOP election ads...we have to win and the suggestions coming from the Greenies and others that share their world view, long on idealism and short on practicality, does not help in that important task...in fact, giving in to their demands would result in numerous losses.

[HughBeaumont]

79. Boomers and late X-ers are NOT inheriting this shitshow.

If you give people nothing more than "Not a Republican" and don't stand by anything more than workable friendlier neoliberalism, then I'm not getting how anyone expects people to gravitate towards the Democratic party.

This isn't about "ponies". GET OFF THAT. That's 2009 thinking. People are economically HURTING. Their rights are being taken away by rich white men. They're being replaced by robots and told to "embrace the change or die". Nobody is making the new blue collar work (retail) anything more fruitful than the same automation self-consume that took their previous job away. College is ridiculously expensive. Health care is priced exclusively for the upper middle class and above. WHAT SOLUTIONS DO WE HAVE???

That Ryan Congress isn't going away any year soon. Is the ground game for 2018 and 2020 underway yet? Do we HAVE killer candidates in all 50 states? What's our economic message? What's our human rights message? Are we STILL attesting "well, mayyyyyybe we shouldn't go with 'healthcare is a human right yet", climate's not right . . ."???

I would like to think the Democratic party is a hell of a lot smarter than a bunch of economic and social illiterates they keep getting BESTED by, but we sure aren't acting like it.

[arthritisR_US]

63. She's one astute lady and knows how to count and work

the people's good, wish we could clone her!

[Ninsianna]

68. Millenials are waking up to what the GOP actually is.

Yesterday seems to have smacked a few of my peers awake. Someone posted a list of the preexisting conditions, and that hit home. Migraines? Pregnancy? Previous pregnancy? No contraceptive coverage? Those numbers of what it's going to cost people?

I don't think we need to tell anyone to step aside, but we do need to be training the new crop of candidates on how to play this game. Nancy and Harry have much to teach, as do Al Franken, Adam Schiff, and Sheldon Whitehouse) We need more people who are skilled at dealing with the GOP, and who can see the big picture as well as the fine details.

[Demsrule86]

75. I think they will :my older kids are millenials and they are not stupid...all voted for

Hillary in the election. I remember when kids voted for John Anderson or going back Jesse Jackson.

[Jno_Gilmor_]

13. I can only speak for myself....

I voted for Clinton to keep Trump out, but I really didn't feel inspired by her. She was too hawkish for me and her basically neo-liberal economic policy is what's wrong with the Democratic party in my opinion.

[LenaBaby61]

28. "She was too hawkish for me."

And this clown installed into the White House isn't?

[Jno_Gilmor_]

34. Of course, he is, they both are n/t

[LenaBaby61]

35. Yeah sure ...

Riiiiiiight

[Mariana]

55. Good grief, the poster said he voted for Hillary.

But there's the point. People who don't make a hobby of following politics aren't as likely to drag their carcasses to the polls to vote against someone. They want to vote FOR someone.

[Jno_Gilmor_]

62. Exactly!!! I'm always going to go out and vote because I'm a political junkie,

but like you said, unless people who are less politically engaged fell inspired they won't turn out. Obama inspired people and got many people who don't normally vote to go out to the polls. (Of course ma y of these same people didn't show up during midterms). I do feel that the silver lining of the Trumpcelection is that more people are politically engaged than I have probably ever seen.

[LenaBaby61]

72. "They want to vote FOR someone."

I hear what you're saying, but sometimes, that's not always an option--voting for a candidate who makes you "tingle all over" so to speak.

I was 27 in 1988 when Michael Dukakas ran for president. Not millennialish, but not that old either. Now TBH, I never felt the oomph or felt my hair standing up on the back of my neck EVER during his candidacy, but KNEW because I wasn't intellectually lazy as some younger voters can be that he was intelligent, knew the issues, was much more honest and the better choice policy-wise for me as a younger working woman than Bush 41 was. As I told another poster in this very thread, I've always voted for my own best interests, and that meant voting for Michael Dukakis. No, Dukakis didn't give me any chills up my spine, but like I said, he was the far better candidate for me and my way of life than Bush 41, the Republican was.

Now as far as the type of campaign Dukakis ran. OMG, so many levels of wrong and so many missteps went on there with his campaign unfortunately. Years later, after much thought, he admitted that he should have listened to campaign manager Susan Estrich (Who is legal counsel of sexually, assaulting pig Roger Ailes these days ), and run a far different type of campaign vs the GOP/Bush 41 than he ran. He said he would have been more aggressive, not allow lies on him to go unchecked etc. Oh Lord, let me let the memories of that 1988 Dukakis presidential run alone now

[Demsrule86]

50. Welcome to DU...didn't feel inspired...hmm...noted.

[Demsrule86]

77. You know what is wrong with the Democratic Party...nothing...

And we will not destroy the only party that can stop the GOP because some idealistic folks of any age want to go over a cliff called 'purity'. You don't want to vote Democratic -fine than the GOP wins...and you can spend the rest of your life living with what they do and calling the Democrats neo-liberal is bashing Democrats and/or the party...just so you know.

[Jno_Gilmor_]

80. I'm using neoliberal in the economic sense-a rejection of Keynesian

economics. I think that is a pretty fair analysis of Clinton's economic policy--although she did buck free-trade over the TPP.

[Blanks]

15. My recommendation...

Is for the democratic campaigns to hire young people to hand out flyers and door hangers instead of advertising on television.

This is the kind of thing Obama talked about, meeting people face to face, talking to the opposition etc.

If campaigns for state representative, state senator, US representative and US senate hired as many people as possible, put them in a classroom, explain the issues and then set them on the streets working hourly knocking on doors and talking about the democratic candidate's issues, people would be more informed, and more enthused.

It would give college students a summer job and then when they went back on campus, they'd talk about what they did over the summer.

Instead of spending so much on tv ads, actually physically reach out to every voter in the district.

[crazycatlady]

17. I've been a paid canvass director

And have hired canvassers before. We'll hire anyone over 18 who is physically able to do the work.

(Minors could also do the job but HR paperwork is a PITA enough without the additional paperwork hiring minors requires).

[Blanks]

20. There's no need to hire minors...

They can't vote anyway. I expect the difficult thing with such a program is making sure the kids do what they're being paid to do.

[crazycatlady]

24. Unfortunately no way of checking that

In my last canvassing team, I had canvassers ranging from 18-63

ON E-day, I told them not to show up until they've voted. Not sure if they listened or not.

[Luciferous]

23. I am a Millenial living in MS and I will definitely be voting! My daughter will also be able to

vote in the next election.

[vi5]

26. They can.....

...but if anyone thinks we can do it by waving our fingers at them, lecturing them on what they can and can't do and what they should or should not do, or what they do or do not understand, then we should prepare for more losses.

[LenaBaby61]

32. Same as with the deplorables ....

IF young folks asses have to be kissed and they have to be begged to do what's best for them, then unfortunately, they will get what they deserve, and the rest of us will have to suffer--same as with the deplorables voting for tRumputin who'll be suffering, but so will the rest of us because of their stupid, ignorant and in many cases racist vote for tRumputin.

I was young once too, and never did I do anything to my knowledge to knowingly slit my throat. I was a student of government. I read and educated myself, kept up with all of the issues and voted in my own best interests.

[justhanginon]

37. Well said!

[vi5]

41. So that's the plan then?

I'm not sure how old you are, but this is a drastically different world that young people live in than it was when I was their age (a bunch of decades ago). A lot less opportunity and a much bleaker world and future for them. I wouldn't dream in a million years of holding this generations young folks to the standards I was held to because I at least had opportunity. Not a bunch of older people handing me a shit sandwich and then demanding that I say "Mmmm Mmmmm good" while they make me eat it.

And as for being a "student of government", there's exponentially more information out there than there was when I was young and it's a hell of a lot easier to get lost in the weeds. It could take up all ones free time just figuring out which sources of information are accurate, let alone then struggling to get through all the news, information, and doublespeak.

[Mariana]

57. I don't like the ragging on the Millennials.

Most of them who went to the polls voted for Hillary. Most of the old people who voted went for Trump. So where are the posts condemning old people, as a group, for putting that crazy bastard in office?

All this contempt for the millennials isn't likely to inspire them to run out and vote. We're fortunate that the Republicans think even less of young people than the people on this thread do.

[Warren DeMontague]

60. You have to you have to understand the demographics of this site, for starts.

DU skews old.

[4139]

33. Pot legalization on every ballot!

Lame but it would work

[Warren DeMontague]

59. Why is it lame?

Legalization has been a resounding fucking success in my state. Great move that was long overdue.

[4139]

69. Legalization is not lame; pot being the only thing to motivate mellenials is lame

[Warren DeMontague]

70. It's an issue, and a fairly pertinent one.

I don't think any candidate should- or even would- run ONLY on that issue, but you have to admit that for too fucking long the beltway 'conventional wisdom' has treated it like a giant joke.

The voters know better, and frankly it's idiotic not to get out in front of something that is only gaining in popularity and also has the potential to split the GOP between their authoritarian and libertarian wings.

[HoneyBadger]

39. Legal federal weed

Done.

Free single payer for all would be a plus.

[HoneyBadger]

40. Allow voting via phone app

It is the future

[crazycatlady]

45. At the very least registration via phone app

[Tatiana]

46. Well judging by the universities I am visiting, they are off to a slow start.

I'm in the Midwest. And it's pretty freaking sad when the land grant University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) is swarming with Cult of Trump members and the College Democrats are not actively recruiting. We need a presence at all the universities. We need to be getting our message out to the millennials and young people. There is a stronger presence of College Democrats at the University of Chicago than at University of Illinois Chicago, which I find very sad (as UofC is a private institution and UIUC/UIC are public state universities).

Tom Perez wanted to lead the DNC. I understand things don't happen overnight, but we kinda need to hit the ground running. We are in a crisis. We need to be growing younger Democrats and grooming them to be our future leaders when the deplorables die out or stop drinking the Trump-Aid.

Someone needs to talk about how the increased interest rates on their student loans will affect them, now that Obama is out of office and Trump doesn't give 2 $hits about non-rich kids attending college.

[crazycatlady]

82. Actually most college students aren't millennials

Perhaps the seniors are, but now they're Gen Z.

This year's graduating (HS) class is the last one with a '19' in front of their birth year.

[Tatiana]

84. I was also thinking along the lines of grad students.

There are a TON of Republicans and they are active. This is such a huge contrast to when I went to college.

I am afraid we are ceding ground in a place that is ripe for our message (graduate, law, medical, doctorate students drowning in debt).

[Warren DeMontague]

47. Run candidates who are pro things like marijuana legalization, yes.

If we run out of touch "Granny-Staters" who want to save the public from everything from legal weed to nudity on cable tv, we will lose.

[Starry Messenger]

56. The oldest Millennials are 36-37 yo now.

If you aren't motivated to vote by that age, you probably won't ever be.

[Warren DeMontague]

61. And there are more of them than Boomers, even.

reminds me of a joke my old man used to tell me; "what do you call an 800 pound gorilla"?

[WinkyDink]

64. "Anything he wants."

[Warren DeMontague]

65. Exactly.

[Orsino]

71. If Dems can't win, and win bigly, in 2018...

...then they never will again.

More voter suppression law is on the way, no doubt, and the Supreme Court that could rubber-stamp it may already be in place, but the courts in between probably can't be subverted in time to save 2018 for the GOP.

[Horse with no Name]

73. More millenials still live with their parents

Their entire future is being robbed. If they can't be bothered....then we are in deep trouble.