Is the Democratic Party in Danger of Losing the Next Generation of Voters?

[marmar]

Is the Democratic Party in Danger of Losing the Next Generation of Voters?

Tuesday, 05 April 2016 00:00
By The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program | Op-Ed



[font size="1"]Supporters cheer for Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders during a campaign event at W.L. Zorn Arena in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, April 2, 2016. (Photo: Eric Thayer / The New York Times)[/font]

The Democratic Party is facing a serious existential question. And if the party doesn't make the right moves in 2016 -- if it doesn't hang onto the Independent voters and first-time voters who are turning out in droves to vote for Bernie Sanders and other progressive challengers to the Democratic National Committee establishment -- the Democratic Party seriously risks alienating an entire generation of voters.

A full 42 percent of Americans identify as Independents, according to a Gallup poll from earlier this year, as opposed to only 29 percent of Americans who identify as Democrats and 26 percent of Americans who identify as Republicans, marking the fifth year in a row that more than four in 10 adults identified as political Independents.

Those Independents are playing a huge role in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. They're turning out in record numbers to cast votes in open primary states, and many of them are re-registering to vote as Democrats in states with closed primaries.

So why are certain members of the Democratic establishment implying that Bernie Sanders doesn't deserve to be the Democratic nominee, just because he's been a long-registered Independent?

.....(snip).....

But the reality is that the people who are turning out to vote for Sanders -- the people who seem to endlessly share Sanders memes online, the people who are turning out by the tens of thousands just to hear him speak -- are mostly average, hard-working American men and women of all races and ethnic and economic backgrounds who are sick and tired of a rigged political system and a rigged economy. .................(more)

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/35516-is-the-democratic-party-in-danger-of-losing-the-next-generation-of-voters

[Betty Karlson]

1. answer: yes.

[Still In Wisconsin]

2. Yes.

[Joob]

3. Hillary Clinton just said Sanders really isn't Democrat so what do you think

Here's the source * nvm won't let me post, here's excerpt.

When asked whether she believes Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is a Democrat in a Politico interview published Wednesday morning, Hillary Clinton said she was unable to describe Sanders' relationship with the Democratic party.

"Well, I can’t answer that," Clinton told Politico's "Off Message" podcast. "He’s a relatively new Democrat, and, in fact, I’m not even sure he is one. He’s running as one. So I don’t know quite how to characterize him."

Later in the interview, Clinton described her frustration with how Sanders has characterized her during the Democratic presidential primary.

"There is a persistent, organized effort to misrepresent my record, and I don’t appreciate that, and I feel sorry for a lot of the young people who are fed this list of misrepresentations," she said. "I know that Senator Sanders spends a lot of time attacking my husband, attacking President Obama. I rarely hear him say anything negative about George W. Bush, who I think wrecked our economy."

This is not the first time Clinton has criticized the way Sanders speaks about her on the campaign trail. When asked at a New York rally whether she would turn down campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies, Clinton slammed Sanders for spreading "lies" about donations to her campaign.

"I do not have—I have money from people that work for fossil fuel companies," Clinton said in March. "I am so sick, I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I'm sick of it."

Let's say I'm a first time voter, if he isn't a Democrat. What am I?

[kiva]

34. "As far as I know he's not a Muslim" nt

[bigwillq]

4. Yes (nt)

[Mike Nelson]

5. Yes...

...there is work to do... and, again, those record-breaking voters in Wisconsin were Republicans. There were a lot of young ones. It is worrisome.

[VulgarPoet]

6. Already lost*. nt

[rachacha]

7. No doubt. The tent is getting pretty small.

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

8. Both parties run that risk...

If one takes the 'front-runner' status at face value...

There is a high likelihood of either leading candidate going on to a failed presidency.

What's to stop a Republican Congress form giving President Clinton no room to do anything, and possibly bringing charges of their own?

What's to keep Trump's finger off the trigger?

Politically, both parties may become a moon-scape.

Let's just hope the earth does not become one, too.

[B Calm]

9. Bernie was not the President of Young Republicans when he was in college. He is more of a Democrat

than his opponent!

[Jitter65]

10. Well, remember they did that for Obama. How did that turn out for them?

Judging from the comments here about Obama...not very well. Why, because he soon found out that he could not govern from a position of hope..he had to govern from a position of reality and pragmatism and that ain't popular! Nobody remembers or appreciates the good things that you accomplish if they aren't as big or fast as they want them to be. Saving an economy isn't enough if everyone can't be as wealthy as they want to be. Getting healthcare for many isn't good if it doesn't get healthcare for all. Affordable healthcare isn't good if it isn't free.

So, yes, Dems might lose the an next generation of voters until they grow up and have to raise a family.

[Armstead]

12. It wasn't the things he couldn't do that caused tensions

I love Obama, and wish he could have a third term. I appreciate the things he did.

But he also did some problematic things or talked about doing.

Mandatory purchase of overpriced and insufficient health insurance from private providers was not an acceptable alternative to single payer -- or even a public option.

Pushing for obnoxious and destructive trade agreements like TPP is not a matter of moderation.

Going too far in the conservative direction on things like potential SS "reform" was not a matter of not fast enough.

[forjusticethunders]

40. Considering that raising a family is kinda cost-prohibitive for a lot of us

You're gonna be waiting a while.

[myrna minx]

11. The establishment doesn't seem to care. It appears that all that matters is

campaign contributions and the next profitable war.

We need to break the spirit of the youth before they get any ideas of making any changes.

[Armstead]

13. That's what it feels like sometimes -- "Breaking their spirit"

And that's why the Democrats are losing not just youth -- but older folks who are fed up with the lack of vision and morality of today's political system

[MisterP]

38. they're not about keeping this or that house or office, but about remaining

in control, about staying permanently while the candidates move on

hey, if you lose you can ask for even MORE money, AND blame the voters! drive off enough indys and you can boil elections down to 40% of the actual electorate and keep sliding towards the money

[vi5]

14. If we nominate Hillary, yes.

If we tell them it's Establishment and Money Uber Alles for the Democratic party, and continue to coddle shitty incumbents like DWS then yes. I'm not saying they'll vote for Republicans but they'll pretty much be turned off of politics and voting in general.

[PufPuf23]

15. Democratic Party may be in danger of losing next generation plus major chunks of

last three generations.

The breech between neo-conservatives and neo-liberals and the social democratic party of the New Deal / Great Society and anti-military empire cannot be made one.

Something seriously needs to be done about economic injustice and the environment.

Neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism is violent, short term, and Machiavellian.

I know what side I am on.

It will take at least a generation to fix the Democratic Party.

[LWolf]

16. +1

[beaglelover]

17. The 'participation trophy' generation. LOL!!!

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

19. Aw... How cute...

I'm glad my generation isn't has conditioned as some people here. We reject your crappy party filled with DINOs and we say no to the Turd Way. Itll be a cold day in hell if I pull the lever for any corrupt Warhawk candidate

[beaglelover]

21. I bet you say 'bankster' a lot too, right? LOL!!!!

[marmar]

20. Your attitude seems to reflect that of your favored candidate.

Mock and demean younger voters. Cluelessly tonedeaf.

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

22. Even worse that is usually a talking point used exclusively by repukes

Though Hillary is a Diet Repuke so it makes sense I guess

[LonePirate]

27. On what are you basing these claims?

Do you have any proof are you relying on hearsay and partisan wrangling?

[marmar]

28. What are you talking about?

[LonePirate]

29. Read your post.

You implied Clinton mocked and demeaned younger voters. Where is your proof?

[shawn703]

32. Here you go

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/hillary-i-feel-sorry-for-the-young-people-who-believe-sanders-camps-lies/

Oh, young people are so gullible according to Hillary

[LonePirate]

33. That's exceptionally flimsy proof. Seems like much ado about nothing.

[shawn703]

35. Are you denying she said it?

You don't believe your own eyes when you watch the video?

If someone said it about any other group of people - if Sanders said he felt sorry for black people because they don't do their own research, for example - are you saying Team Hillary would be outrage-free?

[LonePirate]

37. It's flimsy as in trivial. Anyone offended by that is hypersensitive to political muckraking.

[JackRiddler]

43. Exhibit A.

If this is a real Clinton supporter, and not a saboteur, (s)he is actively alienating young people without any particular purpose in doing so.

[beaglelover]

46. Christ, you Bernie Bros are so thin skinned.

[JackRiddler]

47. Exhibit B.

[libtodeath]

18. Yes and more then just them.

[mmonk]

23. No doubt.

[Zorra]

24. Third Way is a bad road, and millennials and lifelong traditional Dems have already seen enough

of the bad to determine that it goes nowhere but off the cliff from here.

[pinebox]

25. They already have lost them.

Overall millennials see both parties as the same in many aspects and also that they are both corrupt.
Who can blame them?

[djean111]

26. Yes.

Plus, a big chunk of long-time Democrats, like me, just will not travel down that Third Way Highway. It leads to the same boneyard as the GOP Highway.

[Autumn]

30. Yes, and the democratic party is losing older voters too.

[CharlotteVale]

44. ^^THIS^^

[BernieforPres2016]

31. As Muddy Waters said: "You Can't Lose What You Never Had"

Young people don't give a crap about party labels.

[lumberjack_jeff]

36. I think they're in danger of losing the last generation too.

The party - my party - has become corrupt. They have rigged the election and leveraged all the wealth and power they can to tilt the party to their own economic interests at the expense of the people.

I say this as a guy who inherited being a democrat by birth. My great grandfather and grandfather were both radical labor organizers in the coal mines.

[Amishman]

39. yes and no

The democrats risk losing them, but not to the republicans

the economy and jobs is the driving issue for a lot of the younger crowd, and they are leaning socialist. The risk is that they are leaning socialist as a backlash against the exploitation they see from employers... not out of dedication to actual socialist ideals.

we need to become the party of the working class and absolutely turn our backs to the corporate world and their donors.

[Nanjeanne]

41. Yes. They are the future and they are not DLC Democrats.

[JackRiddler]

42. Under HRC-DWS, it is working toward that goal.

They accept it as the collateral damage of maintaining their rule.

So to call it a "danger" doesn't really describe it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. Yes