E. J. Dionne: The Year The Youth Vote Arrives

[babylonsister]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/the_arrival_of_the_engaged_gen.html

The Year The Youth Vote Arrives
By E. J. Dionne

snip//


The increase in political interest among the young is staggering. Between 2000 and this year, the percentage of those under 30 describing the campaign as interesting was up 36 points; the increase among those over 65 was a more modest 18 points.

Could the young make a difference in Barack Obama's favor? Again, the answer is clearly yes. Age is one of the most powerful lines of division in this election. In Pew's survey, the under-30s gave Obama his largest lead, 56 percent to 36 percent. He also led among voters aged 30 to 49, but ran behind among voters 65 and over.

This is not a one-time trend. The under-30s were by far John Kerry's best age group in 2004 -- he carried them over George Bush 54 percent to 45 percent -- and they voted better than 3-2 for Democratic House candidates in 2006.

A study released last week by the Rockefeller Foundation and Time magazine helps explain why the under-30s are so engaged, and why their political views have more in common with those of the New Deal generation than of the Reagan generation.

According to the survey, nearly half of the under-30s said that America was a better place to live in the 1990s, and they think the country will continue to decline. This is a more pessimistic view than that of the older generational groups. They are also the generation most worried about their own or their family's economic security, and half of them went without health insurance at some point in the last year, more than double the percentage of any other group.

In light of this, it's not surprising that the Rockefeller report found that 86 percent of the under-30s -- significantly more than any other generational group -- said that "more government programs should help those struggling under current economic conditions."

Young Americans show all signs of being interested enough and upset enough to flock to the polls this year. If they do, they could be the most politically consequential generation since the cohort of the Great Depression and World War II. Think of these newcomers as the Engaged Generation.

[TexasObserver]

1. Young people are excited about Obama. They have shown up, and will continue to do so.

I'm very pleased and very excited about the work my children's generation has done and continues to do for Obama. These kids are awesome!! They have been organized, disciplined, and committed.

Watch out, world! Here they come!

[babylonsister]

2. This gives me hope because the majority of them will not be voting

for McSame.

[Kahuna]

3. Add that to the increased interest by blacks and hispanics and I'm

hoping it will be enough to deliver a win.

[woolldog]

4. Hispanics are more engaged than usual?

Why do you think that?