What do people 20-30 think of Kerry?

[marlakay]

I have two daughters in their twenties that I made sure were registered and have talked to them about Kerry. I could tell my older daughter is on the fence because she works with all repubs who are bugging her about it and they are with her every day and I only talk to her once a week about stuff.

I hadn't talked to either one after debate until today. I found out from younger one my older one watched it and didn't see a winner and she thinks Bush is more friendly and Kerry a rich snob. Luckily my younger daughter who is the educated one just got her BA told the other, I am voting on issues and one big one for me is stem cell research.

Go figure. I am going to let sisters talk it out. Julie my older one also goes to church and I am sure they are slamming her to vote for Bush too. I spent hours one day deprogramming her from all the lies.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Kerry's two daughters are 20-30 and they think very....

HIGHLY of John Kerry in every aspect!

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I often point out the difference between Gen X and Gen Y...

and often get slammed for it. But someone close to me does work in which this distinction is important, and I believe the early studies show a world of difference between those born l980 and after, and those born before. Gen X (born 1965 to the late seventies), I think, supports Bush by a larger percentage than any other age group.

Don't know if this applies to your girls, but it could be a factor --

[Warren DeMontague]

7. I don't know where you're getting your numbers...

But the folks I argue with the most about Bush are either angry white guy O'reilly types in their 50s, or kids born after 1980 who think Reagan was "cool". The people who don't think politics matter, because they came of age during an era where everything was handled reasonably capably (Clinton)

As for your attitude about "Gen X" supporting Bush by a larger percentage, I can't speak too much for people born after Watergate, but my entire peer group is extremely liberal, extremely informed, and extremely engaged. We're the people who shut down college campuses along with Amy Carter over CISPES and the CIA while the rest of y'all were talking about Greed being Good and watching Miami Vice. We're the people who protested the first Gulf War, because we suspected it could lead to something like this. We're the people who brought GLBT issues to the forefront of social activism, where it had been a curious blind spot for our boomer forebears. We're the people who listened to music that told corporate america to "shove it", at least until the inevitable co-opting occured-- and in the process, we had a generation where, for a time at least, it was considered cool to be informed, engaged, active and activist. Is it moreso now? Really? Are you trying to tell me that generation "bling bling", the folks who brought you Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears, are somehow more engaged and progressive than the folks who brought you Michael Stipe? Please.

I'm sorry. I really think generational generalizations are for shit, and I sincerely hope that the kids born after 1980 are seriously engaged and registering to vote in droves -- after all, it's their future that Bushco. is screwing up the most. But after all the serious legwork people my age (mid 30s) have done over the years, to constantly hear these stupid slams against "Gen X" gets more than a little tiresome.

And again, if you've got the figures to back up what you say, I'm all ears.

[DeepModem Mom]

8. I'm really sorry to have offended you, and did not intend...

a "stupid slam" against an entire age group which includes some people I love more than any in the world, who are active liberals like you. When I've posted about this before (which I will NEVER do again), I've always said, "present company, and millions of others, excepted," but I forgot this time. I'm not an expert, but advertisers, producers of entertainment, clothing, automobiles, etc., pay a good deal of money for studies of age groups. Like it or not, these studies exist.

I'm not signed up for any polling sites. The only age group breakdown I found by Googling that indicates SOME Gen Xers favor Bush over Kerry more than other age groups, was from August, when Kerry was leading polls:

"Kerry leads among all age groups except 30-49 year olds, where the two candidates are pretty much tied. Catholics give Kerry a 50%-37% edge – numbers more similar to Clinton’s leads in 1992 and 1996 than Al Gore’s 51% to 46% margin in 2000. Protestants are for Bush (57% to 33%), especially on the strength of the President’s 68% to 20% margin among Born Again Protestants."

Again, I sincerely apologize.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. It's cool. Sorry to flip out on ya.

I'm just tired of seeing my age group generalized as soulless yuppies. It's a crock. Frankly, and I don't like to generalize myself, but I'd be curious to see what the breakdown within the 30-49 year old group is (as half of that age group constitutes what is traditionally known as the tail end of the baby boomers) in terms of 30somethings for Bush vs. Kerry as opposed to 40somethings for Bush vs. Kerry.

Apparently regular church attendance is the biggest predictor of them all as to whether or not someone is going to vote for Bush. Well, go figure- I never go to church, and I'd never vote for Bush.

But, again-- didn't mean to flip out on ya. It's all good. I'm in a remarkably better mood now that I saw the Newsweek poll numbers.

[carpetbagger]

12. Sad but true. Polls show Generation X leaning GOP.

I would not have predicted this in 1992, but as of 2004, our group gives Bush his highest support.

When thinking about this group of people, realize that for every x'er who came of age to REM and good coffee, there's one guy who watched a bit too much professional wrestling, and one guy who listened to a bit too much country music. Add a little 80's selfishness and a stage in life where some of us are finally making some cash, and it's not at all clear that we would break especially to the left.

We also never had to experience a real American war, and we're past traditional draft age.

[Warren DeMontague]

18. Fair enough assesment, but:

When thinking about this group of people, realize that for every x'er who came of age to REM and good coffee, there's one guy who watched a bit too much professional wrestling, and one guy who listened to a bit too much country music.

That pretty much describes America at all ages, doesn't it? :)

[soggy]

3. Myself and most of my friends love him...

but in texas, there's definately some that support bush because their family tells them to.

[ButterflyBlood]

4. more than half the population of my city is under 25

Kerry is widely well liked and * viewed as unfavorably as he should be.

[RareLubbockDem]

5. Talked to a 20 year old employee yesterday

She says she's not voting because she just doesn't "keep up with that stuff." I tried to convince her that she should, just a little at least.

She also said of the debates that she felt both of them just kept saying the same things over and over. In her words (paraphrasing)

"Bush just kept saying 'i'm right and I know i am and we're gonna keep doing what we're doing' and Kerry was just saying 'you're wrong and we have a better plan'"

Hard for me to believe she still doesn't see the significance of any of this.

[rndmprsn]

6. Kerry represents...

i didn't think i could illustrate it better than the retro vs metro site...this is what kerry represents to me (31 years old)


"On the Metro side of the cultural divide are religious moderates and seculars, Democrats, and moderate Republicans who are committed to excellence in education and science, who want the arts to flourish; who are accepting of differences in ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation; and who want a clear division between church and state. These moderates are in favor of women’s, gay, and workers’ rights. Their congressional representatives support affirmative action, public education, childcare, and other services needed by working parents, as well as progressive taxation. They oppose tax cuts for the wealthy that undercut progressive taxation, and they oppose subsidies and tax shelters favoring industry, especially the oil and extraction industries.

Metro America values inclusion, respects science and social discourse, and promotes policies designed to provide physical, economic and social security for all families, both the 20 percent of the “old traditional families” and the 80 percent of the “new traditional families.” If America is ever to be a true United States, it must embrace these Metro values of inclusion and respect."

[bigwillq]

9. I think he's cool

He's very intelligent and even though he doesn't appear this way, I saw Kerry on the MTV special that aired during the middle of the DEM primary season.

The MTV host asked each candidate pop culture questions and Kerry did the best. HE got the most questions right.

I feel I could relate to a person that is more open-minded and has knowledge on other subjects besides politics.

[MADem]

10. You need to tell them

...that there is an idiot by the name of Charlie Abell who works at the Pentagon--he runs DOD Personnel (that's shorthand for his ASD position). He is a pompous, political asshole, and he has, in his hot little hands, a DOD directive for a military draft that includes women, that will be fully up and running, spitting out cannon fodder, thirteen months after it is signed.

This could NEVER HAPPEN? I got news for you--I used to work for those clowns, and I cannot tell you how fast things move there if circumstances warrant. And so long as we have a crazy megalomaniac in the White House, you cannot bet on ANYTHING.

[cheshire]

11. My children are 28 and 32 and they know the difference between what

dems stand for and what Pubs stand for. They vote Dem but are questioning if it's because their folks say so or It's their choice. I know they will come up with the correct answer because they were raised to use their brains. If your daughter can't see know she will. She needs to know it's her choice.
As I read all of these post I wonder if it's not a geographic thing instead of age. People tend to vote as their parents but a lot rebel against that.

[tjdee]

13. They think not so much of him but how they CANT STAND Bush.

I'm in my late twenties and y'all know how I feel. My sister is slightly younger than I, and we've done a lot of work trying to get her friends to be involved with politics at all (one of them saw F9/11 and had a reaction everyone at DU would be happy for).

We started back in the primaries, and a number of my sis' friends and other young people I know were drawn to Edwards and Dean for the obvious reasons. They were kind of disappointed to see Kerry win, not so much Kerry as not 'their guy'....but they are with him. The debate helped, I've gotten a few calls about it. As someone around here said, as election time gets closer, they are now voting FOR Kerry instead of against Bush.

All MY close friends, though, have been down for awhile now. :)

[gypsyangel]

14. Straight from the horses mouth

so to speak. I'm 21. I can honestly say that I think Kerry is the much stronger, smarter and trustworthy candidate. I know better than to fall into the propaganda trap laid out by the right (thanks to my parents!). My best friend and I go back and forth all the time because she supports Bush and because I've known her for 13 years I know she's much too good of a person to be behind that beast. Unfortunately, I also know that she is ignorant of the issues and listens only to what her mother tells her when it comes to these candidates.
Kerry is the guy I would want to be my Dad, teacher, mentor. Not some drunk who entertains me when I go to the local dive on a Saturday night, if you catch my drift.

[AnIndependentTexan]

15. I'm 23 and I praise Kerry's strength

After watching Going UpRiver I have a high respect for what Kerry did as a youth and is doing now. I don't believe he changes his mind; but instead he observes and learns as he goes. Kerry has a very open mind which isn't a flip flop. A open mind is a mind that can learn and evolve. Kerry is a man of great wisdom.

[spooky3]

16. My nephew is 24 and is a Bush supporter because he has been

thoroughly indoctrinated by his parents. When he brings up politics with me, I try to gently show him that others do not share these views. Most of the other people I know in this age group are more liberal.

[goodboy]

19. Not my kind of socialist democrat, but the right man for the job right now