"Republican Support Collapses Among Youth"

[in_cog_ni_to]

July 27, 2007
Republican Support Collapses Among Youth

A new Democracy Corps/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner survey finds young people "profoundly alienated from the Republican party and its perceived values."

Key finding: "Young people react with hostility to the Republicans on almost every measure and Republicans and younger voters disagree on almost every major issue of the day."

In the presidential race, "both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lead Rudy Giuliani -- the most acceptable of the Republican offerings among youth -- by significant margins. The President’s standing is substantially worse, to the degree that is possible, than we find in the broader electorate. Moreover, the disconnect we see between the Republicans and our nation’s youth runs so deep, that it likely will not only outlive the Bush administration, but potentially haunt the Republicans for many years to come."


Complete survey results are available.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2007/07/27/republican_support_collapses_among_youth.html

Here's the poll:
http://democracycorps.com/reports/surveys/Democracy_Corps_May_29-June_29_2007_Youth_Survey.pdf

[demnan]

1. Thank God, Goddess or whomever . . .

n/t

[Olney Blue]

2. The War Chimp and his monkey Rove can be thanked for this......

[SpiralHawk]

3. "We don't like being lied to by the corrupt republicon cabal." - America's Youth

"Those fat cat greedy destructive Anti-American republicon Diaper-sex freaks have told America enough lies. We ain't taking no more from Commander AWOL, the Deserter in Chief, and his stooge media propagandist cabal."

- America's Youth

[peacetalksforall]

4. Every day brings one good piece of news. K n R.

[Mz Pip]

5. Now if they will just

get out and vote these twits out of office.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Aye, there's the rub.

Are the l'l nippers gonna get out there and vote? Campaign? Forgo a pair of Air Nikes & donate the price to a Democrat?

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. The poll says 69% of them are "most certain" they WILL vote in 2008. 2006, 48% voted. 2004, 51%

voted and 78% of them are registered to vote. That's encouraging! It's more than the National Average.:)

[Bluebear]

6. There is hope for our future. nt

[Hekate]

7. Hallelujah. Now if we can only get the kids out to VOTE next year....

When I was tabling three and four years ago it really, really disturbed me that some youth would drift by claiming to be "anarchists" and claiming to believe that if they only refused to participate (i.e. vote) then they would "starve the beast."

Our biggest enemy is alienation.

Hekate

[Viva_La_Revolution]

16. I just marched my ass into the next room and lectured 3 16yr old boys!

actually, I went in there to get my bag of Doritos back. ;)

First I asked them what they thought of shrub. "I hate him". What do you think of Republicans? "They're stupid too."
Seems to verify the above report. :D

By the end of the conversation though, I did lecture one a little... he says his vote doesn't count anyway. I explained to him that here in Oregon, his vote will almost certainly be counted, not like Ohio and Florida (he 'heard' Gore really won, and believes it doesn't matter if you vote or not, the system is rigged.) :( He came up with several other reasons, and thanks to my stellar education here at DU, I was able to counter every one. :smugandproudsmiley: I told all 3 of them "If enough of us actually get up and vote, we'll overpower the machines, the totals will be so far in our favor they won't be able to steal it again! Now, gimme back my chips..."

Hopefully, I lit a fire in just one of them. :)

[Hekate]

20. Good on you,Viva!

:applause:

Hekate

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. from the internets to god's ears...

"...the disconnect we see between the Republicans and our nation’s youth runs so deep, that it likely will not only outlive the Bush administration, but potentially haunt the Republicans for many years to come."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. I can understand why

If they are poor, and their choice is the military, they have sentenced themselves to multiple deployments, a great possibility of physical and mental damage, and a likelihood that the recruiter's promises will not be good. If they are able to get a job, how can they get ahead? Good jobs are being outsourced, and those jobs that you have to be here to do aren't paying all that great. Corporations are doing their best to cut benefits as well. If a young family is struggling with a sick child, they read that Bush is vetoing more health coverage for their kids. Even the rich Yellow Elephants-er Young Republicans can't all have it rosy right now--Dow Jones is taking a nose dive, and you know how boring it is to live off Mommy and Daddy or to have to dip into the trust fund early.

The key is to make sure these people don't turn off totally, but get involved and VOTE.

[Tarheel_Dem]

11. This is great news.....

Bill Moyers had a segment on last night where he highlighted the life & death of a young 19 y.o. kid from the inner city who had vowed at age 11, that he wanted to be a soldier. He was killed in Iraq. The segment also highlighted the lives of priveleged Young College Republicans who are in total support of the mission in Iraq, but when asked if they would serve, you've never heard so many excuses as to why they can't be in Iraq.

I, too, hope that young people will turn out and vote their numbers & consciences in the next election.

[salinen]

12. My little darlings

now go vote dammit.

[Thothmes]

22. Agree

However, IMO that this dissatisfaction will not convert to votes for Dems on Election day. While not satisficed with the current situtation, most of the young people that I know do not vote. They seem to think that it is a waste of their time.

[mzmolly]

13. This is where voter caging and college campus's come in handy for the R's.

:( Sorry, just watched my TIVO'd NOW program. Glad they're losing popularity, I hope Democrats can earn the confidence of our youth.

[ingac70]

15. Good. The GOP did this to themselves! n/t.

[AX10]

17. Young people have to live their lives still.

Republicans only offer death and destruction. There is no reason for young people to vote Republican.

[shenmue]

18. Yay! Yay!

:patriot:

There's hope!

[Oak2004]

19. Whee! It's The Permanent Republican Minority (TM) :)) n/t

[Rydz777]

21. Our young people are increasingly aware that things are not

going well in this country. I'm not sure the Democratic Party will be able to solve the massive problems that we face, but I am absolutely sure that the Republican Party cannot and will not.

I'm also sure of a couple of other things: the next President will be a Democrat and that President will be tested like no other President has been tested since Franklin Roosevelt. The voters may be looking for easy solutions, but there won't be very many of those.

The thing that needs to be done NOW is to get out of Iraq. The worst thing that could happen to a new Democratic President coming into office in March 2009 is to have this disaster still festering. Dealing with it would take all the oxygen out of the first months of the new administration. I'm still convinced that cutting off the funding is feasible. Let the Republicans filibuster and let Bush veto. John Edwards is right: just keep sending them the same bill.

[DeepModem Mom]

23. K&R

[WinkyDink]

24. FINALLY! It took Boomer GRANDchildren to come around!

[JerseygirlCT]

29. Well, um, some of us younger boomers are still on the

children part, not grands. (Please, not grands yet, lol!)

[WinkyDink]

32. I always was bad at math! :)

[JerseygirlCT]

39. S'ok. I'm near the end of the boom! nt

[depakid]

25. The question is: Will they vote- or will they stay home?

I bet a substantial number will just stay home if they don't perceive that there's a candidate to vote FOR, not against.

[JerseygirlCT]

30. That's important, and it's important our nominee really understands

that. It's not enough to be frustrated with them if they don't turn out. We've got to actively give them reason to turn out. And bring friends. This HAS to become THEIR fight, not one we're just hoping to enlist them in.

[depakid]

33. That's exactly right

and it echoes things I've heard said by people in that age group.

[otherlander]

36. A lot of my friends at school

are going to vote for Obama in the primaries. They said that they'll vote in the general election for whoever gets the Dem nomination, but they really want him to win. I'll vote in the general election for whoever gets the Dem nomination, too, but I turn 18 right after the primaries, so I can't vote in them. :( I told my friends that, and one of them said, "Well, we'll think of you when we're voting in the primaries."
But if I could vote in those, I wouldn't vote for Obama, I'd probably vote for Edwards, but I won't mind if I wind up voting for either of them for President.

I guess that doesn't really answer your question, though, because the people I hang out with aren't exactly representitive of the typical young-American population.

[devilgrrl]

26. That may well be but what about people between the ages of 25-45?

I'm not seeing a lot that. Most of those snots getting nailed in this misAdministration are people in their early thirties. Many of my fellow classmates (43/44) are total rightwing assholes. This is only a person observation but I thought I'd bring it up anyway.

[JerseygirlCT]

31. I continue to be frustrated by people in this age group who

almost proudly announce "I'm not into politics".

As if. As if their lives don't depend on their participation. As if it doesn't matter. As if being knowledgeable about what's going on somehow sullies you.

Makes me nuts.

[devilgrrl]

34. I'm with you there!

Another thing I noticed about my former classmates and current freepers are that many of them lived in public housing while growing up. Another instance of "What's the matter with Kansas?"

[JerseygirlCT]

27. Good! Now let's make sure we give them the impetus they need

to get out and actually VOTE.

I know my teen is extremely excited that he'll be eligible next time. I'm hoping he brings many friends with him.

[BlooInBloo]

28. Which will be fascinating when kids vote.

[Vidar]

35. There's hope for the future.

[rockymountaindem]

37. As a 20 year old, I don't know what to think

On the one hand, growing up with Bush in office hasn't been a picnic, obviously. Furthermore, I fear that the US won't recover the level of success and prestige I recall having during the Clinton years when I was young, or during the Cold War years which I have studied in college obtaining a history major. On the other hand, my experiences with people my age makes me kind of glad this is happening in our formative years, because it will *really* get the message through *now* about the failures of far-right policies. Most people I know, even people with Republican parents, feel so alienated from the right wing that I don't ever see them being converted to their parents' ways in the future. Even in deepest red Colorado Springs, a lot of young people are d-o-n-e with the right wing. It gives me hope that as we grow up and get into the drivers' seat around here we'll do things well.

Not that I believe the right-wing is vanquished for the forseeable future, but their long-term prospects can't be good from what I can tell. Even if some kids now who are pro-left don't vote, as they mature and start to take the process seriously, I can tell you they won't be voting for the other side. That's a fact.

[mitchum]

38. C'mon, don't those kids know that rich old white guys are the absolute coolest?

The republicans have to know that they have really fucked up when even the young and inexperienced aren't naive enough to fall for their con games.