The Left used to crow that they would own Millennials — the post Generation X wave that came of age in the Era of Hope and Change — because if you vote Democrat in your twenties, you will vote Democrat forever. And a lot of people in their twenties got swept up in the wave of Hope and Change and voted for Bammy.
It never occurred to these left-wing triumphalists that if “Hope and Change” failed, their constituencies might abandon them. But that’s what’s happening (and granted, it never occurred to the Democrats that Hope and Change would fail … because Paul Krugman, Rachel Maddow, and Jon Stewart were all telling them Obama was perfect and awesome and the Best President Forevers and could never fail.)
… slightly more than half (51%) of young Americans who say they will “definitely be voting” in November prefer a Republican-run Congress with 47 percent favoring Democrat control – a significant departure from IOP polling findings before the last midterm elections (Sept. 2010 – 55%: prefer Democrat control; 43%: prefer Republican control). The cohort – 26% of whom report they will “definitely” vote in the midterms – appear up-for-grabs to both political parties and could be a critical swing vote in many races in November….
As the father of three Millennials, let me tell why the Obamacrats are losing them. The ones in my house and their friends all look out and see a world of limited economic prospects and — in some cases — massive college debt that has failed to produce for them the jobs and wealth they felt entitled to. Whether liberal, conservative, or indifferent Millennials have become aware that the earlier generations who run the Government are screwing them; running up debt that they will stick to the Millennials while destroying or limiting the upcoming generations prospects for economic advancement. My older two boys are happy to be employed and debt-free, but they see friends who have five or six figures of college debt and have to work retail jobs. They are also frustrated at how hard it is to move up within their fields of employment and feel blocked by older workers of less ability; they feel like the system is skewed against their entire generation. The promises of ‘Hope and Change’ ring pretty hollow now; they figured out it was just a meaningless advertising slogan and feel duped (not my sons, but others)
Another millennial of close acquaintance was thrilled that Obamacare meant he could stay on his parent’s insurance until he turned 26. That’s when he was 21. Now that he’s 25, Obamacare is starting to not look like such a great deal.
I worry about one thing — how many of those Millennials are abandoning Obama because they don’t think he has gone far enough? How many will still blindly vote for Fauxahontas or Sir Edmund of the FSA?
I hope they have all woken up, realized they have ruined their own futures, and come to hate the Left, but I do fear that many that are abandoning Obama do not see that it is the PHILOSOPHY just as much as the man proclaiming it that is at fault.
I have one milk is daughter who has been suckered by the War on Women-she isn’t exactly in love with Obama though and I think she’s picked up in the empty promises but it’s more of a jaded one-she isn’t so sold on Obama but she isn’t sold on the GOP either.
My younger daughter isn’t now and was never sold on Obama, the democratic message, but she also hasn’t lost hope (her hope just wasn’t and isn’t in Obama-it helps on her part that she received a scholarship to a highly ranked college and will graduate debt free or extremely close to it).
I think millennials are a little more street wise right now-they feel like they’ve been sold a pig in a poke but haven’t quite been sold on the other side. The GOP has the opportunity to seek them the real pig but I’m not sure they are taking it. If he GOP could find a Reagan like candidate for 2016 the millennials may happily dump the democrats.
I have no idea why “milk” is in my above post-I must have had a typo of some sort.
Moonbats complain not enough straight white males harassing women after 100+ catcall video, I am surprised they didn’t fake a white guy in the vid.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/10/29/catcalling_video_hollaback_s_look_at_street_harassment_in_nyc_edited_out.html
It’s a generational party switch.
The Silent Generation (the WWI and WWII vets) voted for liberals. The Boomers voted for conservatives. Gen X voted for liberals. Millennials may vote conservative after all. If this pattern holds true, that means the progeny of Millennials will vote for liberals, and their progeny will vote conservative.
Both of my kids are in their early 20s. While they aren’t political nor follow politics closely, they are practical, have common sense, and respect their conservative upbringing. They both vote accordingly and will call and ask me. As they have moved into the real world and notice how much they pay in taxes, they are starting to focus and pay more attention. They chose useful majors at affordable state universities, worked/got scholarships/internships, graduated with zero debt. Son had a job lined up before graduation. Daughter’s job is paying for grad school.
Regarding kids voting different than their parents. My parents are union loving dems. Of their 6 kids, 2 are conservative, 2 are dems, 1 is batsh*t, the other doesn’t vote.
The spouse and I are conservative and so are our kids.
Oh and yeah, they never cared for Obama. Too slimey…too hyped.
Millennials are switching to the GOP because now they realize they have to start paying for stuff. Period.
Regards,
Peter H.
Sorry, Paul – but you got it backwards. Generational shift began with the advent of radio in the 1920s and the use of polling by Gallup. Here’s how the ratio broke out in terms of those “coming of age” in different eras:
1920s – Silent and/or “Lost” Generation: Liberal
1940s – “Greatest” Generation: Conservative
1960s – Baby Boomers/Hippies: Liberal
1980s – Gen X (of which I am proud to be): Conservative
2000s – Millenials : Liberal (so far, but we have to wait a while to confirm)
PS – I’m a former poli-sci professor at a major college in Houston with a master’s degree, so I’m pretty sure of my estimations.
Regards,
Peter H.
The SJW overstepped with GAMERGATE, and turned pretty much every str8 male gamer into a hacktivist. Mine craft might have taught them that when the left does things its not just a brick but part of a wall. The internet makes the 6 families that own 80% + of the controlled message media irrelevant.
Then of course there has always been people getting more conservative as they grow up the old saying “if you are not a liberal when other people are paying the bills you have no heart, if you are not a conservative when you grow up you have no brain”.
My parents (1930’s) were democrats but Bill Clinton style but my dad was a Reagan voter and from Reagan on voted HOP for president. Mom voted Mondale.
I was liberal in my college years and am pretty conservative as well as my husband. I have one kid who voted for Obama (she is one of the millennial he lost), a conservative (this is her first election), a there isn’t a label for him (he’s conservative with liberal leanings but it isn’t purely fiscal con/social liberal, and one who is probably most close to libertarian and likes the idea of voting third party but he won’t get to vote for two years.
Obama’s best allies are the GOP. Because, with certain honorable exceptions (Cruz, Palin, Rand Paul, Tea Party, etc.) – the GOP sucks ass. They cave in. They play the Washington game. They grow government. They don’t fight issues that they ought to fight. They don’t explain issues in terms of basic moral principles. They don’t try, or at least not very hard, to reduce government.
Therefore – Obama can get away with stuff. There is little (or no) good alternative to Obama.