The Lost Generation?
By Mitch Berg
Four years ago, “youth” – America’s younger voters, in all their smug, insufferable, know-it-all energy – helped sweep The One into power.
Today? They seem a little less thrilled with things as they have turned out:
In the four years since President Obama swept into office in large part with the support of a vast army of young people, a new corps of men and women have come of voting age with views shaped largely by the recession. And unlike their counterparts in the millennial generation who showed high levels of enthusiasm for Mr. Obama at this point in 2008, the nation’s first-time voters are less enthusiastic about him, are significantly more likely to identify as conservative and cite a growing lack of faith in government in general, according to interviews, experts and recent polls.
Polls show that Americans under 30 are still inclined to support Mr. Obama by a wide margin. But the president may face a particular challenge among voters ages 18 to 24. In that group, his lead over Mitt Romney — 12 points — is about half of what it is among 25- to 29-year-olds, according to an online survey this spring by the Harvard Institute of Politics. And among whites in the younger group, Mr. Obama’s lead vanishes altogether.
It’s possible this may be Obama’s greatest legacy; a generation that – if they think about it, and here’s hoping there’s enough innate intelligence among them to overcome the complete lack of critical thinking in public education today – is completely soured on the idea that big government is, or has, or is equipped to reach, the answers.
July 6th, 2012 at 6:45 am
I’m in that ‘lost’ generation (29 in October), and it surprises me every time one of my friends outs themselves as conservative, or at least right leaning. But it seems to be happening more and more, and each time, I do a little happy dance in my head, knowing that another of my cohorts are using some of those brain cells their (usually) liberal education managed to not wipe out.
And as an aside, long time reader, first time poster, and as someone who recently moved to Vadnais Heights, I really appreciate the heads up on the candidates that don’t make my toes curl.
July 6th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Maybe they’re figuring out that Liberal/Progressive/Big Government will at the end of the day enslave them.
July 6th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
My son is 24 and his friends are in the 21-26 range. I, too, have done the happy dance when I hear them lamenting about their inability to find jobs in the professions that they went to college for. The three of them that are conservatives, are making the prudent points to let the rest of them know why.
And Melissa, welcome!