Republicans Losing the Youth Vote
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, 3rd Party, PollsThey had Gen X, but now the new youngins are particuarly disenchanted.
Young Americans have become so profoundly alienated from Republican ideals on issues including the war in Iraq, global warming, same-sex marriage and illegal immigration that their defections suggest a political setback that could haunt Republicans “for many generations to come,” the poll said.The startling collapse of GOP support among young voters is reflected in the poll’s findings that show two-thirds of young voters surveyed believe Democrats do a better job than Republicans of representing their views - even on issues Republicans once owned, such as terrorism and taxes.
And in another win for Giuliani…
And among GOP presidential candidates, only former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani registers with more positive views than negative with young voters, the poll shows.
That’s because Rudy is the most socially moderate candidate in the field. Well, besides pieces of Ron Paul’s “live and let live” philosophy.
But who is the most socially moderate Republican of them all?
“I think you have to be concerned when you have some (Republican) people who are saying that global warming is a hoax and that status quo for health care is acceptable,” said Adam Mendelsohn, the communications director for Schwarzenegger.“These are all positions that don’t reflect where Republicans are in this state - and this is especially true when you start looking at young Republicans.”
Schwarzenegger, by supporting issues “once owned by the Democrats,” such as the environment and education, has lured many young voters to support him and “closely identify themselves as Schwarzenegger Republicans,” Mendelsohn said.
This is really just a generational thing. Generation Y is much more open, altrusitic and selfless than the cynical Gen X. So it follows that they’d be turned off by the more restrictive social policies of the GOP. And there’s really nothing that the Republicans can do except follow Arnold’s model, which most scoff at as RINOism.
My question to all of you is what’s going to be the next political revolution if we agree that the last one we had was the Conservative Revolution? Is it Constitutionalism? Or is it more of a mix of social liberalism and fiscal conservatism, which could be argued is Libertarianism. What will it be?
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August 27th, 2007 at 9:52 am
“My question to all of you is what’s going to be the next political revolution if we agree that the last one we had was the Conservative Revolution? Is it Constitutionalism?”
The Ron Paul Revolution.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Republican Ron Paul represents today’s “youth vote”, via the net (neo-liberal), not MSM, (neo-conservative).
“Conservative” means maintaining established ideas and values (religious and or secular). “Liberal” means changing established ideas and values (religious and or secular).
All revolutions by nature are “liberal” in that they promote change within or of establishment, beit, “conservative” (monarchy or liberal republic) or “liberal” (socalist: communist/fascist). The liberal revolution in 1776 promoted change from conservative monarchy.
Todays’ liberal revolution is from within the USA’s established liberal republic, embarking on a liberal New World Order of liberal Neocons and liberal Neoliberals (”Duopoly”), abetted by neo-conservative MSM.
The Ron Paul rEVOLution is a “red herring”, by the neo-liberal net, for the NWO, to end the neo-conservative facade of being a republic based on the USA constitution.
The result will be a neo-global monarchy.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Don’t count on it. This is the generation raised in schools where self-esteem training took priority over actual academic achievement, and personal responsibility for ones actions has been deferred to some social root-cause.
I think its the same old explanation, the reason why republicans didn’t appeal to “generation X” (the flannel-wearing slackers who simply abdicated from the political process during the “end of history,” Monica Lewinsky 1990’s). Republicans are our parents. Lame, boring, rich white people that rock stars Rage Against. Nothing new is going on here.
Young people will always romanticize revolution, and wear che shirts and pine on about environmental issues from the comforts of their bedrooms or dormitories… until they own property. Rudy will trounce Hillary in 2008 (if thats the matchup) because real conservatives will flock in droves so that Hillary won’t win; not because Rudy is moderate on social issues.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I don’t think any of the young people turning against Republicans are even thinking of it as a revolution. Therefore there’s nothing to romanticize.