GOP/ Youth Divide Growing
By Don | June 29, 2009
Republicans are concerned that young voters who flocked to Barack Obama and the Democrats in the 2008 election can't be lured back into the fold.
From the Politico
Two prominent GOP voices on the Sunday talk shows, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.), issued public warnings that the party is losing ground with young people.
"Demographically and with young people we’ve got our work cut out for us," Graham said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We’ll do well in 2010 but I’m worried about 20 years from now for us to do better—to be a party not a club—we’re going to have to adjust."
Graham didn't elaborate on exactly where those adjustments should be made, but he said he saw young people, who are largely loyal to Obama, paying the biggest price for some of the president's policies.
"The biggest loser for 18-to-34 year olds, is my opinion, the Obama agenda. They’re the ones that are going to have to pay for this massive government. They’re the ones that are going to lose choice in health care," Graham said.
Speaking on CNN, Pawlenty said the GOP stance against gay marriage appears to be hurting the party with younger voters--even as he shied away from suggesting any change in that position.
"I think there’s a lot of data that says young people feel differently about that issue than older people," the governor said. "That’s something that we’re going to have to come to terms with down the road in terms of the country but I don’t believe nor does the Republican Party believe that all domestic relationships are the equivalent. I believe that traditional marriage should be maintaned on an elevated status on an elevated form for obvious reasons. It's an important part of our social fabric."
Obama won over younger voters who were more enamored with his smooth talk than they were about substance. With Obama having mortgaged our country's future with the stimulus program and with more spending to come Graham is right that this demographic will be the big losers. If the party wants to win back this group then they will need stand on principle and not continue to cave in to what is politically expedient.
Post #2148
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The majority of young people have ALWAYS supported “liberalism” - which, in their minds, they continuously confuse with the entirely separate and different concepts of “license” and “libertinism”. And, especially today, the majority of young people are also totally imbued with the concepts of “sensitivity” and “inclusivity” - and they openly rebel in situations where they perceive these two (desirable to them) characteristics are being ignored.
July 1 at 1:49 am | #1 | Link
“Two prominent GOP voices on the Sunday talk shows, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.), issued public warnings that the party is losing ground with young people.”
I totally agree with Senator Graham and Gov. Pawlenty. Having a 27 yo who was raised in a conservative home, I just don’t get it. As it has recently been said by Sean Hannity, the youth can tell you more about Michael J Jackson than they can tell you about what is happening in our country.