On November 3, NPR featured a story on the Pew Research Center's report on how different generations currently view politics. As the story points out, older generations (such as the "silent generation") tend toward more conservative politics, and younger Americans (the "millennials," the generation including you) lean liberal. A simple explanation, as we discussed in class, is that liberals tend to see change as progress and conservatives tend to view current policy as tried and tested. The data provided by the study, however, adds to our understanding.
The following day, NPR followed up with a story suggesting how this might impact the upcoming presidential election. As this story explains, the millennial generation - despite the general observation that younger Americans are disengaged from the political process - was significantly involved in Barack Obama's election. Obama's support from the youngest group of voters was unprecedented and an important element of his success in 2008. Not only did young voters tend to vote for Obama, they turned out to vote like never before, and they volunteered and supported Obama beyond their votes.After listening to (or reading) both these stories, write a brief reflection on what it helps us understand regarding the role of age in politics. In your response, consider the some of the following:
- Why do you think Obama was successful in motivating young voters when past presidents has struggled to gain their support or have even neglected them as a demographic?
- How will the current political agenda affect who turns out to vote? What issues will Obama or the Republican candidate need to emphasize to motivate their base constituents?
- Based on your answer to that, who do you think will be more effective?
- How can we explain the significant differences between how the different generations view and trust government? Why is their such a difference in how the generations view America in the world? (see American exceptionalism)
- Makes some predictions about the upcoming election. Is there a Republican candidate who you see as best situated to capitalize on what these studies suggest? Is this good news for either party?
- Any other observations or conclusions? What in these studies is most important, interesting, or surprising?
I think Obama was so successful in motivating the younger generation for many reasons. As we talked about in class, he used progressive slogans that made the younger generation feel like they are actually helping to change the government to what they want it to be. He also is younger than past presidents which helps them to relate to him better. And lastly, Obama has a way with words. He's a wonderful speaker, and that made it easier for him to get people excited about the campaigning and voting.
ReplyDeleteWith the Occupy Wallstreet protests going on, taxing and corporations should be on the agenda for the candidates. If Obama stresses how he wants to fix this, he will /definitely/ get the younger generations out to vote. I also think if Obama stresses gay marriage and other social issues he will get a surge of LGBT followers, and very liberal thinking people. The Republicans need to get on the health care problem we are having. Not many people were/are happy with Obama care, so if they can come up with a way to fix it, they will get more votes.
Well, Obama definitely needs to step up the game if he wants people to vote for him again. As the article said, the people are disappointed in his lack of change in the country.
Growing up in different times makes a difference on how anyone views things. As the iconic grandparent always says, "You know, when I was your age..." They went through different struggles than our generation did, and this changes their opinions. They grew up where gay marriage didn't happen. It wasn't socially excepted, where today, it is becoming more of a social norm for people. The country has evolved so much over the years that the older generation isn't trusting of the "new ways" our country has adopted. I think it's almost like a culture shock, and they are so set in their ways, it's hard for them to change.
I really couldn't tell you who is going to win. I think it will all depend who gets the Republican nomination. If Herman Cain gets it, I think Obama will win. However, Romney will be a close call for Obama. Romney will be appealing to the independent voters because he's not /as/ conservative as the other contenders. Both parties are kind of in a rut, though, due to the stock market, the war, and unhappy people.
I just think it's interesting how the age groups are so similar with each other. It's almost like block voting. But, the Republican nominee and Obama /need/ to really figure out what they want to do because I don't think the country is going to be happy with another term of little change.
In my opinion, Obama was able to rally up young people because Obama himself was younger and less experienced than the typical, white, old man candidate. I think his wife and her fashion also helped him get attention. People just thought he was so cool– the way he dressed, the things he did, and especially the way he talked. They didn’t care what he was really going to do. Younger people typically don’t have a very good idea of how the country works, so they just believed that what Obama was saying was good. Another thing that really helped Obama was the fact that we had just begun a recession, and it had happened under a Republican president. This situation made the Republican Party seem like the “enemy.” The fact that McCain was so old helped Obama as well. I remember kids in my class at Belmont saying that McCain would probably have a heart attack and die in office before finishing his first term. The liberal media also made McCain’s vice president choice, Sarah Palin, look really stupid. She definitely wasn’t the best, but she was also not as bad as they made her out to be. Younger people are also more accepting of people who are different. I think that some may have felt that by electing Obama, they would prove that their generation was cleansed of the racism of the preceding generations.
ReplyDeleteI think the newer generations are so much different because the country has changed very much over the years. Religion and traditional family values have become less important, and exposure to the wider world through technology has made people more accepting of differences. I think young people also trend toward being more liberal because they have grown up under the influence of liberal school systems and an overwhelmingly liberal media.
Because the new generation is so much more liberal, in this coming election, it would probably help Obama to mention typical liberal issues such as abortion and gay marriage. He would also benefit from trying to explain his “disappointments.” He could try to defend his health care plan, give a better solution for improving the economy, and focus on immigration reform that would make it easier for illegal immigrants to come into the country. It would be beneficial for the Republican candidate to also discuss these issues only from the opposite side. They could criticize Obamacare and give a better solution to the health care crisis, they could give their own solutions to the economic problems, and they could express ideas about how to restrict the flood of illegal immigrants. They could also emphasize Obama’s failures, including the enormous debt he’s built up.
I believe the Republican candidate (hopefully Romney) will be more effective. Obama is already in office and people can see what he has done. He doesn’t have that kind of “first impression” advantage that the other candidate will. What he has done will have a significant impact on what he says he is going to do. However, I do think the election will still be really close. Basically, it’s going to be a battle between the people who want to keep Obama in office and the people who want him out.
In the last election, the Democratic primary generated a lot of attention for Obama. As it evolved into a competition focused around Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, many young people developed strong support for Obama. Reasons for this are plentiful. For one, the 2008 election was a race to replace George W. Bush, something many young Americans were eager to do at the time. In deciding whom to support in the election, therefore, a large number of young people looked for a candidate who was vastly different from Bush, and Obama was just that. Also, as we have discussed in class, liberals tend to view change as positive progress. Younger liberals, therefore, certainly had no problem with Obama’s change-based campaign platform and the ideals of change that he represented. For example, Obama was a much younger president than America had had in some time; he was an African American, and every president before him had been white. He was a Democrat, and George Bush had been a Republican. Aside from these aspects of Obama’s attractiveness as a candidate, his unmatched speaking skills and use of rhetoric in the race were able to win him a number of votes.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of cooperation between branches of the federal government will certainly have an effect on the election. On issues central to today’s political agenda, such as universal health care, tax reform, and American military involvement, candidates will either need to portray themselves as moderate in order to get votes from independent and swing voters or portray themselves as geared strongly toward one end of the political spectrum. If Obama comes off as liberal on social issues and more moderate on economic issues, he may be able to win the votes of younger, more liberal voters, and middle-aged and older independents and Democrats. Additionally, Obama could use his presidential experience to his advantage. If he stresses foreign policy and other areas in which the Republican candidates are inexperienced, he may come off as a better option. In order to take Obama out of the White House, the Republicans will need to emphasize a new solution to American health care and business (de)regulation and taxation.
It is hard to predict who will be more effective in the coming election. Much of the answer to that debate depends on who becomes the Republican presidential nominee. If Michelle Bachmann or Herman Cain becomes the nominee, chances are that Obama will win the election. However, if Romney is the candidate, the outcome of the race will be much more difficult to predict.
Different generations view government differently because they have seen it at different times at different points in their lives. Younger Americans may tend to be more liberal because they have been observing changes in American government for a much shorter period of time. Also, they are seeing American government now at the beginning of their lives and hope that they will be able to see changes in it that will improve their lives in the future. Older Americans have been watching American government change for a long time. They lived through the effects of the Cold War, the administrations of Ronald Regan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, and in many cases others, and a large number of these Americans feel that America’s best days occurred in some of these older administrations. Therefore, they would like to see a return to some of the policies put in place by administrations past in order to run the country in the way they see as most effective.
In conclusion, the election of 2012 will be close. I think that both Mitt Romney and Obama have a good chance of winning the election. Much of the election’s outcome will depend on the political climate at the time, the candidates, and the issues stressed. No matter who the candidates are, both will champion change of some kind. America will have to decide which kind of change they hope to see.
As an African American presidential nominee, Obama himself symbolized the change he promised in his 2008 presidential campaign. Since young voters accept change more quickly and tend to be more liberal in their views, they were motivated to be the first generation to see the election of the first African American president in American history. Also, Obama connected with the young voters, and college students were bound to see Obama as being the candidate who was most sympathetic to their needs. Even people who didn’t care about Obama’s plans as president favored Obama because he seemed cool, lively, and energetic compared to McCain.
ReplyDeleteBoth Obama and the Republican candidate need to address issues concerning health care, the current military situation, and freedom of choice. The candidates will have to be able to target specific groups of people to earn their votes. The Republican will have to discuss plans regarding immigration and come up with a better health care plan that the people will approve of. Obama may not get as much support from the millennial generation in the 2012 election because he failed to make significant changes in his first term. Young voters may vote for a Republican if the nominee is fairly liberal because they are disappointed with Obama. It is too early to predict how the upcoming election will turn out, but I think that it will be a fight between Obama and Romney. Romney is the strongest Republican candidate at this point, as Michelle Bachmann has strong conservative views and Herman Cain lacks political experience.
Differences between how different generations view the government are affected by the main issues of the different time in which people grew up. When the people of the silent generation were between the ages of 18 to 30, they couldn’t discuss topics we now openly talk of. Although the country has changed over the years, some people still believe the way of life in past years should be continued today.
According to the survey from the Pew Research Center, millennials tend to trust the government more than other generations and are the least angry with the government. While 64% of the silent generation believes that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world, only 32% of the millennials share that opinion. This reflects how the belief of American exceptionalism, which was especially strong in the years between 1928 and 1945, still persists in the silent generation, while it has faded with newer generations.
I think Obama was successful at motivating the millennial generation to vote because of his sayings like “Yes we can” and “Change we can believe in.” Since younger voters (the millennial generation) tend to be more liberal and also encourage change, these phrases were very well accepted by them. He also got attention because he would be the first African American president of the US. Had McCain been elected, he would have been the oldest president. Not so appealing, is it?
ReplyDeleteIf the political agenda is focused on major issues, then more people are likely to listen to what the candidate has to say. However, he or she has to be careful when taking sides on major issues; taking certain sides can attract or lose votes. For example, if they say something stupid like they’re going to levy a higher tax and have fewer government programs, their popularity will go down the drain. But if the political agenda is focused on something minor, then potential voters lose interest, and voting turnout declines. I think many of Obama’s voters are of the millennial generation, so he should probably talk about enforcing his health care plan and making cleaner energy policies (but only to a certain point, because he is the great compromiser, and talking about clean energy won’t go over well with the Republican oil company owners, and what the heck, let’s get their votes, too). The Republican candidate might con some people into believing the whole “higher morality” thing which is probably pretty effective considering conservatives care about that (not that liberals don’t). In reality, they’ll probably talk about less taxes and less government, because generally, that’s what conservatives are interested in. Based on that and taking into account that Obama lost some support for not delivering some of the change he promised, it will probably be easier for the republican candidate to get votes.
Events and political socialism often define a person and their views. I feel that the silent generation is more likely to agree with the statement “America is the greatest country in the world” because they were raised to be proud of their country and are generally more patriotic than younger generations. But half said that life in the US is worse than it was in the 60s. They probably think it has gotten worse because since the 60s, there have been many social changes that they are likely to disagree with such as support for interracial marriage and gay marriage. Maybe the silent generation resents their flower power children for starting all of that. This would explain why many millennials think life has gotten better since the 60s (although I don’t think someone born in the 80’s can have a solid opinion of what life was like in the 60s) because they are supportive of change, and that is exactly what has happened since the 60s.
I think any candidate could have it. It depends on who plays their cards right, who says what the people want to hear, and who makes the biggest impression on the greatest amount of the population. That’s not good news for either party, because that means they have a lot of work to do if they want to impress a vast majority of the population.I think it was odd how the millennial generation disagrees with the fact that the US is the greatest country in the world but think it has gotten better since the 60s, and the silent generation is the opposite.
I feel like they should correlate, agreeing with the first statement AND saying life in the US is better, or disagreeing with the first statement AND saying life in the US is worse, but apparently not.
I think Obama was successful at motivating the millennial generation to vote because of his sayings like “Yes we can” and “Change we can believe in.” Since younger voters (the millennial generation) tend to be more liberal and also encourage change, these phrases were very well accepted by them. He also got attention because he would be the first African American president of the US. Had McCain been elected, he would have been the oldest president. Not so appealing, is it?
ReplyDeleteIf the political agenda is focused on major issues, then more people are likely to listen to what the candidate has to say. However, he or she has to be careful when taking sides on major issues; taking certain sides can attract or lose votes. For example, if they say something stupid like they’re going to levy a higher tax and have fewer government programs, their popularity will go down the drain. But if the political agenda is focused on something minor, then potential voters lose interest, and voting turnout declines. I think many of Obama’s voters are of the millennial generation, so he should probably talk about enforcing his health care plan and making cleaner energy policies (but only to a certain point, because he is the great compromiser, and talking about clean energy won’t go over well with the Republican oil company owners, and what the heck, let’s get their votes, too). The Republican candidate might con some people into believing the whole “higher morality” thing which is probably pretty effective considering conservatives care about that (not that liberals don’t). In reality, they’ll probably talk about less taxes and less government, because generally, that’s what conservatives are interested in. Based on that and taking into account that Obama lost some support for not delivering some of the change he promised, it will probably be easier for the republican candidate to get votes.
Events and political socialism often define a person and their views. I feel that the silent generation is more likely to agree with the statement “America is the greatest country in the world” because they were raised to be proud of their country and are generally more patriotic than younger generations. But half said that life in the US is worse than it was in the 60s. They probably think it has gotten worse because since the 60s, there have been many social changes that they are likely to disagree with such as support for interracial marriage and gay marriage. Maybe the silent generation resents their flower power children for starting all of that. This would explain why many millennials think life has gotten better since the 60s (although I don’t think someone born in the 80’s can have a solid opinion of what life was like in the 60s) because they are supportive of change, and that is exactly what has happened since the 60s.
I think any candidate could have it. It depends on who plays their cards right, who says what the people want to hear, and who makes the biggest impression on the greatest amount of the population. That’s not good news for either party, because that means they have a lot of work to do if they want to impress a vast majority of the population.
I think it was odd how the millennial generation disagrees with the fact that the US is the greatest country in the world but think it has gotten better since the 60s, and the silent generation is the opposite. I feel like they should correlate, agreeing with the first statement AND saying life in the US is better, or disagreeing with the first statement AND saying life in the US is worse, but apparently not.
Obama received support from younger voters because he targeted them in his campaign. Sure other candidates have tried to rally young support, but not nearly as aggressively as Obama. This is because statistically they don't have the voting strength that the older generations do, so why bother.
ReplyDelete-Fish
It's simple. Young people responded to Obama because Obama responded to young people. Someone simply stepped up and said that young people are important in politics, they can make a difference, and he believed in young America. Adults generally look at teens in a negative way. As immature children who want to be treated as adults. Not a lot of expectations are put on young people. But when someone comes along and believes in young people, young people pay attention to that. They want to be treated as adults.
ReplyDeleteNow Obama made many promises. Promises of change. However...not much changed. So he may lose some support, maybe a lot of support. But because people want change, they will continue to vote for the democratic side as long as change is offered. But also because Obama let a lot of people down, voter turnout may drop and the people who will vote, will be republicans.
One thing that I strongly believe in, is that everything has nothing to do with politics. You can't just put people into catagories. It's all about doing the right thing and specific situations. You can say young people have a more positive view on the government, but then again, we have grown up in a negative enviornment when it comes to the government.
I think Obama was successful in motivating younger voters because of his huge support of change. His campaign slogan was "Yes We Can," promoting liberal ideas, and since the younger generation tends to be liberal, this was a strong influence. Maybe previous candidates did not specifically appeal to the younger generation because they saw it as a weaker force, or even something that was a lost cause in changing the influence of the non-conservative group. It seems, however, that Obama's efforts may have been rewarded with his victory.
ReplyDeleteObama's current political agenda, though, may cost him a few votes. As stated before, he strongly promoted change, and even with a few changes on Obama's behalf, there have not been nearly as many progressive ideas as promised. Because of this, he may want to either prove that he will change things in his next term, or take a different route to motivate the younger generation. The republican candidate may want to try to appeal to this generation as well, seeing as it worked fairly well for Obama. However, it's not wise to really pick a side on something major such as war or abortion because that will wipe out a whole bunch of people's votes, no matter which side one chooses.
I couldn't tell you who will win the next election, as it depends on many things such as what route Obama takes in his campaigning and who the Republican candidate is. Obama's still got a lot of support on the liberal side with the younger generation who favor government aid, but because Romney's 999 gaining the support of the older and more conservative generation who favor empowerment of the individual to move themselves up in the world, the gap between generations could potentially put up a good fight between the two.
Though I think that age could sway some people in voting, I don't really think it's as huge as some may make it seem. It's about the agendas and programs that the president has to offer, which can affect certain age groups in things like the drinking age or health care, but nothing is directly linked to something else.
Obama was successful in motivating young voters for many reasons. He is a younger than previous presidents which makes him for relatable. Also, his use of progressive slogans made younger people feel like there was going to be sudden change. Obama himself symbolized change. He was running to be(did become) the first African-American president.
ReplyDeleteWith the Supreme Court decision saying that Obama’s health care plan is constitutional, the Republican candidate and Obama will have to win voters over to their side of the issue. Occupy Wallstreet has received much attention from the media. Obama will have to provide a plan to solve this will give him a big leg up over the competition.
Obama because none of the Republican candidates seem to pose a legitimate threat to him right now.
People grew up with different values and beliefs. The Silent Generation grew up during a much different time than the Millennial. Social issues at the time were much more conservative by today’s standards. When they were born: abortions were illegal, homosexuals were shunned, and the Civil Rights Movement had not happened yet. Living through these changes has effected their political ideology. The younger generation was born into a world accepting these issues.
Romney is the only Republican candidate that stands a chance against Obama. The others are just useful for making SNL skits.
No group has a strong feeling of trust in the government. Hopefully whoever gets elected can change this. Also, the Silent Majority says the Democratic party is more concerned with people like me, but the Republican party can bring about needed change according to the survey. These results make me wonder about the legitimacy of the survey and the sanity of people over the age of 66.
Obama was able to win over the millennials by getting them to believe that with his as their president they could change the country and the way it was headed. Yet some of the millennials may feel disappointed because their prospects of landing a good job or decreasing their student debt has decreased. This feeling of being disappointed by Obama has left the millennials looking at both parties hoping to see another candidate who can help them achieve their dreams. The fact that there is no other Democratic candidate is leaving the liberal leaning millennials not interested in voting like they were in 2008. If Obama or the Republican party want the votes of the millennials, they will need to emphasize jobs, education and other social issues facing the millennials. If Obama wants to regain his young supporters he will need to get them to trust him more again. That demographic still trusts Obama's government the most , he could still win them back, but it will take some work.
ReplyDeleteThe Republican party will need to focus more on the social issues affecting the millennials and take a bit more liberal approach if they hope to win the millennials. The only Republican I can see getting the millennial vote is Mitt Romney, everyone else is swinging more conservative.
Well, I'm going to try to not say stuff that's already been said. Firstly, I'd like to point out that Obama was RELATIVELY successful in mobilizing us youngish. He came far from mobilizing a majority or even plurality of us. I think everyone else has pretty much said all that needs saying about his energetic style and comparative young-ness. I would definitely question those who say he has wonderful speaking skills. Personally I find him very choppy and bland. I'd say he does have some wonderful speech writers on his staff though. But I digress. I will say that his promises were mostly about issues that directly affect US! We want to see someone who wants to help or benefit us.
ReplyDeleteAs in any election, where a politician makes a speech determines what he says. At this point, any of the real serious candidates should refrain from making any strong opinions of programs or policies yet. In 1859 the Republicans met in Chicago at a building called the Wigwam. They were to determine a candidate. Lincoln sat there while men like Seward really put themselves out there. They soon lost general support, leaving Lincoln as the candidate. If Cain survives these current scandal accusations, he has already polarized himself too much for many people (including me) and so will loose support from a broad base. As the election approaches, I must disagree with Phoebe when she says that he must be liberal on social issues. Social issues are very polarizing. People don't say that Obamacare is alright sometimes. no it is all or nothing. If he fights for that strongly, he looses support. He really will have a hard time finding issues that aren't polarizing. Really, I think Obama should pull a Clinton and adopt some of the important Conservative agenda. I'd say Debt reduction and a balanced book are good places to start. Abortion is a bad idea to stress. It has polarized people especially since the bishops of the Catholic Church have openly endorsed anyone who is against it period. Vote for the Republicans just because they are against abortion. I also must disagree with Emma C because if Obama stresses taxes and corporations, he will prolly loose most of them. The support of the really rich people has swung elections before. Today, really whoever spends the most probably will win the election. Sad but true. Also, most states have no legislation whatsoever relating to gay marriage or "civil unions" and most don't even include violence against gays as a hate crime. Disturbing and polarizing. Avoid at all costs.
At this instant in time, it is really impossible to tell who would win an election for the Platteville School Board. Nobody should venture a guess as to who should win. I should say that as president, Obama has the resources and media of the state as well as the Democratic Party and general public media. This gives him an automatic advantage.
ReplyDeleteIn general, I'd say that America is in its decline. Collapse is not yet imminent, but probably within our lifetimes...... anyway, almost every empire in the history of the world (unless it is invaded and destroyed before it gets around to it) goes through roughly the same cycle of growth, empire, decline, and collapse. We are approaching the end of this cycle simply by comparing us to Great Britain or France, let alone delving deeply into history. The world hates us. Our money is all in the hands of a few people. People don't trust the government or our politicians. People don't give a crap about civic engagement. Unemployment is high. Yea, we are going down and will crash and burn soon. Imagine we are living in Paris right after Charlemagne died. We would say the Empire looks crappy as it is crashing. If we lived in England today..... Anyway you get the idea. As our empire collapses, it will seem to suck to all involved except those intense optimists. That is why we view America badly in comparison to older people.
As a final note, young people like Pizza, so Cain will gain their love and support maybe.
Obama was able to win over the millenial generation because of his various examples of change he would bring. This attracted younger people because they tend to be more liberal and are always open to change. He was also more successful than other presidents because he is better able to relate to the younger generation due to his own age.
ReplyDeleteWith taxes being a major issue right now(Wall Street)Obama might want to heavily mention his plan to resolve this conflict and how he will put it into effect. He may also want to mention his view on social issues to win over the younger voters that were not old enough to vote last time. As for the Republicans, they need to focus on the newly approved health care plan and come up with one they think is better and convince their constituents that their plan is the best.
I think Obama will be more effective as he still has a good amount of the large number of voters from the last elction returning and he will more than likely pick up most of the new voters this coming year as well. Obama may lose some support from certain minorities, but in my opinion not enough to hurt him too badly in the election.
The different age groups have different views on government because of their upbringing. Family values were much more important back when the silent generation was growing up along with a higher trust in government. But growing up now, not so much, and different views are expressed everywhere you go with social networking and such. Things like media now are also more left-leaning and this affects the younger generation. The silent generation is now leery of trusting the government because the issues are changing and the silent generation isn't used to talking about issues like gay marriage.
In the upcoming election I see Mitt Romney as the only real threat to Obama. He is less conservative and is more likely to win over independents. Herman Cain lacks political experience, Rick Perry may be a little too conservative for some, and Michelle Bachmann is Michelle Bachmann. If Romney gets the nomination both presidential candidates will have to work very hard to get moderate's votes. This is neither good nor bad news for either party. It just means they will both have to campaign very well.
I believe Obama was able to win over millennials because of his message, image and charm. In comparison to the last president Americans had dealt with for the previous two terms George W. Bush, Obama was a breath of fresh air. Obama spoke often of issues that millennials could relate to such has college unlike his Republican opponent, John McCain, who focused more on the middle aged to senior demographic.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting to see what gets millennials to get out and vote, and how one person could make such a change to the sluggish trend of voting for that generaiton.
If Obama focuses once again on the issues of the millennials, he could expect that many of them would come back and win the election for him once again. How would he go about this? By talking about things like student loans and perhaps his liberal stance on particular social issues. The Republicans best plan would to be focus on the economy and to try to appeal to the older crowd.
If Obama does manage to spread his mention once again like he did in the previous election, he'll be able to get a large amount of support from millennials. Millennials are perhaps even more concerned this time around about jobs, and Obama's job's plan would best appeal to their needs.
The significant difference in ideologies between older and younger generations regarding the trust in government is that the older generation lacks trust in government while millennials put a lot of faith in it. The older generation tends to be more conservative and believes in privatizing certain things in society while millennials favor big government and free health care. The view of our nation is different generationally because older generations have gone through more rough times than millennials have.
I think Obama will win the election because the Republican party has failed to find a candidate with the right prospects. No. Yes, for the Democrats.
Jordan Stombaugh
In my opinion, the major reason that Obama was able to win the votes and support of such a large percentage of young voters is that he focused on something that they felt needed to happen: change. After getting through eight years of George W. Bush and not being able to vote against him, many were excited that they would have the opportunity to support someone who had promised to change things. Another reason is that many voters in this group associate the presidency of Bill Clinton with good times, before the wars, recession, etc.
ReplyDeleteHowever, many young voters that once supported Obama are now frustrated and out of work, disappointed that policies have not been significant enough to bring about real change. It would, however, appear that young voters are very unlikely to vote Republican. Unless Obama starts to focus more on campaigning for this demographic, many of his once-supporters may not show up to vote.
Neither of these studies seemed very surprising. Both reflect on trends that are quite obvious. It would that older people have almost always tended to be more Conservative and that young people tend to be more likely to be Liberal.