The Future Is Now
2014-03-31 - by
“A change is coming, and it’s blue.” That’s the conclusion of an op-ed that looked at why more young Americans are voting Democratic. And it was my conclusion after several hours at the College Democrats/Young Democrats convention in Greenville Saturday.
I found an impressive group of smart, dedicated and determined Democrats who are getting involved and leading now. I left with a new optimism about the future.
The op-ed is by Charles Blow in The New York Times, who wrote about two Gallup reports: “U.S. Seniors Have Realigned With the Republican Party” and “Young Americans’ Affinity for Democratic Party Has Grown.”
Blow wrote, “Part of the reason for the Democratic swing among young people is the incredible diversity of the group. Gallup estimates that 45 percent of Americans 18-29 are nonwhite. But that doesn’t account for all of the change”
Gallup noted, “Young adults are not more Democratic solely because they are more racially diverse. In recent years, young white adults, who previously aligned more with the Republican Party, have shifted Democratic. From 1995 to 2005, young whites consistently identified as or leaned Republican rather than Democratic, by an average of 8 points. Since 2006, whites aged 18 to 29 have shown at least a slight Democratic preference in all but one year, with an average advantage of 3 points.”
In other words, time is not on the Republicans’ side. As Blow wrote, “The wave of demographic change and the liberal leaning of the young can’t be held back indefinitely through obstruction and aggression.” In fact, GOP voter suppression – along with policies like gay-bashing, immigrant-bashing, minority-bashing, climate change-bashing, teacher-bashing, etc. – only accelerates and hardens young Americans’ attitudes.
Then mix in the rising cadre of young leaders I met this weekend. So I tell my aging but young-at-heart Democratic peers: Don’t despair. Get busy making way for and mentoring this new generation. They’re going to save our state.
Posted in General, North Carolina - Democrats
The Future Is Now
2014-03-31/
“A change is coming, and it’s blue.” That’s the conclusion of an op-ed that looked at why more young Americans are voting Democratic. And it was my conclusion after several hours at the College Democrats/Young Democrats convention in Greenville Saturday.
I found an impressive group of smart, dedicated and determined Democrats who are getting involved and leading now. I left with a new optimism about the future.
The op-ed is by Charles Blow in The New York Times, who wrote about two Gallup reports: “U.S. Seniors Have Realigned With the Republican Party” and “Young Americans’ Affinity for Democratic Party Has Grown.”
Blow wrote, “Part of the reason for the Democratic swing among young people is the incredible diversity of the group. Gallup estimates that 45 percent of Americans 18-29 are nonwhite. But that doesn’t account for all of the change”
Gallup noted, “Young adults are not more Democratic solely because they are more racially diverse. In recent years, young white adults, who previously aligned more with the Republican Party, have shifted Democratic. From 1995 to 2005, young whites consistently identified as or leaned Republican rather than Democratic, by an average of 8 points. Since 2006, whites aged 18 to 29 have shown at least a slight Democratic preference in all but one year, with an average advantage of 3 points.”
In other words, time is not on the Republicans’ side. As Blow wrote, “The wave of demographic change and the liberal leaning of the young can’t be held back indefinitely through obstruction and aggression.” In fact, GOP voter suppression – along with policies like gay-bashing, immigrant-bashing, minority-bashing, climate change-bashing, teacher-bashing, etc. – only accelerates and hardens young Americans’ attitudes.
Then mix in the rising cadre of young leaders I met this weekend. So I tell my aging but young-at-heart Democratic peers: Don’t despair. Get busy making way for and mentoring this new generation. They’re going to save our state.
Posted in General, North Carolina - Democrats