I have been seeing a new party evolving on the horizon for youth. The way that David Hogg was pushed out of the Democratic party says it all. He was trying to make change and the party was inflexible for new ideas. I hear my Gen Z nephews and niece and daughter want something else. So do I. The independent label is not enough for some. I like that Zohran Mamdani is a Social Democrat. That already differentiates him from the mainstream democrats as many people want. It is terrible that the US Green party has been adopted by unserious people. It is one of the reasons why the US is not further along on climate goals. It might be time to end 2 party domination and look more at coalition governments. Not winner take all, but proportional representation. As Trump is blowing up our political system, in rebuilding we should be creating something better. I am a dual citizen and in my other country, the one I am currently in, I vote for a different party than I would in the US, because I can.
So Ramaswamy is trailing Amy Acton in a poll from last week for the Ohio governor race. The hits keep right on coming. There's a 19 point swing amoung women voters to Acton since August going from -10 to +1.
"The future for young people could look like 2018, or like 2024. I could see Republicans making serious inroads with young voters if they manage to actually solve the cost-of-living issue."
I am still disappointed in the lack of political literacy among young voters.
If they had voted in Kamala Harris, they would have been voting for student loan relief. They would have been voting for improving infrastructure. They would have been voting for lower healthcare and medication costs. They would have been voting for NOT giving trillions of dollars in tax cuts to billionaires. They would have been voting for renewable energy and addressing climate change. They would have been voting for campaign finance reform. They would have been voting to continue the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Instead, they voted for a fascist felon with a long history of lies and bigotry and corruption, because he pinky-promised them he would lower the cost of eggs.
If you do nothing else, read Heather Cox Richardson's "Democracy Awakening", or Michael Lewis's "The Fifth Risk" or Anne Applebaum's "Autocracy, Inc.," or "The Haves and Have-Yachts" by Evan Osnos or "The Jungle Grows Back" by Robert Kagan or "Leadership in Tough Times" by Doris Kearns Goodwin or "The Soul of America" by John Meacham.
It really helps to know the history of the Democratic and Republican Parties in America.
There are definitive patterns in terms of which one helps average Americans and which one wants only rich white men to run the show, and how income inequality (plus Citizens United) is destroying our democracy.
I’d like to see a deeper dive into the “digital” sources of news that people are relying on. How many of them are relying on the websites of professional news organizations, like the New York Times and NBC News, and how many are relying on random posts on Facebook, Xitter, TikTok, etc.?
I hear ya. I taught Freshman Comp and Research to college kids forever. They taught me hope for the future. They are nobody's fool. Yes, they may have gotten sucked in by Trump. But they learned fast (I wasn't there to warn them). They have lots of time to study this fucking government and change the face of America which has been very ugly (in some ways forever) for too long. They are the largest demographic and can do anything they put their minds to. The whole country needs young people at the helm. In the age of mis and disinformation, social media and cell phone addiction, the young voters (under the age of fifty) need to take this country by the balls (too many men in power if you ask me), eliminate racism and xenophobia, work as one, solve climate change, embrace diverisity, and create and economy for all. No big deal, right?!? Oh yeah . . . and single-payer healthcare, no lobbying, term limits (for SCOTUS, too) and ponies for everyone!
Can you please comment on the Reuters poll this week finding 46% of voters aged 50+ would vote for Republicans in midterms? If Dems cant rely on young voters or older voters as a base, do they even have a voter base?
The chart on where people get their news is confusing. Exactly what is “Print?“ Literally paper? And what does “digital devices“ mean? Which category would someone who reads the New York Times, say, on an iPhone land?
We need a parliamentary system with many political parties.
Preferential voting in large multi member constituencies (STV) would get rid of the gerrymandering problem, but broad church political parties don't like giving voters the choice that allows
Our system is broken. Nobody with a lick of sense has any faith in it anymore. We have to create a new system based on the ethic of citizens electing representatives that work for them, not for billionaires. We need a system that overturns Citizens United, so that billionaires can't buy the politicians we "elect." We need to think about what to build and have it at least partway ready after this occupant is gone. We need to come up with a list of ethical and scientifically accurate tests for every candidate. No more ignoring climate change, no more promises of growth. We need to get real. And by the way, old people - retirees - are also struggling and scared financially. Price of fuel, food, housing, no improvement in sight.
As an old person, who didn't feel I had a realistic option to the Democratic party when I was young (no Internet), or maybe didn't know enough to support them, I still know that 3rd parties don't win elections often. The young perspective is valuable, but the statistics argue that angry progressives of all ages need to demand better options from the primary process, demand less control from money, and demand better engagement with workers and families. Zohran's message to the Dems was, "You're not listening." And if they don't start listening, they will disappear, and sadly, so will our democracy.
I think it’s clear from these data that progressive voters think the Democratic Party has failed them. That’s a bad position for the Dems to be in, since they rely on progressive votes!
I am reading/hearing more and more that if Democrats win and MAGA cracks, groypers and neo nazis fill the void, as the keystone cops (Democrats) won’t get their act together to stave off the thing that is the new MAGA. I am starting to feel this could be true. Is there any way to validate/invalidate this assertion of some of Substack’s talking heads?
I can only hope Democrats will directly address young people's rightful disallusion in the midterms and '28. Focusing on the future requires it! Running on the big changes needed to provide a fairer future seems like a necessary and appealing approach. This is a hard group to engage given their disalusionment, but it can be done. If you engage young people, you win. Bigly.
I have been seeing a new party evolving on the horizon for youth. The way that David Hogg was pushed out of the Democratic party says it all. He was trying to make change and the party was inflexible for new ideas. I hear my Gen Z nephews and niece and daughter want something else. So do I. The independent label is not enough for some. I like that Zohran Mamdani is a Social Democrat. That already differentiates him from the mainstream democrats as many people want. It is terrible that the US Green party has been adopted by unserious people. It is one of the reasons why the US is not further along on climate goals. It might be time to end 2 party domination and look more at coalition governments. Not winner take all, but proportional representation. As Trump is blowing up our political system, in rebuilding we should be creating something better. I am a dual citizen and in my other country, the one I am currently in, I vote for a different party than I would in the US, because I can.
So Ramaswamy is trailing Amy Acton in a poll from last week for the Ohio governor race. The hits keep right on coming. There's a 19 point swing amoung women voters to Acton since August going from -10 to +1.
https://youtu.be/srYeY9cS53Y?si=URxl5CmS3f9n4FDl
"The future for young people could look like 2018, or like 2024. I could see Republicans making serious inroads with young voters if they manage to actually solve the cost-of-living issue."
I am still disappointed in the lack of political literacy among young voters.
If they had voted in Kamala Harris, they would have been voting for student loan relief. They would have been voting for improving infrastructure. They would have been voting for lower healthcare and medication costs. They would have been voting for NOT giving trillions of dollars in tax cuts to billionaires. They would have been voting for renewable energy and addressing climate change. They would have been voting for campaign finance reform. They would have been voting to continue the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Instead, they voted for a fascist felon with a long history of lies and bigotry and corruption, because he pinky-promised them he would lower the cost of eggs.
If you do nothing else, read Heather Cox Richardson's "Democracy Awakening", or Michael Lewis's "The Fifth Risk" or Anne Applebaum's "Autocracy, Inc.," or "The Haves and Have-Yachts" by Evan Osnos or "The Jungle Grows Back" by Robert Kagan or "Leadership in Tough Times" by Doris Kearns Goodwin or "The Soul of America" by John Meacham.
It really helps to know the history of the Democratic and Republican Parties in America.
There are definitive patterns in terms of which one helps average Americans and which one wants only rich white men to run the show, and how income inequality (plus Citizens United) is destroying our democracy.
Honestly.
I’d like to see a deeper dive into the “digital” sources of news that people are relying on. How many of them are relying on the websites of professional news organizations, like the New York Times and NBC News, and how many are relying on random posts on Facebook, Xitter, TikTok, etc.?
I hear ya. I taught Freshman Comp and Research to college kids forever. They taught me hope for the future. They are nobody's fool. Yes, they may have gotten sucked in by Trump. But they learned fast (I wasn't there to warn them). They have lots of time to study this fucking government and change the face of America which has been very ugly (in some ways forever) for too long. They are the largest demographic and can do anything they put their minds to. The whole country needs young people at the helm. In the age of mis and disinformation, social media and cell phone addiction, the young voters (under the age of fifty) need to take this country by the balls (too many men in power if you ask me), eliminate racism and xenophobia, work as one, solve climate change, embrace diverisity, and create and economy for all. No big deal, right?!? Oh yeah . . . and single-payer healthcare, no lobbying, term limits (for SCOTUS, too) and ponies for everyone!
They are somebody’s fool. Anyone who wasn’t a billionaire should voted for Trump was a fool.
Can you please comment on the Reuters poll this week finding 46% of voters aged 50+ would vote for Republicans in midterms? If Dems cant rely on young voters or older voters as a base, do they even have a voter base?
The chart on where people get their news is confusing. Exactly what is “Print?“ Literally paper? And what does “digital devices“ mean? Which category would someone who reads the New York Times, say, on an iPhone land?
We need a parliamentary system with many political parties.
You may be interested in the polling done in Colorado: https://letcoloradovote.com/
Preferential voting in large multi member constituencies (STV) would get rid of the gerrymandering problem, but broad church political parties don't like giving voters the choice that allows
“Pew finds young people are following the news much less than older Americans, and they’re getting most of their news from social media websites.”
Any chance that this is a factor in their alienation?
I think a survey is needed to break out the data on news sources by age, political orientation, education, religiosity, and income.
Our system is broken. Nobody with a lick of sense has any faith in it anymore. We have to create a new system based on the ethic of citizens electing representatives that work for them, not for billionaires. We need a system that overturns Citizens United, so that billionaires can't buy the politicians we "elect." We need to think about what to build and have it at least partway ready after this occupant is gone. We need to come up with a list of ethical and scientifically accurate tests for every candidate. No more ignoring climate change, no more promises of growth. We need to get real. And by the way, old people - retirees - are also struggling and scared financially. Price of fuel, food, housing, no improvement in sight.
As an old person, who didn't feel I had a realistic option to the Democratic party when I was young (no Internet), or maybe didn't know enough to support them, I still know that 3rd parties don't win elections often. The young perspective is valuable, but the statistics argue that angry progressives of all ages need to demand better options from the primary process, demand less control from money, and demand better engagement with workers and families. Zohran's message to the Dems was, "You're not listening." And if they don't start listening, they will disappear, and sadly, so will our democracy.
I think it’s clear from these data that progressive voters think the Democratic Party has failed them. That’s a bad position for the Dems to be in, since they rely on progressive votes!
I am reading/hearing more and more that if Democrats win and MAGA cracks, groypers and neo nazis fill the void, as the keystone cops (Democrats) won’t get their act together to stave off the thing that is the new MAGA. I am starting to feel this could be true. Is there any way to validate/invalidate this assertion of some of Substack’s talking heads?
At 85, I disapprove of both parties! Still a progrssive.
I can only hope Democrats will directly address young people's rightful disallusion in the midterms and '28. Focusing on the future requires it! Running on the big changes needed to provide a fairer future seems like a necessary and appealing approach. This is a hard group to engage given their disalusionment, but it can be done. If you engage young people, you win. Bigly.
How distinct are these results regarding the young voters' perspective than those from 2005 and 2015?
That’s a great question. I’ll do a longer piece on that after the new year.