The GOP and young voters
June 15th 2009 05:33
The Republicans need to do better in future elections with young voters. As a general rule, younger voters tend to be more liberal. I was pretty liberal myself when I was in college. It was only after I left college, got a job, and started paying taxes that I became more conservative.
How can the GOP appeal to those younger voters? I have two suggestions:
1. Run younger, more vibrant candidates. The GOP needs candidates who grew up in the information age and are familiar with the needs and desires of younger voters. Maybe John McCain was hip and cool in the 1960's, but how could a young voter look at him in 2008 and think that he understood them?
2. Stress the debt, the debt, and the debt. This should be repeated ad nauseum. The money that Barack Obama is spending now is not just today's tax dollars. He is also spending the future taxes of the youth of America and the taxes of their children. Attach a price tag to it. For example, upon graduation, every college student will have to pay an extra xxx thousand dollars just based on Obama's 2009 budget. Get the numbers straight and repeat them again and again and again. Make sure they understand how much of their future earnings have already been claimed by Obama due to his free-spending policies.
I don't know if these suggestions will win over a majority of young voters, but if the candidates are appealing and the messages are consistent, the GOP could peel away enough of them to get back in the game.
How can the GOP appeal to those younger voters? I have two suggestions:
1. Run younger, more vibrant candidates. The GOP needs candidates who grew up in the information age and are familiar with the needs and desires of younger voters. Maybe John McCain was hip and cool in the 1960's, but how could a young voter look at him in 2008 and think that he understood them?
2. Stress the debt, the debt, and the debt. This should be repeated ad nauseum. The money that Barack Obama is spending now is not just today's tax dollars. He is also spending the future taxes of the youth of America and the taxes of their children. Attach a price tag to it. For example, upon graduation, every college student will have to pay an extra xxx thousand dollars just based on Obama's 2009 budget. Get the numbers straight and repeat them again and again and again. Make sure they understand how much of their future earnings have already been claimed by Obama due to his free-spending policies.
I don't know if these suggestions will win over a majority of young voters, but if the candidates are appealing and the messages are consistent, the GOP could peel away enough of them to get back in the game.
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