What Happened to Investing in Young Progressive Voters?
02 Nov
Posted by Kevin Bondelli in Progressive Youth Movements, Youth Mobilization
Yesterday Craig wrote about the “Youth Disengagement Meme” and closed with the following paragraph:
Unfortunately, given the lack of funding for many progressive youth organizations, the communications efforts aren’t there. By no means am I an expert in progressive youth infrastructure, but I do want to raise awareness of this. Because I have a feeling that the Corzine campaign’s inability to engage youth on a peer-to-peer level is going to have some rough consequences, I believe we’re going to be facing the “youth are disengaged” meme that will affect our preparations for 2010 and 2012. What are we going to do?
Last week Sarah wrote about the lack of youth outreach from the Democratic establishment. In that piece, she quotes Morley Winograd:
“There’s been a missed opportunity here in showcasing the kind of youthful, optimistic, hopeful energy that greatly Obama benefited from during the campaign,” said Morley Winograd. . .”But of course it does not at all mean that the opportunity has gone away.”
Between 2004 and 2008 progressive youth organizations were building a strategy and infrastructure to turn out young voters and engage them in issue advocacy outside of elections. Major progressive donors seemed to realize the latent power of the youth vote and the need to catch up with the conservative funding machine that supports conservative youth.
Money came in to progressive youth organizations and they continued building on their earlier successes. In 2008 the work paid off resulting in the election of President Barack Obama and large Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate. Unfortunately, it seems that donors now feel like the mission was accomplished and the funding dried up.
There are some who argue that this is because of the financial crisis, but that is only a small part of it. There is still a lot of money being raised by candidates and PACs. It is that the donors aren’t choosing to invest in the long-term as they had been for the previous four years.
Progressives can’t take the support of young voters for granted, nor should they miss out on activating this powerful demographic when it comes to fighting for legislation or local races. As Winograd said, we are missing opportunities, and we will continue to do so until progressive donors recommit to building a long-term bloc of progressive voters.
One Response
Arnaldo Rodriguez
July 19th, 2010 at 3:47 PM
1I am 55 years of age born and raised in Puerto Rico. Served in the United States Air Force, ex teacher and had many other jobs. As a proud father of two, I am very concern as to the direction my country, US, is heading. During the inauguration of a new President, the words “…to protect and defendent the Constitution of the United States …” is recited. These words are seldom heard during the rest of the years that administration is in power. The same applies to the members of Congress! The result of this convenient selective memory is apparent when looking at the status quo of our country today. I would like to see these words to resonate every single second these individuals continue making decisions for us citizens of this great nation. Once this is deeply embeded in their couciousness the members of the Supreme Court will be obligated to follow as well.
We have to create a movement with a revolution of new and old ideas. One that works like a magnet bringin citizens from all parties and all raices and all backgrounds. One that revives the ideas and concerns of this nation’s forefathers to the forefront. One that without a leader, it will continue moving forward because is so well defined nobody can stop it. One that becomes a living organism!!! One that works like a virus, difficult to stop!
The “Constitutional Movement” whose foudation is the “Constitution of the United Sates and the Civil Rights” is the one that will allow us to “Protect and Defend this United States of America.” Every single elective candidate will have us citizens in their shoulder reminding them as to their goals and expectations during their service to their conuntry. We may have to change our “Pledge of Allegience” as to include the words ‘Constitution and Civil Rights’ somewhere in that pledge.
The Youth Movement should mobilize attracting youths from all political background since they all have common grounds to protect. Unification creates a force difficult to infiltrate, difficult to influence, difficult to destroy. They are the future of America! Lets do it NOW!