http://www.kevinbondelli.com/2010/01/25/young-voters-wont-be-energized-by-myopic-policies/ Youth Vote, Technology, Politics Thu, 17 May 2012 15:02:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.kevinbondelli.com/2010/01/25/young-voters-wont-be-energized-by-myopic-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-81144 Kevin Bondelli Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:07:14 +0000 http://www.kevinbondelli.com/?p=2166#comment-81144 Thanks for your comment, Juliana. I agree that continuing along the current track risks turning an optimistic generation into a more cynical one. Thanks for your comment, Juliana. I agree that continuing along the current track risks turning an optimistic generation into a more cynical one.

]]> http://www.kevinbondelli.com/2010/01/25/young-voters-wont-be-energized-by-myopic-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-80898 Juliana Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:42:20 +0000 http://www.kevinbondelli.com/?p=2166#comment-80898 So true - what I don't understand is why the Democrats in Congress expect to have to compromise and lower their baselines. If Republicans were elected, they wouldn't seek to compromise to move legislation forward. I've heard the argument that the Democratic Party is more diverse and so they can't count on all the Dem votes in Congress anyway, but it seems like an excuse to me. There's a reason progressive Dems in the House opposed climate legislation - it was so far from accomplishing its goals that they couldn't support it anymore. Health care reform abandoned single-payer before it saw the light of day. As a grassroots organizer it's hard to explain to my peers why they should take action around the current policy proposals. Our generation wants more than just rhetoric - we want policies we can believe in. This isn't just about not activating the youth vote in coming elections - they risk disillusioning a large chunk of the young population who is just starting to get politically active. Once jaded, they will be much harder to activate into the future. So true – what I don’t understand is why the Democrats in Congress expect to have to compromise and lower their baselines. If Republicans were elected, they wouldn’t seek to compromise to move legislation forward. I’ve heard the argument that the Democratic Party is more diverse and so they can’t count on all the Dem votes in Congress anyway, but it seems like an excuse to me. There’s a reason progressive Dems in the House opposed climate legislation – it was so far from accomplishing its goals that they couldn’t support it anymore. Health care reform abandoned single-payer before it saw the light of day. As a grassroots organizer it’s hard to explain to my peers why they should take action around the current policy proposals. Our generation wants more than just rhetoric – we want policies we can believe in. This isn’t just about not activating the youth vote in coming elections – they risk disillusioning a large chunk of the young population who is just starting to get politically active. Once jaded, they will be much harder to activate into the future.

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