It's a good thing but Biden/Harris ticket needs to find a way to speak to the multitudes of young voters who can't afford or didn't want to go to college. That's where the real votes are.
Relying on college kids and suburban mom's will get only part of the votes needed to lock down the WH and Congress in 2024. The country is a lot bigger …
It's a good thing but Biden/Harris ticket needs to find a way to speak to the multitudes of young voters who can't afford or didn't want to go to college. That's where the real votes are.
Relying on college kids and suburban mom's will get only part of the votes needed to lock down the WH and Congress in 2024. The country is a lot bigger than the affluent voters they are catering to. I know they are trying but they tend to look for the easy fruit to pick. They need to work to create a margin that can't be stolen or lied about being fraudulent. #toughlove
The "real votes"?! I disagree with your characterization of college kids as affluent voters. Millions of students attend public universities and community colleges like the one that Kamala Harris visited, and many of them had to take out student loans to do so. And there are all those organizations that are engaging with young voters, whether or not they attend college.
As a former educator, I know lots of kids who went on to some kind of post high school education often working their butts off in the summer, holding a job down while going to school, and taking out student loans. We helped one student who got zero help from her parents.
I speaking in terms of numbers. I don't know the exact number but it should be easily extracted from census data and college attendance data. To think college kids and the affluent are enough belies the reality of a 50/50 between Biden and Trump at this point.
I've heard/read plenty of stories about college kids either not voting or not able to thanks to draconian state laws.
I'd also posit more or as many kids have student loans who didn't or weren't able to graduate than did.
Organizations are different from candidates directly engaging young voters. It's the same with the rural voters Democrats have ignored for decades in favor of the metro/suburban voters.
Blue Roots, a bit of student loan trivia: Of students who default on their Fed student loans, a large % are “low amount” borrowers. This is because the students borrow early on (eg; freshman/sophomore year) and then, for whatever reason, are unable to continue their attendance, thus leaving school in debt, but without the benefit of a degree (and all that it implies). At least this was the case, before retirement a decade ago, having worked in student aid at a Univ for 40 yrs & doing a lot of loan counseling (and following the demographics & stats at the time).
VG57, I had no clue when I took a job at age 18 @ a UC campus fin aid office & then a year later to attend college & w/ the nice recommendation letter given me, got a position @ the farthest northern Cal State & that I’d end up working there for 40 yrs—-a true public service job that I took to like a duck to water, a real right livelihood. Our crew was passionate about access to higher ed & the best service we could deliver (almost all of us had been on fin aid as students ourselves)…made lifelong friends among my coworkers & we still gather together a couple of times a month. And, oh my, do I have a lot of opinions regarding student aid, especially student loans!
Yes, thank you! Sharing actual personal experience draws me in far more than posts sharing outrage at the latest outrage. Sharing outrage feels good, too, but usually provides less food for thought than someone’s experience.
'Biden faces little risk of losing young Americans to Trump, who is far less popular among Gen Z and millennial voters. But can the president harness their anger to turn out and push him over the top? Or will their lack of perceived progress cause them to stay home, making way for a Trump victory next year?'
“The answer to this question will decide the election,” said John Della Volpe, polling director at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, who specializes in young voter attitudes.'
'In a recent blog post, Della Volpe wrote that voters under 30, who have been key to modern Democratic victories, now appear less likely to identify as Democrats, instead aligning as independents. Worse for the party, fewer young voters see politics as a “meaningful way to create change,” which he said has been a key indicator of youth turnout.'
“Nearly every sign that made me confident in historic levels of youth participation in 2018, 2020, and 2022 — is now flashing red,” he wrote. (NBCnews) See link below.
'Just because many young people don’t feel passionate about Biden doesn’t mean they are tapping out of the political process altogether. In fact, given the actions that Republicans have taken in recent years — from stripping the right to abortion to banning books in certain states to making it harder for young people to vote — the political energy among young people has only grown. Look at the massive demonstrations in states like Tennessee, where Republicans refuse to take action on gun violence, or the historic turnout in the 2022 midterm elections after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Young people are making their voices heard across the nation.'
'Older white male politicians have tapped into the youth vote before. Of course, there was Bernie Sanders, but don’t forget about then-74-year-old Ed Markey, who all of a sudden became a Gen Z icon in his 2020 Senate race.'
'In both cases, Gen Z supported them not only because of their commitment to fight for and defend the priorities that young people care about — which Biden has done — but also because they met and collaborated with young people at every turn possible. Sanders and Markey also showed young people exactly who they were: While they may have been old, they refused to back down on their ideals and came to resemble loving, but tough, grandparents. Biden can be a Gen Z icon, too, if he takes the same path.'
'We're not just voting. We're also running.' David Hogg launches young candidate PAC'
"For every year of Trump's presidency, I think there was a new chapter of a social movement that was born," the 23-year-old gun control activist told NPR, "whether it was the Women's March, March for Our Lives, the environmental movement, or the movement for Black Lives."
'Now, as the organizers that cut their teeth on those movements become eligible to run for office, Hogg wants to support their campaigns. He is launching Leaders We Deserve, a hybrid political action committee backing candidates under 35 years old running for federal office and under 30 years old running for state office.'
'The group — which plans to primarily focus on state-level races and a smaller number of congressional matchups — will target open, Democratic-held seats in the upcoming 2024 primary season.'
"[We're] trying to pick them and say, you know, we would like to help you run for office, we'll supply you with all of the resources that you need and help basically coach you and hold your hand to get there, which is kind of the gap that's in the space right now, for at least young people at the state legislative level," the March For Our Lives co-founder said.' (NPR) See link below.
Yours is a hypothetical question lacking 'another candidate', a timeframe, circumstances soon before and during voting period... and not having the means of knowing the answer with certainty.
"As we go into the 2024 election season, we'd best keep this larger picture in mind. The wall of hostility toward Biden and the will to drive him from office through impeachment or any means necessary is proportionate to his strength. Biden is a leader with his eyes on the prize: proving that democracy works in America, convincing people it is worth saving where it is under siege, such as in Ukraine, and encouraging it to return in places it has been vanquished." Ruth Ben-Ghiat
I hope young voters also see Biden as more important to our democracy than Sanders.
Simple searches will bear out what I've generalized here. I'm not the enemy but often get brunt from liberals for pointing out inconvenient truths. I know it because I've done it and like to think after 50 years of voting I've learned a few things and have changed my thinking.
Why do you presume I presume? Non-college voters have a lower percentage probably because they are either less engaged, uninformed or working multiple jobs and don't see what voting will do for them. That why I say you have to make contact with them but there's no convenient venue like a college campus to bring them together. They are prime meat for fascism just look at all the young faces at Trump rallies.
Politicians go for the low hanging fruit where people have disposable income, that's no secret. It was a big factor in Clinton's loss in 2016. For me affluent is a low bar meaning anyone with disposable income at the end of the month and not buried in debt. I know what it is because I've lived on both sides of that divide.
It's a good thing but Biden/Harris ticket needs to find a way to speak to the multitudes of young voters who can't afford or didn't want to go to college. That's where the real votes are.
Relying on college kids and suburban mom's will get only part of the votes needed to lock down the WH and Congress in 2024. The country is a lot bigger than the affluent voters they are catering to. I know they are trying but they tend to look for the easy fruit to pick. They need to work to create a margin that can't be stolen or lied about being fraudulent. #toughlove
The "real votes"?! I disagree with your characterization of college kids as affluent voters. Millions of students attend public universities and community colleges like the one that Kamala Harris visited, and many of them had to take out student loans to do so. And there are all those organizations that are engaging with young voters, whether or not they attend college.
As a former educator, I know lots of kids who went on to some kind of post high school education often working their butts off in the summer, holding a job down while going to school, and taking out student loans. We helped one student who got zero help from her parents.
I speaking in terms of numbers. I don't know the exact number but it should be easily extracted from census data and college attendance data. To think college kids and the affluent are enough belies the reality of a 50/50 between Biden and Trump at this point.
I've heard/read plenty of stories about college kids either not voting or not able to thanks to draconian state laws.
I'd also posit more or as many kids have student loans who didn't or weren't able to graduate than did.
Organizations are different from candidates directly engaging young voters. It's the same with the rural voters Democrats have ignored for decades in favor of the metro/suburban voters.
I disagree with you.
Blue Roots, a bit of student loan trivia: Of students who default on their Fed student loans, a large % are “low amount” borrowers. This is because the students borrow early on (eg; freshman/sophomore year) and then, for whatever reason, are unable to continue their attendance, thus leaving school in debt, but without the benefit of a degree (and all that it implies). At least this was the case, before retirement a decade ago, having worked in student aid at a Univ for 40 yrs & doing a lot of loan counseling (and following the demographics & stats at the time).
Thank you for sharing your actual EXPERIENCE on the student loan situation.
VG57, I had no clue when I took a job at age 18 @ a UC campus fin aid office & then a year later to attend college & w/ the nice recommendation letter given me, got a position @ the farthest northern Cal State & that I’d end up working there for 40 yrs—-a true public service job that I took to like a duck to water, a real right livelihood. Our crew was passionate about access to higher ed & the best service we could deliver (almost all of us had been on fin aid as students ourselves)…made lifelong friends among my coworkers & we still gather together a couple of times a month. And, oh my, do I have a lot of opinions regarding student aid, especially student loans!
Yes, thank you! Sharing actual personal experience draws me in far more than posts sharing outrage at the latest outrage. Sharing outrage feels good, too, but usually provides less food for thought than someone’s experience.
It's good Biden is doing good things like this but without connecting in person like campus visits, most will never hear about it.
https://www.npr.org/2023/09/20/1200483937/biden-climate-corps-job-training
'Biden faces little risk of losing young Americans to Trump, who is far less popular among Gen Z and millennial voters. But can the president harness their anger to turn out and push him over the top? Or will their lack of perceived progress cause them to stay home, making way for a Trump victory next year?'
“The answer to this question will decide the election,” said John Della Volpe, polling director at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, who specializes in young voter attitudes.'
'In a recent blog post, Della Volpe wrote that voters under 30, who have been key to modern Democratic victories, now appear less likely to identify as Democrats, instead aligning as independents. Worse for the party, fewer young voters see politics as a “meaningful way to create change,” which he said has been a key indicator of youth turnout.'
“Nearly every sign that made me confident in historic levels of youth participation in 2018, 2020, and 2022 — is now flashing red,” he wrote. (NBCnews) See link below.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/biden-confronts-pissed-generation-young-voters-may-decisive-2024-rcna93110
'Just because many young people don’t feel passionate about Biden doesn’t mean they are tapping out of the political process altogether. In fact, given the actions that Republicans have taken in recent years — from stripping the right to abortion to banning books in certain states to making it harder for young people to vote — the political energy among young people has only grown. Look at the massive demonstrations in states like Tennessee, where Republicans refuse to take action on gun violence, or the historic turnout in the 2022 midterm elections after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Young people are making their voices heard across the nation.'
'Older white male politicians have tapped into the youth vote before. Of course, there was Bernie Sanders, but don’t forget about then-74-year-old Ed Markey, who all of a sudden became a Gen Z icon in his 2020 Senate race.'
'In both cases, Gen Z supported them not only because of their commitment to fight for and defend the priorities that young people care about — which Biden has done — but also because they met and collaborated with young people at every turn possible. Sanders and Markey also showed young people exactly who they were: While they may have been old, they refused to back down on their ideals and came to resemble loving, but tough, grandparents. Biden can be a Gen Z icon, too, if he takes the same path.'
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/09/14/joe-biden-gen-z-icon-00115699
'We're not just voting. We're also running.' David Hogg launches young candidate PAC'
"For every year of Trump's presidency, I think there was a new chapter of a social movement that was born," the 23-year-old gun control activist told NPR, "whether it was the Women's March, March for Our Lives, the environmental movement, or the movement for Black Lives."
'Now, as the organizers that cut their teeth on those movements become eligible to run for office, Hogg wants to support their campaigns. He is launching Leaders We Deserve, a hybrid political action committee backing candidates under 35 years old running for federal office and under 30 years old running for state office.'
'The group — which plans to primarily focus on state-level races and a smaller number of congressional matchups — will target open, Democratic-held seats in the upcoming 2024 primary season.'
"[We're] trying to pick them and say, you know, we would like to help you run for office, we'll supply you with all of the resources that you need and help basically coach you and hold your hand to get there, which is kind of the gap that's in the space right now, for at least young people at the state legislative level," the March For Our Lives co-founder said.' (NPR) See link below.
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/09/1191455776/young-voters-david-hogg-pac-campaign-elections-genz-millennial
The country is looking for change. Would those young voters, Democrat or Independent, vote for sure if there was another candidate other than Biden?
Yours is a hypothetical question lacking 'another candidate', a timeframe, circumstances soon before and during voting period... and not having the means of knowing the answer with certainty.
"As we go into the 2024 election season, we'd best keep this larger picture in mind. The wall of hostility toward Biden and the will to drive him from office through impeachment or any means necessary is proportionate to his strength. Biden is a leader with his eyes on the prize: proving that democracy works in America, convincing people it is worth saving where it is under siege, such as in Ukraine, and encouraging it to return in places it has been vanquished." Ruth Ben-Ghiat
I hope young voters also see Biden as more important to our democracy than Sanders.
Why do you presume that people who don't go to college don't vote? And which affluent voters are being "catered to" by that nebulous "they"?
I don't presume anything I go by the data. Younger voters have a lower percentage of voting vs older voters. https://www.statista.com/statistics/999919/share-people-registered-vote-age/
Simple searches will bear out what I've generalized here. I'm not the enemy but often get brunt from liberals for pointing out inconvenient truths. I know it because I've done it and like to think after 50 years of voting I've learned a few things and have changed my thinking.
Why do you presume I presume? Non-college voters have a lower percentage probably because they are either less engaged, uninformed or working multiple jobs and don't see what voting will do for them. That why I say you have to make contact with them but there's no convenient venue like a college campus to bring them together. They are prime meat for fascism just look at all the young faces at Trump rallies.
Politicians go for the low hanging fruit where people have disposable income, that's no secret. It was a big factor in Clinton's loss in 2016. For me affluent is a low bar meaning anyone with disposable income at the end of the month and not buried in debt. I know what it is because I've lived on both sides of that divide.