Sunday, March 8, 2015

The Republican Problem With Millennials

Whit Ayres wrote Thursday in the Wall Street Journal that the GOP has a major problem with demographics. The percent of Caucasian voters is dropping while those of various minorities are rising. President Obama in 2012 won 93% of African American votes, and 70% of Hispanics and Asian Americans. The anti-Hispanic rhetoric of some Republicans is doing nothing to increase Hispanic support of the GOP. In short, Republicans are at an increasing disadvantage in Presidential elections. Let me suggest that another problem lies with the Millennials. Every generation is different. As a child of the 60’s I cannot be expected to fully understand either the Great Generation or the Millennials. Nor can I expect the Millennials to fully understand the Children of the 60’s. The Children of the 60’s were known for Civil Rights, Anti-War, and demonstrations, followed by establishing the Environmental Movement. The Millennials are avid environmentalists, opposed to fracking, fossil fuel, coal and oil exports. They believe in human caused climate change and that cutting off carbon monoxide emissions will reverse the rise in global warming. Millennial women believe that they have the right to choose with their bodies. Thus the Democratic charge “Republicans are engaged in a War on Women” is effective. The Children of the 60’s distrusted government. Popular phrases were: “Power to the People,” “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” “Who will police the police who police the police?” Our generation read George Orwell. They read tweets. The Children of the 60's used the media. The Millennials use the social media. Today’s Millennials believe in the government as a positive force that will solve all problems. They have an unbridled faith in the power of an activist government. They are no longer taught the values upon which the United States of America was founded. They do not understand the wisdom of the Founding Fathers in drafting the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Obama’s Reelection Campaign of “Julia,” whose life revolved around the favors received from the government and the Obama Administration, was marketed to the Millennials. Nothing was said about her husband or family. The Millennials have not yet suffered the tyranny of petty bureaucrats, unlike the Sacketts in Idaho. The Millennials are unfamiliar with the Constitutional protections of property rights Every young generation tends to be liberal. Then comes the children, mortgages, and taxes. They will vote for the Democrats until then.

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