Sure, Democrats won a few special elections, came close in others, and Millennials formed a national movement to regulate firearms...but don't assume anything.
Millennials may be unhappy with the direction the country is going, but they're not necessarily blaming Republicans. They're starting to pick sides based on what they hear their parents say, social media, and relentless political messaging. And you may not like the results. Like one Millennial said: “They’re taking less taxes out of my paycheck. I notice that.”
Yes, "less" taxes for starving schools, infrastructure, healthcare, quality of life, environment...a whole new generation of freeloaders? Maybe. It's a tempting message:
The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 16,000 registered voters ages 18 to 34 voters during the first three months of this year and the same period in 2016:
1. Support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about 9 percentage points over the past two years, to 46 percent overall.
2. They increasingly say the Republican Party is a better steward of the economy.
3. Two of three young voters polled said they do not like Republican President Donald Trump (but that) does not necessarily extend to all Republicans.
4. Only 28 percent of those polled expressed overt support for Republicans in the 2018 poll - about the same percentage as two years earlier.
5. The shift away from Democrats was more pronounced among white millennials ... Two years ago, young white people favored Democrats over Republicans for Congress by a margin of 47 to 33 percent; that gap vanished by this year, with 39 percent supporting each party.
6. The shift was especially dramatic among young white men ... they favor Republicans over Democrats by a margin of 46 to 37 percent.
There's a lot to worry about since wages continue to stagnate despite the tax cut, job security has vanished, independent contractors continues to grow but get no benefits, automation is replacing workers, college debt...thanks to Baby Boomers lowering their taxes. And somehow Millennials will rebuild the nation with even lower taxes?
The following Millennial comments were deeply unsettling. Social chaos, wage stagnation and continued support for corporate tax cuts...Millennials apparently now see this as the new normal:
Terry Hood, 34, an African-American who works at a Dollar General store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and took this year's poll, said he voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton ... but he will consider a Republican for Congress because he believes the party is making it easier to find jobs and he applauds the recent Republican-led tax cut. “It sounds strange to me to say this about the Republicans, but they’re helping with even the small things,” Hood said in a phone interview. “They’re taking less taxes out of my paycheck. I notice that.”
Ashley Reed, a white single mother of three in New Hampshire, said a teenage fascination with Democrat Barack Obama led her to support his presidency in 2008. But her politics evolved with her personal life. Reed, now 28, grew more supportive of gun rights, while married to her now ex-husband, a U.S. Navy technician. She lost faith in social welfare programs she came to believe were misused. She opposed abortion after having children. Reed plans to vote for a Republican for Congress this year. "As I got older, I felt that I could be my own voice."
For some who get older, they become wiser, not resentful. Oh well. Also, cheap junk insurance policies that don't cover anything, a GOP idea, makes sense?
In Manchester tattoo artist Ashley Matthias, 31, said she has not decided how she will vote but will support anyone who will make her health insurance more affordable. Matthias explained that it is cheaper to pay for her doctor's visits out-of-pocket than to buy insurance through the government-run Obamacare exchange. "You just hope nothing happens to you," she said.
Corporate-backed Republicans gave us stagnant wages, defunded schools, crumbling infrastructure, and crushing college debt, all for lower taxes. Big Republicans problem? Surprise, NOPE!
Nationally (Millenials) are increasingly looking to Republicans for economic leadership, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll ... evenly split, with 34 percent picking the Democrats and 32 percent choosing Republicans ... a shift from 2016, when they said Democrats had the better plan by a 12-point margin. Republican National Committee spokeswoman Cassie Smedile said the poll indicates that young voters "like what they've seen" from the party in power
Remember that many young white men are Kid Rock and incel types. Dead enders waving a lot of middle fingers.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy those numbers, by the way. And this will fall fast once the subpoenas start flying and the recession hits in the coming months. Then wait till they have to pay taxes instead of getting a refund next year.
Jake formerly of the LP