Obama Lost The Youth To Ron Paul

[sailingaway]

Political movements come. Political movements go. Which ones will last? Which ones will fail? How do we identify the principles that will shape our future?

The answer: follow the youth.

Now that might lead us to believe that Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign was the real deal, the game-changer for the future of the American political landscape. Not so fast. A massive PR con job that lasts one election cycle isn’t quite the same as an organic, lasting, growing youth movement. Young people might be impressionable, but they’re quick to learn. A younger, multi-ethnic frontman with a minimal political record can only hide the same tired old policies for so long. Soon enough, the youth will abandon a false prophet of hope and change and get behind someone who is truly on their side. Someone who sincerely fights for their future.

And that’s exactly what happened. Take another, opposite, unlikely youth leader: Ron Paul.

The political career of Dr. Ron Paul can easily be viewed as a failure. During his generation-long service in Congress, only one out of the 620 pieces of legislation he sponsored ever became law, hardly an encouraging sign of success. Paul ran three times for President of the United States, and all three times fell far short of victory. Earlier this year, he retired from Congress, quietly slipping out of the public sphere.

But Dr. Paul didn’t fall short where it really mattered: inspiring future generations with hope. The firey youth-based movement he rallied refused to die long after his political campaigns came to an end. Organizations like the Campaign for Liberty and Young Americans for Liberty continue to carry out the work of his movement. And they’re not going anywhere. They’re only getting stronger.

While time will be the ultimate judge as to the lasting impact of Ron Paul’s youth movement, the signs are already there. I witnessed one of these signs firsthand this past weekend at a Young Americans for Liberty conference in Fullerton, California. Dr. Paul addressed a room full of youth activists via Skype, some of whom had driven all day to be able to attend. An old man in his office bent over a computer received a standing ovation from a packed auditorium thousands of miles away, full of young people of every ethnicity, gender, and background, most of whom were younger than his own grandchildren. This happened in California, a state known for adopting policies opposite of what Paul spent his life advocating. Proof be damned, this one powerful piece of evidence spoke with the force of a thousand statistics. Make no mistake: Ron Paul has won the youth of America.

more: http://www.westernjournalism.com/obama-lost-the-youth-to-ron-paul/

 

[Mr.NoSmile]

And here's hoping they not only remain active, but if they're involved with the GOP at all, play roles in some way, shape or form, even if it's just coming to meetings. That would help shatter the not entirely false idea that younger folks only show up during election season and don't help out with the in-between periods.

 

[sailingaway]

And here's hoping they not only remain active, but if they're involved with the GOP at all, play roles in some way, shape or form, even if it's just coming to meetings. That would help shatter the not entirely false idea that younger folks only show up during election season and don't help out with the in-between periods.

The problem is the way they/we are treated and the people involved in making us unwelcome. Not the work.

 

[BlackTerrel]

Obama's approval rating is highest among the 18-29 subset.

http://www.civicyouth.org/president-obamas-job-approval-ratings-by-age-and-race/

 

[RonPaulMall]

I think it is more that the GOP lost the intelligent youth vote to Ron Paul. Bill Buckley's crowd used to have a near monopoly on the brightest minds of young conservatism. But they allowed their brand to atrophy and if you go on college campuses today, all the smart young conservative and Libertarian kids are attached to the Liberty movement, not Buckley's version of Conservatism. Obama's crowd is a totally different story. Once we take over the GOP, we can maybe peel off a substantial portion of them, but a certain segment we'll probably never get (the socialists, the pro welfare staters, the moochers, ect). But the critical shift has occurred within the GOP itself, not necessarily the youth movement in general. There are still a massive amount of left leaning youths who take their marching orders from Huffington Post and what not and in sheer numbers, they greatly outnumber us. Our advantage is we are smarter, more educated, and hopefully more committed.

 

[talkingpointes]

Obama's approval rating is highest among the 18-29 subset.

http://www.civicyouth.org/president-obamas-job-approval-ratings-by-age-and-race/

You can see a clear trend there. The kids are jumping ship, while the adults are doubling-down.

 

[sailingaway]

Obama's approval rating is highest among the 18-29 subset.

http://www.civicyouth.org/president-obamas-job-approval-ratings-by-age-and-race/

Yeah, but they aren't charged by him any more. They may like him better than others.

 

[Quark]

It is quite the shock to find out the country you thought was the most free in the world is in-fact a dying corporate empire hurling toward authoritarianism at a rate which can only be described as non-linear. That's why Ron Paul's message probably sinks well with young people. We still believe we can change (or more likely retain) the former principles which had built this country. We aren't as corrupted and don't have special interests either. The older generations, on the other-hand, are far more apolitical and tend toward populism or centrism, espousing compromise quite often, and already have investments which they hope to protect through state involvement. That's at least what I've observed in this somewhat less liberal city (compared with other cities.)