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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRobert Reich: Why I'm Betting on Millennials This November
http://prospect.org/article/why-im-betting-on-millennials-novemberWhy Im Betting on Millennials This November
Robert Reich
September 25, 2018
In my 35 years of teaching college students, Ive not encountered a generation as dedicated to making the nation better as this one.
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Given all this, is there any reason to hope that this huge, diverse, progressive cohort of Americans will vote in the upcoming midterms?
My answer is, yes.
First, the issues up for grabs arent ideological abstractions for them. Theyre causes in which Millennials have direct personal stakes.
Take, for example, gun violencewhich some of these young people have experienced first-hand and have taken active roles trying to stop.
Or immigrants rights. Over 20 percent of Millennials are Latino, and a growing percent are from families that emigrated from Asia. Many have directly experienced the consequences of Trumps policies.
A womans right to choose whether to have a baby, and gays or lesbians rights to choose marriageissues Millennials are also deeply committed towill be front and center if the Supreme Court puts them back into the hands of Congress and state legislatures.
Millennials are also concerned about student debt, access to college, and opportunities to get ahead unimpeded by racial bigotry or sexual harassment.
And theyre worried about the environment. They know climate change will hit them hardest since theyll be on the planet longer than older voters.
Theyve also learned that their votes count. They saw Hillary lose by a relative handful of votes in places like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Theyve been witnessing razor-thin special elections, such as Conor Lambs win by a few hundred votes in the heart of Pennsylvania Trump country, and Hiral Tipirnenis single-digit loss in an Arizona district Trump won by 21 points in 2016.
They know the importance of taking back governorships in what are expected to be nail-bitingly close racesin states like Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kansas. Theyre aware of the slim but increasingly real possibility of taking back the Senate. (Who knew Ted Cruz would be so vulnerable? Who even knew the name Beto ORourke?)
As doubtful as they these young people are about politics, or the differences between the two parties, they also know that Trump and his Republican enablers want to take the nation backwards to an old, white, privileged, isolated America. Most of them dont.
In my 35 years of teaching college students, Ive not encountered a generation as dedicated to making the nation better as this one.
So my betting is on them, this November 6th.
SWBTATTReg
(22,144 posts)Time for them to start having an impact on things that will affect them too.
BigmanPigman
(51,611 posts)over the past two days and am not as optimistic as Reich. He teaches at Berkeley so his view is different than mine. Both women I spoke with had no idea who Kavanaugh is and one didn't know there was a Nov election and didn't know why it is a big deal while the other said she "guesses she'll vote" (which wasn't very convincing to me). I wanted to yell at them "Wake the fuck up!" but I stayed calm and tried to explain WHY we need to vote and the important issues. Very depressing and frustrating! I have voted in every single election (local to federal) since I was 18 and even taught my first grade students to vote (they did it in my class like real voting throughout the school year and loved doing it). Who is raising these people? Teachers can't teach Civics to adults at home to teach to their families. There is an American apathy problem.
manor321
(3,344 posts)I've heard this same story over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
And again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
Then young people don't show up.
violetpastille
(1,483 posts)I hope he's right and I'm wrong.