From Alan Bernstein’s Sunday conversation with Jessica Benkovic Colon, who chairs the Young Republican National Federation and has this to say about why Barack Obama won the national youth vote so handily:
A: It’s an interesting time to be a YR in that we are rebuilding our party and we want to see the Republican Party realize the importance of young voters.
President-elect Obama said that government is the only solution to getting us out of this economic crisis and that is in direct contrast to the very nature of who Generation X and Generation Y are. These two generations, I believe to be two of the most entrepreneurial, individual-oriented generations this country has ever seen.
Q: Then why did Obama capture so much of the youth vote?
A: Because he marketed to them. He talked directly to them. Obama used the tools at hand (such as the Internet) to go after the younger generation, and he dedicated the time and effort to it. It’s just that simple. It really is.
Yeah, the content of Obama’s message, not to mention the content of the Republicans’ message, that had nothing to do with it. No need to make any changes here! It’s all about doing it in the Facebook, with the Twittering. It’s just that simple.
Yeah, read that interview. It was amazing that this woman knows so little about her own generation, not to mention her own political party. I don’t doubt that today’s younger set is the most entreprenuerial, but having spent 15 years as an entreprenuer myself, I can safely say that GOP policies tend to thwart entreprenuerialism, not encourage it. Government “getting out of the way” is a nice catchphrase, but government helping the self employed by making it easier for the self employed to get affordable healthcare and retirement is what we need.
I have never had a problem paying taxes on my profits. Getting and keeping health insurance during my startup periods is a whole nother matter entirely. Republicans that cannot grasp this simple concept do not grasp entreprenuerialism.
Ironic, isn’t it? Providing a strong governmental safety net actually encourages entrepreneurship, because it gives people the freedom to take more risks.