Young Voters Will Decide the Election

Young Voters Will Decide the Election

In my sixth presidential election I no longer qualify. But I like to think of myself as young at heart (living in college student housing at age 40 certainly requires a lack of middle-aged dignity).

More to the point, this means that in the biggest academic, youngest county in a nail-biter swing state, I'm at Ground Zero.

Read the whole thing but I'll give you my favorite nibbles:

"In 2000, one of the main reasons Gore was unable to put Bush away is because he lost the younger voters Clinton had won for Democrats for the first time since the 1970's.

In the latest Post-ABC News poll, taken immediately after the Democratic National Convention, Kerry led Bush 2 to 1 among registered voters younger than 30. Among older voters, the race was virtually tied.

If Kerry is going to win in November, he must continu his success in reaching young voters. Strike that--he must continue to do even more to reach them, even to excite them. Gore ignored young voters in 2000 and paid the price. Clinton openly wooed them and governed for eight years..."

Insert the entire text of Danny Goldberg's How The Left Lost Teen Spirit here. Then ask yourself how much ass Howard Dean would be kicking today.