For my 18-year old daugther and her friends, who never, ever, watch news on TV, there are only two issues now, in this order of priority: Darfur and ending the war in Iraq.  And, Obama is their rock star.  The Gen Y-ers would flock to a Democratic party led by him, much as we were moved by JFK.

I'm only specifically familiar with young voters in San Diego and Arlington, VA, but I can tell you that at the local level, Democrats have been actively opposed to everything that young voters would be interested in.  In San Diego, Democrats have been spearheading efforts to ban all public smoking, all drinking on the beach and in parks, and some are even trying to ban happy hour advertisements because it dangerously entices people to drink to excess.

In Arlington, the Democratic Party has made a career out of trying to protect "real" Arlington from young people, even while wildly approving every yuppie bar that tries to come to town.  I've always said that if someone ran for county council in Arlington and their entire platform was "fewer speed bumps and traffic circles" they would win in a landslide.

Young voters may despise Republicans, and rightfully so, but I'm not so sure it's because Democrats are able to court them.  They're Democrats by default because Republicans will screw them harder, but when it comes to actively convincing young people to be Democrats who are active and ideologically committed...we've got a ways to go.

Thank You

If I have a problem with the netroots, it really is to much bash Bush.  

I really want to see it become a way to reach more people.  Look at the primary in 08.  No one is talking issues.  Well the candidates maybe, but the nets are looking at it like a horse race.

I want to see more.  I want to see us work on Dems, not just say, I want a third party.  I want to see us get past the media.  And that will be the big trick.

I worked for Duckworth and Donelly and the young people getting involved was one thing that kept me going.  Some said, I have never been political, but I just feel I have to do something.

You are on to something here.

As for iPod transfers, never underestimate the power of podcasting.

A weekly podcast showing you out in the field and premiering your newest ads can be deadly. Also, the Happy Treefriends podcast has commercials before it launches, however, their's is PSA don't smoke ads. THen again, because it's Happy Treefriends (cute furry animated animals getting maimed in hilarious ways), they may be forced too by some law somewhere.

Who knows, perhaps there will be a "voter info" page within iTunes in 2008 showcasing profiles on every congessional candidate.

Still, podcasting, it rules. I'm listening to "Meanwhile the Comics" right now.

Good post.  I really hate the 'look a new technology that's how to reach young people through traditional top-down messaging' silliness.

As someone who's been active in the Young Democrats for the past 8 years (still have 5 official years of YD-dom), I can tell you that I'm not surprised by this.  The only thing that surprises me is that the GOP came up with this lame idea, as opposed to the Democrats.

But in truth, the GOP doesn't want people under 30 to vote at all.  People under 30 are more likely to be unemployed/underemployed, renters, urban dwellers and more susceptible to economic trends. Regardless of what economic class they were born into, they tend to lean Democratic on economic issues.  Once people reach 30, have kids and a mortgage, and start paying taxes does the GOP have a chance.  

If we really want to get younger voters more involved, we need to remove the institutional barriers to voting.  As a student living 3000 miles away from home, I had to jump through hoops to vote in 1996, and I was registered to vote.  The voter registration concept works only for people who are stable in their lives, and that is exactly what younger voters are not.  I don't know how much this affects the overall turnout, but I imagine its a significant number (15-20%).

Good post, Jonathan.  Although I am a sucker for terriers.

     Youth voters are no more Democratic than the rest of the public. The youth vote shifted by about 6-8% from 2004 to 2006. Thats the same as for the public at large. These gains are even more suspect because generation Y has way the hell more nonwhites/white-non christians than any other cohort by far. Being nonwhite or a white non christian basically means you are a Democrat. End of story. This is the reason behind the gains among youth voters in Nov. As such, I would say the youth vote is vulnerable, perhaps more so, than older voters, since older voters switched from allegiances that were much, much closer to the Republicans, whereas the youth vote was already heavily tipped towards the Democrats. What would really shed some light on this would be to see how white christian youth from 18-29 voted. That would give a more accurate idea of the youth vote gains.

I would never waste iPod space on a political ad unless it was (1) an ad that I produced and (2) I needed to review it on the run because I couldn't take the 30 seconds to do it while sitting in front of my computer.  Not that I produce ads, but I'm just saying.  I use my iPod for music and to store my iCal calendar.  That's it.    

The 'pubbies might be able to use the podcast method to communicate with the freeper & LGF types since they like taking orders from the mother ship, but they aren't the ones that need convincing to turn to the dark side.  

SHHHH!!!!! Don't tell them that...

(in a monotone stacotto)
AHEM... THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA AND THE GOP SHOULD CONTINUE WITH IT.  WE TRULY WANT THAT AND WILL VOTE GOP IN OVERWHELMING NUMBERS.  POLICY DOESN'T MATTER; SLICK ADS DO AND TECHNOLOGY DO.