Internal GOP report on their party and younger voters: http://www.scribd.com/doc/145471237/Grand-Old-Party-for-a-Brand-New-Generation
There are some issues that have to be addressed. Alternately I suppose the GOP could try to work a strategy that does not need the votes of the currently under-30 set.
Republicans scream that Obama will lead to disaster. Thus, if their convictions are true, then they need only wait for the disaster to give them ruling power.
Political parties do not need to win every single possible demographic and geographic category. Obama lost the "white male" vote quite convincingly IIRC, but that didn't matter - he still won.
The GOP is not traditionally the party of the youth vote, and likely is not going to be for some time. However even if you rely on the 30+ crowd, everyone in that group has friends, family (and most importantly children and grandchildren) who are 18-30. The GOP does have to be seen as having answers and policies that would appeal to that age group, even if in the end there is no expectation that they will "win" that demographic.
Because I know Canadian politics better... the Conservatives do not need Quebec to win. Never have, likely never will. However when they are seen as writing off Quebec it actually turns off voters from other parts of the country. A government does need to at least try and govern for all of it's citizens (this, by the way, was the problem with Romney and the "47%" comment).
Reading through the document, the first third or so explains to Republicans how Facebook and Twitter works - so it's possibly of interest to CC and
CdM, but probably not to those of us who are familiar with social media. After that it gets into policy.
Quote from: Barrister on June 03, 2013, 04:18:11 PMThe GOP is not traditionally the party of the youth vote, and likely is not going to be for some time.
As it happens, they address that in the first few pages. Both Nixon and Reagan won the youth vote, and George W. Bush only lost it by 2 points (while losing the 65+ vote by 4 points).
Then there's the bit about voting being habit forming - that once you've voted for a party a few elections in a row, you tend to keep voting for it.
Under 30s don't vote, and usually get policy matters wrong anyways.
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2013, 04:22:32 PM
Quote from: Barrister on June 03, 2013, 04:18:11 PMThe GOP is not traditionally the party of the youth vote, and likely is not going to be for some time.
As it happens, they address that in the first few pages. Both Nixon and Reagan won the youth vote, and George W. Bush only lost it by 2 points (while losing the 65+ vote by 4 points).
Then there's the bit about voting being habit forming - that once you've voted for a party a few elections in a row, you tend to keep voting for it.
Nixon and Reagan won in overwhelming landslides. Even 1988 was a pretty comfortable GOP win.
Quote from: Neil on June 03, 2013, 04:26:05 PM
Under 30s don't vote, and usually get policy matters wrong anyways.
Interestingly enough, the report notes that the youth vote share of the presidential election actually went up from 18% (already high) in 2008 to 19% in 2012, in spite of Obama having lower ratings amongst the demographic.
Not in the report - but something I've seen discussed elsewhere - a bigger question may be whether the youth vote will turn out during mid-term elections. They apparently didn't in 2010; the question is whether the dynamic will play out similarly in 2014.
Quote from: Barrister on June 03, 2013, 04:26:31 PMNixon and Reagan won in overwhelming landslides. Even 1988 was a pretty comfortable GOP win.
Good counterpoint :)
That said... if the GOP's youth strategy is to rely on landslide victories, that seems a bit out of reach right now.
Worst thing for the GOP would be for the current GOP leadership to try to develop an active strategy to try to appeal to young voters. It would come off as fake & would not only fail, but backfire.
Passive, grass roots measures could help. But the GOP leadership generally sucks at outreach.
Quote from: derspiess on June 03, 2013, 04:46:57 PM
Worst thing for the GOP would be for the current GOP leadership to try to develop an active strategy to try to appeal to young voters. It would come off as fake & would not only fail, but backfire.
Passive, grass roots measures could help. But the GOP leadership generally sucks at outreach.
Not sure about that. There are ways of doing it that are fake (like Rand Paul at Howard), and ways that seem more genuine. Developing a well thought out youth policy (probably education-focused) could certainly help.
In the policy section, it seems that Ide's view on student loans is quite prevalent - student loans are a huge concern amongst young voters, including young entrepreneurs. Education was also rated highly as an overall issue.
That may be a way for the GOP to improve their position with younger voters.
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2013, 04:18:58 PM
Reading through the document, the first third or so explains to Republicans how Facebook and Twitter works - so it's possibly of interest to CC and
CdM
No idea why any of that would be of interest to me.
Does the GOP need to win future elections? Are they relying on all those youngsters who vote D switching when they turn 30 or 40?
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 03, 2013, 05:04:34 PM
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2013, 04:18:58 PM
Reading through the document, the first third or so explains to Republicans how Facebook and Twitter works - so it's possibly of interest to CC and
CdM
No idea why any of that would be of interest to me.
:lol:
... well, some of those observations could be - and probably are - transferable to the Canadian political realm, and I think you're somewhat invested in that.
Quote from: Neil on June 03, 2013, 04:26:05 PM
Under 30s don't vote, and usually get policy matters wrong anyways.
Good point. They voted for Nixon after all.
He promised to end the war.
Quote from: derspiess on June 03, 2013, 04:46:57 PMWorst thing for the GOP would be for the current GOP leadership to try to develop an active strategy to try to appeal to young voters. It would come off as fake & would not only fail, but backfire.
Passive, grass roots measures could help. But the GOP leadership generally sucks at outreach.
In the branding section of the document they noted that the key attributes that matter to younger voters are "intelligence, competence, hard work, and responsibility" - items which you could argue (and I'd expect you personally to argue) should be winnable for Republicans; though the Todd Akins (R) of the party are making that harder it seems.
Anyhow, the conclusion of the report offers five recommendations for increasing the number of young garbons relative to the number of young Ideologues:
Quote1) Focus on the economic issues that affect young people today: education, the cost of health care, unemployment.
...significant numbers, including a majority of black and Hispanic young people, hope to start a business one day. Policies that lower taxes and regulations on small business are quite popular. Yet our focus on taxation and business issues has left many young voters thinking they will only reap the benefits of Republican policies if they become wealthy or rise to the top of a big business. We've become the party that will pat you on your back when you make it, but won't offer ahand to help you get there.
2) Capture the brand attributes of intelligence, hard work, and responsibility.
Luckily for Republicans, what young people want to be thought of even more than cool is intelligent... we must underscore the way our policies support those young people who are themselves intelligent, hardworking, and responsible.
3) Don't concede "caring" and "open-minded" to the left.
When it comes to the issue of caring, the Republican Party can push back by promoting a narrative of economic growth and opportunity, with policies behind it that clearly show how those who are down on their luck or disadvantaged aren't left out. If we don't believe that Republicans are the "fend for yourself" party, then it's time for us to explain why – and to show our work.
4) Fix the debt and cut spending, but recognize that messages about "big government" are the least effective way to win this battle of ideas with young voters.
...reducing the size of government isn't the outcome that really matters most to young people. It is a means to achieving better things like economic growth, yes, but the focus must be on the outcomes rather than on treating "big government" itself as the enemy
5) Go where young voters are and give them something to share.
...most importantly, it means creating online content that is interesting, funny, or positive, and that makes someone want to share it with their friends because it makes them seem interesting and funny.
Thoughts?
Young people suck.
Quote from: Ed Anger on June 03, 2013, 06:04:33 PM
Young people suck.
It reduces the risk of accidental pregnancy.
It's hard to capture the brand value of intelligence when a huge part of your base will vote for moronic obscurantism at every turn.
Still, I wonder if there's hay to be made by telling young people that they've been lied to and that education is a racket. It seems unlikely.
I especially agree with point 1.
Quote1) Focus on the economic issues that affect young people today: education, the cost of health care, unemployment.
I.e., actually fucking governing. Let me know when this bold initiative has begun.
Quote...significant numbers, including a majority of black and Hispanic young people, hope to start a business one day. Policies that lower taxes and regulations on small business are quite popular. Yet our focus on taxation and business issues has left many young voters thinking they will only reap the benefits of Republican policies if they become wealthy or rise to the top of a big business. We've become the party that will pat you on your back when you make it, but won't offer ahand to help you get there.
2) Capture the brand attributes of intelligence, hard work, and responsibility.
Luckily for Republicans, what young people want to be thought of even more than cool is intelligent... we must underscore the way our policies support those young people who are themselves intelligent, hardworking, and responsible.
What Neil said.
Quote3) Don't concede "caring" and "open-minded" to the left.
When it comes to the issue of caring, the Republican Party can push back by promoting a narrative of economic growth and opportunity, with policies behind it that clearly show how those who are down on their luck or disadvantaged aren't left out. If we don't believe that Republicans are the "fend for yourself" party, then it's time for us to explain why – and to show our work.
I.e., abandon the evil ideology of the Reppublican Party. Sure, I'm for it.
Quote4) Fix the debt and cut spending, but recognize that messages about "big government" are the least effective way to win this battle of ideas with young voters.
...reducing the size of government isn't the outcome that really matters most to young people. It is a means to achieving better things like economic growth, yes, but the focus must be on the outcomes rather than on treating "big government" itself as the enemy
I.e., use deceit, which has been extremely effective with Olds and Boomers.
Quote5) Go where young voters are and give them something to share.
I.e., try to be hip. Best of luck!
QuoteThoughts?
Can't work. The GOP shall remain in shadow for many years.
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2013, 05:44:09 PM
increasing the number of young garbons relative to the number of young Ideologues:
There's a world worth living in. :wub:
Stop advocating my genocide.
Oh, I mean you can be rehabilitated. Come up to the Big Apple.
Hehehe
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2013, 04:22:32 PM
Both Nixon and Reagan won the youth vote, and George W. Bush only lost it by 2 points (while losing the 65+ vote by 4 points).
This is a very salient point. The GOP attracted all the motivated youth back in the '80s; College Republicans had their shit together, drives and events were filled with the sharpest kids with excellent organizational development at the grass roots level and superior communication and networking--while the youth associated with the Democratic Party was seen as disjointed, unorganized and out of touch. Times have changed.
Quote from: Barrister on June 03, 2013, 04:18:11 PM
Because I know Canadian politics better... the Conservatives do not need Quebec to win. Never have, likely never will. However when they are seen as writing off Quebec it actually turns off voters from other parts of the country. A government does need to at least try and govern for all of it's citizens (this, by the way, was the problem with Romney and the "47%" comment).
Fucking Ontarians. It's all their fault.