Jasper Mills is a stereotypical, do-good, jaded millennial. She's even based in New York City. She has a Masters in Gender and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney and like many of her Gen Y peers, is pursuing a career in a field that has little to do with her degrees. She works as a Business Analyst in the solar energy industry.
Hey Jasper. How do we know each other?
You were my terrifying 9th grade social studies teacher and high school advisor.
And you were my smart-aleck, a-little-too-precocious advisee. But times have changed. Here's a picture of us in Australia last year.
OK, let’s get to it, what's the ironic relationship between young women and Hillary Clinton?
Many young, liberal and educated women absolutely detest her. Yet at the same time, they despise a woman who has put women’s issues and especially young and poor women’s issues at the center of much of her policy agenda for years. They label her a liar, emotionless, passionless and other adjectives that have a tendency to be very stereotypically gender specific.
Many of these same women would be terribly offended to be told that they were perpetuating gender roles and the status quo in America- but ironically, they are.
Young women also forget that Clinton has navigated a male-dominated political system, with poise, for many years. She has been stoic but also progressive.These young women are criticizing a woman who has made it possible for women to accelerate in politics, one who has paved the way for women to participate in politics at a high level and whereby without her, we would be looking at an all-too familiar election, dominated by white men.
Why do you think that came to be?
I don’t think that it specifically came at any time but I do think that it has roots in a past many millennials aren’t able to remember. They distrust established political figures because of partisan warfare and failed financial systems. They also have a serious misunderstanding of the political process. Let’s take the easiest target audience- the young women who support Bernie Sander’s. Young people in general love Sander’s ideas of economic liberation; it’s undoubtedly appealing. Yet Sanders has yet to really offer a clear way that this would play out with a bipartisan Congress. A series of executive orders, disregarding the Senate and House would set a dangerous precedent. Like it or not, we have a three-branch government that requires a legislature. Clinton understands this better than any other candidate. She would be better received by younger generations if young women got that.
Are you talking about white young women specifically or to all young women?
I think that it applies to most young women. Young people in general have not warmed to Clinton she lags in some polls by 30 points to Bernie Sanders. That being said, she also is considerably more popular with black and minority voters overall. I still think however that the younger voters, vocal against her candidacy, are far more diverse than other demographics.
Would young women had the same ironic reaction to a presidential run from Elizabeth Warren?
This is something that I think of often and the honest answer is probably no. It is important to recognize that Elizabeth Warren is undoubtedly an important figure in unifying the Democratic party and has been a warrior for women’s issues. She’s also from a small, forward-thinking state which grants her an opportunity to be very vocal about her opinions without negative political consequences.
I get from Clinton is an unmistakable air of entitlement in her campaign. "I worked hard, I'm the most qualified, I deserve this." How does that play out in the views of young women when they see her?
I’ll start by somewhat agreeing with you about the entitlement of her campaign, but I also find it unfair to equate entitlement with merit, which I do think that she deserves credit for. If this were a traditional job hiring process, she would receive the job with flying colors. Yet, young women don’t care about her impressive resume. I also don’t think that they are care about the entitlement issue. It’s more about how she presents herself to the public. The criticism is far more about her level of charisma and some incongruent remarks around her connection and loyalty to Wall Street, gay marriage and more recently the Benghazi emails.
But her campaign is still about her. Good campaigns make the voter the hero and the candidate is the guide. Obama’s 2008 slogan was “Yes, We Can.” Trump’s message is “Make America Great Again,” a clear reference to Ronald Reagan’s 1980, campaign “Let’s Make America Great Again.”
All these messages are powerful aspirational messages to their target voter. What’s Clinton’s message? “I’m With Her.” Really??? You’re making it about you? That’s the fundamental problem I see with her campaign. Also, "I'm with Her" with that arrow on the H is awful graphic design.
Both Democratic nominees have made this about themselves- I mean, we’re working with ‘I’m with her’ and ‘Feel the Bern’. Perhaps it indicates the underlying inability to unite the Democratic Party.
OK, quote from my book, Why Are Conservatives Always Wrong? Terrifying Quotes from Conservatives throughout U.S. History. In 1876, future President Woodrow Wilson wrote: "Universal suffrage is at the foundation of every evil in this country." Your reaction?
I’m sure that he was referring to African Americans being granted the right to vote post civil war and the start of the women’s suffrage movement. Putting the power of a nation into a handful of homogeneous individuals is dangerous. Diversifying politics has and always will be essential to ensuring progress forward as a nation.
What’s one question you want to ask me?
What are you thoughts on the impassioned, and jaded millennials during this election cycle?
The millennials I know are idealistic. Their implicit assumption: they can change the world. They become jaded because the status quo is entrenched a lot deeper than they think. When you kick at the system, the system kicks back, perhaps a bit harder.
Last question: what does the PCT interview stand for?
Portland Communist Telegraph.
Thanks Jasper. Love you.
Love you too, Douglas