Generation We

There is something in the air!

We are witnessing a changing of the guard, a new political epoch, a youth movement, and a call to restore the American dream. One only has to look at how the youth have been engaged during this political season to understand that a generational shift is occurring. This is the start of something much larger.

In 2004, 81.6% of registered 18-29 year olds voted in the Presidential elections, yielding at turnout of 49% of age eligible voters, according to US Census data. Only 60% of 18-29 year olds were registered to vote in that election. If more youth were registered to vote, and voted, Kerry would have won the 2004 election, as 18-24 year olds favored Democrats 56 to 43 percent.

If they just had turned out to vote . . .

Well, the message has been received.

According to a USA Today/MTV/Gallup Poll released on October 6, 2008, 75% of eligible 18-29 year olds are registered to vote in the coming Presidential election. That is an increase of 25% since 2004, the largest increase in age group voter registration in the last 50 years! If only 81.6% of these voters turns our next Tuesday, like they did in 2004, then the under 30 vote will be a record 61.2% turnout.

We live in difficult times, with an economy in the tank, decreasing jobs and security for the young, environmental havoc, a seemingly endless war, and dangerous foreign oil dependency. The youth have noticed. They want to repair the American dream.

The sorry state of our affairs and the strong activist sense of the Millennial generation, 95 million Americans born between 1978 and 2000, will drive record youth voter turnout.

The "will they vote?" question is getting trite and boring.

I am making a bold prediction: 0ver 85%, up to 90%, of registered 18-29 year olds will vote on Election Day, meaning that the overall turnout will be a minimum of 65%, a 35% increase in just four years. That is the sound of the world changing. The familiar rhetoric of the young being self-absorbed and not engaged will be put to rest. This election is about the young becoming active participants in our political process and millions of them saying, "Enough".

This video shares the sentiment of the youth, spoken in their voices. It is touching and has a meaningful call to action. It accompanies my recently released book, Generation We: How Millennial Youth Are Taking over America and Changing Our World Forever. Understanding this powerful generation is crucial, so in addition to traditionally publishing the book, we made it available as open source for free download at www.gen-we.org.

Comments

[gregcraven1000]

Mr. Greenberg,

I'm working 20 hours a day to finish the manuscript of a book that grew out of my series of online videos anchored by "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See." I am exhausted and on my last legs. I stumbled across your video, and it has re-energized me. Thank you for that. (It also made me cry, but I'm a softie).

Greg Craven (wonderingmind42)

[ohioan73]

I'm an X'er. The Evangelical scandals, the threat of nuclear apocalypse and AIDS, caused depression, nuclear anxiety, and an unprecedented apathy which led to escape through video games/internet. We wanted a revolution, but X'ers are a small demographic compared to the baby boomers. They stole our hope and audacity and called us "slackers". None of us thought we would live to see 30 and we said along with Prince:

Yeah, everybody's got a bomb
We could all die any day
But before I'll let that happen
I'll dance my life away

My little sibs, born just 4-5-6 years after me are saying: "Screw that!" and reviving the revolution that could have been had gen X not been so cynicized and crushed in our youth.

He's 16 (my son) attends a school where he is learning a superior curriculum than the one I had in inner city, 1980s poorly funded, absent of curricular activities, excuses for schools. They cut gen X's school programs. They screwed us as if we would amount to nothing.

Personally, I have always shared the sentiments of gen We. Im proud to be born within 4-5-6 years of this great generation and proud to count myself in. 35-31...what's the difference?

Generation We, thank you for being better people than your big brothers were and showing us the way out of apathy.

[Daisysteiner9]

Totally love this post. Kids are taking matters into their own hands now more than ever. These NYC high school kids just made their own PSA to get out the youth vote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-pL3Da-mec

Change is coming!

[SadButWiser]

Amazing video. The best of America is there to watch. May you be successful in this quest. I know this is how I want my children to see America.

[ElBruce]

They've been making calls, knocking on doors, donating, and turning out for events in droves. To think that after all that effort, they won't vote is kinda silly. Sure, historically young folks lean left and don't turn out. But this year has already proven to be different as regards their political participation. To throw out the evidence from this year is even less reasonable than to ignore history.

[warpoet]

I sure do hope your 65% prediction is correct or even a lowball figure. But I'm still worried.

I am sick of hearing every 4 years about how lazy and cynical the young are - they need to participate politically or the ancient, fossilized and corrupt will simply keep making their lives miserable.

Young people of America - please do the right thing! For only a little time and effort that will soon be over you can help this country finally be in the 21st century and start to transform into a better place for you and those you love. Please vote!

[YESonPROP8]

I completely disagree with everything this post and video stands for¦

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think what we are proposing here is that Obama should become president and we stop drilling for oil, all because there are 90 million uneducated kids out there that have no value for the dollar. Those same 90 million kids parents have given them everything and they do not understand the tax implications of electing a socialist into the office. Imagine what capitalism, the very basis of our country, would become if we made it so that no one could make more money than dumber, lazier folks out there in the world.

Those are two of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. First off, who wants an inexperienced rapper as their president? All joking aside, I would rather give the artist Diddy enough jet fuel to get him to stop making such stupid blogs and work for the first time in his life.

This is not meant to be mean, just a realistic viewpoint in a blind society.

[truthskr]

"Correct me if I am wrong"

Happy to do it...you are wrong. Obama will be president, and he will be elected into office largely by the youth vote, as will every future president. Prop8 will fail, again largely because of the youth vote who, in supporting Obama, reject racism, homophobia, and all other forms of intolerance masquerading as the principled wisdom or a presumably older voter. Sorry, but there's new political sheriff in town, and it is the young, liberal, progressive majority who nominated Obama and will now almost certainly decide every presidential race and defeat every intolerance-laden ballot issue going forward.

[almagarudian]

WOW, I'm speechless

[ElBruce]

Obama isn't a socialist.

Whenever taxes on the richest 2% in the country are reduced, the right wingers do a victory lap for Capitalism, even though since they reduced those taxes on deficit spending, all they've done is shift the tax burden off the rich and onto the middle class.

Whenever a tax policy is proposed that would shift that burden BACK, the right wingers scream "socialism" and decry the coming of the Red Menace. All Obama's talking about doing is going back to the tax structure that existed in 2000.

How was the economy doing in 2000? How's it doing now? Your dire predictions of market failure sound pretty silly. Look outside your window - we tried it your way, and the market failed. The proof is in the pudding: your method doesn't work in reality. Unlike some, I don't have the luxury of closing my eyes, sticking my fingers in my ears and chanting "free markets work, free markets work, free markets work" until it magically becomes so. No more faith-based economic policy.

It's not an either-or, though. Investing in our economic environment is not the same thing as socialism. If you can't see that, then you don't understand economics and shouldn't be discussing or supporting policies based on that ignorance.

[almagarudian]

This is an amazing video and we need to all send this to everyone we know.

It is up to US, the 18-30 year olds, to reclaim our country in a week.

[situationcritical]

Beautiful spot.

[utleftie]

It matters as much if they demand accountability, as it does if they vote. I hope that once Obama is elected, this fervor goes away and people start doing the real work they need to in order to get this ship righted.

By the way, I think it's great that young people are getting involved. I just know that criticisms of young people are well deserved. A lot of things are going to have to happen for me to believe there is a "we" generation, rather than a "wii" generation. That is, a generation of young folks going through the motions but not contributing to the realization of a "we" generation.

[ouroborous]

I agree. I hope that people stop idolizing and worshiping Obama once he's in office, so that we can hold his feet to the fire for issues like Constitutional government (he damned well better roll back some of the Executive power-grabs that Bush has engineered), and being accountable to the voters more than to lobbyists.

Obama is light years better than McCain, but we all need to remember that he's still a human, and a politician -- so by nature, he's as flawed (if not more flawed) than all of us.

Vote for Obama -- and then turn around and demand that he live up to our expectations of him. That's the only way out of this hole.

[utleftie]

You put it better than I did. Thanks.

[jeanrenoir]

As a 65-yr-old white guy, I say, "Hurray!" to the prospect that Obama will sweep aside the paralyzing polarization between the Left and Right poles of the Boomer generation which has dominated our politics for too long, especially under our only two Boomer presidents, Clinton and Bush II. It's time to chuck red and blue for a united purple. Obama seems to personify the traditional virtues associated with "straight" people and families in the Fifties, combined with the liberal social tolerance which was the great achievement of the Sixties. The best of both worlds, the best of Right and Left, so to speak, in one candidate. Like a socially enlightened Eisenhower. What's not to like about that? Obama, like FDR, is a representative of the best traditions of American pragmatism, not Left ideology. And a good thing, too.

[NationalTreasure]

The 18-29 year old vote is needed on November 4th and over the next six days.

Please, elp get out the vote. Contact the Obama/Biden campaign office near you or any of the down ballot Democratic candidates and offer to help.

Just by volunteering for two or four hours on one of the next six days you can help make a difference in voter turn out.

Get out and volunteer and get out and vote.