Is Youth to Blame?

So young people 18-29 did not show up in sufficient increased numbers at the polls to elect Kerry? Since when did that group assume the responsibility for rescuing America from Bush? True, those youths who did vote went for Kerry by 55-45, but their percentage of those voting was the same 17% as in 2000. However, there were in fact about 4 million more youthful voters this time around - the percentage stayed the same because the overall number of voters was an all time high.

Just as voters in all regions of the country have more in common than we sometimes remember - there were millions in the red states that went for Kerry and millions in blue states that went for Bush - so too do young and old voters have common ground.

When you see a young person, ask if they voted in the election, without asking who they voted for, and if they say they did vote then tell them, "Good for you." If they did not vote, then encourage them to join with the growing number of young voters the next time around to have their say in how our Country is governed. If they take the initiative to expand the discussion to include who voted for who, then engage with them, but always value their right to vote, even if they disagree with you. Remember, young Hillary Rodham was once a Goldwater Republican.