Hello all you twenty somethings out there.
I have been working full time on the Obama campaign for the past month and witnessed the rollercoaster ride of Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada from inside the Massachusetts Campaign HQ. Today I finally had a chance to sit down and look at some stats about who is voting in the primaries and guess what? It's not you! You lazy, self serving piece-of-shit, get off your ass and vote. According to CNN, the 18-29 segment of the population represented a measly 13 percent of the voters in the democratic primary. I guess compared to the GOP us Dems are doing alright; only 11 percent of their voters were 20 somethings who took the time to punch a hole in a piece of cardstock; but you should be ashamed. During our lifetimes, we've witnessed some pathetic presidencies. In fact, from my limited first-hand political perspective, Bill Clinton looked tops! Compared to sleeper George HW and His predecessor "bury the nation in debt and get remembered as a great conservative" Ronald Reagan, Clinton sure did right the ship... so what if he had to sacrifice our nation's reputation as a humanitarian power and drag our welfare system back into the stone age to do it, he fixed things, improved our economy and generally made people less pissed off at the government. I won't even mention the idiot child who followed him into the Whitehouse because if you were born in the 80s and you don't despise what he's done to our democracy you might as well stop reading this now; I have nothing to say to you asshole.
So back to the task at hand, get someone who's not an entrenched politician, idiot, pushover, or dumbass elected to run the executive branch of our federal government, the way it was supposed to be run. And guess what, it's not going to be that hard. Our generation has already chosen a candidate... He's won us over because he's been unwavering in his opposition to the war in Iraq, he's as charismatic as folks come, and he's a brilliant organizer. Bedside’s he's just the most likeable of the candidates in the field (who's not opposed to birth control and/or biracial marriage). Let’s face it; he's a human in an arena of Neanderthals (no offense to the Geiko Cavemen).
So you're curious.... What's the difference here between this and all other elections? How could we twenty somethings possibly make an impact on the results of a national election? Try voting dumbass. You haven't done it since you turned 18 and it was "new" and "exciting". Guess what, your parents and grand parents do it every chance they can get. It's their favorite way to keep our generation in check, and they're well practiced at it. Do you seriously think that there are enough republican's our age to keep us down any longer? Sure they're out there; they're loud and obnoxious and they can piss you off at the drop of a hat, but they're dinosaurs; a dying breed. All we have to do is show up and they're done, buried, in the ground never to resurface. It's time for change. Get your ass off the swivel chair for half-an-hour on Feb 5th and go to your polling location. Vote, and then get back to your business. It's simple, and it's how change happens. Do it, or you'll piss yourself off when Mike Huckabee stands on the steps to the capital building with his hand on a bible and usher's in the neo-dark-ages---I hope your well versed in biblical chants cause you don't want to wind up being taught a lesson by the American Inquisition; I hear they were trained at Guantanamo Bay.
12 comments:
Maybe it's because we're not wide-eyed idealists like our grandparents. They believe in the American Dream, voting, apple pie, and all that shit.
We realize that whether there's a Democrat or a Republican in the White House matters not in the slightest. Corporate interests will still be served, unjust wars will continue to be started and fought, and the lower-class will still struggle to eke out an existence that is constantly threatened by the bloodthirsty upper-class and their lapdogs like you.
Keep buying into the idea that your vote makes a difference, because that's one of the ways that they keep you docile.
You know Dan, I happen to be a republican............oh god I just had to puke. What I mean to say is that I really want to live in a country where Christ tells my President what to do. I mean come on Dan. WE ALL WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE JESUS GUIDES!!!!!!
I have to commend you on this. It is sad that our generation is such a waste of space. We bitch and moan and complain but very rarely do anything about it.
What people don't seem to understand is that if more 18-28 year olds had gotten off their asses 8 years ago and voted we wouldn't be in Iraq, (though possibly Iran which I have no real issue with but we can have a different discussion on that) our country wouldn't be looked at as a pariah, corporations wouldn't be using the dollar's shit value as a marketing tool(McDonalds)and Americans would still be respected when they traveled outside the country.
The problem that we have today is that the majority of people our age and many we know and just content with bitching and not doing anything about it. But that goes hand in hand with not doing anything with their lives and just wanting things handed to them.
I think that you working with Obama is a good thing especially if it drives you to drive others to speak their mind and make an impact.
-J
Devin,
Thank you for proving Dan's comment. You're giving the normal, corporate America is out to get us.
Everything you said is.....well wrong and a normal outlook for our generation.
You're just complaining. Bitching. Whining. Nothing can be done.
Do you know that some of the companies that are becoming successful are green companies that are also committed to paying over the minimum wage as well as offering further education and medical benefits for families.
What is an unjust war? Just so we can get that out of the way? Is Afghanistan? What about Iraq? Let's take a step back. What about the Basque separatists in Spain? How about the current conflict in Kosov as they move towards independence.
One of the problems we have as I said in my last comment, is that too often do we have people like you representing our generation who do nothing but bitch and do nothing to move us forward or to help us grow.
Move to Russia then lets talk.
I agree. Young people need to stop slacking and take responsibility for themselves. This is your country, and you have the obligation to do your part in bringing us back to our roots. We can be free again. People need to give up thinking the government will take care of them. Take responsibility for yourselves you lazy asses. Vote for Ron Paul.
Jesse, you're right. I should stop complaining and just vote. Or, I should move to Russia (just to let you know, they're not communist anymore - the exclamation "Move to Russia!" no longer has the power that it once did).
I think the men who founded America would probably agree with you. That's why, when they had issues with England and King George, they just went to Parliament, and put it in their hands. Obviously the only way to solve the problem of tyrannical government is to entrust the solution to said government.
Also, an aside - just because I don't believe that voting (in the U.S. at least) is efficacious, doesn't mean that I "do nothing." That's a fallacy, the fallacy of the excluded middle.
Actually I think the term "Move to Russia" means a lot when used in connection with what you wrote.
What I was talking about was Putin's Russia not communist Russia. A place where he has chosen his "Democratic" successor and will retire to a non-political life of....wait check that he is about to become the Prime Minister.
While I agree with you that our country changes slowly we enjoy a lot more freedoms then a lot of other countries. You seem to just bash the country, how things change, election anything we do so I just don't understand why you're here in this country.
You talk about Dan being docile. What are you doing. Are you training rebel forces? Are you expressing radical ideas that will change the way the American people will think and act? Oh side note! American Apparel, one of those corporate entities that you hate so much, is changing the way Americans shop. What are you doing? Don't bring up the founding fathers unless you are going to do something, otherwise you're wasting you breath and what is left of of oxygen.
Either take an active role in trying to change things, shut up and just live or just, well move to "enter country here."
We're going to vote, but it will be for Ron Paul
Thank goodness you young punks don't vote. You're so damn stupid it's pitiful. Anyway, you've got more important things to do than vote, like shooting things on your stupid video games, and hanging around the mall or wherever you go to get drunk and stoned. My theory is that 18-29's don't vote because they have no idea what's going on and they know it. So good for you and keep on ignoring the asshole primaries and all that other crap. You'll know when you're ready to vote because you'll want to! Until then, just get drunk and screw. That's what nature intended.
I have been voting since I was 18. Unfortunately most of my friends didn't follow my lead! It really is a problem - This election seems to have one thing that has mobilized my non-voter youth friends though - RON PAUL - A true defender of the constitution. If you want young people to vote, you need REAL change, like a leader that isn't bought and paid for! Someone that believes the constitution is a sacred document... I don't think that would be Obama!
Maybe the reason 18-29 year olds don't vote is because they realize they are uninformed about the issues. Maybe some realize they are not educated. And maybe that's a good reason for them NOT to vote.
Incidentally, next time you write a blog post where you're trying to make an important point, you would do well to use spell-check, grammar-check and learn simple punctuation. I counted half a dozen mistakes in your post that backup my first paragraph opinion.
Please correct the "your" in the title of the piece. It should be "you're."
It's a total turn off.
27 year old here. I look forward to voting in the Florida primary in a few days, having just donated cash to my candidate and having canvassed for the past few weeks.
As you might guess, I'm another Ron Paul supporters. I am disappointed in the low youth turnout on our side of the aisle, but am happy to see the "hardcore" Paulians willing to stand up and act.
I disagree with your candidate, but whole heartedly agree with the message of this post. It is up to us, the children of the 80's, to set this nation right again.
And the only way we can do this is together.
Vote on, brother.
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