Young Republicans - Feeling Blue, Dwindling in Numbers

The Washington Post has a story today that looks at the disspirited mood among young Republicans who fear that November will bring a blood bath for the GOP. Moreover, the story notes how the younger generation identifies two to onee as Democrats rather than as Republicans. I cannot help but wonder if the GOP's unholy alliance with the gay-hating Christianists is not one significant cause of this race from the GOP. Surveys show the younger generation of voters support gay marriage by a significant percentage and that they are far more likely than older voters to have gay friends. Thus it is possible that while using gays as a wedge issue was a winning proposition in the past, by tying itself so tightly to the Christianist, the party may have lost the future. It would certainly be a fitting result for those who so willingly sold their souls to Daddy Dobson, et al. Hatred of others and intolerance are not positive attributes, and that is pretty much all the Christianists now bring to the table. From talking with my children - all of whom are in the under 29 age bracket, both they and their friends dislike anti-gay politicians and anti-gay churches. And they WILL get out and vote come November. Here are some story highlights:

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David All glanced around Top of the Hill bar and saw the future of the Republican Party. It looked dim. A who's who of young conservatives had gathered, but they were few, and they were frustrated.

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"You don't hear Barack Obama going around saying, 'I'm John F. Kennedy.' He's saying, 'I'm Barack Obama,' " All says. "There's a reason for that. He's inspiring an entire generation, and it's a generation that's trying to change the world in 160 characters or less through text messages."

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Voters under 30 are more than twice as likely to identify themselves as Democrats, according to the most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll. All and his friends bravely offer bromides to fight off despair: "I think the Republican Party is staring down a very long, dark, quiet night," All says.

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In 1992, on the heels of the Reagan Revolution, voters under 30 split their allegiance about evenly between the two major parties. But every presidential cycle since then, Democrats have gained ground. This year, according to the Post-ABC poll, 44 percent of those under 30 call themselves Democrats, and only 18 percent identify as Republicans.

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Both parties had a tendency to shrug off the youth and young adult vote, because as a group they have been the least reliable to turn out on Election Day. But this year, record numbers have registered to vote and shown up at the polls. In the swing state of Virginia alone, 90,000 people under age 34 recently joined the voter rolls.

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[M]any of the party's newbies are preparing for the worst. Matt Lewis, 33, is hoping a trouncing in November will force the old guard aside and give his generation a shot. . . . David All points to a page on McCain's Web site as more old-fogy branding: The candidate is extolling his regulatory policies as friendly to small business, and the accompanying photo shows an old-time Main Street barbershop in the background. The young Republican techie, who raises money online for McCain, would have used the image of a young high-tech entrepreneur instead, someone to whom teenagers could relate. Seventy percent of high school students say they want to be entrepreneurs, according to a recent Gallup poll. But," says All, "they're not talking about opening a barbershop."