Will There be a Youth Vote Wave?

One of the big questions that will be answered tomorrow, for good or ill, is whether or not younger voters will go the polls and reject a Republican agenda that will harm them more than anyone else in the long term.  Similar questions, of course, exists about blacks and Hispanics, two minorities targeted for harm by Republicans.  A story in the Washington Post looks at an overtly racist robo call campaign going on in Georgia:

“This is the magical Negro Oprah Winfrey asking you to make my fellow Negress Stacey Abrams the governor of Georgia,” the robo-call begins, before spewing nearly 60 seconds of racism coupled with a dash of anti-Semitism. Georgians began hearing the call last week, according to the Hill.

Younger voters are more racially diverse than the older generations and one can only hope that ads like this one cause outrage that drives them and other minorities to the polls tomorrow.  This type of overt racism is now standard fare in the Republican Party.   But back to the youth vote.  A piece in the Washington Post suggests that the youth vote turn out will likely be up significantly.  The question then remains of whether or not it will be enough to outweigh aging whites who support Republicans and Trumpism.  Here are article highlights:

Youth turnout rates in the midterm early vote are up by 125 percent compared to 2014, according to Catalist, a voter database servicing progressive organizations — an eye-popping and historically high figure, say strategists on both the left and the right.

Young Americans ages 18 to 29 who say they are definitely voting tilt leftward, according to polls. But the data also shows young Republicans are bubbling with enthusiasm headed into tomorrow.  Here are the Catalist numbers for early voting:

  An “attitudinal” shift: A recent Harvard Institute of Politics poll indicated the most dramatic shift in their polling history is young people’s attitudes about whether politics makes a tangible difference in their lives. John Della Volpe, IOP's polling director, said pollsters saw a 15-point increase post-2016. 

  Per the poll: Forty percent of 18 to 29-year-olds reported they will “definitely vote” in the midterms (54 percent of Democrats, 43 percent of Republicans and 24 percent of independents). 

  2020 implications: Among young people polled, 59 percent said they would “never” vote for President Trump vs. 11 percent who said they'd be “sure to” vote for him. 

  Narratives vs. numbers: “Almost all of the data I’ve seen from the last two Harvard polls indicate a significant increase in enthusiasm, interest and likelihood of voting for people under 30 — so the data has been consistent but the narrative inconsistent,” Della Volpe told us.

  'A big boost': “The media expectation before AVEV (Absentee Voting/Early Voting) started, based on survey responses about enthusiasm, was that young people would not be a factor again,” a Democratic strategist told Power Up. “Clearly, they’re going to be, especially if those voting are as Democratic as they survey. It’s a big boost for Democrats’ hopes.”
   GOP pollster: Chris Wilson, the CEO of WPA Intelligence, told us he thought it was a “bit too much” to call the turnout “historic.” But he said the electorate is looking younger “than both the 2016 and 2014 general elections. “Voters under 25 are outpacing their vote share from both the 2016 and 2014 general.
 The Issues: Nine months after 17 students were killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Della Volpe's firm, SocialSphere, found that school shootings are the most worrisome issue to young Americans.
 The mass shooting generation is showing up: We spoke with Jackie Corin, co-founder of March for Our Lives, who voted for the first time last week. Corin, along with a handful of her peers, has been traveling the country, meeting with lawmakers and mass shooting survivors, speaking on college campuses and visiting communities to build what the group calls a “youth infrastructure” to carry over into 2020. 

·         Get woke:  Corin says she credits the big interest to issues young people care about “behind the names on the ballots . . . You're not just voting for this candidate but for your brother who might go to a college next year in an open carry state.”  

·         Civic engagement is cool: “Activism is becoming more of a normalized activity for teenagers — they are seeing their friends get involved with campaigns and issues and it’s spreading like wildfire,” Corin added. 

·         Twitter working against Trump?: Corin also credited the spike in awareness and engagement to Trump's Twitter habits. “The president uses Twitter as main source of communication and that’s something that young people see every single day — they’re always on Twitter and Instagram so they're more engaged about what's going on.”

·         Real progress: Since the Parkland shooting that killed 17, over 60 state laws have been passed tightening gun control. “The constant mass shootings are large motivators … it’s what has activated thousands and thousands of people across this country,” Corin said.

Final thoughts: There's been a lot of talk about "waves" this election cycle — from an energized Trump resistance, to suburban women suddenly engaged against the president. We've spent less time focusing on the youth vote because it hasn't historically turned out in off-year elections. We still don't know if the shift pollsters are seeing in early voting will be reflected at the ballot box. But it's definitely something we'll be watching closely tomorrow.

I hope and pray younger voters, blacks and Hispanics turn out in high numbers and vote Democrat.  If they fail to do so, I truly worry about the future which could turn out to be something very, very ugly.  

Pastor Rob Bell: Churches That Don't Support Gay Marriage Will Become Irrelevant

At times I almost feel sorry for Christofascists - but then I get a grip on myself and say "Hell no!"  They have consciously decided to reject knowledge, reason and objective reality and to cling to a fairy tale world instead that is based on the writings/myths of ignorant goat herders.  The result is that they are seeing society as a whole reject their fantasy world and move in a totally opposite direction.   One of the areas where their myths are being rapidly rejected is the issue of same sex marriage.  As former mega church pastor Rob Bell has recently stated, churches that do not support gay marriage will ultimately become irrelevant and, as aging members die off, disappear.  Here are excerpts from a piece in Huffington Post:

Rob Bell, the widely popular and controversial former megachurch pastor, is now convinced that a church doesn’t support same-sex marriage will "continue to be even more irrelevant."

Bell made the comments on an episode of Oprah Winfrey's "Super Soul Sunday," where he appeared with his wife Kristen to talk about religion and spirituality.

"One of the oldest aches in the bones of humanity is loneliness," Bell said. "Loneliness is not good for the world. Whoever you are, gay or straight, it is totally normal, natural and healthy to want someone to go through life with. It's central to our humanity. We want someone to go on the journey with."

Bell notes that Christianity is evolving and that many Christians have already opened their hearts to the idea that two people of the same sex would choose to journey together.  In fact, he says the church’s acceptance of gay marriage is “inevitable."

"I think culture is already there and the church will continue to be even more irrelevant when it quotes letters from 2,000 years ago as their best defense, when you have in front of you flesh-and-blood people who are your brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles, and co-workers and neighbors, and they love each other and just want to go through life," he said.

[C]onservative Christian critics aren’t happy with Bell's message. Author Michael Brown accused Bell of trashing the Bible as an outdated text.

Sally Field: Prents Need to Embrace Their Gay Children

This blog has looked at the issue of homeless LGBT youth on a number of occasions.  Typically, these youth become homeless because of rejection by their families who have listened to the toxic message from the pulpit about gays and homophobia.  I was lucky and my parents embraced me when I came out - hence the scholarship I started in their honor that supports graduating LGBT high school seniors - but I have close friends who found themselves largely disowned by parents.  Oscar winning actress who has a gay son has a message to parents who may find themselves with a gay child.  The message?  Embrace them and be proud of them.  Here are excerpts from Gay Star News:

Sally Field guests on Oprah's Next Chapter Sunday (2 December) and talks to host Oprah Winfrey about being the mother of a gay son.

The acclaimed actress, winner of two Oscars and three Emmys, received the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award last month in Washington DC and was introduced by her gay son, Sam Greisman.

Greisman, 25, is the youngest of Field's three sons and told the crowd that night that when he came out, his mother didn’t bat an eye and was, in fact, overjoyed. Field said after she took the stage that it has been 'one of the great privileges of my life' to be a part of her son's coming out process.

'It’s important to have a parent speak about raising a magnificent, proud, intelligent, funny, lovable, sexy gay son,' Field tells Winfrey. 'There are so many parents who are frightened of that and who don’t embrace their children as they struggle. Those children are struggling to embrace who they are, who nature — what nature intended them to be.'

Gaby Douglas Tells Oprah That She Felt Bullied in Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach has been quick to claim Olympic gold medalist Gaby Douglas as a local celebrity, but on Oprah Winfrey's show, Douglas said she felt bullied in Virginia Beach and the victim of racism.  In fact, she cited the bullying as a reason for her move to train in Iowa.  Who would have thought this could happen in Virginia?  Anyone with half a brain.  Although less so with every passing year, Virginia is still part of the old Confederacy and some mindsets are still widely prevalent if one scratches the surface.  Racism is one of those mindsets as is rampant homophobia in some circles (think Virginia GOP for but one example).  Needless to say, folks in Virginia Beach are none too please with their latest publicity.  The world is changing, but sadly many in Virginia are not.  Here are excerpts from the Virginian Pilot's coverage:

Coaches at Excalibur Gymnastics on Monday vehemently denied charges by Gabby Douglas of bullying and racism at the gym.

Douglas made the accusations Sunday night on Oprah Winfrey's television show, "Oprah's Next Chapter."
On the show, Douglas, 16, the first African American to win an Olympic gymnastics all-around gold medal, talked about her reasons for leaving Excalibur two years ago to train with coach Liang Chow in Iowa.

"One of my teammates was, like, can you scrape a bar. And they were, like, why doesn't Gabby do it, she's our slave. I definitely felt isolated," Douglas told Winfrey during the broadcast. "I felt, 'Why am I deserving this? Is it because I'm black?'  "Like, those thoughts would go through my mind."

On the show, Douglas also talked of bullying - something Walker said goes on to some extent in every gym. "Every school, every group of kids... it's just one of those things that happen from time to time with normal kids," Walker said. "But I have no knowledge of anything serious, and Gabby never complained about anything like that."

Who knows what the real truth may be, but given the bigotry that I've seen, I tend to believe Douglas.  If the truth hurts, then Virginia and its residents need to change and get into the 21st century.

Lady Gaga Launches 'Born This Way' Foundation

Yesterday at Harvard University Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta launched their Born This Way Foundation. The launch event included a panel with Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Neil Patrick Harris' partner and actor David Burtka. One of the stated goals of the Foundation is to fight bullying - something that will no doubt have the Christianists foaming at the mouth since they want to have free license to denigrate and abuse LGBT individuals and others whom they hate and despise. I applaud Lady Gaga's and her mother's efforts to stop insidious bullying. What's striking is that while the far right malign her endlessly, Lady Gaga practices the true Gospel message of love for others far better than the self-congratulatory, sanctimonious professional Christians and many. many pastors in pulpits. Here are some highlights from the Boston Globe's coverage:

When Lady Gaga stepped on stage at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre yesterday to launch her youth foundation, it was hardly a typical appearance for the pop star who has built her reputation with over-the-top theatrics.

She didn’t hatch from an egg, or appear in a dress made of raw steaks. Instead the 25-year-old Gaga wore a subdued full-length black dress and spoke to a polite audience of students, academics, and educational specialists about the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit charity whose mission is to “foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated.’’

The official rollout of the foundation was held at Harvard because the university’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society and its Graduate School of Education are offering assistance to the fledgling organization.

Gaga - who was joined by Oprah Winfrey, spiritual leader Deepak Chopra, and Kathleen Sebelius, the US Health and Human Services secretary - is counting on her supersize persona, which has already had a major influence on pop culture, to help encourage and fund the foundation’s programs.

“The goal of the Born This Way Foundation is to challenge meanness and cruelty by inspiring young people to create a support system in their respective communities,’’ she said. “This is about changing . . . the school environment, and not putting the power in the hands of the teachers or the government.’’

The foundation is planning a nationwide bus tour, which it says will teach teens about getting involved in civic groups and allow them to connect with mentors. The “Born Brave Bus’’ will also follow the route of Gaga’s next North American tour.

While yesterday’s Harvard launch was no Lady Gaga concert, hundreds of fans gathered outside in the afternoon snow for a glimpse of the singer.

The star power behind the group immediately makes it one of the nation’s highest-profile efforts against bullying, which has been gaining more attention from education specialists, policy makers, and politicians. Some recent suicides tied to bullying, including the death of Phoebe Prince in South Hadley in 2010, have led to new laws meant to combat such behavior. According to the Berkman Center, 48 states have enacted some form of legislation that requires schools to form bullying policies.

But Gaga said laws won’t make bullying disappear. “There is no federal law that can change these problems,’’ she said. “The only way to solve the problem is to change the environment.’’

In recent years, Gaga has been outspoken on various social and political issues. She campaigned against the military’s now-abandoned “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy, which allowed gays and lesbians to serve as long as they hid their sexual orientation. She has also advocated in favor of laws allowing gay marriage.

No matter what message she wants to promote, Gaga can wield an enormous virtual bullhorn to attract attention: She has almost 20 million Twitter followers and 48 million Facebook fans.

"Last lecture" Professor Dies at Home in Chesapeake - UPDATE

UPDATE: After writing this post I belatedly learned that amazingly enough, Randy Pausch had spoken with my own angel on earth and greatly inspired that special person. That wonderful person in turn has inspired me. Thank you Randy for the gift that you gave so many, including my angel.

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One never knows how they will react when faced with their own mortality and the prospect of death by a cruel fatal illness. I like to think that I would exhibit some class and character and go out with some flare as opposed to dying in a mean spirited, nasty frame of mind. How to die with dignity and class is something that local Chesapeake resident, Randy Pausch, demonstrated to an incredible degree. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot's story on Pausch's passing:

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Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University Professor whose upbeat talk about how to live life with gusto while dying was viewed by millions and led to a best-selling book, died early Friday at his Chesapeake home. He was 47. Pausch was an accomplished professor of computer science, human-computer and design who founded a center for entertainment technology at Carnegie Mellon and pioneered the Alice project, a type of software designed to allow anyone to create 3-D animations.

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But it was his lecture on living with joy and zeal, delivered at the university about a month after he found out he was dying of cancer, that gained him fame. . . . Pausch gave his talk in September after finding out he had three to six months of healthy living left. His pancreatic cancer, which he’d been fighting since he was diagnosed in the fall of 2006, had spread to his liver and spleen, essentially a death sentence. The lecture was titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.”

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After the lecture, Pausch appeard on the Oprah Winfrey Show and was interviewed by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. In May, he was listed by Time Magazine as one of the World’s Top-100 Most Influential People. More than 6 million people have viewed versions of the lecture online, according to his Web site. The lecture was eventually developed into a book, co-authored by Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow.

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Pausch moved his family to Chesapeake not long after finding out his cancer was terminal, in order to be closer to his wife Jai’s family in Norfolk. In a post on June 26, he wrote about how he was considering going off of chemotherapy, because it was making him weaker and its effects on his tumor weren’t worth the trade-off.

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Pausch is survived by his wife, Jai Glasgow Pausch, and his three children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe.