For Those Complaining about the Baby Boomer Vote:

[MineralMan]

To start with, I'm a Baby Boomer and I vote. I always vote. I vote only for Democrats. Lots of other Baby Boomers do the same. Truly, the Boomers aren't the reason things didn't go the way you wanted.

Millennials (the under 30 crowd) don't vote in large percentages of eligible voters. Some of them complain later that the old people were the reason the election didn't turn out the way they wanted it to turn out. Really?

How about turning out in amazing numbers to stop that from happening? How about talking to your friends and convincing them that the way to override the 'Baby Boomer Vote' is to go to the polls and vote? Is that too simple a solution?

Only 12% of the vote in the 2014 mid-term election was cast by millennials. Over 35% of the vote was cast by Baby Boomers. Why is that? How could that be? A little thought will reveal the reason: Baby Boomers go to the polls and vote. Some of them show up with walkers and in wheelchairs to vote. Millennials don't vote in high percentages. The solution to the problem lies in the reason for the problem.

In reality, the majority of the vote was cast by people ranging in age from 30-60. A majority. Not the Boomers, and certainly not the millennials. Middle-aged people made up the majority of voters in 2014.

You want to defeat the evil Boomers? Get off your butts and vote. Complaining casts no votes. Whining casts no votes. Only voting casts votes.

Go vote, for pity's sake! Just go and vote!

[MANative]

1. I'm in my early fifties, and I've voted in every election except the last midterm (2012)

My excuse was pretty legit - called away unexpectedly at 11:00 p.m. that Monday to be at my dying father's bedside 200 miles away. As much as I know I did the right thing for my dad and our family, I was - and still feel - horribly guilty for not having fulfilled that civic obligation. Otherwise, I've voted. Every time. And I'll continue to vote every time, for nothing but Democrats.

It appalls me that people don't vote yet complain loudly and often about the results of their failures to contribute to the electoral process.

[MineralMan]

2. It bothers me, too.

Attempts to point at some demographic group as the one that caused the "failure" are weak excuses. That's not the problem. The problem is those who don't vote, but then try to place blame. I know that DUers vote, and I'm not talking about DUers not voting. I'm talking about complaints about demographic issues that don't notice that some demographic groups vote and others don't bother to.

No vote, no impact.

[MANative]

4. Totally get you.

We're a rare and committed (maybe need to be!!!) breed here. Some of the stats I've seen about the make-up of this year's electorate have been incredibly disheartening. As you note, many who whine about the results weren't bothered to get off their asses and do anything about the results they claim they wanted to see.

[yeoman6987]

16. Please stop the guilt

You chose the right decision. You had full intentions of voting but literally a life got in the way. I would never frawn about a person on their way to the polls suddenly getting into a car accident and ended up under observation for possible medical issues. You should clear yourself of any guilt. You have nothing to be guilty of. Those precious moments with your father were dang worth it.

[MANative]

23. Thank you. Your kind words mean a lot.

[yeoman6987]

29. My pleasure! We are all in this crazy World together!

[Live and Learn]

71. +1 nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I'm a Baby Boomer, too, and I always vote.

And I always vote for Democrats. It seems to me that the old people who tend to vote Republican are the generation older than ours - our parents' generation, who are now dying off. Every liberal political event, rally or demonstration I've attended in the last 10 years or so seemed to have been mainly populated by oldish folks like me - lots of gray-haired folks, the hippies of the '60s; but not so many young people. There are many reasons why the GOPers won big this time. Some make sense; others are unfathomable to me; but the results can't be just dumped in the laps of the Baby Boom generation. I just don't understand why people don't vote. As it is, our voices can barely be heard over the din of Faux "News" and big money advertising - voting is the only power we have.

[MineralMan]

7. Some people claim that it doesn't matter who wins.

They claim that both sides are the same. They're wrong. They don't vote because they think their vote won't matter in their lives. They're wrong.

There is an election. Someone wins and someone loses. It depends on vote counts. After the election, some of the people who claimed that it doesn't make a difference complain loudly that the side they really, really don't like won. But they didn't vote, so they get whatever the people who did vote chose.

It does matter, and the complaints about the results demonstrate that clearly. It just doesn't matter enough for some people, who choose to skip the election and let everyone else decide how things turn out. I don't get that attitude at all.

There is a choice in every election. One side is better than the other for whatever demographic group you are in. The other side is worse. Choose the better side and go to the polls and vote. How simple is that?

[JonLP24]

5. How do you know ones that didn't vote are the ones complaining?

How about figuring out ways to get people to the polls?

[MineralMan]

8. You know, I spend the two months before every election

trying to get people to the polls. I walk the streets of my precinct, knock on doors and talk to people, trying to convince them that voting matters. That's what I do, and it works.

I'm not complaining. I voted. In my area, every Democrat on the ballot won. Every last Democrat won. Why? Because people voted for them. I have nothing to complain about in my area. We voted. Democrats won. The election's over. Now, we start working on 2016.

[JonLP24]

10. Lack of media hype and press

is the reason why young voters don't turn out as well as they do in general and there are wide turnout gaps over other demographics as well.

I doubt there are many nonvoters complaining about the election results so while you're addressing the complaining of baby boomer votes, it comes off as blaming the young voter vote.

[MineralMan]

11. The election happens. Everyone knows there's an election.

Some people go and vote in the election. Others do not. The election happens either way. The results depend on who votes. How can I put it any more simply. Everyone is aware that there is an election. People either choose to participate or they do not.

The numbers tell the story.

[JonLP24]

12. It is not the same

People will see the signs and all that but the lack of press & hype doesn't inspire the same amount interest, information, and awareness such as what day the election takes place.

The numbers tell the story and the numbers show a wide turnout gap between Presidential and Midterm years. Why?

[MineralMan]

13. Ennui. Boredom. Lack of Forethought.

Many things cause people to fail to vote. None are valid excuses. Again, if millennials make up only 12% of the vote, they'll get only 12% of the attention of people who are running.

Now, if 80% of millennials turned out to vote, everyone would take notice. Every political party and every candidate would be focusing closely on that demographic. But they don't, so they get the attention they get.

In 2008, the under 30 demographic made up just 19% of the voters. 19%. In 2010, the same 12% of voters were in that demographic route as they were this year. In 2012, that group made up 18% of voters. So, what happens?

What happens is that those planning their campaigns look at the numbers and say, well, in mid-term elections, millennials aren't really a major factor, so let's put our money where the most voters turn out. That's what happens. Imagine what would happen if that demographic group made up 30% of the vote all of a sudden. Suddenly, they'd be a major interest for candidates and political parties.

It's all numbers. Those who vote get the attention and the budget. The past predicts the future when it comes to planning how to spend campaign dollars.

[JonLP24]

15. I didn't say they were valid.

They do follow closely because the demographic had 1/5th turnout and high support for Obama which swung the election in his favor viewed at that perspective. Also minorities and women, particularly single women have high turnout gaps as well.

Demographics that support Democratic candidates, including the ones that did show up. I think trying to focus efforts on increasing turnout is part of the party's strategy.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. As I said in a related thread, there's no good reason to not vote.

If someone feels disenfranchised by most of the available candidates then at least show up, sign in, grab a ballot and vote for or against someone down-ballot or vote on a referendum or something-- then submit your undervote. Go on record showing your vote was right there in the damn polling place to be had if only they'd done something to earn it. But as long as the PTB thinks virtually nothing is going to pry your ass out of your chair then you're neither an asset nor a threat to them and no one's ever going to bother addressing your needs.

[MineralMan]

9. Exactly. If Millennials make up only 12% of the overall turnout,

they're only going to get 12% of the attention of the candidates. It's a pretty simple equation, really.

[BarackTheVote]

55. So-and-so crossed the aisle again

and cut another piece of progressive legislation off at the knees. It happens. It's demoralizing and it's bad branding. Dixiecrat Blue Dog Third-Wayers and Reagan Democrats are the reason for the messaging problems we have with young X and Millennials. Maybe if democrats nationwide started trying to emulate FDR instead of Reagan, you'd actually get the youth vote to turn out.

[Amonester]

14. A lot (not all) "dream" about some kind of "violent rebellion" somebody else will...

suffer physically from trying to start it, you know, facing "drones" and shutting them down one by one, stuff like that, like they do in some Massively Multiplayer video games online, sometimes.

I say PAY them to go vote (I feel like nothing else would work...).

[MineralMan]

17. There's not going to be any rebellion.

People who can't even get up the gumption to go and vote are certainly not going to be part of any rebellion. That's not happening. That's why that's just dreaming, as you say.

[Amonester]

21. And a lot of them dreamers know that, so they waste hours of their time playing

their "fantasy" (or other) massively online... the graphics look so "real" (and beyond...) these days... Corporations make half-a-billion profits in a matter of days each new version release...

[jeff47]

18. Vote for what?

What did Democrats give Millennials to vote for?

Millennials turn out in droves for Obama in 2008 and 2012. In 2014, Democrats run in terror from Obama, as well as running away from lots of liberal policies Millennials want. And it's shocking Millennials didn't turn out???

People turn out when you give them something to vote for. We didn't do that. In fact, we've been doing a terrible job of that for quite a while now - see the lousy turnout numbers of the younger half of GenX.

Older Boomers tend to be liberal.
Younger Boomers tend to be conservative.
Older GenX tends to be conservative.
Younger GenX tends to be liberal.
Millennials tend to be liberal.

The current Democratic party leadership is dominated by "Boomer" issues. This is because the current Democratic party leadership is dominated by Boomers. During the 1990s, Democrats failed for form a coalition between older Boomers and younger GenX. From the younger GenX side, we couldn't get our issues addressed - for example, it's not like expensive college degrees are a new development. As a result, younger GenX stayed home. Which meant younger GenX also did not ascend into party leadership - they were staying home. So the party never moved forward in a generational sense.

Result? Blame cast upon Boomers. Because that's who the leadership is targeting. Because that's who the leadership understands, because that's who the leadership is.

We're repeating the same mistake with Millennials. Millennials don't really know how important grandma's Social Security is - they have no idea what her finances are actually like. They are extremely familiar with their own finances, and those expensive college loans coupled with a mediocre job market isn't a pretty picture. And Democrats have not been trying to make that picture better. Instead Democrats pushed through bills like the massive H1B expansion earlier this year, as well as helping to shred the safety net that Millennials know they're one bad luck away from falling into.

We didn't fight for their issues. So like younger GenX, they stayed home. A message of "Just go vote so that maybe someday we'll think about possibly doing something to address your issues" is not a compelling message.

Younger Boomers and older GenX were given lots of reasons to turn out. They're the Teabaggers, and the core of the Republican party. They were given plenty of reasons to go to the polls, despite the failure of their candidates to actually advance their issues - all those Obamacare repeal votes didn't actually do anything. But those repeal attempts gave those voters a reason to vote.

Want Millennials (and young GenX) to vote? Stop just telling them to vote. Give them a reason to vote. Help solve their problems, or at least make an enormous show about trying to. And most importantly, stop running away from everything they like.

[Amonester]

19. Why is it always about "their" problems and never about

them making a small effort to go help "someone else than them" at the same time by voting?

[jeff47]

20. By voting for what?

They want gay marriage. Democrats ran away from that.
They want to wind down the drug war. Democrats ran away from that.
They want to expand abortion access. Democrats ran away from that.
They want more public works spending. Democrats ran away from that.
They want a higher minimum wage. Democrats ran away from that.
They want immigration reform. Democrats ran away from that.

Despite your aspersion of selfishness, Millennials are not all gay, immigrant drug users in minimum wage jobs seeking abortions.

[Amonester]

22. I'll give you that, while rejecting your false accusations all at once.

And what in the entire world makes them think that, by doing everything they can to make sure the poweRs that DON'T WANT ANY of these policies "win" the chairs that give them that superpower for repealing everything they want would magically "help" them?

Wow... Dreamers... indeed. They're ready to suffer the nightmares their own foolishness will bring them (and us).

[jeff47]

24. You're confusing action with inaction.

They aren't working to make the R's win. D's gave them no reason to do anything, so they didn't do anything.

They're ready to suffer the nightmares their own foolishness will bring them (and us).

Their choice was someone opposed to everything they want, or someone opposed to everything they want. That's not going to motivate someone to vote.

Don't like that your issues won't be worked on in the new Congress? Welcome to being a young Democrat. Now we just need someone to call you selfish for wanting your issues worked on.

[Amonester]

25. They're confusing unrealistic dreams with reality.

They will probably suffer immensely more for failing to foresee the "real" consequences of their apathy.

[jeff47]

67. Not at all. Take a look at what the Republicans did.

All those Obamacare repeal votes in the House had no prayer of ever becoming law. They still did it. Because it motivated their voters.

You don't have to actually accomplish the goal. You have to show you'll fight for it. Accomplishing it is a bonus, but then you have to show you'll fight for the next goal.

[Amonester]

89. So these youngest non-voters decided to leave the fight (for all that list) definitely

pack up their stuff, give up the fight and go home and that's it.

No more meaningless politics for them.

Probably until the repuke congress make their lives worse by repealing every little gains the Dems gave them before.

They decided to leave the fight in the middle of it and go home. Yeah. That will show the losers.

Then they shouldn't complain whenever the repukes decide to wreck their lives forever next.

Got it.

[jeff47]

90. What gains?

The entire point that is flying over your head can be summed up by my choices for Senate in NC:
I could vote for a Republican. Or I could vote for a Democrat who backs Republican policies and rejects liberal policies....in other words, a Republican.

You can fling shit all you want at everyone around you, but that choice is not going to get people to turn out.

[Amonester]

91. I was not referring to you in particular, nor to your State.

Those I ref'd to were there in 2008 and 2012, but ghost'd in 2010 and even more this week.

Maybe they went to vote for raising the minimum wage and didn't bother to cast a vote for anything else too.

Figures.

[Bluenorthwest]

30. If they actually support LGBT equality they would vote, taking a lesson from LGBT voters who

became a strong voting block of Democrats with less than no invitation, while not one national Democrat had ever so much as mentioned us as part of the Party or as worthy Americans. Anyone who says they are acting on behalf of LGBT Americans while claiming that something needs to be done to cause them to vote are full of shit. 29 States full of youth voters still allow legal discrimination against LGBT people in employment. Those same youth allow their States to block the rest of us from making Federal law against such discrimination. Anyone living in those States who does not vote for Democrats is basically acting as an anti gay person. Their actions allow an unjust situation to remain in place.
The States with the highest minimum wages are run by Democrats. Are they blind to this, these young voters in States with the Federal rate?
The States with good access to abortion and other reproductive choices are Democratic States. How come those youth who care about choice don't notice that and act accordingly?
My State legalized marijuana while electing Democrats. CA reduced some other drug possession charges to misdemeanors. Democratic States putting the Drug War to sleep. But the youth don't notice this, even as their own Red State locks them up for a dime bag?

It's just daft. Don't tell me you support my rights if you don't vote, especially if you are in a Red State. LGBT people did not wait until something looked sparkly enough to vote for. We came, voted, elected people, exerted political power and made change of our own free will and choice, not because some 'message' drew us in. Such a message was never going to come.

[jeff47]

64. Your argument has the massive hole

Which Democrat actually ran on expanding LGBT rights and protections?

So Millennials were supposed to go out and vote for Democrats who said nothing about this subject, or actively opposed it.

Their actions allow an unjust situation to remain in place.

Except that no Democrat was talking about changing that situation. Given that Democrats have just let the courts advance LGBT rights, why would we believe that politicians who don't talk about this subject would do anything about this subject?

The States with the highest minimum wages are run by Democrats. Are they blind to this, these young voters in States with the Federal rate?

No Democrats in those states ran on raising the minimum wage. In fact, they ran away from it.

The States with good access to abortion and other reproductive choices are Democratic States. How come those youth who care about choice don't notice that and act accordingly?

No Democrats in those states ran on expanding abortion access. In fact, they ran away from it.

But the youth don't notice this, even as their own Red State locks them up for a dime bag?

No Democrats in those states ran on cutting back on the war on drugs. In fact, they ran away from it.

See the pattern yet?

[Scootaloo]

104. You won't get an answer

It's not about policy or principle for a lot of posters here, Jeff. It's about playing fantasy football. Their "team" wins and they cheer, and ignore it until the next draft round. Their "team" loses, and they complain about every factor except the team itself, then ignore it until the next draft round.

[MineralMan]

36. Nonsense.

Voters elected a Democratic Majority to the MN state legislature: Marriage Equality became law the next year.
The Democratic Majority in MN passed a medical marijuana law after getting control of the legislature.
MN Republicans tried to implement tougher abortion laws. Democrats nixed that effort.
MN Republicans slashed educational spending and cut infrastructure. Democrats reversed those cuts.
The Democratic state legislature in MN raised the minimum wage in the state.
States do not control immigration, but MN Democrats in the state legislature have supported our large immigrant population.

In 2010, low voter turnout allowed Republicans to get control of the MN state legislature.

In 2012, Democrats got control back and did all the things described above. Turnout was much higher. VOTING MATTERS!

[jeff47]

70. We're talking about why they didn't turn out in 2014.

And in 2014, they didn't turn out because Democrats ran away from all those issues.

In 2012, they did turn out. Because Democrats didn't run away from all those issues.

[JonLP24]

26. Also

Many factors likely contribute to this difference in youth turnout rate: a relative lack of media attention, a scarcity of competitive races, and less voter outreach. The brief includes Census data from the 2010 midterm, which point to several differences in why young people and adults over 30 who are registered do not cast a ballot.

Some gaps point to ways in which youth political engagement can be strengthened. More than twice as many young people said that they did not vote because of “registration problems” like not receiving an absentee ballot or not being registered in the right location. This may reflect that many are first-time voters who are less familiar with the process, particularly if they moved for school or work and had to adjust their registration accordingly. Measures that simplify the registration, address change and voting process could help reduce that gap; they could also help reduce the 10% who said they simply forgot to cast their ballot.



The biggest reason cited by registered youth who did not vote in 2010 was that it conflicted with their work. One third of all registered but non-voting youth said so, while only a quarter of those over 30 gave that response, which may indicate that youth generally have lower-level jobs with less flexibility to take time off on Election Day. Measures like early voting could be instrumental in ensuring that youth have time to go to the polls and increasing their voter turnout.

http://www.civicyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CIRCLE_FS2014_YouthRegistration.pdf

Also barriers to registration were enacted to registration which affect these voters so while there is talk in this thread about issues won't be paid attention to. GOP certainly is trying to depress turnout among the groups that favor Democrats.

The things mentioned need to be taken seriously and young voters shouldn't have their intelligence mocked, inaccurate fantasy assumption, especially in the context of them needing their turnout to win elections.

[Kalidurga]

33. This is a very good graphic

I almost didn't vote a couple times because of work conflicts, on those two occasions I went to the polls just about when they first opened, I thought there would be a long line, there wasn't. I thought I would be late to work, I wasn't. But, I can see how other people might be late or they might end up being last in line to vote after a very long day at work and that is very hard if you have kids and other obligations.

So, the solution I think is to make sure that young people know they can vote with an absentee ballot. I have been informed that in Minnesota you don't need to have an out of town excuse anymore. And if you still need that in other states well, get a ballot anyway fill it out where you get it and hand it back, I doubt they can do anything about that.

[F4lconF16]

102. This is an aexcellent graphic.

It totally debunks the BS that's being pushed about younger voters. Thanks for the post.

[Scootaloo]

105. Hard to take that time off from work, when every job sees you as disposable

Especially when both candidates on the ballot almost invariably both talk about how much of a break your boss - the "small business owner" - deserves, which will be paid for with cuts to your TANF and your child's education. About the need for "free trade" that will suppress your wages or even destroy your job entirely. But never, ever a word about the working class - unless you consider white-collar professionals with six-figure incomes and a vacation home to be "working class."

[Skidmore]

66. Perhaps these young adults should just quit waiting for their

parents and grandparents to do the work for them. Standing in place and screaming is counterproductive. If you have made it into adulthood, then you need to act on your own. Volition means having the will to act and not simply complain. I guess I'm trying to remember a time when political action involved my parents' generation creating reasons for us to vote. I was 18 the year that eighteen year olds were allowed to vote for the first time. We were trying to push back on many things we did not agree with that were handed to us--the Vietnam war, racism/Jim Crow, women's rights, and the list goes on. I was so excited to get to vote for the first time. We used our voices and our vote and we were vocal. On the streets, sitting in spaces to be seen and heard, and engaging in civil disobedience. But we voted. We cast ballots.

This election I voted for Braley and against Ernst. I voted for every Democrat on the ticket because that was an affirmation of the left available to me. I did not cast votes in any category on the ballot where Rs were running unopposed. This is an affirmation that I do not embrace the policies of the right. It provides a number that can be seen and shows my commitment to participating as a citizen. I really do not understand why people will insist on apathetic handwringing rather than getting into the process at groundlevel--that means down and dirty--and involved in the candidate selection. By the time you get to the general election, it is too late. Input is need at the very beginning of the process. It takes time and commitment.

BTW, I am a liberal and I have always supported liberal ideas and will continue to do so throughout what remains of my life. I do it for my children. who are also actively participating in the political process, I do it for my grandchildren who will someday participate and belong to Generation Why Mom right now. (Hoping they will outgrow that soon.)

[jeff47]

77. Thanks for demonstrating my point so clearly.

Democrats ignore the issues of the young, and then yell at the young for not fixing their issues without the help of the party and the government actively opposing them.

I guess I'm trying to remember a time when political action involved my parents' generation creating reasons for us to vote.

Well, during your entire life, the Democratic party has been catering to your needs.

That isn't the case with my generation. Despite our efforts to get Democrats to pay attention to what we were asking for, we were told to shut up and go away. Our ideas were too radical, and there are budgets we have to balance. And we just have to cut taxes, or the Republicans will say mean things about us! And we can't possibly use the filibuster, the media would say mean things about us!!

Now, you could sit on your high horse and insist that everyone younger than you is a fucking immature idiot, and continue to lose elections. Or you might wanna try asking them why they don't bother voting, and what they want fixed.

[Scootaloo]

106. +100

[Odin2005]

73. As a Millennial, THANK YOU!

My generation feels completely ignored.

[BlindTiresias]

78. I agree

The boomer dems need to stop condescending to us and asking for blind fealty for no gain, or else they will start seeing young people go over to the libertarians and by extension the republicans. Just another way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again for the Dem Orthodoxy.

[Faux pas]

27. Voted in every

election (local and national) since 1970. Boomers are NOT the problem.

[greatauntoftriplets]

28. This baby boomer votes straight Democratic in every election and every primary.

[fredamae]

31. That's funny...

So, if it's true that most "Boomers" are Progs/Dems...and Millennials are blaming their own Unwillingness to vote based upon their dislike of or mistrust of "grammas and grandpas" so it's "our fault" things are shitty?????

I admit-I'm not fully informed of the politics/positions of Millennials, but don't Boomers and Millennials seek basically the same outcomes?
I know MSM has been trying to "taint" the existence and relevance of Boomers lately..but seriously this?

[MineralMan]

32. Boomers come in all political colors.

Just like all demographic groups. Boomers vote. Millennials apparently do not. I have no other point to make.

[Android3.14]

34. It's not the voters; it's the candidates

I swear, watching people flail about trying to figure out why the Democrats didn't come out and vote is like watching fish arguing over why the towels won't dry.

There was nothing and no one for which we could vote. The leadership, especially Obama these past six years, has failed to promote Democratic values, eroded basic civil liberties and failed to legislate for the majority of our fellow citizens over corporate interests.

Baby Boomers? Really? On another thread it was racist Democrats. Still another was blaming corrupt elections.

People work hard for leaders. We ain't got any at this time.

[MineralMan]

42. You don't have leaders? Sure you do.

Now, in Congress, you have a majority of Republican leaders. It didn't have to be that way. Republicans also got control of a number of state legislatures. That's the leadership that's coming to you. It didn't have to be that way.

We always have leaders. They're the people who win the elections. I promise you that you're not going to enjoy the results of the 2014 elections, whoever you are. Republicans aren't your friends. Democrats can be. Republican's will never be.

Vote or don't vote. That's your choice. What you get then is decided by the people who do vote. I wonder if you'll enjoy the results. Somehow, I doubt it.

We do have leaders. We elect them every couple of years. Or some of us do. If you don't vote, you'll have to take what you get.

[Android3.14]

46. I'm not attacking you, MM

You missed my point.
I voted a straight ticket, even though I knew we were going to lose.

Our people failed to come out to vote because there was no point.

What point could they have had? I have three for you - NSA, Guantanamo and TPP.

[MineralMan]

52. That's three items. I don't like them either.

There are many, many more issues than that. The Republicans are on the wrong side of every one of them, and they're now in the majority in both houses of Congress. You don't think there's any point in voting? You're way wrong.

[Android3.14]

72. Again, you miss my point.

Of course I think there is a point to voting. I voted, as did Mrs. 'Droid and Grammy 'Droid - All Democratic tickets.

The sad truth is that whining that the reason we lost the election was because people didn't vote is like saying the reason the restaurant failed is because people didn't eat. It's a useless complaint with no solution.

Solving the problem of why Democrats stayed home is easy. It's because our leaders have failed us. The issues I mentioned, all of which Obama could have addressed if he practiced real Democratic values, show that our Democratic leaders are too compromised to lead. If we had real leaders, the people would have followed.

From Obama on down, progressives and Democrats need new leadership.

[Waiting For Everyman]

69. No, it's the voters.

If a high percentage of Dems had voted and so many elections were still lost, that would be a different story. That didn't happen though, did it? It's a matter of simple fact who's to blame.

Just how perfect does a candidate have to be to deserve someone's vote? The next MLK? JFK? Lincoln? I'll tell you: they have to be on the ballot and plausibly capable of drawing enough votes to win, that makes them deserving of our vote. Anybody else can't reach the levers of power this time around.

The FAILURE was on the part of the Dems who FAILED to vote. And I hold them personally directly responsible for whatever gets broken in the next two years.

[Android3.14]

76. Really? You are going to hold them personally responsible?

Think that'll help, huh?
You should start a club. If people don't go to the meetings or join your club, you can say that the reason the club failed is because no one went to the meetings or joined your club. I'll bet if you hold all those people "personally responsible" for the failure of the club, the next club you form will do better.

[Waiting For Everyman]

79. Yup, I'm done with being understanding of intentional stupidity.

Actual people make actual choices that impact actual other people in a bad way. And it's high time they started being held accountable for it. Others may choose to let those who think they are too cool to vote off the hook, I don't.

Dems who didn't vote -- THEY are the problem. I'm not interested in their views and I'm not interested in their complaints. They are bullshitters.

[Android3.14]

96. And that, Luke, is why you fail

[A Simple Game]

35. Young people don't vote, never have, maybe never will. What is the big deal?

Funny thing about the US, we have the right to vote without anyone telling us who we have to vote for, and we also have the right not to vote. That's the way it is, why do you have a problem with that? Want the youth vote, give them a reason to vote. Hope and Change probably won't do it again, that fool me once thing you know.

Until we realize it's the candidates and not the voters, we will never fix the system.

[MineralMan]

38. If they don't vote, they can't complain, then.

You do have the right to not vote. Please feel free to exercise that right. But don't come here and tell me that what's wrong is due to the people who do vote. That's ridiculous.

People vote because it does make a difference. You're about to find out what the difference is as Republicans have control of the entire Congress, starting in January. You tell me how you like that after you see what they do. I'll wait. But, you do what you want about voting. Just don't whine about the results of not voting to me.

[A Simple Game]

68. Wait a minute, I never said I didn't vote nor did I say you shouldn't vote.

Where did I say what is wrong is due to the people that did vote? Your local college may have a reading comprehension course you could take.

Yes voting does make a difference, but who says you have a right to tell anyone they have to vote? What next, tell others who they have to vote for? So what gives you the right to complain about other people complaining; because you voted? I voted too, so according to you I have every right to voice my opinion. But don't think for a minute that I need your permission to voice my opinions whether I voted or not, that's not what America is about at least not yet anyway. Not allowing people to vote and mandating voting are both undesirable extremes, freedom of choice is what we should strive for.

So again here's my opinion and according to you my vote earned me the right to voice it; give people a reason to vote and they will, Hope and Change isn't going to do it again. We need good candidates, not more "I'm almost as good as a Republican" Grimes. Democrats returning to their core values are what will get people to vote, not "I'm not as bad as the other guy" candidates.

As for voting, I have done so religiously since I was 21.

[Rex]

37. 12% turnout of people 30 and younger.

Pathetic, this is why I am getting more involved...I refuse to watch our future get flushed down the drain by apathy.

[MineralMan]

40. Not exactly. That demo made up 12% of the vote.

I'm not sure of the actual turnout percentages of that age group. It's just that they weren't a large part of the overall vote. Lousy, I imagine, though.

[Rex]

43. My mistake, I thought that was overall turnout.

Had a hard time believing it was just 12%.

[MineralMan]

47. Yes. I'll have to go look at turnout percentages.

Overall, in MN, it was 51%. I haven't seen a breakdown based on age groups yet. It was lower than usual for Minnesota, though. That's not a good thing. I think that it was something lower than that nationwide, but I can't remember the actual number.

[heaven05]

39. exactly

one baby boomer to another who has voted every election since '72'.

[MineralMan]

60. Thank you for voting!

[GliderGuider]

41. Boomers tend to believe the system is much the same as it was in 1961.

Millennials are under no such illusion. They see the system as it is, not as it was.

I'm a boomer who has worked hard over the last decade to see the system as it really is. As a result of what I see, I don't vote - even where I live, in Canada.

All modern democratic political systems have been suborned and corrupted by corporate interests.

My morality doesn't permit me to participate in corrupt systems if I can avoid it.
What about yours?

[MineralMan]

44. Not this Boomer.

I remember 1961. It sucked. So, I joined with others to make it suck less.

I see things just as they are. Due to this election, they're going to suck more. You don't vote? Then who gives a shit about what you think? I don't. You don't matter if you've decided not to participate. You don't have a say and you've voluntarily given that up. So, why are you even concerned with politics?

I voted. Everyone I voted for won, including Al Franken, Betty McCollum, and a bunch of state officials you don't know. They're all progressives who are working to improve things. After this election, they're in the minority. Isn't that wonderful?

Don't vote? Don't complain about the results.

[GliderGuider]

48. Try it this way:

If you voted you have no right to complain...

[MineralMan]

53. No, I'm not trying that, thanks.

I voted. I got the good results I expected. Other people in other places did not vote. They get the results they get. You say you don't vote? Whatever. You're irrelevant.

[GliderGuider]

57. The difference is that you are looking at the results obtained within the system

I'm objecting to the system itself.

[MineralMan]

58. The system exists. It's not going away.

As I said, you're irrelevant to it, since you refuse to participate. I don't have time for irrelevancies. Bye.

[GliderGuider]

61. Of course it's not going away.

Not as long as people validate it by voting, anyway...

[MineralMan]

63. Silliness is what you're selling. I'm not in a giggling mood

right now.

[BootinUp]

45. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? nt

[GliderGuider]

50. Neither - the corporations came first. nt

[Bluenorthwest]

51. So you refuse to pay taxes? If not, you do in fact participate in that system, you just refuse to

change the system in any way at all. I see no superior morality in apathetic resignation coupled with regular payments to the powers that be. Just so you know.

[GliderGuider]

54. You will notice, I said "if I can avoid it"

Where there is coercion or the threat of coercion, I must participate in order to survive.

None of that applies to voting.

[Guaguacoa]

49. There's more to it than that also, the 18 - 29 year old vote

only went democrat by 11%. That's not a whole lot since this age category is considered to be pretty much all democrats. It's also the most disturbing as young people are more likely to shift republican, than the other way, when they get older. Yes, I know some will probably post to say they did different, but I don't think there's any doubt it happens more.

Among 30- to 44- year-olds this year, 50% voted for Democrats while 48% for Republicans.

So the voters all the way up to 44 didn't go democrat as much as I would have thought. The blame lays on all sides, not just one group.

They say there is no sign of narrowing gaps, but if you look at the graph on both the groups below 44 the democrat ratio by far peaked out in 2008 and even in 2012 wasn't near as much.

[img][/img]


http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/11/05/as-gop-celebrates-win-no-sign-of-narrowing-gender-age-gaps/

[JustAnotherGen]

56. I'm beginning to think Gen X

Is starting to vote based on taxes and what they get out of them . . .

Among 30- to 44- year-olds this year, 50% voted for Democrats while 48% for Republicans.

So the voters all the way up to 44 didn't go democrat as much as I would have thought. The blame lays on all sides, not just one group.

^Not the 30 year olds^ - I put them in as millenials/Y's.

But 35 to about 48 - that small cross section. . . we are kind of cynical assholes.

JustAnotherGen - xer.

[Major Hogwash]

100. As they get older, they get more experince, and tend to get wiser.

You're talking about the generation that grew up with computers, so they ain't stupid.
Misinformed, maybe, but not stupid.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

59. I'm a Pre-boomer and I always vote.

Generally, with some nose holding, I vote for Democrats. When the candidates have a lousy record on what I care about, the environment, war, equal rights, I vote 3rd Party.

[MineralMan]

62. I've never encountered a politician with whom I agree 100%.

So, I vote for candidates who can win and with whom I agree the most among candidates who can win. I never waste my vote on 3rd parties. Never. I care about a very, very broad range of issues.

You can do as you please, but I look at the overall picture and select from the available options that have a chance of winning. For me, that is always the Democrat for any position.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

65. Neither have I and I never expect to.

I never waste my vote on Republicans or Democrats who vote with, or support the policies of Republicans.

I vote policies and principles not politicians or party.

[MineralMan]

81. I vote for outcomes. I have my own principles

and they rarely align completely with anyone in government. But I have outcomes I'm looking to have happen. I don't expect all of those outcomes to be realized in any given election year, but I do expect to make progress toward them. In my experience, that progress is made when Democrats are in the majority in government, and there are setbacks or no progress when Republicans are. Nobody who fails to get elected affects those outcomes at all.

Since, in my experience, either a Democrat or a Republican wins 99+ percent of all major election races, I have a simple binary choice. Not voting is not one of those choices, since one or the other will win, whether I vote or not. So, I vote for the Democrats on the ballot, since experience shows that more progress toward my desired outcomes will occur if Democrats are in control.

A government run on my personal principles and political beliefs will not occur in this country in my lifetime, nor, I expect, in the lifetimes of anyone capable of reading the posts on DU. It's simple. I want progress toward the outcomes I prefer. One of those, for example, was marriage equality. Voting for Democrats in Minnesota made that happen, as soon as they had a majority in both houses of the legislature. That was just one year after a Constitutional Amendment was on the ballot to make marriage equality impossible. The Democrats were the difference. So, with that and many other desired outcomes, one party will make progress and the other will block progress. My voting decisions are simple.

If I waited for a democratic socialist government in the United States and refused to vote for anyone who did not promote that, I would find few candidates I could vote for. If I vote for progress toward outcomes, I can vote for a Democrat. I can't get what I want as a system of government, so outcomes on specific issues are my goals.

Your mileage may differ.

[Waiting For Everyman]

74. Another Boomer who has voted straight Dem all my life.

So did my late husband.

The only Boomers I know of who vote Repub are those at the old end of the demographic, who are "Elvis" and Korean War era, rather than "Beatles" and Viet Nam era. Also some who in my estimation are post-Boomers, those post 1955. Those two "ends" are really different groups imo, with different influences and life experiences than those in the center of the wave, say plus or minus 1950 by two or three years.

[BlindTiresias]

75. Millenial gen begins in 1982

May want to revise your age brackets a bit.

Well, it ranges anywhere from 1980-1982 as the start point depending on source but 1982 is considered the basic standard by the guys that came up with the concept.

[MineralMan]

80. It's not my age bracket. Someone reported the under 30 vote

as a percentage of total votes and assigned the name "millennials" to that demo. Anyhow, your numbers show an max age of 34, so it's not a huge difference.

[ohheckyeah]

82. I'm a baby boomer and

this is the first election I've missed in years. I'm recuperating from a stroke -so I think I can be excused this once.

[MineralMan]

83. Of course you are excused. Recover and be well.

Vote in 2016. Take care of yourself!

[ohheckyeah]

92. Thank you...

lots of therapy right now. Still learning to walk and to get my right hand use again. Typing with one hand (non-dominant hand, at that) is a pain.

[MineralMan]

94. I understand. I had to recover from viral encephalitis

back in 1991. Was in a coma for a week. It took some hard work to get back to being myself.

[ohheckyeah]

97. Wow - that's tough.

Glad you are okay.

[MineralMan]

98. I recovered. I'm betting you do too.

Not easy, but it can be done. My best wishes to you.

[Blue_In_AK]

101. That's some bad shit.

I had viral meningitis/encephalitis in 1980, probably the sickest I've been in my life. Screaming headache for a couple of weeks and then my arms were messed up for about a year and a half. It felt like I had no circulation below my elbows and I couldn't do anything involving my fingers, which meant I had to quit my legal secretary job and do something else that didn't involve typing until my nerves recovered. It was awful not knowing if I'd ever be ok again.

Bad memory.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

84. I'm a boomer and I vote.

Been a delegate to the State Democratic Convention several times and worked hard at the county level.

Voted in every election since Jimmy Carter ran for President in 1976.

I have never voted for a Republican politician. I have voted for Republican judges when they were sane, but NEVER a Republican politician.

I now have a governor, State AG, Lt. Gov., two Senators, a Congressman, a State Senator and a State Rep who I did not vote for. They don't represent me or my interests. They represent the oil companies and other big corporations.

[MineralMan]

86. We don't always prevail. But every election is a temporary

thing. We get another chance to vote for what we want. The answer is to keep voting for the best candidates who have a chance of winning and keep working to get more people to do the same.

That's what we can do. We can't do anything else. Sometimes we win. Sometimes the others win. It sucks, but that's the country we live in, and that fact is not going to change. We have to just keep trying.

[badtoworse]

85. I'm a boomer and I always vote

[MineralMan]

87. And I thank you for that. Truly.

[steve2470]

88. Chicken and egg, what comes first ?

We can all debate and disagree on what comes first, but being inspired to vote (chicken) and actually voting (egg) are BOTH important and to a large degree independent of each other.

Was I completely thrilled about the Democrats in 1980 when I was 21 years old ? No. They all seemed "old" to me and out of touch with my generation. Nevertheless, I voted.

I'm NOT trying to cast aspersions or guilt upon anyone. Just, please, vote.

eta: The ONLY time I've been really inspired, was in 2008 and 2012 with President Barack Obama. Otherwise, it's been a duty and a chore to vote. I missed 1996 because of work interfering, but thank god Clinton still won.

[MineralMan]

93. For me, the inspiration has always come

from the very privilege of voting and the potential it has to influence the course of events. That's all I needed, and all I need. The right to vote is a gift of great value and I'd be a fool not to accept that gift whenever it is offered.

I eagerly await each election, even if the only thing on the ballot is a slate of school board members. I will not miss an opportunity to participate in the government of the place where I live. Not a chance. Ever.

[steve2470]

95. sincerely, that's really great MM

I wish more voters were like you. I'll work on my own attitude.

[GeorgeGist]

99. Here's a clue ...

Give millennials something to vote for.

The blindness is awesome.

[Scootaloo]

103. Vote for what the party offers you, and stay silent at all other times

Accept your shit sandwich, no complaining allowed!

THE BOOMER HAS SPOKEN.