50 Comments

Hopeful news is the big push by League of Women Voters to register young people in high school. Excellent program!

https://www.lwv.org/educating-voters/high-school-voter-registration

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This is a really good and necessary analysis - it is good to know the damage that has been done to the American Experiment. I believe the current system of primaries is to blame, under the current system. In most primaries, it ids the most dedicated and often extreme voters who participate, and that tends to skew toward the more extreme candidates and positions (helped of course by the likes of Fox News and One America). If we are to hold primaries from now on, we must find a way to eliminate the really dangerous zealots by broadening the field as much as possible. Ranked-choice voting in primaries would go a long way to restoring a sense of the middle in our elections, as would open primaries in which members of both parties AND independent voters would vote in a general primary to arrive at the candidates running in the general election. Our current path promises only further division.....

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I find it ironic that in the lo-lo districts where the R's cultivate the culture wars, those R's don't do a damn thing to improve the well being of the people in their districts. They hop to the directions of their large donors and line their pockets.

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Let us hope that Biden’s decision to greenlight the Willow project will not turn so many young voters against the Democrats that they can’t expect to win coming elections. To me, even acknowledging his rationales, it was a colossal mistake, for the party and for the planet.

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A friend who works in politics said they spend billions of dollars in advertising to try to win over 5% of the population. This is a reminder that he's right.

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My gast is still flabbered that ANY Repub would vote for chump again. Besides MAGAts of course…

But when winning means stopping at nothing for the power to rule ALL of us, all repubs are MAGAts. And HST was right, there is no “good” republican

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Your last paragraph. That's what it will come down to. Reproductive rights will turn out the youth vote. Willow will keep them home.

The Biden decision to allow Willow to go forward was his greatest career mistake. Even if it meant endless court battles, he should have stood tall and said stick it up your butt big oil. NOTHING is more important to Gen Y and Z.

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Regarding the approval of drilling in the Willow oil fields, Biden has not done a good job explaining his rationale. Conoco Phillips acquired the leases back in 1999 and the company has complied with all the requirements set by the Bureau of Land Management, so a denial would most assuredly send CP to court where they would probably prevail. Second, transitioning from fossil to renewables takes time, and the cost of oil and gas is being driven hard by inflation and, yes, greed right now, and Biden could characterize his approval as being based on bringing down inflation. Of course the actual product is years away from delivery, but that's not the point. And while Trump's Bureau of Land Management approved 5 drill pads, Biden's BLM is holding it down to 3.

All of this is in the weeds stuff, but can be communicated to young voters. The activists may lose in court because of Conoco Phillips pre-existing lease rights.

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Mar 19, 2023Liked by TCinLA

Clever that gerrymandering. Cleaver the result.

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Mar 22, 2023·edited Mar 23, 2023Liked by TCinLA

I know this is a comment to a “Fine Mess” entry a couple back, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read your concluding remarks, TC.

“As I read this, it seems to me that the area where Democrats need to concentrate their GOTV efforts in all districts is in increasing the voting percentage of younger voters under 30-35.” ….. “For that youth demographic overall, approving the Willows oil field drilling in Alaska is not the way for Democrats to reach them. And denying reproductive choice is not the way for Republicans to make gains there.”

Being part of Florida state politics and, in this case, close to the New College of Florida takeover by DeSantis and his band of white Christian nationalist punks, I find an unsettling parallel to how Repubs think to get the GenZ vote to survive.

Well, DeSantis has let the cat out of the bag… a bit early methinks. His attack on public education and setting a standard for other authoritarian Republican Governors and legislatures makes one thing clear. It is not about book bans, CRT, school board elections turning partisan by party declaration, or any other dog whistle. The clear intent is to establish the pipeline to instill indoctrinated thinking in our university students. Where many young voters reside. And to create a university system ready to receive public education senior students who have been under attack from the time they enter school as 4-5 yr olds.

It is so Nazi Germany youth indoctrination to preserve authoritarian rule for decades.

This community is reeling at the speed in which it has been accomplished at New College.

It has stirred objection at the core where DeSantis dare not tread. And foolishly has. His assumption that public education will rollover passively is a career ending miscalculation. For quite a few seeking re-election or a new office in ‘24.

Appreciation always for all you share, TC.

Salud.

🗽

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What a fascinating look at the voting demographic breakdowns. For sure, the whole Conoco project is not the way to go. Young people know the planet's survival, while humans are still on it, is at stake. The next 10 years will make a huge difference. Most of us older folks won't be around by then, so we better do all we can to support the work of environmentalists now. Political parties are always trying to figure out how to cut the cake so that everyone gets a piece. But usually only the fat guys get the big pieces. So what that Conoco Phillips has had the leases for years? This deal is bad for the environment but lets the polluters and the planet killers keep killing, rather than directing our attention to renewables and weaning ourselves from fossil fuels. I'm convinced the Iraq war was about fossil fuels which Cheney wanted to secure for Haliburton. Oh well - that's 20 years ago, and look where we are now.

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Important information here. I haven’t seen it elsewhere.

To a certain extent the GQP seems to have internalized these findings. For example, most will say they are against touching Social Security and Medicare, and tout new infrastructure developments in their district, even though they actively work for opposite results, yet they also genuinely deliver on the culture war schtick. So the Lo-Los can feel like they are being economically protected and know that blacks and gays are being bashed. However the Democrats can’t play the same game. That is, really work for preserving the economic safety net but pretend to bash minorities while not lifting a finger against minorities? Major demographics of Democratic electoral support would not tolerate it. And bashing, even if it’s just an act, still has a deleterious effects on society. It’s quite a pickle.

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This was fascinating and illuminating. Thanks!

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Mar 19, 2023·edited Mar 19, 2023

Interesting info leading me to research my Red county’s data.Considered overall low diversity(<30%) although 40% minority in schools and income almost “hi” .So I guess we’re lo-ish/hi-ish.

We have over 600,000 residents. Dems and Independents almost = with Repubs ~ 40% of reg voters. Last election we had slight increase in Independents voting Dem, at least for some candidates.Perhaps if Elon keeps IT( idiotic tweeting) up it will turn off some of those overworked, millennial SpaceXers here..or not.

My millennial “adopted” Rep and her 600 + vols in neighboring county are boots on the ground almost every day…registering voters at events and colleges, organizing voter reg bootcamps, rallying+++ s. Now in her third term she continues to accept no corporate donations. This is what it takes.

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I wonder how the increasing numbers of independent voters figure into the 4 categories of voters. In the last election here in Colorado, quite a lot of people changed from GOP or Dem to unaffiliated.

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