At the end of the day, Millennials are socially center-left to left and fiscally center-right to right. There is a name for this. It's called Libertarianism, or Republican-Democratic if you live in 1800, and it is the future of the GOP. With that, you may say "well if that's the case, why do they poll in favor of dems?" It's pretty simple, and it wont last forever. It has something to do with:
1.) The GOP hypocrisy that has been preached for the last 20 years, that limited government only means less taxes, less economic regulation, and less domestic spending (which we Millennials agree with, more than older GOP members to be honest) but it somehow doesnt include less foreign waste (undeclared wars), less social regulation (criminal justice, reproductive rights, domestic relations), less crony-capitalism, and hasn't come up with better alternatives to humanistic issues (healthcare, environmental problems, etc.)
2.) We do an awful job of branding Hamiltonian, collective, socialistic, large federal and governmental oversight as the actual core of the problem of all things and we fail to recognize that collective, demographic political strategy is fundamentally Marxian. We'll never be the party to beat Dems at a top down approach. That's how labor unions work. That's how the NAACP and AARP works. Heck, that's how the old Roman Catholic Church worked. It's how every collective organization in history has been corrupted via teamsters, that's how every caucus you can imagine has been corrupted via power-mongers, and the Dems simply are better at it because it is a socialist construct.
1.) The GOP hypocrisy that has been preached for the last 20 years, that limited government only means less taxes, less economic regulation, and less domestic spending (which we Millennials agree with, more than older GOP members to be honest) but it somehow doesnt include less foreign waste (undeclared wars), less social regulation (criminal justice, reproductive rights, domestic relations), less crony-capitalism, and hasn't come up with better alternatives to humanistic issues (healthcare, environmental problems, etc.)
2.) We do an awful job of branding Hamiltonian, collective, socialistic, large federal and governmental oversight as the actual core of the problem of all things and we fail to recognize that collective, demographic political strategy is fundamentally Marxian. We'll never be the party to beat Dems at a top down approach. That's how labor unions work. That's how the NAACP and AARP works. Heck, that's how the old Roman Catholic Church worked. It's how every collective organization in history has been corrupted via teamsters, that's how every caucus you can imagine has been corrupted via power-mongers, and the Dems simply are better at it because it is a socialist construct.
We are a Grassroots party that needs to do a better job of believing in people as individuals, not as cohorts. Grassroots lose voice and influence when the Federal Govt grows. Millennials are more color blind, gender blind, orientation blind, and economic class blind than any other generation, demographic overtures don't work. We see through that. We see people, not tokens, that we like. We want someone who connects with the average man, woman, and child, someone who is willing and ready to go to the Country Club, Night Club, and Gun Club.
3.) The GOP keeps attempting to mix religion (which is theoretically pure) and politics (which is anything but) and end up sending people away from both, and ruining the brand name for both. From a Christian perspective, this has been repulsive because it is the antithesis of what the whole point of a higher kingdom was meant to be (afterlife vs. not necessarily this life); has completely ditched the whole point of liberty/free will; and sadly led many of my generation away because of sounding bigoted rather than attractive via love and humanity.
3.) The GOP keeps attempting to mix religion (which is theoretically pure) and politics (which is anything but) and end up sending people away from both, and ruining the brand name for both. From a Christian perspective, this has been repulsive because it is the antithesis of what the whole point of a higher kingdom was meant to be (afterlife vs. not necessarily this life); has completely ditched the whole point of liberty/free will; and sadly led many of my generation away because of sounding bigoted rather than attractive via love and humanity.
From a Governmental perspective, it is the antithesis of a.) the 1st Amendment/our founding; b.) good politics (see our polling numbers with Millennials/the churchgoing of Millennials); and c.) individualism. Morality is the most free market principle of all time, the good stuff wins in the long run, the bad stuff leads to a hard time. Eventually it will correct itself, and the best product always comes out on top. You don't have to force it, that only makes people want it less.
4.) The GOP keeps trying to exhume Ronald Reagan (we yearn for some idealistic past that is never coming back) and the Dems keep trying to break new ground in the future (Obama, Hillary, who knows what's next, probably Julian Castro)
5.) The Establishment has spent the last 20 years supporting cronyism, not capitalism, and it has killed the brand name for both. Go watch The Big Short. Listen to a Millennial talk about the housing crisis. They think the biggest problem was greed on wall street (partially to blame, sure) and now Bernie preaches more and more regulation and taxes to get even? The biggest problem was the Government's involvement in the market altogether (Bush rolling out $400 Billion - with a B, into subprime home buying) and then the Bailout put is into a recession that has ruined Millennials (joblessness, false market due to federal involvement in lending, lack of parental savings due to the market crash, Fed interest rate being 0% as long as my 1st grade niece has been alive, etc.)
6.) We genuinely ignore the problems of the youth because we think the problems are just that, some young kid's issue that will go away with age and responsibility. We aren't a generation of people that want free stuff, the older generation has proven to be that. (Bailout so you can retire, yet not touching social security so that you can....retire?) Guess what, these are revolutionary issues that our nation has never seen, yet the GOP is stuck thinking that student loan issues are like the student loans of their past, or they think that the entitlement reform crisis is the same issue that has been preached about for 30 years (guess what, it isn't).
Or the GOP thinks that all law enforcement is wonderful and great and just like Andy Griffith, when they fail to recognize the fact that guess what --- GOVERNMENT HAS PROBLEMS EVERYWHERE, including your local police force. The GOP thinks that foreign invaders are somehow our biggest threat (guess what, every single foreign problem you can point to has been empowered by our $20 Trillion in debt. Debt is the threat). Gay marriage has nothing to do with that issue. Hell, even assault rifles, which I absolutely will fight for as a 2nd Amendment right, they don't even have anything to do with that issue. Planned parenthood even has nothing to do with that issue (maybe to the tune of $60 million in appropriated funds, which should be cut. Statistically, it actually helps the economy, unless you want to go into some social security birth-to-death ratio, in which case your point would be shallow, as it would presume that these additional children would grow up to have a job that is non-existent. I'm not a proponent of the practice, but I'm saying it has no bearing on the economy).
4.) The GOP keeps trying to exhume Ronald Reagan (we yearn for some idealistic past that is never coming back) and the Dems keep trying to break new ground in the future (Obama, Hillary, who knows what's next, probably Julian Castro)
5.) The Establishment has spent the last 20 years supporting cronyism, not capitalism, and it has killed the brand name for both. Go watch The Big Short. Listen to a Millennial talk about the housing crisis. They think the biggest problem was greed on wall street (partially to blame, sure) and now Bernie preaches more and more regulation and taxes to get even? The biggest problem was the Government's involvement in the market altogether (Bush rolling out $400 Billion - with a B, into subprime home buying) and then the Bailout put is into a recession that has ruined Millennials (joblessness, false market due to federal involvement in lending, lack of parental savings due to the market crash, Fed interest rate being 0% as long as my 1st grade niece has been alive, etc.)
6.) We genuinely ignore the problems of the youth because we think the problems are just that, some young kid's issue that will go away with age and responsibility. We aren't a generation of people that want free stuff, the older generation has proven to be that. (Bailout so you can retire, yet not touching social security so that you can....retire?) Guess what, these are revolutionary issues that our nation has never seen, yet the GOP is stuck thinking that student loan issues are like the student loans of their past, or they think that the entitlement reform crisis is the same issue that has been preached about for 30 years (guess what, it isn't).
Or the GOP thinks that all law enforcement is wonderful and great and just like Andy Griffith, when they fail to recognize the fact that guess what --- GOVERNMENT HAS PROBLEMS EVERYWHERE, including your local police force. The GOP thinks that foreign invaders are somehow our biggest threat (guess what, every single foreign problem you can point to has been empowered by our $20 Trillion in debt. Debt is the threat). Gay marriage has nothing to do with that issue. Hell, even assault rifles, which I absolutely will fight for as a 2nd Amendment right, they don't even have anything to do with that issue. Planned parenthood even has nothing to do with that issue (maybe to the tune of $60 million in appropriated funds, which should be cut. Statistically, it actually helps the economy, unless you want to go into some social security birth-to-death ratio, in which case your point would be shallow, as it would presume that these additional children would grow up to have a job that is non-existent. I'm not a proponent of the practice, but I'm saying it has no bearing on the economy).
Millennials are getting married the oldest, waiting the longest to have kids, are the oldest home buying generation, have less than $1k in savings on average, do not have jobs, are not creating jobs, and are the most educated. This isn't because they are lazy. It is because they are in debt and our economy is broken along with it. Investments are only good when there are markets to sell your product. Bypassing college is not even the answer, as that low-paying job would rather fill it with a degree than not.
7.) Simply put, the GOP cant recognize that "It's the Government, stupid." Under Bush and Obama, the Government has seen the largest expansion in federal debt, executive orders, and agency expansion of all time. We havent declared war, a fact that everyone seems to forget. And both parties cling to the constitution when they want. Millennials arent stupid, we are critical, cynical, have information at the end of our finger-tips, and therefore figure out the answer. We dont feel as if we have to know everything because we know how to know. We grew up on the internet, we're social beings. This means we are able to be exposed to more peoples lives, meaning more empathy, and more humanism. It also means more tolerance. So get over your personal disgust with low-level vice crimes or unsavory personal behavior behind closed doors, because government gets that stuff wrong too.
You think we are apathetic? why would you care about a system when the system quit caring about you?
Oh and now that it's 2016, we're the largest voting age generation in the United States...Millennial-minded political reformation is on its way sooner than most people think. We need a little bit more Jefferson, Madison, Coolidge and little less Jackson, George Wallace(yes, I know he was a democrat)/Pat Robertson in the GOP.
And, a party affiliation oath will be the absolute death of the GOP.
7.) Simply put, the GOP cant recognize that "It's the Government, stupid." Under Bush and Obama, the Government has seen the largest expansion in federal debt, executive orders, and agency expansion of all time. We havent declared war, a fact that everyone seems to forget. And both parties cling to the constitution when they want. Millennials arent stupid, we are critical, cynical, have information at the end of our finger-tips, and therefore figure out the answer. We dont feel as if we have to know everything because we know how to know. We grew up on the internet, we're social beings. This means we are able to be exposed to more peoples lives, meaning more empathy, and more humanism. It also means more tolerance. So get over your personal disgust with low-level vice crimes or unsavory personal behavior behind closed doors, because government gets that stuff wrong too.
You think we are apathetic? why would you care about a system when the system quit caring about you?
Oh and now that it's 2016, we're the largest voting age generation in the United States...Millennial-minded political reformation is on its way sooner than most people think. We need a little bit more Jefferson, Madison, Coolidge and little less Jackson, George Wallace(yes, I know he was a democrat)/Pat Robertson in the GOP.
And, a party affiliation oath will be the absolute death of the GOP.
P.S.
Also, Millennials aren't all Marxian lefties who want free stuff, the GOP is just failing to even speak to their issues. Find me a GOP solution to student loan debt and I'll find you a republican polling near the top of the generation. Most people support candidates who at least act as if they give a damn about the problem. "Free stuff" isn't the solution, but right now it's the only one being put before them....
Oh, and how are the older generations not worse as far as wanting free stuff? Bailouts were preached bc of people's savings and retirements, yet the same retirees are getting no changes to their Social Security? It's really neat that the older gens paid into it and think they're entitled, but they got fleeced the same way we are now. Older took from the young to pay for the here and now. Difference is, that Ponzi can't last for us to do the same to our kids.
Millennials are libertarian, they just need the non-socialist party (us) to wake up and start listening. Problems aren't political, solutions are. Ignoring an issue or conceding it to the other side doesn't mean it's not a legitimate issue. Failure to address the student loan crisis will change red states vs. blue states to light blue vs. dark blue. otherwise, yes, the party will die.
