Generation Obama grows up and moves on

[alp227]

It had been four years since they last gathered at a Democratic National Convention, but now it felt like much longer. The original two-dozen members of a grass-roots group in New York City called Generation Obama had grown older in ways that had to do with more than just age. They had wives and jobs and children. They spoke a little less about the “power of a movement” and a little more about the “hard responsibility of governing.”

Back in 2008, they had traveled together to Denver in a wave of euphoria to watch Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination. Their group had spread across the country by then and grown into the thousands, coming to represent the youthful energy that helped propel Obama into office.

Now, in Charlotte, their group was representative of Obama’s youth support again: smaller, more realistic, more established and more fractious.

Some of the original members had become political insiders. Others had come to resent politics altogether.

The story of Generation Obama is the story of a key coalition in the 2012 presidential campaign. Many young voters were drawn into politics by this president, but now he is having trouble retaining their same level of support. It is a problem the Obama campaign has come to refer to as the “enthusiasm gap.” His staff is not so much worried about young voters favoring Mitt Romney, it is worried that the Obama volunteers of 2008 will turn into half-hearted voters and that the voters of 2008 will not bother to vote at all in 2012.

full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/generation-obama-grows-up-and-moves-on/2012/09/05/3762ee46-f774-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650_singlePage.html

A conservative wrote a book titled "Obama Zombies" basically stereotyping Obama supporters from 2008 as mindless drone followers. I wonder if this article is feeding the trolls, based on the title and Paul Ryan talking about unemployed college graduates staring at "fading Obama posters" in their bedrooms, in his RNC acceptance speech.

[MjolnirTime]

1. and yet another Buzzkill... Thanks a pantload!

[Drunken Irishman]

2. I hate to be a buzzkill about the youth vote...

But for all the talk about how important they were in '08 and how they would set records ... none of that really materialized.

Here's the rundown of the percentage 18-29 year olds made up of the entire electorate:

2008: 18%
2004: 17%
2000: 17%
1996: 17%
1992: 22%
1988: 20%
1984: 24%
1980: 23%

A one-percent increase over '04, '00, and '96 and less of the overall vote than every election from '92 prior.

The youth vote is overrated. They'll probably show up by about the same margins they did in '08 and '04 and '00. So, for all the talk about Obama losing some of that support ... it's unlikely it'll be dramatically different than four years ago. The youth vote is all talk, little action.

[FrenchieCat]

3. Now, aren't you special....