Wake-Up Democrats! Sincerely, Millennials

E.J. Dionne Jr. has over 34 years of combined experience as a political reporter and columnist, and is currently a professor at Georgetown University, as well as a columnist for the Washington Post. In addition, his resume includes three books pertaining to politics, several awards, and a nomination for the National Book Award.

Dionne’s article, “Under-30 Americans: The next new dealers,” written on Thursday, February 25, 2010, presents an excellent political argument, aimed and intended to serve as a hard-hitting wake-up call for Democrats, who may or may not realize that young Americans are an enormous asset to their political party.

Dionne suggests that Democrats should acknowledge, increase interaction with, and not ignore the Millennial Generation, which encompasses Americans born in 1981 or after. For, this under-30 group “includes the largest proportion of self-described liberals” and, is “the most Democratic age group.”

He continues his argument, emphasizing that young Americans will soon serve as the backbone to our political structure. Therefore, adequate consideration must be shown to the Millennials, whom are traditionally overlooked and shadowed by the attention given to “older folks.”

Much of Dionne’s argument is strongly supported in the report, “Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next,” from the Pew Research Center, “a nonpartisan ‘fact tank’ that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.”

Similar to Dionne’s debate, the report suggests a direct connection between Millennials and Democrats, noting that, “Millennials were among Barack Obama’s strongest supporters in 2008, backing him for president by more than a two-to-one ratio.” An obvious correlation between these two groups is hard to deny. However, even harder to understand is why Democrats are not responding.

Unfortunately, people do not age like fine wine; it’s out with the old and in with the new. The big and the best will be traded for the bigger and the even better, and as a result Millennials who, according to the report, “are on course to become the most educated generation in American history,” will eventually become the leaders of our nation. Hence, Dionne believes it is completely irrational for Democrats to ignore the younger generation who dub themselves as liberals.

Any logical person, regardless of your political ideology, must see the truth in the point/wake-up call Dionne is trying to make. This is clearly a no-brainer!