Old voices, young minds

The past few years have brought a new dialogue to American politics that seems to suggest an emerging, more liberal America. This is an America where 23 percent of Americans have shifted their opinion in favor of gay marriage since 2001. Moral acceptance of issues like divorce and stem cell research have jumped up 12 points while acceptance of having children out of wedlock and premarital sex jumped 16 points and 15 points, respectively.

All of this data paints a picture of a changing political landscape. The past ten years have witnessed the election of the nation’s first non-white President. Of the four women to ever serve on the Supreme Court, two of them have been sworn in since 2009. Movements like “Lean In,” created by Sheryl Sandberg, and #HeforShe have sparked significant conversation about women’s equality in the United States. Similarly, the Black Lives Matter movement has been influential in discussing police brutality against black Americans. Moreover, issues related to mass incarceration and drug sentencing reform have entered the public domain.

So is America really becoming more liberal? And how is this connected to the “millennial” generation that every political party seems to be intent on catering to?

Research seems to indicate that young Americans are, on average, significantly more liberal. In the 2012 election, 60 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 voted for President Obama over Governor Romney or other candidates. According to the Pew Research center, about 31 percent of millennials self-identify as liberals compared to 26 percent who identify as conservatives.

These results seem to have raised alarm bells for political parties in a desperate race to win over young Americans. Candidates like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have been thought of as potential future leaders for the Republican Party due to their youth appeal. In 2013, Rubio was given the opportunity to deliver the State of the Union response and gained significant momentum for a presidential run. Governor Bobby Jindal was also hailed as a possible face for the Republican party in 2012 as a young, brilliant American with limitless potential. Jindal was referenced as the “Republican’s Obama” with leading advisors in the Republican party saying, "The question is not whether he'll be president, but when he'll be president, because he will be elected someday." This push for outreach to young Americans isn’t just limited to Conservative candidates. For example, Hillary Clinton announced her “New College Compact” plan, which is focused on making low interest grants and loans available to students and making a college education more affordable.

All of these candidates have either shown or currently show promise in the political arena. However, I think that much of the way that leaders talk about the “youth” in America is misinformed. Young Americans aren’t necessarily looking for other young people to lead them. It’s not all about having young faces. Don’t believe me? Just look at the enthusiasm people like Pope Francis, Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders have evoked.

Pope Francis is 78 years old, Ron Paul is 80 years old and Bernie Sanders is 74 years old. Not exactly a young group. And while young people may be more liberal, it doesn’t necessarily mean that young Americans as a demographic won’t support religion or traditionally conservative ideas. Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church, a center for conservatism, and Ron Paul is known for his strong negative opinions toward big government and government social programs.

I think that young Americans want a lot more than people who just look like us or get references from our generation. Our generation is full of passion but doesn’t garner the same level of interest in politics or voting.

More and more young Americans are viewing politics as an institution and want to see people brought in outside the “establishment” mentality. Hillary Clinton is a classic example of someone who is perceived as being a long-timer in Washington who is deeply embedded in the traditional establishment.

My point is that while young Americans are generally becoming more liberal, simply having left leaning policies are not enough to excite us. In a similar vein, Republicans cannot just rely on having young candidates in hopes to attract youth.

The most important part of engaging young Americans in politics is to get us genuinely excited. You have to be authentic. You have to be real and passionate and full of drive and energy.