A new survey reveals young Americans are considerably less enthusiastic about Obama's re-election than they were about his candidacy four years ago. Scholar Russell Walter Mead observes as much in American Interest:
One of the biggest political stories of 2008 was the rise of the Millennials as an electoral force. As “Obamamania” swept the nation, college students across the country abandoned their usual political apathy and volunteered for the Obama campaign in droves, canvassing, phone banking and harnessing the power of social media. This youth enthusiasm paid dividends for the Obama campaign, and was reflected in the vote totals: Obama beat McCain among 18-24 year-olds by a whopping 34 percent, winning 66 percent of the vote.In order to win re-election, the President will have to preserve a sizable advantage over young voters. In what is likely to be a neck-and-neck electoral finish, a 2/3 surplus of young voters may be a prerequisite for Democratic victory.
And, apparently, Obama is aware: He is focusing on the youth vote next week, as USA Today reports. "His next stops: The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Iowa in Iowa City. The issue: student loans."
A White House announcement to college reporters reporters reads: "More than 7.4 million students with federal student loans will see their interest rates double on July 1 unless Congress steps in to keep them low,"
Young people will welcome President Obama tackling the number issue directly affecting 18-25 year-olds. But three and a half years later - after being sold on Obama as a fixer-in-chief - student debt has continued to proliferate.
And their economic reality is no less grueling. Many young people say they want to hear specific proposals to improve college affordability and, most central in the long term, millennial social mobility. (In GOOD Magazine, I recently grappled with efforts President Obama and Governor Romney might consider.)
News of President Obama's campus visits was an incredibly quick turnaround. While the survey may be an ominous warning for Democrats, Obama seems to be taking immediate notice, which suggests he knows how central he deems the youth vote in his re-election odds.
So, Wesley, as Molly Ball asks in the Atlantic: How severe is Obama's trouble with young voters at this point?
