I was actually pretty shocked when I first read this article. Albeit, the article does not state that young people are all of a sudden turning into staunch conservatives, it merely reflects that many are not as baught into the platform of the Democratic party as they were in 2008.

I would venture to guess the young people in question are still very socially liberal, but as the addage goes "It's the Economy stupid". In football, when the QB does a terrible job, the second string QB is always the most popular guy in town. The same applies here. Wrong or right, the Dems are the party in power and the economy sucks. Therefore, the other party is gaining favor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/us/politics/03students.html?pagewanted=print

Very well said. That line "it's the economy stupid" will ring in favor of the repubs this time around.

I agree, Danny.

I definitely don't think young folks are becoming socially more conservative, but fiscally, i can believe it.

I can see more young people turning into fiscal conservatives because obviously the economy still isn't where we'd like it to be.

I don't really see many people following either party blindly like they use to do. I look at elections just like a job interview. I look at their qualifications, experience and what they say they want to accomplish. If they do not perform up to expectations after a fair amount of time, I have no problem voting them out.

Bigdogg;474885 wrote:I don't really see many people following either party blindly like they use to do. I look at elections just like a job interview. I look at their qualifications, experience and what they say they want to accomplish. If they do not perform up to expectations after a fair amount of time, I have no problem voting them out.

I agree with this. I think the younger the generation, it doesn't mean as much as it did with older generations. I see this in my own family.

For example: My great-grandfather worked in a mine. He was paid by company tokens. I actually have some of them. My granny, was born and raised a democrat because, back then, the party actually cared about the low man on the totem pole. That's all she knew about here in the Ohio valley. Steel mill workers, coal miners, glass workers, etc. were beholden to the party who fought for their rights - democrat. Now that those industries are either extinct here or just dramatically reduced, people are breaking away from the previous mindset. I know that my granny voted a straight ticket and would never vote for a republican. Fast forward to my mother; was born into a pro-union mentality, but growing up, wasn't dependent on one. Her father only worked one unionized job in his life, and he got out of it fairly early. Hence her political views were able to expand and branch out. She wasn't raised dependent on what the union told her family to think/do. Fast forward to me and my brothers; Both of my parents were democrat and conservative. They voted outside of party lines from time to time... according to common sense. Personally, when I was younger and up to mid 90's, I was actually very liberal. It was actually paying attention to politics and gaining a greater knowledge of what was actually going on, that my transition from liberalism to conservatism actually happened. There's still some issues that I would be considered liberal on, believe it or not. Things that my grandparents and greatgrandparents could never fathom. The ideologies of the democrat party have VASTLY changed over time also. Look at the kooks up in office now as compared to "way back then".
My point being is that my family, like many others, has changed incrementally by generation. As for the demographics in the OV, the unfortunate thing is that there's still alot of folks here that have the union/democrat mentality and they can't seperate one from the other. They're not meant to. It's all the same to them.
The democratic party has lost its way. It has forgotten where it came from. It is out of touch with its people, though some refuse to admit it, much less admit to it. Here in the OV, the unions have hurt its people just as much as it ever helped them.

Take Charlie Wilson, for example. There are folks that desperately need food stamps here in the OV, and use them appropriately. But, he just voted to slash FS in order to pay Unions. To me, that's just nuts. What's really weird is that I am not a big supporter of food stamps. But, I also know that there are people who need them and don't want to use them forever. Those are the folks who are getting stabbed in the back by their "good ole boy" Wilson. As we have seen posted on this forum, people will still vote for him simply because he has a "D" by his name, not because of his merits.

It's the people who are catching on to these hijinx that are slowly starting to distance themselves from where the democratic party is now. It's predominately two groups of people, here in the OV, that allow the democrat party to get whacko.
- college age "kids" who haven't had the opportunity to develope, finesse, and live up to their ideology
- born and raised democrats with blinders on

One is a much younger group and one is baby boomer(ish)/older age. Sure, there are those that fit somewhere inbetween, but for the most part, those are the two big groups.

Now that the world is a smaller place, younger people are starting to see both sides to the story. And thats where we see the younger people starting to distance themselve from their previous notions.

cbus4life;474843 wrote:I agree, Danny.

I definitely don't think young folks are becoming socially more conservative, but fiscally, i can believe it.

Not liking where the economy is isn't an indication that younger voters are becoming fiscally conservative. In fact, I see the opposite. I see younger voters fiscally irresponsible in their personal lives and yet still having an expectation or desire of an increase in government programs that serve them directly.

I believe because they are not pleased with the current levels of economic growth and therefore are willing to consider an alternative voting choice but that doesn't correlate to being fiscally conservative necessarily.

Thank goodness I was raised a Conservative. No need to change.

I do not talk politics with my friends very often. My best friend is very liberal and we just end up in arguments. I don't see her ever leaning more to the right...but maybe one day when she is a wealthy attorney she'll want to keep her money. Anything is possible, lol. Overall, I'd say I have a fairly even mixture of D's and R's among friends my age. Ths actually surprises me since the majority of people I went to college with were liberal. Maybe it just means I pick the right people to befriend.

Good. I also hope fewer votes see themselves as Republicans. Voters should not be tied down to a party, but freely flow from one to the other.

Because anyone who isn't conservative is either foolish, immature, or poor right Fab?

There is not a correct political leaning. Hell, many of my views I'll probably realize are foolish at some point or another. I will never understand identifying with a party or hating a party. At most I've hated trends within a party but there have always been ideas and members of both parties that I think are good.

I hated when the Republicans were pushing things through like the Patriot Act and I hated when the Democrats have had all the power and opportunity to make real lasting changes in the way some of our larger problems are handled (healthcare being one of them) but yet their solutions left me wanting... a lot.

Another thing I don't understand is why people can't talk, not yell, talk about politics. I'll be discussing things with my dad or someone else and they'll eventually just start yelling and getting angry. If you can't calmly explain your positions on things without having to yell and scream then perhaps you don't have that much of a position in the first place.

I Wear Pants;475879 wrote:Because anyone who isn't conservative is either foolish, immature, or poor right Fab?

...

Not once in Fab's post did she even insinuate such a thing.

I read her comments as a response to not seeing herself shift towards a more conservative nature as the original point of the thread suggested because she has always been there.

It's interesting that you read it as a passive aggressive dig at liberals.

I Wear Pants;475879 wrote:Because anyone who isn't conservative is either foolish, immature, or poor right Fab?

There is not a correct political leaning. Hell, many of my views I'll probably realize are foolish at some point or another. I will never understand identifying with a party or hating a party. At most I've hated trends within a party but there have always been ideas and members of both parties that I think are good.

I hated when the Republicans were pushing things through like the Patriot Act and I hated when the Democrats have had all the power and opportunity to make real lasting changes in the way some of our larger problems are handled (healthcare being one of them) but yet their solutions left me wanting... a lot.

Another thing I don't understand is why people can't talk, not yell, talk about politics. I'll be discussing things with my dad or someone else and they'll eventually just start yelling and getting angry. If you can't calmly explain your positions on things without having to yell and scream then perhaps you don't have that much of a position in the first place.

I guess you didn't notice the two smiley faces and the wink in there. And the lol. FYI...my friend has said exactly what I said herself (something along the lines of..maybe when I am older and make more money I will lean more to the right). That's actually why I included that in my post. There are obviously many wealthy individiuals out there that are liberal so please stop insinuating that I was saying all of them must be poor.

I do not mind talking politics and can do so without getting worked up. In some cases people (myself included) get emotional, though. I know where my friend stands and she knows where I stand. To me there is no need to risk an argment. In fairness, these usually happen when we have been drinking. Either way I just do not see the point. She is very passionate about certain issues (and I think this is a good thing whether I agree with her or not) and so am I. I respect her opinion but feel no need to discuss it on a regular basis.

This is going to seem like trying to recant and cover my tracks but I'll say it because it's true.

I could have sworn I too put a smiley behind my post.

Personally...I wish parents would not try to force feed their political beliefs down their children's throat and let them make their own decisions

Ty Webb;475937 wrote:Personally...I wish parents would not try to force feed their political beliefs down their children's throat and let them make their own decisions

It's what parents are supposed to do.......try to show their children the right way and prevent them from making mistakes!!!

I don't think that any parent forces their kids to their own political leanings. That is to say, unless their whackos (lol)

But kids pick up on things, like it or not. They do hear conversations, discussions, little comments and recognize how they're brought up. That doesn't mean that the parents are "forcing" them to learn/do anything.

Ty Webb;475937 wrote:Personally...I wish parents would not try to force feed their political beliefs down their children's throat and let them make their own decisions

Sounds like you had some conservative parents. I know you are bitter right now and are rebelling, just give it about 10yrs and you will realize they were right.

More and more younger voters don't even know what republicans and democrats are

I really find this story perplexing. The secondary schools are full of union teachers, who vote Democratic by very large margins, teaching our children all about the greatness of FDR, the sayings of Mao, the cult-like hero worship of Che Guevara, the evil devil-incarnate Reagan, etc. Our universities are chock full of flaming liberals and socialists spewing their hatred of capitalism and self-reliance to the young and impressionable post-adolescents. Obama is revered in the main stream media without any tough questioning. And ObamaKare is allowing these youngsters to live off their parents insurance until they are 1 day less than 27 years old (how's THAT for cutting the cord, eh?!! LMFAO).

With all of the liberal/marxist/statist indoctrination in these young people, how in the hell are they not becoming Democrats? Very intriguing indeed.

BTW - Nice story CenterBHS. Good read. Thanks.

BG, I think the overwhelming majority of young people still side the Dems. I think what the article is saying is that the number is less than what it was two years ago. I heard the author of the article on 610 WTBN the other day. He noted in the last presidential election, Dems scored over 85% of the young vote. Right now the figure is trending down to about 63%. It is still a majority, but the number is trending down.

BG, maybe it isn't happening because, *gasp*, it isn't as prevalent as everyone likes to believe?

I've spent a good deal of time around universities, even taught an undergraduate course or two while in graduate school, and i've yet to encounter anything close to what you're describing, on anything but a very small level.

Yea, there are some crazies, and i will agree that, obviously, college profs lean liberal, but it isn't as widespread as you and everyone else like to believe. Of that much i am certain. And, even if a person is a "crazy socialist," that doesn't mean they're going to be nuts in class. One of the best profs i ever had was a former labor organizer in South America turned academic. Incredibly balanced, respectful professor, who was tolerant of and accepting of all beliefs in class, and taught that way as well.

cbus4life;476632 wrote:BG, maybe it isn't happening because, *gasp*, it isn't as prevalent as everyone likes to believe?

I've spent a good deal of time around universities, even taught an undergraduate course or two while in graduate school, and i've yet to encounter anything close to what you're describing, on anything but a very small level.

That might be your experience but my recall is a little different.

For example, I minored in political science and nearly every one of my professors were - shall we say - less than subtle about voicing their opinions of Ronald Reagan the fall of 1980 just before the elections. I was stunned at how obvious it was. I also took an elective course my senior year in my major called "Sex Differences in Communication." I'm thinking this would be a practical research based class on how men and women communicate differently, right? Turns out to be a course on feminism....How men use communication to dominate and control women. There were 7 guys in the class.....one dropped out and the other 6 of us who stuck it out were infuriated.

You can believe that there is no overt liberalism in our university system all you want. It wasn't my experience.

cbus4life;476632 wrote:BG, maybe it isn't happening because, *gasp*, it isn't as prevalent as everyone likes to believe?

I've spent a good deal of time around universities, even taught an undergraduate course or two while in graduate school, and i've yet to encounter anything close to what you're describing, on anything but a very small level.

Here's the tabular results from a recent study. See - http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2007/10/professors_just_as_liberal_or.html

Other findings:


* Liberals outnumber conservatives by 11-1 among social scientists and 13-1 among humanities professors.

* 25.5 percent of those who teach sociology identify themselves as Marxist. Self-identified radicals accounted for 19 percent of humanities professors and 24 percent of social scientists.

* Although business school professors are believed to be predominantly conservative, professors of business voted 2-1 for Kerry. These professors were barely more conservative than liberal.

* Only 19.7 percent of respondents identify themselves as any type of conservative, compared to 62.2 percent who say they are any type of liberal.

* At elite, Ph.D-granting schools in general, 60.4 percent of faculty members are Democrats, 30.1 percent are independents and 9.5 percent are Republicans.

* Gross and Simmons believe that liberals are losing ground to moderates among faculty, though conservatives are not gaining at all. Faculty members who are 35 or younger are less likely that their elders to be left-wing, and less likely to be conservative as well.

While I understand your personal situation may be different, there is virtually no doubt that America's universities are dominated by liberals and marxists. It's academia, the home of economic theory and endless opinions.

I think it depends onw hat program you are in. Arts and Sciences are loaded with libs. I was in college in the early to mid 1990s. I majored in History. Most of the profs in that program were libs and they all seemed to put their on spin on everything. For instance, one of my profs concentration was actually Women's Studies. Let's just say every class she taught became Women's History in some shape or form. Ditto for another prof who openly was a Marxist (he is well written and actually helped lead the Custodial Staff on a strike against the university. That all being said, I also took some business courses and the profs there are seemed to be more conservative (or at least appeared so).

The biggest area to me where I saw liberalism at the university setting was with "Campus Life". Multicultralism was shoved down our throats. I was actually a Resident Advisor in the dorms for one year. The joke around campus to get the job was you had to be either a minority or gay to get the job. Forunately for me, I am hispanic. The training for the job was the most overt form of "brainwashing" I ever experienced in my life. I thought it was bad at the time and I actually leaned to the left back in those days. The training consist of being shown everyday hings and being taught how they were a form of racism, sexism, homophobia or christian hegemony. One specific example was being told that a commerical for Kings Island amusement park was anti-gay and racist because it only showed traditional families and there were no minorities in the commerical. I recall one of the RA's broke down in tears after being brow beated for being Christian and being told Christianity was the root of all evil in this world.

BGFalcons82;476750 wrote:Here's the tabular results from a recent study. See - http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2007/10/professors_just_as_liberal_or.html

Other findings:


* Liberals outnumber conservatives by 11-1 among social scientists and 13-1 among humanities professors.

* 25.5 percent of those who teach sociology identify themselves as Marxist. Self-identified radicals accounted for 19 percent of humanities professors and 24 percent of social scientists.

* Although business school professors are believed to be predominantly conservative, professors of business voted 2-1 for Kerry. These professors were barely more conservative than liberal.

* Only 19.7 percent of respondents identify themselves as any type of conservative, compared to 62.2 percent who say they are any type of liberal.

* At elite, Ph.D-granting schools in general, 60.4 percent of faculty members are Democrats, 30.1 percent are independents and 9.5 percent are Republicans.

* Gross and Simmons believe that liberals are losing ground to moderates among faculty, though conservatives are not gaining at all. Faculty members who are 35 or younger are less likely that their elders to be left-wing, and less likely to be conservative as well.

While I understand your personal situation may be different, there is virtually no doubt that America's universities are dominated by liberals and marxists. It's academia, the home of economic theory and endless opinions.

I've never had or heard of a professor who identified themselves as Marxist.

I'll give you that many professors are liberal but I very much doubt that nearly 26% are Marxists.