Let’s be honest. America will probably never see another generation
like the Greatest Generation. They survived the Great Depression and
fought in World War II, changing the course of history. It was a
generation of people who lived frugally, responsibly, humbly… It’s the
kind of generation most Americans hope our millennials will become, and
if we’re still being honest… a lot of them are. But the numbers are in,
and the results aren’t necessarily indicative of this desired outcome
for many.
A recent article in Time accurately echoed the thoughts of
most Americans concerning Generation Y: “They’re narcissistic. They’re
lazy. They’re coddled. They’re even a bit delusional.” Further, a
National Institutes of Health study shows that perhaps it’s not just a
stereotype, either: The Narcissistic Personality Disorder is three times
higher in 20-somethings than in the generation that’s now 65 or older.
They Love Themselves… But Not Work
The unemployment rate for those aged 18 to 29 is at 16.1% according
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although over 160,000 jobs were added
in the month of July, the unemployment rate for millennials didn’t
budge. In fact, a recent Gallup poll shows that less than 44% of 18 to 29 year-olds have full-time jobs.
The lack of jobs has more millennials crashing at their parents’ house –
something like 21.6 million still living at home, actually. The decline
in employment has also caused an increase in college enrollment as
students seek more degrees and to delay loan repayment.
The joblessness among Generation Y has the College Republican
National Committee pointing fingers. According to CRNC chairman Alex
Smith, “The new jobs report this morning only shows that stagnant
economic growth is the new normal.” He blames President Obama: “The
president has the ability to work with Congress to pass legislation like
the Keystone pipeline, the Stop Government Abuse Act, and to remove the
detrimental parts of the health-care plan to create more jobs.”
The truth is, President Obama spreads a lot of talk about the economy
– this speech after that, on and on… but his actions are screaming that
he doesn’t care about our economy. And he’s destroying the economy one
bad policy at a time… Or maybe it’s one job at time. Either way, the president is failing America and that includes millennials. But the GOP isn’t doing a much better job when it comes to the generation.
Political Power In Numbers
There’s nearly 80 million millennials in the United States. Like or
not, that’s enough to influence any election. We saw it happen in the
2008 presidential election when 66% voted for Obama, and only 31% for
McCain. The 2012 election didn’t fare much better with Obama raking in
60% of the age groups’ votes and Romney only getting 36%.
So how does the GOP attract millennials? First, they have to stop
insulting the younger demographics. While some millennials boast
self-adoration and a lack of regard for much outside of that, there are
exceptions to this observation. Not all millennials are self-absorbed.
So instead of lumping all them together as a wasted generation, come up
with policies that attract those who are concerned about the economy, national defense, and limited government.
Secondly, a presidential candidate doesn’t have to parade around,
appearing to be one of them, on board with all things popular culture,
but he should be consistent. The younger demographics want to see party
members who are confident and know what they’re talking about.
Millennials aren’t interested in flip-floppers like McCain and Romney.
Lastly, the Republican Party should stand its ground as socially
conservative. However, millennials are concerned (and split) on issues
such as abortion, homosexual marriage and legalizing marijuana, and we
shouldn’t ignore those issues.
Baby boomers won’t be around forever, and when they’re gone, the GOP
is going to need a new generation standing in the gap. And that is
generation Y. Get them on board, and if we can just bear through the
current madness, perhaps this country stands a chance.
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