No one does ritualistic self-immolation like the Republican Party. Still stinging from the 2012 setback, the Grand Old Party remains on the political couch, yearning for therapy and analysis. On Monday, the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) issued a lengthy report on the party and the youth vote. Politico‘s Katie Glueck published a nice summary here.
The highlights are expected, in some ways. The Republicans appear behind the times on social issues, especially when it comes to gay marriage, where a full 1/4 of respondents said they could not vote for a candidate who opposes it. 18-29 year-olds also perceive the party as “extreme” on abortion, and intolerant on immigration. There are some hopeful glimmers, though, primarily in the economic area. Lower tax, pro-small business, and supportive entrepreneurial policies remain popular and attractive. On foreign policy, young voters are less concerned about national security and appear to be weary of foreign wars, particularly when compared to their elders.
This report tends to confirm other trends. The Republicans may be out of step on social issues, while they are on more stable footing when it comes to economic policy. Even if this is true, it is not necessarily important. The 2008 and 2012 elections were dominated by economic issues. There is no evidence the party’s positions aided it whatsoever, at least against the Obama Juggernaut. So, for the GOP to begin to reconfigure itself around such positions will not necessarily yield different results. Other factors, like demographic changes, urbanization, and secularization may be far more critical than mere policy preferences.
Regardless, there are a few principles to keep in mind as you consider the role and nature of political parties. No matter what issue we think they ought to adopt, parties do not exist primarily to further our interests. Parties exist to win elections, so they serve party members and leaders first. When the Republican Party determines that shifts in tone or issues will benefit party leaders, the party will shift accordingly. Of course, as we know, if the Republicans shift positions on gay marriage, they may make themselves more attractive to some potential supporters, but they will, undoubtedly, alienate others. Any such decision will bring similar costs and benefits.
Finally, there is always a tendency in political and cultural circles to fetishize youth. It may make sense for marketers to target young people for particular products, but that is dangerous politically. Based on age distribution, young people 18-29 vote less than other eligible age groups. Strategizing to reach these voters seems short-sighted at best. There is also no guarantee that issue positions held when young will be durable throughout the aging process. Preferences at 20 are not the same, necessarily, as they are 40, 60, or 80. Youth, along with what it values, is fleeting. The Republicans would be wise to remember this.
Nathan D.
June 4, 2013
I can easily imagine in the near future the breakdown of the two-party dominance. Though I think such a breakdown, while it would damage both parties, would far more damage Republicans.
I think a major, and oft overlooked problem the GOP has is many of its potential voters are too particular about their candidates. In recent years, Democrats have been far more pragmatic when it comes to, as we sometimes say, voting for the “lesser of two evils”. The bitter Hillary-Obama primary did not result in scores of Democrats refusing to vote or even going over to the other side, they all rallied behind Obama. Did the same happen with either McCain or Romney? No. Many conservatives, particularly libertarians and evangelicals, simply sat out because their preferred primary candidate did not get in.
There are millions of ex-Republican voters out there that have not gone over to the Democrats, they have simply stayed home. The GOP’s priority should be regaining those voters, but they still face the problem, that particlarly when dealing with the religious voting blocks, many potential GOP voters are (1) simply too stubbornly particular and of different minds about what they want in a candidate to please and (2) those same voters do not have the good sense to realize that when they do not accept a GOP candidate that is maybe 70% in alignment with them, all they do is allow a Democrat who is 30% in line with them to waltz in.
Pete Ford
June 4, 2013
I found this really intriguing and seemingly obvious that the purpose of political parties is not to further a cause, but to further a person. I feel like I should have known that, but I just never realized it. I have always wondered why parties proclaim stances on issues, but when I vote for a person, I’m not voting on the issue, and neither am I voting on how I think the person we elect should look at an issue. A candidate can say they believe one thing about an issue, but once they are elected, they can make whatever decisions they want. A political party is like a union: it’s purpose is not to advance an issue, but to support people, and it melds to fit its members’ opinions on issues.
Jeff Haymond
June 4, 2013
Mark–
Recently I heard a rough stat on voting percentages; voting percentages are roughly the age, i.e., 20s vote in the 20% range, 80s vote 80% of the time and so forth. Is this roughly true?
Mark Caleb Smith
June 6, 2013
Jeff,
That is a good rule of thumb that holds up pretty well until the 70s age bracket, when illness and infirmities start to plateau turnout and then the trend bends it back down in the 80s.
Samantha Smolinski
June 5, 2013
I feel that many young voters are not fully educated on what they are voting for. I also think that it is sad that so many people support topics such as gay marriage and abortion and that these things need to be addressed. Some times I find it hard to decide on who to vote for because there are good and bad things about each party so it is difficult to choose a person when it feels like I have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I also think when it comes to young voters the person the vote for has to be appealing like Obama is when he talks. He always sounds so nice when he talks even if he is not really saying anything. I think this appeal brings in a lot of young voters as well even though those are not reasons why they should vote for that person.
Sydney Schultz
June 6, 2013
This article really encourages me to better knowledge myself when it comes to current events and potential party leaders before I simply jump on the bandwagon. Most of the time I just ask my parents opinion, which is fine because we share many of the same views, but it would be much more beneficial to find out why I am supporting an individual myself rather than relying on others to persuade me one way or the other. But, a very good point is made when you say that the “youth is fleeting”. This is so true on many levels. I have had many friends sort of experiment with different trends/fads or schools of thought.
Doni Winters
June 6, 2013
I found this article very interesting to read and I enjoyed reading it. I do not think that young voters really know what they are voting for sometimes, even when they vote for a party. This makes me want to be more involved and learn more about an issue, or a person running before I just decide on what to vote for. I do think that Republicans should remember to not try to majorly target 18-29 year olds because we are not very informed, and therefore we could sway. At least, that is how I have heard some people my age talk when they talk about what they voted for.
Holly Jender
June 6, 2013
This article is interesting, and I think it’s especially relevant to this week’s podcast about legislating morality, or rather not being able to do so. (I have had to wrestle with issues like homosexuality, gay marriage, and abortion this year due to the election and liberal friends, and it’s never as simple as it can sound.) I think that once I (and the voters in the 18-29 age bracket as a whole) have learned the political and moral points of a particular position, Ican decide where I want to stand, but I also have to remember that passing or not passing certain laws does not change a person’s heart. Only God can do that.
Hannah Wiley
June 7, 2013
I am already pretty involved with politics and what is going on in our world, however this blog inspires me to spend more time learning what each politician stands for so that I don’t automatically assume they are a “bad” or “good” candidate.
Joel Baker
June 7, 2013
I had never really considered the consequences of trying to win the vote of the young generation, and this article made some interesting points. While the youth currently have certain views and are more easily swayed by fads, a party is more likely to win the young generation’s vote; however, there is a good chance that they could lose that vote for the rest of their lifetime when they get out into the world and realize that some of the views that they held were flawed.