Posted on 11/09/2009 7:17:34 AM PST by Kaslin
In the 2008 presidential election, young adults voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. This voting pattern has generated much discussion and no small amount of head scratching, principally because the main consequence of these young adults’ electoral choice appears to be a huge tax on them. Ultimately, the question becomes: Were they duped or were they stupid?
In late 1999, I went to Washington, DC, for a political forum that included all the Republican presidential contenders. Each candidate made a presentation followed by questions and answers. My question was for Senator John McCain. A significant element of Mr. McCain’s political platform was campaign finance reform. His proposal was similar to what eventually became the McCain-Feingold Act passed in 2001, which limited the amounts that individuals and entities could contribute to campaigns.
I had the first question: “Mr. McCain, I have a deep respect for you as an American and Senator, but could you please explain why you are proposing a law that appears to be contrary to Republican principles?”
This question deeply upset the Senator. He turned to the moderator and mumbled “And when did I stop beating my wife?” As I edged my way back to my seat, Mr. McCain followed me down the stage giving me an earful about how the youth of America was not voting, and that the reason they were not voting was because the campaign financing system in our country was broken and corrupt.
Senator McCain never really answered the question, but he was profoundly incorrect about why America’s youth wasn’t voting, and – trust me on this – I remember being a teenager much better than he does. It really is abnormal for anyone who is 18 years old to be concerned about our electoral system. If they are still students, they are often focused on graduating high school or getting into college. Many of them, regrettably, are more interested in getting drunk and finding someone to bounce around with on Saturday night. People like myself who were interested enough to work on campaigns were the exception – not the norm.
When these young adults finish school, they become most interested in building the foundation of their careers and their future life. It’s usually only when they settle down, buy a home, start a family, and begin to make progress in their careers that they start to realize how expensive government is, and begin to get involved in the political process. It has been this way for generations and is validated by voter turnout.
Barack Obama changed that and it had nothing to do with campaign finance reform. The under-30 crowd identified with him and voted heavily for him. And what has he done to reward that commitment? He is attempting to saddle them with a huge tax increase to cover his health insurance plan.
Most people in this age group carry health insurance. But approximately 18 million do not, because they have made a decision that they would rather spend their money elsewhere. They realize that they have very little need for health care, so they spend their money on other priorities or save it for a down payment on their first home. I did the same thing when I was their age. When I visited a doctor, I wrote a check.
Mr. Obama, Senator Baucus and Nancy Pelosi do not want to give them that choice. They have targeted this group to fund the Democrats’ plans. They have decided that these young folks should pay for the older Americans who actually use most of the health care. It is an easy group to pick on, and no one really believes they will show up at the polls in 2010 without Obama on the ballot.
I believe these young adults should carry catastrophic insurance, at which they would probably not balk, because the cost would be minimal. However, the proposals that are being floated by the Democrats would require them to purchase full-blown insurance that carries a hefty price tag. While this additional revenue would help make the health insurance scheme work, no one is considering the effects of that money being taken out of the economy from where the young adults currently spend it. In particular, nobody is giving any thought to the negative effect upon the housing market caused by the delay of entry-level home purchases because the prospective homeowners will be forced to put their money into the health care system instead of a home.
In addition to being targeted with a large part of the cost of the health insurance proposal, the Obama Administration has put another yoke around their necks. The consequences of the skyrocketing budget deficits will be thrust upon them as they reach their peak earning years, and they will also have to bear that crushing burden.
The 18-30 crowd happily went to the polls to vote for Obama. Political groups that deliver for a winning candidate usually expect benefits after the election. Unions, for example, have already received billions of dollars in federal goodies and trial lawyers have been dutifully rewarded by the absence of even a hint of malpractice reform in the health insurance legislation. The under-30 voters were seduced by Obama, but have now become his whipping boys. His most significant policy proposal is aimed directly between their eyes – and they are soon to be his biggest victims.
Young voters are quickly learning about the electoral process and how it really works. Which brings us back to the question – Were they duped or were they stupid?
Both!
Duped and stupid are not mutually exclusive.
it’s called “Jumping on the bandwagon” and it’s as old as the Republic. People tend to herd.
Absolutely BOTH !
They were duped because they are stupid.
Willfully ignorant.
That puts the blame squarely where it belongs. On the person casting the vote.
They wanted to “vote for the cool black guy and be a part of history”. Nothing more complex than that. They also didn’t look any deeper than that.
I don't blame them for falling for the messiah; hell, I "fell" for Kennedy!
They were duped because they are stupid.
They are stupid and it won’t make one bit of difference to them if they get screwed as a result of their votes. They will vote for whomever is considered the coolest candidate.
GMTA
Shucked and jived...................
Yes, and yes.
Exactly and they will likely go and vote for him again in 2012 like good little socialists...
Young adults thought that they were going to get free health care and free money, earned by someone else.
They’ll have no jobs, no health care either.
Welcome to the land of the greedy, you selfish jerks.
I have talked to a few Obama voters who admitted they voted for him. Most were disappointed. When I told them that everything they needed to know about the man, at least, everything we could get our hands on and had proof of, was readily available on line, they pretty much admitted to being lazy on looking at his history. Had they known then what they have found out today, their vote would have been different.
In addition, when they are forced to pay for health insurance, they WILL use it. They will traipse to the doctor for every minor complaint because they have paid and they think they should get something for their $$$.
Duped or stupid. True.
Duped xor stupid. False.
They thought they were going to get something for nothing. Instead they are going to get nothing for a few somethings.
That’s what gets me about leftists. It is so infuriating to be called “greedy” for wanting to control the fruits of my labor and give to the charities _I_ deem worthy,
by these little bass turds who are sitting over there with their hands out not earning a damn thing.
Both - They were lied to. Oboma ran on lower taxes, elimination of useless social programs, ending racism, family, life (reducing rather than 'Free" abortions for all) , 2nd amendment, reducing health care costs, and creating jobs. These were Conservative issues, not Marxism.
He lied through his teeth. They were stupid. They actually believed him.
Young people are going to be stuck with insurance they don’t need whereas old people are going to be stuck with insurance that doesn’t provide them with what they need.
The dupes acted stupidly.
Both, with rare exceptions.
No one should be allowed to vote under the age of 40.
It’s funny but I know a lot of old people who were seriously duped into voting for 0 largely on account of his health care and Iraq promises. Don’t forget that still is the the group most likely to get their info from Katie et al.
Duped, because they are stupid.
Yep. I have one kid of voting age (voted for Sara Palin) , the next will be 18 in December. Neither are deceived by the liberal propaganda. We've raised them right. They're great kids.
(They even read FReeper threads once in a while between their college homework assignments.)
A little from Column A and a little from Column B.
That’s what a lot of my friends said. I told them they’d also be part of history as casting a vote for the death of America.
The duped and stupid were sure they would soon be doped. Before gays in the military, they were going to get free legal marijuana.
Perhaps there’s hope for them next time.
I vote terminally STUPID! I only wish I could live long enough to see them figure it out...then I might never die! We are seeing the result of the infiltration of our educational system and I have no idea how to stop it...needs people much, much smarter than I.
STUPID !!!!!!! they are stupid .
Ask most young people who the current vice president is and they don’t know . I hear it all the time on Hannity’s radio show when he sends his people out to the streets to ask young college age voters political questions . THEY ARE CLUELESS and it would be funny if it were not for the damage they have done . What can one expect from a generation of liberal indoctrinated zombies .
Me too. And wow, what a "teachable moment!"
It's analagous to the old "wed in haste, repent at leisure" truism.
Stupid. Definitely stupid. Anyone who wanted to know the truth could learn the truth if they had the intelligence of a 4th grader. Stupid. I’m going with stupid.
“It can’t happen here”
was/is a ubiquitous mantra of “liberals” who deny that their ideology and policy preferences lead to tyranny and death, every time.
No one should be allowed to vote unless they actually pay taxes. Otherwise, they vote themselves others people money. Nothing else matters.
Those who pay for everything should be the ones who decide what gets funded and what does not.
It’s easier to dupe stupid people. Every con artist knows that.
You are absolutely correct. In addition, most of the young folks I know never even watch the news, they have absolutely no idea what is going on in the world unless it is related to some type of reality show. They are about to get smacked square between the eyes with the reality of their poor choices based on that ignorance and don’t even realize it.
...”Were they duped or were they stupid?”...
Both. It is hard to “dupe” a thinking individual, but selfishness and dishonesty in the form of “what’s in it for me” sweetens the pot to the extent that the majority could be duped.
Couple that with the criminally complicit, wholly compromised propaganda arm of the DNC, the so-called MSM - such as MSNBC and the rest that “young people” watch - and you have the result that the productive sector of America has been punked - big time.
While we will pay the freight, the “young people” will pay with their healthcare, that of their eventual children, and their children’s children. They allowed Obama and the democrats to take down our system in the name of electoral politics.
So, you would have people be eligible for President who are unable to vote? Isn’t that a bit backward?
Also, what about those in the armed service... there’s a lot under 40 there. {Oh, wait, I’m assuming their votes actually get counted... [/cynic]}
Useful idiots.
Influenced by useful idiot friends, family or any anti-truth, anti-individual collective (and its members that they may associate with or be duped by). Most individuals are associated with or philosophically agree with some collective. Almost all collectives are anti-individual. Many are anti-truth, anti-freedom, anti-life. There are hundreds of thousands of collectives in the U.S.A. consisting of millions of members and the power to get a message (political) amplified. The overwhelming majority of these collectives do not care one iota for the samllest minority on the planet, the individual. Leaving the individual...as individual serves no purpose for the collective. Is the individual/collective you affiliate with anti-truth?...anti-freedom?...anti-individual?....anti-life?
Useful idiots.
This ignores option three: EVIL. I saw many posts here on FR from people who had been harrassed by blacks , or had (over) heard blacks explain that BHO was going to enslave whites, for eg. And I highly doubt blacks were the only groups voting en masse for BHO because they thought it would allow them to run riot and settle what they regard as scores against those not in their group.
With any luck.
My daughter, who is a conservative, states that the kids in college who admitted to voting for Obama are sick of him now.
I hope I get this thought down here while it's still in my head.
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I'm sure most of us at one time or another, have expressed this wish: "if I could go back in time and be XX (age) again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Of course, I want to take all the knowledge and experience I have in my head with me!"
This kind of represents the desire to rectify mistakes made, reverse poor judgements, take advantage of "opportunities" missed, and other such desires.
It also comes to mind that the ability to do something like this is present in all of our lives every day; and unlike the "wish" above....actually could happen.
We "oldsters" have a wealth of experience "beneath our belts". Any time we get into conversations with much younger folks and try to teach them of these experiences, we are - in effect - going back in time with all our experiences in tact!
HOWEVER: do the "Utes" listen???? Did we when we were young listen when our elders tried to pass on some "life lessons"??
Sadly...and much to our chagrin, we didn't! And the "Utes" of today, as a whole...for the most part...don't either.
I think God has a wickedly wonderful sense of humor!!
Were they duped or were they stupid?
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They were duped BECAUSE they were stupid! I used to be young and thought I knew everything too. Those who were mature and sensible enough to sort it out could easily see what Obama was but a lot of people simply REFUSED to see.
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