That is an outstanding piece of writing! I agree 100% and I'm a 64 year old white guy. I'm sharing this with my subscribers tomorrow. We need to hear more from you. Tell your Dad to listen to you first before he does anything.
You’ve got it. No war but class war and most of the Ds and Rs are unwilling to disturb their donors enough to make changes that matter to the rest of us. Let’s tax the ultra rich, support the underserved and educate our populace.
I can totally understand young people feeling that the Democratic Party is too cautious to meet the challenges of climate change and economic inequality (housing & health care costs). You didn’t say young people were resentful about Democratic led COVID shutdowns, but I can imagine that young people felt their sacrifices during COVID were unfair and under appreciated. My son was in middle school and I was frustrated on his behalf. In your lifetime, Democrats have mostly coasted on Obama’s popularity and then Trump’s unpopularity. It upsets many of us too.
Can you speak more about the appeal of Trump to young voters, and especially to male voters?
After all, Trump was/is old, lies frequently and obviously, ran a campaign with almost no discussion of policies and when talking about policy was either incoherent or obviously magically thinking like tariffs will lower prices and deporting millions of immigrants will fix inflation, and is himself a very rich man who inherited wealth and made a career of swindling his contractors. To me, almost every complaint about Biden/Harris/Democrats is also true of Trump.
The main exception being that Trump was willing to say anything.
I would also love to hear your thoughts about the gender divide among young voters.
As a young white male adult and lifelong Montanan, this is spot on. The Democratic Party absolutely failed to connect with young voters about the economy, the job market, the housing crisis, Gaza, and our lived experiences that shape our values and how we vote. Instead of giving an alternative to the status quo, we were gaslit every day. Just to be clear–I voted Democratic down the ballot. Blaming the Dems for being "too woke" is idiotic and an old tactic by centrists to scapegoat the left and marginalized groups to cover their asses. It's a pathetic excuse, and young voters ain't buying it.
Great piece of writing. Not only do you see things clearly, but you sound more intelligent than most of the people currently running this country. You give me hope for the future.
One of the main problems with our politics is that our primary system is set up to fail us by regularly electing terrible candidates in districts that are only winnable by one of the two parties (e.g. Marjorie Greene Taylor). A majority of congressional districts are non-competitive (only one of the two parties has a chance to win), and so the election is won in the primary by the most extreme candidate voted for by a very small slice of the electorate. It's the most far-right and far-left voters who dominate primary contests. If you're not already familiar, look up "final five" or "final four" voting. It's a system for electing and rewarding (i.e. re-electing) politicians who go to Washington or State capitols to actually accomplish things for their constituents, rather than just figuring out how to get re-elected in extremely partisan primary races. "Final five" voting in Alaska is why Republican Lisa Murkowski is still in the Senate (after voting to impeach *Rump) and Sarah Palin is not the new congresswoman from Alaska. But the system we currently have is the system we have. We can complain about Citizens United or the faulty primary system...but until we get those things changed (which is extremely difficult), we often find ourselves having to choose between the lesser of two evils. My kids are Gen Z like you Lander. But I was equally horrified that we were trying to cram Biden down loyal democrats throats. Not because he had done a bad job as president (quite the opposite). But because we could all see that he would not beat *Rump. Biden took too long to drop out, and no one could make him. When he finally did, it was too late in the game. I still think we could have had a shortened primary to choose our best candidate. But we didn't get that option. So we all had to vote for the (still far) lesser of two evils (and not even in my top 10 for potential Democrat candidates). Even so, the election was still pretty close. It's not just Gen Z males or Gen Z in general who weren't excited by our status quo Democrat option. Lots of us had to swallow hard and pull that lever. Here is where I may differ from you Lander. Whether you're Gen Z, Gen X, Boomer, or otherwise. If someone voted for *Rump because they were excited or intrigued by the possibility for change, then they just weren't paying attention for the last 8-10 years...and there's no excuse for that! I have absolutely zero patience for anyone's excuse to vote for the most ignorant, narcissistic, self-serving, clown of a human being to ever hold that office. The people got what they asked for. I'm sure you're familiar with the acronym, "FAAFO."
Lander- glad to see you writing and I get what you are saying. For me it is two fold, raise the minimum wage, update immigration policy and create legislation against Citizens United. Why haven't the Dems addressed these? I think you hit it on the nose that they are beholden to corporations and donors with deep pockets who benefit from the status quo on these things. The second item is that the real change that is happening was hidden and so SLOW. Biden did more to fight climate change than any other president and he passed legislation to bring tech jobs back to American and he supported infrastructure investment. The problem was his administration didn't explain what they were doing and were terrible at PR and it took TOO long because bureaucracy moves at the pace of a snail. If Democrats want to make change, they need to figure out how to make it change FASTER and communicate it LOUDER. And I wonder if this is the real issue with Gen Z? Trump seems like he is doing something to those who aren't really paying attention. I was hoping you would tell me more about the mind of your peers who are pro-Trump or not engaged at all. Is there some opportunity to capture their imagination with a different approach? This is where the true mystery lies! The writing is great and I hope to see more from you.
Excellent piece! Thank you, Lander! So grateful to have smart, thoughtful, caring young people like you! Because we’ve screwed this up, and we need you to help right this wobbly imperfect ship. We hope, with your help, we can do better.
I would also add that this concern/ debate started when B. Sanders ran against H. Clinton, almost a decade ago. Same issues, same problems: the Democrat "establishment" killed the Sanders run against Ms. Clinton. We all saw this. We all were amazed, and saddened. The Democrat "establishment", as I define it, is that group of long-time politicians, and super wealthy billionaires who want to stay in power. They allow the American "Middle class" to have just so much wealth, while they become ever more powerful. So too, the Republicans have "drunk the coolaid" for their "cult of tRump". We now see how this is playing out; the tRump wants pure power, and is willing to destroy the economy of the USA, and the world economy so that their cult leader will survive. We have problems. But I think that your generation, and many, if not most in the "Boomer" generation, care about the USA, care about our economy and the Earth, and will seek to stop this cult activity. One bright spot? With the economic downturn, world wide, there will be less economic expansion, less manufacturing, less green house gas emissions! Maybe this turn into darkness and economic devastation, will give us all some time to deal with the climate change issue that could certainly destroy mankind.
Great job Lander!!! Glad you are willing to speak out! I have a 26 year old granddaughter and a 30 year old grandson. They too are wanting to see action not platitudes!!!!
I am a 64 year old Democrat and I agree with just about everything you say, however I would caution that big change just for the sake of big change gets us where we are now. You might be surprised to know that plenty of us over 60s feel the same way that you do. But we also know that the US government is a huge entity and usually significant change takes a while. Sort of like the Queen Mary cannot turn on a dime. That being said it is clear that the Dems have become slaves to the status quo and big money and they hold much responsibility for where we find ourselves now. So I would say to you be the change you want to see. If you want something different then step up. Run for office, get involved in grass roots politics, put yourselves out there. This country needs younger generations to start plotting their own course in US politics. Go do it.
Thank you for your insight Lander! Some of us old farts could learn from our younger generation. We’ve been here too, I would like an outspoken no bs person like your dad. I’m tired of the prim and proper old guard. Someone willing to fight for everyone not just the rich.
That is an outstanding piece of writing! I agree 100% and I'm a 64 year old white guy. I'm sharing this with my subscribers tomorrow. We need to hear more from you. Tell your Dad to listen to you first before he does anything.
You’ve got it. No war but class war and most of the Ds and Rs are unwilling to disturb their donors enough to make changes that matter to the rest of us. Let’s tax the ultra rich, support the underserved and educate our populace.
Thank you Lander. I appreciate your candor.
I can totally understand young people feeling that the Democratic Party is too cautious to meet the challenges of climate change and economic inequality (housing & health care costs). You didn’t say young people were resentful about Democratic led COVID shutdowns, but I can imagine that young people felt their sacrifices during COVID were unfair and under appreciated. My son was in middle school and I was frustrated on his behalf. In your lifetime, Democrats have mostly coasted on Obama’s popularity and then Trump’s unpopularity. It upsets many of us too.
Can you speak more about the appeal of Trump to young voters, and especially to male voters?
After all, Trump was/is old, lies frequently and obviously, ran a campaign with almost no discussion of policies and when talking about policy was either incoherent or obviously magically thinking like tariffs will lower prices and deporting millions of immigrants will fix inflation, and is himself a very rich man who inherited wealth and made a career of swindling his contractors. To me, almost every complaint about Biden/Harris/Democrats is also true of Trump.
The main exception being that Trump was willing to say anything.
I would also love to hear your thoughts about the gender divide among young voters.
Your voice is clear and clarion, Lander. May we all be brave enough to hear and act on it ❤️
As a young white male adult and lifelong Montanan, this is spot on. The Democratic Party absolutely failed to connect with young voters about the economy, the job market, the housing crisis, Gaza, and our lived experiences that shape our values and how we vote. Instead of giving an alternative to the status quo, we were gaslit every day. Just to be clear–I voted Democratic down the ballot. Blaming the Dems for being "too woke" is idiotic and an old tactic by centrists to scapegoat the left and marginalized groups to cover their asses. It's a pathetic excuse, and young voters ain't buying it.
Great work, Lander!
Thanks a ton zach, couldn’t agree more.
Great piece of writing. Not only do you see things clearly, but you sound more intelligent than most of the people currently running this country. You give me hope for the future.
One of the main problems with our politics is that our primary system is set up to fail us by regularly electing terrible candidates in districts that are only winnable by one of the two parties (e.g. Marjorie Greene Taylor). A majority of congressional districts are non-competitive (only one of the two parties has a chance to win), and so the election is won in the primary by the most extreme candidate voted for by a very small slice of the electorate. It's the most far-right and far-left voters who dominate primary contests. If you're not already familiar, look up "final five" or "final four" voting. It's a system for electing and rewarding (i.e. re-electing) politicians who go to Washington or State capitols to actually accomplish things for their constituents, rather than just figuring out how to get re-elected in extremely partisan primary races. "Final five" voting in Alaska is why Republican Lisa Murkowski is still in the Senate (after voting to impeach *Rump) and Sarah Palin is not the new congresswoman from Alaska. But the system we currently have is the system we have. We can complain about Citizens United or the faulty primary system...but until we get those things changed (which is extremely difficult), we often find ourselves having to choose between the lesser of two evils. My kids are Gen Z like you Lander. But I was equally horrified that we were trying to cram Biden down loyal democrats throats. Not because he had done a bad job as president (quite the opposite). But because we could all see that he would not beat *Rump. Biden took too long to drop out, and no one could make him. When he finally did, it was too late in the game. I still think we could have had a shortened primary to choose our best candidate. But we didn't get that option. So we all had to vote for the (still far) lesser of two evils (and not even in my top 10 for potential Democrat candidates). Even so, the election was still pretty close. It's not just Gen Z males or Gen Z in general who weren't excited by our status quo Democrat option. Lots of us had to swallow hard and pull that lever. Here is where I may differ from you Lander. Whether you're Gen Z, Gen X, Boomer, or otherwise. If someone voted for *Rump because they were excited or intrigued by the possibility for change, then they just weren't paying attention for the last 8-10 years...and there's no excuse for that! I have absolutely zero patience for anyone's excuse to vote for the most ignorant, narcissistic, self-serving, clown of a human being to ever hold that office. The people got what they asked for. I'm sure you're familiar with the acronym, "FAAFO."
...sorry for the novel 😏
Lander- glad to see you writing and I get what you are saying. For me it is two fold, raise the minimum wage, update immigration policy and create legislation against Citizens United. Why haven't the Dems addressed these? I think you hit it on the nose that they are beholden to corporations and donors with deep pockets who benefit from the status quo on these things. The second item is that the real change that is happening was hidden and so SLOW. Biden did more to fight climate change than any other president and he passed legislation to bring tech jobs back to American and he supported infrastructure investment. The problem was his administration didn't explain what they were doing and were terrible at PR and it took TOO long because bureaucracy moves at the pace of a snail. If Democrats want to make change, they need to figure out how to make it change FASTER and communicate it LOUDER. And I wonder if this is the real issue with Gen Z? Trump seems like he is doing something to those who aren't really paying attention. I was hoping you would tell me more about the mind of your peers who are pro-Trump or not engaged at all. Is there some opportunity to capture their imagination with a different approach? This is where the true mystery lies! The writing is great and I hope to see more from you.
Excellent piece! Thank you, Lander! So grateful to have smart, thoughtful, caring young people like you! Because we’ve screwed this up, and we need you to help right this wobbly imperfect ship. We hope, with your help, we can do better.
Bravo, Lander! And thanks from one of the old ones.
Well done. I am listening. Thank you for speaking up. And now…let us all RISE UP.
Good words, thank you Lander.
I would also add that this concern/ debate started when B. Sanders ran against H. Clinton, almost a decade ago. Same issues, same problems: the Democrat "establishment" killed the Sanders run against Ms. Clinton. We all saw this. We all were amazed, and saddened. The Democrat "establishment", as I define it, is that group of long-time politicians, and super wealthy billionaires who want to stay in power. They allow the American "Middle class" to have just so much wealth, while they become ever more powerful. So too, the Republicans have "drunk the coolaid" for their "cult of tRump". We now see how this is playing out; the tRump wants pure power, and is willing to destroy the economy of the USA, and the world economy so that their cult leader will survive. We have problems. But I think that your generation, and many, if not most in the "Boomer" generation, care about the USA, care about our economy and the Earth, and will seek to stop this cult activity. One bright spot? With the economic downturn, world wide, there will be less economic expansion, less manufacturing, less green house gas emissions! Maybe this turn into darkness and economic devastation, will give us all some time to deal with the climate change issue that could certainly destroy mankind.
Lander I appreciate your words and efforts to teach us old dogs/bitches what we truly need to understand and work on!
Great job Lander!!! Glad you are willing to speak out! I have a 26 year old granddaughter and a 30 year old grandson. They too are wanting to see action not platitudes!!!!
Keep up the good work and...run for something!
I am a 64 year old Democrat and I agree with just about everything you say, however I would caution that big change just for the sake of big change gets us where we are now. You might be surprised to know that plenty of us over 60s feel the same way that you do. But we also know that the US government is a huge entity and usually significant change takes a while. Sort of like the Queen Mary cannot turn on a dime. That being said it is clear that the Dems have become slaves to the status quo and big money and they hold much responsibility for where we find ourselves now. So I would say to you be the change you want to see. If you want something different then step up. Run for office, get involved in grass roots politics, put yourselves out there. This country needs younger generations to start plotting their own course in US politics. Go do it.
Thank you for your insight Lander! Some of us old farts could learn from our younger generation. We’ve been here too, I would like an outspoken no bs person like your dad. I’m tired of the prim and proper old guard. Someone willing to fight for everyone not just the rich.