19 to 29 Year Olds Key to Political Change...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Having watched the decidedly downward slide of the rEpublican party since the election of Richard Nixon (with the exception of Reagan), and the significant leftward shift of the dEmocrat party since LBJ, (with the exception of Clinton), it is understandable why the American electorate is disillusioned. Add to this the reality the two parties can't seem to hammer out workable long term solutions to our nations fiscal problems and the stage is set for a political shift.

The successful party of the future, think 2016 and beyond, will quite likely look little like the current dEmocrat or rEpublican party of today. The political views of the  younger voting block (ages 19 to 29) are socially liberal and fiscally conservative. A group that is comfortable with and supportive of candidates such as Rep. Ron Paul and Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson.

As a supporter of both the Ron Paul Revolution and Gary Johnson I believe the future of our nation, if it is to remain solvent and retain it's liberty, rests with the Libertarian Party rather than the dEmocrat or the rEpublican party, both who have outlived their usefulness (in my never humble opinion) and now threaten our very liberty and constitutional freedoms. Bluntly stated they have stopped representing and working for the people. The government's march towards statism (democratic fascism/democratic socialism) has resulted in the government,  if not in words certainly  in deed, acting as though We the People work for the government rather than the government being our servant who works for us. .  But I digress.

The following article gives substance to the belief the younger voting block does not see everything through the same prism as did prior generations of 19 - 29 year olds. Hat Tip to the Griper  for giving me the heads up on the article.

USA Today - Many college students watching the party conventions were probably dissatisfied — neither party directly matched their beliefs. Partly this is an unfortunate effect of any two-party political system.

However, significant changes in our national political outlook create a growing segment of the population with beliefs that cut across the current conception of the conservative vs. liberal debate.

A growing number of people, particularly youth, identifies as socially liberal while being fiscally conservative. Earlier this year, a Reason poll showed that 61% of people aged 18-29 would be open to electing a president who is socially liberal and fiscally conservative.

This should have major implications — not just in this election, but also for the foreseeable future. A survey conducted late last month by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that the “socially liberal, fiscally conservative” voting bloc was essentially the only persuadable group in 2012. While so-called independents make up about one-third of the electorate, most lean toward one party or the other.

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To many, creating a coalition catering to fiscal conservative/social liberals may appear illogical.

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The stirring visions that essentially founded both parties have cooled from their once white-hot magma, calcifying into the hard rock that characterizes today’s political paralysis.

The current political alignment produces stalemate after stalemate in Congress and the myth of an America split between two minds. But however toxic today’s polarization may be, it’s hard to imagine it’s any scarier than uniting a racially-divided party during segregation.

Both parties have chance to forge a coalition that re-shuffles the deck in a way that fiscal conservatives and social liberals can be a part of a big-tent coalition.

Whichever gets to it first is the party that will “win the future.”

It seems unlikely either major party will "reshuffle the deck", form a coalition, and miraculously become a winning party for the future of America and its people.

The Libertarian Party and Gary Johnson are already there. It is unfortunate that "money talks" in politics and therefore rules the day. Hopefully this election cycle will result in preparing and positing Gary Johnson and the Libertarian Party to be that party of the future the article talks about.

Braking old habits is hard. However breaking the stranglehold of the American duopoly political system is a must if our nation is to correct its course and take the actions necessarily to insure continued liberty and a return to stability and prosperity.