March 20, 2012 by David K. Sutton
Romney Doesn’t Understand Why Young Americans Vote Democrat
On Monday at the University of Chicago, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tried to explain why young Americans should vote Republican instead of Democrat.
The Washington Post – Romney: ‘I don’t see how a young American can vote for a Democrat’
“I joke, and I don’t mean to be flip with this — because I actually see truth in it — I don’t see how a young American can vote for a Democrat,” Romney said when asked what economic message he would have for young people.
“I apologize for being so offensive in saying that, but I catch your attention. But I mean, in the humor, there’s some truth there. And I say that for this reason: that party is focused on providing more and more benefits to my generation, and amounting trillion-dollar annual deficits my generation will never pay for.”
Here’s the video:
First, Romney’s premise is incorrect. Democrats (and liberals) are for government that can work for all citizens. Liberals believe critical services that all citizens need usually work better and are more efficient when provided by the government. Health care is the most obvious example. If a service is critical, why have the waste that is introduced by profits and competing standards? Instead, it makes more sense to have one standard of service, with the cheapest cost per person. Those who can afford to pay more can go on the private market to supplement their coverage if they so choose. Republicans love to frame these issues as a free license to spend, but it’s not about spending money for the sake of spending money. It’s about providing services in the most fair and economical way. When a service is provided by one standard to a large pool of people the costs are lower per person compared to multiple standards and smaller pools.
Second, social issues are a major reason young Americans vote Democratic. The Republican party has increasingly moved to the right on social issues over the past few decades and young voters are less likely to follow. It’s not young voters leaving the Republican Party, it’s the Republican Party leaving young voters.
Romney should focus on problems within his party instead of using a false premise in a failed attempt to convince young adults to vote Republican.
dks
photo by Gage Skidmore
