Youngsters turning conservative?

A majority of those under 30 seem happy that Trump was elected

A new poll from CBS and YouGov has some pretty remarkable results. Among respondents under the age of 30, a solid majority of 57% said they are either happy or satisfied with the election results that sent Trump back to the White House, 56% said they are optimistic or excited about what he will do as president, and 65% said they approve of the way the president-elect is handling his transition.

This after exit polling suggested that between 43-46 (depending on the poll) of those under 30 actually voted for Trump. So much for the idea that this was the generation that would turn the country deep blue for years to come. Trump only managed to get 36% of those under 30 the past two elections. Clearly those coming up now are not as enamored with the Democratic Party as many younger generations before. Of course, how could they be when Joe Biden was their standard bearer and Hillary was the candidate eight years ago. If there is anything cool or hip or brat about either of those people, well not sure what it was.

This also exposes the folly of how the Democrats tried to play into that personality ideal with Kamala Harris. Harris obviously did not have the political pedigree of Clinton (Hillary) or Biden and did not have the political skill of Obama or Clinton (Bill). What they wanted to do was turn her into something "brat" and appeal to the younger crowd in a personal manner. They were attempting to do what Obama did do, which was become the only cool person to vote for if you are under 30. Who under 30 wanted to say they were voting for the geezer McCain or the Mormon Romney? But for some reason, Trump was not that toxic to the youngsters in spite of being almost 80. Perhaps it actually is his brash personality and real celebrity that made him a cooler vote for the youngsters than a McCain or Romney. Ultimately putting a 60-year-old Harris on the cover of magazines wearing high top sneakers with suits was not what the younger crowd was looking for. Perhaps Trump wearing a McDonald apron or orange vest over a dress shirt was somehow more authentic?

The real question for both Parties moving forward is now what? How much of this appeal is Donald Trump and how much is the GOP without Trump? After all Trump has been dominating the Republican Party since 2016. How much of the "meh" attitude about the Democrats was Harris and how much is the Party not stepping up? Biden, Pelosi, Schumer? They need new blood and fast.

The Republicans seem to have a strong bench, but is there another Trump? DeSantis, Rubio, Vance, and others will no doubt step up and they seem way further along than anyone the left has in the bullpen. When people are literally talking about Ocasio-Cortez being in the 2028 mix, you have a problem. The fact that the left is hating on Fetterman rather than embracing him is a bigger problem. Fetterman might be their best shot at a Trump-like figure moving forward. Of course he might have the right personality, but he doesn't have the right politics to become a leader right now for the Democrats.

Perhaps neither side will have a Trump in 2028 and perhaps that will be a chance for us to take a better look at the two Parties, rather than the candidates. How things go over the next four years under Trump will do a lot to define this.

At this point, Republicans have some built in advantages moving forward either way. We know conclusively that a people get older, get married, have kids, take on mortgages, they will become more conservative in general. This will be even more true if Trump delivers with a solid four-year presidency. There are indications that the under 18 generation might be less political and less liberal than the current under 30 voting age generation is. Wokeness seems to be backfiring ad ultimately this could become a bad trend for Democrats. But either way, the Democrats do not have much wiggle room here with the current crop of under 30 voters. It would take very little movement to make this the generation that turns the country red, not blue.