Surprise: Bernie Sanders's Youth Revolution Loved Rallies More Than Actually Voting

[workinclasszero]

Sanders energized the youth vote in a way that allowed him to dominate that voting bloc. The problem is, that voting bloc failed him when the time came to cast a ballot.
CHEZ PAZIENZA

This won't be about Bernie Sanders, per se. Bernie Sanders seems to be positioning himself to do the right thing in the coming weeks. What this means is that it's time to strike a conciliatory tone in the name of forging a unified front of decent Americans aimed at ensuring that Donald Trump and the morally bankrupt party sanctioning his quest for the White House do not succeed.

No, this will be about what it's been about almost since the beginning of Sanders's improbable rise: his rabid disciples.

Specifically, his supposed army of youthful revolutionaries; the political neophytes who formed a cult of personality around Sanders knowing little about how politics actually work; the people who still threaten to "burn it all down" because they didn't get their way; the meme-warriors who've spent the past 48 hours lashing out at those who've endorsed Hillary Clinton, including their former progressive hero Elizabeth Warren; the kids who insist their lack of presence in the general election, the result of their candidate not winning, will doom any Democratic effort.

http://thedailybanter.com/2016/06/sanders-youth-vote-didnt-show/

[BobbyDrake]

1. All your friends can see you at the rally. They can't see you in the voting booth.

Without the motivation of being seen and having even the smallest level of attention being paid to you, why bother?

[WhiteTara]

2. If you could vote on Twitter,

Bernie would have won.

[workinclasszero]

11. The Bernie revolution

is Ron Paul's with more social media!

[caquillo]

3. This pretty much sums it up

There are also, however, some predictably dubious reasons for this, like the fact that kids love the thrill of rallies and "rock star" spectacles, where they can join with others just like them and feel like they're part of something empowering, trendy and "cool," but when the time comes to do the actual work, well, they just have better things to do.

I always assumed it was the party atmosphere, being among peers, screaming, wearing specially-made T-shirts, painted faces -- not unlike a rock concert or sporting event, which young people generally love. That's why I never took that movement seriously. It was a passing fad and Sanders is a flash in the pan. There will be no revolution, whatever they mean by that.

[caquillo]

7. Furthermore

I'm surprised the article didn't elaborate on Sanders' promise of free tuition and no student loan debt. I live in a college town and have engaged (but not recently) with some of Sanders' young supporters, and they honestly believed that if Sanders were elected, the second he took office, he would implement all those changes. By himself. I kid you not. These people have no clue how our government works.

[Lucinda]

20. And they actually polled that age group BEFORE the election to see what would get their support

I wish i'd saved the article link, but they ran a survey to find out what buzzwords and issues would work best on that age range, before the campaign got fully underway

[Cha]

4. "Just ask Ron Paul.." this is what we were saying from the beginning..

Another problem burnie had was POC did turn out for Hillary.. The Pragmatic Voters.

Mahalo, workin~

[TwilightZone]

5. Yeah, that was pretty obvious.

If they'd shown up at the primaries and caucuses and actually voted, he might have done better. Probably not three million votes better, but better nonetheless.

[stopbush]

19. Hey, voting sucks. You go to the polls and two years later

you've gotta do it all over again. WTF?

And what do you get for it? A stupid "I voted" sticker to put on your shirt. You think you'd get at least a free download from iTunes.

[Blue Idaho]

6. From looking at his crowds

I'd say many aren't old enough to vote. Add to that the sad fact that the 18 - 24 age group is notoriously absent at the ballot box. I wish it weren't true - but kids don't vote, even for a messianic figure like what's his name.

[LannyDeVaney]

8. You can get a friend to drive you to a rally ... not so much on voting day.

As I stated months ago, if voting was via XBox and Snapchat, these folks would have voted.

Without checking, I imagine Bernie's FB page has way more "Likes" than Clinton's FB page. For the younger generation, Like = vote.

[Fla Dem]

9. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Chez hits the nail on the head.

This is the same demographic that couldn't be bothered in the 2010 mid term elections to vote and gave up the House and Senate to the Republicans. Democrats do tend to get the more idealistic, younger voter, the only problem is they have "better" thing to do on a Tuesday than stand in line to vote.

[workinclasszero]

10. Right

And here will be proof that the Sanders "revolution" is real...

If they show up in the millions at the next off year elections and vote democratic.

I have my doubts seeing as how they are the worst age group for voting and didn't even do it for Bernie''s run.

[charlyvi]

12. Exactly.

They voted for Obama in '08 and '12; where were they in '10 and '14? Then blame him for what he didn't get done.

[workinclasszero]

22. I was so pissed off when that happened

When will people learn how damn important those off year elections are?

[Maru Kitteh]

33. I have my doubts because I'm seeing so many "I didn't get my way"

therefore it must be "rigged" aka, not my fault, or more simply, just the way things go sometimes.

The lack of acceptance that sometimes you just lose. I've seen so much of it, followed by "that's it, I'm just done with it all, there's no point in voting because MY vote doesn't count." Read here; I voted for my candidate, and the other candidate won anyway . . . It's NOT FAIR. Me me me me me me.

This is the generation raised where everyone gets a first-place trophy. Everyone makes the team. Everyone gets a ribbon. They're just thoroughly unfamiliar with the concept of not always getting their way, and a reward simply for existing.




**Of course this does not apply to all SBS supporters who are for the most part, especially IRL, reasonable and aware that SBS and HRC are both infinitely preferable to that racist orange, short-fingered man-baby. I think we are all familiar with the particular contingent this refers to. I'm grateful, in truth, that so many of SBS are reasonable people. But of course the cameras, and political message boards are more likely to capture the outliers, and that is too often what we see here.

[beachbum bob]

13. its a social event....and why young voters are inherently undependable at best

[quickesst]

14. Maybe they should have put a sign

.... in front of the polling stations advertising a huge keg party. Admission: One Bernie vote

[Arkansas Granny]

15. Maybe they saw the size of the rallies and figured

there was no way he could lose. How many times did we see posters on DU say . . "but, but, but his rallies are HUGE".

[KittyWampus]

16. Here's the thing: Obama understood community/grassroots organizing and got a sizable number

to the polls.

His team didn't depend on them as Sanders and his campaign did.

But Obama did the organizing groundwork AND the big rallies.

The Youth Vote may be fickle and hard to herd to the voting booth, but Sanders' campaign was just pitifully unable to organize anyone in any meaningful way.

[NastyRiffraff]

17. The Sanders campaign should have had a team

DEDICATED to GOTV. That means canvassing, calling, making sure people knew their state's election laws and deadlines, providing transportation if needed, educating on the issues, and yes, rallies. Instead they did only rallies and no education. Stump speeches and no reminders. You need all this especially with young potential voters.

[workinclasszero]

24. I guess running a comic book store

doesn't really prepare a person to run a national campaign for POTUS.

Who knew?

[TwilightZone]

26. Sanders has been in Congress for decades and Devine has been part of multiple campaigns.

They knew all of this and still didn't do it. That tells me that they either grossly overestimated the power of the "message" or never intended to win initially, then got semi-serious about it when it looked like it was going to be a closer race than they expected.

[KittyWampus]

28. It also includes the handicapped. What THEY need to either get to polls or caucuses...

Example, Nevada.

[stopbush]

18. A few of us who dared post our opinions that the above

was happening during the primary season were promptly alert swarmed by Sanders supporters, our posts hidden for being...well, truthful.

[workinclasszero]

23. I know that's true

They didn't want to hear the truth about young voters then or now.

[forjusticethunders]

21. As revolutionary as

A Che Guevara shirt made in a 3rd world sweatshop.

[workinclasszero]

25. The irony...it berns!

[sarae]

31. HAHA

perfect!

[NastyRiffraff]

32. Bingo!

All too true!

[Maru Kitteh]

34. .

[hollowdweller]

27. Same with the Vietnam Era kids

Nixon was elected by a landslide over McGovern.

Then the generation that hated the gov't over Vietnam became the one that hated the gov't over taxes and welfare.

The Anti gov't rhetoric of the baby boomers during the 60's paved the way for Reagan, Rush, Bush et al.

They sold out the social contract that allowed them to give a good life in the 80's because they were too fucking selfish to pay taxes.

Now their kids are pissed and Bernie supporters.

Heck even Clinton herself after being an anti war person and working for McCarthy is more than happy to send kids into war.
Talk about Ironic!

[caquillo]

29. Well, you can't really be Commander-in-chief AND a pacifist

[Agnosticsherbet]

30. The youth are difficult to turn out in a General... In his day, Ron Paul attracted the youth.

They did not turn out and vote for him in large numbers.

And it is near impossible to turn the youth out in a midterm when none of the candidates create high-energy spectacles.