Younger voters?

[ottermax]

I think the swings toward Trump in non-white areas should serve as a warning sign to Democrats hopes that Millenials and Gen Z will remain loyal to the party. I think the GOP has tapped into a nerve among many younger people of color who feel abandoned by the Democratic Party and cultural liberalism, "wokeness," and "feminism." I personally disagree with these views, but many of my teenage students in these communities really seem bothered by "woke" culture, even when I try to break it down for them. It's obviously very complex, but I think many youth feel left out of the elitism of the cultural liberalism that predominates social media from the Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, real issues like lockdowns, evictions, high costs of college, high cost of living, and poverty loom. I think the pandemic is going to create a sharp class cleavage with Democrats being remembered for trying to keep working class people from earning money, while "work-from-home elites" were able to thrive.

I think education will become a sharper cleavage. I observe a lot of students who struggle to read getting lost in Snapchat and Instagram misinformation about the virus, social issues, and more, while the students who seem more set to go to college and thrive are able to navigate these complexities. I wish I knew how to teach critical thinking of information - but it's hard in the age of constant information!

As long as the Democrats continue to ignore real change in their economic platform, elections will be decided on cultural and social issues - which has the potential to realign many Millenials and Gen Zers to the GOP.