Young Voters Abandoning Democrats

Where Has My Youth Gone?

Young voters broke 2 to 1 in favor of Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election.

That trend will not transfer to Democrats in 2010.

The college vote is up for grabs this year — to an extent that would have seemed unlikely two years ago, when a generation of young people seemed to swoon over Barack Obama.

Though many students are liberals on social issues, the economic reality of a weak job market has taken a toll on their loyalties: far fewer 18- to 29-year-olds now identify themselves as Democrats compared with 2008.

“Is the recession, which is hitting young people very hard, doing lasting or permanent damage to what looked like a good Democratic advantage with this age group?” asked Scott Keeter, the director of survey research at the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan group. “The jury is still out.”

William Jacobson over at Legal Insurrection explains why.

The yutes should be angry. Under Obamacare, they will be subsiding their parents’ health care coverage at a time when they should be saving; the mountains of debt run up by Obama will be repaid by them; and for the first time they have a future less bright than their parents.

Obama has forced the yutes to grow up fast.  Who’da thunk?

Losing the youth vote will not only cripple the Democrats in 2010, but it could also handicap an already limping Obama heading in to the 2012 Presidential election.