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There’s no denying it: many people aren’t thrilled with Joe Biden as President. And while the alternative of Donald Trump certainly doesn’t enthrall anyone outside of his red-hatted MAGA base, alternatives in the crowded Republican and Democrat parties are lackluster at best.
The fact of the matter is that America hasn’t had a candidate that moves and inspires people since the Barack Obama years. And that feels like a lifetime ago. Mediocrity is the new norm and the upcoming 2024 election suggests that it’s here to stay.
A recent news article by ABC News notes that issues, not candidates, are the motivating factors for young voters. Millennials and Gen Z aren’t flocking to the polls out of enthusiasm for Joe Biden and the Democrats. They’re doing it primarily out of passion for key issues.
And unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, you know what this issue is: abortion.
In 2008, Barack Obama was able to motivate younger voters through a combination of charm, charisma, and an unchecked optimism that was entirely different from the eight years under the Bush administration. Keep in mind, America was at the apex of the Great Recession and foreign wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama was able to transcend this climate with an easy going smile and cool talk. Who wouldn’t want to grab a beer with the former President?
Flash forward to 2023 and it seems like the political climate has gotten even worse. While the economic situation may not be as dire as 2008, our ability to converse with people of different viewpoints is abysmal. And forgive me for my pessimism, but I don’t think Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have the same dynamism that former President Obama possessed.
Young independent voters see this. They see the void that’s been left after the Obama years. And they also realize that the four years of President Trump likely made that void even larger and more noticeable.
Young voters aren’t expecting a political messiah, they’re expecting a politician to serve as a vehicle to address the issues that they care about. Abortion access, housing affordability, inflation, and all social reform are what’s going to get these voters to the polls.
Candidates running in 2024 would be wise to realize this. Republicans bashing Joe Biden is pointless, because Joe Biden clearly states that he supports some form of abortion access.
To win the young vote means to win on key issues. And to win on key issues, you have to win on the big one: abortion.
