Narrowing the millennial gap

From Brandon Greife, director of the College Republican National Committee, on Feb. 23:

Young Conservatives need a better publicist, or should I say a better blogger? For far too long the political parties have taken us for granted. Most assume we won’t vote, and even if we did, we’re sure to be Democrats. Republicans seemed content to win older demographics and hope that we would see the red-tinged light as we aged.

After years of being the red-headed step child of politics 2008 was our coming out party. Unfortunately, Republicans had very little to celebrate. The first to truly capture the importance of Twitter, Facebook, and iPhones, the Obama campaign created an excitement amongst Millennials. Again, the Republican Party seemed willing to play the waiting game, confident they would win young adults’ hearts and minds as they grew older.

After a weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference it was clear Republicans have seen the light on the importance of young adults. As one regular CPAC attendee said,

“I’ve been coming to these for years. This used to be a convention of blue hairs; now it has youthful energy.”

But CPAC is merely the latest symptom of a viral growth in youth support for the conservative movement. Just two years ago, at the height of Obama’s popularity, the Democratic advantage in party affiliation among young voters reached 62% to 30%. This 32% margin was reflective of Obama margin of victory in the 2008 presidential election in which he defeated John McCain amongst young adults by a whopping 68% to 30% margin.

But the tides are turning. A recent Pew Research study found that,

“The “Millennial Generation” of young voters played a big role in the resurgence of the Democratic Party in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but their attachment to the Democratic Party weakened markedly over the course of 2009.”

Beyond the short term benefit of picking up votes in the crucial 2010 midterm elections, the shift represents the ability for Republicans to grow the next generation of conservatives. Contrary to the “wait till their older” approach, studies show that a person’s party identification, once formed, remains remarkably stable. As the influential study “The American Voter” found,

“Persons who identify with one of the parties typically have held the same partisan tie for all or most of their adults lives.”

This surprising truth bears out in the course of history. For instance as political scientist Norman Orstein writes,

“All the research done on the dramatic Democratic realignment of the 1930s shows that the key was young voters, coming of age as the Depression hit, influenced deeply by the contrast between Hoover and Roosevelt . . . those voters became lifelong Democrats.”

A similar trend happened in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan captured the hearts of young adults with a patriotic excitement that extolled American exceptionalism. Those same voters played an enormous part in the Republican Revolution of 1994 and remain the Republican party’s strongest age cohort.

The stability of young voter’s ideology combined with Obama’s landslide victory should have spelled long term trouble for the Republican brand. But we’ve bounced back. As the Pew Research study shows,

29 percent of Millennials describe themselves as liberals, 28 percent say they are conservatives and 40 percent identify themselves as moderates.

This snapshot ignores the momentum that is definitely on the side of conservatives. By focusing on issues that resonate with younger adults – small government and lower spending – Republicans have a chance to create a base of support for years to come. The enthusiasm is there. Spending a day walking the halls of CPAC would tell you that. More importantly, walking the halls of a college campus would tell you that. College Republicans have seen an enormous uptick and support. As a College Republican leader told me this past week, “Barack Obama has been the best thing for recruitment we’ve seen.” Beyond being a divisive figure, Obama has engaged young people in a way other presidents haven’t. But political engagement is only half the equation and College Republicans have cultivated that newfound interest into conservative momentum. We are not only the voice of young conservatives…we are future of the party.

Pat Rooney on the issues

Tuesday night was the first meeting of 2010 for the Young Republicans of the Palm Beaches. It also marked my one-year anniversary as a member.

We’ve had guest speakers for the past few meetings. Most have been local Republican candidates, now that the campaign season is beginning to pick up.

Tuesday's guest speaker was Pat Rooney, a Republican candidate for the Florida House of Representatives in District 83. The incumbent, Republican Carl Domino, is running for state senator of District 25.

District 83 runs from the Martin County line down to the middle of Palm Beach Island, mostly covering Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter. The district has a slight Republican majority, at roughly 53 percent, Rooney said, but also includes “a huge number of Independents.”

Rooney moved to West Palm Beach from Philadelphia 18 years ago and became involved in local politics almost immediately. He served as county finance chairman in the mid-90s and continues to volunteer with the local school board, the Palm Beach County Golf Association and charity groups such as the Salvation Army.

Three years ago, Rooney was appointed by Republican Gov. Charlie Crist to serve on the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District, which oversees issues such as Everglades restoration. He is also president of the Palm Beach Kennel Club and a managing partner of two small restaurants -- with staff of about 30 members each -- in North Palm Beach County.

Rooney isn’t the first in his family to enter politics. One of his six siblings, younger brother Tom, is a Republican in the state House of Representatives.

Tuesday night, Rooney sat down with roughly 20 Young Republicans and shared his political viewpoints over a glass of iced tea. Here’s what he had to say:

• Why he’s running: Rooney says he wants to change “the dynamics in Tallahassee.” Half of the representatives are attorneys, while the other half are legislators, he says. Although Rooney holds a law degree, he considers himself a “recovering attorney” because he has “the unique perspective” of running big and small businesses. He says he would bring to the state capitol an understanding of real-life business concerns, such as balancing statements and dealing with workers compensation.
• His main issue: jobs. “There are more than 1 million unemployed Floridians, and 8,000 are underemployed,” meaning they work in jobs below their skill level, such as an engineer who is a server at a restaurant, Rooney said. “People are saying, ‘I can find a better quality of life or a better job outside the state of Florida,’” and more Floridians are leaving the state for the first time since World War II. Rooney hopes to find ways to create and retain jobs and businesses. One idea he discussed is easing permit requirements for new businesses. Florida law requires businesses to obtain a hard copy of their permit before officially opening their doors, even if an electronic version of their permit has already been approved. Yet this process can take as long as a month, therefore delaying businesses from opening. Rooney proposes to allow businesses to open without a hard copy of their permit, so long as the electronic permit has processed.
• On the housing market: Rooney didn't say much here but said he thinks the housing market will still get worse and predicts another “five tough years.”
• On the SunRail project: Rooney says he's concerned about the plan's recent liability issue, which is that if an accident happens, CSX will pay for the first $10 million or so, and Florida residents must fund the rest. “As a lawyer, that scares the hell out of me,” Rooney says, adding that he would like to meet with CSX officials to get a better perspective of the overall project's costs and benefits.
• On the Business Development Board: The Kennel Club is a member of the BDB, so Rooney said he understands what the board is going through in trying to create and retain businesses: “They’re in the same cycle all of us are in: They’re having a difficult time, even with incentives," such as tax breaks and grants. He acknowledged the board's attempts but recognized that “it’s a difficult [economic] environment to do anything." He added that he wishes the board would implement more projects north of Boca Raton.
• On real estate: Rooney didn't expand too much here but said, "We have to figure out, through competition, how to get [insurance] companies to give us something reasonable. Something also to work on is fairness, to companies and to us, the consumer."
• On the Tea Party movement: Rooney pointed to the recent election of Rep. Scott Brown, R-Mass., as en example of the effects and qualities of the Tea Party movement. "I wouldn’t view the Massachusetts race as an anti-Democrat or anti-health care vote, just 'Tea Party mode,'" which he described as "dissatisfaction with the status quo." Rooney said Brown ran a clean campaign and did most of the "grunt work" -- shaking hands and meeting people -- while Brown's opponent, Democrat Martha Coakley, "ran a crappy campaign." But the results came down to more than just the candidates' campaigns, he said. “There’s something else going on," he said. Rooney added, “I hope [Tea Party Patriots are] on my side, because they’re a pretty strong influence.”
• His business advice for young professionals: Rooney pointed to recent statistics showing unemployment figures by education level, which indicate that people with higher education levels are more likely to be employed. Thus, he advises young professionals to “maybe not get [another] degree but to continue education somehow. Be versatile.” He also encourages young adults to "keep working," even if their jobs are out of their career fields.
• On the Republican Party of Florida: Rooney said the RPOF faces the same problem the Republican Party nationwide faces: “We don’t have a leader to give us a message and tell us what to do. We need much more direction.” He touted John Trasher, a Republican candidate for Florida Senate District 8, as someone who would be a leader, saying Trasher knows and understands legislators' perspective and the grassroots level.

What did I think? Overall, I liked Rooney. He seems competent, honest and willing to listen, communicate and understand -- important qualities for a legislator. However, I wish he had more concrete ideas for creating and retaining jobs and business and turning around the housing market. Those are important issues to Floridians, and I want whoever is elected to quickly end these crises. Campaign promises, optimism and ambition are one thing, but I want to ensure my vote produces results.

The Real Polichick

It's about time I started this blog.

I'm fairly new to politics. I never really cared, never paid attention, never wanted to take sides.

Last year, I woke up. As a conservative.

I ground my political beliefs in freedom: freedom to make your own choices and mistakes, to spend and save your money, to express your religion, to choose your own health care, to own a gun, to live.

I believe in limited government, low taxes and personal responsibility. I don't want to pay your mortgage, bail out my bank or pay for your health care. And no one should make me.

I work in the media, and I'm considered a political minority among most of my coworkers and friends. So I've had to seek other outlets.

I'm a member of the Young Republicans of the Palm Beaches, whose mission is to get Republicans elected to local offices. It's also a good group for venting about politics over beer with other 20- to 40-year-olds. But most of my political activism is focused on the South Florida Tea Party, of which I'm the communications director. SFTP encourages community activism and promotes fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets.

The biggest lesson I've learned from these groups is to be careful, smart about how you vote. The YRs and SFTP seek to educate the public about candidates, policies and parties.

That's what I hope to achieve with this blog: to educate you. To make a point. To get you to see -- or try to find -- the logic behind all the political talk, humor and crap out there.

Meet The Real Polichick.