Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
I am not certain, but operating from an anecdotal sample of about a half dozen under 25's in my family and their friend groups, the youth do NOT seem truly captured by this nomination process to date.

I think it was comparatively easy for youth to avoid Clinton in favor of Sanders in the immediate post-Obama nomination process. 2016 was a year for outsiders, more or less, and such tend to appeal to the disaffected such as the Trump deplorables and to the younger crowd who tend toward the idealistic and toward major change. Those inclined towards the dem set of policies and preferences had either an establishment choice or an outsider -- and the rest of the field was never really involved and were quickly shunted aside. Made for a nice appealing horse-race that got a fair amount of media play.

This time around, the Dems are still in the throws of what the GOP was doing in 2016 -- winnowing a huge field of potential choices down. As the field narrows, perhaps we shall then see a candidate capture the youthful element of the potential dem voter base. I think it is too early to dismiss the youth factor yet -- I just don't think they are finding anything compelling enough to bother about as yet.
In 2016 Bernie seemed like a lone voice crying in the wilderness, and his age made him into the sort of alternative role model young people love. Similar effect to Corbyn. Now, however, Bernie is an old man with a bad heart, as opposed to an older man, and he's no longer alone with Warren and "the squad" crowding him in a space he's been used to occupying alone. Clinton was also a charisma vacuum, and you shouldn't underestimate the ability of your opponent to mobilise your base.