Nixon's "Nightmare" Seen in Recent Elections: Podcast

PHILADELPHIA - April 23, 2013 - PRLog -- It was a Republican candidate’s worst fears coming to fruition. The Democratic presidential candidate winning the election on the backs of young voters, who – spurred on by pop culture icons – supported Barack Obama in both the 2008 and 2012 elections by resounding 2-to-1 margins.

Only the candidate wasn’t John McCain or Mitt Romney, though both were concerned about the 18-to-29-year-old voting bloc. Rather, it was Richard Nixon who grew concerned about the impact a new group of voters would have in the 1972 election.

1972 was the first presidential election that included voters as young as 18 years old, thanks to the 26th Amendment. While the amendment needed only four months to be ratified, it took more than 15 years and several political leaders from both parties to call for the expansion, said Bruce Carlson, host of "My History Can Beat Up Your Politics" podcast.

“Extending the franchise below 21 years is a 20th century idea,” Carlson said, citing the Vietnam War as the major factor. “The brunt of (the war) was fought by 18-to-20 year olds. As their sacrifice continued, the group proved too much of a catalyst to resist.”

Nixon, though he provided lip service to supporting the amendment, feared the repercussions of granting millions of young people, many of whom were anti-Vietnam, the right to vote. He and other Republicans were also concerned about the effect musicians and others influencing that generation would have on the election. So much so, the Nixon Administration worked to block the renewal of John Lennon’s visa for nearly three years because of the former Beatle’s work to support George McGovern in the 1972 election.

Young voters did turnout at a high rate in 1972, roughly half of those registered cast ballots. But, it was Nixon who won the 18-29 bloc as he cruised to a lopsided victory over McGovern. In subsequent elections, the number of young voters dropped until 1992, when Bill Clinton energized the group and defeated President George H.W. Bush. But by the time Vice President Al Gore ran in 2000, the percentage of young voters dipped to 36 percent, matching the low established in the 1988 election.

It wasn’t until the 2004 election when young people became more influential. In 2004, 54 percent backed Democratic candidate John Kerry, who narrowing lost to President George W. Bush. But President Barack Obama used the youth vote to win the last two presidential elections.

“The 26th Amendment did not change the political world immediately, but it may have come to fruition now,” Carlson said, noting exit polling from Tufts University that showed the 2012 young voter turnout was at 50 percent, matching the levels from 40 years ago.

This group, however, is more diverse and backs the Democrats by a wide margin, he added.

“So what you have now is Nixon’s nightmare and John Lennon’s dream: A young electorate that votes for the Democratic Party by super majorities” Carlson said. “Something that will be tough to counter and will effect at least 2016 and 2020, if not more presidential elections.”

However, Carlson said the impact from young voters has only truly been felt in the presidential elections. The bloc that was so vital to Obama in 2008 was nearly invisible in the 2010 mid-term elections, as less than 1-in-4 young voters participated in that election. The end result was a historic landslide for the Republicans, who wrestled away majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and several state legislatures.

“For a party to truly win, especially if they’re relying on a significant amount of youth voters, these voters will need to discover midterms, where Congressmen and state legislatures are elected. Otherwise, the Congress and the state legislatures, who increasingly have a role in creating the Congressional districts to their way, will ignore the wishes of these voters since they weren’t voting in great numbers.”

"My History Can Beat Up Your Politics" is a podcast based in Philadelphia that applies history to understand today's politics better.  The podcast is available on iTunes and on Stitcher Radio or can be found at www.myhistorycanbeatupyourpolitics.com

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Contact Email: bruce@myhistorycanbeatupyourpolitics.com
Source: My History Can Beat Up Your Politics Podcast
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