Ever since I was a child and halfway able to understand politics, the media has, without fail dubbed every presidential election “the most important election of our time.” The election of 2020 is one that is actually worthy of that distinction. It goes without saying that Donald Trump and the Republicans have done considerable damage to the American political and economic system, they’ve undermined United States’ alliances as China’s influence rises, and they’ve exposed and capitalized on deep, systemic flaws already present. Democrats, Independents and many Republicans are desperate to remove him either to preserve what’s left of the Republic, and/or the Republican party. The presumption is that things cannot get worse than they are presently under Donald Trump, and while that is very tempting to believe, I disagree.
For one, Donald Trump is not the root problem. He’s the most obvious symptom. Thus, it will take more than his removal to even begin to make things right. It will take a leader who understands how deep our problems go–climate change, health care, infrastructure, racial inequality, economic inequality, and generational inequality. It’s an unfamiliar term. Some don’t believe it’s a real thing. But as student loan debt, rising housing and costs of living take their toll on everyone, younger generations–Millennials, Generation Z and even some in Generation X, face significant challenges to sustaining a middle class lifestyle. This is not just an issue for American Millennials but Millennials across the West, from Canada, to Spain and Australia. Jobs requiring a mid- or high-skill level are no longer guarantees of salaries that pay commensurately. The costs of living are beyond what many jobs in the 21st century can provide, and unlike Baby Boomers who have pensions and social security to rely on, Millennials and Generation Z are not counting on having those things when we reach retirement age. Either because the funds that provide them will run out, or we anticipate not being able to retire.
Not to mention climate change will affect our generation and that of our children (those of us who are having them) more than older generations. If Democratic candidates want to put together a winning coalition to take the White House, Millennials need to be at the forefront of any political strategy. Millennials are officially the largest voting bloc, and together with Generations X and Z we made up a greater percentage of votes cast in the midterm elections than Baby Boomers. While American voter turn out is abysmal in general, younger voters is especially low. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have released plans to forgive student loan debt. Warren and Senator Kamala Harris announced their plans to close the gender/racial wage gap between white men and black, Latina and Native women. People of color make up 45% and 50% of Generations Y and Z respectively, and black women are the most educated group in the country. These are necessary steps.
My concern is the media’s role. They didn’t give Bernie Sanders fair coverage in the 2016 primary, predicted Hillary Clinton would win in a landslide (we see how that turned out) and cannot stop talking about Biden at the top of the polls. They’ve assumed Biden has a quality of electability where others do not that threatens to become a self-fulfilling prophecy when the primaries start. And when it comes to the black vote especially the tagline is that Biden has the black vote on lock.
Maybe with older Black Baby Boomers who have already made up their minds. Polls indicate 45-50% of black voters are undecided. But younger black voters are more drawn to Bernie, Warren and Harris. Yet when you look at the demographics of most polls, Boomers predominate. We need to start doing polls, surveys and large scale focus groups on Millennials and Generation Z, especially those of color to find out which candidates the generation is drawn to and which policies my generation likes. Not just for 2020 but the long-term future of the country. As for 2020, Democrat presidential victories depend on large turnout. Obama knew that in 2008. Whoever becomes the nominee should know this and if they don’t, it’s up to the media to remind them.
Being American 