Youth of the Nation

Generation Y, or the Millennials, as they are sometimes referred to, is the one social group that has typically been quickly touched upon, or examined in the media. Virtually no light has been shed on this group from the primaries to this very moment, and there is little to no definition or analysis as to why these gen-y voters are resoundingly supporting Barack Obama. They are one of the largest groups of registered voters, yet they seem to have the least amount of data regarding their voting trends.

Conservatives have claimed it is because they are in awe of Barack Obama's celebrity, his "rock star" persona. They have even gone so far as to declare age discrimination, stating that young voters refuse to identify with John McCain, villanizing him as The Penguin to Obama's Batman.

Liberals have hypothesized that it is because Barack Obama speaks to their issues, albeit willingly admitting that they are not fully aware of what this generation’s issues are. Some even think that this is the sole group where it is socially acceptable to rage against the establishment, with the establishment being the Republican Party.

Being that I was born in 1982, I fall right outside of the Generation X timeline, thus making me a Millennial, and I have some theories of my own as to why young voters stand in support of Barack Obama.

This is the generation that grew up under the Clinton administration. Like me, many of them remember a time when they, or their parents, could fill a tank of gas with $20. This was the time where the middle class had the freedom to make daring investments, take more extravagant vacations, and freely explore the job market for a comfortable and enticing opportunity. That has been replaced by the Bush era, which entails waiting in long lines to pay $4.00/gal for gas, strictly budgeting to afford the bare essentials, and fighting to keep a job that they absolutely loath. While many consider the "Hope" mantra that Obama uses as a cliché, the Millennials are hoping that Barack Obama can bring back the days of the Clinton lifestyle that their parents lived and prospered in.

Generation Y has become the generation that, after struggling to find a low paying job in the Bush administration, has had a portion of their paycheck deducted for Social Security for their grandparents to retire off of. Thanks to the political tactics of George Bush, this generation has been forced to acknowledge and accept the fact that these funds will NOT be there when they get their grandparents' age, and will have to work an additional twenty to twenty-five years that their grandparents didn’t have to work before they can obtain the same, exact benefits.

This generation has kick-started their professional careers in a state of debt. Debt incurred from the seemingly endless war in Iraq, which obviously has no substantial benefit to them. This younger group of voters has been unfortunate enough to inherit a $700+ billion debt used to bailout fifty something businessmen who allowed greed and personal ambition to corrupt their ethics. They are also aware that they will acquire the crumbling national infrastructure and decimated social safety net thanks to George W. Bush, supported by the "Trickle-down Economics" of former President Ronald Reagan.

If you haven't noticed, these are three strikes that have taken the Bush administration out of the game, and the young voters this year have made it clear that they are ready for the next guy to have his turn at bat.