Many of us assume that with age comes wisdom (generally gained through attendance at the School of Hard Knocks, but wisdom nonetheless). However, there is, in many cases, a feeling by the younger generation that they can correct what they see as the mistakes of the older generation. They believe they can do it better, whatever “it” is. The generation under thirty is the group the current Democrat party is wooing by moving their party to the left. This is not a new thing for Democrats.
In 1971, Amendment 26 of the U.S. Constitution lowered the voting age to eighteen. The Democrats nominated then Senator George McGovern as their presidential candidate. In 1972, 48 percent of people between 18 and 20 voted. They made up 6.2 percent of all voters. People between the age of 21 and 24 voted at 50.7 percent. They made up 8 percent of the voters. People between 25 and 44 voted at 62 percent. They made up 35.93 percent of the voters. In 1972, the early Baby Boomers were 26. They were a rebellious generation that was just beginning to make their political presence known.
As the Baby Boomers numbers are decreasing, younger voters are going to make up more of the electorate. The Democrats are counting on these voters to be ignorant of the lessons of history. Unfortunately, the American education system has willingly or unwillingly been helpful in creating an uninformed electorate.
Some of us remember what happened in the 1972 presidential election. The liberal wing of the Democrat party learned that they did not have popular support. They also learned the the youthful voters don’t always show up at the polls. Some of us are hoping that this denunciation of ultra-liberal policies will again show itself at the voting booth in the mid-term and upcoming presidential election. Unfortunately, that may not be the case this time. Younger voters often have no idea of the consequences of what they are voting for.
If you are looking for some interesting reading, in June 2011, Forbes Magazine posted an article about an op-ed written by former Senator George McGovern about his experiences after leaving the Senate. He definitely was rethinking his liberal slant.

