Blogging - the 21st Century Fountain of Youth

It may come as no surprise to readers here, but a new generation of politically engaged students have shown that technology, including blogging, will drastically change the political landscape in the years to come.  From the Harvard University Institute of Politics Fall 2005 poll:

Almost half (48%) of today's college  students consider themselves to be politically engaged or active.  Whereas their  parents used protests, marches, concerts, and sit-ins as a means of making their  voices heard, and their grandparents joined a union or a political party, today's  generation are utilizing technology, marketing, and networking to further their  political agenda.

 
This is good news for the future of the netroots, and it only gets better for the dkos crowd.
More on the flip . . .

Twenty-two percent (22%) of college students said they had  worn a wristband to show support for a political issue or cause, while just over  one-third (36%) said they had signed an online petition and just under one-third  (30%) said they had written an email or letter advocating a position.  Eighteen  percent (18%) said that they had contributed to a political blog as well.

The past five years have shown an incredible resurgency in youth voting, with the 2004 election cycle representing the height of youth engagement in recent history. According to CIRCLE youth turnout at the polls waas up 11% in 2004, to 47%.  This is the highest is has been since 1972, when the voting age was first lowered to 18 (thanks to all you old-timers that helped maket that possible)!

But the good news keeps on coming.  As the Harvard poll notes, not only are students heading out to the polls, they are also becoming involved in the political process.  The novel ways that students and young people are involved represents a tremendous opportunity for liberals, progressives, democrats, whatever you want to call the anti-war, civil rights bearing, safety net carring crowd.  

The important thing to note is that this is a poll of college students, who are at school during an important part of their identity formation.  No nagging from mom and dad, no guilt trip if they fail to make it to church (if they are cunning about it, at least), and a wide variety of ideas available.

A wide variety .  College campuses are open for every interest group to take their shot at, as a the famous SCOTUS Southworth case shows.  This fact has not been missed by the right-wing, as Public Research Associates show:

National conservative organizations working directly with college students plan an active role in designing frames for conservative students

(from Deliberate Differences ).

The lesson to be learned here is that a national liberal party not only needs to articulate its message in a clear manner (which I don't see happening), but also make room for student and youth participation in the advanced technological and late-stage capitalist activist tones.  They cannot expect to win 18-24 with press releases, CNN, bumper stickers, and lawn signs.  

And dkos can help.  Here is your fountain of youth.  Take advantage of the skills you have learned here, and lets try to think bigger.  There has got to be a way to blow them out of dkos and onto the campuses, where a fight for the next generation of activists, more likely to be on the nets than the grass, is going on right now.