Kevin Bondelli's blog

Gallup's new presidential approval report, Obama Approval Continues to Show Party, Age, Race Gaps, indicates that young and minority voters are the strongest supporters of the President.

The poll shows why the Vote 2010 strategy for OFA/DNC that President Obama spoke about last month makes sense. Younger and minority voters are the most supportive, are traditionally underrepresented at the polls, and require outreach to boost turnout.

Moving away from the old white high efficacy voter turnout model is going to require hard work, which is why campaigns have be so hesitant to do so in the past. If there is one positive externality of today's divisive political climate, it's that it may actual lead to real youth and minority outreach efforts in traditional campaigns.

I would like to build upon Alex Steed's response to last month's Washington Post article on the Millennial work ethic.

The Pew Report

The Post article was based on a survey from the Pew Research Center's report on Millennials, in which Millennials were the only generation to not self-identify "work ethic" as one of the top 5 unique characteristics of the generation.

The Millennial responses are from Americans between 18 and 29 years of age. It would be extremely odd for Millennials to identify work ethic as a defining characteristic of the generation, not because it is lacking, but because of stage of life, societal perception, and the concept of uniqueness in general.

Stage of Life: A large number of Millennials 18-29 are still continuing their educations and have not started their careers, and the recession, which has resulted in over 20% unemployment for 16-24-year-olds, has delayed even more careers. A generation that is not yet immersed in the work force is not going to define work ethic as a unique generational characteristic.

Societal Perception: Millennials have also been told consistently by older generations that there is a work ethic disparity. The generation is still dealing with being the "kids these days" targets while seeing other generations touted for work ethic and walking to school in the snow uphill both ways. When Generation X was at this age they were the aimless lazy slackers in the eyes of their elders, and the Boomers were seen as worthless dirty hippies who needed to cut their hair. Neither would have probably identified work ethic as a unique characteristic at the time. I believe the Boomers would have considered that "square" back then. While a generation is still coming into its own, these perceptions of elders shouted into their heads like propaganda has an effect.

Concept of Uniqueness: It is interesting that when you look at the three older generations, they all share a number of "unique" generational characteristics. The Millennial answers seem to actually be more honest and unique compared to others. While all the generations believe they are smarter than the others, at least the Millennials have research to back their claims up ("Millennials appear to be on track to becoming the most educated generation in America’s history"). Point being, the fact that the question asked for unique characteristics certainly decreased the number of Millennials who would respond "work ethic."

The Millennial Life Ethic

Alex mentioned many of the books and films from Boomers and Xers as a "collective narrative unraveling of every lie ever baked into the 20th Century American narrative." This portrayal of work, labor, and the American dream is not new. Thoreau exclaimed that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" and asked why it was that people "begin digging their graves as soon as they are born." Thoreau seems especially prescient when we look at these aforementioned books and films when he calls it "a fool's life, as they will find when they get to the end of it, if not before."

Millennials, however, seem to be heeding the warnings that were ignored by previous generations. I have long believed that while each generation claims that they want to make the lives of the next generation better than their own, they have reserved the right to resent that better life. Interestingly enough, the elder generations somewhat screwed the Millennials in that regard, but we do have iPads.

This generation has what I call a strong life ethic. It refers to that concept of humanism that so many among the elder generations decry. For Millennials, DNA is not destiny. One is not obligated to follow the career footsteps of their parents, nor work a job for 40 years that one hates. The aims of self-actualization are often mistaken for entitlement. However, we each have only one life, why should we spend the majority of it doing something we hate? Why "begin digging our own graves?" This is not entitlement, it's enlightenment.

Work/Life Balance vs. Work/Life Integration

Traditionally the relationship between work and life is portrayed as balancing forces, as if you should visualize a scale with one on each side. What is interesting about this view is that in it life is a separate if not opposite entity from work: a Venn diagram where the circles do not overlap. This is the 9-5 concept. During the hours of 9 to 5 your life is not your own. Once the clock hits 5 you punch out an return to your life.

With Millennials there is a trend toward work/life integration. One's work is not a separate entity from their life, it is integrated with their life. Thoreau does not speak out against work and labor, but work and labor without meaning, purpose, or personal satisfaction. Millennials are looking for professions that are important to them, a passion that makes work something they believe in. The most visible advocate of this is 34-year-old Gary Vaynerchuk. This is what Alex was talking about with the "let's make shit better" sector and the extremely hardworking Millennials that are passionate about what they do. Millennials are seeking careers that are not just what they do, but who they are.

Conclusion

The Washington Post article takes two Millennials, one at a car dealership and the other at a pizza place, quotes them bitching about 2 or 3 young employees (some still in college), and uses that to generalize the Millennial workforce as a whole. It is the same concept that talk show hosts use when they find some young people that can't give the name of the first President. The point is that among all generations there are going to be lazy people and there are going to be uninformed people, and self-selected anecdotal evidence does not tell us anything.

Millennials are still establishing themselves professionally, though many have already made huge splashes (see Facebook). Despite the criticism today, I am confident that this generation will be grateful they have a strong life ethic 40 years from now.

Do you consider yourself a progressive superstar-in-waiting?

The New Organizing Institute, the leader in progressive campaign training, is accepting applications for its most popular training each year: BootCamp. BootCamp is an all-expense-paid weeklong training in July, awarded to the most diverse, talented, innovative group of organizers in the country. NOI is so invested in the brightest up-and-coming progressives that they are bringing them to DC on their dime.

Apply now to join the 2010 class, and tell them that Future Majority sent you.

Every member of the 2010 cohort will gain valuable skills, get connected with possible employment, and make great personal relationships with their peers. Rabblerousers with significant experience in organizing, new media, data & technology are encouraged to apply.

The deadline to apply is April 30th, so the clock is ticking. Apply today!

Alumni of BootCamp have gone on to serve as field organizers, new media and executive directors for organizations like Organizing for America, SEIU, GetEQUAL, the ONE Campaign, the Ruckus Society, The League of Young Voters, Color of Change, MoveOn, NRDC, and many, many others. You can email jessica@neworganizing.org for more information.

Yesterday students from across the state of New Jersey walked out of their classes and descended upon Newark to protest Republican Gov. Chris Christie's education budget cuts.

The walkout and protest grew organically from the online efforts of Michelle Ryan Lauto, a Pace University freshman who attended high school in New Jersey, who used Facebook to propose the action. Students then used these same online tools to organize their own individual schools and collaborate on strategy:

They also used Facebook to trade advice on contacting newspapers and television stations to publicize their rallies, while Lauto logged on to urge students to keep their protests peaceful.

(...)

In Newark, students also turned to Twitter and text messaging to coordinate a walkout of thousands of students at schools across the state’s largest city.

The incredible organizing effort impressed some school board members:

Newly minted school board member Shavar Jeffries was on hand to support the students' protest.

"I'm very proud of our kids for protesting in a peaceful, disciplined way," he said adding that while the students were enthusiastic they maintained order. "They're organized, they're disciplined, they're beautiful."

(...)

School board member Nakia White also expressed her admiration.

"I think the social activism among our youth is incredible," White said. "They're absolutely defying the myth of apathy and not caring, and they're standing up for what they believe in. They believe in education."

Throughout the country Millennials have been self-organizing using online and mobile tools, from the student protests in California, the immigration protests in Arizona, and yesterday in New Jersey. As Republican policies hit young Americans harder the efforts will only increase. This level of engagement is a positive sign for the Democratic Party, both because of the energy and organizing as well as the further inclination toward the Democrats in reaction to these Republican policies. Young voter enthusiasm may not be the problem for Democrats that some say it is.

The DFA Netroots Nation Scholarship Program holds a special place in the collective heart of the Future Majority team. In 2008 Sarah Burris was a recipient, and Michael Connery and I were selected in 2009.

Netroots Nation is an amazing experience, and Democracy for America has been providing opportunities for progressives across the country who may not otherwise be able to attend to share that experience.

The first round of the selection process is now underway, and progressives interested in applying should do so as soon as possible and start recruiting supporters. DFA is seeking to send a diverse delegation of talented progressives to Las Vegas this summer.

This scholarship program requires the financial support of the progressive community. You can make a big difference for a progressive organizer by donating to the scholarship fund.

This is one of the best talent development programs in the country for progressives, so whether you are interested in applying for a scholarship or investing in the program, the time is now.

Submit an application for a 2010 DFA Netroots Nation Scholarship

Donate to the Netroots Nation Scholarship Fund

The 6th Annual Campus Progress National Conference is coming up on July 7 and 8 in Washington, DC. The two-day will be attended by more than 1,200 young people from across the country.

Day 1 - Wednesday, July 7: See inspiring speeches, panels, performances, and take part in interactive discussions.

Day 2 - Thursday, July 8: Learn how to make your voice heard in your community and in the media and have the opportunity to engage Senate offices on issues that matter to you.

Space at the conference is limited, as are travel and housing scholarships, so you should apply as soon as possible if you are interested.

You can apply online at the Campus Progress website.

The Environmental Defense Action Fund has launched a Campus Video Challenge for student environmental groups.

The student environmental group that adds the most unique videos telling Senators to support climate legislation to their personal Take a Stand YouTube playlist by May 30th can earn up to $3,000 in grants for future projects.

The university groups that upload the most videos will win grants to support future activism. We know there are lots of demands on student's time, so this is our way of encouraging campus groups to get involved in this national movement. They may also have a chance to meet with their Senator's office to state their appeal in person!

* The group with the most videos will receive $3,000
* The group with the 2nd most videos will receive $1,500
* The next five groups with the most videos will receive $500

You can use the money to continue your activism however your group sees fit after the challenge is over. Your group could use the grant to:

* Organize an event to raise awareness of environmental issues
* Invite a guest speaker to give a talk at your campus
* Plan a field trip to visit a local NGO working on environmental issues
* Have a t-shirt design contest and print the winning design

You must upload a minimum of 100 videos to be eligible for a grant. This is just a minimum - we expect the top winning groups to upload many more.

You can learn more about the challenge at edf.org/takeastand and become a fan of the challenge on Facebook.

The Economic Policy Institute has released a new briefing paper entitled "The Kids Aren't Alright: A Labor Market Analysis of Young Workers." (Seriously though, that Kids Aren't Alright line is getting way overused). Despite the uninspired title, there is a lot of interesting information in this analysis.

Young adults have faced the highest unemployment rate on record (since 1948) with workers 16 to 24 peaking at 19.2% last September. Especially interesting is the sub-demographic breakdown:

The difference between male and female unemployment rates for 16-24 year olds started 2010 at 7.5 percentage points; young men have a rate for 22.5% and young women 15.0%. This is the largest gap between men and women in any age group—the difference for 25-54 year olds is 1.7 points, and for workers 55 and older it is 1.4 points. The disparities between the unemployment rates of white, black, and Hispanic young workers are also stark. Black 16-24 year-old workers had the highest rate, starting 2010 at 32.5%, followed by Hispanics (24.2%), and then whites (15.2%). However, it is 16-24 year-old Hispanics workers who saw the largest increase in
unemployment (13.2 percentage points), compared to their black (10.7 percentage points) or white (8.2 percentage points) counterparts.

I would like to see further study at some point as to why the sub-demographic differences are so dramatically starker with young workers than other age groups. This has serious consequences:

Because rates of unemployment for minorities have risen faster than for whites, the recession has exacerbated existing racial disparities among young adult workers.

The report reveals other significant statistics:

• One in every four unemployed persons in America is under
  the age of 25.
• Half of unemployed young workers have been unemployed for more than 15 weeks.
• If all those young workers who left the labor market (and have stopped looking for work) were counted as unemployed, the unemployment rate for 16-24-year-old workers would be 23.9%.

The analysis portrays a dark image of the youth employment environment, with young workers left behind as older Americans come out of retirement to rejoin the workforce. The 10 page report is worth a read and should cause us to seriously look at unemployment from a youth lens.

The Republic National Committee has added a new tool to its arsenal in the high-stakes battle for the lifetime allegiance of Millennial voters. FarmVille, a popular Facebook application game with over 80 million monthly users, allows players to "grow delicious fruits and vegetables and raise adorable animals on your very own farm!"

The RNC is hoping to capitalize on the "neighbors" component of the game. Neighbors, who are friends and contacts who connect with each other through the game, allow players to level up faster and accumulate more plants, animals, and decorations for their farm. The idea is to turn their FarmVille neighbors into fans of the RNC Facebook page as a foot-in-the-door to more meaningful outreach and participation.

The official RNC Farmville account will be managed by staffers within the organization's new media department. A video explaining the new program has been posted to YouTube.

Come on Democrats, you let the RNC beat you to FarmVille. You have to at least try for Mafia Wars.