Youth Are the Future. Are We Ready?

When asked what gives me hope about the future, I invariably respond that this country's youth gives me confidence. The younger generations are much more comfortable with diversity, including sexual and gender diversity and racial complexities. Of course, being young, they are less tied to conventional wisdom and are open to questioning what we take for granted. The certainties about how society works that we grew up with are open to re-evaluation. All this is good.

 Just because we are counting on the youth does not mean they are counting on us.

 Misty Muchlinski knows this. That is why is she is leading the Benton County Democrats in figuring out how to reach young voters and actually doing it. Let’s learn from her and share our hopes – and fears – about where our young people are leading us. Here is the conversation we shared on March 7.

 The stakes of engaging youth are high. Democrats need to get this right. Youth are impatient; they are untethered from the complications that have schooled us older folks to patience and half loaves.

 And just what are these “complications”? We need to talk about them. I think that process is a big one. How you go about governing is important. In a democracy, this means that you talk to people, you make your case, and you build a winning coalition out of passionate factions, with everyone giving at least a little. You have to be peculiar to get satisfaction from a win born of compromise. But there it is.

 How do we reach out to young people with the promise, not of quick policy victories but with the prospect of being satisfied with the process and compromise? By taking them seriously. By making our persuasive pitch to a passionate faction. By compromise.

Don Schwerin is the Chair of the Ag and Rural Caucus of the Washington State Democrats. He is a former State Committee Person for the Walla Walla County Democrats.