“It takes irony to appreciate the joke which is on oneself,” Jessamyn West once said. Hopefully, President Obama can take West’s words to heart since, ironically, it's the Administration that's becoming the object of scorn due to the new health care law.
During the 2008 presidential elections, Obama reeled in two-thirds of the votes cast by young adults. It’s true he gave impressive speeches and highlighted issues of particular concern to young adults while campaigning. The media was quick to mold him and his leading lady into fashionable icons, which appealed to the youth. However, if you speak with these same young voters today, the flashy Obama image has lost much of its appeal. One reason for his fading stardom: his healthcare reform, which will impose major costs on the younger generation.
The Harvard Institute of Politics reports that 53 percent of 18-29 year olds currently disapprove of the President's health care plan (compared to 44 percent who approve). This contributes to the overall drop in support for the President among this once loyal group. The Gallup Institute reports that in 2008, 74% of 18-29 year olds approved of Obama’s work, but as of June 24, this percentage dropped to 56%.
Part of the reason that so many young Americans have become critical of President Obama is that his policies clash with the core attributes of the generation. The 18-29 year old age group, aka the “Millenials,” is known for being entrepreneurial, libertarian, impatient and skeptical of the government. They want to see economic results here and now. As the polling company’s Kellyanne Conway said at a Cato Campus panel discussion in June, Obama’s “one-size fits all” healthcare model simply does not fit the shape of today’s Millenials. Even those who bought into the concept of government-run healthcare are today tapping their feet in frustration and asking “Where is it?!”
Another trait of the generation is its savvy. While the details of the law are complicated, 18-29 year olds understand how the key elements work and will affect them. As Conway put it during the same panel discussion, “Young people did not look at [Obamacare] anecdotally, but economically.” Price controls and individual mandates are designed to push more people – particularly young people – into the system. T