Rock the Vote Gets Neither Voters Nor Dollars

"Rock the Vote", the MTV Democratic front organization which was designed to "empower" youthful voters and register them as Democrats, is sinking under the weight of financial mismanagement:

For more than a decade, the youth-and-civics group Rock the Vote has been the coolest kid on the political playground.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1990 with the goal of politically empowering the MTV generation, Rock the Vote quickly became a cause celebre among Democratic and entertainment power brokers. At rock concerts, on college campuses and with ads featuring a near-naked Madonna, the group helped register millions of young voters.

But as it moves into its 16th year, Rock the Vote itself is being rocked by crisis.

Saddled with about $700,000 in debt, the group has cut its staff from more than 20 people in 2004 to just two today. Its president, who left last summer amid disagreement about the organization's direction, has yet to be replaced. And last month, Rock the Vote was sued for the second time in just eight months.

Fred Goldring, a music attorney and chairman of Rock the Vote's board, says dwindling donations are to blame.

[...]

But lackluster fundraising is just one of Rock the Vote's problems. The organization has typically recruited young executives who embodied its mission. But according to more than half a dozen people familiar with the situation, Rock the Vote's staff did not have the business acumen to manage a large nonprofit.

The all-powerful youth vote was supposed to be inspired by efforts like "Rock the Vote" and turn out in record numbers in 2004. In fact, the voter registration efforts had little effect on the youth turnout at all. They were no more inspired by John Kerry than they had been by Al Gore.

The reality is, most of the kids attracted to "Rock the Vote" couldn't find Washington D.C. if you set them down on the National Mall (they'd probably ask the first person they saw where the Old Navy was). In addition, none of them have any money, so their target audience was the very group of people who could help them the least financially. A brilliant marketing plan.

I believe it was a "Rock the Vote" event in which Bill Clinton was asked the famous "boxers or briefs" question. I guess in the future we'll have to hope some mainstream journalist will ask that all important question of future nominees.