Republican Support Plummeting Among Youth

As the GOP candidates consider dropping out of the September YouTube debate (a bad idea as I point out here), a report comes out that shows that today's youth don't think much of the GOP (from Political Wire):

A new Democracy Corps/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner survey finds young people "profoundly alienated from the Republican party and its perceived values."

Key finding: "Young people react with hostility to the Republicans on almost every measure and Republicans and younger voters disagree on almost every major issue of the day."

In the presidential race, "both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lead Rudy Giuliani -- the most acceptable of the Republican offerings among youth -- by significant margins. The President's standing is substantially worse, to the degree that is possible, than we find in the broader electorate. Moreover, the disconnect we see between the Republicans and our nation's youth runs so deep, that it likely will not only outlive the Bush administration, but potentially haunt the Republicans for many years to come."

Complete survey results are available.

If you want to reach the youth vote, you've got to talk to them where they live, and that's why the YouTube debate could be useful. Skipping it will just reinforce the notion that Republicans have nothing to offer younger voters.

UPDATE: Some Republicans have started SaveTheDebate.com to convince the GOP not to abandon the YouTube debate. Good idea. You can sign the petition below.