CNN Gets it Wrong Wrong Wrong... Again

Mike posted the quick link for this piece but I wanted to go through and talk about all of the points that Carol Costello raises.

But first let me say that I am so exhausted from this kind of crap. It is so ridiculous that today reporters won't use the valid information they can get from a simple google search. There is no excuse for this kind of reckless journalism. It makes me think that perhaps it isn't that they get it wrong its that they WANT to report a specific story about young people and they want to fit the research to that story.

I can see why Republicans would want to do this as much as possible because suppressing the youth vote means more success for them. Which is why you saw it for the city elections in Georgia.

What a lot of people don't understand is that when you get stats like this wrong - it impacts campaigns, consultants, and candidates. It makes them think that they should not be targeting young people.

When they don't target young people they don't get young people to go out and vote.. so it perpetuates the fallacy.

Further it makes candidates have to get more republicans to vote for them which influences their policy. So basically, they have to be more conservative in their votes and the bills they push because they think that is representative of their district... when in reality... it might not be.

These things impact us at levels that go beyond turnout and elections it goes to the very laws that we are passing and the votes cast in Congress.

So here we go:

Carol Costello: "It seems like Americas Youth has a loud voice when it comes to Presidential Politics

We do. See Rock the Vote, MTVs Choose or Lose, Forward Montana, New Era Colorado, The Young Democrats of America, Traction in North Carolina, the League of Young Voters, the Oregon Bus Project, the Washington Bus, the Roosevelt Institute, the Democracy Institute of America, or the zillions of other organizations that work to get young people involved.

Carol Costello: "Republican outsider Ron Paul has a lot of young fans. And many have been so creatively effective online they've parlayed passion into cold hard cash for Paul's campaign and helped raise his profile. That's Power!"

She says this like its new. Hello... see Howard Dean... see Al Gore's Live Earth Concert.

Carol Costello: "But Ron Paul aside, the Democrats boast they have they have youth on their side...." then they run b-roll of Howard Dean quoting youth statistics.

Our candidates do tend to be younger than the 800 year old white men who are running on the Republican ticket. But dangling modifier aside.... something tells me that wasn't what she meant.

Read more.... then EMAIL CNN!

Democrats do have youth on their side.
See the Present for Democrats(pdf) page 7:

"More than 20.1million voters under 30 participated in the 2004 Presidential election, 4.3 million more than in 2000. According to the US Census, voter turnout for 18-24 year olds was 11% higher in 2004 than in 2000. That is the largest increase in voter participation of any group. and voter turnout for 25-29 year olds was 8% higher in 2004 than 2000. Young voters turned out in even higher numbers in the ten most contested battleground states, at a rate of 13% higher than in 2000.

Not only did young people vote in record numbers, they also voted for Democrats. In fact, 54% of 18-29 year olds voted for Kerry, while the majority of every other age group voted for Bush..."

New Rock the Vote poll:

"When asked with which political party they identify, 32-42% identify as Republican or Republican-leaning and 37-49% identify as Democratic or Democratic-leaning. (RT Strategies, Democracy Corps, Rasmussen)"

Carol Costello continues:

"Democrats have actively pursued the youth vote by trying to speak their language" then it shoes b-roll of Hillary shaking hands with young people on a stage, Obama talking about Will Smith and how his ears match his own.

I hate when people assume that you have to talk about Will Smith to get our attention or that this is what has our attention. Its not name dropping or pop culture references - we can actually grasp complex issues - which is why the concerns of our generation are similar to the concerns of pretty much every American right now. Iraq, jobs/economy, health care... etc....

Carol Costello: "And youth has responded... but who cares?"

Well... um... evidently the people who benefit from the young people responding in droves....

Carol Costello continues (Bad Statistic Warning): "Historically, young people, despite their splashy shows of enthusiasm do not vote."

Then some old dude named Larry Sabato (which you can find here) says "They're still not voting nearly at their level of the population. The voting population is dominated by those who are age 50 and over." Then Carol quotes bad statistics: "Take 2006. There were 50 million people 18-29." (please note the source is a U. of Virginia Community Survey) "Experts at the University of Virginia estimate that about 7million voted. Fewer than 1 in 5. Kind of pathetic."

Ok... lets look at that compared to 1. Everyone else and 2. Trends and 3. Other numbers than theirs.

1. America had a fairly low turnout in 2006. Larger than usual, but still just barely over 40%. That is... kinda pathetic. For the whole country. When you compare an off season election to a midterm election you're just reckless in your stats because its two different kinds of elections. Turnout in 2006 is nothing like it was in 2000 nor will it be anything like it will be in 2008. So basically ... 2 in 5 Americans vote... so... wow... there ya go

2. Fact: We DO vote. And... we vote more than old people do according to CNN's own stats

Does that mean that the AARP is wasting their time too?

3. See CIRCLE (pdf)for good numbers and a good analysis of 2006 data that puts things in proper prospective.

FURTHER ....
Fact: Millennials are on the rise in both population and in votes. We impact elections... ask John Tester.

FACT: But, young people are totally screwed more disproportionately than any other age bracket. How? Because we are a transient group so we encounter things like having to re-register which if we don't realize until election day generally means we have to vote provisional or we just get screwed by an ignorant poll worker. Hence Forward Montana's Pink Bunny Campaign

Secondly, we are constantly faced with long long long lines on college campuses who don't have enough polling places. See Source

Thirdly, we're now being attacked and supressed by candidates who don't want us to vote: source

Fourth, we constantly encounter STUPID REPORTERS WHO SAY WE DON'T MATTER!!

My assumption is that if you fixed all of these things and made it easier for young people to vote... indeed all people to vote, you'd see a MASSIVE increase in voting... which again, is not what republicans want.

If a reporter on CNN can't get valid data about the youth vote by a simple google search you have to wonder what else they are completely screwing up.

But Wait... there is more....

Carol Costello: "We took our cameras to New York University because of a poll done by the journalism department. We asked if students would give up their right to vote forever if their tuition would be paid...." then it goes through and asks students and they all say yes.

Wow... I want to see a stat for all of America that asks if we give you $100,000 not to vote for the rest of your life would they do it. Cause my guess is ... that 50% or more would say yes.

If you ask students, who are more plagued by economic instability if you'll give them cash for anything they'll probably say yes. Because a majority of college kids are in debt up to their eyeballs. See blog here

Costello goes on to say that the youth vote isn't all that - and that Sabato dude says that young people bring enthusiasm to a campaign...

So lets talk about monetary values: I mean of the 700 Obama college chapters lets say there are 2 people working at least 5-10 hours a week on Obama stuff - that's 7,000 to 14,000 hours of work being done a week. Taking minimum wage and applying that you get $41,000 to $82,000 per week - that's over $325,000 a month.

She finishes the piece by saying that its worth it to recruit young people... just not necessarily for their votes.

Seriously?? wow... what an idiot. Bad reporter... no cookie.

Email CNN or Carol Costello here