As a young voter, I have a similar reaction to the presidential election as many: “I’m supporting Sanders but if Clinton wins the nomination, of course I’ll vote for her.” Why is it then that so many young voters are not “feeling the cHILL” (Secretary Clinton, if you use that slogan please let me know)? And she certainly is doing badly with millennials, as was highlighted in Iowa and New Hampshire.
There are many reasons why I’m not thriHILLed with her. Is it because I think she represents big businesses as opposed to the regular working American? That’s part of it. Is it because she treated a black lives matter protester terribly at a fundraiser that she paid to get into? That’s also a reason. This isn’t an article that’s going to highlight every policy or occurrence involving Hillary that is controversial-- rather, I want to address an issue that I think alienates her from many millennials.
She tries too hard to pander to millennials.
And this is a common complaint! There are certainly others who have commented on her behavior. Some believe that the backlash against Hillary because of her attempts to be “hip” is a sign of sexism. Bernie is considered “cool” while Hillary, a woman, is “trying too hard”. While there may be a little truth in that, and it is true that Hillary has been faced with sexism in her campaign, I don’t think that’s the problem. As a millennial, it can often feel like she’s treating me like a child. That has nothing to do with her gender.
Do I speak for all millennials? Certainly not. I know many younger voters who have many reasons for disliking Clinton. I also know many younger voters who love Hillary. I know people who think that Hillary’s attempts in “getting in touch” with the younger voters is "cute." That’s fine if you feel that way. However, for Hillary, it doesn’t seem to be working that well.
We are adults (as scary as that might be!). We are able to make decisions logically, rationally, and correctly. For many people, this is their first time voting. However, that doesn’t mean we’re ignorant of politics-- after all, it has shaped our whole lives, and will continue shaping our future. There may be some young voters who know nothing about politics, but it’s easy to say that about older voters as well.
We are adults, so please treat us that way. Many of us aren’t going to be voting for the candidate who we think is the “coolest” (although many millennials have been placing Sanders in that position). We are adults, so please try to appeal to us with things that matter. Don’t think dabbing on Ellen will grant us your vote. Don’t think that referencing our generation’s notable musicians will make us overlook your policies. Don’t assume that being “technologically adept” (if you can call it that) is going to make us forget that you’re running a campaign for the most powerful seat in the United States.
Appeal to us politically. That is why Bernie is doing so well. Not because he’s dancing on public television, but because we connect with his policies. We are a generation that is racked with student debt. We are the generation that has been hurt by the widening financial gap between the middle class and the top 1%. We follow Bernie because he is addressing issues that affect us daily, not because he is "hip."
Hillary may be taking this advice to heart. We have seen her sounding more and more like Bernie. SNL recently did a skit that hilariously (but accurately) highlights Clinton’s attempts to reach through to millennials by adopting some of the language of Sanders. However, this shouldn’t concern you. Trevor Noah sums it up concisely in his segment on the Daily Show “...well, don’t you want her to steal his ideas? Because either way, Bernie wins.” As long as Hillary actually intends to go through with these promises, perhaps we’re seeing a good change in her. There is still a small part of me that wonders if this is just another attempt at appealing to younger voters, and the moment she enters office she’ll shout “Just kidding! Go Wallstreet! No takebacks!”
We will have to see how things progress in the rest of the primaries. One can only hope that Hillary has begun to take notes from Bernie as his campaign continues to succeed. Perhaps then more younger voters will be content with voting for her during the general election.
