Re: [sixties-l] Critique of Bruce Franklin

From: John Andrew (J_Andrew@acad.fandm.edu)
Date: 10/25/00

  • Next message: Bill Mandel: "Re: [sixties-l] Critique of Bruce Franklin"

    >All opinion polls and anti-war demonstrations aside, no one has mentioned
    >what effect lowering the voting age to 18 may have influenced Vietnam war
    >policy in particular, and the political landscape in general. I tend to
    >believe that most protest demonstrations (then, as well as now) have little
    >effect on the political establishment unless it accompanies a tangible
    >voting constituency. I'm no political consultant, but I know how
    >politicians think. As long as they get their votes, they can ignore
    >everything else, in spite of what they might say about being "sensitive to
    >the issues."
    >
    >Chris Shugart
    
    True enough, but didn't 18 year olds first get to vote in the 1972
    election? And how did that turn out?!! Data since then indicates clearly
    that 18-24 year olds simply do not vote in any substantial numbers - They
    are, I believe, the lowest voting cohort in the US.
    John Andrew
    
    John Andrew                               email: J_ANDREW@ACAD.FANDM.EDU
    Department of History                     fax 717-399-4518
    Franklin and Marshall College
    Lancaster, PA. 17604-3003
    
    "Fantasy Will Set You Free" - Steppenwolf
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : 10/25/00 EDT