The Youth Vote
When I was in the third grade my mother dressed me up in a bunch of Goldwater gear and sent me off to school on election day. I was the only kid in my class who wasn't dressed up for Johnson. Maybe that's the real reason I became a Democrat when my parents are hard core Republicans --- the early childhood trauma of being a political minority. (Little did I know...)
But, it does illustrate the fact that little kids "vote" like their parents when they are polled. And that has been shown to be true for years. Matt Stoller on MYDD sez that the Nickelodeon poll has some good news for us:
Kids Choose Wisely
A strong majority of American children support Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry over President George W. Bush in the election less than two weeks away, according to an online poll released Wednesday by Nickelodeon cable channel.
Children have always picked the winner since the popular channel aimed at kids began conducted the poll in 1988. In 2000, they backed Bush with 55 percent.
Some 400,000 children responded to the poll, and 57 percent backed Kerry against 43 percent for Bush.
"The `Kids' Vote' seems to work as a good barometer of the actual presidential vote because, developmentally, kids between the ages of 2 and 11 share the same opinions and outlooks as their parents," said Cyma Zarghami, president of the television channel, part of Viacom International.
I don't see any reason why children would choose Bush over Gore in 2000 and then Kerry over Bush in 2004 except that their parents' preferences have changed. It's not like Nickelodeon has gone on an anti-Bush tear.
I don't know about that, Matt. SpongeBob Squarepants is a total freak for Michael Moore.