So what is a politician or campaign to do if they don’t wish to end up on the Mubarak side of a metaphorical Tahrir Square come election season?
Realize that Occupy Wall St. is a real movement with real power to vote: Start by acknowledging their significance—publicly. These protestors hold real power to sway close elections next year using social media to motivate their friends and other supporters to act as a cohesive force to oust representatives they see as appeasing the needs of corporations over their constituents.
Watch for obscure candidates to gain favor among Occupy Wall St. voters and potentially usurp more established candidates. Remember, although they have traditionally been disillusioned by the political process, Gen Y still represents the largest section of the population at 95 million people.
Align your campaign with Occupy Wall St. values: The fluid nature of the movement can actually work to the benefit of many campaigns, because they can pick which value they want to support.
The most important consideration is authenticity. Young voters have a naturally higher disdain for being sold a line by a politician than older voters. This is a by-product of having grown up in a world that constantly inundates them with superficial advertising statements. To truly reach them and change minds, your dedication must be genuine and you must be prepared to back up your promises with an actual game plan.
Leverage social media: If you want to ensure this group is hearing from your campaign, communicate often and smartly through social media channels. The political conversation with this generation has moved to communities online. Whether you like it or not, that’s where young voters will be discussing your campaign, so you need to be part of the conversation.
Remember, social media isn’t a digital soapbox. It’s a tool for engaging in actual dialogue with your constituents.
Perhaps most importantly, Occupy Wall St. needs to serve as a wake-up call that the current direction of our political discourse is not sustainable. Deregulation made as penance to campaign donors have long-term social ramifications. The rate at which we have increased the social stratification in this country has been dizzying.
The lack of articulation of Occupy Wall St. doesn’t mean they don’t have an increasingly valid point. The countries in the world with the greatest conflicts are not the one with the poorest population, but rather the ones with the greatest gap between their rich and their poor.
The road to long-term political viability is not characterized by abolishing the middle class and ignoring young voters. Therefore, it’s not a matter of if campaigns need to start acknowledging Occupy Wall St, but when.
Aiden Livingston is the President of rEvolutionary Media, the world’s only youth engagement political consulting firm. www.rEvolutionaryMediaNYC.com
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Comments
GOPCampaigner / Oct 18 2011
Wow. This is the worst, worst, worst idea ever. In what area/district would this micro-strategy ever work? I'm thinking, if you're running in a district solely composed of liberal professors and college students, you might have a thin chance of scraping by in an election, if it's THIS November.
As a 'youth engagement political consulting firm,' you can't deny the statistics that have said for decades that young people don't vote. (I'd post a link but I don't think this site accepts comments with links, sorry, maybe I can repost on my blog) Don't get me wrong, I used to think we were on an upswing ten years ago, I even did an in-depth study citing valid statistics, but time has proven that that's just not the case.
Additionally, the Gen Y'ers - the proper term is Millennials, or Millennial Generation, by the way - are graduating college and many have been in the workforce (or not) for 5-10 years now. They are PAYING TAXES and therefore have a much deeper level of understanding of how important smaller government and lower taxes are to improving the economy.
It's ridiculous to make a comparison between the revolution of the Middle East, in which there is legitimate and serious oppression being felt, and a group of protesters made up primarily of young adults who are still living at home with their enabling parents complaining that they aren't being handed everything anymore.
I would NOT recommend that any serious candidate for office, Republican or Democrat, touch this issue with a ten foot poll. For the vast majority of candidates (state and local), it should not be an issue at all - deal with your local politics. For national campaigns, this protest will fizzle long before November 2012, so you really don't want to hitch your wagon to that horse. It won't sustain an entire campaign.
Matt / Oct 18 2011
I agree 100% with GOPCampaigner. What kind of idiot candidate throws his lot in with a group that tolerates the rampant drug use, hedonism, and public nudity/urination/defecation? At a time when Americans are yearning for responsible adult leadership, this is exactly the wrong advice to follow.
This New York based consultant should take a trip downtown and see what he's advising candidates to support. After taking a trip to see (and smell) this firsthand, I can confidently say that it's a public health disaster and I hope the mayor grows a set and shuts this thing down before someone dies.
I sense that this "consultant" is just an OWS fellow-traveler and is giving "advice" in a weak attempt to get their proto-fascist ideas accepted by mainstream politicians. Do not follow his advice.