How can the GOP (Republicans) attract young voters?

Why try to go after the young vote??? Didn't help Kerry.

Anyone under 30 who is not liberal doesn't have a heart.

Anyone over 30 who is not Conservative doesn't have a brain.

The ones that want to be with us are with us because you don't just turn 18 and then suddenly get the voting bug... It happens much younger around 13 or 14 and they form their own opinions around the hot topic at the time.

I don't know what kind of disturbed relationship you had with your grandfather but I'd kill for mine to be a alive and run for the presidency. He'd be the best thing this country has ever seen.

As for the name calling, thats a relationship thing. My bf calls me retarded because i can't walk right sometimes due to a car accident, then I call him a hobbit because he has wide really hairy feet. I even went as far as calling him a nazi because of his family's past, he got so mad we had the best sex ever.

I may not be a McCain supporter, but I think jokes on his age go too far. His age is not a reason to not support him. I don't support him due to his stance on the issue.

But back to your question. mcCain may- keyword: May- be able to attract some young voters due to his willingness to reach out to both sides. His bipartisanship has attracted independents and well his past of working with both sides will attract people of all ages.

That said, I doubt he will attract many young voters. many young voters are more liberal, likely to vote Democrat, and will choose Obama or Clinton over McCain.

McCain will mainly get the votes of more conservative young people, but that group is smaller and won't be as much as the young people who will go for Obama.

Also, in 2004, young people went for Kerry by a large margin. I won't be surprised to see this happening again. They will vote Democrat, and there could be more young turnout this year. So that will not be good for McCain.

Actually, John McCain did have the support of a lot of young voters back in 2000. But they were outvoted by the party faithful, who sided with Bush.

Now the problem is Obama. Obama has a belief and value system that is much closer to that of younger individuals. In truth, a lot of the problem for attracting young voters for both Clinton and the Republicans (not really McCain) is their unwillingness to compromise and negotiate.

Hilary Clinton is a product of the 60's. A time when it was believed it was necessary to fight, to rebel. There was to be no compromise, they were going to change the world. The Republican party responded by latching on to their values as a base; to withstand the "attack" of the liberal ideals of the 60's. They were trying to provide a cover from the storm in both religion and in economic stability. And our politics have shown this conflict since the 60's.

John McCain has been willing to compromise, to work things out rather than fight for his side in a winner-take-all style. And it has helped him with young voters. But what hurts him with young voters is that he hasn't maintained this style in dealing in foreign policy. He is more hardline in foreign policy than even Bush himself.

Obama, on the other hand, has been for compromise. At least in his speeches. Not everyone believes he'll reach across the aisle; many do, many don't. But his message of bringing people together in a community of open communication speaks to the values of the upcoming youth population. Obama is gaining young voters in this way; and taking them away from McCain.

Republicans have trouble getting young voters mainly because of the Religious Right. The Religious Right has presented a God that accepts nothing; no deviation at all from their own point of view. This version of God does not fit with the beliefs and values of this generation. It also doesn't help that the GOP seems to represent big business.

They do so with the idea that big business helps everyone as providers of jobs. But what big business looks like to young voters is the hallmark of greed and abuse of power. They do not trust the style of big business; its too winner-take-all in its style as well. So with the Religious Right on one side presenting such a "tyrannical" version of God, and business on the other side presenting greed, its easy to see that young voters would abandon the Republicans who seem to represent both.

Add-on:

This is no rant. Image is important, especially in campaigns for the Presidency. You seem to think McCain is losing support because he is old. I disagree.

McCain had and does still have big support among young voters. Obama has more. If young people could choose both, they probably would. But they are allowed to choose only one; and they are siding with Obama. And that is because Obama's image fits in better with their overall ideologies than McCain's image.

But in places where young people are when they hear the messages, like colleges or even like shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (everyone knows these audiences are the young who are gaining interest in the world around them), McCain still has very, very strong support. Just not as strong as Obama's.

They like McCain, they like Obama more.

Republicans don't need to worry. Young voters get jobs eventually. Then they get better jobs after working hard. Then they start families and see that they really are Republicans.

Question is.....how do the democrats keep those young voters from growing up and becoming Republicans?

By acting "young", quit exporting jobs to China,and India, make college education affordable. Take care of the environment.

Those are some of the things that comes to mind

You sound a lot like an anti-oldpeople-ite. So what if he was around during Lincolns first term. So what if he wears depends. So what if he is not allowed to drive in 34 states. BTW they have medicine to control Alzheimer's.

i guess he could try to preach the "glory of war" and get young americans excited about enlisting, like what has happened in earlier wars in american history.

i am an obama supporter, and i despise mccain, so i hope he doesn't attract enough dumb people to win. once i saw a t-shirt that said "never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups" this shirt probably doesn't know how right it was. bush is president, and that is the work of a bunch of stupid people. and if mccain is president it will be the work of more stupid people

Hopefully the gop will attract all voters if Obama is the dem nom.

well attracting new voters would take work and a good stragety and campaign that appealed to them .