Hey Nation, Your Gaps are Growing

CNN exit polls of the 2008 Presidential election indicate that a certain voting “gap” was in fact larger than in the 2004 Presidential race: the generation gap. According to the Gapology article we read this week, the generation gap did not play a critical role in the 2004 election between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, resulting in a difference of only 2.2% more voters younger than forty casting their ballots for the Democrat. To me, and many others I’m sure, this gap is strikingly small. Most view the Republican Party as that of the old and the rich. With only 2.2% more of the younger vote going to the Democrat however, it can be seen that perhaps the GOP, at least in 2004, had something to offer young voters.

In the 2008 race, however, the story was drastically different. According to the CNN exit poll, of voters between the ages of 18 and 24, 68% voted for Barack Obama, while only 30% voted for John McCain. That’s a difference of nearly 40%! In terms of voters between ages 25 and 29, some 69% voted for Obama, while only 29% voted for McCain. Again we see a 40% difference between the two candidates. The figures are closer amongst voters aged 30-44, with 52% voting for the Democrat and 46% for the Republican, but the difference is still significant. In fact, the only age group that voted in favor of Sen. McCain was those voters aged 65+.

Another interesting facet of the 2008 race was that high income voters (those who claim to make $100,000+ per year) voted in favor of Sen. Obama by a margin of 52% to 47%. This statistic is striking because it calls into question the old stereotype of the “fat-cat” Republican, and presents a possible shift in America’s political landscape. These exit polls help to elucidate the evolution of America’s political attitudes in the short period between 2004 and 2008. More young voters are becoming involved and electing Democratic candidates, a clear sign that they have grown tired of the policies of the Bush regime and those associated with it. The same is occurring amongst the wealthy, which is perhaps an even greater indication of the Nation’s unrest, because let’s face it, it takes a lot of injustice for wealthy Republicans to become disillusioned with their party.