Posted on 05/09/2015 11:06:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Republican Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul was in San Francisco Saturday to speak about "Disrupting Democracy" in an attempt to woo Millenials and the Silicon Valley crowd.
Paul took questions about net neutrality, NSA surveillance and Millennial voters during the discussion, formally titled "Disrupting Democracy: A New Generation of Voter Engagement." The event was co-hosted by Lincoln Labs, a Libertarian-leaning "technology and policy think tank" and Brigade, billionaire Sean Parker's civic engagement startup. Brigade's CEO Matt Mahan also joined the conversation along with the San Francisco Chronicle's political reporter Carla Marinucci.
"Some people might be thinking what the hell is a Republican doing in San Francisco," Paul said to chuckles from a packed house at the shared incubator workspace StartupHouse at 934 Howard St. Paul opened a "tech hub" at StartupHouse Saturday to boost his campaign's presence in Silicon Valley, the first 2016 presidential candidate to do so.
Paul and Mahan discussed strategies to increase voter engagement among Americans, particularly Millennials — an elusive group that's attractive to Republicans and Democrats alike.
"I think young people are looking for something genuine," Paul said. "You need to go where young kids are." Paul said his campaign will be aggressively using social media to reach out to young people during what is already being dubbed as the "Periscope election." "We use Snapchat more than anybody else," he said, without going into any specific social media plans ("I'd have to kill you first," he quipped when asked about it).
An article in Vox last year observed that even though Millenials may be missing from the polls, their tweets, texts and hashtags indicate they are paying attention.
“Millennials are better informed, better connected and more exposed to news” than their parents, Mahan told the Chronicle in an earlier interview, but added that there’s “a skepticism or even a cynicism problem" because many Millennials doubt “their vote is relevant or impactful.”
The 2014 midterm election marked the lowest voter participation since the 1940s, but Brigade's leaders say advances in social technologies can reverse the trend. "Disruptive new technologies and candidates are going to make our government better," Mahan said.
“Millennials are better informed, better connected and more exposed to news” than their parents//
My nephews and nieces and their friends don’t seem better informed. Hard to believe, but they seem like clones popped out by a liberal factory.
With all the access to conservative outlets nowadays, I don’t understand the one sidedness.
“Millennials are better informed”
Yeah, about the Kardashians, American Idol and a host of other completely-useless knowledge bits.
In regards to what’s happening to their country, most don’t have the first clue.
Because all their teachers, the role models they see a large portion of the day, are that way. They are also young. And young means dumb for a whole.lot of people.
I was pretty dumb but always conservative :) Never THAT dumb
You and me both! Although there was a time that I was much more leftist in my thinking, when I wasn’t apathetic. Then, I was kicked into the real world.
I don’t remember ever being anything but conservative. But I’ve seen things in life that have given me compassion. Not that nonsensical compassionate conservative that Bush talked about, but the realization that life can sometimes get relay out of control and you need help. But NEVER forever!! unless it’s a terminal or chronic illness.
I think I was more hard hearted in my youth. not softie now, lol, but not as much hard as then
Yes, they are really connected to their Twitter feeds, and their cell phone apps. My father had read the entire Cambridge Encyclopedia of History by the time he was 19. Today’s kids know how to use the app that tells them how soon the next bus will arrive. Progress?
“Millennials are better informed, better connected and more exposed to news”....
***
That is a ridiculous comment.
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