Idle Youth Vote

THERE’S an old story of an ancient bureaucrat at the British Foreign Office who, after working from 1903 to 1950, reminisced that “year after year the worriers and fretters would come to me with awful predictions of the outbreak of war. I denied it each time. I was wrong only twice.”

Well, I’m waiting to be wrong even once about the youth vote. Admittedly, I haven’t been at my desk for half a century, but every four years I’m told that this year will be different, this year the vote-rockers will do that voodoo they’ve never done well, and-this time!-they’ll sweep a progressive, youth-oriented, Generation-XYZ-friendly guy into office.

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Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg is a National Review contributing editor.

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THERE’S an old story of an ancient bureaucrat at the British Foreign Office who, after working from 1903 to 1950, reminisced that “year after year the worriers and fretters would come to me with awful predictions of the outbreak of war. I denied it each time. I was wrong only twice.”

Well, I’m waiting to be wrong even once about the youth vote. Admittedly, I haven’t been at my desk for half a century, but every four years I’m told that this year will be different, this year the vote-rockers will do that voodoo they’ve never done well, and-this time!-they’ll sweep a progressive, youth-oriented, Generation-XYZ-friendly guy into office.