If We're Depending On An Obtuse Breed Of Millennial Women To Flip The House in November, We Might As Well Pack It In

Millennial "genius" Rachel Funchess brushing her teeth with charcoal tooth powder (WSJ, Aug. 13). If we're depending on young Millennials like this to flip the GOP House in November, were screwed.


It appears young Millennial women, the type who are least likely to vote in any election, are on to a new kick: brushing their teeth with charcoal powder to "enhance whiteness." As CBS co-anchor Bianna Golodryga said yesterday morning in a segment on the practice: "Well, the joke's on them".    Indeed it is. According to a consumer adviser from the American Dental Association, quoted yesterday in the Wall Street Journal's piece on the craze:

"It may whiten teeth in the short run, but will eventually wear into the dentin."  (The dentin is the next layer below the enamel)

Anyone for ghoulish vampire teeth?  Anyone?  Well, what about the even more ghoulish voting tendencies of the young and undone - who appear to have no remote clue? That is, no more clue about the impact of not voting on their civic health than using an abrasive,  like powdered charcoal,  has on their dental health.

According to a CBSNews -Refinery29 poll reported yesterday morning, a full 70 percent of young women (ca. Millennial age or 18 - 35) are "dissatisfied and angry about the Trump presidency".  Now, normally for such an outraged demographic the action would be clear: vote to get him out, ultimately. But also, in the meantime, check his power  by turning at least one house of congress over to the opposition party.

But what do we find instead from the same poll, when the women were asked if they will actually positively show up to vote? "Only 30 percent said they will definitely vote in November," In other words, though 70 percent are dissatisfied with the Trump presidency, 70 percent don't plan to do a damned thing about it.

Stunning, and as absolutely vacuous  and illogical as using charcoal powder to whiten teeth when it destroys them in the long term. (And believe me, you do not want high dental bills when you're on Medicare, given they're totally uncovered by Uncle Sam!)

As wifey put it when she happened to come in when the segment was on: "What are these young women, stupid?"

When CBS co host Alex Wagner asked the Refinery29 chief content officer Amy Emmerich:

"I don't like this statistic at all! Young women are the least likely to vote in November, Why is that?"

Emmerich replied:  "They are more invested in the experiential, activist movement where they can feel the change. They don't believe their vote matters."

Well, hey geniuses, tell that to the three states Trump won by a razor thin 77,000 votes. That is, barely enough to fill a proper NFL football stadium,  thereby taking the Electoral College margin and the presidency.

As Janice put it, when she heard that: "What do they have,  air for brains? Of course your vote won't matter if you don't get off your butt and actually exercise it."

Ms. Emmerich went on:

"They don't trust the process. They believe it's all about the politics and not about the policy."

Right. So you're going to fix the mal-designed process by not voting? Oh wait, you also believe you'll fix your teeth by using charcoal powder on them....right....

So, according to Emmerich:

"Why would you vote for something you really don't believe in, when you can get out on the street and feel the impact you make?"

Typical solipsism of the young and dumb.  They embrace the transient fresh air in the face and feel the throbbing pulse of activism while marching, hoisting banners and yelling - believing (wrongly) they are making a difference. But forget when the parade or march is over,  that's it. The gusto is gone and no permanent imprint is evident.

 It's a rush like swigging a high caffeine drink then it wanes.

At least the youngest citizens-  the Parkland kids - knew that voting was the core issue and ultimately without it, they'd never make never long term progress. This  was why when they organized their events in March and April they always included registering the attendant young people to VOTE. But these dumb women exposed in the survey think it's all over after you just show up to march. No way Ask David Hogg or Emma Gonzalez of Parkland.

As Bianna Golodryga - another co host put it: "And yet they're so invested in these policies, like health care."

Confirming this is another aspect of the poll of these young women, the issue priorities, showing the following as "very important":

- Healthcare   62 %'

- Civil Rights and equality  55 %

- Equal pay for women   54 %

- Crime and safety - 50 %

So it's incredible these young women believe they will get any of these without voting. Know why the elder population in this country gets more fiscal protection than the young? Because we come out and vote - every time!  70 percent of us vote in general elections, and almost as many in midterms. Because we know it's important. We vote to protect the programs we rely on,  whether Social Security or Medicare. And the Right's extremists know if they try to take those away they will have to face the blowback at the ballot box.

Co-host Vladimir Douthier then asked CBS election specialist Anthony Salvanto:

"What is it about these younger women that they choose not to vote? What reasons do they give?"

Salvanto replied:

"Well part of that is just that as you grown older you start to see how politics affects your life. Or, you put down roots, you buy a house, and have kids so you start to see how policies affect you. We also see that for the young women who are going to vote, the motivation is really high. Their enthusiasm is really high and they believe it matters who controls congress.  Whereas those who aren't going to vote say it doesn't matter who controls congress."

Which effect will be interesting to see when these indifferent youngsters need food stamps or help to pay off their college loans and can't get it because the Repukes in the House (and Senate) have insisted on 20 hours per week of work to get the food stamps, and raised the college loans to 7 percent.

Well, duh. Of course, it does. Something we've learned very painfully since the 2014 midterm election when barely a fraction of the young turned out.  And yet, fully 26 percent of the young women share the belief that party doesn't matter in terms of which controls congress. Clearly these fools haven't been paying attention the past 17 months. Or....maybe they've been too busy marching. Who knows?

But given 70 percent are dissatisfied and angry about the Trump presidency- according to the CBS poll- it beggars the imagination that such a large proportion of them would also not be aware of which party is protecting that presidency they're leery of. Hint- hint: It isn't the Democrats!  As one political specialist put it on 'All In' last night, regarding the GOP: "They are no longer even operating as conservatives. They are no longer a party of fiscal responsibility. They're not a party of family values. They're not a strong on national defense or free market party.  So they've become a party of identity politics and white grievance".

And as Sen. Bernie Sanders put it in a recent piece in The Nation: The GOP are essentially now a party of right wing extremists who primary goal is to protect Trump and advance a radical agenda, as well as line up with white nationalism. (Also evident in the degree to which they suppress the votes of minorities, e.g. African-Americans.)

Would any real red-blooded young female with a grain of common sense then fail to discern the difference between this party of white supremacist -backing, traitor -protecting degenerates and the Dems?  Evidently, the subset of nincompoops exposed in the CBSNews - Refinery 29 survey- who believe it doesn't matter which party controls congress-  meets that deplorable standard.

As Jess McIntosh bluntly put it on the same program:

"You cannot be for a few things, and not white supremacy, and still support the president and this administration."

Which, of course, also means you also can't blind your eyes to the GOP and how they've supported Trump, as well as their history of racism since the "Southern strategy" - after the Civil Rights movement - as McIntosh noted.  Hence, if you see no difference between the parties - as 26 percent of the young women do not - you must de facto be a supporter of racism, white supremacy. Either that, or you are abysmally ignorant and "likely stupid"  - to invoke Janice's parlance.  As stupid as those who brush their teeth with charcoal powder, I asked her. "Absolutely!"

Those 70 percent of young women positive they will not vote in November need to take a page from the Colorado student below - who despite being a recent HS grad - obviously is far wiser.

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