For The Record- 24. August. 2024

When it's all mixed up, better break it down

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KA~

In the run-up to the 1992 election, there was electricity running through my high school. Rock the Vote was still a thing, and there were tables in almost every hall with voter registration information. The Clinton campaign had adopted Fleetwood Mac’s then 15-year-old song “Don't Stop” as its official anthem. I went to school with at least 2 (maybe 3?) kids named Rhiannon. If that wasn’t aimed at bringing us into the fold, it was aimed at our still-young parents. With the benefit of hindsight, all felt very young, signaling a massive shift in target demographics. Both parties were in search of the next generation of voters. The Democrats felt exciting, almost like a party. That’s the sort of you want to help build. We were going to change the world. Together.

We know how this particular story ends…Nothing says “early 90s” like Bill Clinton playing saxophone on the Arsenio Hall show. 

Flash forward to today: 

Last night, VP Kamala Harris capped the Democratic National Convention by accepting her party’s nomination for president. Her speech marked the end of a convention that, frankly, felt more like a party than anything else. I imagine that’s partly by design, but like 1992, it reflects a massive demographic shift. Come November, 41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote, including 8 million who are voter-eligible for the first time (one of which includes my oldest son).

Much of the Harris-Walz campaign seems purpose-built to draw those voters in….and, like 1992, their parents as well. 

“Don’t Stop” was 15 years old in 1992. Doing the math–-and man, does that make me feel old—it’s a track that was a hit when most of my class’s parents were still very young.