A recent poll indicates something that both parties should have realized when Bernie Sanders, an Independent Democratic Socialist, got the type of support he got from millennials and many disillusioned with both Democrats and Republicans.
Millenials are ripe for the establishment of a third party that speaks to their values and one that mitigates the disaster inflicted on them by both.
A recent NBC poll made it clear that millennials want real change.
A strong majority of millennials — 71 percent — say the Republican and Democratic parties do such a poor job of representing the American people that a third major party is needed, according to the results of a new NBC News/GenForward poll.
…
Independent millennials who do not lean toward either party and millennials who identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaners were more likely to say a third party is needed (74 percent and 75 percent, respectively) than millennials who identify as Republicans or Republican-leaners (67 percent). Three in 10 Republicans said the parties do an adequate job, compared to a quarter of Democrats and only 22 percent of Independents.
The desire for a third party cuts across both race, ethnicity, and gender, Of note is that Donald Trump’s favorability with millennials is only 22%.
Millennials are ripe to start a third party.
I was at the Democratic National Convention as a Bernie Sanders delegate. I interacted with a cross-section of millennials who supported both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Both groups were very dissatisfied with the direction of the Democratic Party. The poll mentioned above infers that the same applies to the Republican millennials.
Most know that young people are very progressive on social issues. Likewise, they have a solid independent thread running through them. That intersectionality means the group is ripe for a good organizer to get in and lay the groundwork and path to building a new and young party. I anticipate that within the next two election cycles a more robust third-party movement will emerge as the continued stagnation continues in Congress. It is just a matter of time.