This blog continues the discussion that we began with Epic Journey: The 2008 Elections and American Politics (Rowman and Littlefield, 2009).The latest book in this series is Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.
One of the biggest lines Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin uncorked during his acceptance speech Wednesday night was his appeal to the disaffected young voters who were once among President Obama’s staunchest supporters.
“College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life,” Mr. Ryan said.
In a matter of hours, Mr. Ryan’s message was echoed by Crossroads Generation, an offshoot of the Karl Rove-founded “super PAC” American Crossroads, Young Republican National Federation and other Republican youth groups. On Thursday afternoon, Crossroads Generation posted an advertisement that tracked Mr. Ryan’s words with almost eerie precision, ending with a young man tearing a poster of Mr. Obama off his wall.
The article notes that the Crossroads groups cannot coordinate with the campaign and that a spokesman for Crossroads Generation said that the ad was in production before the speech.
