How the Left Lost Teen Spirit

Read a Salon interview with Danny Goldberg, author of the book, “”Dispatches From the Culture Wars: How the Left Lost Teen Spirit.” The reviewer writes: “As Goldberg points out — and no other political pundit, to my knowledge, has noticed this — in 1996, Bill Clinton beat Bob Dole by 19 points among voters under 24. In 2000, George W. Bush and Gore were dead even in that age group, a total of about 9 million votes. Restore even half of Clinton’s ’96 edge with youth, and the result of the election is clearly different, with or without the much-debated Nader factor.” He adds: “But would it really be so daring for Democratic candidates to make it clear that they support free speech, and that what Americans want to watch and listen to is entirely their own business? Wouldn’t it be OK for candidates to the left of Bush to admit that fact, and to point out that they represent a party that, at least historically, has stood alongside the civil rights movement, the abortion rights movement, the environmental movement and the lesbian and gay liberation struggle?”