Sharlaman the God said Democrats have “failed” to tailor their election message to younger Americans, specifically pointing to the party’s response to last month’s protests on college campuses over the Gaza war.
In an interview with The Young Turks, a progressive online news and commentary show, Charmagne noted the large youth voter base and said the Biden campaign “will want to rally young people together in November.”
“But that’s going to be difficult given what’s going on in Gaza,” he continued. “What was going on on that college campus is a real issue where I feel the Democratic Party has failed in terms of how to get its message out to young people.”
Charlaman, who hosts his own show on SiriusXM, has been critical of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party as a whole, even though he shares a common understanding with them about the danger posed by former President Trump.
The Biden administration’s public stance on Israel has shifted as the campus protests have continued, but Biden’s support for Israel’s right to self-defense has remained steadfast while he has stepped up public pressure on Israel to reduce casualties in Gaza.
Biden faced multiple “independent” or “unaffiliated” votes in the Democratic primaries this election cycle, and in several states, including Michigan, Washington, Minnesota and Massachusetts, protest votes against Biden were concentrated in areas with large young populations.
The large number of undecided Democratic votes raised concerns that younger voters could pose a threat to Biden’s chances of reelection in November, as his criticism of his stance on Israel comes under intense public scrutiny.
Charlamagne echoed those concerns.
“I don’t know how that switch is going to flip come November,” Charmagne said of young people’s support for Biden. “When you look at people across the country, and especially in Michigan, who are voting indifferently for Biden, I don’t know how that mindset is going to change come November.”
But polls of younger voters suggest Biden’s stance on Israel and Gaza may not erode his support among young people as much as some experts suggest.
In a recent poll, college students were asked to rank nine issues in their top three, and “the Middle East conflict” came in last, with only 13% ranking it in the top three.
The survey also found that only 7% of university students took part in anti-Israel protests. Of the 93% who did not participate, only 34% said they supported the protests, and 50% said they did not support either pro-Israel or anti-Israel protests.
