Party Y: Not Your Parents' Political Party

By Aaron Biterman, WireTap. Posted March 17, 2003.

"It's difficult for young people to relate to the issues talked about in politics today," says Jake Conarck, 20, a student at SUNY-Farmingdale in New York. "It's like a foreign language." Statistics suggest that Conarck is not alone in his thinking: More than 30 million voters ages 18-30 didn't participate in the 2000 elections. Yet by numbers, Generation Y is poised to make monumental changes in the way American society functions -- according to U.S. Census projections, in about ten years voting-age members of Generation Y will begin to significantly outnumber the Baby Boomers.

But where are the stalwart, persistent, and dedicated voices of young people today? Over the past decade, many young people have taken to the streets to protest the injustices of globalizing efforts by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), and, more recently, the war in Iraq. And while protest may be a valuable way to participate in politics, most young people are hesitant to take their political engagement a step further -- to construct something that furthers their values and beliefs rather than simply advocating the deconstruction of existing institutions.

Thomas Breyer, 24, wants to change that. Breyer is one of a team of founders of a new, but radically different, political party: Party Y. Joining Breyer in the founding of this new political party is Kyle Johnson, President of Youth Elect; Benjamin Quinto, Associate Director of Youth in Action; Joy Williams, Program Assistant for Demos USA; and the author who works under the pseudonym "Cousin Sam". Cousin Sam originated the idea in his book Youth Quake: A Manifesto (Trafford, 2001). Youth Quake offers a fictional glimpse at the impending youth revolution on America's horizon. The compelling manifesto tracks the life of a struggling young musician and his friends who start up their own grassroots political party, make a bold run for Congress, and create a song that ignites a national youth revolution. The catchy song, "Kill the baby boomers," sets the country ablaze, culminating in the Million Youth March to Washington, DC. Cousin Sam, the young author of the manifesto Youth Quake, has a clear purpose: To rally his fellow young Americans and reclaim their political voice.

While Party Y is not partisan in the traditional political sense, it is partisan in that its goal is to advance the goals of young people in America. Its founders call it "all-partisan" -- welcoming all political stalwarts and newbies aged 30 and below.

So what are these "common goals" that Party Y seeks to advance? Does it have a platform? Will Party Y even make it into the limelight, and, if so, how?

The unusual thing about this political party is that its platform will be decided by the young people who choose to participate in its creation, rather than by an elite group or a candidate. Through the Youth in Action online campaign to create a National Youth Platform, youth across the country will be able to put in their two cents by answering three simple questions: 1) What are your top three concerns for your country and your community? 2) What are your solutions to address your concerns? 3) What is your message to political candidates and leaders?

Beyond the platform, Party Y's goals are to increase the number of young people voting, multiply the number of young elected officials (under 30), and energize young people to participate in the voting process. The bottom line, according to Party Y, is to make politics cool by getting youth interested in government, giving them someone to vote for, and launching them en masse into America's voting booths.

But how in the world could this seemingly impossible venture be attained? According to Breyer, all it will take is impassioned effort from dedicated youth activists, a media vehicle open to the idea, credible, willing youth candidates to step forth, and funding.

The Party Y vision is simple if you take an example and apply it to politics. Take the "American Idol" TV series, for instance. Over ten thousand entries across the country were sifted through, to come up with only a handful of talented young pop divas. Over 100 million call-in voters helped pick the winners along the wow. That's right -- one hundred million VOTERS! Now imagine translating this phenomenon into a political project: auditioning and selecting talented, credible young candidates around the country to head a political team of youth.

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