By Scott Graber
It is Monday, and I’m sitting in the well-lit confines of a car dealership waiting for my Honda Fit to be serviced. In this sleek venue I have a cup of complementary espresso.
It is a matter of political gospel that young, underemployed, white men voted for Donald Trump. Some of these men were, in fact, casualties taken for the moving of “manufacturing” — textiles, sofas, cell phones — to Mexico, Vietnam and Bangladesh The plight of these men was taken up by podcasters and Truth Social who reminded these men of their victimhood and, parenthetically, of their alleged racism, and their misbegotten, misplaced love of the Lost Cause.
That white, male demographic marched to the polls and cast their ballot for Donald Trump in record numbers
But there are other groups that also have a beef with the way they have been treated. I speak of the Millennials and those who were born between 1995 and 1998 — otherwise known as Generation Z.
But for a moment let’s just focus on the much-maligned Millennials — those born in the early 80s — who are now in their 40s.
These were folks who were told that college was essential to their happiness and their health and that borrowing money (for tuition) was just fine.
And so they borrowed big bucks, at big interest rates (now 6.5%), and just when they were entering the work force the Recession of 2008 doubled the unemployment rate. That economic “correction” scuttled (some of their) plans for a quick, on-time repayment.
We remember that President Biden tried to forgive these loans; however, President Trump now says he intends to go after those who are in default.
Many Millennials want to own a house and begin building equity in a piece of land. They are finding that process daunting—or impossible. In Charleston the average cost of a house is between $400,000 and $500,000. In Port Royal, where I reside, there are homes listed for $600,000.
If one wants to live in Early Branch or Estill the cost of a house is less. But if one is interested in Charleston, Hilton Head or Greenville the average cost of housing is bumping up against half a million dollars.
That means a down payment — perhaps $70,000 — not to mention closing costs along with hazard and, in some cases, flood insurance.
If those same Millennials want to start a family that is probably going to mean child care costs. In South Carolina those costs will range somewhere between $11,000 and $17,000 a year. In Washington D.C. those costs are $24,000 a year. Those childcare costs will be less, of course, in Green Pond or Ridgeland.
This is not the first generation to face adversity — those who came of age in 1941 found there was a war underway and house and baby ownership was deferred (or ended) on the beaches of Tarawa. But when they came home there was the GI Bill that paid for their college and helped with the purchase of a house.
The Baby Boomers — my generation — had a similar deal waiting for them if they got past the unpleasantness around Khe Sanh and Hue. And one might argue that Millennials sorta had this same option if they joined the All-volunteer Army and did a tour at Ft. Bragg or in Iraq.
I would think that this unhappy group, the Millennials, represents an opportunity for the Democratic Party when and if their head-in-the-sand, largely-silent leadership is willing to craft a new coalition to replace the old coalition assembled by FDR.
Elements of that coalition — organized labor, white people in the South, Catholics — have departed the party of Roosevelt and so-called Progressives have demonstrated a puritanical zeal much like Cromwell’s Roundheads.
This new leadership will have to use vectors like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Podcasts if they actually want to talk to Millennials. They will have to organize other disemboweled demographics like fired government employees, those who lost their research grants and lawyers who have watched due process die. And because of feints and jabs at Social Security and Medicare the retired population has become the big, essential kahuna.
The new leaders will have to learn the limitations of television marketing and the U.S. Postal Service. And, of course, they will have to win a majority in the House and Senate if they intend to actually enact legislation designed to help with student loan forgiveness, first-home buyers and the soaring cost of child care.
Scott Graber is a lawyer, novelist, veteran columnist and longtime resident of Port Royal. He can be reached at cscottgraber@gmail.com.
